Chapter Nineteen
It was well after dark as Walker covered the final miles to Two Guns. He wanted to race back into town to Roni, but he knew he was a wanted man. He had no doubt the prison authorities were still searching for him, and he was sure they would be watching the Dollar and Two Guns for any sign of his return. He moved slowly and quietly, not wanting to draw any attention to himself.
It was after midnight when he reached the outskirts of town.
He left his horse tied up a few streets from Roni's office and then moved in silence through the deserted alleyways, taking care to stay in the shadows.
He took no risk.
He had come too far to get caught now.
Walker made his way to the back of Roni's office. He'd been worried that she might have a late-night patient, and he was glad to see that it was dark inside. The second-floor windows were open, so he climbed up on the small porch railing and then pulled himself onto the roof. He stayed down low as he edged toward the nearest window and slipped inside without being seen.
Walker stood unmoving just inside the window of the sitting room. He waited for any sounds of Roni moving around somewhere, but the house was quiet. Ever so cautiously he made his way down the hall to her bedroom. The door was open and he looked in, expecting to find her asleep in her bed. He was surprised and disappointed when he discovered it was unoccupied. He realized then that she was probably out making an emergency call. There was no way of telling what time she would be back.
Trail weary as he was, Walker took the time to get cleaned up as best he could, and then settled in to await her return.
Roni had known from the beginning that her calling to be a doctor would be a hard one. Growing up, she'd watched her father deal with the pain of losing a patient, and as she made her way home now through the deserted streets of town, she was saddened by the death of the elderly patient she'd been caring for. The woman who'd just passed away had known her time was near, but it was never easy to be parted from a loved one, even when the parting was not unexpected.
The thought of the family's loss stirred her memories of Walker, and the sadness that gripped her deepened. Roni wondered if she would ever get over losing him, and, even as she thought it, a part of her rebelled against the reality that he was dead. Deep in her heart, she clung to the wild hope that the notification of his death had been a mistake and that he'd escaped and would come back to her. Logically, Roni knew it was crazy to harbor such a fantasy, but she couldn't let go of the hope. She loved Walker. She always would. He seemed to be always there, hovering in her thoughts. There were times when it even seemed as if she could feel his very presence with her. Roni let herself imagine that if she turned around she would find Walker there. Of course she never would, but she couldn't let him go—not yet.
Roni unlocked her office and let herself in. She locked the door behind her and didn't bother to light a lamp. She knew where everything was. Leaving her bag behind, she went upstairs to go to bed. It had been a long day.
Walker heard her come in downstairs and quickly moved into the extra bedroom at the end of the hall to stay out of sight. He didn't want to frighten her, but he had to make sure she was alone and that it was safe before he revealed himself.
Roni reached the top of the stairs and went into her bedroom. She made her way to the night table and started to take out a match to light the lamp.
Walker moved out of the other room to stand in her doorway.
"Roni."
The sound of his voice shocked her, and Roni spun around to find a tall, broad-shouldered, shadowy figure standing in her bedroom doorway.
"Walker?"
For a moment, she remained frozen in place, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Walker is dead.
He can't be here with me.
But he was.
The moment Roni realized this was no dream, she ran straight into his waiting arms. "Oh, Walker, you're here! You're really here!"
Walker enfolded her in his arms, holding her to his heart.
Roni found herself crushed against his chest, and she clung to him, never wanting to let him go.
Walker didn't speak.
He couldn't.
He could only show her what she meant to him. He bent to her and kissed her, his mouth moving over hers in a hungry, possessive kiss that left her breathless.
When at last they parted, Roni looked up at him, her expression one of awe and wonder. Joy filled her heart and soul. "I can't believe you're real."
"I'm real," he told her, his voice husky with emotion.
Unable to resist, he kissed her again. It was deep and heartfelt, and told her without words the depth of his feelings for her.
Roni returned his kiss with abandon, wanting to get as close to him as she could. She never wanted to let him go. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.
"They told us you were dead," she managed in a tear-choked voice. She was surprised when he stiffened at her words.
"What?" Walker was shocked by the revelation.
Roni drew back to look up at him. When she spoke, the words were torn from her. "A telegram came from the prison authorities. It said that you'd drowned while you were working on the chain gang."
"So they think I'm dead." He was amazed, and a tremendous sense of relief swept through him. All this time he'd feared the prison guards were on his trail, tracking him relentlessly.
"Oh, Walker, I never wanted to believe it. I love you." She cried tears of gratitude as she realized the wonderful gift she'd been given.
Her love had come back to her.
Her prayers had been answered.
"I love you, too," he told her, gazing down at her. During all those tortured days in prison, he'd dreamt of this moment, of having Roni in his arms, of loving her. "Will you marry me, Roni?"
All the love she felt for him shone in her eyes as she answered, "Yes. Yes, oh, yes, I'll marry you."
They said nothing more.
There was no need for any more words.
They had been given a second chance, and they were going to take full advantage of the gift.
They moved to the bed and lay together on its welcoming softness. Wrapped in each other's arms, their hearts spoke for them as they came together in a fiery blaze of glory. With each kiss and caress, the flames of their desire grew, searing them with the heat of their need and driving them on in mindless passion.
Walker worked at the buttons on Roni's dress, unfastening them and helping her slip the garment off. He slid down the strap of her chemise and pressed heated kisses to her throat and the swell of her breasts.
Roni had never known such intimacy, and she shivered from the power of the emotions his touch was arousing in her. She helped him strip off his shirt, and she caressed the hard-muscled width of his chest with eager hands.
Caught up in the pure pleasure of his lovemaking, Roni soared ever higher. In her innocence, she moved restlessly against him, needing more, wanting more.
In the heat of their searing passions, they shed the rest of their clothes and came together in a moment of pure ecstasy. They were one in body and in spirit, giving one another the most perfect gift—the gift of their love.
When the fire of their desire had been sated, they fell back together on the wide softness of the bed and lay together, limbs entwined, amazed by what had just passed between them.
"I love you," Walker told her, kissing her softly.
Roni looped her arm around his neck and returned his kiss. "I still can't believe that you're here with me. Oh, Walker, that day when Jim and Stacy came to tell me you were dead—It was the most horrible day of my life."
"I'm glad the authorities think I'm dead. That means they won't be looking for me."
"But what are we going to do now?"
"First, we've got to get my horse off the street." He told her where he'd left it tied up.
"I'll go get it first thing in the morning and keep it out back in my horse shed."
"Good. We don't want to arouse any suspicions while I try to find out who really killed Ben Thompson." Walker's expression grew more serious as he thought of the challenge ahead of him.
"Ever since they took you away, Jim and I have been trying to find more clues to the identity of the killer, but there's nothing. I don't know what more we can do to try to draw him out."
"Since everyone thinks I'm dead now, maybe the killer will let his guard down and do something that will let us know he's the one."
"I hope so. I want the person who did it to face real justice. But Walker—" Roni rose up on one elbow to gaze down at him as he lay beside her. "What if we never find the killer? We can't keep you hidden forever. If word gets out someway that you're here, the authorities will come after you."
"I know. We've got to be careful while I figure out what to do."
The thought of having him torn away from her again left Roni desperate. "We've got to be more than careful. We should leave Two Guns. We can just run away, the two of us. We can change our names and go back east. No one would ever suspect anything. We could start a whole new life there."
Walker looked up at her with tenderness and lifted one hand to caress her cheek. "There's nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you."
He drew her down for a kiss. It was long and sweet and left Roni breathless.
"Then let's go away together. Now. Tonight—"
"We can't. If you just packed up and left like that, there would be questions. People would be suspicious that something had happened. And I don't want to spend the rest of my life on the run, living in fear that someone is going to track me down and take me back in. I don't want to spend the rest of my life knowing Ben's killer is still out there walking around free."
"What are we going to do?"
Walker took her in his arms and kissed her again. "We're going to find the man who murdered Ben and prove my innocence."
Roni wanted to believe with all her heart and soul that they could do it. As he drew her beneath him, she forgot everything but the pleasure of his lovemaking. She lost herself in the thrill of his embrace, cherishing this precious time they had together. With each kiss and caress, their passion grew until they could no longer deny the need to be one. Walker moved over her and claimed her for his own once more—heart and soul.
It was much later, as they lay together at peace, that they finally spoke of other things.
"How is Stacy?" he asked. He'd been worried about her, and Roni's brief hesitation before she started to answer troubled him.
"Since the news came that you were dead, things have been real hard for her, and then Chet—" Roni knew Walker had to be told.
"What about Chet?" He had expected his future brother-in-law to step up and take care of Stacy.
Roni sighed. "I don't think he's quite the man Stacy believed he was."
"What did he do?"
"A few days ago Suzie, one of the girls from the Ace High, came to me. She'd been badly beaten, and it turned out Chet was the one who did it."
"Why?" Walker was surprised by the news. He'd always thought Chet was a decent man.
"Suzie didn't know why. Evidently she'd been with him before, and he'd never been rough with her. After she left, I was worried about Stacy marrying a man with a temper like that. I contacted Jim to tell him about it."
"What did Jim do?"
"We decided Stacy needed to know the truth, so Jim rode out to talk to her. When he got back, he told me Stacy said she and Chet had had an argument on the day he'd gone to the Ace High."
Walker was troubled. "Did Stacy tell Jim what she was going to do about it? Was she going to break off her engagement to Chet?"
"No. He just said she seemed troubled when he left her."
Walker could well imagine the difficult time his sister was going through. "I hope she makes the right decision."
"I think she will. She's a smart girl."
"Like you," he told her.
Roni kissed him softly. "I'm smart enough to know I'm the luckiest woman alive right now."
"And I'm the luckiest man."