"No," Mac said, "that ain't enough for a woman. She wants you to love her. I don't know how to explain it. You just know when you love her."

"Oh that." Wes waved his hand. "I fell in love with Leah a long time ago. She's got more courage than anybody I ever met."

"So what's your problem?" Mac asked.

"You remember a month ago when that woman accused Leah of murdering her husband?"

Mac grimaced. "That's the day Miranda met those two boys of yours. I ain't likely to forget it. But I thought you got all that straightened out."

"I thought so too. I found two people who'd been there when Revis killed the woman's husband and they heard Revis threatening Leah. So I took the two to the woman but she wouldn't listen, just kept screaming about Leah. There wasn't anything I could do about her so I took the two men around town and let them tell everyone in Sweetbriar the truth about Leah."

With a nod, Mac agreed. "Sounds sensible to me. So what's wrong with your wife?"

Wesley sat on top of a cracker barrel. "Leah has more courage than anyone," he repeated. "In Virginia she used to tell me off about every two days and later I was shot and she put her own life in jeopardy to save me, who she kept saying she didn't like very much. Of course she didn't mean that. Leah's crazy about me," he added quickly. "Nothing ever seemed too much for her, but this woman screaming at her has changed Leah. All she does now is chores and sit at that blasted loom of hers. And the least little thing makes her cry."

"Is she breedin'?" Mac asked. "Women get funny at that time."

"I don't think so. I've asked her twenty times what's wrong and she just cries and says she'll never be respectable now."

"I guess you told her about the two men, didn't you?"

"Sure," Wes answered. "I even brought them to the house, but Leah said their word didn't matter because the woman thought Leah'd killed her husband. Everybody in Sweetbriar knew about Revis's robberies and I told a few women about how Leah joined the gang because I was wounded and they believed me. Nobody in town is against Leah except that one crazy old woman, but Leah just plain won't believe me. She won't come to town, won't see anybody but Kimberly and Bud and Cal."

There was quiet in the store for a few minutes, only the rain beating down on the roof.

"I never did like those Hayneses," Doll said quietly.

For a moment Mac looked startled, and it was awhile before he spoke. "You ever think maybe somebody's payin' this woman to keep to her story about Leah?"

"Paying her? To lie about Leah? Why?" Wesley was bewildered. "What could anyone gain by making the town think Leah's a murderess?"

Mac walked out from behind the counter. "I know what you've told the townspeople about this Revis and I know you only told 'em because of Leah, but I think you left out a lot."

Wesley set his jaw. "Maybe you ought to tell me what I didn't say."

"Maybe you didn't hear," Mac continued, "but about four years ago several of us men went into the woods and cleared out the whole nest of robbers. It was* successful, but Lyttle Tucker and Ottis Waters were killed. It wasn't long before the nest was filled again, only this time all the women of Sweetbriar marched on us and said they'd leave us if we went after the robbers." There was anger in Mac's eyes. "Sometimes the women of this town don't rightly act like women should."

"I liked it better when my woman disobeyed me," Wesley said sullenly. "If I'd wanted somebody who obeyed me I'd have married Kimberly."

"Linnet don't even know how to obey," Mac snapped. "Sometimes I think she stays up nights thinkin' up ways to do what I don't want her to do."

"Leah used to do that but."

"'Fore you two get so hot for your women you have to run home to 'em for a little lovin', why don't we

get back to the Haynes woman and her callin' Mrs. Wesley a murderer?"

Mac ignored Doll's first remark. "The Hayneses ain't been here long and we've had some trouble with 'em, with stealin' and the like. This woman that accused Leah was a Haynes before she married and now that she's a widow she's livin' with 'em."

He paused. "A few of us men speculated some on how come that den of robbers is always filled and they always seem to have new leaders ever' few years. Even if you kill the leader, a new one comes back real soon. There ain't been no robberies since this Revis was killed, but I'm expectin' any day to hear of one."

Wesley was cautious. "How do you explain the leaders being replaced?"

"There's somebody behind all the robberies, somebody that don't five in the woods that's plannin' them all."

"And who is he?" Wes asked quietly.

"How the hell would I know?" Mac snapped. "You think he'd be free if I knew who he was?"

Doll turned around in his chair to look at Wesley. "Mac," he said slowly, "that boy knows more'n he's

tellin'." With that he turned back around.

Mac gave Wesley a hard look. "That true? You in here fishin' to see what we know?"

Wesley began to get angry. "I'd never heard that the men of Sweetbriar had ever cleared out the

robbers."

"You think we hear about other people's misery and just sit on our asses doin' nothin' about it? Is that the

kind of people you think we are? I lost Lyttle Tucker in that fight and he was one of the best friends I ever had."

Doll came out of his chair. "Goddamn you, Macalister! I thought that once you got some gray hairs you'd

calm down. But you ain't. You're just as hotheaded now as you always was. I don't know how that sweet little Lynna puts up with you."

"She puts up with me just fine!" Mac yelled. "Better'n anybody can put up with you, old man."

"Stop it!" shouted Linnet from the doorway, rain dripping off her. "I could hear you two shouting outside even in this downpour. Hello, Wesley. I haven't seen you for weeks."

Mac, rigid with anger, went behind the counter.

"Hello, Linnet," Wesley said softly.

"Wesley," Linnet said pleasantly, "would you please tell me what's been going on in here?"

"I don't know if I should*" Wes began.

"Tell her," Mac snapped. "Cain't nobody keep a secret from her."

Briefly Wesley told her about Leah's refusing to leave the farm, about her unhappiness, and then about

what he'd done to clear her name. Then he told of what had led up to the argument.Linnet thought for a moment. "Do you know something about the robbers?"

Wesley wasn't going to tell Mac that Bud, Cal, and Abe had been part of the robbers, not when Miranda might marry Bud or Cal. "There is a leader," he said quietly. "All I know is that he's called the Dancer."

"You have no idea who he is?"

"I was given a name, but it was a lie." The last thing Wes wanted to do was tell Mac what Revis had said.

Mac's temper was explosive enough over little things, but what would it be over this?

"What was the name?" Linnet asked.

Wesley hesitated.

"You can be sure it won't go beyond these walls."

"I knew right away it was a lie. When Revis was shot he gave us a name, but none of us believed it. And

besides, Mac, you spent two years in North Carolina. It couldn't have been you."

The silence in the room was deafening.

"Me?" Mac said, then slowly he began to smile. He walked over near Doll. "You hear that, ol' man? I'm

supposed to be the leader of these outlaws. I'd like to know when I'm supposed to get time what with all the kids I've got, and what did I do with the money? Miranda wants a new dress once a week and I can't give her one."

He seemed to be highly amused by the whole idea."Seems mighty peculiar to me that a man that's dyin' would tell a lie," Doll said.Wesley was sure Mac would start yelling at Doll again."That is odd," Linnet said. "What do you think, Devon?""He was scared," Mac said flatly. "Maybe this Revis has some kinfolks and if he gave away who the Dancer was, this Dancer would kill 'em.""I hadn't thought of that," Wesley said. "I just never believed what Revis said about you.""But you did ask around enough to know Mac was in North Caroliny and couldn't be this robber," Doll injected.

"So why does the Haynes woman still say Leah is a murderer?" Mac asked.

"Because whoever the Dancer is, he's afraid Leah knows something. Did Leah know Revis very well?"

Mac answered his own question before anyone else could speak. "Not the way you mean," Wesley snapped. "But" He came off the barrel. "Revis could have bragged to the Dancer. Revis was a loner, skulked about the woods all the time, nobody ever knew what he was thinking, but he liked Leah. From what I gather he killed the Haynes woman's husband just so he could force Leah to stay with him. He seemed to terrify most women and Leah* Leah doesn't usually scare too easily." "I once lived in a town," Linnet said softly, "where if one of the residents had been accused of murder the other townspeople just might have hanged her. Sweetbriar isn't like that," she said proudly, "but even our town can be pushed too far. Some of the newer residents are saying you may have paid those two men to say Leah was forced into the robberies."

"Just tell me who they are and I'll break their lying bodies in two," Wesley said as he spat."That won't do any good," Mac said. "I think we've got to find out who the Dancer is.""Must be somebody pretty close or he wouldn't be so worried about your missus," Doll said."So how do we find out who he is?" Linnet asked. "We can't just ask people."Mac locked eyes with Wesley. "There's only one way: by making him show his hand again."It took Wesley a moment to understand. "You want to use my wife as some sort of pigeon for this Dancer to shoot at? You expect me to expose Leah to the whims of a thief and a murderer? Not on your life, Macalister."

"Nobody's askin' you to," Mac began angrily.

"I think you should ask Leah," Linnet said. "She should be given a choice. Right now she's miserable because she's been accused of murder and she has no way to clear her name. If the real culprit is found only then will she be free."

"Absolutely not," Wesley said firmly. "I don't care if Leah never leaves my house again. I won't let her expose herself to a murderer. If the Dancer thinks she knows something, he may try to kill her. I will not let Leah out of my protection."

"Then you're forcing her to a half-life," Linnet said with passion. "All the Dancer has to do is keep payingthat dreadful woman to spread her stories about Leah, and if Leah merely stays home and cries, neverdefends herself, it won't be long before people begin believing Leah is a murderer."

"Yep," Doll said. "People will say where there's smoke there's fire, and in a few months they'll all agree that there must be somethin' behind your little wife's misery. They might say maybe she's stayin' home 'cause she feels guilty."

"Wesley," Linnet said, her hand on his arm. "You must talk to Leah about this. It's really her decision."

"As long as she's my wife."

"Hah!" Mac interrupted. "If you want her to act like a wife oughta, you better hightail it out of this town

right now. It's my guess that if you won't tell her, Lynna will."

"Is that true?" Wesley asked, eyes wide.

"It had crossed my mind," she said, giving her husband a stern look when he smiled at her.

"Maybe we could go," Wesley began.