Stronger Than the Rest (17 page)

He looked back at Clint and Jay. “Did either of you get a good look at the one who rode off?”

“He was gone by the time we got close enough to see. Wish we had. He’d be one dead sonofa…” Clint stopped and looked at Mrs. Bierdan.

“It’s all right, Clint. I feel exactly the same.” Eloise ran her hands over her lightly covered arms, more out of frustration than to stem the cold air. She’d only had time to grab her wrapper in her hurry to get outside. A chill still rippled through her at the thought that more of her men could have been injured, or killed.

“Ben, you okay to stay a while longer tonight?” Jeff asked.

“Sure, Boss. Whatever you want.”

“Good. You two,” he pointed to the other new men who had been hired in the last two days, “keep guard with Ben. I don’t think those men will be back but I’m not willing to take the chance.”

Eloise stared at the dead man. She’d never been this close to someone covered in so much blood. He wasn’t young, maybe in his late thirties. She’d never seen him before, which meant he was most likely brought in just for the purpose of terrorizing her and her men.
What kind of man would do that?
she wondered.

“Mrs. Bierdan?”

She broke her gaze from the body. “Yes, Clint?”

“You gonna be okay?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’ll be fine. Thanks for taking care of everything. I can’t thank you and the men enough.”

“It’s our job, Mrs. Bierdan. Wish we’d gotten out here in time to get all of them but at least there’s one that won’t bother you anymore.” Clint glared at the body without a bit of remorse at the loss of life. The outlaw had it coming.

“We’re set,” Jeff said as he walked up. “We’ve got the injured man in the bunkhouse and will do what we can until morning. Three men are on guard and the barn’s cleaned up. I’m going to head in if it’s all right with you.”

“You go ahead, Jeff. See you tomorrow.” She nodded at Clint and turned for the house. Eloise thought she should offer to tend the injured man, but knew her lack of skills wouldn’t help. Jeff and the others had much more experience with bullet wounds than she did.

Both men watched her enter the house and close the door. Jeff walked one direction around the house, Clint walked the other. They met back at the front and headed toward the bunkhouse. Both were dead tired and angry. All the men had been pushed to the edge with this latest threat, but none would leave. They’d work until they dropped if it was required to save the ranch, and Mrs. Bierdan.

******

“Damn, that hurts,” Drew hissed through clenched teeth as pain shot up a leg for the fourth time this session. They’d been working for well over an hour. He was drenched in sweat, but refused to stop. He’d stood for the first time in three months. Three damn months and he wasn’t about to sit again until he took a full step. “Again, Mr. Jericho.”

Drew placed his hands against the wall as Jericho steadied him. “You ready?” Jericho asked.

“Yes.”

Jericho let go but stayed right behind Drew, ready to grab him and start again.

Drew closed his eyes and focused. He thought of walking, riding, anything that involved his legs. He balanced so long against the wall that Jericho thought he’d given up or his body had locked in place. Then he saw Drew take a deep breath and push from the wall. When he was erect, he dropped his hands and stood. One second, two seconds, five seconds. Ten seconds passed and he hadn’t fallen. He could feel pulsing sensations up and down both legs, but his body held.

He closed his eyes again and thought of the one thing he wanted more than anything else. Tess. He would walk again, for Tess. Without realizing it he took one step forward, then brought his other leg up alongside the other. He started to take another step but ran into the wall. He was out of room, but he’d done it. He’d walked.

Drew opened his eyes and tried to glance at Jericho over his shoulder. The change in posture confused his muscles and he dropped in a heap on the floor, but not until after he’d hit a table with an arm and sent a vase crashing to the ground.

The door slammed open. Tess stood staring at Drew where he lay on the wooden floor. “Okay, I’ve had enough. What’s going on in here?” Her hands were on her hips, her voice harsh, and an angry scowl replaced her serene features. It was a new look for her, and Drew didn’t like being on the receiving end.

“Come inside, Tess, and close the door,” Drew said.

She looked around the room, then behind her, into the hall.

“It’s okay. Come on in.”

This time she did as he asked.

“Sit over there.” He indicated a chair on the other side of the room.

Jericho cleaned up the broken vase, up-righted the table, and pulled Drew to his feet.

“You sure about this, Mr. MacLaren?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“What are you doing, Drew?” Tess asked. Her heart was beating so hard it felt as if it would jump out of her chest. She squeezed her hands together in her lap and tried not to shake. She thought she knew what was about to happen, and prayed she was right.

“Just watch.” Drew’s calm voice fortified her, gave her the motivation needed to stay seated and not jump up to stop him.

He stood the same as before, then gave the order to Jericho to let go. Tess’s breath caught as Jericho stepped back and Drew used his arms to balance against the wall. A full minute passed. No one spoke.

Just as Tess thought that was what he wanted to show her, he pushed back and stood, balancing his weight on his two formerly useless legs. She almost shrieked with joy. Tears began to form. She didn’t brush them away—her eyes remained riveted on Drew.

He took a step. A step! She jumped from the chair but Jericho held up a hand to stop her. Tess waited. She was rewarded with one more step before Drew steadied himself against the wall. Jericho grabbed him under the arms and helped him into the chair. “Enough for today, Mr. MacLaren.”

Drew looked up to see tears streaking down Tess’s face. Tears she didn’t try to stop. They were rolling over the biggest smile Drew had ever seen, and it was for him.

She placed a hand over her mouth in hopes of stopping a sob, but it was fruitless. “Oh, Drew. You did it. You walked.” With each word she took a step forward until she stood against his chair. He opened his arms and
Tess fell into them, clutching his shirt, and burying her head in his neck.

Drew pulled her tighter and buried his face in her hair. He was vaguely aware of a door opening and closing. He looked up to see that Jericho was gone.

It was just the two of them. She squirmed a little on his lap and Drew felt a slight hardening of his body. He’d felt the sensations for the last few days and hoped they were an indication that his entire body was healing. Relief washed over him as he realized another hurdle was being crossed.

When Tess lifted her face to his it seemed natural to move his lips over hers. It was a soft caress, just a touch. He brushed his lips over hers. She strained to get closer. His hands moved to the back of her head and deepened the kiss. Her lips parted, and his tongue traced the edges of her mouth. He knew she had little experience and didn’t want to frighten her.

Tess melted into his arms. She was totally unprepared for the warmth that swam over her body. She could smell the mixture of pine soap and fresh sweat and couldn’t stop herself from running her fingers along his cheek bones, and wrapping her hands around his neck to draw him closer. She never wanted the kiss to stop.

When Drew ran his tongue gently along her lips she opened to him. She had never been kissed before, and no one had ever told her about the fire that could burn and consume her.  She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time and found herself pressing against him, wanting to feel his touch on her lips, her throat, her breast.

She turned her body toward his hand until her breast rested under his large palm. She pressed herself against him and felt his fingers caress her.

With a groan he deepened the kiss as he undid the buttons of her bodice.  She felt cool air against her skin and then the warmth of his lips on a breast. Heat spread through her until she moaned. 

 Tess strained to get closer. She could feel a slight hardening beneath her. “More,” she whispered into his mouth and squirmed to let him know what she wanted. Blood rushed to his loins and he felt himself harden even more.

She pushed into him with a slow sigh as he took the other breast while his other hand crept under her dress to rest on her thigh. She moaned and squirmed once more in an attempt to get even closer. Her passion amazed him as it also caused him to stop and drop his hand from her leg.

He pulled away from her, gently raised her to a sitting position and slowly buttoned her dress, stopping to kiss each piece of skin before he covered it.

“I want you, Tess, but not here and not like this.”

The look on his face told Tess what she needed to know, and she understood.

“Yes, you’re right.” There was no anger, no censure in her tone. She leaned in to place one more kiss on his mouth before pushing herself up. “But I want more,” she said as her hands smoothed down her dress and she walked toward the door. “I don’t want to wait long.” Tess passed through the door and closed it behind her.

Drew took a long, drawn-out breath and watched her leave. His heart was racing, his body on fire, but not from pain. This time it was from who he knew was in his future. Tess.

Chapter Fifteen

Denver, Colorado

As in the past, the two men entered the darkened basement and found the stairs. They’d had to take more time than usual. A robbery had occurred a block down, someone had been shot, and the streets were teeming with deputies. Each knew their boss would wait. Caution was their guide. Once inside, experience led them upward through the dark stairwell until they were outside the office door, which stood ajar. Behind the desk sat their boss.

“Gentleman. I expect you have some good news for me.”

Pierce glanced at his brother, who indicated for him to proceed. “We found the third book. He keeps it hidden in a door at the back of the safe. Clever setup. We were lucky. Walsh was out of town, which allowed me to make a copy.” He laid his findings on the desk. “I’ve decoded the first couple of pages and it appears to include documentation on business dealings not shown in the other two books.”

“I see.” Their boss picked up the decoded pages and looked them over. His eyes stopped at one entry in particular and he glanced at his associate. “Did you look at this?”

“Yes. And noticed what you did,” the associate answered.

“Bierdan.”

“It certainly points to Gordon Bierdan as Ira’s partner in the rustling operations. From what you’ve said, Frank Alts,” he looked at Pierce to clarify, “the sheriff in Cold Creek, felt certain someone else was involved. A man who held the money, pulled the strings. Looks like Ira was that man.”

The boss pointed at another column. “What are these entries, Pierce?”

“I’m not sure. The entries run during the same time period as the cattle thefts, but the contact is in Victoria, British Columbia. It’s a purchase transaction but I haven’t deciphered the merchandise. He’s used a separate code and an abbreviation for whatever it is he purchased. But I can tell you that it was brought into San Francisco through Washington.”

“I suspect it can’t be legal or there would be no need to code the entries. Correct?” He looked at Pierce.

“Yes, sir. That’s my guess.”

The boss continued. “So we know he was at least the brains behind the rustling in Cold Creek.”

“And Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, and northern New Mexico,” the associate added. “Plus, notice one other name mentioned regarding the business from Canada.”

“Drago.” Their boss looked up. “Does that name mean anything to either of you?”

“Only by reputation. He’s known to be involved in numerous illegal pursuits, and he leaves no witnesses to his actions. Drago enjoys torturing and killing, and makes no distinction between men and women.” The associate walked over to the bar, grabbed the bottle of scotch and tipped it toward the others. Both shook their heads, but he proceeded to pour a shot for himself and down it. “He met with Walsh while you were gone. My guess is whatever Drago is involved in is more sinister and deadly than rustling, and Walsh is in on every single endeavor. Perhaps even calling the shots.”

The boss’s eyes widened at the extent of Walsh’s illegal activities. “Any information on his recent transactions?”

“I’ll have that for you in the next few days. It’s moving at a fast rate but still takes time. Plus, I need to decipher the exact merchandise coming from Canada. I believe that will be important to us.” Pierce had worked non-stop since copying the book. His only breaks from the intense work came at night when he was at the Denver Rose. He couldn’t complain. It was that job that allowed him access to Ira’s office and the material they now held.

“What of the others? Have you spoken with them yet?” the associate asked.

Pierce’s eyes snapped to his brother’s at that questions. He was unaware of other men being involved. He thought the man in front of them acted alone.