Stacey Kayne - Bride Of Shadow Canyon

“Charlesville.” Jed stepped down from his saddle. “Get off your butt. We have business to take care of.”

Rachell glared up at the man towering over her with his hands on his hips. Jed turned away and tethered his horse to a hitching rail six feet beyond the double doors of a saloon. Rachell barely suppressed a groan as she stood. The solid, unmoving ground had begun to feel quite good beneath her. She pushed her hair away from her face and gasped as Jed moved behind her, wrapping his hands around the long mass of tangles.

“You need a horse,” he said as he tied her hair back with his handkerchief. “Can you ride?”

“Yes, I can ride.” She stepped away from him the second his hands left her hair.

Jed ignored her inquisitive gaze. Hell if he knew what had possessed him to take the liberty of tying her hair back. Must be my lack of sleep. He’d ridden the entire night, intermittently looking down at the woman sleeping in his arms.

She’d fought hard to stay awake, but he imagined she hadn’t slept much, if at all, in the past few days. Once she’d lost the battle and drifted to sleep, she had slept sounder than he thought anyone possibly could on horseback. She’d curved around him like a warm blanket, damn near crawling inside his shirt.

She’d been pretty in the moonlight, but in the warm glow of the early-morning sun, she’d been downright sensual. Every soft sigh that left her throat as she nuzzled against his warmth had torn at his flesh. When they’d finally reached Charlesville he’d been so desperate to get her off him, he’d simply shoved her from his lap, realizing too late, she’d still been pretty much asleep. He was lucky she’d landed on her butt and hadn’t been hurt.

“We’ll find you a horse then get you into some decent riding clothes,” he said as he walked past her.

“Unless there’s food included in this plan of yours, I’m liable to eat the horse rather than ride it.”

“And food,” he agreed.

“I’m starving.”

“First we’re getting a horse.”

“Food,” she insisted, coming up behind him.

“Horse,” he countered and increased his stride.

“You’re intentionally being disagreeable because you’ve made up your mind not to like me!”

Jed stopped, turning back at the sound of her sharp voice.

Concentrating on keeping up with his long-legged strides, Rachell nearly ran into the rigid surface of his body. She skidded to a stop and met his hard gaze with one of her own.

“It doesn’t matter a whit whether I like you or not,” Jed said matter-of-factly. “You’re Buck’s sister-in-law and I gave my word I’d bring you back safe and sound. Starving you wouldn’t rightly be to my benefit, now would it?”

“Uh, Jed?” called a shaky voice from behind Rachell.

She spun around to find a tall blond man standing behind her with his gun drawn and aimed straight at Jed’s chest.

“Howdy, Emmit,” Jed greeted in a casual tone. “Thought that was you headed this way.”

Rachell’s gaze whipped back to Jed. His lips eased into a smile as though the man had extended his hand in welcome and not a loaded gun.

“Nice shiny badge you have on your vest,” Jed continued in his calm voice. “Who was crazy enough to make you a sheriff?”

“Uh…Judge Widell. Real sorry ‘bout this, Jed, but it seems I have to place you under arrest.”

Jed’s expression stoned over. “Tell me Widell is not in Colorado.”

The young sheriff shifted uneasily. “Wish I could. You gonna come peacefully or…you gonna shoot me dead?”

Rachell and the timid lawman jumped as a burst of unexpected laughter rumbled from Jed’s chest.

“Hell, Emmit. I hope that’s not the line you use to apprehend all your criminals.”

“No, sir,” he said with a slight grin. “I know you ain’t a criminal, as well as I know you could drop me with your sixshooter or the blade sheathed at your waist before I could pull this damn trigger. Judge Widell insisted I approach you armed and escort you over to his courtroom.”

“Then you better unarm me before you shoot the lady by mistake.”

Stunned, Rachell watched Jed lift his arms into the air, surrendering without protest. “You’re just going to let him arrest you?” The insufferable rogue had the nerve to smile. “I can’t shoot

Emmit. We go way back.”

“You haven’t even asked the charge!”

“Murder, ma’am,” replied the sheriff, tucking Jed’s gun into his waistband. He lifted a long menacing looking knife from a scabbard behind Jed’s holster.

“ What? My sister sent a wanted criminal after me?”

“Jed ain’t no criminal, ma’am,” the sheriff said in a firm tone she hadn’t thought him capable of. “I’m guessin’ there’s jus’ some confusion that needs clearin’ up. Jed wouldn’t kill a man unless there’s due cause.”

“Do you often find cause?” she demanded. Exhaustion and hunger gave way to a wave of fury. “Just how many men have you killed?”

“Only three in the past twenty-three hours.”

“You mean…but how…that was only last night.”

“Word spreads like wildfire. Ain’t that so, Emmit?”

“Yes, sir. ‘Specially when there’s talk of Shadow Canyon.

Ma’am, you’ll need to come along with us.”

“Get your hands off me.” Rachell’s palm met the back of the sheriff’s hand with a loud snap as he reached for her arm.

“Ouch! I was just tryin’ to escort you—”

“I can manage without your assistance, thank you.”

Jed couldn’t fight his smile as Rachell stomped toward him, her face flushed with anger. He was beginning to see why Sumner had sent four men after this one tiny woman.

“You know this judge?” she asked, moving close beside him.

“Yep.”

“Please tell me he’s another friend of yours.”

“Not hardly. Widell’s a circuit judge from hell.”

A deep sense of dread washed over Rachell as she watched all the warmth drain from Jed’s face. He took her by the elbow and guided her toward the double swinging doors.

Lord, she hated saloons.

A rumble of conversation dropped to low murmurs as she stepped inside. The smell of smoke and whisky was enough to make her gag. She was surprised to see over a dozen men seated at tables scattered across one side of the dimly lit room, many with whisky-filled tumblers sitting in front of them.

Shouts of greeting rang out when Jed strode in behind her. Jed acknowledged a few by name. He followed Sheriff Emmit to a table a few feet in front of the bar. Placed atop the bar was what she assumed to be a makeshift court bench. An elderly judge resided behind the block of polished wood. His chair, placed upon some sort of platform, set him above everyone in the room.

His face a network of folds and wrinkles, the man looked to be a full hundred years old. A pair of wire spectacles sat upon his bulbous nose. His fingers laced across his chest stood out against his ebony robe like long, white bones, lapping over knobby knuckles. A few remaining strands of white hair swerved around his head. The elderly judge looked down at her with squinted eyes as she followed Jed to the table at the center of the saloon.

A large burly man stood in front of the bar with his arms folded across his thick chest. He nodded, his lips showing the hint of a grin as Jed stepped up to the table. “Howdy, Jed.”

“Buster,” Jed replied. Rachell stared up at the man beside her in disbelief. Did he know everyone in all of Colorado?

“Jed Doulan,” croaked the judge. “Must be near fifteen years since I’ve seen yer mug. Should’ a known it was too good to last.”

So the ogre does have a last name!