Riding West (7 page)

As he watched the tall, lanky form of his adversary walk purposefully down the street, John loosened his gun a little in the holster at his hip. That son of a bitch was going for six-to-one odds. Well, he was in for an unpleasant little surprise because the Evans boys were in town to even things up a little.

Jared made his move exactly on time. “Hey, Colter,” he shouted, tipping back his hat a little.

The slow way he strolled out into the dusty street in front of them didn‘t look threatening, but the way he held his body spoke volumes. Jared might be the youngest of the three of them, but he was by far the wildest. On cue, John walked out from the opposite direction to stand by his brother between the group and the courthouse.

He said pleasantly, “Good afternoon, Rance. By the way, just so you know, Josh is behind you all, watching your backs, so to speak.”

All six men had come to a halt at their sudden appearance, and John saw several of them glance back to make sure what he‘d just said was perfectly true. Josh stood a ways back in the middle of the street and it was easy enough to see he was armed and didn‘t look all that friendly.

“Hello, Evans,” Colter said coolly, but his face suddenly looked a little flushed. He was older, in his mid-thirties, with handsome, almost sharp, features and eyes so dark they looked black. He dressed with dandified care, and today he‘d played it up more than usual. His frock coat, brightly embroidered vest and trousers were well-cut and expensive, and a gold watch chain glittered beneath his coat. Even his hat looked new, and his boots were polished to a high sheen.

He looked like a man planning to get married.

Hell
.

Without taking his gaze from the group, John said conversationally to his younger brother, “Our friend Rance here sure is dressed up. I‘m wondering now if Parker is unexpectedly having trouble getting the judge to cooperate. I‘m also wondering if that same judge is expecting our well-dressed friend to appear and maybe substitute in as Celia‘s new husband, and Parker might wind up dead in the bargain.”

Only a year older than Celia, Jared had a good dose of the same hot-tempered disposition. He spat out, “Jesus, I think you might be right, John.”

Colter attempted a pleasant smile but it came off as a sickly smirk. “Look, boys—”

“If John is right, that‘s the dumbest plan I‘ve ever heard of, Colter.” Jared slightly shook his blond head in derision, but his gaze stayed watchful. “Even if you managed to pull it off and coerce Celia into marrying you, your life would be a living hell, man. Not that you‘d suffer for too long, because I‘d kill you,
if
she didn‘t do the job first.”

They must have hit close to home, because Colter‘s mouth tightened and his eyes glittered. “Last I knew, your sister was kidnapped. That‘s against the law, even here. Let‘s just say my affection for her compels me to make sure she isn‘t made to do anything against her will. West should be strung up for taking an innocent woman by force up into the mountains for the better part of a week. The judge happens to agree.”

John gave a small, hard laugh. “I‘m sure he agreed after he saw your money. And for your information, it‘s damned hard to make Celia do anything she doesn‘t want to do. If she‘s marrying Parker West, it‘s because she wants to marry him. If I didn‘t think that, Josh, Jared, or myself would take care of the matter, believe me. This isn‘t your affair.”

“I can‘t see as how you all have taken care of anything. You let him ride off with her.” Jealousy, open and undisguised, twisted Colter‘s face. “She‘s soiled goods now, but I‘m still willing to make her an honest woman.”

“What‘d you call my sister?” Jared‘s face had gone livid, but his voice was icy and his hand hovered close to his hip.

Colter wasn‘t a complete fool. He could hear the very real menace in the question and his expression changed from fury to fear as his swarthy complexion went pale. Several of his men moved uneasily, showing their discomfort with the situation. One of them muttered something under his breath about not signing on for a big fight over a woman.

The last thing John wanted was for things to get out of hand. Since they stood in the middle of the street, here and there people had begun to notice the confrontation. John said tersely, “Look Rance, there‘s more of you, but all three of us are damn good shots and I‘m pretty sure your men here don‘t get paid enough to die. Besides, with Josh back there, we kinda got you surrounded. If we start firing, who knows what direction you need to look, and believe me, you go first. Here‘s what‘s going to happen. Your men are going to step aside. Then we are going into the courthouse, and you‘re going to tell the judge it‘s just fine to marry my sister and Parker West. In exchange for your cooperation, I‘ll do my best to keep him from killing you when he finds out what you‘ve been up to. Right now, I‘d guess he‘s already pretty mad. It takes a lot to get him going, but he can be dangerous if you push him too far.”

For a moment Colter looked like he might argue. Jared said in a brittle, sarcastic voice, “You got a second choice, of course. I could call you out for what you just said about Celia. You see, I‘m sure you know I‘m not nearly as reasonable as John here, and you just thoroughly pissed me off.”

Looking a little green, Colter visibly swallowed, obviously backing away from the challenge. “I meant no offense. I‘ve got some influence in these parts and I‘ll be happy to talk to the judge if that‘s what you all want.”

Every man with him looked a little disgusted, John was glad to see.

Jared said scathingly, “Yeah, that‘s kind of what I thought you‘d say, but I have to tell you, I‘m damned disappointed I don‘t get to kill you.”

———

Parker stared at the man sitting behind the small desk and actually looked a bit dangerous for a change, his usual easygoing demeanor replaced by a visible lethal anger. He said in an ice-cold voice, “Do you mind repeating that?”

Judge Ramsey, portly and ruddy-faced, looked unfazed. “I said my authority permits me to refuse your request on the basis that this young woman is apparently here under duress.”

Celia laid a restraining hand on her bridegroom-to-be‘s arm, feeling the tension in his muscles. “I assure you, Judge, I‘m here of my own free will.”

Ramsey transferred his attention to her, his gaze brushing her probably somewhat disheveled appearance after their long ride down from the mountains. “Did Mr. West here abduct you, Miss Evans?”

She‘d been raised to respect the law—such as it was at times in this part of Colorado—but she had a distinct feeling that no matter what she said, for some reason this man had it in for Parker. She lifted her chin. “Where did you hear that?”

“I‘d appreciate it if you‘d answer my question, young lady.”

“I can‘t see if it matters how Parker chose to convince me to marry him, as long as he did convince me. I want to marry him and that‘s why I‘m standing here.”

“I‘m not going to reward a crime by making a mockery of the sanctity of marriage.” That pompous statement was made with a smug smile.

“Crime?” Parker‘s voice held a lethal note and Celia tightened her fingers in an unspoken message. She‘d only seen Parker truly angry once or twice in her life and when he did finally get to that point, he was as volatile as a sweeping summer storm. “I‘ve been courting Celia for the past five years. When I asked her father for his permission to marry her, he gave me his blessing. I made a mess of my first proposal and just wanted a chance to talk to her alone. It worked, I might say, and all we want is to make this legal and be on our way.”

“Well, too bad, Mr. West, I—”

The door into the small building—used to house extra prisoners when the jail was full or to conduct legal proceedings—flew open and Ramsey stopped midsentence as a man stumbled as he was pushed inside. Celia recognized Rance Colter with a lurch of her stomach, compounded by astonishment when she saw her brothers—all three of them. Jared had his gun drawn and the forbidding look on his face would give anyone pause.

“What‘s this?” Judge Ramsey demanded, but the superior look on his face had vanished. In fact, he‘d lost some of his ruddy color.

“Howdy, Your Honor.” Jared indicated Colter with his pistol. “This here gentleman has something to say to you. I suggest for his health you listen.”

“You cannot come in here waving weapons at innocent citizens.” The bluster was unconvincing as the judge refused to even look at Rance Colter.

Celia wasn‘t too fond of looking at him either. He made her skin crawl and had from the first moment she‘d met him, but at the moment, she couldn‘t help but stare, wondering what was going on.

The tall rancher shot Parker, who looked more furious by the moment, a baleful glance, but cleared his throat. “I might have been mistaken. Rumor had it Miss Evans was taken against her will. Apparently she had no problem riding off with West…”

He trailed off in a squeak as Parker swung furiously around. Celia quickly stepped in front of the man she wanted to marry and blocked him from doing something damned foolish, like murdering someone in front of a judge. She said softly, “Don‘t. He isn‘t worth it.”

The plea registered but still his expression was deadly.

John stepped forward and stood next to her, on the opposite side from Parker. “I‘ll stand in as witness and best man, Your Honor. Do it.”

The judge seemed to realize that just Colter‘s health wasn‘t in question and fumbled to pick up a small book. As he hastily recited the words she barely registered, she made what must have been the appropriate responses because a few minutes later, Parker turned to her, hauled her into his arms and kissed her.

Hard. Long. Until she heard someone—it sounded like Josh—chuckle.

———

Her wedding had been a circus, and now her wedding night seemed to consist of a long, grueling ride to the West ranch and an armed escort in the form of her three brothers.

It was probably not an auspicious way to start a marriage.

She was half asleep when they rode up to the ranch house, and it was full dark. For a moment she blinked, not sure where she was, still comfortably resting against her husband‘s broad chest.

Her husband. That seemed extraordinary. She and Parker were finally married.

“You got it from here?” John said it with a slight amused tone to his voice, reining in his restive mount. “If so, we‘ll be off home.”

Parker gave a grim little laugh. “Yeah, I got it. She‘ll be safe. Thanks for being there today. I guess I didn‘t realize how far Colter had gone around the bend. I knew he tried to court her, but Celia didn‘t tell me he was so intent he‘d try something like what he did with the judge.”

“I doubt she suspected. I just took a guess myself. I‘ve got a few other guesses you might be interested in. My father and I will ride over tomorrow and I think we need to have a talk.” John‘s face looked tight in the thin light of a few stars visible through a haze of high streaming clouds.

At the mention of her father, Celia stirred with a small, sleepy yawn. Her other two brothers sat on their horses in the shadows. “Will you all tell him I‘m fine? I don‘t want him to try and kill Parker or anything.”

Jared grinned at her, a flash of white teeth in the dark. “Hey, sis, if we haven‘t killed him, Pa‘s not likely to do it. We‘ve all been waitin‘ for you to come around and marry him. I guess Parker finally lost patience and took matters into his own hands.”

His hands, yes, certainly, Celia remembered very well those hands…everywhere. There wasn‘t a part of her body he hadn‘t touched and done a thorough job of it. However, it was irritating that everyone seemed to be on Parker‘s side all the time.

Her husband slid off Diablo in a graceful movement and nodded at her brothers. “I guess I‘ll see you all tomorrow, then.”

They rode off in a small thud of hoof beats that retreated into the distance and died. She felt a small qualm as Parker‘s hands closed around her waist and lifted her from the saddle. “I guess I live here now.” She didn‘t mean for her voice to sound so subdued, but as her brothers left without her and headed toward the only home she‘d ever known, it struck her deeply just how much her life had suddenly changed.

“Hey.” Long fingers touched her chin and tilted her face up. He peered down at her. “
We
live here. Together.”

“That just feels so…different.”

“Yeah, I know, sweetheart.” His fingers trailed down her throat and along her collarbone in a light caress. “But do you know how long I‘ve wanted to bring you here as my bride?”

She shook her head.

“Let‘s just say it‘s been a very long time. Come on, let‘s go inside. I‘ll tend to Diablo in a few minutes.”

The house was low and rambling, and Celia knew it almost as well as she knew her own home. It was a clear evening and the windows were open, the aroma of fresh baked bread mingling with the cool, sweet air. Inside, the big house was furnished in a curiously charming mixture of antiques that Parker‘s mother had brought with her from her childhood home in Connecticut and practical, plain handmade pieces. A huge stone fireplace dominated the living room, and there was a brightly patterned Indian blanket on the wall along with a few framed portraits. A beautiful cut glass lamp from France sat on a rough-hewn pine table in a corner, and on the floor there were several luxurious oriental rugs.

It was a lovely place and she wasn‘t certain why she felt so unsure of herself. It certainly couldn‘t be wedding night jitters, for she‘d practiced
that
part of marriage
often enough in the past few days.

“My mother‘s bound to be in the kitchen,” Parker said, giving her hand a slight squeeze. “I can smell something wonderful. I told her to expect us sometime this evening, so she‘s probably gone all out.”

Celia stared at him. “You told her to expect us this evening?”

“Do you think I‘d just ride off and not tell my family when to expect me back?” His ebony brows lifted a fraction, and Parker looked genuinely puzzled.

Of course he wouldn‘t. He was Parker West and that would be irresponsible. Even when he planned on outrageously kidnapping someone, he‘d let his mother know just when he‘d be back home.