Besides, it wasn't as if he could consider settling down. Although Brogan was set to marry Sarah, he often wondered what would happen if the gang who'd they'd had the shootout with came looking for them. If they showed up unexpectedly and killed the lawmen, Sarah would be a widow soon after marrying.
Lucas walked out of the saloon deep in thought. Life never gave any guarantees and he knew for a fact everyone lived on borrowed time. At the same time, Lucas figured when the time came for him to marry, it would be as obvious as the gun aimed directly at him.
He dove for the ground behind a horse trough just as two shots rang out. Gun drawn, he crawled to the end of the trough and shot towards the man once.
"Lucas McKade!" the man called out. "Your days are numbered." Another two shots rang out. Screams and the slamming of doors sounded as people rushed to hide.
From his vantage point, it was hard to see where, exactly, the man had moved. From what he had seen, the man had two guns. "What do you want?" he called out.
"Nothing much, just you dead," the man answered, giving Lucas an idea of where the shooter was. Lucas crawled to the opposite side of the trough and saw the man who shot at him.
Why had he chosen this profession? Lucas pulled his other revolver and rolled out from behind the trough shooting. The man fell from the horse and hit the ground with a hard slam. Dust flew around his form as he struggled to lift his arm to shoot back at Lucas.
Lucas rushed toward him and kicked the gun from his hand. "Who sent you?"
Cold eyes met his as a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of the man's mouth. "You killed him. You killed my boy." The man's eyes went blank.
"Was that the man with our prisoner?" Brogan came up and dismounted.
"Yeah. Recognize him?"
"No."
"Seems familiar." Lucas studied the dead man's face. "Said something about me killing someone. I suppose he was out for revenge." Having been a US Marshal for many years, it was hard to recall each and every outlaw he'd been ordered to arrest.
The men he killed, however, he never forgot. In total, he figured about ten. The only ones he didn't know for sure were the casualties from the shootout just earlier that year. Too many shots were fired and there were over ten outlaws involved.
"He almost got you," someone said.
"May have worked if they'd not gotten drunk and fought once getting to town." Lucas motioned to two men. "Get someone to bury him."
As he headed toward the jailhouse, he looked to the apothecary. Camille looked through the glass, her wide eyes meeting his.
At the lurch in his chest, he could only look back at her. This was not the time to allow feelings in. He'd promised Sarah he'd speak to her and he would, but after that he'd keep his distance.
Too many shadows in his life and there was no need to put anyone important to him in danger.
CHAPTER THREE
THE EVENING SHADOWS FILLED HER SMALL SHOP and Camille stretched while yawning. It had been a rather slow afternoon. She’d taken advantage of it and done some sewing. Now, as the street outside was devoid of people, a tension formed. The front door was locked, as she tended to keep it once the daylight faded. Her customers knew to knock if they needed to come in late in the day.
During the day she didn't worry overmuch at being alone, but once evening came, Camille dreaded the darkness, the things that couldn't be seen. To her, it was eerie that manmade sounds dimmed as nature's became louder, bird calls echoed and the wind rustling through leaves could be heard.
When soft knocks sounded, she jumped, her heart thumping against her chest. She stood and took tentative steps toward the door. The outline of a tall male made her shrink back against the wall. Camille couldn't help the wobbling of her knees. God, who could it be? Men rarely came to her shop and never at sunset. Not daring to move, she remained flattened beside the door.
"Camille? Are you there? It's Lucas McKade."
His familiar deep voice made her giddy with relief. "One minute."
She unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Please, come in."
The blue eyes she'd thought of almost nonstop in the last few days met hers. He studied her for a moment. "I won't come inside if it makes you uncomfortable."
Taking a step back, she motioned with her arm for him to enter. "I am not uncomfortable with your presence.” That was a lie, but one she could live with. Her nerves on edge, it was all she could do not to beg the man to sleep there in the shop so she would not be alone.
When he walked past her, she noticed his damp hair. It was long enough to curl on his shirt collar. He pulled off his hat and immediately his presence filled the space. "Is something wrong? You seem scared."
"A bit nervous I must admit. Not sure why, just seems like a very quiet night. Eerie." She waved a hand in the air hoping to convince him it was a light matter. "The way of us women, I suppose. To find evenings a bit daunting."
Although he nodded, Lucas didn't seem convinced. "Yes, well, I came to see how you were and ask if you'd like to join me for dinner. Maybe getting out and into the spooky outdoors will put your fears at bay."
His attempt at humor worked. She smiled in spite of herself.