“Probably not, but there was a witness, and I’m taking you in for trial,” Deke said as he walked into the clearing, holding his gun out in front of him.
Clyde scoffed and spat, “There wasn’t no witness. You’re lying.”
“Drop your gun belt and turn around,” Deke ordered.
Clyde complied. He laughed and said that no one could prove he did anything. Little did he know at the time that Tara could and would identify him as the man who had killed her family.
After Deke delivered Clyde to the sheriff’s office, signed the papers to give Tara Saunders the bounty money, and shook Sam’s hand, he began his journey back to the ranch.
~ * ~
Deke hadn’t had much time to think about the legal situation in which he found himself, and he slowly shook his head. He knew his brother well enough to know that the young woman he had married by proxy must be in serious trouble. The judge also assured him that he could have the marriage annulled once the young woman was safe.
Deke Sperling had no intention of remaining married, but he’d do it again if it meant saving an innocent woman and brought his brother back to the ranch. He’d been married once, and he knew his heart wouldn’t survive the loss of another wife and child. His life, hunting evil men with bounties on their heads, had served him well. The bounties helped the innocent victims of those he’d captured, and the income from his ranch supported him—what else did he need?
His brother. That’s what he needed. And now Nate was finally coming home. Now, Deke had to make sure that Nate didn’t feel useless so he wouldn’t take off again. Perhaps the girl he was escorting to the ranch might mean enough to Nate to keep him in Wyoming. He’d gladly annul his marriage to allow his brother to marry the young woman if that was what he wanted.
After a few days of travel, Deke rode onto his ranch property. He could see the cattle in the distance, and all looked well. He trusted his foreman and ranch hands to run things in his absence. He would need to explain the situation to his men and remind them that the young woman, Amalie, deserved all their respect just as if she were his true bride.
Deke’s biggest concern was how to keep his brother from leaving again. If the young woman wasn’t enough to keep Nate at the ranch, then Deke would have to find something that would. Nate had always loved horses—maybe he could get him to take over the horse-raising operation at the ranch. He might not be able to bust broncs, but he could do everything else.
That was the answer. Deke whistled as he continued his ride to the large ranch house. With Nate on his way home, it wouldn’t be as lonely, and who knew what adventures the young woman might bring. He sure hoped she could cook. He was getting tired of trail food. Cookie, his ranch cook, was adequate, but Deke sure missed real home cooking.
Chapter Four
Deke pulled his wagon up across the street from the mercantile, knowing that when the stage stopped, his wagon would be in easy walking distance. He had no idea how much luggage Nate and Amalie would bring.
Before Deke could step down from the wagon, he noticed Laura, his deceased wife’s sister, come out of the mercantile, carrying a small bundle. When she saw him, she strode straight to the wagon and glared at him. “I see you’re back in town. How many men did you kill this time?”
“I’ve told you before, Laura, I don’t go after men to kill them. I want to bring them in alive to stand trial.”
“That’s what you say,” Laura scoffed, “but I still think you go out trying to avenge my being shot and Sarah’s death.”
Deke bit back his response and shook his head. Tamping his anger, Deke replied, “You and I both know that my bounty hunting had nothing to do with Sarah’s death. She died in childbirth. When will you stop being angry with me?”
Laura stared at him with the same eyes that his dear Sarah had, and said, “Maybe when you start to grieve properly and begin living your life again. Sarah would be so disappointed in you, and I feel I should take her place to let you know that she would never have approved of your lifestyle.”
Before Deke could respond, the stagecoach pulled up, and he jumped off the wagon. “You’ll have to excuse me, Laura. I’m expecting my brother on the stage.”
As he walked away, Laura called after him and angrily spat, “So, Nate is finally coming home. Are you going to ruin his life, too?”
Deke ignored her and continued to walk toward the stage, but he could hear Laura’s skirts rustling behind him as she hurried to catch up. Just as Laura stepped onto the boardwalk, the stage door opened, and Nate stepped from the stage to grin at his brother.
Deke watched as Nate turned around and held out his hand to help someone else from the stage. Deke’s eyes opened wide when a young beauty alighted from the stage. Her dark auburn hair was twisted up, and several strands hung loosely around her face. A slightly askew, small-flowered hat was perched on her head, and she was dressed in a simple, dark blue day dress. He’d have expected her to be wearing the traveling suits he had seen other women wear, and he wondered if she had traveled like that all the way from St. Louis, or if there had been an incident that had caused her to change.
Laura stepped in front of Deke and went right up to Nate. “It’s good to see you come home, Nate. I see
