Read Online Jodi Thomas by The Lone Texan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: The Lone Texan
Ads: Link
tomorrow.”
“No.” She gripped his hand. “I have to tell you something.” Her words were muffled by the swollen jaw and lips, but he could hear the desperation in her tone.
“I’m listening,” he answered, holding the bandaged hand without closing his fingers.
“Meg?” Sage tried again just as gently.
“I’ll rest,” the woman promised. “But first I have to talk to Roak alone.”
Sage hesitated, then said, “All right.” Without another word, she motioned Bonnie to follow her out of the room.
When the door closed, Roak leaned closer to Meg. “Tell me now.”
Her swollen eyes were only open a slit, but he knew she was taking in his worth. “The two men you killed were not the leaders.”
He’d already figured that out and planned to tell the captain when he had time. “I know. I heard them talk of a boss. Someone else must be planning the raids.”
She patted his hand. “It wasn’t a raid. They came after us. They came to kill all the males. I just got in the way.”
He nodded slowly, trying to understand. He’d already wondered why one ranch was all that had been hit. He figured it must be the first, and others were between the Smith place and the border. Usually raiders came in and hit several fast and hard, sometimes only stealing cattle in the night, and by morning they’d be miles away. They didn’t stay around long enough to sleep or to torture folks.
Meg continued, “They didn’t come to rob. They wanted my husband and my sons. They were planning to make it look like a raid so that no one, including the Rangers, would ask too many questions. They talked openly about their plan because they knew they’d be leaving me and Andy dead within hours.”
He thought he heard a refinement in her voice, almost an English accent blanketed in a slight southern drawl. “But . . .”
“They wanted it to cover up the murder of us all.” She cried out softly as if the effort to talk was hard.
“But why?” Drum asked.
She leaned her head to the side against a pillow.
“Why?”
Her voice was so weak he could barely hear her. “When the man who wants us dead finds out the boys are still alive, he’ll send more men to kill them. He won’t stop. He’ll never stop until the bloodline is wiped off the earth.”
Roak didn’t understand why, but he believed the woman. “What can I do?”
“Keep my boys safe,” she whispered, out of breath and energy. “Keep them safe.”
“I promise.”
She nodded once and curled around the pillow at her side, like a child going to sleep.
He tried to ask more. He even called her name, but she didn’t answer. Her bruised cheek rested against the lace pillow, and he wondered if she’d been beautiful, for even battered, she had a delicacy about her.
Sage stepped back into the room when he called and checked on her patient. Drum stood back, wishing he knew more about why someone would hate a family so much that he wanted them all dead. It couldn’t have been for money; the Smith family barely had enough to run the farm. Hate could run deep, but Drum doubted it could run deep enough to kill two little boys for something their father had done.
“She’s gone,” Sage said calmly as if the woman had simply left the room.
Drum backed to the door and watched Bonnie and Sage pull the sheet over Meg’s face and straighten it as carefully as a mother straightens her daughter’s wedding veil. He couldn’t watch any longer; he stormed from the room and didn’t stop until he made it to the cool darkness at the corner of the wide porch.
The town was quiet with few lamps still lit. The cloudy day had settled over the streets, and rain hung in the air as if debating falling. When this storm came, it would be a bull. Roak hoped he’d be somewhere dry to wait it out, only the way his luck was running, he’d probably be hit by the lightning.
He took a deep breath. One good thing, in this kind of night, this kind of darkness, he felt safe. When he’d
“No.” She gripped his hand. “I have to tell you something.” Her words were muffled by the swollen jaw and lips, but he could hear the desperation in her tone.
“I’m listening,” he answered, holding the bandaged hand without closing his fingers.
“Meg?” Sage tried again just as gently.
“I’ll rest,” the woman promised. “But first I have to talk to Roak alone.”
Sage hesitated, then said, “All right.” Without another word, she motioned Bonnie to follow her out of the room.
When the door closed, Roak leaned closer to Meg. “Tell me now.”
Her swollen eyes were only open a slit, but he knew she was taking in his worth. “The two men you killed were not the leaders.”
He’d already figured that out and planned to tell the captain when he had time. “I know. I heard them talk of a boss. Someone else must be planning the raids.”
She patted his hand. “It wasn’t a raid. They came after us. They came to kill all the males. I just got in the way.”
He nodded slowly, trying to understand. He’d already wondered why one ranch was all that had been hit. He figured it must be the first, and others were between the Smith place and the border. Usually raiders came in and hit several fast and hard, sometimes only stealing cattle in the night, and by morning they’d be miles away. They didn’t stay around long enough to sleep or to torture folks.
Meg continued, “They didn’t come to rob. They wanted my husband and my sons. They were planning to make it look like a raid so that no one, including the Rangers, would ask too many questions. They talked openly about their plan because they knew they’d be leaving me and Andy dead within hours.”
He thought he heard a refinement in her voice, almost an English accent blanketed in a slight southern drawl. “But . . .”
“They wanted it to cover up the murder of us all.” She cried out softly as if the effort to talk was hard.
“But why?” Drum asked.
She leaned her head to the side against a pillow.
“Why?”
Her voice was so weak he could barely hear her. “When the man who wants us dead finds out the boys are still alive, he’ll send more men to kill them. He won’t stop. He’ll never stop until the bloodline is wiped off the earth.”
Roak didn’t understand why, but he believed the woman. “What can I do?”
“Keep my boys safe,” she whispered, out of breath and energy. “Keep them safe.”
“I promise.”
She nodded once and curled around the pillow at her side, like a child going to sleep.
He tried to ask more. He even called her name, but she didn’t answer. Her bruised cheek rested against the lace pillow, and he wondered if she’d been beautiful, for even battered, she had a delicacy about her.
Sage stepped back into the room when he called and checked on her patient. Drum stood back, wishing he knew more about why someone would hate a family so much that he wanted them all dead. It couldn’t have been for money; the Smith family barely had enough to run the farm. Hate could run deep, but Drum doubted it could run deep enough to kill two little boys for something their father had done.
“She’s gone,” Sage said calmly as if the woman had simply left the room.
Drum backed to the door and watched Bonnie and Sage pull the sheet over Meg’s face and straighten it as carefully as a mother straightens her daughter’s wedding veil. He couldn’t watch any longer; he stormed from the room and didn’t stop until he made it to the cool darkness at the corner of the wide porch.
The town was quiet with few lamps still lit. The cloudy day had settled over the streets, and rain hung in the air as if debating falling. When this storm came, it would be a bull. Roak hoped he’d be somewhere dry to wait it out, only the way his luck was running, he’d probably be hit by the lightning.
He took a deep breath. One good thing, in this kind of night, this kind of darkness, he felt safe. When he’d
Similar Books
