Jodi Thomas - Texan's Touch

Adam shuffled to a sitting position as Daniel leaned against the wall beside him.

“I was right about the flag warning.” Daniel sounded proud of himself. “You should have taken heed. I knew there was trouble.”

“Well.” Adam kicked, trying to free his feet. “I figured my little brother would come to my aid if I got into trouble. So I thought I’d take a look.”

“So did I,” a voice said from only a few feet away in the shadows, making both Adam and Daniel halt all struggling.

“Wes?” Adam whispered.

“It’s me, little brothers. I’ve been waiting for you to come to my rescue. You did a good job of finding me, but the rescue part is a little lacking.”

“But I thought you were with Nick.” Adam asked.

“He is,” Nick answered. “In fact he’s the reason we’re in this mess. It seems that fine horse he bought didn’t belong to Emery.”

“That’s a horse trader for you,” Wes mumbled. “Only sold me the animal because he thought I’d be in Kansas before the real owner came back.”

Nichole continued as if he had only been talking to himself. “These men are from a spread south of here and have been waiting for Wes to come back so they can hang him as a horse thief. It seems the boss man only left his mount here for a few days. When he came back, Emery claimed the animal had been stolen.”

“We’re going to be hung as horse thieves?” Daniel shouted.

“Only me,” Wes answered. “I’m the fool who told Emery when we rode by earlier that I’d be back before nightfall to share a bottle with him. I deserve to be hung. Mom always said my drinking would get me in trouble. They just tied you three up to keep you out of the way.”

“I’ve been in nothing but hot water since I came to Texas and found you all.” Nichole’s voice was laced with anger. “Your mother should have drowned the whole litter of you McLains. I’m getting out of here before Charlie and the boys discover I’m a woman.”

She struggled and Adam guessed she was on the other side of Wes. He didn’t blame her for being mad. For a Shadow, getting caught and tied was a great punishment.

“Between the three of you, I can’t figure out how the South could have possibly lost.” She continued to swear as she struggled. “It’s hard to believe that a handful of cowhands could have hog-tied three McLains without one bullet being fired.”

“And one Shadow,” Adam added teasing her. “Isn’t that why you’re angry, Nichole? Not because we were stupid enough to ride into a trap, but because you were.”

“Who you calling stupid?” Wes grumbled.

“Quiet!” Nick snapped at Wes. “Your wanting to stop for a drink got us into this mess. And Daniel, you’d be wise to learn from your older brother about drinking. Stop drowning your troubles in a bottle and start thinking of names for those twins.”

“Are you finished?” Adam said in the general direction of her voice. “I don’t care about this mess. We’ll explain our way out when the boss gets here. What I want to know is why you left in such a hurry this morning? Were you afraid of being tied down to me?”

“She-”

“Hush, Wes. I want to hear it from her.” Adam ordered. “In fact, you two stop listening. This is none of your business. As far as I’m concerned you aren’t even here.”

“Do we have to talk about it?” she whispered. “ Now? ”

“Yes,” Adam answered. “There’s never time for words with you. Having you tied up seems as good a chance as I’ll ever get. I know you feel the same way I do. This morning proved it even if you won’t talk about it.”

“We’re not right for one another.” Her voice shook a little. “You’ve never even seen me in a dress. You need a wife who-”

“Who can be as worthless as Bergette? I never needed that kind of wife. I was a fool to even think I did,” Adam answered. “As for seeing you in a dress, you couldn’t be more beautiful to me. Nick, I don’t care about that. What I care about is how you sleep so close beside me, and how you stand up to me when you think I’m wrong. And how you fight for my brothers as if they were your family.

“I know I’ll never have all of you. A part will always be free, but I can’t let you go.”

“You can’t stop me,” she whispered. “I’ll be out of here in ten minutes. You’ll never find me.”

He could hear her struggling with her ropes.

“In Tennessee, six-year-old children can tie better knots,” she complained.

“Daniel!” Adam shouted in anger, knowing his time was short. He had no doubt that she’d be untied and gone in a matter of minutes.

“I’m not listening,” Daniel answered. “I’m not even sure I’m here. How about you, Wes?”

“I think I left five minutes ago. I’d check if I was listening but Adam told me not to.”

“Are you still ordained?” Adam asked without playing into their joke. “Can you still marry folks, Dan?”

“Yes.” Daniel now sounded interested. “Providing both the parties are willing.”

“Then marry us,” Adam said. “Right here, right now. She’s not leaving me again without knowing she belongs to me as truly as I belong to her.”

“B-but-” Daniel stammered.

“Hold on, Adam!” Wes jumped in. “I want the kid in the family too, but she don’t seem all that willing.”

“I love her,” Adam said. “And she loves me, too. She can run from me, but she can’t deny it any longer. We’re one, we always have been since that first night. There will never be another for me or her. At least this time when she runs, she’ll know how I feel about her.”

“Nick,” Wes whispered. “Do you agree with Adam? Do you love him?”

“I don’t want to.” She sighed. “He’s the most frustrating man that ever walked the earth. Half the time I want to shoot him for what he does, and the other half stab him for what he refuses to do. There’s no understanding the man.”

“That’s not the question. Do you love me?” Adam asked.

“Love’s something for the weak-minded who don’t have anything better to think about.” She kicked in the darkness and Wes groaned. “You’ll fit in here, Wes.”

“Like hell,” he mumbled. “I’m never riding close to love again as long as I live. Stop trying to change the subject, kid. Do you love my brother or not?” Wes repeated.

There was a long silence. “I do,” she finally whispered. “But-”

“Daniel, start at the beginning,” Adam interrupted her. “She’s already said the end.”

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here together in this dusty dugout, while awaiting our brother’s hanging, to join this woman and this man in…”

WOLF SLOWED HIS horse for the tenth time and allowed the boy to catch up with him. Three hours ago he’d arrived in Fort Worth on the stage. Wolf had no trouble finding Doc McLain’s place, but everyone in the house was crazier than bedbugs on a hot skillet.

A nun kept insisting she’d never seen any woman named Nichole and tried to push him off the porch. Once he finally got inside the house, a cute little cook flirted with him as if he’d been freshly washed. When he asked her about Nick, she didn’t lie any better than the nun.

Finally, a pale woman came downstairs. She claimed to be the widow who owned the place, but insisted he was mistaken about Nichole. She told him several times that nothing happened in the house without her knowledge, so his sister had never been under her roof.

Wolf believed her and was about to leave and look for Nick somewhere else when he collided with a tiny ball of lace and curls he remembered as Bergette. He smiled his best smile and offered a handshake. She screamed as if she were under full attack and started throwing things at him.