Beneath The Texas Sky (32 page)

“And you never will,” Mayson laughed. “You’ll go to your grave with the knowledge that the next owner of the Weston Ranch will be me.”

While Mayson laughed, Dusty cut his eyes from Mariah to the corner of the bed. She followed his gaze to see the butt of her gun on the floor. It was half covered by falling quilts, but the gun was within three steps of her.

Dusty moved away from Mariah toward the fireplace, and Mayson followed his slow path with his gun barrel. “Smith will never take all the blame for killing your son.”

“Smith’s dead.” Mayson seemed proud of himself. “Fact of the matter is everyone who heard Smith’s confession in that shack up on the north ridge is dead, except Bethanie Weston; and I’ve got a man who can slit her throat while she sleeps without even waking up her husband. ’Course if he does wake up, all the better.”

Dusty leaned against the fireplace and cradled his
wounded shoulder. “Tell me one more thing, Mayson. Call it one last request before you shoot me. I knew it was your men killing off the cattle, but why? Why the Indian raids years ago, and why now, after all this time, the need to destroy Weston Ranch?”

“You don’t understand, but I guess you got a right to see the whole picture before you die.” Mayson leaned against the back of a chair, not noticing as Mariah took a step away from Dusty toward the bed.

Mayson’s hard black eyes seemed to look far back in time. “A few years before the war my brothers and I came to Texas hoping to make some fast money. A day after we hit Fort Worth, we decided to save time and hold up the bank. The place wasn’t much more than a general store with a safe in the back. We had the money and were in the alley when a cry rang out from the teller. I made it to my horse, but some kid walked into the bank and gunned down both my brothers before they could fire a shot…That boy was Ben Weston.”

Mayson continued as Mariah moved another step closer to the foot of the bed. “I made it down the street, but knew my old nag could never outrun Ben’s horse, and the gunshots were drawing people out of every store. I ducked into the shadows and waited for Ben to come.” Mayson smiled in self-satisfaction. “I meant to shoot him, but I shot the horse. He went flying and landed on his back with the mount coming down hard on top of him. Everyone was so worried about Ben living, they forgot about hunting me. Ben never could point me out as the third robber, but I always felt like he knew. When I lucked into the Pair of Spades Ranch, the only cloud was the Weston Ranch being so close. Every time I had a good deal going Ben managed to spoil it.”

Mayson was silent for a moment, and when he spoke his voice was blended with madness. “First my brothers,
and now my son. I figure the Westons are going to pay once and for all.”

Mariah could see the last thread of rational thinking breaking in Mayson’s eyes. “You just got in the way, Barfield. I wanted to force you to sell the ranch so Mariah would come to Texas. I knew she would have to be killed. Would have done it years ago if that giant of a shadow, Cain, wasn’t always at her side.”

Mayson’s hand shook slightly as he raised the barrel to Dusty’s chest. “So long, Barfield.” Mayson laughed.

In the fraction of a second it took Mayson to pull the hammer back on his rifle, Dusty and Mariah sprang into action. Dusty kicked the tray by the fire sending coffee and food flying across the room. Mariah dived for the gun on the floor. Mayson’s shot sounded like thunder rumbling around the room as his bullet went wild.

Mariah lifted the gun and pointed it at Mayson as the man looked from her to Dusty, trying to decide which to shoot first. Suddenly he pointed his rifle at Dusty’s gut. “Shoot me, girl, and I’ll still have time to pull this trigger. You’ll get to watch your lover die slowly of a gut wound.”

Mariah lowered the gun. With all the fight in her, she could not bring herself to gamble with Dusty’s life.

“That’s a good girl.” Mayson laughed. “Tell you what, I’ll give you a choice.” He backed to the cabin window. “Who do I shoot first, you or Barfield?”

Mariah looked up, not at Mayson, but at the man she loved. She knew she would rather die first than watch him die. He stood so strong and defiant against Mayson, yet she caught a glimpse of fear touch his golden eyes. Fear, not for himself, but for her. She knew that if he had to watch her death, it would be more painful than a bullet exploding in his own heart. She would silently prove her love by sparing him this last pain.

Mayson raised the gun to his cheek and took aim. “Choose, girl!” he yelled.

Mariah reached to grasp Dusty’s outstretched hand. There were so many things she wanted to say, but all she could think of was how much she wanted to hold him before she died. As their fingers touched, a shot rang out and glass exploded into the cabin. The shot echoed around the room. Dusty pulled Mariah from the floor and into his arms.

The single shot kept resounding, but Mariah felt no pain and Dusty’s arm never weakened around her. She heard a moan and turned to see Mayson’s body hit the floor. Shattered pieces of glass from the window covered him like crystal snowflakes, and for a moment all the world seemed frozen except for the pounding of Dusty’s heart near her ear.

Ruth’s willowy frame appeared in the open doorway. The huge Walker-Colt was still smoking at her side. “I saw him sneaking behind the house. I knew it wouldn’t take him long to find the cabin. Are you two all right?”

Dusty let out a long-held breath. “Never better, thanks to you and that old gun.”

Mariah crossed the floor and hugged Ruth soundly. The old woman didn’t return the hug fully, but Mariah could feel her still shaking. Mariah patted Ruth in a calming gesture. “Mother told me you were afraid of guns.”

Ruth stood a little taller. “I don’t like them much, but when I saw Mayson take aim, I had to shoot.” She seemed self-conscious. “Better get Dusty into the house and practice some of that doctoring.”

Mariah cuddled under Dusty’s unharmed arm and guided him toward the house. As they reached the back door they were greeted by Bethanie, Josh, and the boys. Everyone started asking questions all at once. She felt like it was Christmas, the Fourth of July, and her birthday
all rolled into one moment. She knew Dusty felt the same, for even with her brothers watching he bent and kissed her.

As the stars filled the midnight sky, Bethanie watched her daughter and Dusty from her vantage point on the porch swing. She’d been watching as their silhouettes turned at the ranch gate and moved back toward the house. As they reached the porch steps, Josh emerged from inside.

Josh lowered himself beside Bethanie but spoke to Mariah. “We’ve been thinking, Mariah. If you still want to go to that school in Boston, we’ll finance the two years.”

“Wonderful,” Mariah answered.

“No, thanks,” Dusty interrupted. Not even the evening shadows could hide the fiery look Mariah shot him, but she didn’t pull away from his arm.

Josh stopped the slow swing of the bench. “Now wait just a minute, Dusty…”

“Josh and Bethanie, I think I should say something right now. I don’t think it’s right for parents to pay for a wife’s education.”

Josh laughed as Bethanie silently hugged first her future son-in-law, then her daughter. “Well, this is good news,” Josh announced. “But I can’t say it’s much of a surprise, the way you two have been acting all evening.”

“Mariah will go to medical school, and I plan on spending some time in Austin. I figure I can restart the herd in two years.”

Mariah added. “After being around Dusty a week, I think I might really need that medical degree.”

Josh touched Dusty on his uninjured shoulder. “I’ll make a deal with you. You talk Mariah into a small wedding,
and I’ll start that herd of yours with a hundred of my best cows in two years.”

“Sounds like a fair deal.” Dusty nodded.

Josh grinned. “There’s a hitch. You have to take Mark and Luke under your wing for the next three summers. Colorado mining is too tame for their blood. They need this open land.”

Mariah shook her head. “That would be worth two hundred head at least.”

Josh laughed. “Agreed.”

Mariah and Dusty moved into the house to say a private good night, and Josh joined Bethanie once more on the porch swing. “You haven’t said a word, my quiet wife.”

“I was thinking about how my mother always said, to everything there is a season. Mariah and Dusty’s life will not be easy, being separated the next few years.”

Josh pulled her under his arm. “Maybe it will help them to appreciate the time they have together.”

They rocked silently and watched the fireflies in the distance. Josh’s arm kept away the evening chill as Bethanie thought of all the memories this ranch brought back to her. Some good, some bad. But the bad were no longer painful, and the good still held a warmth in her heart.

She turned and whispered into Josh’s ear. “I love you.”

“For forever,” Josh answered.

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A fifth-generation Texan and teacher,
Jodi Thomas
sets most of her novels in her home state, where her grandmother was born in a covered wagon. She is Writer In Residence at the West Texas A & M University, touring frequently to promote her books throughout the Southwest and nationwide, with the help of a growing and active fan club. Please visit her website at www.jodithomas.com.

New York Times bestselling author Jodi Thomas creates a spellbinding story of love, family, and passion in an untamed land…

Texas Ranger Josh Weston is a complete stranger to Bethanie Lane, and her only chance to escape from her uncle’s grasp. Without hesitating, she strikes a deal with the rugged lawman to take her with him when he leaves San Antonio. And on the journey to his family’s ranch near Fort Worth, they forge a bond as powerful as it is unexpected.

When Bethanie’s dream of a future with Josh falls apart, she’s forced to make a harrowing choice. Yet through every danger and revelation, one thing remains—a love worth living and dying for…

“Jodi Thomas’s writing is breathtaking…her name should be at the top of everyone’s favorite author list.”

—
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