Outlaw Hearts (45 page)

Evie stared at the gun in shock. What was happening? What did her father have to do with all of this? “I…he…”

“Leave her alone,” Miranda demanded weakly, putting a hand to the side of her face as she managed to get to her knees. Pain shot through her left cheek and eye like thousands of needles. “He was due home…yesterday, so he should show up…anytime.”

“Mother,” Evie whimpered, helping Miranda get to her feet. A dark bruise was beginning to swell on Miranda's left cheekbone, just under her eye.

“It's all right,” Miranda tried to assure her. “Come inside.” She glared at Gentry. “We'll let this angel of Satan do his dirty work.” She forced back tears, standing proudly in front of Gentry. “Jake didn't do the things he is wanted for, Lieutenant, but you want that five thousand dollars, so you don't want to hear that he's innocent.” She forced her voice to be strong, ignored the pain in her face. “I just hope when you're off spending that money, that you'll think about all the lives that have been destroyed by what you're doing today! Of all the things Jake did in his past, he's still ten times the man you are. He's never hit a woman or threatened a child! You're a
coward
, Lieutenant Gentry, a stinking
coward
!” She smiled defiantly. “How interesting that you had to bring twelve men along to help you arrest just
one
man in return! What you don't even realize is that if he didn't have to worry about his family's safety, even
twelve
men wouldn't be enough, Lieutenant! Not enough to take down Jake Harkner!” She turned and put her arm around Evie, leading her into the house just as the private came out with her derringer.

“This is all I could find besides the rifle, Lieutenant,” the man told his officer. “Harkner and the boy must have any other weapons they own with them.”

Evie helped Miranda to a chair, and Miranda looked around to see every cupboard opened and emptied, every drawer. Her trunk was open, everything tossed out of it. She looked into Evie's frightened eyes. “I'm sorry, Evie. Your father had a very tragic past that he never wanted you or Lloyd to know about. Now I suppose there is no choice but to tell you. You mustn't hold it against him. He loves you so much. People can change, Evie. They can be very sorry for some of the things they have done, but sometimes the law doesn't forgive, and they have to answer for things in spite of how much they might have changed. That is what is happening to your father. He's going to need our love and support more than ever now.”

“Mother, what are you talking about? I don't understand!”

Miranda took hold of her hand. “I know, Evie.” She closed her eyes, struggling to stay strong. Jake! Lieutenant Gentry was going to take him away! He would surely be hanged, or imprisoned for the rest of his life. He would not come today and sweep her into his arms like always. She would not sleep beside him tonight. He might even react defensively when he came home and saw soldiers there, might shoot it out with them, be killed today. And what about the children? How was she going to explain all this in the midst of such tragedy? For years she had warned Jake to tell them, and for years he had put it off, had been so afraid of losing them.

If only she could get out of here, ride out to him, hold him once more before he was arrested. There was no way around it, and she knew Jake would not run again. Not this time. The running was over. The pain in her chest was so fierce she was afraid she might pass out. “Sit down, Evie,” she told her daughter.

Evie pulled a chair around the table and sat down near Miranda, who again took hold of her hands. “While we're waiting for your father to come home, I have something to tell you.”

“Surround the house!” Gentry was shouting outside. “Make sure the woman and the girl stay inside! Private Bale!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Take two other men and keep a lookout—all directions! Harkner is due back anytime. He's a man who's always well armed, dangerous when he's cornered. Watch out for the boy too. He could come back unexpectedly.”

Lloyd! Thank God he was still in Pueblo. He could get hurt if he rode in here now and didn't understand what was happening. Miranda squeezed Evie's hands reassuringly. “Evie, your father was once an…an outlaw; but certain things happened to him as a boy that forced him into that life at a time when he had no guidance, no love, no family. I want to tell you about it so you'll understand what is happening; and I want you to try to find it in your heart to forgive him for keeping the truth from you. He did it only because he loves you so very much. He never wanted you to hate him or be ashamed of him. For twenty years he has worked hard at changing his life and trying to make up for his past. Now it has caught up with him, and I'm afraid we can't do anything to help him except to be there for him and let him know he's loved and has our support.”

“He's my father. I could never stop loving him.”

Miranda could only hope she would hear the same words from Lloyd, but there was something else involved there. If Lloyd lost Beth Parker because of this, there would be no forgiving; and if their son looked at his father with the hatred and shame Jake had always dreaded he would see in the boy's eyes, it would destroy Jake. He would go to the gallows willingly. The love of his wife and daughter would not be enough to make him want to live, to fight for his rights. Nothing worse could happen to him than to lose his son's love.

***

“Look sharp, men! That could be him coming now!”

Almost two hours had passed. Miranda heard the shout and rushed to the door. “Stay inside!” she ordered Evie. “No matter what happens, stay in this house.”

Evie ran to a window to watch, her heart pounding with fear for her father. The lieutenant had told them Jess York had ridden out when they arrived at Mr. Parker's house. She and her mother both hoped Jess had warned Jake about what was happening. Evie had prayed her father would not come at all, that he would get away while he had the chance. She could not imagine him being hanged, or spending the rest of his life in prison. Not her father! Her heart ached over the things her mother had told her, and she was struggling to understand, to forgive. She prayed Lloyd would be able to do the same. She watched her mother move away from the house and past some of the soldiers. Gentry grabbed her arm. “That's far enough.”

“Please, let me go to him!” Miranda begged. “Let me have a few minutes alone with him.”

“No, ma'am. As long as you're here and he's there, he'll keep coming.”

“I know him. He'll come anyway. Evie is still here.” She jerked her arm away. “Please! He'd never try to ride off when I'm with him. He'd be too afraid I'd get hurt. And he wouldn't leave Evie behind. For God's sake I haven't seen him for over two weeks! Let me have two
minutes
alone with him!”

The lieutenant watched Jake move a little closer. “All right, long as you go out to him on foot. A man can't get far carrying two people on his horse.” He turned to one of his men. “Holt, you and Webster and Bates get inside with the girl. I want him to know that if he tries to shoot the rest of us down, his daughter is still inside with more men.”

Miranda glared at him. “You're such a fool, Lieutenant. Nothing you're doing could stop Jake if he decided he'd rather shoot it out with you. He's faced nearly as many men before, also with a wife and child at stake.” She smiled, wincing a little at the pain it caused. “He doesn't miss, Lieutenant. There are other reasons he won't try anything this time, and none of them have anything to do with your efforts.” Her defiant smile faded, and her eyes teared. “He knows he has already lost something more precious to him than his life or our physical presence. He's lost the pride and self-respect he's worked so hard over the years to learn to have in himself. He's lost his children's honor, maybe even his son's love, but then you wouldn't understand how important those things can be.”

She whirled and walked off toward Jake, and Gentry glared after her, frustrated at the woman's refusal to crumble and beg or to show fear. There was no look of defeat about her as she walked out to meet her husband. She stood erect, walked in bold steps. It seemed to him the woman ought to be regretting a lot of things by now, but she actually still seemed to be proud to be married to Harkner. “Stay alert, boys,” he ordered.

Miranda's steps became more rapid as she drew closer. Jake had stayed a good three hundred yards back. She watched him dismount, noticed he was riding Jess's horse instead of his own. So, Jess
had
warned him. Something must have happened to his own horse, so he used Jess's to get back here faster. He walked toward her, and her heart ached fiercely at the look of him, suddenly older, a look of defeat about him. “Jake,” she whispered. She hurried to him then, wrapping her arms around him.

His own arms encircled her, and she thought how this might be the last time her husband would hold her. She clung tightly to him, visions of him hanging or imprisoned stabbing at her like a knife. Not Jake! Not her Jake! Why had God let this happen? Why had he let them come this far, only to let it all be destroyed?

Jake took hold of her arms and pushed her away, studying her face, a look of fierce anger coming into his dark eyes. “What the hell happened? Who did that to you?”

“It's all right, Jake. I'll be fine!”

“It was Gentry, wasn't it! The sonofabitch is after
me
! He had no right hitting you!” He started walking away from her.

“No, Jake! Evie's in the house. They'll hurt her for sure! This is the
army
, Jake, not just one gang of men you can eliminate! If you shoot them down, they'll just send more men after you!”

“Bastards!”

“Jake, please! I know you came here to turn yourself in to protect us. Don't let what happened to me make you do something that could get Evie hurt!”

He turned away, breathing deeply for control. “The sonofabitch knows he's holding all the cards this time. He's probably laughing right now over getting away with hitting you. If I could ever get him alone—”

“Jake, we have so little time.” She choked in a sob, and he turned to face her.

He realized what she meant. They couldn't spend these last few minutes fretting over Phil Gentry. He came closer again, reaching out to lightly touch the bruise. “You're still so beautiful,” he nearly groaned. “My precious, faithful
esposa
. You took all the risks, turned down so many chances at peace and happiness. I thought we had finally found it here. I'm so sorry, Randy.”

She grasped his hand and kissed his palm. “Don't ever be sorry. I don't regret one minute of it.” She moved her arms around his waist again. “This doesn't change anything, Jake. The man they are arresting doesn't really exist anymore. You have to believe that. Evie knows, and she still loves you. She's trying to understand.” She looked up at him. “Lloyd will too.”

He pressed her head against his chest, unable to speak at all for a moment. She could feel him trembling. “He won't,” he finally managed to say. “He'll lose Beth over this. He'll never forgive me for that. I'll see it, Randy. I'll see the one thing in his eyes that I never wanted to see. I'm just glad he's not here today.”

“I'll explain to him, Jake.”

“It won't matter. I know him. Everything he ever believed about me will be thrown in his face, all the pride, the trust. It will be worse for him. He'll be the son of an outlaw. I know what it does to a boy to know terrible things about his father.”

She could not stop her own tears. He would never hold her again this way. He had lost the only love and happiness he had known in life. For the moment he was not Jake Harkner the man, but was back to being Jake Harkner the boy, who wanted so much to be loved but felt unworthy. “I'll stay with you…every step of the way, Jake. Evie and I both will. Lloyd will, too, once he finds out what has happened.”

“I don't want you there, not any of you. Everything I've ever done is going to come out, as well as things I
haven't
done but people want to believe I did.”

“The children will know the truth, Jake. They know you. They won't believe the lies.” She looked up at him, hardly able to see him for her own tears. “That's what family is for, Jake, for love and support in time of need. Love is as strong and important in the bad times as the good. I've stayed with you through a lot of things. I'm not going to desert you now.”

He stroked her hair, kissed her eyes. “
Yo
te
quiero, mi querida
.” He kissed her lightly, thinking how just this morning he had looked forward to coming home to a home-cooked meal, seeing his wife and daughter, sleeping with Randy beside him tonight. Lloyd would likely be back in two or three days, and they would have talked about his trip to Pueblo. There would be no more camping alone with his son, no more hunting with him, no more talk about sending him off to college. There would be no more sweet nights with this woman he loved with more passion than he ever dreamed possible, no more sitting by the fire and listening to Evie read to him.

He leaned down to gently kiss her bruise. “Thank you, Randy, for all the good times. We tried, but it's over.” He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, but he could not control the tears that slipped down his cheeks then. “You know…how much I love you…but the worst part is still…losing Lloyd's love and trust. I figure…I can stand anything but that.” He squeezed her shoulders. “Love him for me. Help him through this. There can't be any more running, Randy. The worst damage has already been done, and it won't do any good…to put this off any longer.
Vaya
con
Dios
.”