Outlaw's Lady Read online

  Slade glanced down to find her staring up at him. Their gazes met and locked. It was a spellbinding moment for him. All around them the townspeople seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them, moving gracefully to the rhythm of the sensuous music. He did not look away, but held her gaze as they continued to dance.

  The whole dance seemed otherworldly to Alyssa, too, as she allowed herself to be mesmerized by this haunting stranger. She was logical and self-possessed by nature, and she found it hard to believe that this was happening to her. Even so, she didn't fight it. The moment was too special, too important. She was here, in this man's arms, and they were moving together as if they were meant to be one.

  Alyssa was enthralled. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before. The heat of his hand at her waist as he guided her and the strength of his fingers holding hers set her heart to pounding. She could feel the power of him where her palm rested on his shoulder. He was everything she'd ever dreamed of in a man. This dance with him was heavenly.

  And then the music stopped.

  They stood, just gazing at each other, for a moment. It seemed to last an eternity, but she knew it was really only a matter of seconds. And then he spoke.

  "Thank you for the dance," he said in a low voice.

  "You're welcome," she answered, still caught up in the enchantment of the moment.

  It wasn't easy for Slade, but he turned and walked away from her, across the dance floor, out of the lighted area and into the shadows. He knew he'd been crazy to dance with her so publicly, but he'd had to do it. Now, it was over. He had to get out of there, and fast. He'd taken too big a chance already.

  Alyssa couldn't just let him leave like that. She found herself following him. She wanted to know more about him-who he was, where he'd come from, when she would see him again.

  "Wait-" she said, and she was startled to find that her voice sounded breathless and almost sultry.

  Slade turned back to her as the music started up again. He wanted to stay. He ached to take her in his arms again and dance with her all night. But he couldn't. He'd forsaken that life when he'd become an operative.

  "I have to go," he said simply. "Good-bye, lovely lady."

  She was a vision as she stood before him, and the confused, questioning look in her eyes touched something deep within him. Slade could no more have stopped himself from what he did next than he could have stopped breathing. He reached out to her and drew her to him.

  Alyssa thought they were going to dance again, and she went willingly into his arms. Instead of dancing, though, her mystery man took a step back even deeper into the shadows of the warm, dark night. And then, as the sounds of the music and revelry swirled around them, he kissed her. It was a quick and passionate exchange that stunned them both with its power and left them breathless and enthralled.

  Slade broke off the kiss and stepped away from her, knowing that if he didn't leave her immediately, he might never be able to go. "Good-bye again, lovely lady."

  "Good-bye? But you can't just go-" she blurted out, frowning as she tried to understand why he was leaving when they had the whole night ahead of them. "Will I see you again?"

  "No."

  His answer was gently spoken, but there was a flash of some emotion in his eyes-sorrow? pain?-that Alyssa couldn't quite identify. Before she could say more, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing alone. She started after him, wanting to stop him from going, but he had disappeared into the crowd. There was no sign that he'd ever been there.

  It shocked Alyssa to realize how powerfully she'd just reacted to a perfect stranger... and he had been perfect. She'd never been attracted to anyone like this before. She remained where she was, staring off into the crowd, haunted by the image of her mystery man and the wonder of his kiss.

  "Who was that?" Emily asked as she escaped her suitors long enough to speak with her sister for a moment.

  "I don't know," Alyssa answered distractedly. "He appeared out of nowhere and asked me to dance. He seemed nice enough, but I never did learn his name." "Nice enough" didn't come close to describing what she was really feeling for him.

  "Pity. He was good-looking. I'll ask around. Maybe somebody knows who he was."

  "I'd like to know," she said softly.

  "You would?" Emily looked at her in surprise. Her sister had never shown such interest in a man before.

  Alyssa realized what she'd revealed, but didn't care. "Yes, I would."

  A woman on a mission, Emily returned to her suitors, hoping to learn the identity of the handsome stranger who'd danced with her sister.

  Slade shouldered his way through the crowd, heading back to where he'd left his horse. It was time to go. He'd delayed too long already.

  "That was one fine-lookin' woman you were dancin' with. I'd like a piece of that."

  Zeke Malone's voice came to him out of the darkness. Slade couldn't believe the other man had been there watching him, and he didn't like it.

  "Forget it," Slade told him. "There's no time."

  "We can make time. Go back and get her to dance with you again. She'd do it. She looked like she liked you a lot. Hell, she even kissed you... a good little girl like that." There was a suggestive, lewd quality to his words. "Then when you're done dancin', just lure her over here, so I can get a taste of that sweet meat."

  "Let's go, Zeke." Slade kept walking.

  Zeke stayed where he was. He was hot for the blond woman-real hot. "I'd let you have her first, if that's what's bothering you. It wouldn't take much to shut her up, and as noisy as it is, nobody'd know what we'd done 'til we were long gone."

  Slade had been on edge all night, and Zeke's animal ways sickened him. "No. She's not for the likes of us."

  "The hell she ain't! Just look at her! I'd love to see her naked! I just bet she's got some pretty-"

  He didn't get any further before Slade's temper erupted. Slade turned and hit the other outlaw to shut him up. The force of the blow sent Zeke sprawling to the ground. Slade was glad they were in a darkened alley, a short distance away from the crowd, so no one saw them.

  "I said no, Zeke." His tone was deadly.

  Slade walked off, leaving the man lying in the dirt swearing under his breath.

  Zeke's rage was so great that his hand went to his side arm. There had been something about Braxton that he'd despised from the first time they'd met, and he was tempted to shoot him in the back right now for what he'd done. Only the thought of facing the Kid's fury if he caused any trouble in town tonight stopped him from killing the other gunfighter.

  Swearing under his breath, Zeke got up slowly and dusted himself off before following him. One day, he vowed to himself, he was going to get even with Slade Braxton.

  Slade and Zeke met up with the Kid on schedule and told him what they'd learned. Neither spoke of the incident over the woman. That was private, just between the two of them. The Kid had found a safe place to camp for the night, so they bedded down some time after midnight to try to get some rest.

  Slade didn't sleep, though. He expected trouble from Zeke at any time. He lay awake, staring up at the starry sky. Thoughts of his lovely lady stayed with him through the long, dark hours. He would never see her again. He knew that. His dance with her and their forbidden kiss had been a momentary lapse of his usually rigid self-control. She was innocence and all that was good and sweet in life. She had no place in his godless existence.

  "I couldn't find out anything about your mysterious, handsome stranger," Emily told Alyssa later that night as they got ready for bed.

  "No one knew who he was?" She was surprised; she'd thought surely someone in town would at least know his name.

  She shook her head. "And I asked all of them. Nobody had ever seen him before."

  Alyssa sighed. "Thanks."

  "You really liked him, didn't you?"

  She thought for a moment before answering. "Yes ...yes I did. There was something about him..."

  Emily grinned impishly and h
er eyes were twinkling.

  "What are you so happy about?" Alyssa demanded, trying to hide her disappointment at the news.

  "It's good to know that under your studious, serious exterior beats the heart of a flesh-and-blood woman!"

  "Oh, you!"

  "Now you know why I like to flirt so much. Men can be such fun! Why, just trying to figure them out could take a lifetime!"

  "I wasn't trying to figure him out-"

  "All the better. That means you really were attracted to him."

  "He was handsome, wasn't he?"

  "Very, in a rugged sort of way," Emily agreed. "Maybe he'll be back."

  "He said he wouldn't. He said I'd never see him again."

  "Maybe he intended to leave, but having danced with you, he'll be so intrigued now that he won't be able to stay away."

  "You've been reading too many Sheridan St. John dime novels!" Alyssa teased, knowing how her sister loved that author's Wild West romances.

  "I could never read too many! In fact, she just started a whole new series! Her new hero is Brand, the Half-Breed Scout, and is he ever wonderful! You really ought to read one, Alyssa. You just might like them."

  "Maybe I will-one day."

  "You've been saying that forever. You don't know what you're missing-handsome heroes, beautiful heroines, good guys and bad guys, and the good guys always win. Romances are wonderful."

  "Good night, Emily," Alyssa said, laughing at her hopelessly romantic sister as she headed For her own bedroom.

  "Good night." Just as she was about to close her own bedroom door, Emily called out softly, "And Alyssa?"

  "What?"

  "I hope he comes back. I hope you get to see him again."

  "I do, too."

  As Alyssa went to bed, she wondered if her sister's beloved "happily ever after" endings ever happened in real life.

  Morning came far too quickly for Slade's peace of mind, but he was ready. If nothing else, he was a professional. He would do whatever his job demanded of him, and he would do it to the best of his ability. They expected no less of him back at the agency. He was considered their top operative. Though he was proud of the distinction, right now it was an honor that weighed heavily upon him.

  "This should be an easy one," the Kid said as they got ready to ride for Black Springs. "Some of the boys will be keeping a lookout around the outskirts of town. Johnson and Nash will be holding the horses and keeping an eye on things outside the bank. Slade, Zeke and me will do the actual robbing."

  Zeke smiled. He wondered if anyone would suspect anything if a stray bullet took Slade in the back while they were making their escape from town. He'd been thinking about it all night. Surely no one would suspect him with all the bullets that would be flying.

  "Let's ride," Johnson said eagerly. He was the Kid's closest friend in the gang and would have followed the outlaw leader into hell and back, if he'd asked him to.

  They mounted up and made their way toward town. They dismounted in the alley close to the bank. Leaving the horses with Johnson and Nash as planned, the Kid, Zeke and Slade covered half their faces with their bandannas and moved swiftly inside the building.

  "This is a holdup!" the Kid announced, his guns drawn and ready.

  Slade and Zeke had their guns out, too. Zeke quickly collected a bag of money from the teller.

  "Don't anybody make a move! If you do, I'll shoot you where you stand," Zeke threatened.

  A female customer who'd been cashing a bank draft cried out in terror and fainted dead away. Les Anderson, another customer, started to go to her aid, but the Kid turned his gun on him and he stopped. With no one to catch her, the woman fell heavily to the floor and lay still. Tom York, the bank president, had stood up behind his desk at the first sign of trouble, but he was helpless to stop the robbery.

  "You'll never get away with this!" he told them, outraged.

  "But we already have." The Kid laughed. "Let's go, boys. We don't want to waste too much time here."

  They backed from the room, keeping their guns out. They were in the street and running for their horses when Tom York came charging outside after them.

  "Help! Help! The bank's been robbed!" he shouted.

  John Mason had been about to enter his office a short distance down the street when he heard Tom call for help. Not caring that he wasn't armed, John ran to his friend's aid.

  Johnson had brought the horses around, and they had all just mounted up when they saw John running toward them. Slade could see that the man was un armed, and he feared that one of the others might shoot him down anyway. He rode toward him, trying to block any shots at him, but giving the impression that he was going to take the man out himself.

  Shots erupted from the far end of the street, and the gang realized word had gotten out and the sheriff was coming after them. They started to gallop down the street, firing back wildly. Townspeople came running out of their shops and homes to see what was going on.

  Zeke had been waiting for just this chance to pay Slade back. He fired in Slade's direction as he spurred his horse to follow the Kid's. He did not look back, thinking he'd hit him. He wasn't worried whether the other gunman was dead or not. If he'd just wounded Slade, it would slow him down enough for the law to capture him. The thought of Slade in jail made Zeke smile.

  Slade watched in horror as the man he'd been trying to protect was hit by a shot that had come from somewhere behind him. He whirled his horse around to see Zeke riding away at full speed. With the sheriff closing in on him, Slade leaned low over his horse's neck and raced after the rest of the gang. The memory of the man he'd been trying to shield lying wounded in the street haunted him.

  Rob was cursing as he kept shooting at the fleeing bank robbers. When he realized that they were out of range and it was pointless, he stopped and slid his gun back into his holster in disgust. Deputy Clemans ran up just then, gun in hand.

  "Go get our horses and gather a posse. We're go ing after them!" Rob ordered. Then he glanced toward where John lay unmoving and realized his friend's wound was serious. "But first, send for the doc! And someone go get Loretta!"

  Rob went to where Tom was kneeling beside John.

  "How is he?"

  Tom looked up, his face showing all the pain and fury he was feeling over what had happened. "He's dead."

  Rob knelt down beside John, too. He'd been taught from the time he was little not to show any emotion, but there could be no denying the tears that burned in his eyes. John Mason had been a good friend to him. Men didn't come any finer than John.

  "I swear to God, Tom," he said in a choked voice as he looked over at the bank manager, "no matter how long it takes me, I'm going to find those bastards and see them hang!"

  The townspeople began to gather around. The doctor reached them just as they heard Loretta's voice coming from down the street near the general store as Deputy Clemans brought her to them.

  "What's wrong? Where's John? Why won't you tell me where he is?"

  The crowd parted for her, and then she saw her husband.

  Three Weeks Later

  Slade Braxton's well-honed instinct for survival was screaming a warning as he followed the other members of the Dakota Kid's gang down the narrow trail through the rocky gorge. An uneasiness settled over him. He grew more watchful, slowing his pace and lagging behind. He let his gaze sweep the steep, craggy walls of the canyon area ahead. Something wasn't right.... He wondered if anyone else had noticed, but they were riding on, seemingly unaware of any danger. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, Slade drew his sidearm and rested it against his thigh. If there was trouble, he would be ready.

  And then Slade saw it-the glint of sunlight off a rifle barrel in the rocks high above them. He wasn't sure who was watching them-he could only hope.

  As if realizing they'd been seen, the hidden gunmen unleashed a barrage upon the outlaws below them.

  Any hope Slade had had that those watching were with the agency died as the shots struck close around
him. These attackers were shooting to kill-and they were aiming at him.

  "Let's get out of here!" he shouted, knowing escape back the way they'd just come was their only salvation.

  Slade pivoted his mount and raised his gun, ready to take out any of the ambushers he could. He sighted one and took aim. As he did, though, he caught sight of the star on the man's chest. Slade cursed under his breath and deliberately shot wide. He wanted to send the man back into hiding-not kill him. The sheriff dove for cover, giving Slade the chance he needed to head back up the trail.

  Nash and Johnson, the two members of the gang who'd been riding closest to Slade, followed his lead. They'd seen several of their comrades fall ahead of them and knew they'd be trapped if they tried to keep following the Kid through the gorge. Spurring their mounts, they raced after Slade.

  But there would be no escape for them. Rob Emerson had planned his ambush perfectly. As the outlaws made a break for open ground, the sheriff of Black Springs sent a huge boulder rolling down to block their path. He watched as they reacted like cornered animals, and he smiled with feral intensity. It was just what the damned killers deserved. They were lucky he didn't shoot them down right now like the murdering dogs they were.

  "We've got you surrounded. Throw down your guns and give up now!" Rob shouted.

  Johnson and Nash whirled their mounts toward the sound of the voice and fired in his direction. Return fire came from both sides of the canyon. A round took Nash squarely in the shoulder. He lost his seat and fell. Writhing on the ground in misery, he called out to Johnson and Slade for help.

  Slade silently cursed. He'd almost been ready to bring the Kid and his gang in, and now-

  "There ain't no place to run!" the lawman repeated. "Throw your guns down and put your hands up, and we'll let you live!"

  Trapped and facing certain death if they tried to fight their way out, Slade and Johnson knew they had no choice.

  "Who the hell are they?" Johnson snarled in angry frustration as he tossed his rifle and handgun out where the posse could see them.