His att.i.tude was the last straw. Anne lost the last shreds of control.

"All right, don't believe me! It must be terrible to think you're married to a dim-witted liar. I'm telling you I heard them talking about shooting you just to keep you from beating on that disgusting piece of filth in the street. But of course your faith in your d.a.m.n family is complete. Since we've been married not one of them has ever said a kind word to you or about you. They just stood there and didn't even try to help, but they wouldn't hurt you would they? Why waste your life being married to me? Living with me? Why don't you move back to the big house so you can be close to your precious, d.a.m.n, useless family?

Why not move here? Why n...."

He cut her off with his hand across her mouth and held her pressed against him with one hand in the small of her back and the other across her mouth. Anne only struggled briefly before giving in to his superior strength and standing quietly, smoldering.

He spoke very softly. "Suppose you take a deep breath and count to ten and listen to me. It's not that I don't believe you. I believe you heard something that you thought meant they were going to shoot me, but I know that's not what they were going to do. They wanted to stop me because they've got it in their heads once I start beating on a man I won't stop till after he's long dead, and they think if I beat a man to death in front of the whole town, I'll hang. Not much sense saving me from a hanging by shooting me, is there? Now think hard, exactly who said what? Try to remember the exact words." He removed his hand.

Anne was in control again. She very carefully related exactly what had been said.

"Yeah, well, when they said use a rifle, they meant clubbing me with it, not shooting me."

"But they could kill you that way too!"

"Mm. Less likely."

"Why do they think you'd kill that man after he was unconscious?"

"Well, there was Hatch, and then a while back I jumped somebody pretty bad, and Frank got in the way. I was choking Frank a bit, and Eph clubbed me off. They think I'd have killed Frank and the man I started on."

"Was that Boggs?"

"Yeah."

With all her anger gone, there was nothing left but the fear. Anne buried her head against his chest. "I'm sorry, screeching at you like that in front of everybody. I was so afraid, and then you were mad at me."

"Annie, I was mad because you could have gotten hurt. If I hit you accidentally I could break your jaw - or your neck. It scared h.e.l.l out of me to have you run out there like that. Don't cry. Come on, don't cry."

"I'm not crying."

"Yes, you are."

His mouth was against her temple, tracing her cheekbone, sipping the tears from her eyes. He kissed gently across her cheeks, along her jaw, down her throat. Anne stopped sobbing. She took a deep shuddering breath, whispered, "That's nice."

From the kitchen, Anne heard her mother's raised voice. "I don't care. That's my daughter!"

Cord pulled away from her so fast he was almost across the room by the time Leona hurried into the parlor. As he disappeared toward the kitchen, Anne glared at her mother.

The only reason the Bennetts were worse than her own family was that there were more of them.

CORD WALKED INTO THE KITCHEN to find his whole family sitting around the big table, as was Rob Wells. Frank was the only one who would even look at him, although the look was a single disgusted glance. Every member of the family had interpreted Anne's sudden silence in the same way, he realized.

Oh, h.e.l.l, what did it matter? "Martha, would you take some water to Anne? She's got blood on her face."

Martha didn't waste her scorn, merely dipped water into a basin and left. Cord dropped into one of the kitchen chairs, suddenly feeling very tired and hurting worse - and in more ways - than he wanted to think about. No one said a word. No one seemed to move.

After long, uncomfortable minutes, the women returned. Leona, slightly shame-faced, went to sit next to Rob. Martha set the basin of blood-stained water next to the stove with a thump, and Anne, hair redone, face unmarked, and with a look on her face that didn't bode well for the Bennetts, faced Ephraim and Frank.

"I apologize for most of the terrible things I know you could hear me say about you.

Cord explained you didn't mean you were going to shoot him, but hitting him with a rifle isn't a whole lot better. If this ever happens again, you need to leave him alone."

Having gotten everyone's attention with this remarkable non-apology, Anne turned to Ephraim and added, "And Ephraim I'm sorry if I hurt you, but you wouldn't let go, and I had to get loose. I didn't use all my strength and put my full weight behind it the way he said to. Still, I know it wasn't very nice, and I'm sorry."

Suddenly Cord realized he was the only one who hadn't known how Anne got away from Ephraim, but her apology spelled it out for him and lifted his mood. "You mean you kneed Eph in the privates?"

"I only gave him a little tap. To make him let go. It really did work a treat, just like you said it would." Anne grinned at him, not really the slightest bit sorry, then continued.

"I've been thinking. None of the rest of you are willing to shoot men like that, but I could.

They attacked me, and if I shot them n.o.body would think it was wrong. Maybe I should have a gun of my own. I could...."

That was as far as she got before Ephraim was on his feet, gentle Ephraim, quiet Ephraim, bellowing as loud as Frank ever had.

"So you taught her that cute trick, brother? I should have known. By all means, get her a gun of her own. Make sure you get something with grips she can cut notches in.

Better yet, have the thing engraved. On one side they can put 'Ephraim' and on the other side they can put 'Frank.' That woman's a menace. She was probably dangerous even before you started 'educating' her. Buy her a gun! Buy her a knife! One thing I've got to admit, little brother, if you're brave enough to sleep under the same roof as that woman, much less in the same bed, you deserve a G.o.dd.a.m.n medal!"

Cord couldn't remember seeing Eph in such a rage, and couldn't resist making it worse. "A 'little tap' in the stones sure makes you cranky, Eph."

He got the tone just right, and could actually see Ephraim's chest expand with the deep breath he took to sustain the next roar. He was forestalled, however, by a knock on the door. Luke, leaning against the wall next to the door, just swung it open, too engrossed in this entertainment to shift his eyes.

It was Noah Reynolds who walked in. Without being invited, Noah sat across from Cord. "Looks like the poor b.a.s.t.a.r.ds actually hit you once or twice."

Cord reached over to Frank's shirt pocket and helped himself to one of the little black cigars, lighting it before raising his head. "You here to arrest me?"

"No. Hard as it is to believe half a dozen people came up to me to make sure I understood you were provoked. Any man should defend his wife under such circ.u.mstances they told me. Of course it didn't really have anything to do with Anne, did it? You know those men?"

"No."

Frank said, "It was a setup, Noah. There was a gunnie in the crowd."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure, but I can't prove it. The boys got behind him and let him know they were there, so he never made a move."

"Well, I got a false complaint this morning that got me out to the south edge of town, so I'd say you're right. Of course, it's not like a gentle soul like Cord here would have any enemies who'd want to spit on his grave."

Noah turned back to Cord then. "You know, after that week you spent in my jail I had a nightmare from time to time. Nothing to it but your eyes looking at me out of the dark, and I'd wake up in a sweat from head to toe. Didn't happen all that often, maybe once a year, but you know when it stopped? It stopped the day I realized I didn't need to worry about ever trying to arrest you. The day ever comes you need arresting, I'm just going to throw the badge down on the desk and walk out. When I decided that, that nightmare never came again."

"Sorry you feel that way," Cord said. "I always figured I owe you."

"It's what you figure you owe me that scares me. I come from Doc Craig's. He says that one man, he's just got to decide the best position for that arm to be in for the rest of his life. That elbow's going to heal solid and never bend again, so the way he sets it is the way it's going to be.

"Now the one with the smashed knee, he's better off. The knee won't bend much either, but he'll be able to get around with a stick. Of course, the third one, he's downright lucky. If his jaw heals a little crooked, so what. He wasn't pretty to start with, and he'll probably be able to chew again eventually. He'll just lose a lot of weight the next eight weeks or so while he heals up."

Cord shrugged, smoke surrounding his words. "They should have kept their hands off my wife."

Noah shook his head. "We all know it wouldn't have mattered any how they started it.

You'd have finished it the same way. Tell me, you got some theory it isn't enough to whup a man, you got to kill or cripple anybody fool enough to fight you?"

"I guess it's a theory. A man I 'just whupped' down in Texas shot me in the back the next day. Gave me a notion if I have to fight I might as well make sure it's only once."

"You're still alive. What happened to the backshooter?"

"He isn't."

"Don't surprise me somehow. How many in that five years?"

"Four. Of course, since only white men count, I guess you'd say two."

"Four." Although he'd asked, the answer made Noah stiffen. "I never saw anything.

Never saw a poster or anything."

"You're a.s.suming. No one thought posters were called for."

"I heard one thing I thought was you. It was from a lawman who was there when they hung Jack Hatch. He said Jack was taking it real well, acting brave and putting on a good show. A lot of folks were saying how they shouldn't hang a man like that over a prost.i.tute. Then when he got to the foot of the gallows stairs, he went crazy. They had to drag him up the steps. This marshal, he told me Jack was screaming the devil come to get him. You happen to be there when they hung Jack Hatch?"

"Yeah. Your friend had it close."

Noah stood and stared at Cord for a long moment. "You know I've been lawing for almost thirty years, and I've known quite a few men who scared me, gunmen mostly. But in all the years I've never known anybody scared me like you do."

Noah didn't waste time with social niceties with the rest of the family after that, just replaced his hat and walked out.

Anne was still on emotional edge, and she had had quite enough of the Bennetts and for that matter of the sheriff. "I wonder what he thinks you should have done - tied a bow around me and let them have me? Or maybe they'd have let me go if you'd just said please in the right tone of voice?"

She got to her feet expecting Cord to get up too. "We'd better get to Dr. Craig's ourselves. You need st.i.tches again, and you're sitting exactly the way you did last fall when your ribs were bothering you."

Cord didn't move. "Bet Craig's kind of busy right now. How about you st.i.tch it up when we get home?"

"We're two hours from home, and I retched and cried the whole time I did it when you were unconscious, and I put in crooked st.i.tches. Surely Dr. Craig can leave those criminals long enough to put a few st.i.tches in your cheek and strap your ribs."

Martha said, "If Anne doesn't want to st.i.tch it, I will. You're right, Dr. Craig will have other things to tend to right now. Judith, suppose you and Beth start setting the table for dinner. Put in the extra leaf and fix extra places. Leona, can you and Rob stay?"

Leona still looked slightly embarra.s.sed. "No, I'd better get home and get Edward's dinner. Thank you, Martha. Anne,..."

Anne had also had quite enough of her mother and brother. "I'll see you next week, Mother," she said sharply.

Martha refilled the basin with warm water and put it and soap in front of Cord. "Wash up and clean that cut out thoroughly. I'll get a needle and thread."

Martha closed the cut with four neat st.i.tches. "Your shirt looks ruined. Take it off and you can borrow one of Pete's to wear home."

He removed his shirt, and Anne examined it sadly. "I don't have any more of this cream-colored material. I'll have to make you a plain white one."

She got a good look at him before he managed to get Pete's shirt on. "Oh, no, you don't. Look at you. You need your ribs strapped."

"My ribs are fine. I'll be a little sore tomorrow is all."

She opened her mouth to argue further, and he cut her off. "Annie, we're sitting in a room full of people afraid to open their mouths for fear I'll go berserk and cut them to pieces, and the sheriff of the d.a.m.n town thinks I make John Wesley Hardin look like a saint. Are you going to keep sa.s.sing me about my ribs?"

He put the shirt on, growling at her, but his eyes were laughing.

"Dr. Craig says you're the only patient he ever treated who kept saying nothing hurt when he examined you right until you pa.s.sed out. You think I believe your ribs are all right?"

"Ti-gress, if you don't slow down, I'm going to leave you here and Ephraim can keep you in his root cellar."

Tigress. Not only did she like it, she liked the way he said it, as if it were two distinct words. "You have already noted yourself that your brother is too old and too slow to keep a hold of me."

Ephraim muttered, "I'd sooner kiss a rattlesnake than hold you again."

She thought she saw a slight quirk at one corner of Cord's mouth for a second. He said, "You're telling me I'm stuck with you because I'm the only one tough enough?"

"Well, you are most definitely stuck with me."

There was no conversation through dinner except of the please pa.s.s the potatoes type.

Frank handed over Cord's knife without comment when asked and also made no reply to the brief thanks for stopping the fourth man.

When Anne tried to help with the dishes, Martha shooed her away. "Don't worry a minute. I know you're worn out and want to get home, and we'd all just get in each other's way. I also think you have a standing invitation to Sunday dinner with the family from now on. At least I think the reason we couldn't invite you before has taken care of itself."

Martha gave her son a hard eye. Pete looked a little embarra.s.sed.

"Ah, Ma," he said, "I guess I've got enough sense not to try to wra.s.sle a grizzly once somebody's proved it's a grizzly."

"Luke?"

Luke gave Cord a c.o.c.ky, unrepentant grin. "I've decided to wait a while, Aunt Martha, like ten years, maybe even twenty."

"Cord?"

"We'll see, Marty."

Anne couldn't get out of that house fast enough.

AFTER CORD AND ANNE LEFT, Martha turned to find every eye in the room on her.

"What in heaven's name has gotten into you?" Ephraim said. "He's abusing that incredible woman right in our own house, and you're st.i.tching him up and giving them a standing invitation for Sunday dinner?"

"He didn't abuse her, dear."

"Maybe nothing showed, that was b.l.o.o.d.y water you brought back. She probably bled from her nose or mouth."

"She didn't bleed at all. It was his blood."

"How could it be his blood?"