Jared (Bachelors And Babies Book 7) Read online

  "I've created a monster!" Jared pretended to faint dead away on the floor.

  Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the tree limbs as Chips lay on the ground between Skelly, Ax, and Percy watching the new house in at the edge of the meadow. Skelly wanted a glimpse of the man Ruth had supposedly married. He'd had Chips and Blackie running all over Montana checking at city halls for a marriage record. Now, he'd decided Ruth only pretended to be hitched to discourage Skelly.

  The man's thought process fascinated Chips. Skelly didn't respond to situations the way other men did, according to Chips' observations. Skelly's—and only his—mood and desires directed his responses. The man believed he had complete control over his emotions and physical reactions, but Chips could read them like a book. He'd made a study of watching men and figuring out why they did the things they did. To Skelly, the only people who existed in the world were those who could do him some good.

  Right now, the man squirmed with discomfort, something Chips had been waiting for. Skelly Bernard detested sitting on the ground, let alone lying on it. He brushed away an ant, then squashed it with his thumb. Skelly's nerves were rattled. Had been ever since they left on this trip. Besides his disdain for anything he found uncomfortable, he hated it when matters didn't go his way. Such information often came in handy when dealing with a man. Especially a difficult one like Skelly.

  Chips remembered the last thing Chief of Police McCurdle told Skelly before they left St. Louis; You get that girl and silence her permanently ,or you'll find your kingdom here falling down around your ears. Keeping Skelly's freedom and realm intact was the purpose of this trip. Nothing more. Nothing less.

  Skelly had some notion in his head concerning Ruth Kimbrough that Chips hadn't figured out yet. He'd asked Skelly how he planned on killing Ruth, and Skelly had answered, "Who said I planned to kill her?"

  That stumped Chips, for a day or two because he knew that's what Skelly had intended when they left St. Louie. Today, Chips had figured it out. He had to concede that the boss had come up with a clever plan.

  Axton, lying on the other side of Skelly with the binoculars, nudged the boss's shoulder. "Boss, someone's coming."

  "Give me the glasses." Skelly grabbed them and zeroed in on the new house.

  Two riders entered the clearing and stopped by the front porch. Chips, between Percy and Skelly, had instantly recognized the woman without benefit of spy glasses.

  Now, so had the boss.

  "The Devil's tail!" Skelly muttered."That's Ruth and the man who's been working on that building."

  "Jared Givens," Chips clarified.

  "Whatever." Skelly watched the man take Ruth's hand after they dismounted and lead her up onto the porch, stop and take her in his arms.

  "He's kissing her," Skelly hissed, jumping to his feet and throwing the binoculars at a tree trunk. They hit with a thud and slid into the weeds at the base.

  Chips hoped, for all their sakes, the glasses weren't broken, or Skelly would make life hell for them.

  Ax hurried to retrieve and examine them. He brushed off the dirt and used spit and his shirt to clean the lenses. Obviously, they were still in working order.

  "Kissing my woman." Skelly ranted and stomped through weeds and around trees lashing at everything with his quirt. "He'll be sorry for that. No one takes Skelly Bernard's property and claims it for himself."

  "They went inside," Ax said, watching again.

  "I've seen enough." Skelly marched to his horse and swung into the saddle. "I need a whiskey."

  "Does he know the way?" Ax asked the other men as they watched Skelly ride away.

  Worried, Chips shook his head. "I doubt it, but I ain't going after him. Percy, you go."

  The third man got up and grumbled all the way to his horse. "Why me? Why always me? He's a grown man. Let him find his own way."

  "If you go, you'll be able to get a drink when you get to camp," Chips told him.

  "I already figured that out." Percy grinned as he took his departure.

  "How long we stayin' here, spying on these people?" Ax queried.

  Chips let a spider crawl from the ground onto his finger, then set him into a branch. "We could leave now, 'cept we'd be in trouble for not sticking around. Just wish we had a bottle with us to help while away the time."

  "I have a bottle." Ax pushed to his feet and tramped over to his saddlebag.

  "All right." Chips rubbed his hands together, feeling better.

  Two hours later, after finishing off Axton's bottle and taking a snooze, the two men returned to camp. The first thing Chips noticed was the absence of Skelly. Had he circled back unseen and knew what the men had done while he was gone?

  "Where's the boss?" he asked."Did he go back to town, Percy?"

  "Ain't seen him." Percy lifted a coffee pot off the fire and poured a cup. "Wasn't here when I got back and hasn't shown up yet."

  Cursing, Chips climbed back on his horse. He hated having to babysit greenhorns, and Skelly, whether he wanted to admit it or not, was a greenhorn.

  "Stand here." Jared pushed her against the log wall between the windows.

  "Why? What's the matter?" she asked.

  He didn't answer, too busy going from window to window and peeking out, his hand on the hilt of his six-gun.

  "Jared, you're scaring me." Approaching panic sounded in her voice. "Is someone out there? Are we in danger?"

  "I don't know. Just stay where you are." He went to the next window. "I saw something in the woods when we were on the porch, a glint of sunlight on metal like a rifle barrel."

  "Oh, my heavens." Now in full panic, she dropped to the floor and huddled against the wall. "Skelly. It must be him."

  "We don't know for sure if I saw anything." He crouched in front of her, smiling and hoping she didn't see through to the truth. He was scared. They were alone, three miles from the main house.

  An idea struck him, and he stood. "Stay here and don't move. Remember I showed you the line I'd hung through the trees? I'm going outside and test it out."

  He sauntered toward the door, trying to look calm and unconcerned. A swishing noise behind him had him spinning around, his hand on his gun again.

  Healy had stood up and stared back at him now with wide, frightened eyes. Blast. He could have shot her. "Sit back down, Healy, and just wait. I'll be right back. I just want to see if the emergency line I rigged up will work. No sense having it there if it doesn't."

  "All right." She slid back down the wall."Did you add cans at the other end?"

  He whirled to stare at her. "Rat guts! I forgot." He should have brought one of the dogs. He usually did. Why hadn't he today?"Let's get back so I can work on it before I forget again."

  Jared made sure they kept their pace slow and normal. Once they were mounted, he kicked General into a trot until they were hidden by the trees along the road. Then he accelerated to gallop. He had work to do, and a woman to get to safety.

  The next morning, Jared and Barclay arrived at the new house early. Soon, the hands, neighbors and townspeople would be arriving for the roofing party. Being nervous, Jared had risen early and figured he'd get a head-start rather than sit around waiting. That Barclay had chosen to join him filled him with warmth .It was times like this that reminded him how much he adored his brothers. Chase had stayed behind to check one of the broncs he had been breaking, but he'd be here shortly.

  As Jared placed a nail on a shingle, he glanced over at the trees, watching for the glint of light on metal like he'd seen yesterday. Nothing. But that didn't mean much. He'd fixed the alarm, adding a string of cans to the cord hanging in the stable and making sure the men knew what it was for and instructing them to fire a shot in the air so he'd know up at his new place that help would be on the way. He hoped to high heaven that using the alarm didn't prove necessary.

  Being at his house now with only Barclay for company made Jared a tad nervous. He'd feel more relaxed once the folks from town showed up. He glanced toward the r
oad to see if anyone might be coming yet. What he called a road amounted to little more than a path made by him and General in coming here so often.

  "Don't see any visitors yet," he told Barclay, working on the other side of the chimney.

  "Gives us some time to talk." Barclay placed a nail and gave it a whack. "You decide yet if you're going to marry Healy?"

  The question came the instant Jared swung his hammer down on another nail. He missed, bruised his thumb and shouted a cuss word. "Why is everyone so blasted eager to see me married off?"

  "Cynara wants to keep her sister here." Barclay whacked the nail with his own hammer. "I want to keep my wife happy. Chase and everyone else want you to stop snapping at them."

  "Snapping?" Jared snapped. He stuck his thumb in his mouth to suck away the pain and decided Barclay had a point. He had been grumpy lately. No doubt all the pressure put on him to give up his bachelorhood. But it was more than that. He simply couldn't say what. "Reckon I have been a bit short lately."

  Barclay laughed. "A bit? Jared, haven't you noticed how everyone has been keeping their distance from you the past couple of days since we returned from Pony?"

  "Well, yeah. Now that you mention it." Jared removed his hat and scratched his head. "The women have been busy helping Oysters make all the food for today's roofing party."

  "Hell. Oysters doesn't have to make much. The ladies coming today will be bringing food."Barclay pulled up his neck wrap to wipe his forehead. "We'll have it coming out our ears."

  Looked like Jared owed some people apologies. Getting the house finished today would help take off some of the pressure he'd been suffering from. Not enough, though. Not until they had this Skelly brute taken care of and Healy was safe. The mere thought of her being hurt had Jared scared worse than a mouse in a snake den.

  Healy. He'd missed her the last few days. Getting the roof on would fix that. He couldn't wait to get all the way moved in so…

  So what? So he could get Healy to himself more often? He wouldn't mind that. He did like kissing Healy. Hell, he liked simply looking at her.

  The creaking of a wagon brought him from his reverie.

  "Got company," Barclay announced as if Jared couldn't see for himself.

  Rat guts! There he went being grouchy again.

  Planting a smile on his face, he waved to Tom and Beth Jeffers who were pulling up in front of the house now. His thinking time had run out.

  Chapter Eleven

  Healy added boiled water to the washtub Cynara bent over, scrubbing diapers on a washboard. Cynara didn't even flinch at the increased heat. Like most women who did laundry on a regular basis, her hands barely reacted to the hot water.

  "I wish we could go to the new house and visit with Beth Jeffers and everyone," Cynara said, switching her load over to the rinse bucket. With three babies, the soiled diapers seemed endless. They had to wash every day.

  "You could go."Healy picked up the basket of rinsed diapers. Guilt and rattled nerves ground at her insides. It was her fault her sister couldn't attend the party. "Ma and I can finish the laundry."

  "No. Ma's busy making popcorn balls." Cynara handed her one last diaper. "Besides, I wouldn't feel right leaving you here to do all this."

  "I'd rather you did." Healy went to the back door. "I'll hang these up and be right back to help with the rest."

  "You better." A teasing smile accompanied Cynara's command. "I don't want to be stuck with all this work either."

  "You won't." Basket in hand, Healy shoved open the screen door and went down the steps. Barclay had stretched the drying lines between the stable and the house to shield the women and laundry from the worst of the wind whipping through from the mountains.

  Healy set her load down on the grass and reached into her apron pocket for clothes pins. She already had a full row of diapers hung and had started on a second when she heard her name, soft and sort of secretive as if the speaker didn't want anyone else to hear.

  Thinking it would be Cynara, she turned. Her sister wasn't there.

  A man she'd never seen before stood at the edge of the woods. He gestured for her to come closer.

  Her heart in her throat, she whirled to run for the house. Her mind, crowded with thoughts of the babies now in danger, registered the obstruction in front of her a second before her legs slammed into the forgotten basket, but too late to save her. She tripped, flying through the air and landing on her belly in the half-dead grass. Before she could even get up, the man had her.

  "Easy, girl. I'm not going to hurt you," he said.

  "You're one of Skelly's men, aren't you?" She tugged on her arm he held. Panic ate at her throat. "You've come to take me to him."

  "No, I'm not." He cast a furtive look around. "My name is Blackie. You shouldn't be out here. You're not safe. That's what I'm doing, trying to watch over you."

  "Why would you? You're lying. Let go of me." She kicked at his shins. Agile as a cat, he danced out of the way.

  "Yeah…" He lowered his tone. "I work for Skelly at times and that's what brought me to Montana, but I'm not indebted to him, and one thing I won't do for any man is harm a woman."

  "You expect me to believe you?" She feared any minute her heart would explode from beating so fast and hard. Terror filled her belly, making her nauseous. "Please, I promise I won't tell on Skelly. I simply want to be left alone and not see anyone at High Mountain hurt."

  "He won't settle for that, but at least I know now why he wants you so badly." He dragged her toward the woods."You're not only a pretty skirt, you obviously know something incriminating about him. Do yourself a favor and get to the marshal right now. Tell him what you know so he can arrest Skelly."

  "If you're not here to harm me, why are you pulling me into the trees?"

  "So we won't be seen, of course. Not only by your people but by Skelly and his men. They're nearby somewhere. I heard them talking about spying on you from the woods, and I can't see from where we are now whether they're in there." He peered through the rough, towering tree trunks and between conifer branches, searching several moments before releasing her. "I think we're clear. Get into the house and stay there. Hear me?"

  "You…You're letting me go?" She stumbled backward a step when he released her.

  "Never intended to keep you prisoner. Go." He motioned her toward the house. "And stay inside."

  Rubbing her chafed wrist, she whirled and ran.

  Cynara stepped off the porch barely in time to keep from crashing into Healy.

  "What on earth?" Her eyes widened as she took a closer look at her sister. "What happened to you, Healy? You're whiter than the diapers."

  "A man… A man caught me. Go inside." Healy shoved Cynara back into the porch, slammed the door and bolted it while scanning the yard.

  "A man?" Cynara put down her basket. "What man?"

  "Blackie Slough. He works for Skelly. He warned me to stay in the house. Said Skelly is on High Mountain land right now." She wrapped her arms around herself. "Oh, Cynara, I'm so scared. I'm shivering so badly, I fear I'll shake my teeth loose. All I could think about out there was knowing I'd brought danger to the babies and you."

  "Come on." Cynara put her arms around Healy and led her into the warm kitchen.

  Oysters turned from the stove. When he saw Healy, he threw his spoon into the pot he'd been stirring and reached for his six-gun hanging in a holster high on the wall. "What's wrong? Did someone hurt you?"

  "It's all right, Oysters." Healy patted his arm to calm him. "A man grabbed me but let me go. He warned me that Skelly is here."

  "Damn!" Oysters muttered. "Make sure the doors and windows are locked."

  Ma Givens came in with an empty coffee cup. "I swear I must be…" Her voice trailed off as she took in the scene. "What's happening?"

  "A man told Healy Skelly is here somewhere," Cynara told her.

  Ignoring them, Oysters said, "Barclay left Roy and Cavell to watch over the place. I'm going to send one of 'em up to fetch them."
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  "Wait, Oysters." Healy held up a hand. "Jared has enough to deal with. I'm fine. The man's gone now. So long as we stay indoors, everything will be good. Let's leave the men undisturbed."

  "I don't know." He looked doubtful. "They's gonna be powerful mad when they find out what happened, and they weren't told."

  Healy knew that to be true. She shook her head, unsure what to do. "What we have to think about right now is the babies. If one of you leaves, it will be easier for Skelly to get to us."

  "I agree," Cynara put in. "We have you, Roy and Cavell to protect us. I happen to know you are an excellent shot. Healy, Ma and I know how to handle a gun. The house is locked up and we have weapons if we need them. Let's not ask for trouble by cutting down on the protection we have here."

  "What about your laundering?" Oysters asked. "Don't you need to hang more duds?"

  "There's only one more basket." Cynara indicated the one at her feet. "I'll get it done right now, and we'll be through."

  "I'm getting my rifle," Oysters said, turning toward his room. "I'll stand in the yard 'till you're done."

  "That should help." Cynara lifted the basket and followed him.

  Healy and Ma stood at the window and watched until Cynara returned safely. Oysters poured them cups of fresh coffee and brought out cookies.

  "There should be some way of signaling the men if we're in trouble," Ma said, blowing on the hot brew.

  "Oh, my heavens!" Healy put a hand to her mouth. "I forgot. Jared rigged a line from here to the new house. All we have to do is pull on it and it will rattle cans up there to let Jared know he's needed here. He didn't tell you? Land sakes, he's going to be angry with me."

  Oysters thumped his fist on his head. "Is that what he meant by that nonsense about an emergency line and not to use it unless the house was afire or a tribe of Injuns decided to raid the place?"

  "I'm sure it was." Healy twisted her hands together.

  "I was 'sposed to tell you, Cynara, but I plumb forgot." He hung his head, looking sorrowful."Sorry."