would, but I'm going with her, " she insisted, and before he could


argue, she went to the door and pulled it open. "Come on, Jessica.




Let's get this over and done with." Jessica led the way. She was


worried about how she would react to the sight of the dead men and


didn't want to disgrace herself in front of Cole. She was a strong


woman, she reminded herself. She could and would get through this.




Grace's hand kept brushing against Daniel's as they walked along, but


she couldn't make herself move away from him. She couldn't stop


looking at him either and kept glancing up just to make certain he


wasn't going to vanish. When she had heard the gunshots, her heart had


felt as though it had stopped, and it wasn't until that very moment


that she realized how much she loved him. No, that wasn't true, she


thought. She'd known for a long time, she just hadn't been willing to


acknowledge it because of the complications and the pain he would cause


her.




l He had been honest from the very beginning. He loved his Kathleen


and no other.




"Daniel, I know now isn't the time . . . in fact, it's a terrible time


to tell you . . . " He was barely paying attention to her as his gaze


scanned the buildings on either side of the street. There was at least


one member of the Blackwater gang still out there, and Daniel wasn't


taking any chances.




"Tell me what? " he asked.




"I've become attached to you." She didn't think he'd heard her


whispered admission, for he showed absolutely no reaction, and she was


glad of it. She shouldn't have said a word, because the timing was all


wrong. She should have waited until they had a quiet moment together


and then admitted how she felt, but she was compelled to tell him this


very moment, fully expecting a rebuke.




"Yeah, I know." It was such an arrogant response she smiled. "Should


I try to stop? " He looked straight ahead when he answered. "No, I


don't want you to stop."




"Well then, " she whispered on a sigh.




Jessica had increased her pace until she was running to the saloon.




She certainly wasn't in a hurry to view the gruesome scene, but Cole


was inside and she desperately needed to see for herself that he hadn't


been hurt.




When she reached the swinging doors, she straightened her shoulders and


then pushed the doors aside. She found Cole right away. He was


leaning against the far wall, watching her. A wave of relief made her


weak, and it took all she had not to run to him. She had expected to


be frightened and was prepared to hide her reaction, but what she


didn't expect was the surge of rage that rushed through her. Three of


the men were already dead, but she had the insane urge to shoot them


again.




She pointed to the first body. "He was there, " she said. "I didn't


hear his name, but I saw him." She moved to the second and third man,


shook her head, and said, "I don't know if these two were in the bank


or not. I didn't see all their faces." She turned to the wounded


man.




Hate radiated from his eyes as he stared up at her. She neither


flinched nor trembled, her gaze dispassionate as she stared back.




Yes, he was there. His name is Robertson." She was more shaken than


she realized, for she hadn't noticed that Cole had moved to her side


and that she was holding his hand. She held tight and let him pull her


out the door while Grace and Daniel waited for the sheriff to return


with the doctor.




As soon as Jessica stepped outside, she turned to Cole. "There's


another one, " she told him. "You shot Johnson, they're holding a man


in jail in Blackwater, and if all four of the men inside were in the


gang, that leaves one missing."




"And Rebecca, " he said.




"And Rebecca, " she agreed. "I really want you to get her."




"We will, " he promised.




CZ a t was a race against the clock to get to Blackwater, and Daniel


pressed hard. He was obsessed now with getting to the jail so Jessica


could tell him if the man they were holding was Bell. He hadn't


thought the rest of it through, and didn't know what he would do if she


confirmed that this was the man who had killed his little girl.




The women didn't complain about the grueling pace, but the group


stopped when the sun was going down and made camp by a clear stream.




Daniel had wanted to push on, but Cole refused.




While Grace and Jessica unpacked the food Cole had gotten in town,


Daniel paced.




"We should keep going, " he said. "The moonlight's good tonight. "


Cole shook his head again. "Look at Jessie and Grace, " he


suggested.




"They're both half dead. The horses aren't in much better shape. "


"But we couldţ" Cole cut him off. "The idea is to get a live witness


there, not a dead one." Daniel came to his senses. "Yeah, you're


right." While he helped Cole with the horses, he kept glancing at


Grace and Jessica. The two of them were covered with dust and looked


too tired to move.




"Maybe I did push a little hard today, " he conceded.




Cole was already thinking about tomorrow. "Did you send a wire to the


sheriff in Blackwater? " "Yes, but I didn't get an answer. That


worries me."




"We'll be there tomorrow afternoon, and then maybe we can finish


this."




"It still won't be over, " Daniel said. "We have to get Rebecca and


the man in charge."




"Do you think the man they're holding is Bell? " "Jessica saw him and


said he turned when the leader called his name, and he wasn't one of


the four in the saloon. It has to be Bell."




"Rebecca could be with Bell."




"No, she'd align herself with the one running the show. She wouldn't


take up with one of the hirelings."




"Maybe, but don't get your hopes up." Several minutes passed in


silence while Daniel carried the saddles over to the camp and Cole


brushed the horses.




"Daniel? " Cole said. "I've been thinking."




"Yes? " "If Jessica tells you it is Bell, you aren't thinking about


doing anything you'd regret, are you? " "What would you do if you knew


he killed your wife and your baby? " Cole thought it over a long while


before answering.




"I honestly don't know."




"Neither do I. I won't know until I look at him."




"If you kill him, they'll lock you away or hang you."




"I realize that." You know what's worse than hanging? " "There's


lots of things worse than hanging."




"Sitting in a cell somewhere knowing that because of you, two of the


gang got away."




"You'd get them." Cole didn't want to argue the point. "What about


Grace? " Daniel shook his head. "I don't know what to do about her.




She kind of . . .




took me by surprise."




"I know all about that, " Cole admitted.




"Meaning Jessica? " "I'm that transparent? " "No, but she is, " he


said. "She's always looking at you like she's thinking about shooting


you." Cole grinned. "It's love all right."




"How can you be so sure? Every one who meets you wants to shoot


you."




"We're getting married."




"Has she agreed? " "No." Daniel burst into laughter and was surprised


at how good it made him feel to let his guard down and relax for a few


minutes.




"Then how do you think you're going to get her to marry you? " Cole


smiled. "Ever hear of a shotgun wedding? " "No, but I've got a


feeling I won't want to miss it."




"Good, " Cole said, "because your attendance is going to be


required."




"Why? " "Who do you think is going to hold the shotgun? " They both


laughed.




Grace turned to smile at Daniel. She and Jessica were sitting side by


side at the edge of the creek, dangling their feet in the water.




"What do you think they're laughing about? " she asked Jessica.




"I don't know. I'm trying to figure out where they found the


strength.




I'm too tired to eat."




"Me too." S JuLie fanwood Jessica was walking back to camp when she


spotted Cole coming toward her. He wasn't smiling now, but looked


terribly serious, and when he reached her, he didn't say a word. He


simply caught her hand in his and kept walking. She either had to


follow him or fall down.




"What are you doing? " "You need to work the stiffness out of your


muscles."




"I'm too exhausted to walk."




"Walking isn't what I had in mind." Her heart felt as though it had


just skipped a beat. "Oh, no . . . you can't think . . . " "I can if


you'll let me." She tried to tug her hand away, but it was a


halfhearted attempt, and when he tightened his hold, she gave in. He


continued on until they were well away from camp, then turned to her.




In the moonlight, his face was golden. She stared into his amazingly


beautiful blue eyes, and she thought he was surely the most handsome


man in the whole world. How could he possibly love her? She was so


ordinary and plain, and he could have any woman he wanted. Why had he


chosen her?




"Do you still love me? " He couldn't believe she had to ask. "Do you