Brides of Arizona, page 31
Touching the side of his vest, Quinn thought of the Scriptures Kathleen had given him. She said they were verses she’d memorized and that they’d helped her. Some of the papers were worn; others looked as if they’d only been copied in recent days. Off and on during the night, he’d read from the verses, thought on the preacher’s conversation and sermon, and argued aloud that this wasn’t true. God didn’t care about anyone. Somehow, he’d been unable to convince himself. If what he believed was true, then why were so many of the people he admired adamant about their belief in God’s protection?
Pounding hooves raced down the street outside the office. Quinn grabbed his hat and surged to his feet. Whoever was on that horse was traveling too fast. He tugged at his vest, too much in a hurry to straighten his clothes anymore. Before he could reach for the handle, the door burst open. Paulo Rodriquez fell to the floor, springing up again with the agility of youth.
“Señor, andele, por favor.” He turned to rush out the door. Quinn caught hold of the boy’s shirt and hauled him back.
“Whoa, Paulo, speak slow and in English.” Paulo panted, his open mouth dragging in great gulps of air. His black eyes were wide with fear. “Sorry, Señor. You must hurry, please.”
“What’s the problem?”
Paulo danced from foot to foot. “She’s here. Come on.” He took Quinn’s hand and tugged so hard Quinn almost lost his balance.
“Who’s here, Paulo?” Last night’s lack of sleep made Quinn want to grab the boy and shake him until his teeth rattled. Taking a deep breath, he stooped and looked Paulo in the eye, trying to help the boy calm down.
“The lady, Señor deputy. She’s here, and she has a gun. You have to come.”
Quinn frowned. A lady with a gun? Most women didn’t carry guns.
“What lady and what is she doing with the gun?”
Paulo’s eyes filled with tears. “The lady in black. She has her face covered. She wants much money.”
The lady in black? Face covered? A veil! Quinn snapped up, his brain struggling to register the information. He’d been so distraught over talking with the preacher, he hadn’t met the stage yesterday evening. Had the Veiled Widow come to town on the stage the one day he missed being there? That couldn’t be. Grabbing Paulo’s shoulders, Quinn tried to get control of himself. He could see the fear in the boy’s eyes and knew he was the cause now.
Easing his grip, he tried speak calmly. “Paulo, tell me where the woman is. Who is she pointing the gun at?”
“At the offices of Lord and Williams, Señor. She says they owe her, and she wants money and two horses. I was there with my papa. He helped me sneak out the door so I could come and get you. Please, Señor, hurry.”
“Paulo, I want you to go home. I’ll take your horse, but I don’t want you to follow me. Understand?”
Paulo nodded, and Quinn headed for the door. As he raced for the horse, he checked the pistol strapped to his side. He had to stop this woman before she killed someone.
Chapter 19
A small body hurtled into Kathleen’s as she rounded the corner of the street leading to the jail. Her breath whooshed out. She grabbed the person, trying to keep both of them from falling.
“Paulo, what are you doing?” Kathleen gasped. Her stomach ached from the hit.
Big, black eyes gazed at her with terror. He didn’t recognize her without her veil. She’d seen him a few times with his mother at Glory’s house, but she’d always been careful to keep the covering in place when they were around.
“Paulo, it’s okay. I’m Kathleen, Glorianna’s cousin. I usually have a veil on. Remember?”
He nodded, his brow furrowed as if he recognized the voice, but not the face. His small chest heaved, out of breath from his headlong dash. His eyes still held a look of fear, but she didn’t believe she was the cause anymore.
“He said I have to go right home.” Paulo hopped to one side. She kept her hold on his arms.
“Your father sent you home?”
“No, the deputy. He said I shouldn’t follow him, but I should go home.” Paulo glanced behind him as if Quinn would be watching and know he wasn’t hurrying home.
“Have you been bothering Deputy Kirby?” Kathleen couldn’t figure out why Quinn had been so harsh with the boy. Paulo loved to talk with Quinn, and Quinn enjoyed the boy too.
Paulo whispered, as if imparting a confidence. “He’s going to shoot her, and he doesn’t want me to see.”
Kathleen could feel the color drain from her face. “Who’s he going to shoot?” Paulo’s brow knit as her grip tightened on his arms. She forced herself to relax.
“The lady in black.” Paulo glanced behind him once more. “She is going to shoot someone at the office of Lord and Williams. I told Deputy Kirby, and he will shoot her and save my papa.”
The woman in black. Kathleen recalled all the times Quinn referred to this criminal and how he arrested her, thinking she was the Veiled Widow. Fear wrapped around her as she thought of Quinn facing this danger.
“Paulo, I want you to go on home.” She released the boy. He hesitated.
“Don’t go where the black lady is. She scares me. She talks like a bruja, a witch.” His black eyes widened. He looked terrified.
“Don’t worry about me, Paulo. You go on home to your mama.”
The boy raced past her. She knew she should watch to make sure he continued home, but the urgency to get to Quinn made her gather her skirts and race off in the opposite direction. Heart-pounding scenarios began racing through her mind as she hurried down the empty roadway. Pictures of Quinn lying still and pale with blood on his shirt made her pray harder than she ever had before.
The buildings she sought came into view. The street was deserted except for a few horses tied at hitching posts. An ominous quiet huddled over the town. Kathleen slowed her headlong pace, trying to catch her breath. Heedless of the danger, she pushed through the doors into the offices of the Lord and Williams building.
A slender woman in black faced Quinn. His back was to the door, but Kathleen could read the tension in the set of his shoulders as he trained his pistol on the woman. As Kathleen rushed in, the woman glanced at the door. She took a step closer to the rear door. Quinn didn’t move, his gaze never wavering from the woman, his gun not faltering.
Time seemed to slow. Kathleen noted several things at once. A black beaded bag dangled from the woman’s wrist; she held a pistol pointed at Quinn; several men cowered in one corner of the office, and a lock of wavy, light brown hair hung loose on the woman’s shoulder. Kathleen gasped.
“I’m telling you for the last time, Widow, put the pistol down.”
The woman’s head turned from side to side as if she were looking between Quinn and Kathleen. The barrel of the pistol wavered, then lowered. The thump of the pistol hitting the floor echoed in the silent office. The woman’s shoulders sagged. She took another step.
“Quinn.” Kathleen had to tell him.
His head whipped around for an instant. “Kathleen, get out of here.”
The woman moved again as Quinn’s attention left her. Kathleen could feel the stares of the men in the room. Her hand brushed her cheek as she remembered she wasn’t wearing her veil. Lord, help me. A surge of peace settled over her.
“Stop.” Quinn’s command halted everyone. The veiled woman froze in midstep. “You aren’t sneaking out of here. I’ve waited and watched for you … and now you’re coming to jail with me.”
Somehow, the woman had slipped her hand in the bag dangling from her wrist. Panic began to overwhelm Kathleen. She had to stop this.
“Quinn, you’ve got to listen.”
“Kathleen, get out of here now.” Anger infused Quinn’s voice.
The woman took another step as if she thought Quinn too distracted to notice. Any minute, she would be close enough to dash through the door and attempt an escape. The shot from Quinn’s gun startled Kathleen. The Veiled Widow jumped, then raised her beaded bag.
“No, Edith.” Kathleen tried to rush forward. The sound of a second shot broke the tension. Quinn stumbled. His gun bucked, and the woman cried out. Quinn clutched his chest and folded over on himself, collapsing to the floor. The woman fell straight back, her small body making little noise as she hit the floor.
Quinn heard the door crash open behind him. He saw the Widow start and glance in that direction. He didn’t move. She had never been known to work with anyone or have an accomplice of any kind. This was probably Paulo disobeying his directive. The boy would be in trouble when this was over. Right now, Quinn refused to be distracted.
He gave the order for her to drop her gun. Shocked, he watched her obey. Events began to unfold fast. Kathleen was here. He didn’t want her here. The woman he loved shouldn’t be in danger. Loved? Warmth rushed through him at the thought. Would she ever be able to love him? He pulled his thoughts away from such dangerous territory and forced them to return to the matters at hand. He saw the Widow trying to make a break for the door. His finger closed over the trigger, and he shot into the floor next to her, wanting to frighten her into complying with him. He couldn’t lose her after waiting so long.
She raised her hands as if she were surrendering. The black, beaded bag dangled from her left wrist. Her right hand was inside the bag. Kathleen shouted Edith’s name for some reason. A blow slammed into his chest. His hand jerked up. His finger tightened on the trigger. The gun fired, then fell from his hand. He couldn’t breathe. As he crumpled forward, the light in the room faded away.
Voices called his name from a distance. He heard Kathleen. Opening his mouth, Quinn tried to speak to her, but the sound wouldn’t come. In the dimness he felt a presence. Peace stole over him. Was he dying? If so, he didn’t seem to care. Somehow, he knew everything would be all right.
A wave of pain washed over him. His left side ached as if he’d been kicked by a mule. Booted feet clumped on the floor near his head. Hands touched him. Voices spoke, hazy, but getting clearer. The room began to come into focus.
“I think he’s coming to.” A man’s voice spoke.
Kathleen knelt beside him. Her veil had fallen off. He’d never seen a more beautiful sight than the star-shaped mark on her cheek.
“Quinn, can you hear me?” Her beautiful lips formed the words. Fascinated with the way she spoke, he wished to stay still and watch her. She didn’t seem to have the same desire. Her hand cupped his cheek. “Quinn, you were shot, but you’re okay. She had a derringer in her bag. Because of the papers, the bullet only penetrated the skin. Doc Meyer already popped the lead out.”
Memories of what happened flooded over him. He tried to get up. What happened to the Veiled Widow? Was she getting away?
Kathleen pushed down on him. “Quinn, stop.” The sharpness of her voice halted him. “Don’t worry. You shot her. She’s alive, and the doc is looking at her.”
“Am I hit bad?” Quinn knew with certainty he didn’t want to die. He wanted a long life. A life filled with days spent with Kathleen and a family.
She smiled. “I’ve never seen a better example of God’s protection than this.” She held up a thick sheaf of folded papers. They were the Scriptures she’d copied. He’d read them, folded them tightly, and put them in his inside vest pocket. He remembered thinking they were so thick folded up that they made the vest bulge out. The center of the papers held a bullet hole. The Word of God had slowed the bullet. Once more, the preacher’s message came rushing back to him.
Gritting his teeth, Quinn eased up to his feet. A trickle of blood stained his shirt. He refused to consider what would have happened if her gun had been a bigger caliber or if he’d been standing closer. By tomorrow, he’d be sporting a whopper of a bruise. He could see Doc Meyer working on the woman. He took a step in that direction when Kathleen halted him.
“Quinn.” She waited for him to look at her. “It’s Edith—Miss Barstow.”
He glanced over at Doc, then at Kathleen. Had he heard right?
“Edith is the criminal you’ve been looking for. I didn’t figure it all out until I saw her here. Then I knew. When I put her things away, I found the guns in her valise. That’s how I knew she had the little, hidden derringer. I tried to warn you.”
“I don’t understand. Why was she traveling with her sister?”
“No one knows.” Kathleen’s eyes reflected such sadness, he couldn’t resist taking her hand. “If she doesn’t live, we may never know.”
“Your veil.” Quinn brushed a finger across Kathleen’s velvety cheek. “Where is it?” She smiled, and he couldn’t breathe.
“Glory gave me a tongue lashing that I sorely needed. I realized I needed to trust God to protect me from mean comments. I had to quit hiding. It’s been hard, but these people are wonderful.” She gestured to several of the men talking in small groups at the rear of the office.
Jerking his hand away, Quinn limped across to where Doc worked on Edith. Doc gave him a grim prognosis, and Quinn stalked from the room, ignoring the hurt look on Kathleen’s face. He couldn’t stay longer. Every time something happened lately, he had to hear about God’s protection. God, won’t You leave me alone? My life was fine, but now I don’t even know which way to turn.
A chill wind blew down the street, making Quinn wish he’d put on his jacket. Standing outside the meeting hall, he could hear the people singing. He didn’t want to go inside. This was the last service before the preacher moved on. An invisible force seemed to drag him here. For several nights, he hadn’t slept well. He felt like he was in the middle of a battle, and he didn’t know which side would win.
Ever since Edith Barstow had died from the gunshot wound he’d accidentally inflicted on her, he’d avoided all the people he cared about. The desire to see Kathleen had become a physical ache over the days. A sense of justice kept him from seeking her out. He didn’t think he could keep from asking her to marry him; yet he knew because of his lack of faith, she would say no. He couldn’t bear that.
The music ended. Quiet settled over the hall. He could almost see the lanky preacher walking to the pulpit and opening his Bible. The wind gathered behind him, pushing with enough force to make him take a step. He tried to fight. His feet seemed to have a will of their own, dragging him through the door to an empty seat in the back.
“I’d like to read a Scripture from the book of Jeremiah the prophet, chapter seventeen.” Matthew Reilly looked over the crowd, his eyes meeting Quinn’s. “ ‘Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.’ ”
I’m cursed, Lord. All this time I thought I was so smart trusting in man’s goodness. It wasn’t true. God forgive me. Quinn fought tears that threatened to overflow. He wanted to run out of the building, but he couldn’t seem to move.
“Now I want to read you the next part of that passage.” The preacher’s voice cut in on Quinn’s thoughts. “ ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ ”
Hope burned like a flame in Quinn’s heart. Lord, I want to trust in You, not in myself, not in man. I want to believe in Your protection. Help me, Lord. Forgive me for all these years of doubting You.
The service ended. Quinn heard nothing more than the passages of Scripture and the preacher asking for those to come forward who needed prayer or salvation. As if in a dream, Quinn made his way down the aisle.
Kathleen snuggled Angelina against her breast. She brushed her cheek against the sleeping infant. The touch of soft skin against hers never failed to amaze her. Glorianna gasped beside her. Kathleen glanced at her cousin. Glory had tears in her eyes. Conlon, too, had shiny eyes. Kathleen turned her gaze to the front, where the preacher knelt praying with a man. Quinn? Was that Quinn, the man she loved, kneeling at the altar? Tears ran down her cheeks as she gave her thanks to God for another miracle.
People began milling around, some making their way out. Kathleen watched as Quinn stood, spoke to the evangelist for a few minutes, then began to search the crowd. Her heart did a little dance in anticipation. Quinn’s eyes met hers. He smiled, and she knew. She knew without a doubt that he loved her as much as she loved him. She handed Angelina to Glory. As the crowd thinned and they could see one another better, Kathleen watched Quinn mouth the words that made her heart sing. “I love you.”
Epilogue
Gripping the side of the buggy with one hand, Kathleen stared out at the velvety, green grass and trees lining the road. Her other hand rested on the small mound of her stomach. She smiled at Quinn, reveling in the love that shone in his eyes. They’d been married six months, and she’d finally agreed to go with him to visit his family.
“Are you …”
“Kathleen, for the thousandth time, I’m sure my family will love you just as you are and just as much as I do.” Putting his hat on the seat, he pulled the buggy to a stop and kissed her. “I think you keep asking me that just so I’ll stop and kiss you.” His eyes twinkled.
She could feel her face flame. “I do not.” She wrinkled her nose at him. “Well, you don’t seem to be complaining.”
He kissed her again. “You’re right; I don’t.” He rattled the reins, urging the horses to go. “We’ll be there in about half an hour.”
