Give Me A Texas Ranger (15 page)

Stoney left the traveling judge the following afternoon and made a beeline for the Pig and Whistle. He found the slimy vermin nursing a mug of beer at a card table.

Keeping a wary eye out for trouble, Stoney ambled his way over.

Marcus glanced up. “Can I interest you in a game of chance, Burke?”

“Nope. Just thought you should know…the traveling judge ruled that the papers Texanna found yesterday are indeed the Last Will and Testament of Sam Wilder. It’s legal. You don’t have a claim on anything. This is the last time I’m going to tell you this. Harm her or bother Josh again, it’ll be with great satisfaction that I end your miserable life. No more warnings. There won’t be a rock or blade of grass you can hide under where I won’t find you.”

“Is that a threat?”

“Nope. It’s a promise.”

LaRoach wiped the beer foam from his thin mustache. “I could’ve had it all if you hadn’t showed up.”

“But I did, and that’s that.”

“Reckon you won this round, Ranger. You never know who you’ll find in your shadow. I’d watch my back if I were you.”

Stoney’s gun hand twitched. “I always do.”

Along about dark, Texanna had supper on the table and yet Josh hadn’t made it home. She went down onto the street and scanned its length. There was no sign of her son.

She saw Stoney coming out of the hotel with the prisoners’ meal in hand and ran to catch him.

“Have you seen Josh?”

“No, darlin’. Not since morning.”

“I can’t seem to find him and I’m getting worried.”

“Here, you take this tray to the jail and I’ll go look for him. Just set it on my desk. Don’t you get near those outlaws. I’ll give it to them when I get around to it.”

Unshed tears filled her eyes. She’d never felt so loved and cherished, not even when Sam was alive. That Stoney cared so deeply for her son that he’d drop everything to go to his aid brought a warm glow. She was a lucky woman who’d found a one-of-a-kind husband. He gently caressed her cheek.

“Darlin’, I’m sure he’ll turn up. I’ll search all the places Josh likes to go. It’s not like him to disappear.”

Just then they spied Josh’s best friend. Texanna stayed by Stoney’s side as he approached him.

“Matthew, have you seen Josh?” Stoney asked.

The barefoot boy burrowed his toe in the dirt. “He said he was goin’ home to supper. Ain’t he there?”

“I’m afraid not,” Texanna broke in. “Do you have any idea where else he’d go?”

“No, ma’am.” Suddenly the boy looked down the street. Fear filled his face. “Fire!” he yelled.

Texanna whirled, her heart pounding. Wilder’s Undertaking Emporium and her home were ablaze.

“Run and sound the alarm,” Stoney told her. “I’ll do what I can until help arrives.”

Throwing the tray aside, she ran. By the time she pulled the alarm bell, flames licked out the windows and across the front. The fire’s greedy appetite was gobbling up the structure. She grabbed a bucket, filled it from a nearby horse trough and stood shoulder to shoulder with Stoney as men and women alike raced to the scene.

Oh God, if Josh had returned in the short while she’d been gone…She couldn’t stop the scream.

“Josh!”

Just then the upstairs living quarters crashed into the bottom floor. Sparks and flames intensified with a fury. The fire was like a hungry beast, devouring everything in its path. It had already spread to the newspaper office next door and didn’t appear to be slowing down any.

She couldn’t hold back the sobs any longer. They came hard and fast.

Stoney stopped his attack on the flames to comfort her. “Josh is a smart kid. If he was in there he’d have gotten out at the first sign of smoke.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll find him as soon as I can. Don’t worry.”

A bucket line snaked from the well in the center of town. Every able-bodied man, woman, and child who could pass a bucket of water stood in the line, with Stoney manning the front.

Before they had extinguished the flames, half the town lay in smoldering ruins. Stoney had had to hurriedly remove the prisoners when the jail caught fire. He’d stashed them in a storeroom in the hotel, with Bill Ezra to guard them. Thank goodness Ezra was up, hobbling around a little, and had come to see the commotion.

The Pig and Whistle Saloon had also lost the battle.

But they’d saved Ezra’s little house and Texanna’s barbershop, along with the livery, boardinghouse, and mercantile.

Exhausted, Texanna stared at the devastation all around. Had she caused this? She went back in her mind. Maybe she’d left a skillet on the stove when she went out to look for Josh.

Dear Lord, how would she forgive herself if she was to blame?

Her stomach twisted in knots. Her son had vanished and she’d lost their home in one single blow.

Footsteps crunched on the pebbles as Stoney and Loretta Farris came alongside. “I found this tacked to the door of the barbershop.” He handed her a piece of brown paper. He held up a lantern so she could read it.

“‘I have your sniveling brat. By the time you put out the fire we’ll be miles away. This could all have been avoided if your Ranger hadn’t interfered. Now there’s no hope for your son. Revenge is sweet.’ It’s signed Marcus.”

Tears ran unheeded down her cheeks. She sagged in Stoney’s arms. “Oh no! Not my little boy. Please, God, no.”

Loretta spoke softly. “Texanna, come with me to the boardinghouse. I’ve got room for you.”

“Darlin’, I want you to go with Miss Loretta now.” Stoney set her firmly on her feet.

“Where…what?”

“I’m going after Josh. I’ll not come back until I have him. I promise.” His voice was as hard and cold as steel.

“Be careful. I’d die if I lost you too.”

Stoney hurried to the livery and saddled Hondo. Then he followed the tracks in front of the barbershop that led east out of town.

He’d find them. There wasn’t a question of that.

But he just wasn’t sure what would be waiting for him when he got there. Fear gripped him, that he’d be too late to save the boy. LaRoach was unstable, and those kinds of men were the most dangerous.

He nudged Hondo’s sides with his heels. There was no time to lose.

When the trail veered slightly south, Stoney knew LaRoach was headed to the abandoned ruins of Fort McKavett. It’d be hard to locate him in the darkness that draped over the rocky terrain like a heavy wool blanket.

Picking his way through the inky night, he took care to avoid gopher holes. If the horse stepped in one it could spell lameness or a broken leg.

Setting the fire had bought Marcus extra time to get away. The man had calculated they’d work to save the town before coming to look for him and the boy. He’d been right.

LaRoach had gone too far this time.

Stoney’s jaw hardened and his blood turned to ice. He’d show the man no mercy. This time he’d kill LaRoach on the spot if he hurt Josh in any way.

A glance at the moon said it was around midnight. Stoney didn’t know how much time had passed since he’d ridden out of Devils Creek, but it seemed like hours before the jutting stone structures of the old fort came into view. The thin moon created ghostly shadows where soldiers once lived.

He paused to listen for sounds that might indicate a human presence. The saddle leather creaked when he eased to the ground.

At first only the sound of Hondo’s gentle breathing broke the black stillness. Then Stoney froze.

A child’s faint whimper came from somewhere in the eerie, vacant depths of the ruins. It had to be Josh, for Stoney couldn’t feature any other child being in the vicinity.

The noise swirled in the slight breeze, taunting him. It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Leaving Hondo standing in a patch of nut grass, Stoney lifted his Colt from the holster and quietly crept toward the row of houses that had served as officers’ quarters. He put his ear to the door of one. Nothing. The whimpering had stopped.

Stoney’s gaze swept the length of the compound and back. He tried to put himself in LaRoach’s mind. Where would he choose to hide? Up above or down below?

Snakes like LaRoach would always go underground.

From the frontier forts he’d seen, only the commanding officer’s dwelling had a basement. He assumed this one to be the same. The one in front of him was a two-story affair and most imposing. It had to be the place.

He treaded lightly on the wooden porch, approached the door, and turned the knob.

As he’d feared, the door’s squeak announced his presence.

Wasting no time getting inside, Stoney flattened against a wall and listened. Hurried footsteps on the basement stairs invaded the musty, spider-webbed house.

And the whimpers turned into loud, shuddering sobs.

“I know you’re here, Burke,” shouted LaRoach. “Ride back out or the boy dies.”

“Can’t do that,” Stoney growled.

“Then you’ll have his death on your conscience.”

“Kill him and I’ll save the hemp committee the effort. I’ll leave your body for the buzzards.”

“Might be a tall order, since you’ll be the first one to die. I seem to be holding a full house in this poker game.”

That remained to be seen. Stoney had one or two aces up his sleeve. “So far all you’ve done is kidnap the boy. Murder him and you’ll buy yourself a trip to hell as fast as I can send you there.”

Suddenly the pitch dark held a flicker of light. A candle, Stoney presumed.

LaRoach pushed Josh into view. They stood just inside the room at the head of the basement stairs. The man had a gun pressed to the boy’s head. Beads of sweat rose at Stoney’s temples. He’d save Josh or die trying. Fate couldn’t ask Texanna to give up another child. It couldn’t be that cruel.

Besides, Josh was his son now, and he took his new role of fatherhood very seriously.

“Son, are you all right?” Stoney asked quietly.

“I—I think so.”

“I’ll have you out of here in a minute and back home where you belong. Just think of your mother and Matthew and playing marbles.”

“Okay.”

“You think you’re gonna waltz in here and I’m gonna give you what you want? Even a Texas Ranger ain’t that stupid,” LaRoach sneered.

“Let the boy go. I’m the one you want. Let him go and I’ll lay down my Colt. Fair enough?”

LaRoach appeared to mull over the attractive offer.

Tears trickled down Josh’s face. The boy was terrified. Stoney’s heart went out to him. Then he remembered the pocketknife that Josh had. It might be the solution they needed. Of course, perfect timing would be crucial for the plan to succeed. And the boy would have to read between the lines.

That was a lot for one child who hadn’t even had a chance to wear long pants yet.

“Josh, remember when we played mumblety-peg?”

The youngster swiped his nose with the back of his hand and nodded.

“Never saw anyone pick the game up so fast. You’re a natural.”

“Shut your yapping,” LaRoach snapped.

“You’ve scared the boy half out of his mind. I’m just trying to calm him down a bit,” Stoney replied evenly, conscious of the weight of his Colt on his right hip. He noticed Josh’s slight movement. The boy had stuck his hand in his pocket. Stoney prayed he was feeling for the knife. LaRoach hadn’t appeared to notice. So far, so good.

“LaRoach, what’ll it be? You’re slower than molasses.”

“You seem in an awful big hurry to die, Burke.”

Josh withdrew his hand from his pocket, and if Stoney’s guess was right, he had the knife.

Now to distract LaRoach.

“Just tired of waitin’ for you to make up your mind, that’s all.” With an eye on the gambler, Stoney let his hand inch to the butt of his .45.

“Keep your hands where I can see ’em,” LaRoach barked, waving his pistol toward Stoney. “Don’t try anything.”

The distraction worked. Josh managed to open the knife and LaRoach hadn’t seen him do it.

Stoney forced air into his lungs. He prayed the youngster could do what he’d asked of him. He steeled himself for whatever came next.

In a lightning move, Josh slammed the knife down to the plank floor with all his might.

LaRoach screamed in pain. The gun dropped to the floor with a clatter. The knife had gone through the man’s boot and stuck into the area near the toes.

Josh quickly leaped to the side, out of the way.

Wasting no time, Stoney dove across the space, tackling LaRoach. The first blow knocked the man to his knees. The second one laid LaRoach out. Stoney retrieved the knife from the shoe leather and wiped it off.

“Is…is he dead?” Josh’s face had turned ashen in the dim light.

“No. Are you all right?”

With that, Josh ran and threw his arms around Stoney’s waist. “I was so scared.”

Stoney ruffled the boy’s hair and pulled him close. “You’re safe now. He can’t hurt you. You make a good partner, you know that? You knew exactly what I wanted you to do and you didn’t bat an eye.”

Josh looked up. His face was tearstained and streaked. “I’m gonna be a Texas Ranger like you when I get big.”

“That would make me very proud, son.” Stoney gave Josh one last squeeze. “Whaddya say let’s go home?”

The words had barely left his mouth when he remembered their home was a smoldering pile of rubble. That little fact had moved down the list of importance. What mattered most was that they were still breathing and would all be together, wherever that might be.

The first rays of dawn were painting the town a rosy hue when Texanna quietly ventured out onto the wide porch of the boardinghouse. She paced the length of the porch, too nervous to sit in one of the rocking chairs lined in a row.

She turned around when the door closed softly.

“Did you get any sleep at all?” Loretta asked.

“No. Did you?”

“Not a wink.” Loretta limped over to Texanna and slipped her arms around her. “Everything’s going to be all right. These old bones don’t lie.”

Feeling hopeful, Texanna smoothed back her hair and lifted her gaze. Two horses had emerged out of the dawn’s mist at the end of Main Street. Her heart skipped a beat. “Loretta, look down the street. Do you reckon that’s them?”

“Sure looks like it, honey.”

Texanna lifted her skirts and took off running. When she drew closer she could see Stoney sitting tall in the saddle. Perched in front of him sat her son.

Saints be praised!

After she saw that they appeared to be no worse for wear, her gaze shifted to the second horse. Marcus’s hands were bound and his glum expression, accented by a black eye and swollen lip, made her want to leap for joy.

“Mama!” Josh jumped from the saddle. “We caught him.”

She grabbed her son in a hug, giving silent thanks to the good Lord for sparing his life. “I could squeeze you half to death, young man.”

Still grinning, Texanna stared into Stoney’s weary eyes. “What’s this ‘we’ business our son is talking about?”

The saddle leather creaked when her rugged husband climbed from the buckskin.

Her heart swelled with pride. She leaned into his embrace and lifted her mouth eagerly for a kiss.

When Stoney’s firm mouth swept over hers and stole her breath, she had no thoughts of anything except how good it felt to be in his arms where she belonged. If she lived to a hundred, she’d have passion and music every time he touched her.

When the kiss had satisfied some of her longings, Texanna sighed happily and asked again, “Now tell me about this ‘we’ business. Don’t think you can ply me with kisses and I’ll forget all about it.”

A lopsided grin formed. “Yes, ma’am. I doubt things would’ve gone very well if not for Josh’s quick thinking with a knife. He helped me corral this vermin. I’m really proud of him. He has the makings of a fine Texas Ranger.”

Her chest lurched when she heard the knife mentioned. Sounded as if the knife saved Josh’s life though. Still, she’d lay down the law again on knives first chance she got.

She planted her hands on her hips. “I declare, Stoney Burke. Isn’t he a little young yet to be signing him up?”

“Nope, the Rangers like to get ’em early, especially when they have as much courage as Josh has. Don’t tell me you’re gonna be one of those mothers who keeps her son tied to her apron strings.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Would you still want me?”

“My ornery, beautiful wife. I’ll always want you, no matter what. My job is to keep untying those strings. And I take my job very seriously.”

The gleam in his gray eyes let her know he wasn’t talking strictly about Josh.

Delicious tingles swept up her spine as she looped her arm in his. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, dear husband. When can we start rebuilding our home?”

Texanna sighed contentedly when he tucked her closer to him. His voice vibrated through her. “Reckon I’ll start on it as soon as I get my prisoner locked up. But anywhere you are is home to me, darlin’. I know how you set great store by having four walls around you, and I’m going to make that happen. But as long as I have you, my life is complete.”