Chapter Seven
The pounding on her office door roused Roni from a sound sleep, and she got out of bed and quickly threw on some clothes to go answer it. She expected to learn that someone had taken sick or had had an accident.
"I'm Zach, Dr. Reynolds. I'm the foreman out at the Dollar. Is Stacy here?"
"Yes, please come in. I'll get her for you." Roni started back upstairs just as Stacy appeared at the top of the steps.
"Zach's here to see you."
Having already donned her dressing gown, Stacy hurried down to see what the foreman wanted.
"Stacy, I've got bad news." He looked at Roni questioningly, unsure whether to continue in front of the new doc.
"You can trust Roni. What happened?"
"It's Ben Thompson—" he began.
"What about him?" she asked in disgust, wondering what the evil man might have done now.
"He's dead."
"Oh, my God."
Roni was instantly at her side. "What's this got to do with Stacy?"
"Sheriff Protzel and some of his deputies showed up at the ranch and arrested Walker for Ben's murder."
"What?" Stacy and Roni were both horrified.
"They brought Walker into town and locked him up," Zach went on.
"I've got to get down to the jail and talk to the sheriff. I've got to get Walker out of there! Wait for me, Zach."
"I'm going with you," Roni insisted.
The two women rushed back upstairs to finish getting dressed. A short time later they were at the jail, pounding on the door.
Considering the volatile situation created by this case, Sheriff Protzel had decided to spend the night at the jail himself rather than leave guard duty to one of his deputies. He unlocked the door to admit Stacy along with the ranch foreman and Dr. Reynolds.
"Sheriff Protzel, you've made a serious mistake," Stacy charged hotly. "My brother didn't kill anybody!"
"Well, Ben Thompson is dead, and everybody at the dance saw the two of them fighting."
"But Ben started that fight!" Stacy insisted.
"Walker is innocent!" Roni spoke up.
"He'll have to prove that at the trial."
"How can you arrest him when you have no evidence against him?"
"I'd say the two of them having a big fight just hours before the murder makes him the prime suspect. Besides, Ben's men are threatening to take the law into their own hands. Walker is safer locked up in my jail than he would be out at the Dollar."
"You're wrong about this, Sheriff Protzel," Stacy told him, growing deadly serious. "You're making a big mistake. I want to see my brother."
The lawman didn't really want to start a battle with her, so he agreed. "You can go on back."
He let the two women into the cell area, then returned to his desk.
Walker had heard the sound of Stacy's voice in the outer office and he was standing up behind the bars as they came in. He was glad to see them, and especially Roni. His gaze met hers as she and Stacy approached.
"Zach—thanks," Walker said to his foreman.
"I got her here as fast as I could."
"Walker, what happened?" Stacy was on the verge of tears, seeing him locked up this way.
"You probably know as much as I do. Evidently, Ben Thompson was killed overnight. The sheriff came out to the ranch and arrested me for the murder. I told Sheriff Protzel I spent the night in my room at the hotel, but he didn't seem to think that mattered."
Roni stepped up. "We know you're innocent."
Walker appreciated her faith in him and her unwavering support. "But everybody else in town is going to believe Mick and the rest of Ben's men."
"Then we'll just have to find the real killer." Roni's mind was already racing as she tried to imagine who would have committed such a horrible crime. Ben Thompson was a hateful man, and she'd known Walker was furious with him. She'd heard him swear to get even with Ben when Jim had been unconscious and they hadn't been certain he would recover, but she knew Walker hadn't meant he was going to sneak off in the night and gun Ben down in cold blood. Walker wasn't that kind of man.
"But how? How will we find them?" Stacy asked, terrified for her brother's safety.
"I don't know, but we will—somehow."
"Talk to Jim. Maybe he'll be able to think of something," Walker suggested, knowing how smart his friend was.
"We're going to get you out of here," Stacy angrily promised, before turning to go out into the main office and talk to the lawman again.
Zach followed her, hoping to help, leaving Roni and Walker alone for a moment.
"I'm sorry," she murmured, moving closer so she could reach out and touch the hand gripping the bars that separated them. She could see the pain revealed in the depths of his gaze.
"I've always known there were people in town who hated me, but I never thought they'd go so far as to frame me for murder."
"Don't worry. You're innocent. There's no evidence that you did it. No one can prove anything. There's no way you can be convicted."
"I hope you're right." Walker met Roni's gaze one last time.
"I'll be back in the morning," she promised.
He nodded as he watched her leave to join Stacy and Zach; then he went to sit on the hard cot. He knew it was going to be a long night.
Roni explained to the sheriff that she needed to return the next day to check on the injuries Walker had suffered when Ben and his men had jumped him after the dance. Then she left the jail with Stacy and Zach. They went back to her house to try to figure out what to do.
"Zach, send one of the boys out to Chet's ranch to let him know what's happened," Stacy directed. "I need him here with me."
"I'll do that first thing in the morning."
"And Walker's going to need a lawyer. I guess Jim can help me with that," Stacy said.
"I wonder how much time we have before the trial?" Roni worried. She knew in Two Guns justice sometimes moved very quickly.
"Jim will know," Stacy said. "We'll ask him what to do."
"Do you want to spend the night here, Zach?" Roni offered.
"No, the men are worried. I have to get back to the Dollar and let them know what's happened."
Zach bid them good night and rode out, leaving Stacy and Roni alone.
They were both too worried to be able to sleep, but they retired to their beds to try to get some rest.
They knew the next few days were going to be hard.
It was just a little after seven the following morning when they left the house to see Jim. Stacy had told him she'd be back to fix his breakfast, and they were pleasantly surprised to find him up and dressed and obviously feeling better.
"Good morning," he greeted them. He let them in with a smile, but as soon as he saw their deeply troubled expressions, he realized something must have happened overnight.
"Jim," Stacy began, "I need your help."
"Of course."
They went to sit in his parlor, and Stacy quickly told him the news of Walker's arrest.
As he listened, Jim was glad he was thinking more clearly this morning and had gotten some of his strength back. He was going to need it. He reached over and took Stacy's hand in his as she poured out her heart to him. He looked deep in her eyes, seeing her pain and fear for her brother's safety, and he knew he had to do everything in his power to help her and Walker.
"We're going to fight this," he promised. "Nothing's going to happen to Walker. The first thing we have to do is hire Ralph Newsome to be his lawyer. We can go over to his office right away. He's a good attorney."
All she could do was nod. Stacy was used to being a strong, independent woman, but Walker's arrest had left her feeling completely lost. She was thankful for Jim's encouragement and support. She just wished Chet would arrive soon. She needed him desperately.
Roni examined Jim and confirmed what he already knew—his condition was much improved.
"I told Sheriff Protzel I'd be over to check on Walker this morning, so I'm going to go there next. Let me know what happens with the lawyer," she told them.
"Tell him I hope we'll have him out of jail today," Stacy said, trying to be optimistic.
Walker's mood was dark as he lay on the hard cot in the jail cell. Though he knew his injuries weren't in any way life-threatening, the pain from his cracked ribs was constant, and he had found it next to impossible to get any rest. It had been a long, painful night.
Walker wanted to get out of jail as fast as he could. Being caged up this way didn't sit well with him. He hoped he could get everything straightened out today and be released. Surely, just the fact that he'd spent the night of the shooting in his room at the hotel would be proof enough of his innocence.
Walker sat up on the side of the cot and stared blindly at the cell bars, thinking about the murder. He found himself wondering, as he had all night long, who'd really killed Ben—and why. A lot of people in the area had had run-ins with Ben, but he couldn't think of anyone who hated the other rancher enough to shoot him down in cold blood that way. He knew it could have been some trigger-happy gunmen just passing through the area, but that made little sense. Ben had been sleeping when the shooting had occurred and no one had made mention of anything being stolen.
The answer was there somewhere, and he had to find it.
Walker heard someone enter the outer office and immediately recognized the sound of Roni's voice.
"Good morning, Deputy. I'm here to check Walker," she told Deputy Davis.
"When he left this morning, Sheriff Protzel told me you'd be coming by," the deputy said. "Will you need to be in the cell with him?"
"Yes, please. I have to change his bandages today." She indicated the bag she was carrying.
"All right. Let's go on back." The lawman got the keys and started over to open the connecting door to the cell area.
"You've got company, Walker," the deputy told him.
As the office door opened, Walker got to his feet.
"Stay back," Davis ordered as he unlocked the cell door to let Roni in.
Walker did as he was told. Roni moved easily into the jail cell and the deputy quickly locked the door behind her.
"Do you want me to stay here with you?"
"We'll be fine," Roni assured him.
"I'll be at the desk if you need anything."
He returned to the outer office, leaving them alone.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Roni asked as she set her bag on the cot and turned to look him over. She could see the weariness in his expression and knew he'd passed a rough night.
"I've been better," he answered honestly.
"Can you take your shirt off so I can get a look at you?"
Walker unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged out of it as Roni removed a small knife from her bag. She carefully cut away the bandages to examine his injured ribs. Her touch was gentle as she went over his chest and side to check the healing. She looked up at him and noticed that his jaw was tense as she continued to explore his injuries.
"I'm sorry if I'm hurting you," she told him.
"It's all right," he answered tightly.
Although his ribs were hurting him, it was her very nearness that was causing the tension within him. He knew this was not the time to be having these thoughts, but the almost-caressing touch of her hands was testing his considerable self-control.
"We're going to need to keep your chest bandaged for at least another week or so."
She moved over to her bag to take out the wrapping and tape she would need to bind him up again.
"Turn your back to me, please," she directed, "and lift your arms."
When he did, her gaze went over the darkly tanned, broad, powerful width of his shoulders in a visual caress. Her attraction to him caused her whole body to grow warm, and Roni scolded herself for her wayward thoughts.
She was there as his doctor, nothing more.
Roni told herself Walker was her patient.
She was determined to be professional.
She reached around him to begin wrapping the bandage tightly about his chest, trying to keep her thoughts on his injuries, not his lean, muscular body. The moment became intimate, though, for she had to move closer to him to adjust the bandage and ended up with her arms around him.
Walker had been controlling his desire for Roni with great effort. Her nearness alone was enough to tempt him, but when she moved against him as she worked with the bandage, he knew he couldn't resist the need to kiss her again. He told himself this wasn't the time or place, but as he glanced toward the outer office and saw no sign of the deputy, his good intentions vanished. Knowing he might not get another chance to kiss Roni for some time, he gave in to his desire for her.
In one easy move, Walker turned in her arms and claimed her in a passionate kiss.
Roni was surprised by his embrace, and delighted. She forgot about the bandage and linked her arms around his neck to return his kiss in full measure. She realized it was dangerous for them to behave this way, but she couldn't resist the temptation. She realized she was taking a desperate chance, but at that moment, all that mattered was glorying in the thrill of their stolen moment together.
A faint, distant sound jarred them apart. They stood there for an instant, staring at each other in wonder, breathlessly caught up in the power of their desire.
Walker made himself turn his back on her again, knowing if he stood there looking down at her any longer, he'd take her back in his arms.
Roni forced her thoughts back to doctoring and quickly set about wrapping the bandage around him.
"There," she said as she made sure it was tight enough to help him heal. "That should hold for another day or two."
He stepped away from her and picked up his shirt to put it back on, knowing putting some distance between them was the safest—and wisest—thing to do.
"Thank you," he told her.
"Stacy's going to speak with the lawyer this morning, so I'm sure you'll be hearing from her soon."
"It can't be soon enough," Walker said, wishing he could walk out of the jail with Roni a free man.
"How's it going back here?" Deputy Davis asked as he appeared in the doorway to check on them.
"I'm finished," Roni told him. She packed up her supplies and the old bandage and stepped over to the door.
Deputy Davis let her out and locked the cell door again behind her.
"Sheriff Protzel said to tell you we appreciate your coming over this way."
"I'm glad to help. If anything changes, let me know."
"We will."
Roni looked back to find Walker's dark-eyed gaze upon her. "I'll speak with you soon."
He didn't respond as the deputy ushered her from the jail.
Alone again, Walker stared around the confines of the cell for a moment and then sat back down on the cot. He could only hope that Stacy would show up soon with good news.