Nine

Three days later, Sadie had just finished collecting eggs when she spotted a lone horseman riding up to her farm. Recognizing Cole, she almost dropped the basket. They had nothing to say to each other, so what was he doing here? Why wasn’t he out chasing bad guys?

Reaching the porch, she set the basket down and battled back the tears burning her eyes. She had less success willing her heart to keep from hurting any more than it already did.

Cole rode up to the porch and greeted her with a nod before dismounting his horse. “Sadie.”

She curled her hands by her side. “I thought you would be gone by now.”

“That was the plan, but…” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I came to tell you that I’m here to stay.”

She shook her head and turned. “We’ve been through this. I can’t…”

He placed his foot on the lower step. “Wait! Hear me out.”

Her back to him, she reached for the doorknob.

“Please.”

Something in his voice made her stop. Turning, she was surprised to see him smiling. Her temper snapped. His mere presence tormented her, and here he acted as if it was some sort of joke. “Say what you have to say and leave.”

He took another step up the porch. “I can’t return to the Rangers even if I wanted to.”

She narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“This will explain.” He reached into his coat pocket. Pulling out a letter, he handed it to her.

The parchment suggested it was an official document; the letterhead confirmed it. She quickly scanned it before looking up, puzzled. “It says you were dishonorably discharged from the Texas Rangers.” She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“That letter is proof I’m here to stay.”

She stared at him, incredulous. “Dishonorably discharged?”

He rubbed his neck. “’Fraid I got me a full-grown case of booze blind. I’m not usually that friendly with a bottle, but”—his eyes pleaded for her to understand—“I missed you something terrible and…” He grimaced as if his drunken behavior had been as distasteful to him as it was to her. “Disorderly conduct is grounds for dismissal.”

“Oh, Cole. I’m so sorry. I never meant… I know how proud you are of your service. To have it end like this…”

Something flickered in the depths of his eyes—a look of sadness, maybe even regret, but he quickly hid both behind a feigned smile. But the smile came a tad too late. She had seen the unguarded look and she knew. Leaving the Rangers under such a dark cloud had cost him dearly.

“I can live with it if you can,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

She doubted that. Doubted that he could so easily discount years of honorable service. Oh, God. How she hated knowing that she was partly responsible for his career ending in disgrace. Still, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of relief and joy. She no longer had to worry about losing Cole to the Texas Rangers. He couldn’t go back even if he wanted to.

“I’m not the one who has to live with it,” she said.

“Now, that’s still open for discussion,” he said, and the tenderness in his eyes took her breath away. “Sadie, when I said I would stay, I meant it. I didn’t need that letter. I love you.”

The word love wrapped around her heart like a warm blanket. It was the one word she’d hoped not to hear him say, and for good reason. For now that he’d said it, there was no holding back.

“Oh, Cole. I love you too.”

His face brightened. “Does that mean—”

For answer she flew into his arms and hugged him tight.

But even as he held her and kissed her and whispered sweet nothings in her ear, worrisome thoughts nibbled at her happiness. What if their love wasn’t enough to overcome the shame of a dishonorable discharge? What if he came to resent her for the way an otherwise stellar career had ended? What if the discharge that had brought them together was the very thing that would eventually tear them apart?

* * *

Two days before Christmas, Sadie drove her horse and wagon into town and went straight to the general store. Cole was staying at the hotel, but he spent his days at the farm. Today, he insisted upon watching Adam while she shopped for Christmas.

Mr. Cranston greeted her with a rare smile and for once didn’t remind her that she was on a cash-only basis.

She wandered up and down the aisles, fingering the golden eagle in her purse. The blue dress was no longer on display. Not that she would have purchased it. She had more important things to do with her money.

She picked out a leather ball for Adam, but finding the perfect gift for Cole was more difficult. She finally settled on a silver money clip. It was far from the perfect gift she’d hoped to give him, but it would have to do.

She paid for her purchases and left the store. On the way to T-Bone’s meat store to pick up a roast for Christmas dinner, she ran into Major Comstock.

He greeted her with a tip of the hat. “Mrs. Carnes. Perhaps you can help me. I’m looking for the captain. He’s not at the hotel. Would you happen to know where he is?”

“He’s at the farm. What…what is this about?”

“I wanted to inform him that the Carpenter brothers have been caught. The man who killed your husband has been charged with murder. He also has to stand trial for shooting a ranger. I was just passing through and thought I’d stop and give the captain the news in person.”

“He’ll be so happy to hear it,” she said. It seemed like the perfect Christmas gift. “Do you want to come to the farm and tell him yourself?”

The major pulled out his watch. “Thank you, but I can’t. The train will leave in less than an hour, and I need to get back to headquarters.” He tucked his watch back into his vest pocket. “Would you be kind enough to convey my message?”

“Yes, of course. Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.”

“Oh, but there is. Knowing that my husband’s killer has been caught means a lot to me.”

“Yes, well, we Texas Rangers always get our man—and in this case, our men.”

“I know,” she said. How well she knew.

His frown told her he’d heard the sudden edge to her voice. “Mrs. Carnes, may I be forthcoming with you?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Yes, please do.”

“I happened to see you last week in town.”

She drew in her breath. “Yes, my son was ill and I was there to see the doctor.”

“I trust that your son has recovered?”

“He has, thank you.”

The major hesitated. “I’m in a dilemma, and I’m not sure how best to handle it. Perhaps you’d be kind enough to help.”

Sadie frowned in puzzlement. It was hard to believe that anyone as important as the major would ask for her help. “It sounds serious.”

“I’m afraid it is. At the captain’s request, I gave him a letter relieving him of duty. He insisted upon it. Said he didn’t expect to be treated any differently than he would treat his own men who might act rowdy.”

“He…he showed me the letter.”

“I thought he might have. Then you know the letter stated he was dishonorably discharged. What you don’t know is that I can’t in good conscience allow that to stand.”

“I don’t understand, Major.”

Reaching inside his vest pocket, he pulled out a folded document and handed it to her. “That replaces the one in his possession.”

She quickly read what it said, her gaze freezing on the words honorably discharged. “But the letter he showed me…”

“Completely false. I have to admit, he had me fooled at first. I left him for maybe twenty, thirty minutes to play a round of faro. The next thing I know, he had started a fight and had to be dragged outside. I suppose it’s possible to get drunk in the amount of time he was alone, but given the circumstances, unlikely.”

“I don’t understand. What circumstances?”

“The bottle of whisky was still three-fourths full. I thought it strange at the time. But the next day when I returned to pay our tab, the bartender assured me that only the one bottle had been delivered to our table.”

Again, she lowered her gaze to the document in her hand. “Then how… Why?”

“I think you know the answer to that,” he said.

Her gaze flew up. “Are you saying—?”

He nodded. “It was all an act.” He allowed those words to sink in before adding, “And I believe we both know why a proud and honorable captain would throw away his career and ruin his reputation like that.”

She stared at him, speechless, her mind in a whirl.

The major continued, “I couldn’t in good conscience leave things as they stood. And if you’re half the woman he says you are, I don’t think you can either.” He tipped his hat and walked away.

The certificate in her hand suddenly felt like a steel weight. What had looked like a bright future was now clouded with uncertainty. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was keeping Cole from rejoining the Rangers. And as he always said, sooner or later, the Rangers always got their man.