y’all, having a pretty young woman come through, no family to speak for her, no one to turn to, traumatized by her experiences.”
The women pushed in from the edge of the crowd. One gasped. Another murmured. The banker drew himself to his full height, his jowls jiggling with his outrage. “I don’t think I like your innuendo.”
“Hate to break it to you, but your likes and dislikes aren’t high on my consideration list.”
“What the hell are you getting at, Allen?” James asked, getting to his feet, wiping mud from his pants. “We took her in, saved her from those devils. Gave her a home. Community.”
Chaser stepped sideways as a horse bumped him.
“Priorities, Caine.”
He spared Tracker a glance, who in turn jerked his chin in Desi’s direction. Her face was bleached white as she stood there, dwarfed by his coat and the truth she didn’t want known. Her chin lifted high as her gaze met his, but he got the impression all that was holding her up was that damn pride as the women murmured among themselves, enjoying the scandal he’d begun.
Caine bit back the rage burning in his gut. Tracker was right. First things first. “We’re taking Desi with us and if anyone has anything to say against it—” he levered a bullet into the chamber, letting the fury roll through him in an open challenge “—step up now so we can get the discussing behind us.”
To his surprise it was Father Gerard who stepped forward. “I can’t let you do that, Caine.”
“I don’t rightly see where you can stop me, Padre.” More titters spread through the crowd.
“I cannot let an unmarried woman go off with three men, lawmen or not.”
“Whatever we have planned, it’s better than what’s here.”
The stocky priest shook his nearly bald head. “It can’t be allowed.”
The longer they stood there, the more dutch courage the men were getting and the more trigger-happy fingers were twitching.
“If you take her like this, she’ll still be James’s ward, and still his by law.”
Caine kneed Chaser in a half circle, drawing his revolver. “Any who want to dispute my claim know where to find me.”
“I’m not going with you.”
He wasn’t surprised when Desi’s protest was the only one spoken. There were times when a deadly reputation came in right handy.
“Ten months ago when I saved your life, Caine Allen,” Father Gerard continued in his calm way, “you told me I could ask a favor anytime, and it would be granted.”
“I did.” Caine had an idea where this was heading. The priest’s next words confirmed his suspicions.
“A husband’s rights supersede all others.”
Caine took aim at a young wrangler on the left edge of the crowd. “Don’t do it, son.”
He cut Father Gerard a quick glance. “You don’t call in markers on something like this.”
The priest shrugged, coming closer, letting go of Desi’s hand when she planted her feet. “You’ll have to forgive me. This is my first time.”
If it was the priest’s first time, he’d eat his boot. The cowboy holstered his revolver and held up his hands. Caine backed Chaser up two steps. “I thought it was a sin for priests to lie.”
“And I thought Rangers always kept their promises.”
They did—he did—but as much as he admired Desi’s courage, he wasn’t about to marry her. Although the thought wasn’t as distasteful as it should have been. “Marriage is a forever thing, Padre.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not a forever kind of man.”
“Then perhaps it’s time you changed.”
“Might be too late in the day for that miracle.”
“Are you going back on your promise?”
This time Caine cut a glance at Desi. She was staring at the smiling gambler with resigned horror, sure Caine would go back on his word to the priest and to her. Jesus, he wanted to walk Chaser over there and kick those damn shiny teeth down the gambling bastard’s throat just for looking at her. “No.”
“Without my approval this marriage can’t take place,” the gambler piped up, clearly looking to shorten his life.
A shotgun cocked on Caine’s right. “Then give it.” Sam’s was short and to the point.
He didn’t give his approval, but he shut up, which was all the same to Caine.
Caine clucked his tongue, guiding Chaser to where Desi stood. He holstered the rifle and motioned for her to hold up her hands. He pulled his knife from his boot top and cut through her bonds. “A woman shouldn’t get married with her hands tied.”
“I don’t want to marry.”
Neither did he, but neither of them had much of a choice. Forced by circumstance and honor, there was only one path for both of them. “Would you rather stay here?”
“No.”
“Then we get hitched.”
He waited for the priest to reach them. His robes flapped around his legs in the breeze. He should have looked ridiculous, womanly in the garb, but he didn’t. He looked what he was. A man at peace with his life and the choices he’d made. Caine envied him. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt calm.
Since the day the Mexican army had slaughtered their entire town, shouting “death” as they’d murdered men, women and children alike, he’d been consumed with a rage for justice that wouldn’t let him rest. The same rage flowed over him now as the men he’d mentally marked gathered together, voices rising and falling in an angry cadence, occasionally punctuating their frustration with sharp gestures. His finger ached on the trigger of his revolver. It’d be so easy to take them out. To save everyone the expense of a trial for what they’d done to Desi. So very easy to make them suffer.
“Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord.”
Caine didn’t take his eyes off the men, controlling Chaser’s impatient prance with a light touch on the reins. “This time, Padre, the good Lord is going to have to get in line.”
4
Desi huddled deeper into the warmth of her borrowed coat. She pulled the collar up against her cheeks and watched as Caine hunkered down beside the saddlebags and fished something out of the depths. Firelight flicked shadows over his big form, elongating his silhouette into the deeper gloom between the rocks. Making him more than he was, but more distant, too…
“You hungry?”
The
