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Memories of Simon as a little boy flooded his mind, filling his throat with tears. How could Zach turn him into the law? How could he let his brother hang?

  His chest ached from the tightness that held it hostage. “At first, me and my brothers hated that little brat baby who took our mother away from us. My youngest brother was four when Simon was born. I was eight years older and out comes another squallin’ baby. We went back to playing outside once we learned we had another brother.”

  “So when did you start to like Simon?” she asked softly, her big green eyes staring up at him like emeralds shining in the darkness. That piercing gaze seemed to touch his soul like a warm gentle caress.

  “The first time I remember protecting him was when he fell into the river while we were all out fishing. Mother had told us we were not to go near that river, but like typical kids, we disobeyed. He slipped into that raging water, his little head bobbing up and down like a cork on a fishing line. I had to go in after him.” He sighed the sound heavy in the room as he remembered the way terror had filled him as he’d jumped into the churning whitewater of the river.

  “I didn’t think I’d ever find him. My brother Matt threw me a rope, and once I found Simon, he pulled both of us to shore. Scared me senseless. When mother found out, it was the worst whipping I’ve ever received, not to mention all the chores she gave me to teach me responsibility.” He’d never forget the memory of his mother’s face, going all white and then red with fury, or the way she’d swung the paddle, making it damn near impossible to sit down for a couple of days.

  “Then there was the time he didn’t want to go to school, so he trapped a skunk and put it in the schoolhouse. I thought his time to meet his maker had surely come after my mother took the switch to his hide. One thing I can say about my mother, she never spared the rod. She may have broken the rod on our backside, but it was never spared.”

  “What did the school do?” Meg asked, snuggling against him.

  Zach laughed as all the memories of Simon’s childhood flooded him with emotions that left him happy, yet sad. “We went to the local church for the next week, while they aired the building out. Simon spent his free time scrubbing the smell out of the schoolhouse.”

  Again, his mother the strong disciplinary force in their home had dealt out punishment. But though all four boys were raised the same, Simon had ignored his upbringing and chosen a life of crime.

  Meg giggled, her fingertips trailed down his arm, her touch soothing, yet his heart still ached with the memories of his brother.

  “Simon was always a boisterous child, getting into trouble at a young age. It was almost like he had no fear. One time when he was about ten, he decided he wanted to go into town. So he walked the ten miles without Mother knowing where he went. When she found him two days later, I thought she would kill him. She’d been so worried.”

  Pain wrenched through Zach, and he hugged Meg closer, needing the feel of her sweet womanly body to comfort him. What would he do? He loved his job as Sheriff, but a lawman turned in a criminal, not helped him escape. But this was his brother. This was the brother he loved.

  “When he was fifteen, he came down with pneumonia. We almost lost him again, and my mother was up with him around the clock, putting poultices on his chest. It was then that I realized I loved all my brothers and didn’t want to lose any of them. They mean the world to me, and if Simon died, there would be a hole left in our family.”

  God, he didn’t want Simon to die. He didn’t want to watch his mother’s face as her youngest son hanged. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t hurt his mother anymore. She’d suffered the loss of an infant, the loss of two husbands, and now the loss of a second child. What more was she supposed to endure?

  “When did Simon’s father pass away?”

  Zach thought back to that awful day when his brother had gone into town to find his father. It had changed the brother he loved forever from a good kid to a cold man. He’d never been the same. “He was fourteen when he watched a man shoot his father.”

  Zach had loved his own father immensely and couldn’t imagine seeing him gunned down in the street over a card game. James Simon Trudeau had been accused of cheating, and Zach knew for a fact the man was known for how he could work the cards. Only this time, the cards had gotten him killed.

  “If he knew how it felt to watch someone you love die from a gunshot wound, why would he be the one who killed that farmer? Why would he inflict that pain on someone else?”

  Zach thought about this for a moment. Maybe Meg was right. Why would Simon kill another human being? Maybe this was all just a big misunderstanding. Maybe he’d wake up in the morning and this would all have been a nightmare. “I don’t know, unless he was trying to get even. Unless he wanted those kids to feel the way he’d felt as a young man. But that seems so cold. And my brother has never been a cold-blooded killer.”

  Meg grabbed his hand and brought it to her lips, giving him a kiss. “Are you going to be able to turn your brother in? Can you take him to the sheriff?”

  The idea was gut wrenching and left Zach in a cold sweat. He loved being in law enforcement. He loved being a small town sheriff, and he thought he was a good one. But the idea of turning in his brother, letting a circuit judge decide Simon’s fate and carry out a hanging, left Zach terrified. Watching Simon be put behind bars… He didn’t know if he could do it.

  “I don’t know. I keep going back and forth. The irrational part of me wants to let him loose to head for Mexico. But I’d lose my job as sheriff. I’d be giving up the job that brings me joy, and God knows what I’d become then. But he’s my brother. My youngest brother and my mother doesn’t deserve the heartache and the pain. She asked me to help him. Not to take him to his hanging. So what am I to do?” His insides felt like someone had torn him asunder.

  “But as a lawman, you have to think about his victim’s family. Did they deserve to lose their loved one? They’ve gone through all the emotions you’re experiencing and more.”

  She was right. Five minutes of violence would forever scar two families.

  “I would be so angry if someone had shot and killed one of my loved ones. I’m sure they feel the same. You do what your heart and your head say. You make the decision you can live with the rest of your life.”

  It was simple, heartfelt advice, but which one did he choose to give up? His integrity or his brother?

  “But what is that, Meg? What is it?”

  Early the next morning, Meg came wide awake at the sound of someone pounding on the door.

  “Open up, Zach!”

  Oh no! Oh, dear God, no! She recognized that voice and pulled the sheet up over her head just as the door crashed open.

  Zach sat straight up in bed and reached for his six-shooter.

  Good golly, the grapevine telegraph, she was in so much trouble.

  “What the hell?” Zach scrambled up in bed. “What are you doing crashing in here without waiting for me to answer the door?”

  The sound of boots rushing into their room had Meg shaking with nerves.

  “Where’s Meg? What have you done with our sister?” Annabelle asked.

  Meg felt herself shrink even further down in the bed.

  The bed shifted, and she realized Zach was sitting on the side with the sheet wrapped around him. If he pulled on that sheet any harder, she would be exposed.

  “Uh, she’s not here,” Zach lied. “Last I saw her, she was riding out of town.”

  There was silence for a moment and then Annabelle asked, “Where was she headed?”

  Zach shrugged. “She didn’t tell me. She’s still searching for Simon.”

  There was silence then the sound of boots walking across the floor. “If you’re lying, I’ll come back and find you and your whore. I’ll send you both to hell if something has happened to Meg.”

  “There’s no whore in my bed,” Zach defended her.

  Oh, this could not be good.

  “Any woman lying in bed with you, Zac
h Gillespie, has got to be a harlot. You turned down courting our sister, so obviously your taste runs toward loose women.”

  That seemed like such a long time ago, but Annabelle’s memory was longer and older than dirt for such a young woman. She could remember what happened ten years ago like it was yesterday. And she hadn’t forgotten how Zach had treated Meg.

  “What then…?” Annabelle asked.

  “If she’s left town, then whose clothes are these? That looks like Meg’s pants and that’s definitely Meg’s hat laying there,” Ruby said, walking over to the floor where Meg had dropped her clothes.

  The sound of a gun cocking had Meg’s nerves skittering like fireflies down her spine.

  “You’ve got five seconds to tell me where my sister is before I start plugging your naked ass full of holes,” Ruby said.

  Oh, horse hockey, how was she going to stay hidden under the blankets with them threatening to shoot Zach? Shooting him a second time would not be good, and Annabelle was just mad enough at men and their treacherous ways she wouldn’t think twice about plugging Zach. And Ruby would shoot anything that moved.

  But oh, my God, were they going to be mad.

  “Your time is running out, Sheriff. Where’s Meg?”

  Meg let the sheet slowly slide down her neck as she rose up on her elbows. “I’m right here.”

  She watched as her sisters’ eyes widened and their mouths fell open. “Close your fly traps and step out into the hall while Zach and I get dressed.”

  Annabelle shook her head and pointed her gun at Zach. Slowly, she pulled back the hammer. Now both girls’ pistols were trained on Zach. “If our Papa were here, he’d be hauling your sorry ass off to the sin buster. There would be a wedding before noon. What have you got to say for yourself, Sheriff? You ready to marry our sister?”

  Chapter 12

  “That’s enough, Annabelle. No one is getting married today,” Meg said, hopping out of bed and dragging the sheet with her.

  Of all the lousy timing, this had to be the day her strong-willed sisters showed up and discovered her in bed with Zach—the morning Meg had planned to ask Zach his intentions regarding Simon. If Zach were going to turn Simon in, she’d help him capture the criminal. But if Zach meant to let Simon go free, she wanted no part of the brothers.

  She would not participate in hiding a known felon, even if he were the brother of the man she loved.

  Zach quickly grabbed the quilt and wrapped it around his waist, covering his privates.

  Ruby picked up Zach’s pants, shirt, and boots. “I think you better get out of here while we have a little chat with our sister.” She shoved the clothes in his arm, along with his gun belt. “You might want to give us some time before you come back.”

  Zach turned and stared, his brown eyes searching Meg’s. “I’ll meet you at the café.”

  “Yes,” she said, her heart ripping in two at the sight of him leaving with things in such an uproar. She didn’t want him to go. They needed to talk, to decide what their next step would be before they went any further. She had to know his plans for Simon. She needed to know their plans for them.

  He nodded, picked up his hat, and shoved it on top of his head as he backed out of the room, his arms full. His earthy brown eyes gazed at her like he longed to say something. “Ladies.”

  As soon as the door closed, both sisters started talking at once.

  “What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy?” Annabelle said, whirling around to face Meg, her reddish blonde hair swinging onto her back.

  Yes, Meg was crazy in love with Zach, and while part of her believed it was a good thing, another part was frightened. She loved Zach, the lawman, the man who played by the rules and stood for honor. Not the man who would help his brother escape from the consequences of his actions. What about justice for the dead man? What about his family? Which one would Zach choose?

  “You warned me away from kissing boys and here you are in bed with the sheriff? Have you lost your mind?” Ruby spouted at her.

  Maybe Meg had lost her mind out here in the wilderness, following Simon from town to town. But most definitely, she’d lost her heart. Somewhere along the trail, she’d fallen in love with Zach, and that scared her worse than a Texas rattler. Even worse than the wrath of her sisters.

  “You don’t have to be the sacrificial lamb any longer. We don’t need you to marry Zach,” Annabelle said.

  Meg wasn’t the sacrificial lamb. In fact, she hoped to start her own life very soon. She wanted out of the bounty hunting business. She wanted to be a dressmaker. She wanted to own her own shop. This life on the road chasing bad guys was tough, and she’d had enough.

  Ruby tossed her blonde curls behind her head. “Marry? Meg, we’re so close to paying off the loan, and then we can all do what we want. You can continue bounty hunting or work the farm, but you don’t have to get married.”

  Meg knew she didn’t have to get married, but secretly, she longed for Zach to ask her again. This time she wanted him to do it the old-fashioned way, with him down on one knee. She wasn’t marrying any man who had a gun stuck to his head forcing him to marry her. That wasn’t happening.

  “Papa would have made him marry you, if he’d caught you in bed,” Annabelle said, loud enough the people in the next room could hear her.

  “No one is forcing me to marry anyone,” she said quietly in response to her sister. “No one.”

  “Meg, you could be pregnant,” Annabelle said. “That baby would need a father.”

  “Shut up, Annabelle. I’m not pregnant. I’m not.”

  “You don’t know that for certain,” Annabelle whispered.

  The very thought sent Meg’s heart racing through her chest like a cattle herd stampeding the plains. She couldn’t be pregnant. Now was not the time in her life for a baby, especially one out of wedlock, since there was no guarantee Zach intended for them to marry.

  “You told me a girl should never lose her virtue,” Ruby said, throwing her clothes at her.

  Maybe virtue wasn’t as worthy an ideal as she’d once believed. Being with a man who filled her heart with love seemed way more important than being a virginal miss.

  “We’ve been looking everywhere for you, scared out of our minds, and you’ve been holed up here fornicating with Zach,” Annabelle said in a disgusted tone.

  “Not hardly,” Meg said, shaking her head at the absurdity of Annabelle’s assumptions. “We didn’t check in until late yesterday evening. So no, my time has not been spent fornicating in hotel rooms.”

  “With Simon’s brother,” Ruby declared. “The sheriff is Simon’s brother.”

  Somewhere along the trail, her very savvy sisters had learned the truth regarding Simon’s family and his connection to Zach.

  “You know Zach is Simon’s brother?” Meg said while her sisters continued to talk all over each other.

  “Yeah, we were coming to tell you,” Annabelle replied. “But it looks like you already know. Is that why you haven’t caught Simon yet? Normally, you’d have had your man and been home by now. We’ve been worried sick something happened to you. Then that gossipy stable owner, Nick, told us Simon was Zach’s brother, and we doubled our efforts to find you. We were scared for your safety.”

  Meg’s heart warmed as she realized she would have done the same if she had been the one left behind. “Simon got away and we haven’t found him since,” Meg said, slipping on her pantaloons and pulling her chemise over her head. She dropped the sheet and pulled on her pants and shirt.

  Both sisters stopped and stared at her. Finally, Annabelle said, “What’s going on Meg? It’s not like you to lie with a man.”

  Meg hung her head for a moment as defenseless feelings swept through her, leaving her emotions laid bare. She didn’t like feeling vulnerable, not even with her sisters. She was supposed to be the big strong matriarch of the family, and yet, falling in love with Zach had left her feeling totally exposed.

  Last night, comforting him had felt l
ike the most natural and wonderful emotion in the world, but today, her sisters reminded her how tenuous the situation with Zach really was and that left her completely unprotected. Her chest ached at the thought of Zach and Simon.

  “That’s the problem. I think I’ve fallen in love with him.” She sank down onto the bed. “Yesterday, we learned Simon is indeed a killer. Zach thought his brother was innocent up until Mrs. Lowell told him Simon had shot her husband in cold blood. Do you know how that must have hurt? It’d be like me having to turn one of you in. I don’t know if I could take you to jail, knowing you were going to hang. You’re my sisters. You’re my family.”

  Annabelle clenched her fists like she wanted to hit something or someone. “You’re getting soft. Love is turning our stubborn sister into a big softie. Before, you never would have let a bounty get away.”

  Meg’s temper flashed hotter than a chicken frying in a skillet. “I didn’t say I would let him get away. I just said he’s Zach’s brother. I didn’t say anything about him getting off. Did I?”

  Both girls looked at her chastised. Yet, she couldn’t fuss at them too much; her insides were churning like a dust devil out in the prairie. She felt so torn about whether or not Zach would make the right choice. “Look, I’m just as confused by all this as you are. I love Zach, but his brother’s guilty. I’ve met his mother, and I feel sorry for her. She’s going to lose another son. If I turn him in, then I could lose Zach. His mother could hate me forever.”

  “But he’s wanted, Meg,” Annabelle said.

  “I understand. I’m trying to stand by Zach’s side until he’s made the decision as to what he’s going to do.” She prayed Zach would not let his love for his brother sway him in the wrong direction.

  Ruby shook her head back and forth like she was reaffirming her position. “God, if this is what love does to you, then I think I’ll pass.”

  Annabelle laughed. “I guess this means we have to be nice to Zach? I can’t drag him down to a minister and make him marry you?”

  God, no. There would be no hasty marriage. She wanted Zach to choose her this time because he truly loved and wanted her.