was good old Parker anyway?
'This shouldn't be happening,' she cried out.
'What shouldn't be happening?' he asked.
'Go away,' she shouted.
He was stubborn enough to stay right where he was. 'I'm not leaving until you tell me who Boyle is. Did he hurt you? You sound like you're in a lot of pain.'
Isabel instinctively responded to the concern she heard in his voice. 'You aren't working for Boyle?'
'No.'
'Prove it to me.'
'I can't prove it to you without showing you the letter from your husband and the paper he signed.'
'Stay where you are.'
Since he hadn't moved an inch, he couldn't understand her need to shout at him. 'If you want me to help you, you'll have to tell me what's wrong.'
'Everything's wrong.'
'You're going to have to be a little more specific.'
'He's coming, and it's much too early. Don't you understand? I must have done something wrong. Oh, God, please don't let him come yet.'
'Who is coming?' he demanded. He nervously glanced behind him and squinted out into the night. He thought she might be talking about Boyle, whoever in tarnation he was.
He was wrong about that.
'The baby,' she cried. 'I can feel another contraction.'
Douglas felt as though he'd just been punched hard in the stomach. 'You're having a baby? Now?'
'Yes.'
'Ah, lady, don't do that.' He didn't realize how foolish his demand was until she told him so between whimpers. His head snapped back. 'Are you having a pain now?'
'Yes.' She said the word with a long moan.
'For the love of God, take your finger off the trigger and put the rifle down.'
She couldn't understand what he was telling her.
The contraction was cresting with such agonizing intensity she could barely stand up. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth together while she waited for the pain to stop.
She realized her mistake as soon as she opened her eyes again, but it was already too late. The stranger had vanished. He hadn't left the barn though. His horse was still standing by the door.
The rifle was suddenly snatched out of her hands. With a cry of terror, she backed further into the stall and waited for him to attack.
Everything began to happen in slow motion. The gate squeaked open, but, to her, the sound was a piercing, unending scream. The stranger, a tall, muscular man who seemed to swallow up all the space inside the stall, came toward her. His hair and eyes were dark, his expression was angry… and, oh, God, she didn't want him to kill her yet. The baby would die inside her.
Her mind simply couldn't take any more. She took a deep breath to scream, knowing that once she started, she would never be able to stop. Please, God, understand. I can't do this any longer. I can't… I can't…
He pulled her back from the edge of insanity without saying a word. He simply handed the rifle to her.
'Now, you listen to me,' he ordered. 'I want you to stop having this baby right now.' After giving the harsh and thoroughly unreasonable command, he turned around and walked away.
'Are you leaving?'
'No, I'm not leaving. I'm moving the light so I can see what I'm doing. If you're this close to having a baby, what are you doing in a barn? Shouldn't you be in bed?'
She started panting again. The sound sent chills down his spine.
'I asked you to stop that. The baby can't come now, so just forget about it.'
She waited for the contraction to end before she told him he was an idiot.
He secretly agreed. 'I just don't want you to do this until I find your husband.'
'I'm not doing it on purpose.'
'Where's Parker?'
'He's gone.'
He let out an expletive. 'I had a feeling you were going to tell me that. He picked a fine time to go gallivanting.'
'Why are you so angry with me? I'm not going to shoot you.'
He wasn't angry; he was scared. He had helped a countless number of animals with their deliveries, but he hadn't helped any women with childbirth and he didn't want to help Isabel Grant now. Oh, yes, he was scared all right, but he was smart enough not to let her know it.
'I'm not angry,' he said. 'You just took me by surprise. I'll help you back to the house, and then I'll go get the doctor.' He hoped to God she wouldn't tell him the town didn't have a physician.
'He can't come here.'
Douglas finally got the lamp hooked to the post connected to the stall. He turned around and saw Isabel clearly for the first time. She was an attractive woman, even with the frown on her face. She had freckles across the bridge of her nose, and he had always been partial to women with freckles. He'd always liked red hair too, and hers was a dark, vibrant red that glistened like fire in the light.
She was a married woman he reminded himself, and he shouldn't be noticing her appearance. Still, facts were facts. Isabel Grant was one fine-looking woman.
She was also as big as a house. Noticing that helped him regain his wits. 'Why can't the doctor come here?'
'Sam Boyle won't let him. Dr. Simpson came here once when I was too far along to go into town to see him, but Boyle told him he'd kill him if he ever tried to come to me again. He'd do it too,' she added in a whisper. 'He's a terrible man. He owns the town and everyone in it. The people are decent, but they do whatever Boyle tells them to do because they're afraid of him. I can't blame them. I'm afraid of him too.'
'What's Boyle got against you and your husband?'
'His ranch is next to ours, and he wants to expand so his cattle will have more grazing land. He offered Parker money for the deed, but it was only a pittance compared to what my husband paid for it. He wouldn't have sold it for any amount of money though. This is our home and our dream.'
'Isabel, where is Parker now?' As soon as he saw the tears in her eyes, he had his answer. 'He's dead, isn't he?'
'Yes. He's buried up on the hill behind the barn. Someone shot him in the back.'
'Boyle?'
'Of course.'
Douglas leaned back against the post, folded his arms across his chest, and waited for her to compose herself.
She sagged against the wall and lowered her head. She was suddenly so weary she could barely stand up.
He waited another minute before he started questioning her again. 'Did the sheriff investigate?'
'Sweet Creek doesn't have a sheriff any longer. Boyle must have run him off before Parker and I moved here.'
'No one wants the job, I suppose.'
'Would you?' She wiped a tear from her cheek and looked up at him. 'Dr. Simpson told me Sweet Creek used to be a quiet little town. He and his wife are my friends,' she added. 'They're both trying to help.'
'How?'
'They've sent wires and written letters to all the surrounding towns asking for assistance. The last time I saw the doctor, he told me he had been hearing stories about a U.S. marshal in the area. He believed the lawman was the answer to our prayers. The doctor hadn't been able to locate him yet, but he was certain he would come if he knew how many laws Boyle had broken. I try not to lose hope,' she added. 'Boyle has at least twenty men working for him, and I think it would take an army of marshals to defeat him.'
