Four

Five miles down the road, Luke pulled up next to a little spring. Underground water sprang from the rocks, providing cold, sweet refreshment.

“We’ll leave the wagon and go on horseback from here, make faster time.” He placed his hands around Rose’s waist and lowered her to the ground. “In case that posse backtracks.”

“Do they lynch women?” Rose’s changeable eyes filled with unshed tears. “I can’t get hung before I know who I am—and what I did.”

Luke gathered her trembling body close. “I’m not going to let that happen. When I have you somewhere safe, I’ll get to the truth. Trust me?”

Rose stared deep into his eyes. “With my life.”

That she stated the words with such strong conviction dropped a heaviness over him. He didn’t want to feel responsible for her. Damn it! The lady needed someone better than him to look up to. Didn’t she know that? He dragged in slow, steady breaths before thrusting the canteen at her. “Can you fill this while I move the wagon into some thick brush?”

“You won’t be gone long?”

Panic lining her face tightened his chest. He was all she had and to lose him would probably be more than Rose could take. He ran a finger across her cheek. “I’ll be back before you even miss me.”

At her nod, he climbed into the wagon and drove it a short distance into a tangled mass of mesquite and scrub oak. It took no time to unhitch the team and ride the rustled horses back. Rose’s eyes lit up when she saw him. Could she be Josie Morgan? While he liked the solid ring to the name, he preferred his simple Rose—for now anyway. Especially since Josie seemed to be a wanted woman. Not that there was anything a bit simple about her. He let out a troubled sigh. Answers to the riddles were out there somewhere—for both of them. He just had to try harder.

“See? I’m already done,” he said. “One of us will have to ride bareback. That’ll be me. You can ride my gelding.”

“What’s his name?” She moved to the horse’s side and murmured soothingly as she stroked his long neck.

“Major John.”

“I like that. He’ll let me ride him?”

“Long as you don’t let him smell beer, he’ll be docile.”

She giggled. “Beer?”

“Loves the stuff. If I don’t tie him good outside a saloon, he clops in just like he owns the joint and I can’t get him out until he gets good and ready.”

“That’s the funniest thing I ever heard.”

“Glad you think so. You’re pretty when you laugh.” He watched a blush stain her cheeks and his heart fluttered strangely. The lonely part of him wished he could have a woman like her. She had spirit and grit. He had a feeling the safe, easy path would bore her. Rose seemed the sort to dare anyone or anything to try to put a bridle on her or a bit in her mouth.

“Ready to ride?” he asked. “We’re burning daylight.”

Her forehead wrinkled. “I know I’ve heard that saying before. Just like spouting off to the lawmen about my mama and difficulty with this red dirt. I don’t know where that came from.” She stared into the distance as though trying to conjure up ghosts to fill in the holes.

“Maybe your memory is fighting its way back.” He put his hands around her slender waist and helped her onto Major John.

“I hope you’re right. I hate being lost inside. You don’t know what it’s like to be a stranger to yourself.”

Luke swung onto the back of one of the roans. He couldn’t imagine having his head scrubbed of all memory. His safety depended on knowing who were his enemies, and who were friends.

Where could he take Rose? Now that he knew she was wanted by the law, the Lone Star Ranch was out. He’d promised himself never to bring trouble to the Legend family’s door.

The perfect answer sprang to mind.

As they trotted away from the watering hole, Luke made sure Rose stayed beside him. His eyes constantly scanned the rugged terrain for signs of a dust cloud made by the posse. “I’m taking you to Deliverance Canyon,” he told her. “No one will find you there.”

The women there would protect Rose while he sought answers. Tally Shannon and her small, ragtag army of survivors had sought safety there after escaping a mental institution. Their families had stuck them in the Creedmore Lunatic Asylum to get rid of them for one reason or another, despite being as sane as anyone. From them, Luke had learned the ease with which people could put someone into a place darker than prison—death without blood on their own hands. Tally and her ladies would care for Rose until Luke could get back. She was in need of safety. They’d not turn her away.

In fact, she’d fit right in with the gun-toting women. They could help each other. They’d furnish her a gun and she could teach them to cuss—a perfect match.

“I thought we were going to the Lone Star Ranch.”

“Changed my mind. Deliverance Canyon is safest. It’ll delay getting you to a doctor, but with the posse looking for you, it can’t be helped.”

Over the next half hour, he told her about Tally Shannon and the others and assured her that she’d be safe with them.

“How horrible that they have to hide like animals! I’d like to put a damn bullet into the people who made them suffer. Hell, why would someone do that?”

Luke still couldn’t get used to Rose cussing. She looked like a beautiful angel until she opened her mouth.

“Any number of reasons. Greed, hate, jealousy, fear—take your pick,” he said.

“The women sound real nice. I already like them.”

“They’ll have clean clothes for you. I’m sure wearing those bloody ones is none too pleasant.”

“Makes my skin crawl. I’m carrying around a dead person on me and I don’t even know who he is. How did you learn about Tally and her girls?”

“They saved my life once after I got injured bad in a shootout. Tally stumbled across me near death. She and the others treated my wounds. I would’ve died if not for them.”

“I’m glad they fixed you up,” she said softly. “How long will it take to get to the canyon?”

“Another day, barring trouble. How is your head?”

“The pounding is letting up some. Thank you for caring. And the mint settled my queasy stomach.”

“When my mother was so ill, mint was the only thing that made her feel better.” He handed her some more from his pocket.

As they traveled, Luke let Rose talk and he found out a lot about her from what little she didn’t know she was revealing. Her words indicated quite a bit of education and she was always mindful of trouble on their heels, glancing back and staring at the brush. From her ease with ciphering, he suspected she excelled in numbers. She had one of the quickest minds he’d ever seen.

And that was dangerous for him.

They’d played a game where he tossed out one word and she came up with a response.

“What do mountains say to you?”

“Lonely.”

“Darkness.”

“Death.”

He scowled at her odd answer. “Why would darkness mean death? Care to think on that?”

“I don’t know. Except that bad things happen in the night. Mean people come out to prey when we can’t see them.” She gave a frustrated groan. “What do I know? I’m a mess with a head full of nothing. Let’s go on.”

“Saloon.”

“Home.” She wrinkled her brow. “Now why did I say that, Luke? Odd. Maybe I worked there? Did I entertain men upstairs? Why would I call such a place home?”

He didn’t know but he filed it away. They played on with nothing much new coming to light. Then she’d taken her turn with him. He was careful not to let her know too much.

By nightfall he felt a kinship with Rose. She wasn’t just a woman he’d rescued. She’d become a real person and he admired her quick wit. They took shelter in a small sandstone cave where no one could see their campfire. A stream was just outside. He tied the stolen horses in a large clump of mesquite and juniper where they could get to the water, before riding off on Major John a short distance to hunt for food. He soon returned with two plump rabbits.

To his surprise, Rose had used the time to wash the blood from her hair and her body as best she could.

Rose’s skill at skinning the rabbits said she’d performed the task many times. While she prepared the meat, he patted down Major John and left the beer-guzzling horse with the others, bringing the saddle inside the cave.

As the meat cooked over the flames, they talked.

“You’re a man of mystery, Luke Weston.” Rose’s blond strands, cleaner now, glistened like pure gold in the firelight.

“Why do you say that?” Luke recalled the silky way her hair had wrapped around his fingers. The way she’d kissed him earlier—all out with no holds barred. Whether she was Rose or Josie, the lady hid deep passion in her eyes. Right now, that green-gold had turned liquid brown in the flames. It had seemed perfectly normal to kiss her, to taste the sweetness of her mouth. To curl his hand beneath a full breast.

“All day you’ve let me rattle on and not revealed anything of your life story. I’d tell you mine if I knew it. I sense there’s more to you with the Legend family and the Lone Star Ranch. Something you’re not saying.” She rotated the skewer Luke had whittled from a small limb. “You have so much heaviness inside when you mention them. Makes me wonder who they are to you.”

Luke turned away. Rose wasn’t supposed to have seen that. He had to be more careful. But she was easy to talk to, and he’d already spoken of things he’d told few people.

“You’ll probably learn soon enough.” He propped himself against his saddle, stretched his long legs in front of him, and tugged his hat down farther to hide his eyes so she wouldn’t see his pain. “They’re family. I didn’t know until a few years ago that the big, powerful Stoker Legend was my father; Sam and Houston Legend are my half brothers.”

“That must’ve been a shock.” She studied him, trying to draw out his secrets. Damn if she wasn’t good at that.

“In a whole lot of ways. My mother kept the secret until she lay on her deathbed. She begged me to forgive him.” Luke snorted. “That was near impossible. I boiled with anger, the kind that scars your soul, and I stayed that way until two years ago when I finally went to the Lone Star. Then I learned the truth. Stoker never knew about me. He hadn’t left my mother and ridden off to marry someone else as I’d always believed.”

He stared into the flames, remembering how devastated Stoker had been to learn what had happened to his beautiful Elena Montoya. After Stoker had left her bed that final morning, Elena’s brothers had come and forced her into a wagon. They took her to San Antonio and Stoker never knew what had happened to her.

“Stoker accepted me right off as his son, giving me a portion of everything he owns. He said it’s my birthright.” Luke shifted and rotated his meat.

“Why aren’t you there?” came Rose’s hushed cry. “Why are you so unhappy?

“I’m a wanted man with a price on my head. I won’t bring trouble to them. At least I can do that much. Do you want to know what I was doing this morning when I ran across you?”

“I know it was something important.”

“After all this time, I’d finally gotten a solid lead on the man who framed me for the murder of a federal judge. He’s like a damn ghost and I had a short window of opportunity to catch him.”

“Only I got in the way. Oh, Luke, I’m so sorry.” Rose touched him. Warmth seared his flesh through the fabric.

He longed to hold her in his arms again, but the danger had passed and she didn’t need comforting. “I’ll find him eventually, and when I do, I’ll get what I need to clear my name. Of that charge, at least.” Luke let out a troubled sigh. “My…Stoker offered to help. Sam and Houston too.”

“But you won’t let them.”

“I created this mess and it’s mine to fix. I told them I won’t take the Legend name until I can do it with honor. No matter how long it takes.” They’d argued with him until they were blue in the face but it hadn’t done any good. Once Luke made up his mind about something, he wasn’t changing it.

“Did you know this judge?” Rose asked.

“Sort of. I went that night to pay him. He said five hundred dollars would buy my amnesty. I had warrants out for me for some other things and he vowed to get them erased. I had won that much money the previous night in a poker game. When I got there, I found the judge bleeding on the floor. As I knelt over him, someone struck me from behind. I must’ve only been out for a minute.”

Luke paused, wondering for the thousandth time how the man he now knew only as Ned Sweeney had gotten wind of his whereabouts.

“When I came to, I was lying on the judge with my Colt in my hand. I was still groggy but saw a dim figure over me. He thrust his hand into my pocket, took the five hundred dollars.”

Took his freedom from him. The killer had made sure Luke would never know a moment’s peace.

“You didn’t recognize him?” Rose asked.

“My head was pounding and everything was blurred. But he muttered something about how easily I fit into his plans, thanked me for taking the blame for his crime.”

“So, someone saw you before you could get away?”

“The bastard ran out the door, yelling that the judge was dead. I staggered to my feet, almost made it to a door that led to a garden, but not before men poured into the room and saw me.” Luke turned abruptly. “Time to eat.”

“I’d like to hear more,” Rose said softly. “Whenever you feel up to talking again.”

“I’ve said too much and you have problems of your own. You don’t need mine too.” He poured a cup of coffee and settled back to eat.

“Not having a memory seems both a blessing and a curse. Maybe I’m on wanted posters too.” Rose put a piece of meat into her mouth and chewed. “This is really good.”

“I’m sure you were starving.”

“I was. Who knows when I last ate.” She licked her fingers.

They finished the meal in silence, sitting side by side. The flickering flames added the only cheer as Luke stared out into the darkness through the cave opening.

At last he spoke. “I apologize for going on about my sorry-assed life while you have no clue about yours.”

Rose shifted, getting comfortable, and gave her blond curls an impatient shove. “Just because I have no past to talk about doesn’t mean you should keep silent. I like hearing about you, and your problems take my mind off mine.” She lapsed into silence. They sat listening to the crackle of the fire for several moments. Finally, she spoke quietly. “I wonder if I have children somewhere. If they’re crying for their mother. If they’re being cared for.”

“It’ll come back to you.” Luke’s shoulder brushed hers and the contact sent a jolt through him. He realized he loved being with her. Rose had to be scared and lost but she tried not to show it. Reno Kidd and his gang had stolen everything from her. Yet, she still had this amazing fight in her.

Despite that she’d caused him to lose Sweeney, he felt more at peace with himself than he had in a long time. And it was because of her.

Somehow, someway, he’d not stop digging until he found her missing self.

Doan’s Crossing seemed a logical starting place, since it was where Reno and his men had abducted her. Surely someone had seen something. Jonathan Doan, who ran the trading post there, was an honest, hardworking man. It was a popular place for fording the mighty Red River, so there were always people milling about. If Doan hadn’t seen her, Luke knew others would have.

Or they’d know Reno Kidd.

The hired gun drew a crowd wherever he went. Reno was a braggart and a bully, a dangerous combination that left lots of bodies in his wake.

Luke blew out a huff of frustration and turned his thoughts back to making plans. Get Rose to the canyon first, then since the crossing was near the Lone Star, he’d ride over and return the stolen horses. Maybe Stoker and Houston could shed light on who’d taken them. Yep, he had a plan. He breathed a damn sight easier. But Rose’s situation reminded him that happiness was fleeting at best with anyone.

Life could seem almost perfect until it suddenly wasn’t.

Until darkness blocked out the sun.

Until violence touched safe little corners of Texas and reminded him evil existed everywhere.