It took little time to inform the others of the change in plans, and there was an anticipation—an eagerness—that hadn’t been there before. There was a hope that they might all come out of this alive.
Two of the men had gone to intercept Calhoun and the others and let them know what was happening. More than likely, once the chaos started anyone holed up in the house would come out to see what was going on. That’s when they’d be taken down. And all without shooting holes in her house. Hopefully.
Elizabeth’s heart was lighter than it had been since before her father’s death. Cole loved her. They could iron out all the other details later.
There were two entrances to the barn, one on each end to get the animals in and out as efficiently as possible, depending on where they were being taken. But order was the last thing they wanted.
They’d divided the men into two groups for each end of the barn. The horses were restless, the anticipation thick in the air as the swirling snow blew around them. She knew what her job was. It was to eliminate as many threats as possible so the men could accomplish their task.
She dismounted from her horse and carried her rifle easily in her right hand. She sank to her knees in the snow, but was long past feeling the cold. Anger was fueling her warmth. This was her life and her property that were being threatened, and it was her husband that Riley MacKenzie was targeting.
Her pistols were within easy reach in her holsters, and she watched as Cole dismounted from Goliath. Both of their horses were smart enough to get out of the way. They could feel the unrest in the air.
Cole looked at her and she nodded, and then he lifted the latch for the barn doors and swung them wide. They swooped in with shouts and gunfire, shooting their pistols in the air to get the animals moving. The doors from the other side were opened and a bitter wind blew through the main corridor, sending bits of hay flying along with the snow.
The animals panicked, braying and bucking against their stalls. The horses Riley and his gang had left loose took off like a shot, and other horses soon followed as their gates were opened. They’d left the lanterns lit, hanging from hooks inside the barn, and the yellowish hue cast shadows over the confusion.
It would’ve been easy to be distracted by the chaos, but she kept her eyes on the ladder up to the loft. It was wide with wooden slats, and it led into a large square hole in the upper floor—large enough to bring hay up or down when needed. It was there, right at the corner, that the light from the lanterns reflected off the barrel of a gun.
Cole was across from her, hidden beneath the rafters, and he wouldn’t see what she could see from his angle. Her father had enjoyed quoting Benjamin Franklin’s saying about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure, and this seemed as good a time as any to take matters into her own hands.
She cocked the shotgun and took a brief moment to sight before pulling the trigger. Wood exploded at the entrance to the loft and a body tumbled straight down to the base of the ladder. She heard a shout and realized the animals had all been evacuated, then there was more gunfire as one of the men shot at the lantern in the far corner. It exploded into pieces of glass and sparks, and the embers fell into the hay on the ground, causing a small smolder before the embers caught flame.
It wasn’t long before the flames grew, and she felt a small pang at the loss of the barn she’d helped to build with her own two hands, right alongside her father.
“Everyone out,” Cole yelled.
Smoke filled the air and she backed out of the barn with the others, catching her husband’s eye as he exited the opposite end. They closed the barn doors and then moved back out of the way as the flames licked the walls and started burning in earnest. Black smoke curls snuck through the cracks in the doors and wood.
She heard gunshots from over toward the house, but she ignored them, instead running around the barn to where Cole was. Cole was the target. Wherever he was, Riley would search him out.
It hadn’t taken long for the fire to consume the barn. It was a readymade tinderbox, and the flames lit the sky, even in the midst of the blizzard. As she turned the corner to find Cole, she felt something heavy land behind her, but before she could turn, an arm was around her neck and she was dragged backward.
She fought against her captor, but her heels slid as she tried to dig them in. His arm tightened around her neck, and she struggled to breathe. And then she realized she’d dropped the shotgun somewhere in the snow.
“Elizabeth!” she heard Cole yell.
But her gaze was transfixed on the hayloft door. Black smoke billowed out, but she saw the outline of the man standing in the doorway. And then he was gone as he jumped straight down into the snowdrift below.
He was dead before he hit the ground.
Cole didn’t waste any time taking the extra man out. The danger was Riley, and it would do no good to have a showdown with his brother only to have someone else shoot him in the back. There was no honor among these thieves.
“Let her go, Riley,” Cole called out. “This is between you and me. You want to be the best? Then it’s time to show me what you’ve got.”
“Or I could just kill her and you too.”
His voice was so much like Cole’s, it sent a chill down her spine.
“There’s a dozen guns on you right now,” Cole said. “If you kill Elizabeth you’ll die very quickly. But it won’t be the kind of death you want. You’ll never know if you could beat me. And you and I both know that’s all this is about. It’s always been a game to you, Riley.”
“Of course it’s always been a game,” he mocked. “How many times growing up was I just a little too slow? Or not quite as perfect as you were. I wouldn’t expect you to notice because it wasn’t your face that was feeling his fist every time I failed.”
“I felt his fist plenty,” Cole said. “You could’ve been different. But you’re just like him. Worse than him. The slaughter of the innocent was your choice. You chose to make it into a game. To put me at the blame instead of him.”
“It sure felt right to blame you when I was the one doubled over with a broken rib or two. But it doesn’t matter now. We went our separate ways. And I worked until I was as good as you were. And I worked some more until I was better. And now here we are.
“We always were more alike than you wanted to admit. You’ve got a dark side, Cole,” he sneered. She could see the clouds from his breath as he spoke next to her ear. “I saw that firsthand during the war. I wonder, did you ever feel me tracking you like the Sioux taught you to track?”
“I knew you were following me,” Cole said. “You could’ve tried to kill me then.”
“Wrong time, wrong place. The Sioux were rather protective of you. Besides, I had things to do before I could come back for you, brother.”
“What things?” Cole asked.
“I’m a very wealthy man.”
“There’s a lot of blood on that money.”
“There’s a price for everything,” Riley said. “But like you said, this is between you and me. Call your men off. Because once I kill you I’m going to borrow your wife as insurance until I get to where I’m going. I don’t want her dying too soon because one of them got trigger happy.”
“It’s not my men you’ll have to worry about if you kill me,” Cole said.
Elizabeth could see the half smile on his lips and wondered why he’d pick now to taunt his brother. But then she saw the subtle movement of his hand, and a frisson of fear skittered down her spine.
He couldn’t be serious. She shook her head to tell him no, but Riley squeezed his arm tighter around her neck. Cole made the movement with his hand again, and she realized he was dead serious. The smile left his face and he stood squared off against his brother. And then she realized what he was trying to tell her. She felt the movement to Riley’s right side, where he pushed his coat back so he could get to his pistol.
Riley had no intention of letting her go. He planned to draw on Cole while he was holding her captive, in hopes that Cole wouldn’t draw on him in fear of hitting her. Riley had no honor, and if she didn’t do as Cole asked and give him a fighting chance, then they’d both end up dead. All she could do was trust Cole. With her life.
“I’m warning you, Riley,” Cole said. “Let her go. You’ll never know if you can beat me unless we face off. Nothing between us but our guns.”
“Yeah,” Riley said, and she could feel his body tense as he shifted his weight slightly. The lying, cheating bastard. She’d be damned if she let him get away with this. She didn’t care if she had to throw her body in front of his gun.
She kept her eyes on Cole’s hands, waiting for the signal. Just the slightest twitch of his fingers and she went limp. Two guns fired and she was jerked backward. She waited for the searing pain of a bullet wound to bring life to her numb body, but she felt nothing but the cold as she hit the ground.
“Cole,” she tried to scream, but her voice was hoarse. She’d heard two shots and she’d felt Riley draw. He’d shot at Cole.
Elizabeth rolled to her hands and knees and tried to scramble to her feet, but her legs had turned to jelly. She couldn’t see Cole. She couldn’t catch her breath. And she couldn’t imagine a life without her husband in it.
Tears clouded her vision and snow swirled around her. She was completely blind as she felt her way through the snow. She touched a leg and worked her way up the prone body, and her hands shook as she wiped her eyes and leaned closer. A sob tore from her throat as she saw her husband’s face. But then she realized the man she was staring at—the man whose skin was as ashen as the sooty snow around them—wasn’t her husband after all.
She’d never seen Riley MacKenzie in person, other than the likeness Cole had shown her. Their similarities were remarkable. But there were slight differences. And this man was not her husband. But her husband could be as dead as Riley.
A strength she didn’t know she possessed rose up inside of her, and she came to her feet with a roar. And then she ran face-first into a hard chest.
“My God, Elizabeth,” Cole said, wrapping his arms around her. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“I can’t believe you shot at me,” she said. And then she broke down sobbing in his arms.
“I shot around you, darling. That’s entirely different.”
“That’s all of them, boss,” one of the men called out. “The Silver Creek Bandits are dead.”
“Everyone head to the house and get warm. Nothing we can do about the barn. We can get the animals settled in a bit.”
“Lester’s already taking care of it,” Calhoun said. “Better get your woman inside before she gets frostbite from all those tears. I got to hand it to you, son. That takes absolute brass balls to shoot at a man who’s holding your wife. One wrong move…”
Elizabeth pulled back from Cole’s arms, but he scooped her up and started walking toward the house. The barn was still in full flame, but it was far enough away from their other buildings as to not be a danger. Cole was right. There was nothing they could do about the barn but watch it burn.
She looked up at her husband and her breath caught in her chest. He was so big and strong. And so hers. And most importantly, he loved her.
They had tough days ahead. They had friends to bury and rebuilding to do. But as long as they had each other, they could get through anything.
“Cole,” she said, touching a hand to his face. He stopped and looked down at her. His eyes were tired and his face drawn. Killing his brother had more of an impact than he was letting on, and there would be grief and healing to tend to in the coming days and weeks.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked.
“Because I love you. Because you make me proud. Because this is a moment that will be passed down in story to our children and grandchildren, and I want to remember exactly how I felt as you held me in your arms.”
“There is no greater love,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.