Page 44 of West Wind

“Hell, the woman can take care of herself,” the coward snapped nervously.

Shelley laid his hand on the man’s shoulder. “How would you know that?” He remembered the way Butler had looked at Annie that first night, the way he’d stared at her tonight, his eyes widening at the sight of her derringer.

“I think she broke my baby toe, and she elbowed me…” The words stopped as Shelley’s hand tightened.

“Now, why would she do that?” His voice was surprisingly calm, given that he wanted to kill the man.

Butler squirmed. “I didn’t mean no harm, I swear.” His voice rose half an octave as Shelley grabbed him by his collar and lifted him to his feet.

Shelley sighed tiredly as he turned the man around so he could see his pinched face. “You messed with the wrong woman,” he said as he clipped Butler under the jaw with an uppercut, sending the weak, spineless man to the ground.

That single punch hurt his already battered hand like hell. He stared down at the unconscious man in the dirt. If only Swift Eagle had been so easy.

A few moments later Annie and the Castletons joined him. They all looked at Butler.

“Jim fell asleep by the fire?” Suzanne shook her head. “He’s never done that before.”

Annie frowned but said nothing. Surely she’d guessed what had happened.

“Annie says you’ll be taking her with you in the morning,” Charles said.

He shook his head slowly. “Tonight. The sooner we’re out of Swift Eagle’s territory, the safer we’ll all be.”

Charles nodded his gray head and reached into his pocket. “I feel I must return this.” He handed Shelley a huge folded wad of money, which was refused.

“We didn’t see her all the way to California, as agreed,” Charles insisted. “I wouldn’t feel right⁠—”

“You paid them to take me?” Annie stepped forward. “You paid them? How much?”

“Later,” he said in a low voice.

“Right now. How much?” She placed her face close to his and narrowed her dark eyes.

“Three hundred dollars,” he growled. “And it would have been worth every penny.”

“To be rid of me?”

“Yep. It was a small price…” He stopped speaking when she drew back her hand as if to slap him.

She hesitated, her eyes softening just a little as she studied his face. “If Swift Eagle hadn’t done such a good job...”

He didn’t step away. “Go ahead. Might make you feel better.”

Charles, guilt written on his face, leaned warily between them and placed the money in Shelley’s vest pocket. “Sorry,” he whispered.

Shelley brushed off the apology and turned away. “Let’s go,” he called without looking back.

He knew in a heartbeat that she wasn’t behind him, could feel it in his bones. He turned impatiently to watch her hug Suzanne Castleton. The married woman whispered urgently in Annie’s ear. Annie shook her head furiously. The only words of their parting conversation he heard were Annie’s final words to Suzanne, called over her shoulder as she approached him. “You couldn’t be more wrong, Suzanne.”

The other woman wore a sly smile as she waved good-bye.

“I don’t suppose you’d like to tell me what that was all about?” he asked as he started to assist his charge into the saddle.

She slapped his hands away and put a red-booted foot in the stirrup. “I don’t suppose I would.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Annie rode astride, perched stiffly in front of him as they continued onward well into the night.