“The truth.”
“I’m not in the habit of lying, Mrs. Barkley.”
“No sugarcoating. Nothing left out.” She’d been lied to enough to last two lifetimes. Even as she’d packed, she’d known her brother wanted her help for something other than to set up his medical practice. The silver lining in her predicament was that she’d spoiled whatever plan he had for her tonight by being late.
“Fair enough.” She felt the Ranger’s words against her cheek more than heard them. “I guess for what you did during the war and afterward, you deserve my respect. I saw nurses handling chaos that would bring most men to their knees. One angel in blue stopped by me in the shadows of a battle once. She wrapped my leg tight and whispered for me to hold on.” The side of his mouth twitched in almost a smile. “I’m not sure I would have made it if that woman hadn’t been so determined I would.”
He looked at her and raised one eyebrow, as if wondering if she could have been that angel.
Annalane didn’t answer. She’d done such a thing many times, as had all the other nurses. When they moved among the blood of battle they didn’t think of sides, only of helping.
McCord shrugged. “I don’t guess it matters now. You wore blue and I wore gray, but I figure we were in the same hell. You’ll have your whole truth and my help if you want it.”
She nodded, accepting his offer.
The German station manager passed around cups and offered coffee. The stage driver doctored his with whiskey. The gambler stared into the empty cup as if inspecting it for bugs before he allowed the station manager to pour coffee.
“Our chances?” Annalane whispered.
“The men waiting out there for this rain to let up before they attack are a mixture of the worst men in Texas, led by a devil who calls himself Randolph Thorn. I’ve been chasing them for four months. I got a tip that they planned to rob the stage for the mailbag. They think there’s something in it worth crossing into Indian Territory and risking their lives for.”
“Is there?”
He hesitated, then, as if remembering his promise, answered, “Yes, but I wouldn’t be worried about that if I were you. The problem you face is that Thorn and his men tend not to leave witnesses.”
She saw his jaw tighten, but he forced out the truth. “If you got a gun with you and they get past me, you might want to use it. I’ve seen the way this gang treats women. If they find you here, you’ll be wishing you were dead long before they kill you. Someone told me once that he heard Thorn brag that he kept a woman alive for four days just to hear her scream. When she was finally too weak to react no matter what he did, he left her bleeding and helpless for the coyotes.”
She swayed.
The Ranger’s hand brushed her waist to steady her.
“Options?” she whispered, forcing her back to stiffen.
“If we could put a gunman at each window, the firing would keep them away, maybe even kill enough that they’d leave.”
She looked across the room. Not one of the others looked like he could protect himself, much less her.
He read her mind. “Can you handle a gun?”
“A rifle fairly well, but I’ve dedicated my life to saving others, not killing them.”
He set his cup down and gripped her shoulder hard. “I need to know, Mrs. Barkley. Can you handle a rifle and fire to kill if you have to? Not to protect some mailbag, but to protect yourself.”
All the hundreds of men she’d bandaged and held while they cried for their mothers or wives before they died filled her mind. All the men left broken and amputated who’d stared at her with hollow eyes, as if wishing she’d left them to die in battle.
She wasn’t a coward. She faced the Ranger directly when she whispered, “I’m not sure.”
She’d expected to see disappointment in his eyes, but instead she saw understanding.
As Annalane had all her life, she made up her mind and acted. “Whatever you plan, I’m going with you.”
“It won’t be safe. I could travel faster alone, maybe bring back help.”
“It isn’t safe here.” She glanced at the other men. None of the three looked like they would hesitate to use her as a shield. “I won’t slow you down. I promise.”
The Ranger nodded once. “One condition. You follow orders.”
“Agreed.” She saw something in his gaze. “What else? What have you not told me?”
He bit the corner of his mouth, hesitating, then leaned so close his chin brushed her hair. With his breath against her ear, he whispered, “I think one of the men in this room usually rides with the outlaws. Problem is, I don’t know which one.”
Annalane would have fallen if his lean body hadn’t shifted slightly to hold her up.
Chapter 2
Ranger Wynn McCord tried to tell himself he was just helping the lady out—being polite, that was all—but he knew the truth. From the moment he’d seen her in the coach, all prim and proper, he’d thought about what she’d feel like to touch. He didn’t want to just help her; he wanted to hold her close. It had been a long time since he’d felt that way about any woman. He’d probably lost the ability to even talk to a woman like this one, but that didn’t stop him from thinking about what they might do besides talk.
Now she was pressed against him from knee to chin and he didn’t want to step back. She had that never-been-touched look about her and he wondered if, beneath all those pleats and buttons, a man had ever thrown a rope around her. She said she’d been married for an hour before her husband left. It would take a great deal longer than that to convince her she was desired.
He’d watched her all day while the others thought he slept. There was a grace about her that fascinated him. She’d talked to the gambler a few times after Frank Sanders told her he’d lived in Washington, D.C., but mostly she read from a little book she kept in her purse. Since she was careful not to turn it where anyone could see the cover, McCord guessed it was one of those adventure/romance dime novels he’d seen around, written for people who wanted to experience the Wild West secondhand.
“Mr. McCord.” Annalane Barkley’s hand pushed against his chest, making him very much aware of just how close they were. “I’ll have to ask you to…”
“If you’re going with me, we need a reason to step outside, Mrs. Barkley. Time’s running out,” he whispered without giving an inch. “So, shall we give them that reason, that we might need a little privacy?”
He moved his hand against the back of her head and pulled her to him. “Make it look like you can’t keep your hands off me.” Grinning, he had no doubt the proper Mrs. Barkley wouldn’t have a clue about what to do. “We need to make it to the barn before the moon’s free of clouds again.”
She let out a tiny cry of surprise as his mouth lowered to hers. A moment later, her hand stopped trying to shove him away. She was frozen stiff in his arms, but she didn’t break the kiss.
McCord had meant only to brush her lips. They were in far too much danger to take time for a real kiss, but he couldn’t pull away. Her bottom lip quivered slightly as he parted her lips and deepened the kiss. She tasted far better than he’d let himself imagine in the hours he’d spent daydreaming about her.
“Hey!” the drunk driver yelled. “What’s going on?”
McCord broke the kiss with an oath, but his hand still held her head in place. “Shut up, old man. Nothing that’s any business of yours is happening. The lady and I have just found a way to pass the time.”
He slowly turned toward the three men, staring at each one