Steve nodded and described the red-headed holdup man. She watched Ben’s handsome face as he digested her news. Sometimes she wondered why she didn’t accept his proposal and marry him. He was certainly everything a girl looked for in a man. He was good looking, with dark wavy hair and brown eyes fringed with thick sooty lashes. His figure, though not tall, was muscular and well-proportioned. And what was more, he always made her feel like a lady, and that was an unusual and delicious experience for Steve. Especially since she’d become sheriff.
But this was no time to be thinking about that. Something had to be done to stop those stage holdups.
“Where was it he jumped you?” Ben asked finally.
Steve thought for a moment. “It was just this side of Box Butte. He must have hidden in those rocks.”
“I see.” He looked quite disturbed.
“Look, Ben. I’m awfully sorry. I thought by riding gun on the stage myself I could prevent the gold shipment being stolen again, but I failed. However, I won’t fail again. I’ve had a chance to do some thinking, and I’ve got a new plan.”
The troubled look in Ben’s eyes gave way to one of amusement. “Now, Steve. You don’t mean to tell me you’re going to try again. Why, isn’t it plain enough now that this isn’t a woman’s job? Why don’t you appoint a new deputy until Jed’s arm heals and let him ride with Andy as guard.”
Steve shook her head. “Nothing doing. This is my job, and I’m going to do it to the best of my ability. And I’ll stop those robberies and see those bandits behind bars or my name isn’t Stephanie Lawson.”
Ben smiled as he rose from his chair and went toward her. “Speaking of names, how about changing yours to Stephanie Walters. How many proposals does this make? Four? Five?” Close to her now, he pulled her up off the edge of the desk and into his arms. “How about it, Steve, honey? Don’t you think you’ve kept me waiting long enough?”
“Ben, I—” she began, but his mouth came down hard on hers, stopping the words. Always before, Ben’s kisses had set her tingling but now the hot, leisurely kiss did nothing to her. She found herself remembering the thorough job of kissing she had undergone that morning in the arms of the redheaded bandit. His freckled, homely face swam before her now, and against her will she recalled how she had thrilled to his kiss. She was still remembering when Ben’s kiss ended and he looked down at her. Something of the feeling her memory had evoked must have shown in her face for Ben drew in his breath sharply.
“I didn’t realize you found my kisses so stirring,” he murmured. His tone was slightly amused, but it couldn’t hide the fact that he was left shaken by the kiss.…
Steve slowly opened her eyes, and when she saw Ben’s dark, handsome face where the grinning, freckled one had been, she was brought sharply back to the present.
“Oh,” she said sharply and pushed herself out of Ben’s arms. For heaven’s sake, what had she been thinking of! A bandit’s kiss, of all things!
Ben was gazing at her in complete puzzlement, and before he could say anything, she made a vague reference to some work she had to do and left the office hurriedly.
Outside, the air was hot and f full of the dust that., rose from Red Rock’s main street. As she made her way along the rough wooden walk to the sheriff’s office, she thought, What on earth is wrong with me? What made me think of that red-headed varmint? And right when Ben was kissing me, too. I’ll get him if it’s the last thing I do! She meant the bandit. I hate him! Lord, how I hate him! But that the warm feeling she had inside when she remembered his kiss wasn’t like any hatred she’d ever felt before.
* * * *
When the stage started out on its run from Red Rock to Pine Junction the next week with its shipment of gold, Steve was on it once again. Only this time she rode inside the coach and Jake Davis, an old friend of her Uncle Mort’s and a dead shot with a rifle,’ rode gun up on the driver’s seat beside Andy. This was the’ new plan she’ had mentioned to Ben. Riding back there alone, she’d have the element of surprise on her side because it wasn’t likely anyone’ would expect trouble from someone inside the coach. There were no other passengers. She had seen to that. She didn’t want innocent people getting hurt.
The stage’ had barely left Red Rock behind when trouble struck. Steve had just situated herself on one of the seats in a position which would give, her a vantage point to the rear and each side when she heard a shot from up front and a chorus of yells. For a few brief moments, the stagecoach strained to outrun the hold-up men, but it was no use. Finally, Steve heard Andy’s loud “whoa” and gradually the stage came to a lurching stop.
. Cautiously; taking care not to let herself be seen, Steve peeked through a side window. Two masked men rode up in a choking cloud of dust. One of them pulled his horse up right beside the driver’s seat and, with drawn gun, forced Andy and Jake to drop their guns. The other masked rider was coming straight to the rear of the coach. Steve swung her gun into position and fired. The man yelped and grabbed for his right shoulder, dropping his gun as he did so.
“It’s the sheriff,” he shouted to his companion, and before Steve could fire again she heard the man up front yeli, “Hold your fire or your pals up front here will get a bullet through their brains.”
It was no use. She didn’t dare fire another shot. The tone of the bandit’s voice made it plain he meant every word he said. Biting back tears of anger and frustration, Steve held her fire as she heard Andy comply with the gunman’s orders to hand over the strong box full of gold. Then the team of horses leapt forward in response to a shot in the air from the man’s gun. Steve fired her own gun in a last attempt, but the coach was swaying so violently her bullet, went wild.
Unable to choke back her disappointment any longer, Steve gave vent to bitter tears. She had failed again. What was she going to do? Maybe, the job was too much for her; maybe she should resign and let them put a man in her place. She could marry Ben then and settle down to a nice quiet life. Surely she could make a better wife than a sheriff.
This was the pattern of her thoughts for the next few miles until she’ felt the stage drawing, to a stop. Pine Junction already? She wiped her eyes on a sleeve and leaned out the window. What she saw left her spluttering with rage. They weren’t in Pine Junction! The red-headed snake who had held them up last trip had appeared again. Only this time, it was he who was out of luck. Wild, hysterical laughter burst from Steve’s lips and it wasn’t until she felt a stinging slap on her face that she regained her senses. Both Andy and Jake were bending over her and the red-head was looking on, his gun „ barrel poked inside the window.
“Stand back. Let her have some air,” the gunman ordered. Above his mask his blue eye» were concerned.
“You all right now?” he asked gruffly as she leaned back against the seat.
She attempted a sharp retort but could only nod weakly.
“Get back up front,” he told the other two men. “And no funny business unless you want the lady to get hurt.”
After shooting a couple of helpless looks at her, Andy and Jake made their way back to the front of the stage. The masked rider dismounted and pulled open the coach door. For one wild moment as he leaned over her, his face only inches away from her own, Steve thought he was going to kiss her and she felt a warm weakness invade her body. She hadn’t the strength to fight him off. What’s more, she didn’t want to.
But
