"I didn't ask, but she certainly lit into her mother for thinking he hurt her. My guess would be he kissed her. It's one of the best ways to quiet us women down, you know."

Frank's face set in hard lines. "Cord kiss her?" he said. "Martha, you've taken leave of your senses."

Martha pressed her lips together for a moment, then said, "Frank, you're the one who goes on about the carnal aspects of their marriage. Are you claiming now you think he never touches her?"

Frank pushed back his chair and headed for the parlor and an after-dinner cigar.

"What I think is that Cord's mean as a snake, and any touching he does has nothing to do with kissing."

Once the men were gone, Martha stopped holding her feelings in and began laughing.

Judith's incredulous look only made her laugh harder.

CHAPTER 23.

ON THE WAY OUT OF town, Cord stopped the buggy in front of the sheriff's office. "If I were to go have a talk with Noah for a few minutes would you stay here?

"Yes."

He looked up and down the empty Sunday afternoon street. "And if you saw anybody coming who wasn't obviously friendly, would you jump down and come inside?"

"Yes."

"And if somebody surprised you would you yell?"

"A first-cla.s.s lady in distress scream."

"The rifle's under the seat...."

"Cord, stop fretting. I promise. A stranger appears, I'll whisk inside. Somebody drops from a rooftop and grabs me, I'll scream first and shoot second. I promise."

"All right. I won't be long."

Noah was sitting reading some sort of poster when Cord walked in. He watched with regret as the older man's face paled, then he lowered himself into one of the chairs in front of the sheriff's desk quickly, hoping to look as non-threatening as possible.

"I suppose I should have kept my mouth shut today," Noah said.

"Wish you'd said something years ago. When I said I figure I owe you, I meant it in the ordinary way. Even after the Hatch business, Frank and Eph would never have brought themselves to tell me what you did back then, and I needed to know it. Kept me alive a few times since."

For a few seconds, Noah's mouth worked, no words coming. In the end, he managed, "I've never noticed you taking any of that advice."

"I'm not much good at that sc.r.a.ping and bowing stuff. Works out that most people take one look and decide to leave me be as long as I don't push, and I don't push."

"All right, I'll give you that. You don't push."

"Since we're having this little talk, Noah, tell me something I've wondered about over the years. You ever sorry you pulled me off Hatch?"

Noah finally relaxed, letting the paper in his hands fall on the desk, and leaning back in his chair. "That's a hard question. Yes, I guess I've been sorry. There were three other girls in this area, you know. Three dead ones, that is, that I always thought were Jack.

Then there was the Peabody girl. She's a woman now and she's never said a word after what happened to her, just sits there in a chair in her folks' house and stares at the wall."

"I never knew that," Cord said.

"Yeah, well." Noah shook his head. "I heard there were a couple of others in Utah they thought were Jack, even though they only had a witness for the one they hung him for. But the fact is I didn't know all that the night I arrested you. I'd have let you kill him just over what I could see he did to Marie if it was up to me, but that's not the way it works, and you sure can't wish it. They wouldn't have hung you, you know. They'd of thrown you in jail and thrown away the key. If I had to choose between twenty years in prison and hanging, I'd choose hanging myself."

"Maybe you're right."

"You know I am. I talked to Anne about bringing charges against Samuels. You know how it is."

Cord felt a surge of the old anger. "Yeah. n.o.body'd convict him of anything when they found her with me."

"It surprised me you didn't try to go after them."

"Never crossed my mind till you mentioned it that day at the cafe. Shooting Meeks and Samuels kind of let off a lot of steam, and I guess I have it in my mind they did me a favor in the long run."

"A favor, huh." Noah said, shaking his head. "Well, if we're answering touchy questions, I'd be interested in knowing what happened out there. How'd you two end up staying together?"

Cord considered telling Noah it was none of his business - or walking out. But Noah had not only helped him those many years ago, he had given Anne help and comfort when she needed it, and he'd come here to make peace with the sheriff. So after a pause he answered. "Guess you could say I took advantage. She didn't want to ask Frank and Eph for help, and I didn't try very hard to talk her into it."

"And her?"

"I don't know. I think she needs - some time to heal and kind of gather herself before she goes on."

"You mean you think it's temporary?"

"You think a woman like that's going to live the rest of her life with me?"

"I wouldn't have thought a woman like that would walk in your house to start with, or weep over you when you looked worse than any piece of meat I've ever et, or stay five minutes after you could get around. I wouldn't have thought she could run Frank off with a gun, or double Eph over with her knee, so I don't think my opinion on the subject is worth much."

"Maybe not." Cord rose and headed for the door. "And I guess I'd better get back out there, or she'll get riled and drive off without me."

"You want me to let you know if any of those men show up in these wanted posters?"

Cord tugged his hat lower over his eyes before he answered. "Sheriffing's your job, Noah. I got all I can handle just being the meanest son of a b.i.t.c.h in the world."

NOAH HAD LAUGHED OUT LOUD after Cord left his office. Everything that happened that day made him more determined than ever to keep any of the controversy swirling around town about Cord and Anne from breaking out in more violence.

As he made his rounds through the town, Noah stopped and corrected the most flagrant and ridiculous misconceptions about the couple, but he feared he was making no dent in public opinion. His idea that having them come to church would calm the talk wasn't working either, and it worried him.

One night in Thomas White's saloon, Noah had another thought. So instead of just telling a group of card players who were kicking around a version of the root cellar theory that they were wrong, Noah sat down at their table and told them the whole story.

His listeners were, of course, dubious. They argued and tried to poke holes in the story until one said, "You saying Tom was there? Maybe we ought to ask him."

"He wouldn't say a word about it to me, but maybe you ought to try him."

They did, and White's guilty refusal to discuss the matter confirmed the sheriff's tale.

He left a thoughtful group of poker players sitting at their table.

The next day Noah visited both Daniel Craig and James Miles. He proposed to both men that they begin to spread the truth around whenever the opportunity arose - for Anne's sake. To his surprise, both agreed it was a good idea and both made it clear they were willing to help not just for Anne's sake, but also for Cord's.

As Craig explained to Noah, "You know I never even met him until I treated him last fall, but I saw enough of him then to get to know him a little, and I like him. What's more I have known Anne for a long time, and there's no doubt in my mind he's far better to her than anybody guesses. She's happier than I've ever seen her."

"Didn't the mess he made of those three men last week bother you, Doc?"

"Those men were sc.u.m. They meant to kill him, and it's hard to get upset about a few broken bones on their kind. It will probably keep them from killing somebody else on down the road."

James Miles said more or less the same thing. "Sure I'll tell anybody I can. I don't know why I haven't before. Anne looks happier every time she walks in here. I wish my Rachel was doing half as well."

So the three men began telling the whole story at every opportunity, and to Noah's relief, they began to have an effect on opinion in the town. It helped that d.i.c.k Brown, who had ridden away, was quite willing to admit what he had seen and heard before he left. Michael Benton, riddled with guilt, also confessed to what he had seen, although Noah noticed Benton's story was light on admitting what he had done.

George Detrick, finally realizing that by being too quick to judge he had missed his opportunity to get his hands on the woman he had wanted so much, got maudlinly drunk one night and not only confirmed the story, but made it only too clear to anyone listening what had been done in the attempt to force Anne to marry him. And he left little doubt what her life would have been like if the attempt had succeeded.

"That uppity b.i.t.c.h thought she was too good for me, but I'd have had her shaped up before the first week pa.s.sed. That kind just needs a few hard whollops to teach them proper respect is all."

In the end the sheriff decided his campaign to quiet the building outrage in the town had been pretty successful.

Edward Wells was one person the sheriff's campaign only made angrier. The more people questioned his treatment of his daughter, the more Edward's obsession with erasing the disgrace he believed Anne had brought on his family grew. On the surface he remained calm, repeating his standard answer to the criticism until he was gritting his teeth.

"I'm sorry about all of it, although you've heard some real exaggerations. The Double M hands just got carried away."

As far as Edward was concerned, the only possible resolution to the situation was to get Anne away from Cord. It did nothing for his state of mind that his first attempt to do just that had been a singular failure.

The gunman who had been in the crowd watching the fight was named Ike Handler.

Handler had been recommended to Edward as someone who could arrange what he wanted - Cord Bennett dead and Anne safely locked up at home again. Edward had paid the gunman three hundred dollars and agreed to pay seven hundred more when the job was done.

Now Edward had no intention paying Handler the balance of the money for the botched job, but he expected the man to be willing to make a second try in order to get it.

As agreed, Edward and Rob met with the man the night after the fight in the back of the shop.

Handler did expect more money, but not for finishing the job. "You're the one who told me the 'breed would be alone. You said n.o.body would back him up or care what happened, and that ain't the way it was. Them boys, his nephews, I guess, had me dead to rights, and they let me know it. Another two hundred and we'll call it even."

Edward was only too aware what had gone wrong with what had seemed like a good plan, but didn't consider it his own fault. "You said you could get the job done, and you didn't. I don't need excuses. You didn't earn it, and I'm not paying it. Maybe if you have another way to get the job done, we could negotiate."

"Not me," Handler said. "Try it again and the law won't believe I shot him because I was afraid for my men. If I was you, I wouldn't go straight at it next time. Maybe there's some way to make the Injun believe your daughter just run off. That's what I'd do."

After seeing Handler and another hundred dollars out of the shop, Rob, who had been apologizing almost non-stop since the fight, started in again. "I'm sorry, Father. Honestly, they all act as if they wouldn't give him water in the desert, and it's not like they jumped into the street to help him. Anne's in a snit over that. I didn't think they'd...."

Edward cut him off. He didn't want to hear any more excuses from his son either.

"Enough. Just be more careful in the future. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the time factor. It's amazing he hasn't started his b.a.s.t.a.r.d growing in her yet."

Rob cleared his throat and shifted nervously. Edward noticed immediately and barked, "What is it? Spit it out."

Rob avoided his eyes. "I'm not sure it's true. Nancy Lee heard it from some of the other women and supposedly it was Mrs. Craig who started the talk, but, well."

Edward frowned at his son impatiently until he went on. "They say there won't be any children - some of the damage from that beating - you know."

Edward smiled in satisfaction. Good news at last. "Well, well, well, maybe Meeks did something worthwhile after all. In that case we'll just take the time to plan carefully and come up with something guaranteed to work."

Rob also smiled, trying to share his father's pleasure over this tidbit, trying to ignore the crawling feeling in the pit of his stomach. His father's ready acceptance of this information meant Edward had indeed condoned the inhumane damage done to a man who had committed no wrong, who was under guns, held down, and unable to fight back.

CHAPTER 24.

THE MEMORY OF THE WAY Cord had kissed her after the fight left Anne hoping for more kisses, more caresses, but as the days pa.s.sed with no change, she resigned herself to things continuing as they had been.

So more than a week later, when she felt the unexpected warmth of him pressed close behind her as she worked in the barn, her first reaction was surprise. His hands slipped along her ribs, cupped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, pulled her back against him. His cheek was against her hair, his lips gently nuzzling below her ear and down her neck. She turned in his arms, surprise turning to delight as she realized his intentions.

He searched her face intently, as if trying to find the answer to some terribly important question.

"Cord?"

Anne got no further before his mouth met hers in a careful, exploratory kiss. They had been married six months, and it was the first time he really kissed her. Hope and antic.i.p.ation began to take wing in her heart as he led her around the stall part.i.tion and guided her down on clean straw.

Cord was above her, the intent questioning look still in his eyes when a movement distracted her. With horror she saw a fat brown spider only a foot away, b.u.mbling across the straw straight for her.

She reacted the way she had reacted all her life, crazy with unreasoning fear, pushing against his chest and almost sobbing, "Let me up! Let me go!"

By the time she got to her feet Cord was gone, but in her panic she didn't even notice until she checked her clothes and hair carefully, shaking with the after effects of her fear.

Beginning to calm down, she looked around in wonder. Where could he have gone so fast?

Cord had started immediately for the corralled horses with every intention of saddling the first one he caught and riding off. He was slowed by a wave of sickness so powerful it left him holding the fence for support.

This was much worse than anything he had even worried about. Crazed fear and revulsion had exploded from her. How could she have hidden feelings like that in the night? How was he ever going to face her again? It was over as of now. Everything was over. He didn't hear her walk up behind him.

"Cord, I'm sorry, I...."

Her voice steadied him and he turned and strode away. She followed after him, catching up again as he opened the corral gate.

"Will you let me explain? It was just...."