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toward the road and urged the gelding into a trot.
* * *
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Holly Harte
Blu went to the sheriff s office in Brownwood first, not that he
expected Duncan to be there at such a late hour, so finding the place
deserted came as no surprise. Then he checked the saloons but came
up empty, and nobody he asked had seen Duncan that evening. Next
he went to the man s house, a small place at the edge of town. Again
nothing. Cursing his luck, he headed back to the main street, not sure
where to continue his search.
When he noticed a group of men gathered in front of the sheriff s
office, he turned Mouse in that direction. As he drew closer, he recog-
nized Wyck and Sorley. The other three men had to be the Rangers
Wyck had helped to bring down the wire-cutting ring.
He pulled Mouse to a halt, then dismounted. Wyck and Sorley
broke away from the group and came toward him.
Any luck? Wyck said.
Blu shook his head. Couldn t find hide nor hair of the bastard.
Sorley pursed his lips thoughtfully, then said You don t think he
had an inkling about what was going on tonight and lit outta here,
do ya?
Possible, I reckon, but I doubt it. The more I think about it, I don t
think he ever planned to be there tonight. The way I read him, he just
wants to be in charge. Not once has he actually done what he orders
the other men to do. Cut wire. Butcher steers. Rustle horses.
Wyck and Sorley both nodded, then Wyck said, What re ya fig-
urin on doing now?
Blu rubbed the side of his jaw. Continue searching. But first I m
going back to the ranch. I wanna tell Delana what happened tonight
before I start looking for Duncan again.
She know yer a Ranger? Sorley said.
He nodded. Listen, Sorley, I need yer word about something. I m
gonna tell her to come to you if anything happens to me. And I want
you to make sure she gets to St. Louis.
What s this talk about something happenin to you and her needin
to get to St. Louis? Ain t you come to yer senses yet and offered to make
an honest woman outta that gal? If you can t tell she loves you, you
must be blind in one eye and can t see outta the other.
Blu stiffened. I know how she feels about me. And not that it s any
of yer damn business, but I haven t decided what I m gonna do about
it. Yet. For now, I just need you to tell me that if something goes wrong
226
The Ranger
and I don t make it back here, you ll watch out for her. So will you give
me your word or not?
Sorley stared at him long and hard, then finally bobbed his head in
agreement before turning and walking away.
Wyck watched the older man for several seconds, then shifted his
gaze back to Blu. I don t know nothing about this Delana woman,
and I don t want ya to think I m hornin in where I ain t wanted. But
I ve got something to add to what McGregor just said.
Blu crossed his arms over his chest. Fine. Spill it.
The love of a fine woman is something you shouldn t take for
granted, Blu, and you sure as hell shouldn t toss it aside. I know,
cause I let my own foolish pride get in the way, and I ended up losing
the best thing that ever happened to me. He stared down the street
for a few seconds, apparently lost in thought, then his shoulders rip-
pled with a shuddering breath. Don t do like I did, he said in a soft
voice, and make a mistake you ll live to regret.
Before Blu could think of anything to say in response, Wyck turned
and followed after Sorley.
Jesus, Blu muttered. Everybody s got advice they just gotta share.
But as he swung back into his saddle, he couldn t dismiss what either
of his friends had said. Their words remained lodged in his mind,
adding to the confusing thoughts already swirling there.
227
Twenty-One
Delana heard the pounding of hooves in the stillness of the night,
rousing her from her thoughts. She hadn t gone to bed, hadn t even con-
sidered trying to sleep, but waited in her usual spot in the hall at the rear
of the house. Blu had never been out this late dawn was only an hour
away and her worry had grown with each passing minute.
When Blu brought Mouse to a skidding halt a few feet away, she
drew a shaky breath, weak with relief that he d returned safely. For-
getting about their last conversation for the moment, she got to her
feet and rushed toward him.
Blu, what happened? Were the men in the wire-cutting ring
arrested?
He jumped to the ground and practically ran past her on his way
into the house. Yeah, I don t have time to tell ya all the details. But
Duncan didn t show up, so I ve gotta keep looking for him.
Looking for him? she said, trying to keep up with his long strides.
You already tried to find him?
Yeah, but he wasn t anywhere I checked. So I ll head back to town
and start over. If he still doesn t turn up, maybe I ll find some clue
about where he went.
He went fishing.
Thanks for the suggestion, he said, grabbing several boxes of car-
tridges from a dresser drawer, but I doubt that s where he
He needed to get away for a few days, so he went fishing.
He turned around to face her. Mind telling me just how the hell
you know that?
I know, she replied, taking a calming breath, because May Soren-
son said that s where he went.
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The Ranger
Blu s eyes narrowed. And May knows that . . . how?
While you were gone, I went with Addie to help the Ladies Aid
Society work on a quilt. They re going to raffle it off at She cleared
her throat. Anyway, May was there, and during the conversation, I
found out she s been keeping company with the sheriff. When one of
the other ladies mentioned not seeing Sheriff Duncan around lately,
May said he d left town the day before. He told her he had a lot on his
mind and needed to clear his head, so he was going fishing. He s sup-
posed to be back late tomorrow, because May s fixing supper for him.
Blu closed his gaping mouth, apparently considering her reply.
Finally, he said, Well, uh, that might be helpful, but there are proba-
bly lots of places to fish around here. I wouldn t know where to start
looking.
There s a little cabin on Pecan Bayou, north of town about ten
miles. That s his favorite fishing spot.
And that just happened to come out in the conversation?
No, actually, I asked May where he went. At his shocked expres-
sion, she said, I told her you liked to fish and would like a suggestion
on a good location. She shrugged. Since we aren t from around here,
she had no idea I wanted the information in case it would help our
investigation. The sheriff
Our investigation! God damn it, Delana, this is my investigation,
and I told you to stay out of it.
Yes, well, it became my investigation, too, when I realized I m
carrying a child. Her chin tilted in an all-too-familiar angle. Our
child. And I wasn t going to let your warning stop me from doing
whatever I could to prevent our son or daughter from growing up
without a father.
Blu opened his mouth to make a scathing retort, couldn t think of
anything to counter what she d said, then snapped his jaw shut.
So, as I was saying, she said, the sheriff took May for a carriage
ride near his cabin not long ago, so she told me exactly where it s
located. She gave him a smug smile. As it turns out, I m glad I did.
He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Please don t tell me
you were asking questions all over town that might help my . . . er . . .
our investigation?
Don t be silly. I knew better than that. She flashed him a quick
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