Castillo's Fiery Texas Rose(28)

“Almost there,” he murmured.

The dial turned back and the last lock slipped into place with a heavy click. Reaching up, he gave the bar a twist and the door swung open. He pulled out the ledger and scanned her entries. She had recorded the deposits for this week. A tidy sum, for sure. But he didn’t intend to make it easy on her. No, that money would go into the bank. He’d seen the sheriff and the marshal talking to the manager.

Howard Clark was a nervous man who could be easily manipulated. Yes, perhaps he’d go to lunch and make a deposit on the way. “What a shame to be without any petty cash,” he sighed. “But accidents do happen.” Closing the ledger, he slid it back in place. He’d searched the safe once before, but the missing ledger pages and the coin were not there. She had to have taken them home. He needed to get them back or the boss would have his hide.

Standing, Caleb closed the safe and twisted the lock. It was just another loose end, something he could deal with. A desperate woman proved to be an easy mark, no matter how well she could shoot. He turned back to his own desk and opened the strongbox. Yes, he thought, counting the money for deposit, all he had to do was wait.

****

Mary Rose and the sheriff walked down the street toward the hotel. Rand spoke first.

“I must say, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I walked in this morning and caught you two playing house.”

Her cheeks filled with heat. “It isn’t like that. You saw the blanket on the couch.”

Rand brushed her statement aside. “I did. But just so you’ll know, Trace is not the sort of man that usually hangs around a woman.”

“I suspected as much.” She nodded. “I believe he thinks my brother and I had something to do with the stolen rifles.”

Rand pursed his lips. “I think he is more worried you did not.”

“What?” She glanced at her companion, a look of confusion on her face.

He patted her hand. “He seems taken with you, even if he’s not realized it yet. He’s not tangled with a woman in about five years.”

Her mouth went dry. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I think you need to know what you’re getting into.”

Her heart skipped a beat and the blood rushed to her ears. “Go on,” she replied, in a voice barely audible.

“’Course, by now you’ve figured out Trace is part Mexican, part Anglo. Both parents were from old families and straddled the border. Five years ago, Trace, being the oldest, was set to marry and carry on the family name. A woman by the name of Amelia Juarez lured him into proposing.”

“Lured?”

“Like those big old bass Doc’s so fond of catching in the lake. She was from an old Spanish family, like Trace. Their ranches were close together, so it seemed only natural that they wed.”

“What happened?”

“Money won. When she refused him at the altar, Trace found her in his half-brother’s bed. They had a huge row. Trace’s half-brother was mixed up in the conservative fight in the Mexican government, which led to a huge family dust-up. Trace lost it all.”

“Oh, my,” she whispered.

“His grandfather disowned him for not backing Mexican independence, gave his lands to the other Castillo, and Trace chose to remain here in Texas, not to go home to Mexico or fight.”

“Have they patched things up?”

Rand shook his head. “Nope. To this day, he hasn’t spoken to a member of his family. When his grandfather died, Trace was refused entry to the funeral service in the mission church. He had to sit on his horse and watch from the hill above. It damn near broke him.”

Her eyes filled with tears. She could only imagine how hurt his pride must have been. In the little time she’d known him, honor and pride seemed to sum up the man. “I guess that explains why he seems so abrupt at times.”

“I know how you feel about family, so I’m asking you to go easy on the boy. If this attraction between you two deepens, don’t go into it halfhearted.”

Mary Rose recalled their heated kisses and the way he made her feel. Her heart twisted. She felt pulled in two directions. Why didn’t it seem like an easy choice?

****

Sheriff Weston opened the door to his office and stepped back to allow her to enter before him. “Have a seat at the desk. This won’t take long.”

She nodded and took one of the empty chairs by the desk. He tossed his Stetson onto a peg and followed her. Sitting down, Rand pulled the top desk drawer open and grabbed a sheet of paper. “It’s just a few questions—routine, when you think about it.”

“Actually, I try not to,” she sighed.

He offered her an apologetic glance. “I’m sure. What I need is your firsthand account of the attack. You might have seen something and not realized it.”

“So just start from the beginning?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes, where were you headed?”

“We were headed to Fort Ewell after making a side trip to Claiborne.”

“Why didn’t you go to Fort Ewell first?” Rand asked, writing down her statement.

“Daniel wanted to get the supplies for the general store off the wagons first. The manager of the mercantile in Claiborne had a backorder of dress goods. It seemed better to get them there as soon as possible, as well as lightening the load for the rest of the trip. Besides, we knew the stay at the fort would be overnight or longer.”

“You weren’t just dropping things off, then?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I went along because I was going to stay a few weeks with Penny Wallace. You remember her?”

Rand looked up and smiled. “I do.”

The edges of Mary Rose’s mouth lifted in a grin. “She and the captain are going to have a child. We planned on making some baby clothes.”

He nodded. “So it was a social visit.”

“Yes.”

“Daniel didn’t usually carry passengers, did he?”

“No.” She grew somber. “He wasn’t thrilled about me going, either. But I didn’t want to pay a stage ticket.”

“Was the company short of change?” he asked, lifting his pencil from the paper.

She shook her head. “No, we made a profit last year. I did not want to spend the money." She glanced up. "Now I see how foolish it was. I should have taken the stagecoach.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, had I bought the ticket and gone by stage, Daniel might have gone to the fort without stopping at Cottonwood Springs. Perhaps the men who attacked the wagons wouldn’t have had the chance.”

Rand looked up. “I doubt that, Mary Rose.”

Behind them, the door opened. The sheriff looked up as she turned in the chair. Trace paused in the doorway.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were here, Rand. I’ll leave if you need me to?”

“No, no, come on in. I’m just getting this young lady’s statement,” Rand replied.

Trace tossed his hat onto a chair and moved toward them, taking the seat next to Mary Rose.

“You don’t mind the marshal being here, do you?” Rand inquired.

“No,” Mary Rose replied in a soft tone.

Rand noted the color creeping to her cheeks and the stolen glance beneath her dark lashes. Bemused, he tried to keep his face from twitching. Trace shot him a warning glance.

“Tell us about the attack.”

A glimmer of alarm raced across her face. Rand watched quietly as Trace’s hand covered her arm and he spoke. “We are here to help you, Mary Rose. Relax and tell your story. You are among friends.”

She glanced at him, and they stared at one another for a moment. Rand felt as if he were an outsider snooping around.

“I was down at the spring when I heard the first shot. I wasn’t sure what was going on,” she began. “I just knew—felt—something was wrong.”

“How did you know?” Rand asked.

“I don’t know, instinct, I suppose. I couldn’t imagine why they would fire a gun. I started toward the clearing, and then I could hear voices arguing.”

“Anyone you recognized?” Trace queried.

She shook her head. “No, I-I don’t think so.” Her brow furrowed. “I could hear Daniel and Moe.”

Rand watched her eyes stare off into the distance. “What did they say?”

“Moe, he was saying, ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot.’” She looked at him, and he could see the terror in her eyes. “I was frightened. I hurried up the trail, and when he saw me, Daniel shouted for me to go back. They had their hands up. The others had weapons drawn.”

“What kind of weapons?” Trace asked.

“I don’t know. Guns.”