Judith Stacy - Outlaw Love

Clay swallowed the last of the cookie. “How did you get mixed up with Luther and the Dade gang, anyway?”

His shoulders slumped. “I wasn’t really part of the gang,” he said. “I met Luther here in town, and he claimed he had a mine somewhere up in the hills, so I signed on to help him. Luther knew Scully, but he wasn’t in the gang, either.”

“Luther sure acted like he was.” Clay touched his finger to the burns on his neck. “He seemed dead set on protecting Scully and his hideout.”

“Scully just let Luther ride with the gang ‘cause Luther could cook so good.” Deuce bit into a cookie. “It’s hard to find a good trail cook.”

“Were you ever at Scully’s hideout?”

“No. I only met up with the gang that one time, a couple of days before me and Luther—” Deuce glanced at Clay’s throat and quickly averted his eyes. “Well, you know.”

Clay ran his finger around the inside of his shirt collar. “Yeah, I know.”

Deuce chanced a look at Clay again. “I’m real sorry. I didn’t want any part of hanging you, but Luther kept going on about it. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Decisions in life keep getting harder, Deuce. You need to learn how to handle them. It’s part of becoming a man.”

Deuce’s mulled that over for a moment, then nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

“Nobody ever said it would be easy.” Clay chucked him softly on the shoulder. “But I can see you learned a lesson this time. I’d say that means you’re on your way.”

Deuce looked up at him again, and the tiniest grin tugged at his lips. “Do you think so?”

Shouts from across the street drew their attention to Duncan’s General store. After a moment, the raucous noise stopped, a door slammed, and a young woman left the store. Head high, shoulders straight, she marched determinedly down the street.

Deuce popped another cookie in his mouth. “Don’t give it no mind. It’s just Nate and Estelle Duncan. They fight all the time.”

Clay’s gaze followed the young woman along the crowded boardwalk. She looked vaguely familiar, but he’d only met a few women in town, and none so young. “Who is she?”

“That’s Holly, their daughter.” He finished the last of his cider. “She’s the reason they’re always fighting.

From what he could see, she was a pleasant-looking girl, fuller around the hips and waist than her corset could disguise. “Is she too willful to suit her ma?”

“More like her ma’s the willful one. Holly’s nice. She just got into a fix, I guess you’d say.”

Clay looked down at him. “What sort of fix?”

Deuce’s cheeks reddened. “She got in the family way.”

“She had a baby?”

Deuce shrugged his slim shoulders.. “I heard my mama telling my sisters about it, warning them about…you know. All of a sudden Holly’s ma sent her to visit her aunt, and she was gone for a long time. Her ma made her give the baby away—that’s what my mama said—because when she came back she didn’t have it with her.”

“What about the baby’s father? He wouldn’t marry her?”

“He couldn’t. He got caught stealing from Mr. Morgan’s hardware store and got sent to prison.” Deuce gazed across the street. “I don’t think Mr. Duncan liked him much, anyway.”

Clay blew out a heavy breath. Maybe Eldon wasn’t as quiet as he had originally thought

He turned to Deuce again. “Tell me about Luther. Does he know where Scully’s new hideout is?”

Deuce waved away the notion. “I don’t think Luther knows anything. I think he just talks like he does.”

“I’d say you’re right about that. And I’m glad to see you realize it” Clay rose from the bench. “If you hear anything from the Dade gang, let me know.”

Deuce nodded with less enthusiasm than Clay had hoped for, then rose and untied the mare from the hitching post.

“I’ve got to get over to Miss Kelsey’s.”

Clay’s stomach twisted into a knot at the sound of that name. “Kelsey Rodgers at the hotel?”

“Pa put a shoe on her mare this morning,” Deuce patted the horse, and it. nuzzled his shirt, knocking him back a step.

Clay patted the big mare. “What about Kelsey? Has she been out of town having babies?”

“Kelsey? Shoot, no. She’s nothing like Holly. Fact is, she and Holly don’t even speak.”

He didn’t know why he’d asked about her in the first place, but now he had to know more. “Why’s that?”

The mare pulled back. Deuce grabbed the halter with both hands. “Bad blood between their families. Emmet Rodgers—that’s Kelsey’s father—founded the town, along with Mr. Morgan. They’ve been partners since they were both young. They got rich together. The way I hear it, Nate Duncan thought Mr. Rodgers had done him wrong in a business deal, and they’ve been feuding ever since.”

Clay took hold of the mare to keep it from dragging Deuce across the street. “So Kelsey’s family is wealthy? Why is she running the hotel?”

“Her pa’s busy running other businesses, or something. I can’t remember the last time he even came into town.” He shrugged. “I expect that suits the Duncans just fine. Too bad, though. Kelsey and Holly used to be good friends. But since her brother—”

The mare tossed its head, pulling Deuce off his feet. Clay held the horse with a firm grip until Deuce got a hand on the halter again.

Deuce gave the horse a wary look. “I’ve got to go.”

“You’d better get back to the livery before your pa comes after both of us.”

Deuce’s stomach turned over, and headed off down the street leading the mare. It seemed nervous with the other horses around, so Deuce cut through the alley.

“Hey, boy! Deuce! Get yourself over here!”

He turned and saw Luther’s face wedged between the bars of the jail house window. He froze in place.

“What’s the gol-darn matter, boy? You think you’re too good to talk to me now?” Luther taunted him.

Reluctantly Deuce led the mare to the window. He glanced up and down the alley. “I could get in big trouble for talking to you again.”

Luther’s eyes bulged. “Well, what about me? I’m sitting here in the gol-darn jail cell, fixin’ to go to prison. How’s that for trouble?”

“I know, but—”

“And you don’t even have a howdy-do to say to me? After all I done for you? After the way I took you in when your own pa wouldn’t even pay you no mind whatsoever?”

Deuce’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“’Course I’m right.” Luther pressed his face closer to the bars. “What have you been up to?”

Deuce jangled the lead rope. “Helping at the livery.

Luther squinted, then pointed and snapped his fingers. “Where’d you get that horse, boy?”

“I’m taking it back to Miss Kelsey at the hotel.”

His eyes widened. “Kelsey? That Rodgers girl at the hotel? Is it hers?”

“I guess.”

“Don’t you know where that there horse come from, boy? It’s the one that went down with them dang-fool Schoolyard Boys. Don’t you recognize it?”

Deuce looked at the mare, then at Luther. “No. I guess with all the commotion, I didn’t pay much attention.”

“That’s ‘cause you were puking your guts out while I was getting shot up,” Luther barked. He stroked his chin. “Now why would a nice little lady like that Rodgers gal have a horse that was used by a bunch of outlaws?”

“I don’t know.”

Luther’s brows drew together. “I’ll have to study on that a spell.”

“Look, Luther, I’ve got to go. If my pa finds out—”

“I’m stuck in this hole until the circuit judge gets around again, and all you’re worried about is your pa.” Luther waved him closer. “Get over here, boy.”