Texas Proud (Vincente 2) (17 page)

By now, a crowd had gathered, providing the
attackers with a false sense of courage. The three
men worked as a team now, each circling so two
of them were always behind Noble. Harvey drew
the shovel back and struck Noble hard across the
back, and Noble crumpled to his knees. Bob hit
him with the handle of his gun, while Red yanked
tighter on the rope.

Noble tried to shake off the pain, but he saw the
ground come up to meet him. He fought against
the blackness that threatened to overtake him.

Red grinned and moved in quickly. He was
swinging his end of the rope and wielding it as if
it were a whip. He struck Noble's cheek, carving
a deep gash. He struck again and again, cutting
into Noble's white shirt until it was red with
blood.

Noble tried to rise, but the corded rope tight ened around his neck and he fell to his knees gasping for breath. Harvey kicked Noble in the ribs
while Bob kicked him in the stomach. Smelling
the fresh blood of a kill, Red slashed at Noble's
back over and over. Then, with a wolfish look,
Harvey retrieved the shovel and slammed it hard
across Noble's shoulders.

Suddenly Bob and Harvey backed off, their eyes
fearful, when Noble rolled to his feet and wound
the rope about his hand, jerking the redheaded
man forward.

Red's gaze shifted to Noble Vincente, and he
cringed inside he saw a vision of his own death
in the Spaniard's cold, brown eyes. His bravery
shattered, he looked at Bob and the deputy for
help. Their frightened expressions attested to the
fact that they were having similar visions.

Red leaped quickly on his horse, wrapped his
end of the rope around the saddle horn and
nudged the animal forward-first at a walk, then
at a gallop, jerking Noble forward and dragging
him through the dusty street.

Noble grabbed the rope, clawing at it, trying to
keep from being choked to death.

The crowd was strangely quiet now. Even Bob
had backed away, trying to distance himself from
Harvey and Red. No one had ever dared treat a
Vincente in such a way. Mothers shielded their
children's eyes from the cruel spectacle, and some
of the men watched the cowardly act with disgust.

But no one came to Noble's defense. Noble tried to work his fingers between the rope and his neck,
but Red urged the horse onward. "You aren't such
a big man now, Mr. Vincente, are you?" Red
taunted.

Noble felt blackness closing in on him and pain
shot through his body like knife wounds. He didn't
know who the hell this man was, but he suspected
he might be a hired gun. In his pain-dazed state
he wondered if this might be the man who'd shot
Rachel.

Red whipped his horse into a full run, tightening the rope so it cut into Noble's flesh and he
couldn't breathe. Still, no one stepped forward to
help him.

Suddenly a gunshot rang out and a woman
stepped into the street, courageously placing herself in front of the charging horse. The animal
reared on its hind legs and she aimed her rifle at
the rider.

"Rein in your horse, mister, if you want to see
another sunset."

Red gawked at the woman and made a quick
decision. Her rifle was aimed right at his heart.
Even a woman couldn't miss at this close range.
He controlled his horse as he spoke to her. "Lady,
if you'll just step aside and let me get on with this,
I'll buy you a drink afterward and we can get to
know each other, kinda friendly-like."

"Get off the horse and release Mr. Vincente now!" Rachel said quietly, drawing on the rage
buried deep inside her. "I don't waste my time on
cowards like you."

"Out of my way, little gal," he ordered. "Or I'll
swat you aside like a pesky fly."

Rachel cocked her rifle and said in a soft voice,
"Mister, I don't know who you are, and you don't
know me, but you can take this for the gospel
truth I never aim at anything I can't hit, and
you're too big a target to miss."

Red threw back his head and laughed. "Tell me,
should I be afraid of a little lady wearing a man's
britches and carrying a man's gun?"

"You tell me, mister did you know when you
got up this morning that you were going to die
today?"

At that moment fear crept up Red's spine, and
he lost some of his swagger when he looked into
those determined green eyes. "What do you care
if this man gets what's coming to him?"

Rachel followed the stranger's gaze as he looked
at his two cohorts for assistance. "Let's just say,"
Rachel told him coldly, "that I don't like the odds."
Her gaze fastened on the deputy, who'd struck Noble from behind with the shovel, and then she
turned her attention to Bob. "Tell this man that
I'll not hesitate to shoot if he doesn't do what I
say. I don't think he believes me maybe he'll believe you."

"You'd better do as she says, Red," Bob Foster warned him. "Let Vincente go or she'll shoot you
deader than dirt."

With a surly expression, Red dismounted and
retrieved the rope from around Noble's neck with
a savage yank. "This man'll not soon forget that
he tangled with me."

In a protective gesture, Rachel stepped across
Noble so she straddled his body. "You'd better
hope he does forget. I'd sleep with one eye open
from now on if I were you. Noble will come after
you. Perhaps not today or even tomorrow, but
he'll come, you can be sure of that."

Red took several stumbling steps backward. "I
ain't afraid of him or no other man."

Rachel bent down to Noble, her rifle aimed all
the while at the stranger. "If you're smart which
I doubt you are-you won't let the sun set on you
in Tascosa Springs. If you hang around, you'll be
a dead man."

Red dropped the rope and took a few more steps
backward. "Let him come. I'll not run from the
likes of him."

Rachel looked into the stranger's eyes and saw
fear. She knew he'd be gone from Tascosa Springs
long before sundown. "Someone go for the doctor," she called out, sitting down and placing Noble's head on her lap. He was a bloody mess. She
couldn't tell how badly he was hurt, but he must
be bad, or he wouldn't still be lying on the ground.

Noble opened his eyes and managed a smile
that turned to a grimace of pain. "Forgive me if I don't get up." He bit his lower lip when she
dabbed at his bloody face with her neckerchief.
"But then ...I like it just fine where I am."

"Your face is dirty," she said, brushing dust
from his cheek.

He tried to rise and she pushed him down. "Lie
still," she commanded. "Or must I use my gun on
you?

"You no doubt enjoyed my humiliation today,
Rachel." He groaned when he tried to shift his position. "Did you?"

"I don't like rogue animals that run in packs to
find their courage. And I take no pleasure in anyone's humiliation, not even yours." She glanced
around her, raising her voice so the gathering
crowd could hear. "Not one of you cowards would
have taken Noble Vincente if he'd been facing you.
You had to catch him from behind."

Noble tried again to rise but Rachel held him
down. He smiled wanly and said, "I didn't know
you held me in such high regard."

Rachel glared down at him. "I don't. Let's just
say we're even now. After today I owe you nothing."

"No." He gritted his teeth when pain stabbed
through his ribs, and it took him a moment to
catch his breath. "I still owe you, Green Eyes."

She forced him back down. "What can you owe
me?"

"To find out who killed your father."

"You killed him."

"You know I didn't." His expression softened.
"You just can't admit you were wrong about me."
He managed a smile. "You can't admit you like
me.

He had come too close to the truth. Her voice
was almost gentle as she touched his cheek. "Let's
just say I'll miss hating you. You made such a worthy adversary."

He burrowed deeper into her lap with a devilish
grin on his bloody face. "How long do I get to stay
like this?"

She took a deep, aggravated breath, upset by
her growing concern for Noble. "Just lie still and
be quiet until help comes."

Dr. Stanhope appeared at that moment. He bent
down to Noble and tested him for broken bones.
When he determined there were none, he called
on several men to help him get Noble to his office.

Noble insisted that he could walk, but his first
step convinced him otherwise, and he leaned
heavily on the doctor for support.

Rachel watched three men assist Noble; then
she walked away without a backward glance. She
suddenly heard the sound of a galloping horse and
dodged out of the way just in time to keep from
being run down by Red Berner's horse. The
stranger was riding out of town as if the devil himself were pursuing him.

Sheriff Crenshaw had just returned to Tascosa
Springs. When he heard what had happened, he grabbed Harvey and spun him around. "I'll take
your badge and your gun."

"Why? If it'd been anyone but that Spanish bastard, you wouldn't have cared."

"Your badge."

Harvey dropped the badge in the dirt and
ground it beneath his heel. "To hell with you and
to hell with this town."

"So long, Harvey."

"You'll all hear from me again, Sheriff." His
gaze went to Noble, who was being assisted up the
stairs to the doctor's office. "It's his fault. Him
with his arrogant ways, thinks he can walk on the
rest of us like we was nothing."

The sheriff squinted at the afternoon sunlight,
and without looking down said, "You are nothing,
Harvey. I don't squander my time on cur dogs,
cowards or fools, and you're all three."

Harvey stalked away, hatred burning strong
within his heart. He glanced at Rachel, who was
just entering the mercantile. That woman was the
cause of his public humiliation-the root of his
trouble-and she'd pay. Sooner or later, she'd pay.

Dr. Stanhope's office was small but efficient. Bottles, jars, bandages and scissors cluttered the
shelves that lined the walls. Noble was aided onto
a table.

Dr. Stanhope examined Noble's head. "You've
got quite a bump here. It'll pain you for a few
days."

Sheriff Crenshaw ambled in and glanced at the
wound on Noble's head. "Someone said you were
hit with a shovel. Bet it hurts like hell."

"Where have you been?" Noble asked in an irritated voice. "I've tried to see you several times,
but you're always out of town." Noble leaned back
against the wall, suddenly feeling weak. His whole
body ached and throbbed.

Ira Crenshaw shrugged. "Since the Yankees
took over the running of Texas, they're been teaching us their brand of law."

Noble winced when the doctor applied liniment
to the wound on his cheek. When he could find
his voice he said, "I can well imagine. I experienced some of their laws at Gettysburg."

Crenshaw smiled. "I'm glad your pa didn't live
to see the day three men could take his son down.
Imagine, one of them armed with a shovel, one
with a rope and the other what did Bob use?"
He laughed heartily while Noble scowled. "You're
getting soft, Noble. Must be too much easy living."

Noble's voice was defensive. "They took me by
surprise."

"Your pa wouldn't like that either. I'm told that
redheaded fellow charged like a bull. Can't believe
you didn't hear him coming."

"Yeah." Noble gritted his teeth against the pain.
"I'm feeling embarrassed enough about that."

"Why did you want to see me?" Ira Crenshaw
asked.

"I want to know what's been done about finding Sam Rutledge's killer. Surely you've had time to
find out who had a grudge against him."

Ira hooked his fingers through his gun belt, and
rocked back and forth on his boots. "There are
those who say you did it."

"We both know I didn't."

The sheriff became serious. "I doubt the crime
will ever be solved. Too much time's gone by. And
we haven't had any leads."

Dr. Stanhope turned to Ira Crenshaw. "You can
have him when I'm finished. But for now, he's my
patient and his wounds need attention."

"Come by the office when you've finished here,
Noble. But I don't have anything to add to what I
already told you." He smiled widely. "I am glad
you came home. Some of us have missed you."

Without another word, the sheriff left.

Dr. Stanhope ripped Noble's shirt and examined the rope burns around his neck and across
his back. "Maybe next time you ride into town
you'll watch behind you."

"Next time I will."

"You should have a care, Noble. You have too
many enemies."

"Are you one of them, Doctor?"

"I'm just a healer, Noble. My doctoring is for the
worthy as well as the unworthy."

"Which means?"

This time Dr. Stanhope applied the stinging
ointment to the cuts on Noble's back, making him
grit his teeth and groan.

"You are worthy," he said, capping the ointment
bottle. "Your father was my friend for many years.
I consider his son my friend as well."