Love on the Range (Brothers in Arms #3)(70)

Cheyenne rose from where she’d been concealed, her expression grim. Wyatt closed the distance between them. He noticed Molly wasn’t being dragged. In fact, she was coming along fast enough he had to move, or she’d be dragging him.

Wyatt got close enough he dared to whisper. “Rachel looked all in, and Win looked terrified.”

Cheyenne shook her head. “Rachel opened her eyes and saw me. She winked. She’s only acting unconscious. Which means she’s ready to fight. Win was pale as milk, but determined not terrified.”

“Where’s Kevin?” Molly broke in.

Cheyenne looked at Molly, her jaw so tight it was likely to crack her teeth.

“He wouldn’t have let them take her, not without a fight.” Wyatt saw Molly’s eyes fill with tears, but she squared her shoulders and swept the wrist of her coat across her eyes. A woman who didn’t cry when there was a battle to be fought, maybe later when she had time to spare, but not right now.

“I’ll kill both of them for what they’ve done to Kevin.” Molly raised her gun until it pointed to the sky, then turned to march down the trail.

Wyatt grabbed for her and missed.

Cheyenne got a grip on his arm that made his fingers go numb. “I’ll help you, Molly. They’re headed into the cabin, and Falcon is in there.” Cheyenne let go of Wyatt and fell in beside Molly.

After a second of doubting this was the right approach, Wyatt caught up to them and walked between them. They’d left him room, and he knew that was more than good luck. They knew he’d come, expected him to come. Counted on him coming. He felt the need to plan, to talk through what they’d do, but there was no time.

He picked up the pace, and they kept up until they were running.



“They’ve got Rachel and Win.” John stepped away from the single window. There was barely room for his broad shoulders between the door and bunk, but he pressed his back against the wall and drew his gun. He did all that in about a second, in time to see Falcon do the same on the other side of the door.

Falcon leaned to risk a look out the window at the men coming up to the hitching post. “Hawkins must’ve broke Kingston out of jail. What happened to Kevin?”

“And what about Gatlin?” Sheriff Corly asked. “Hawkins may have just killed two men.”

The sheriff took quick stock. There was nowhere in here to hide, no more space beside the doors. He opened the back door and stepped through, leaving it open an inch.

“My brother.” Falcon felt his head heat up. Rage, killing fury. He drew his gun, pointed it at the floor.

“Watch who you shoot. Mind the women.”

Falcon glared at him so he’d know how insulting that warning was.

John jerked his head in a quick nod, best he could do to apologize. “I hope they don’t go around back. No footprints out here.”

“Hush up. They’re coming. Out front.” Falcon pressed his back against the wall, his gun pointed down. John’s pointed up. Footsteps.

“What is this place? Why are we here?” Win’s voice. Falcon was getting to know his little sister-in-law. She was the softest of all of them. But to him, her voice sounded falsely whiny. He suppressed a smile. She had a game of her own going on. Little sister was ready to fight.

Not a sound from Rachel. Falcon remembered how long she’d been in bed. But she was a tough woman.

By gum, she’d shaken off a bullet to the heart.

He wouldn’t count on her, neither would he count her out.

The door was shoved open. It hit John in the face, but he was ready for it and made nary a sound. No one seemed to notice it didn’t open all the way.

Win got shoved inside. Falcon could have grabbed her, dragged her out of the line of fire, and shot Kingston, and he wanted to so bad he knew it for a sin.

But Kevin. What had happened to his little brother?

Win staggered forward and fell to her knees. Falcon, on high alert, saw her slip one hand under the hem of her skirt and slide a knife from her boot.

Kingston had turned halfway around, away from Falcon, talking to Hawkins behind him. “She still alive?”

“Yep, breathing. Winona said she was ailing.”

“Ailing because I shot her.” Kingston laughed with crude pleasure.

Win gathered herself, knife hidden in the folds of her skirt. She rose, turned, and saw Falcon. She didn’t so much as look at him after that one quick glance. Didn’t let pleasure show on her face. She had a cool head in a tough time.

Falcon didn’t move. He didn’t want a board to creak or a shadow to shift. John was shielded by the door, but as soon as Kingston quit looking at his brother and took one more step into the room, he’d see Falcon. If only Hawkins would come a few steps closer first, so they could grab him an instant after they grabbed Kingston.

Win peeked at Falcon’s gun. She got a look on her face he couldn’t understand. All he knew was she looked mad as a rabid skunk. With Kingston’s back to her, she raised the knife and sank it hard into the middle of his back.

Kingston roared and spun around.

She let go of her knife and plowed a fist straight into his nose, shouting, “That’s for Kevin!”

Hawkins came at a run. He carried Rachel in his arms but shoved her aside just inside the door so she plowed into Falcon.

Falcon steadied her, and her eyes popped open with a quick smile that turned mean.