Chapter Five
Roni finished checking on Jim again and then went into the outer office to find Walker standing there in silence with his back to her, staring out the window into the darkness. She paused for a moment to study him. He was a powerful presence, so tall and strong.
For a moment, Roni could see the fierce warrior who lived deep within the heart of him, that part of himself he kept so carefully hidden from everyone. It was the warrior who had saved her and Jim's dog all those years ago; the warrior who had rescued Stacy tonight from Ben Thompson's drunken abuse and had battled him on the dance floor. A shiver of sensual recognition trembled through her.
Without speaking, she went to stand beside him.
Walker had sensed her presence as soon as she had appeared in the doorway. He turned to her. "Has there been any change?"
"No, not yet."
His expression darkened even more. He said nothing for a moment as he looked back out the window again into the blackness of the night. He almost felt as if he were gazing into the depths of his own soul. Ben's vile words about Roni echoed in his thoughts, haunting him, and he knew he had to warn her.
"Roni, I want you to stay away from Ben Thompson. After the way he acted tonight, I wouldn't put anything past him."
"Do you think he's still in town?"
"I hope not, but there's no way of knowing."
Roni went to the door and secured the lock, then pulled down the window shade so no one could see in to the office. "There. Just in case he is still around."
She was standing close to him and started to move away, but he reached out to draw her back to him. He gazed down at her, seeing her beauty and kindness.
"Good," he said softly. "I want you safe."
"Oh,Walker—"
There was no need for either one of them to say more. He kissed her. His mouth moved over hers in a sensual, possessive caress that left her breathless.
When the kiss ended, Roni stayed there in his arms and treasured his nearness and his strength. It surprised her that after all he'd been through that night, he was worried about her safety. She wanted him to be safe, too.
"Are you sure you don't want to let the sheriff know what happened?" she asked, looking up at Walker.
Remembering the ugly threats Ben had made about Roni, Walker answered, "I'm sure."
"But he could go after Ben and his men, and arrest them. Then you wouldn't have to worry—"
"What happened with Ben tonight was personal. I'll handle it." He stepped back and moved away from her. He needed to distance himself from her so he could think clearly.
She sensed the sudden change in his mood and heard the steel in his voice, and knew there was nothing more she could say to make him change his mind.
"I'd better go back in with Jim."
Walker followed her to maintain his vigil by his friend's side.
Chet collapsed back on the bed, smiling. Suzie sure knew how to please a man.
Suzie stretched out next to him and ran a seductive hand over his bare chest.
"I wish you could stay longer," she said huskily. He always paid her handsomely.
"I wish I could, too, believe me. There's nothing I'd like better than to spend a few days and nights locked up in this room with you."
"Your little fiancée would miss you," she taunted.
"What she doesn't know . . ."
"Does she please you like I do?" Suzie had to admit she was envious of the other woman—to be so rich and to have Chet, too.
"Nobody pleases me like you do," he told her, pulling her beneath him for another heated coupling.
And Suzie earned her pay.
Less than an hour later, Chet was on his way out of town. As he thought about all that had happened that night, he realized that this was his chance to get what he really wanted: the Dollar Ranch all for his own. During the course of his time with Suzie, he had told her about breaking up the fight, and she had mentioned that some of Ben's hands had come into the saloon to drink not long before he'd shown up. When the bartender had asked where Ben was, the ranch hands had said he'd already left town.
Chet smiled to himself.
This was the perfect opportunity.
In a matter of months, he'd be married to Stacy, and if he found a way to use this fight with Ben Thompson to get rid of Walker, things would be perfect.
All he had to do was figure out how to pull it off.
Instead of going to his own ranch, Chet rode toward the Thompson place.
Walker was sitting in a chair next to the table where Jim lay, his head resting in his hands, when Jim gave a low groan and began to stir.
"Roni!" Walker got up and rushed to the doorway to let her know Jim was coming around.
She hurried back into the room and was relieved to find her patient was regaining consciousness.
"What the—" Jim muttered as awareness returned, and with it near blinding pain. He lifted one hand to his aching head.
"Easy, Jim." Roni was by his side in an instant. "Don't try to move or do anything too fast."
He opened his eyes and struggled to focus on Roni and Walker, who were standing over him. It took a moment for him to figure out where he was and what must have happened. When he did, he groaned even louder.
"Now, I remember." He looked over at Walker. "It was Thompson, wasn't it?"
"Yes. He and his men were waiting for us," Walker answered. "How do you feel?"
"Like hell," Jim muttered, trying to sit up.
"Just stay where you are," Roni ordered and held him down. Beat up and weak as he was, it wasn't difficult for her.
"Yes, Doc," Jim answered obediently with a wry, pained grin. He knew she was right. Just that small effort had left him dizzy and hurting all over.
She knew that smile and was glad to see Jim truly was himself again. "That's more like it. You can try to sit up in a few minutes, but there's no need to rush it. When you do, you're going to feel it."
"I feel it already. How'd the fight get broken up?" Jim asked, looking over at Walker. "Did the deputy show up?"
"No, Chet did." Walker went on to explain how his future brother-in-law had appeared just in time and had run Ben and his men off.
"Good thing Chet came along when he did." Jim didn't like to be beholden to the other man, but he knew he owed him a big debt.
"You're right about that." There was no telling what Ben and his men might have done if they hadn't been interrupted.
Walker hadn't fully buttoned his shirt and Jim could see the bandages around his chest. "How bad are you?"
"Just a couple of cracked ribs. Roni took care of it."
Jim looked at Roni. "In case he hasn't told you, we're real glad you're back in town. You're a good doc."
"You had doubts?" she teased him.
"Never."
"Should I try to get him home?" Walker asked her.
"It would be best for him to stay here in the office overnight."
Jim offered no protest. The way he was feeling, he knew he needed to stay right where he was.
"While he's here, I'll be close by in case there's any kind of complication with his head injury. We'll know more in the morning about how capable he is of moving around on his own."
"All right. I'll come back then," Walker said. He looked down at his friend, relieved that Jim's injuries weren't as serious as he'd feared. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Jim could only give a slight nod.
Roni walked Walker to the door so she could lock up after him. Walker had just started outside when she spoke. "Walker."
He looked back at her questioningly, and she went straight into his arms and kissed him. He held her close and kissed her deeply before putting her from him reluctantly.
"Be careful," she said, gazing up at him.
"You, too." He gave her one last tender kiss before leaving her.
Walker waited until he was certain she'd locked the office door before moving off. It was late and he was glad the streets were deserted.
Walker reached the hotel and found the clerk was nowhere in sight. That was fine with him. He wanted nothing to do with anyone right then. He went on up to his room and gingerly shed his shirt. His chest was hurting so much, he didn't even think about trying to undress more than that. He stretched out on the bed and sought what comfort he could, but sleep proved elusive. His thoughts kept returning to Ben Thompson and how he was going to find a way to teach him a lesson once and for all. It was only as the early morning hours came that he finally managed to fall asleep.
Ben was feeling pleased with himself as he rode through the night. It wasn't often that he enjoyed himself so much in town, but this had been a mighty entertaining trip, that was for sure. He'd been looking forward to having a good time, and it didn't get any better than taking on Walker Stevenson—and winning. The filthy halfbreed . . .
Ben smiled to himself at the memory of the fight in the alley. Everything had worked out just fine. His men had backed him up when he'd needed them most, so he'd left them behind to enjoy themselves at the saloon. He was certain they wouldn't head back to the ranch until the next afternoon, but that was all right. They'd earned a night of carousing.
Ben's thoughts turned to Walker. It was too bad the banker had been with the 'breed, but Jim should have known better than to deal with his kind. Walker had put up a good fight, but he'd been no match for him and his men. In the end, they'd given him quite a beating. The prospect of how badly the 'breed was going to be hurting in the morning pleased Ben. It was just a damn shame that Chet had shown up.
Still, Ben continued smiling.
He'd beaten the half-breed in the fight tonight, and that was all that mattered to him.
Ben hadn't been riding fast, and he knew he wasn't going to make it all the way back to his ranch tonight. Ready to bed down for the night, he found a spot to make his camp. He built a small fire and spread out his bedroll before tending to his horse and getting his flask from his saddlebag. He settled in, enjoying some more whiskey before finally passing out.
It was much later when Chet caught sight of the low-burning campfire off in the distance. Taking great care not to make a sound, he dismounted and made his way toward the site on foot, armed with his rifle. He'd been hoping he would get lucky, and as he got close enough to see who was bedded down there, he knew he had.
It was none other than Ben Thompson.
And he was sound asleep.
Cold-blooded man that he was, Chet did what he'd come to do. Ben never had a chance as the sound of the single gunshot echoed eerily through the silence of the night. Chet knew enough people had witnessed the fight at the dance to suspect Walker right away. Satisfied his plan was perfect, Chet returned to his horse and rode for his own ranch.
Soon, very soon, he was going to have everything he'd ever wanted.
Stacy was sorry that Chet hadn't decided to stay in town and attend church with her that morning, but she still hoped to get Walker to go. She rose early and got ready, wearing her Sunday best. Walker was usually up at dawn, so when she didn't hear him moving around in his room, she wondered if he'd already gone down to the stable to get the buckboard hitched up and the horses ready for the trip home. She hurried downstairs to see if she could find him.
"Good morning, Miss Stacy," said Lester, the clerk.
"Good morning," she returned. "Have you seen my brother yet this morning?"
"No, ma'am, I haven't, but I've only been at the desk for the last half hour or so."
"Thanks, Lester."
Stacy considered going to the stable to look for him, but decided to wait at the hotel since she was already dressed in her nice clothes. She went back upstairs and was just passing by Walker's room when the door opened and he stepped out into the hall.
"There you are—" She stopped, shocked by the sight of his bruised jaw. "Walker! What happened to you?"
"I'll tell you all about it on the way over to Roni's office."
"Roni's office? Why do we have to go there this morning?"
"Come on." He took her arm, and they went down to the lobby.
"So he was upstairs after all, was he?" the clerk remarked as they passed through.
"Yes, he was," Stacy told him, forcing herself to smile as she let Walker usher her from the building. "All right," she demanded in a low voice. "Tell me everything! Now! What's going on?"
Walker told her what had happened and how Chet had shown up just in time to run Ben and his men off and save him from further harm.
"That must have been right after he dropped me off at the hotel."
"They'd knocked Jim unconscious, so Chet helped me get him over to Roni's."
"How bad is Jim hurt?" She cared about Jim and feared he'd been badly injured.
"He came around, but Roni insisted he spend the night there with her so she could keep an eye on him."
"What about you?" She could tell he wasn't moving with his usual ease.
He shrugged. "Roni patched me up. I'll be all right."
"Why didn't you come and get me?" she demanded, wishing she'd been there to help in some way. "I could have done something—"
"There was nothing you could do. There was nothing any of us could do until Jim regained consciousness. Once he came around and started talking, he seemed like himself again, but I don't know if he'll be up and moving yet."
"And you didn't go tell the sheriff about this?"
"No. I trust Sheriff Protzel, but I didn't want to get the law involved. This is between Ben and me."
Stacy put any thoughts of going to church that morning aside. She was worried about Jim and wanted to make sure he was all right.
They reached Roni's office and knocked softly on the door.
Roni answered it quickly and let them in. They noticed immediately that the door to the back room was closed, so they kept their voices down.
"Roni, Walker just told me what happened. How is Jim?" Stacy asked worriedly.
"How was he during the night?" Walker added.
"He only stirred a few times. Otherwise, he rested quietly. It might take a day or two for him to get his strength back, but he should make a full recovery."
Walker and Stacy were both relieved by the good news.
"When can we talk to him?" Walker asked.
"Let me check if he's awake."
Roni opened the door to check on Jim and found he was stirring.
"Well, good morning," she greeted him as she went on in. "Walker and Stacy are here to see you."
Jim frowned, suddenly feeling self-conscious about being in such bad shape. He didn't want Stacy to see him this way. He wanted to get up and act as if he was fine. Determined to try to act unhurt, he swung his long legs over the side of the table and tried to push himself into a sitting position. A strong wave of dizziness and nausea swept over him, though, and he was forced to lean forward and rest his head in his hands as he fought for control.
Stacy hurried to his side and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?"
Roni was there, too. "Like I told you, you're going to have to take it nice and easy for a while, Jim. Don't try to make any sudden moves. That'll only make things worse."
"How long is this going to last?" he asked, looking up at Roni. Even though he felt disoriented, he was all too aware of Stacy's presence beside him and her gentle touch upon him.
"It should pass in a day or two."
"And until it does, I'm going to stay right here in town and keep an eye on you," Stacy said.
"That's not necessary," Jim protested. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with Stacy. There was nothing he wanted more, loving her as he did, but it was humiliating enough just having her there with him now.
"You think I can't tell how bad you're hurting?" Stacy challenged, using the same tone on him that she used on Walker when she was determined to have her way. "You live alone. What if you needed something and there was nobody around to help you?"
"I'll be all right," he insisted. He was used to taking care of himself.
"That's right. You will be, because I'm going to be nursing you."
"There's no point in arguing with her, Jim," Walker advised him with a wry smile, knowing how determined his sister could be when she made up her mind to do something.
Jim knew Walker was right. He was definitely losing the argument, so he managed a half-grin at her. "So, are you thinking about giving up ranching and taking up doctoring like Roni?"
"I just might. You never know," Stacy retorted, daring him to say more.
"That's a good idea. I could use the help," Roni said, smiling. She looked at Jim. "You listen to Stacy and do what she says. I'll come by your house and check on you, too, just to make sure you're behaving yourself."
"I'll keep my room over at the hotel, then," Stacy said.
"There's no need. I've got an extra bedroom upstairs. You're welcome to stay here with me, if you'd like," Roni offered.
"Thank you. I appreciate it."
"Let's see about getting Jim back home now," Roni began. "Once he's settled in and comfortable, we can go fetch your things from the hotel."
"That'll be fine."
Roni looked at Walker. "How are you holding up? Did you get any rest last night?"
"Not much, but I'll be all right."
"That's good to know," Stacy quipped, hoping to lighten their moods a little.
"I had a good doctor," he told them, his gaze warm upon Roni.
"Are you going to stay in town or go back home?" Stacy asked.
"I'll help you get Jim over to his house, and then I'd better head back."
"I'll send word if there is any change in his condition," Roni said, and then looked at Jim. "You are looking better this morning, so I think you'll be back to normal in a day or two."
"Like Walker said," Jim put in, "I have a real good doctor."
"Yeah, the new doc in town knows what she's doing," Stacy added.
"I'm just doing my job," Roni countered with a laugh.
"Your father would be proud of you," Stacy told her.