Ana Leigh (19 page)

It was a bittersweet moment: poignant with the tenderness of his lovemaking, but unbearably painful, knowing this would be the last time he’d ever hold her.

Her heart shattered.

Each time Zach saw her, it was harder to leave her. This time was the worst. Something just wasn’t right. She hadn’t disappointed him last night; she’d been all he remembered. She’d driven him wild. Yet he’d sensed she was holding something back.

He kicked at a stone in his path. What in hell did it matter? Unless he told her everything, soon she’d be married to Rayburn. Maybe it was meant to be. Maybe it would be better to forget her.

But that wouldn’t be easy, because the redhead was not that easy to forget.

Truth was, he wanted to be with her out of bed as much as in. There was a damn sight more to Rose Dubois than just good sex. The defiant way she’d thrust up that pert little chin when she was toughing it out, even as her eyes filled with the tears she refused to shed. And he liked the sound of her laughter—that mellow throatiness when she was laughing with him. Nothing got to him as much as that sound. Well, maybe that perfume she wore, or those blue eyes smoking in anger at him. Lord, she excited him when she looked at him that way. That was probably why he’d deliberately baited her so much. Funny though, despite all their squabbling, they had spent a lot of time laughing together.

He frowned, troubled by a nagging uneasiness—last night she hadn’t laughed. She was holding back something, all right—something she didn’t want to tell him.

There were many puzzling parts to her, but he was running out of time before he had a chance to put all the pieces together. For her own good, he had to tell her some of what he’d discovered—or it would be too late.

He headed for the livery. Rose’s warning indicated the gang might be on to him. He’d ridden out yesterday to warn Will, and now he’d return to the Lazy R. If Jess Tait planned on killing him, he’d make it convenient for the son of a bitch to try.

Chapter 19

A
fter Zach left that morning, Rose knew she had to leave Brimstone immediately. She’d go back to Chicago to personally tell Fred Harvey that Brimstone was no place to bring in unprotected young ladies. And then she hoped he would reassign her somewhere as far from Texas as she could get. Maybe California: the Santa Fe had completed its line all the way to the Pacific Ocean. But she knew no matter where she went, Zach would haunt her forever.

Her heart was heavy as she finished dressing. She had a lot to do before the eastbound train came through tonight—
and she slinked away like a thief in the night
.

The first thing she must do was tell Billings she was leaving, and then ride out to the Lazy R ranch and tell Stephen Rayburn she couldn’t marry him. Then she’d leave Zach forever.

When Rose informed Everett Billings of her intention to leave, he threw up his hands in frustration.

“Why are you doing this to me, Miss Dubois?”

“My decision to leave Brimstone has nothing to do with you, Mr. Billings.”

“But you just got engaged to a local resident.”

“I know. I hope to depart on the train tonight, and I must resolve that problem with Stephen before I can do so.”

“So you are going to just take off and leave me shorthanded, Miss Dubois.”

“I wouldn’t, Mr. Billings, if I thought the other girls weren’t capable of handling the service. Frankly, I wish all of you were getting on that train with me tonight. Please understand I have some insurmountable problems, or I’d never consider this drastic action.”

For a moment he stared at her, appalled, then his expression softened. “You’ve always been a very dependable employee. I’m sorry you are having problems, Miss Dubois. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Compassion was the last thing she ever expected to hear from Everett Billings, and his concern made her want to break down and cry. But the only way she could hold onto her resolve was by not giving in to self-pity. She alone was responsible for the mess in which she found herself, and it was up to her alone to settle it.

“Thank you, Mr. Billings, but it’s something I must do myself.”

“Then I wish you good luck, Miss Dubois.”

Thanking him for his kindness, Rose ran out the door. She would say good-bye to Kate and the other girls later that evening, before departing. Once on the train, there’d be plenty of time for tears. The thoughts of what might have been—love, marriage, friendship—would be painful memories from which there never
would
be an escape.

The heartache threatened to suffocate her. She had to get it out, but the only person she could bare her heart and soul to was Emily.

Returning to her room, she sat down and wrote Emily a long letter telling her the whole story of her love for Zach MacKenzie (though she didn’t mention him by name), the engagement to Stephen Rayburn, and her reason for leaving Brimstone. After posting the letter, she rented a buggy for the next unpleasant task she had to face.

As she drove out to the Lazy R, Rose struggled with the anxiety of telling Stephen she couldn’t marry him. She was ashamed of how she had misled him, and brokenhearted to think that her love for Zach had been the source of that shame. It was painful enough to know Zach didn’t love her, without knowing how her love for him had caused pain to others.

Arriving at the ranch, Rose reined up sharply when she saw Jess Tait astride a horse near the bunkhouse. Bull and Joe joined him, and her heart thudded when she heard one mention Zach’s name. Had Tait succeeded in harming him? She had to know the truth. Rose got down from the buggy and moved closer.

“There ain’t no sign of him in town, boss,” Bull said. “Nobody’s seen him since the night of that party.”

“Well, keep lookin’. Maybe he’s around here. And make sure you bring him to me when you find him.”

“What if he don’t wanna come?” Joe asked. “He don’t strike me as the kind who’s gonna do what he don’t want to.”

“Yeah, and he’s a fast draw, boss,” Bull added. “He can clear leather faster than anyone I’ve ever seen.”

Tait snorted in disgust. “I ain’t plannin’ on tryin’ to outdraw him. That’d make me as dumb as you guys. Just find him. Where’s Cain and Pike?”

“They rode out on the range lookin’ for him,” Bull said.

“Why in hell wud they think he’s out on the range? Ain’t nobody got no brains?”

“Pike said he thought he saw MacKenzie one day out on the range ridin’ alone, and he weren’t workin’ cattle.”

“More’n likely it wuz that old man Wilson snoopin’ around. Get movin’. Rayburn’s chewin’ my ass.”

Relieved to learn that Zach had not fallen victim to Tait’s foul play, Rose started back to the buggy just as Tait turned around and saw her.

“Hey!”

Ignoring his outcry, Rose continued on to her buggy. Hoofbeats drew near and Tait caught up with her before she reached it. He jumped down from his horse and grabbed her arm.

“Whatta ya doin’ snoopin’ around here?”

“Take your hand off me, Mr. Tait,” she ordered in a show of bravado.

“I think Rayburn’s gonna be interested in hearin’ how ya been snoopin’ around here.” He tightened his grasp on her arm and forced her toward the house.

“Who is it?” Stephen shouted in an irritated tone when Tait rapped on the door.

“Tait.” He opened the door.

“What in hell do you want? I told you not to bother me when—” Stephen choked off his words and gaped in surprise when Tait shoved her in ahead of him.

Stephen’s shock couldn’t compare to her own at the sight of Rita sitting on Stephen’s lap. Had the woman already told him that she’d seen her in the Long Horn? Stephen nearly dumped the blonde on the floor in his haste to stand up.

“Rose! What a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?” Although his tone was welcoming, he was clearly uneasy at being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Rose felt a sense of relief. Catching Stephen in an act of infidelity eased the guilt of her own perfidy.

“Snooping around. That’s what she’s doin’ here,” Tait declared with his usual snarl.

“I asked
her
, Tait.” Annoyance had replaced the surprise in his green eyes. “Get out of here and leave us alone.”

“She—”

Stephen’s glare silenced Tait’s protest. “I said get out.”

Tait paused at the doorway for another resentful glare, then left the house, slamming the door behind him. Stephen turned to the blonde. “You, too, Rita. I’d prefer to speak to my fiancée alone.”

“
That’s
the gal you’re marryin’!” Rita stared at Rose. “Seems like we meet again, Miss High-and-Mighty.”

Rose lowered her head, trying not to make eye contact with the woman.

“You two have met?” Stephen asked, his surprise evident.

“At the Fourth of July celebration,” Rose said.

“That ain’t the only place. I’ve got a good memory for fancy gowns.” Rita started laughing.

“What’s so funny, Rita?” Stephen asked.

“All this time you’ve been worryin’ that your fine fiancée would get wind of us. The joke’s on you, sugar. She’s the gal I saw sneakin’ out of MacKenzie’s room the same night of your big engagement party.” She started laughing again. “While you were with me, the future Mrs. Rayburn was right across the hallway mixin’ it up with one of your hired hands.”

“Get out of here, Rita. Get back to town and keep your mouth shut.”

“Haven’t I always, sugar?” She smirked at Rose. “Better luck next time, honey.”

As soon as the door closed, Stephen turned to her, his lips a harsh line of anger, fury burning in his eyes. “You little tramp!”

She drew back in surprise, unprepared for his raw fury. “Stephen, let me explain.”

Surprise became fear when he lashed out; the blow to her jaw caught her unexpectedly. Rose stumbled backward and crashed into a table. Her cheek stung from his blow and before she could regain her footing, he grabbed her by the shoulders. His fingers cut into her flesh like talons. Wincing from the painful pressure, she cowered under the force of his fury.

“How dare you deceive me! I was going to give you the honor of becoming my wife, and all this time you were making a fool of me.”

His rage seemed to be out of control and she looked around desperately for a way to escape. How could she have misjudged this man so miserably? Zach had tried to warn her of the other side to Stephen, but she had scoffed at his warning. “Please, listen to me, Stephen!”

“Shut up!” He shook her until she couldn’t speak. With each jolt hairpins flew in all directions and it felt like her head would bounce off her shoulders if he didn’t stop.

“You cheating little whore!” By the time he shoved her away, she was dizzy and felt as if her brain was rattling.

In a feeble voice, she managed to gasp out an apology. “I’m sorry. I’m not proud of it. I came here to tell you I couldn’t marry you because of what I did.”

“No one makes a fool of me.”

Rose screamed as he hit her again and then again. “You and MacKenzie will both pay for this.” His next blow knocked her to the floor, and she huddled in a heap, sobbing. Hot tears scalded her cheeks, and pain shot through her head like flashes of lightning as the beckoning blackness of unconsciousness called to her.

“Zach,” she cried out before finally slipping into oblivion.

Shouting. Pain. More shouting. More pain.

Rose tried to open her eyes. One of them felt swollen shut, so she gave up trying. The floor was hard beneath her, and she tried to move. Her aching body refused to, so she lay there and tried to assemble her thoughts, but her head ached even more than her body and the loud shouting coming from across the room was making it worse. She forced her eyes open and in a hazy blur recognized Stephen and Jess Tait. The effort was too painful to sustain, so she closed her eyes and listened.

“I looked in the bunkhouse and the barn,” Tait said. “There ain’t no sign of him.”

“Where in hell can he be? Get the hell out of here and find him.”

“I’ve got the boys lookin’ for him, boss.”

“Those idiots are dumber than you are. I told you to get rid of him, but now I want him found and brought to me. Mr. MacKenzie’s death is going to be slow and painful. He made a big mistake in touching the woman I intended to marry. Nobody does that to me.”

“And what about your girlfriend over there?” Tait asked.

“Get rid of her—make it look like an accident. See that you don’t pull what you did when you knocked off that old couple. You’ve got the whole town talking about it.”

Tait snorted in amusement. “So what? They think it’s rustlers. And besides, whatta you grousin’ about? Nobody’s figured you’re behind the rustling. If that old man Wilson hadn’t come upon us driving that rustled herd, he’d still be alive.”

“Just the same, her death’s got to look like an accident. I don’t want anyone connecting it to the Lazy R.” Stephen poured himself a drink and stared into the glass of brandy. “I shall play the role of the bereaved fiancé as convincingly as I have an upright citizen of the community.”

Rose almost gasped aloud. She had to get out of there, but how?

Stephen drank the liquid in one gulp and slammed the glass down. “It’s no thanks to you that nobody suspects me. It’s because I was smart enough to pretend my cattle had been rustled first. You’re stupid, Tait. As stupid as that gang of yours.” He poured himself another drink.

“Well, we wuzn’t too stupid to do your dirty work for ya, Rayburn. I’m sick of you and your stinkin’ orders. Give us the money we’ve got comin’ to us and me and the boys’ll move on.”

“You’re not going anywhere until you get rid of the girl and MacKenzie.”

“That’s what you think.” Tait pulled out his pistol. “Open that safe. I’ve taken all I’m gonna from ya.”

“Fine—go ahead and run out on me; I don’t need you. I can finish this job myself.” Rose lost sight of Stephen when he knelt at the safe. After several seconds, he stood up. “Here’s the money I promised you.”

“All of it, Rayburn.”

“I gave you what I said I would.”

“And I’m takin’ the rest,” Tait said, motioning toward the safe with his pistol.

Stephen threw down a stack of bills. “You’re not going to get away with this. I don’t care what it costs me: I’ll see that you’re tracked down and dealt with.”

“Wish you hadn’t said that, Mr. Rayburn, ’cause now that little gal is gonna have to kill ya. Reckon she didn’t take too kindly to that beating ya gave her. Good thing you wuz able to put a bullet into her before you died.” He laughed loudly. “Ya sure gave me a good alibi. After we deliver your bodies to the sheriff an’ tell them what happened, me and the boys can ride away without havin’ the law on our trail.”

“Wait, Tait, don’t do it. I’ll—”

Rose swallowed her scream when Tait fired several shots into Stephen. He knelt over Stephen’s body, then headed over to her. She held her breath, fighting her panic when she felt his nearness and knew he was standing above her.