Love on the Range (Brothers in Arms #3)(73)

“Are you all right?” Molly let go of Wyatt, rushed to her, and slid an arm across her back. “You were unconscious when they brought you in.”

“John sent me to hunt for you. He caught a bunch of horses. He’s bleeding, but it doesn’t look serious, and the sheriff got both outlaws loaded. Win and Kevin have already headed out with the outlaws, John and Corly riding with them. We need to get back to Bear Claw Pass. I can put off collapsing for a while, but it’s already been a long day, and it’s not half over.”

“Let’s go.” Molly started walking off with Rachel.

“Wait a minute.” Wyatt caught up to them. “Aren’t you going to say yes?”

“Kevin, I can’t, not with a killing in my past.”

“Tell me what you did.” Rachel, in her typical straightforward fashion, seemed the perfect person to talk to.

After Molly told her tale, Rachel said, “You didn’t break any laws. It was self-defense.”

“No, you don’t know how I felt. You can’t know the anger in my heart when I pulled that trigger.”

“I’ve never killed a person, Molly,” Rachel said. “But I’ve been in a tight spot a few times and thought I might have to. It leaves a wound on your heart, in your mind. You think about being executed for it because it’s such a bad feeling that you think you deserve to be punished. That feeling is something you’ve just got to live with. A nine-year-old shooting her father who’d just killed her mother and was coming at her, that’s self-defense.

“If Kevin disposed of the bodies, that’s against the law. But it’s not a real serious crime. If it’d been murder, then he’s aiding and abetting. But since it’s self-defense, no one will kick up a fuss. We should tell the sheriff, and when he doesn’t arrest you, you’ll feel better.”

Molly flinched when she said sheriff.

“Or we could just go on keeping it a secret for the rest of your life. I won’t tell.” Wyatt slung his arm across her back and said, “Whatever you do about the sheriff, marry me first.”

They reached the clearing with the cabin. Four horses remained.

“Let’s head on.” Rachel seemed determined to interrupt Wyatt’s proposal. “We’ll leave one more horse for Cheyenne and Falcon, they’re supposed to come back with Kevin’s. Let’s catch up to the others.”

Wyatt swung up on horseback just as Molly did. Then Rachel. He probably should have boosted Rachel up. She looked a little shaky. But she made it. They caught up with the others in a few minutes, then Falcon and Cheyenne came along soon after. All of them with their problems finally solved.

Wyatt could only hope.





Thirty




And then I shot him.” Molly had insisted on talking to the sheriff before she’d agree to a wedding. A hanging right after she said “I do” would be upsetting for everyone, that is . . . even more upsetting than being hanged.

And it was hard for something to be more upsetting but just in case.

Her heart pounded like a drum. Her face was so hot she had to believe she was seconds from having flames shoot out of the top of her head.

And not the heat of embarrassment. That was too mild an emotion. The heat of guilt. The heat of knowing what she faced, suspecting what she deserved.

“A clear case of self-defense, Miss Garner. Don’t you worry about it.” Sheriff Corly patted her on the shoulder. Almost in a fatherly way.

“No, I hated him. I wanted him dead. I wanted to shoot him.” Now that she’d started talking, she couldn’t seem to shut up. She’d explained her anger. Explained her intent. She didn’t think self-defense quite covered it.

“Most folks that shoot someone in self-defense have such feelings, miss. I ain’t arresting you for it.”

“Are you sure you get to make that decision, shouldn’t a jury decide?” She didn’t want to walk out of here free and have them change their minds after a stretch of consideration. That would be something else hanging over her.

“Molly”—Wyatt dragged her back a few steps from the lawman—“hush now. No sense begging the man to arrest you.”

“Nope, no jury necessary.” Sheriff Corly settled into his chair and laced his fingers together across his rather rounded belly. “It don’t matter if you were mad as sin and wanted him dead. He’d shown himself to be a dangerous man with evil intent toward you. And by my reckoning there is no doubt he meant you terrible harm. You acted to protect yourself. It’s only a shame you didn’t get there in time to save your ma. You did the only thing you could do to save your life.” The sheriff nodded at her. Then in a kind voice, he said, “I’m right about this, Miss Garner. I understand the law. And I listened well to your confession. It qualifies as self-defense, and a jury would agree with me. A man who puts his hands on a woman, as your pa did your ma and you, well, there’s no place for such a man, not in Kansas and not in Wyoming.”

Sheriff Gatlin, who was pale and had his arm in a sling, said, “Wish I’d been there to shoot him for you, miss. That’s a powerful burden for a youngster to carry with her all these years. I hope it sets just a bit easier in your mind to have confessed to what happened.”

Through the trembling, through the heat of guilt and fear, Molly could say honestly, “It does set easier. Thank you both kindly. I wish now I’d talked to a lawman right at the time. But there were dangerous forces in Kansas then, and even lawmen chose sides. I was too afraid.”