Safe in His Arms

TWENTY-TWO





The next morning Daniel directed a glance in Margaret’s direction. He made sure his expression betrayed none of his worry. They were both lucky her confident air had allayed any suspicions Frank and his gang might have had. A good night’s sleep had given her more backbone and gumption.

The men had clamored for breakfast, and she offered to fix some flapjacks. Now he watched her as she worked over the cooking fire making stew. Even under duress she had kept her cool. A glow warmed his belly as he watched her cook. He’d never met a braver woman.

His grin faded. Or one more stubborn. She was convinced she knew what he was all about, and nothing swayed her opinion. Still, that stubbornness could be turned to good use. Once she loved a man, she would stand and fight at his side. Unlike his mother, who stayed in her room and was more a piece of the furniture than a true wife. He’d always sworn he would never want a wife without fire.

What had possessed Margaret to follow him out here? When he saw her in the hands of these outlaws, he’d wanted to throttle her. That impulse had quickly been followed by a rush of pleasure that she cared enough about him to follow him. For all her protests, Daniel knew she felt something for him. He just had to help her discover what it was.

She hadn’t answered him when he told her he loved her, but he’d seen the struggle in her face. Once she understood why he was with this gang, maybe she would be able to face her feelings. All he could do was hope and pray that would be the case.

Her face glowed from the heat of the fire. The night had brought colder temperatures, and even this morning, frost still limned the grass. Charlie had brought her a blanket to pull around her shoulders. Her long red braid hung over one shoulder, and she looked a little bedraggled and distraught.

“I want out of here.” She bent over the cook pot with her back toward him. “I want to get on my horse and get home. Surely they’ll let me go now that they think I’m going to marry you.”

Daniel pressed his fingers against the hand she had on his arm. “You don’t understand all that’s going on here, Margaret. Please, just stay quiet and let me do what I have to do.”

Bafflement darkened her eyes and she sighed. “I don’t have much choice.”

He went toward the group of men sitting around the campfire. This operation was going to be tricky. Frank was no dummy. If he smelled a rat, he’d dump both their bodies in a ravine.

Daniel hunkered down beside Charlie and picked up a stick. He poked the fire and sparks flew into the air, leaving a tang of wood smoke and burning leaves. He could almost feel Margaret’s gaze boring a hole in his back, but he forced himself to focus on the job at hand.

“Let’s talk about the heist at the Larson bank. What do you think about using explosives, Cutler?”

The sharp look in Frank’s eyes reminded Daniel of a ferret. Frank was wily and dangerous, like a rabid fox. The knowledge sharpened Daniel’s attention. “Might be all right if you use the right kind. We wouldn’t want to get blown up along with the vault door.”

Frank nodded. “When you joined us a year ago, you said you were an expert with nitroglycerin. I think we might be able to get our hands on some. You game to try it?”

“I’d rather not use orphan elixir,” Daniel said, referring to the mining synonym for nitroglycerin. “Dynamite would be better, provided it’s not old. I can use nitro if you’re set on it, but it takes longer to get the right amount set. Dynamite would be quicker and easier. But the noise will bring the whole town running. You sure you want that?”

Frank nodded. “Guess you know what you’re talking about.”

“What was this—a test?”

Frank grinned. “You got it. I wanted to know if you were the expert you claimed to be. Guess you’ll do.” Picking up a stick, he drew lines in the dirt. “I figure we hit the bank next week. The last time was just a trial run to test the bank security. The back door is here.” He poked the stick in the dirt. “A big deposit is expected on Wednesday, and we’ll hit the bank on Thursday before they can ship it out again. The security will be beefed up, but they won’t be expecting us to hit it again so soon. Pretty crafty, huh?” He gave a self-satisfied smirk.

Cutler nodded. It was pretty smart. No one ever said Frank was stupid. “How you figuring on getting past the guards?”

Frank’s grin widened. “That’s where you and your girlfriend come in. She’s known in the community and so are you. You escort her in to make a withdrawal about closing time when the place is almost empty. You pull your gun and tie up the guards and the tellers. We’ll be waiting around back. When you open the back door for us, we get the manager to open the vault and make a little larger withdrawal than they were expecting.” He gave a hearty laugh.

His laughter grated on Daniel’s ears. “Good plan. But what if the manager won’t cooperate?”

“Then we blow the door with dynamite. I’ve got plenty of power to handle the yokels in town.”

“These few men?” Daniel gave a sweeping gesture with his hand.

“Oh no, these are just the start. Kid Loco and his gang are throwing in with us.”

Daniel bit back his dismay. Kid Loco was a notorious gunfighter who shot first and asked questions later. He hated Daniel, and the coming encounter would not be pleasant.

Frank grinned again. “I know you two have a history. The Kid has already been warned to leave you be.”

The Kid never listened to advice. If he’d been told to leave Daniel alone, that would be enough to make him try to pick a fight. “If you think he’ll listen, I reckon you don’t know him as well as you think you do.” This could ruin the entire plan. A year of hard work was about to pay off mightily, and he would have to think carefully about how to get around the Kid.

Frank narrowed his eyes. “If he wants his share, he’ll do whatever I tell him.”

“He may take yours along with his. He’s a loose cannon.”

“Yeah, well, he says the same thing about you. You must have some really bad blood between you. Bet it’s over a woman.”

Frank’s guess would be right. Daniel’s jaw tightened at the thought of Kid Loco and what he was capable of. Daniel didn’t want him anywhere near Margaret. But they were in the thick of this now, and Daniel didn’t see any easy way out. Not without putting Charlie in jeopardy.

A buckboard clattered around the curve, and several of the men sprang to their feet, brandishing their guns. Golda drove recklessly, her golden hair flying behind her. Daniel’s heart sank when she got out of the buckboard. Margaret was not going to like this one bit. He gave an uneasy glance back to where she still stirred the stew.

“It’s just Golda,” Frank said. “Put those peashooters away before you hurt someone.”

The men put away their guns and sat back down as Golda sauntered toward them. Her hair rippled down her back in the sunlight, and her lithe body swayed as though to an inner tune, a tune that proclaimed her the most beautiful woman in the world. She walked and acted as though every man should turn and look. And Daniel had to admit she wouldn’t be far wrong about that. For sheer beauty, few women could compete. Unfortunately, she was as corrupt as her brother, Frank.

Eyes as blue as the sky fastened on Daniel, and she gave a slow smile. “Why, it’s our runaway come home. I’ve been wondering when you’d show your face again.” She gave a becoming pout. “Though I should slap you for leaving without saying good-bye.”

She came closer, and her overpowering perfume wafted toward Daniel. He took a step back. How was he going to explain this to Margaret?




MARGARET WATCHED A beautiful blond woman get out of a buckboard and walk toward the group of men around the campfire. She looked vaguely familiar, and Margaret realized she was the small blond woman in the mercantile who had laughed at her choice of material. The woman’s pristine appearance made Margaret feel like a drudge. Her own hair hung in bedraggled wisps around her face from the heat. Dirt and soot marred her shirt. She brushed at her shirt ineffectively and tried to pat her hair into place.

The woman sauntered up to Daniel and put her hand on his arm. With her head thrown back, she smiled into Daniel’s face. A shaft of sunlight illuminated her beauty even more, and Margaret’s heart sank to her dusty boots. She gave a sniff. What did she care? Let the woman have him. He was no great catch anyway. But Margaret’s heart gave a painful throb at the thought that he might prefer that woman to her.

The woman’s throaty laughter floated on the spring air, and Margaret tossed down the ladle. He’d said they were engaged, and an engaged man didn’t allow some other woman to touch his cheek the way that hussy was doing. Margaret straightened her shoulders and marched toward the group. It was about time she made her position known.

The woman’s head swiveled at her approach. Her eyes narrowed as she took in Margaret’s appearance. “What’s the redhead doing here?”

Margaret didn’t wait for anyone else to introduce her. She stepped forward and took Daniel’s unencumbered arm. “I’m Daniel’s fiancée, Margaret O’Brien.”

The woman’s eyes widened, and her hand fell away from Daniel’s other arm. “Fiancée?” Her blue eyes flashed, and she glared at Daniel. “What’s this nonsense?”

Frank laughed. “Miss O’Brien, this is my sister, Golda. I’d say you’ve put her nose out of joint. She had pegged Cutler here as her personal property.”

Personal property. Margaret had a notion that Daniel would never be anyone’s personal property. He was too much of a man to be owned by any woman, even a beautiful one like Golda.

Golda bared her teeth at her brother, then flew at Frank and slapped his face. His brows drew together, and he drew back his hand. He hit her across the face, and she fell to the ground. Staring up at her brother, the beautiful face twisted into an ugly mask of petulance and anger.

Before anyone could help her to her feet, she jumped up and flew at her brother again. “I hate you!” Her nails raked his face, then she grabbed a handful of hair and gave it a vicious tug.

He held her at arm’s length and laughed in her face, which seemed only to inflame her. “Not woman enough to keep him, are you?”

She spat in his face and he shoved her away. She attacked him again and he grabbed her by the shoulders. “Behave yourself, Golda.” Frank shook his sister, and the fight finally seemed to leave her. Her shoulders slumped, and she pulled out of her brother’s grip.

Tears shimmered in her eyes, and Margaret almost gasped at how beautiful she looked when she showed her vulnerability. Petite and dainty, she made Margaret feel like a bumbling bull in a sheep pen. She tightened her grip on Daniel’s arm.

Golda turned her blue-eyed gaze on Daniel. “How could you do this to me?” she whispered.

“Oh, knock it off, Golda.” Frank’s tone was impatient. “Cutler never made you no promises. Just because you got shut out by another filly is no reason to carry on like a madwoman.”

Golda’s full lips trembled, and Margaret almost felt sorry for her. In spite of her beauty, she was a bit childlike in her willfulness. It was as though she’d had her favorite doll taken by a neighbor child. Margaret slanted a glance into Daniel’s face. His gaze was on her, not on Golda, and she took heart at that.

She warmed at the concern in his glance.

There seemed to be only approval in his gaze. She tore her gaze from his and glanced back at Golda. The young woman was examining Margaret in great detail.

“Why on earth would you choose her over me, Daniel?” Contempt curled Golda’s lip. “She isn’t even feminine. Why, look at the size of her feet and hands. And redheads freckle in the sun. You need a woman to grace your home with style and elegance, not one who is more like a man than a woman. You want softness, not someone like this.”

“You don’t know me well enough to know what I want,” Daniel said. “I don’t want to hurt you, Golda, but this is really none of your business. If you can’t see Margaret’s beauty, you’re blind. She’s good and kind as well as beautiful.”

Golda sniffed and flounced away. Margaret savored the words he’d said about her. Praise wasn’t something she’d heard much growing up, and the compliments fell on her heart like rain on a dry riverbed.

The men settled back around the fire. “That stew about ready?” Frank asked. “We’re starved.”

“It’s ready.” Margaret turned to go back to her pot.

“I’ll help you,” Daniel said.

Frank guffawed. “She’s got you roped and tied already, Cutler.”

Daniel didn’t answer. He just slipped his hand under Margaret’s elbow and escorted her back across the hard ground. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? For dallying with a beautiful woman?”

His lips pressed together. “I reckon I deserve that. I was young when I met her, and she made no secret of the fact that she wanted me. I lost my head. When she asked me to help her and Frank rob a bank, it seemed a lark. Or else I was so infatuated, I couldn’t think.”

“Were you helping her when your mother wanted you to take her to the doctor?” When he winced, she knew she’d guessed the truth.

“Is that when you woke up?”

“Yeah. When my mother died, I realized what I’d become. I walked away from Golda and her brother, but it was hard.”

“Golda seemed hurt.”

He shrugged. “Golda is like a child who sees a toy and decides it belongs to her regardless of reality. I just happened to be that toy this time. She’ll get over it.”

“You break that young woman’s heart, then say she’ll get over it?” Margaret shouldn’t be goading Daniel like this. She knew he was telling her the truth. Golda was exactly as he described. But she wanted to hear him say he loved her again. That she was beautiful.

“Brokenhearted?” He huffed and then shook his head. “She’ll have her sights set on some other sap by tomorrow morning. She only loves herself.” He gripped Margaret’s arm and pulled her toward him. “You’re more woman than ten Goldas. I like that you’re tall. I like your gorgeous hair and green eyes. And you’ve also got more heart and guts than any woman I’ve ever met. I don’t want some lifeless doll who plays parlor games and invites people to tea. I want a real woman, and you’re that woman, Margaret. You’re the only woman I want.”

Her breath caught in her throat as his lips found hers. She clung to him for a long moment, then pulled away with a sob. “Don’t break my heart, Daniel.” She regretted the words the instant they escaped her mouth. Now he knew her heart was involved.

He didn’t let her loose. “You can trust me, Margaret. I won’t let you down.”

She gave up the struggle and nestled her head on his shoulder. “You’ll never be able to put the past behind you. The law will be looking for you until you’re caught.” The thought was a knife in her heart.

He gave her a little shake and released her. “I’ll make things work out. You’ll see. Just try to put your doubts aside until this is over.”

That was asking the impossible. She could think only of her doubts. And this fiasco with Golda hadn’t helped much. She just wanted to go back to bed and sleep a few more hours. The short night of four hours’ sleep had left her with a fuzzy head. Maybe with a fresh day she could figure it out. She turned her back on him and ladled the stew onto tin plates.

Daniel carried them to the men spaced around the camp. The aroma of burned coffee mingled with that of the stew, and Margaret realized she was hungry herself. She hadn’t eaten all day yesterday. Her stomach had been too on edge from nerves as she waited to follow Daniel. Surely her men were looking for her by now. Two of them were good trackers. Maybe they would be able to lead Sheriff Borland to this camp. She didn’t know whether to pray for deliverance or hope they couldn’t find her. She had to figure out a way to help Daniel out of this mess.

Margaret cleaned the empty pot, using sand to scrub the baked-on parts until it was spotless. Daniel had disappeared, no doubt to finish plotting the robbery. At least she had a few hours away from his distracting presence.

She should be in church right now. But she could worship God right here. She left the camp behind and went down a track to a meadow along the banks of the Red River, just beyond the sound of the men laughing and playing cards.

Sitting on a rock, she listened to the gurgling water and silently prayed for wisdom, strength, and help.

“Want some company?”

She turned at the sound of Daniel’s voice. Then she looked back at the water and heard him move through the brush. He settled beside her on the rock. “I bet the sheriff is looking for you. And your ranch hands.”

“I’m sure they are. They can’t run the ranch by themselves.”

“You think that’s the only reason they’re searching for you?” Daniel’s voice was gentle.

Did she think that? She considered it, then shook her head. “I’m sure most of them like me.” Margaret picked up a rock and tossed it into the stream. Birds scattered from the trees at the sound.

Daniel slipped his arm around her and she stiffened. “You’re admired by everyone who knows you, Margaret. You just don’t see it.”

She turned and gazed into his eyes. Why did he make her feel so safe, so accepted? More so than in any other person’s presence, except maybe for Lucy. It made no sense for her to be drawn to someone like him.

His smile warmed her heart and she relaxed ever so slightly, allowing herself to lean against him. “Why do you talk like this to me?” she whispered. “I don’t want to be hurt.”

“I wouldn’t hurt you, Margaret.” His gaze never wavered from hers. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

Margaret closed her eyes and breathed in the male scent of him mingled with the soap from his morning shave. She reached up and touched his cheek. He pulled her closer. She tore her mouth from his but didn’t jerk out of his embrace. Instead, she laid her head on his shoulder. She couldn’t think when he was this close.

“What if I manage to escape?” The idea had been nagging at her. “They trust me a little, I think. I could lead the sheriff here to stop them.”

“Honey, they are only pretending to trust you. The minute you left sight of the camp, the lookout would grab you. I don’t know what they’d do to you.”

His uneasy tone told her more than his words. But she knew this land. If she could slip away, she knew a dozen places to hide and many trails to take to town. “Would they punish you if I got away?”

He shook his head. “They need me. But don’t even try, Margaret. I’ve got a plan.”

They both jumped when they heard Frank calling for Daniel.

“I’d better go,” he said reluctantly. “While you’re out here, ask God what to do. He’ll show you.” He pressed a kiss against the top of her head and released her.

With a sore heart, she watched him walk away. God didn’t seem to be answering her question about Daniel. Could that be an answer in itself? She rubbed her head and went back to the camp.