Slater Bros: Apache Summer Part 37

"So you're not planning on marriage."

"I try not to plan on anything."

She was at her dresser, brus.h.i.+ng her hair. He slipped behind her, his chest still naked, and pulled her against him.

He whispered against her ear.

"What if you're already with child?"

She turned and faced him, looking him up and down. "You're nicely built, intelligent, I think, and your brothers don't seem to have too many flaws.

If I have a child, it should be a darling one." She swung around to continue to brush her hair.

He laughed as he donned his s.h.i.+rt and socks and boots. "Tess, you are a h.e.l.lion," he told her.

She smiled sweetly.

"I just do the best I can with what I've got, Lieutenant. I'm going down for breakfast. I'm sure Dolly and Jane got things started very early with all those 273 little children to feed. And I do want to be at the paper by eight. I've got to teach Kristin and Shannon how to work the press."

"I'm right with you," Jamie told her. But when she would have exited the room, he pulled her back.

"We do things my way, remember."

"I remember," she said coolly. "Everything."

"Meaning?"

"I'll tell you later," was all he said.

He stepped past her and hurried down the stairs. She followed him, convinced that he had only stopped her to prove to her that he could be down first.

Dolly and Jane were busy with the children, and they seemed like a couple of doting old aunts. Dolly beamed at Jamie.

"I just can't wait until it's one of your little bundles I'm holding, Lieutenant!" she said. Of course she wasn't really holding Shannon's daughter--the child was squirming away, ready to chase a little string ball that was rolling across the floor.

"Yeah, soon enough, Dolly," Jamie said sweetly. To Tess's surprise he winked at her.

"Coffee!"

A cup was shoved into her hand by Malachi.

"Jamie," he said, "I've told Hank to tal~ Dolly and Jane and the children down to the storm cellar once we've gone. They're invisible there." "Fine," Jamie said.

"Dolly?"

"I understand, Lieutenant, I understand perfectly."

"I'll watch them," Hank promised.

"Me and the hands, we'll stay in and down in the cellar with the children."

"Is everybody ready?" Jamie asked. He swallowed his coffee and set the cup on the table, then everyone was hurrying out.

The children were taken to the cellar, and Dolly waved a cheerful hand to Tess.

"You take care, missy, you hear?"

"Yes, Dolly, I promise! Thank you!"

Dolly disappeared into the storm cellar, and Hank followed, closing the door over them. Cole and Kristin stamped the dirt around so the opening was invisible. By then Jon was coming around with the wagon, and Kristin and Shannon and Tess climbed up with him. The Slater brothers mounted their horses. Tess was aware that each was wearing a gun belt with two Colts.

Each also had another gun attached to a saddle. They were well-armed, but managed to remain nonchalant.

Tess froze, praying that she wouldn't bring about one of these men's deaths.

It was her fight. Her own. She had no right to get these men killed.

Maybe nothing would happen today. Maybe yon Heusen would lie low.

Maybe he would take his time to attack her again. She had written the truth once. After today, maybe more people would believe her. He couldn't kill everyone.

"Why don't you explain the press while we ride?" Jon suggested to her.

Tess gave him a grateful smile. If she talked, she would relax.

"It's a small press, really, compared with many of the innovations they're coming up with today. But it's a small town, and we're a small paper. We set the type in a box called a chase. We tap our letters and words in with wooden mallets, ink the set type, then roll the papers through. It's very simple." She was just warming to the subject when Jon's voice interrupted her softly.

"The town is quiet today."

It was quiet. The streets were deserted. Not that it was usually busy at this time of the morning, but there was no one around. No one at all.

"Well," Tess murmured.

"There's, uh, there's the paper over there.

See, Wilts.h.i.+re Sun. The place with all the windows broken out," she added drily.

"Well, you can set to typing your story while Kristin and I sweep up,"

Shannon said.

Tess nodded. There was a giant lump in her throat, though. Why was the town so d.a.m.ned deserted?

Jon stopped directly in front of the paper. Jamie had already dismounted, and he was watching the silent buildings for any sign of movement. Malachi came to the wagon and helped the women down.

"Get into the office," Jamie ordered curtly. Tess didn't argue but did as he told her. Shannon and Kristin followed her.

"Will you look at this mess!" Kristin said, clicking her tongue.

"I should help you," d Tess said.

"Will you please go type! We can handle this," Kristin said.

Tess nodded and walked to her desk and typewriter. She dusted fragments of gla.s.s from her chair and blew it from her papers and rolled a blank sheet into her typewriter. She stared at it for just one second, then her fingers began to fly. She had a lot to say. A h.e.l.l of a lot. Time moved quickly.

Kristin and Shannon moved around the room competently, and their presence didn't disturb Tess in the least. She was just getting to the part where Jeremiah and David had admitted their involvement with yon Heusen when she heard a shout in the street.

The three of them froze. The shout came again. "Tess! Tess Stuart! We know you're in there! And you're under arrest."

"Under arrest!" Tess gasped.

Then she heard Jamie respond from beyond the window, his voice harsh and firm as he met the threat.

"It's the sheriff, I think!" Shannon said, peeking around a broken window.

Tess joined her beside the window, and nodded. "She's under arrest for what?" Jamie demanded.

"Slander and murder."

"Murder!"

"She killed two of Mr. von Heusen's men. She tricked them out into the open fields. I've witnesses to that effect.

Then she shot them down cold."

Jamie let loose with a flaming oath. Then he was striding out to meet the sheriff face to face. Tess gripped the window frame.

"This is bull, and you know it. Von Heusen set you up to this. You're just a hired gun, like any other of his thugs."

"You shut your mouth, Slater. You're under arrest, too."

"For what?"

"Conspiracy to commit murder."

"Well, I'll tell you what, Sheriff, you just try to take me in ." ' Tess was never quite sure what propelled her, but before anyone could stop her, she was racing out to the street, streaking toward Jamie. She caught his arm and faced the sheriff, furious.

"Don't you even think it! Don't you even try to drag him down into the mud and mire that you've created with von Heusen! Arrest me if you want to so d.a.m.n badly" -- "Tess, d.a.m.n you!" Jamie swore, swinging her around behind him.

"What the h.e.l.l are you doing out here? I told you" -- "Slater, shut up,"

came a new voice.

It was von Heusen. He came striding out from the saloon, his pale eyes s.h.i.+mmering with hatred, his white hair touched by the breeze.

"Miss. Stuart," he said, addressing Tess, "you are ever valiant. But I can't wait to hang this Reb. I just can't wait."

"You aren't ever going to hang me, yon Heusen," Jamie said.

"And you aren't ever going to have that property for the railroad."

Von Heusen's brows shot up.

"So you know. You're quite a detective."

"I travel in good company," Jamie said with a shrug.

"It doesn't matter. The sheriff is my man. Aren't you, Harvey?"

"Von Heusen, don't say that," the sheriff began uneasily.

"Why? Who is going to stop us now?" yon Heusen said. "I own the sheriff, and I own the magistrate, and I can d.a.m.ned well bet you I'm going to own the executioner. You're dead, Slater. As dead as a doornail."

"No. You may own the sheriff, but I've got a few guns around the place, too, yon Heusen."

"Yeah, your brothea's and that half-breed friend of yours. It's not enough.

I've got guns all over this town."

As if to prove it, and obviously uncaring that he was about to commit murder in broad daylight, yon Heusen raised his pistol and aimed straight at Jamie's heart. But he didn't have a chance to fire. A gun cracked, and yon Heusen grabbed his hand, screaming. And the streets came alive.

There was a fearsome pounding of hooves, and war cries tore the air.

Jamie, astonished, bent low and whirled around. "Jesus!" he breathed.

The cavalry. The cavalry was coming, Sergeant Monahan in the lead.

Nor were they alone. They were traveling, curiously enough, with a small band of Indians. Apache.

"Jamie!"

Tess screamed his name and he swung around again even as the horses came tearing down the street.

Von Heusen had Tess. His right hand might be crippled and bleeding, but he held his pistol in his left hand, and the muzzle was pressed against her temple. He was backing toward the saloon.

"One more step and I blow her to kingdom come!" yon Heusen warned Jamie.

Gunfire was spitting all around him. From behind a water barrel by the Wilts.h.i.+re Sun office Cole was picking off yon Heusen's men from the rooftops areund them. Malachi and Jon were positioned behind the wagon, which they had overturned.

And the cavalry and the Apache wee rus.h.i.+ng in to the fantastic sound of a bugle call. It was quickly obvious that von Heusen's men would not be enough.

Except that yon Heusen had Tess.

He disappeared through the swinging doors of the saloon. Jamie caught his breath, hearing ~-. ss's screams as the man dragged her upstairs.

"The roof, Jamie! The roof!" Cole called to him. He looked up. He made a leap toward the railing and swung himself up to the roof. A shot nearly made him trip and fall.

He heard someone groan and saw a man fall to the ground. He looked across the street.