Cassie barely managed to keep from snapping, “The hell you are!” She stepped between the two men instead to say calmly, “That won’t be necessary, Sheriff. Ask around. You’ll find a witness or two who saw Slater try to shoot this man in the back. I saw it, which is why he’s got my bullet in him, too. And for the record, Slater was no longer employed by your aunt. Your cousin Buck fired him yesterday morning.”
As his expression indicated, that last bit of information was all that changed Frank’s mind. Cassie had no doubt that Angel would have been arrested, without cause, if Slater had still been a Catlin employee. It could even have come to a bogus trial and hanging if Dorothy Catlin decreed it, such was the domination of that close-knit family. But Cassie didn’t think the Widow Catlin was that vicious, and besides, she wouldn’t have let Angel be arrested for a justified shooting. She would have drawn on the sheriff herself if she had to.
Which was why Cassie was greatly relieved to hear Frank say, “I’ll take your word for it, Miss Stuart. He’s with you, then?”
The lie came easily this time. “He’s my fiancé.”
The sheriff was surprised. “Thought you and Morgan—well, never mind. Just keep this one out of town. Gunfights we don’t need, and I damn well hate the paperwork involved.”
Cassie nodded and hooked her arm through Angel’s to lead him away before Frank changed his mind again. Angel’s silence continued until they had reached their horses and he’d given her a boost up onto hers.
“Why do I have the feeling you would’ve taken on that sheriff if he hadn’t backed down?”
Cassie flushed slightly at his discerning question. And he didn’t sound all that pleased by the notion, either, so she said, “I don’t know what you mean.”
He merely grunted before mounting up. “Your lying is improving—some.”
Chapter 16
Angel ordered another whiskey and turned to survey the room. The Last Keg Saloon was quiet for a Saturday night, but then, it wasn’t the only saloon in town, and Angel had avoided the more lively ones out of habit.
A couple of tables had card games going, but he didn’t feel like trying to join one. He felt like getting drunk and taking one of the three girls who worked the room upstairs for the night. One was even pretty, and he couldn’t deny he needed a woman, especially after spending the past three nights with only a wall separating him from a woman he was increasingly finding too damn desirable.
He wouldn’t get drunk, however, at least not in a public place. That would be careless, and Angel was rarely careless. And he hadn’t made up his mind yet about buying a woman for the night. The need was there, but his interest in what was available didn’t remain for long.
That was surprising in itself. He wasn’t usually discriminating where women were concerned. A warm, soft body that was willing had always been enough to satisfy him. Now he was devoting too many thoughts to one particular woman, something else he’d never done before, and it was starting to irritate the hell out of him. That, among other things.
He didn’t like what he was feeling lately. What he’d felt after shooting Slater the other day was a prime example—too much satisfaction. He’d never experienced actual pleasure in killing a man before, and he wasn’t sure why he had this time. It had been primitive, what he’d felt. He hadn’t liked it that the man had attempted to bed Cassie. He really hadn’t liked that. But the only reason he could figure that that had been part of the satisfaction was because she was under his protection. Nothing else made sense.
Angel was on his third and last drink when Morgan MacKauley walked in. Stumbled in, was more accurate. He’d obviously hit the bottle himself tonight, and pretty heavily. And he wasn’t alone. He had one of his brothers with him, the second oldest by the look of him. Angel couldn’t recall what name Cassie had give that brother, but he supposed he might be finding out, since both men headed in his direction as soon as Morgan spotted him at the bar.
“Well, if it ain’t Miss Stuart’s fiancé,” Morgan sneered. “Brown, was it?”
Angel set his glass down to free both hands. The brothers were crowding him, and Morgan’s expression contained an emotion resembling pure dislike.
“The name’s Angel.”
“Yeah, so I been hearing. Angel Brown.”
“Just Angel.”
Morgan rocked back on his heels. Angel didn’t think the action was intentional. The man ought to be in bed, sleeping it off, instead of looking for trouble.
“You saying Cassie lied?”
“No, only that I go by Angel and nothing else.”
“Ah, hell,” Richard MacKauley said at that point. “Let it go, little brother.”
“Stay out of—”
Morgan was abruptly cut off when the older MacKauley hauled him aside to whisper furiously in his ear. There was a slight grappling as Morgan chose to ignore what his big brother had to say.
He was actually being restrained in a bear hug when he looked at Angel and bellowed, “Is that right? They call you the Angel of Death?”
If everyone’s attention hadn’t been on them already, it was now. Angel didn’t move a muscle. “Some folks are foolish enough to do so.”
Morgan was apparently too drunk and too riled up to take the hint. “What the hell’s a killer like you doing asking a lady to marry him?”
A damn good question. It wasn’t something Angel would do under any circumstances. The very idea was ludicrous. No lady in her right mind would have him, and he had a bit too much pride to leave himself open to that kind of humiliating rejection. But because this particular lady was a meddler who told outlandish lies that some idiots actually believed, he was stuck with answering the question—or not. He opted for not, to save both himself and Cassie embarrassment.
“How’s it any of your business, MacKauley?”
Someone else in the room was drunk enough to call out, “He was gonna marry her hisself!”
Morgan swung around, taking his brother with him, since Richard was still holding him. But he couldn’t locate the culprit who’d turned him red-faced with that bit of information. And it was still Angel he wanted to fight, so he swung back again and in the process put some serious effort into breaking his brother’s hold.
Angel braced himself. He debated whether to draw and end the coming fight before it started. But the feeling he’d had earlier in the week, that he deserved some sort of retribution, was still with him. He hefted his gun and handed it to the man behind the bar.
“Can you manage to keep it fair?”
The barkeep didn’t need to be told what “it” was. “Won’t be nothin‘ fair about it if you take on Morgan,” he said with a complacent nod. “I’d be appreciative, though, if you’d take it outside.”
“I’m willing, but I don’t think he’s open to the suggestion.”
At the moment, Morgan was telling his brother, “Let go, damn you, Richard. I’m not going to shoot him, I’m just going to break some of his bones.”
He ended with a mighty heave that gained his release, only to send him stumbling forward. Having decided after what he’d just heard that it wouldn’t be in his best interests to wait for Morgan to throw the first punch, Angel lifted his knee to meet him. And while the larger man was doubled over, Angel followed with a down-swinging right.
That should have put Morgan on the floor. With anyone else it might have, and ended it right there. But Morgan was over six feet tall with a hell of a lot of muscle to go with it. He was barely dazed. He was also too drunk to notice if any pain had been left behind. Angel wished he could say the same when Morgan came up swinging.
Ten minutes later he was wishing it again, though he was glad that Morgan had had too much to drink. He never would have beaten him otherwise, and he was kind of amazed that he’d managed to in the end. He’d merely gotten lucky with that last punch. Of course.
It was only by dint of will that he was still standing himself.
Angel put out his hand to the barkeep to retri
eve his gun. The man handed it over, along with a bottle of whiskey and a grin.
“On the house, mister. It was a pure pleasure, watchin‘ Morgan lose for the first time. And never you mind the damages, either. I’ll take ’em up with his pa.”
Angel just nodded. Behind him, Richard MacKauley picked up a glass of beer from one of the tables that were still upright and was about to dump it in Morgan’s face. Angel took the bottle and left.
As much as he hurt, he actually felt better. He might even ask Miss Cassie to patch him up.
Chapter 17
It was the whistling that woke Cassie. It took a moment for her to realize it was whistling, strident, tuneless, and sounding like it was coming from just outside her door, or close to it. She didn’t bother to wonder who might be making that god-awful noise, but she certainly wondered why someone was.
Without looking at the clock on her bureau, she knew it had to be midnight or later. She’d stayed up late herself, waiting to hear Angel return, worrying, because he’d told her where he was going. To town, on a Saturday night, the one night set aside for hell-raising by the local cowboys, the one night almost guaranteeing some sort of trouble. What was it about men that made them court disaster?
She’d imagined the very worst thing happening, of course, a shootout, another death— ultimately her fault, because Angel wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t written to Lewis Pickens for help. She’d imagined him thrown in jail this time, and her arguing with Frank to release him, and, failing that, breaking him out of jail and sending him on his way, a free man, but now a wanted man. And it would all be her fault because she hadn’t been able to deal with a few stubborn Texans on her own.
It was incredible that she’d gotten to sleep at all, and she was certainly wide awake now. But she didn’t move from her warm bed. She listened instead, waiting to hear some silence to indicate he’d found his own bed. She’d ask him tomorrow about his whistling. It was the first time in the four days since he’d moved himself into the house that he’d been this discourteous. Usually, she had to strain to hear the tiniest sound from his room.
But the next sound she heard, a dull thud, as if he’d fallen to the floor, had her out of her bed in a flash and throwing the door open. She stopped short, however, upon finding him still standing, though just barely. The light she’d left burning in the hall for him revealed him leaning, with his back against his door, at such a tilted angle that his feet were probably going to slide out from under him at any moment. And he was still whistling.
Understandably, Cassie became annoyed at that point. “Just what is your problem?”
His head came away from the door, only to immediately drop back against it instead of turning toward her. “Can’t get my door open.”
“Did you lose the key?”
“Ain’t locked.”
She frowned. “Then why won’t it open?”
“My hand’s too swollen to turn the handle.”
“Both of them?”
“No.”
“Then why didn’t you use your other hand?”
“Didn‘ think of that. ’Predate it.”
At that moment she realized he was drunk, seriously drunk, and alarm bells went off. She didn’t want to deal with a drunken Angel. She ought to go right back into her room and let him muddle his way to bed—or not. But then he turned and she saw his face.
She gasped. “What happened to you?”
One eye was so discolored and swollen it wouldn’t open. A patch of skin had been scraped raw high on his cheek with other abrasions around it. Twin trails of blood ran unchecked from his nose, though it had at one point been smeared across the other cheek. She now saw the open bottle of whiskey in his hand, and blood on all four of his fingers. They did happen to look swollen, and that happened to be his gun hand.
His one good eye didn’t exactly focus on her; he merely looked toward the sound of her voice. “Had a li’l run-in with your beau.”
“What beau?”
“Morgan.”
For some unaccountable reason, she blushed. She wasn’t sure why she would have preferred he not find out about Morgan having paid court to her. But fortunately, Angel wasn’t paying attention to her reaction. He’d turned a bit more to try the door handle with his other hand. The door opened this time, but he’d still been leaning on it, so he went inward with it, flat on his face.
Cassie rolled her eyes, staring at his legs sticking out of the doorway. She was no longer the least bit concerned that he might be dangerous in his present condition. He was obviously quite harmless and definitely in need of assistance.
When she peered into his room, she saw his head was cradled on both arms. Miraculously, the bottle of whiskey hadn’t spilled, and he was still holding it, rather protectively, in the crook of one arm, even though he’d passed out.
She thought briefly of leaving him right where he was, merely removing his boots and throwing a blanket over him. She couldn’t do it. He was battered enough. A night on the hard floor wouldn’t help. So with some pushing, pulling, and a good deal of vocal prodding, she managed to get him into bed. He barely woke up for it. And as long as he was unconscious, she fetched some water and cloths to clean up his face.
No doubt about it, he was a mess. She wondered what had started the fight and what condition Morgan was in. Mostly she wondered why Angel had let it happen to begin with when he’d worn his gun to town. That just didn’t seem like something he’d do.
“You have a soft touch, honey.”
Cassie jerked, lifting the damp cloth from his chin. He hadn’t opened his eyes to say it. In all likelihood, he wasn’t quite awake and didn’t even know whom he was talking to. Still, it made her feel strange inside when he called her honey, kind of warm and mushy.
“Can’t say the same for other females who’ve patched me up,” Angel continued, still without looking at her.
Cassie would have let him ramble, assuming that was what he was doing, except her curiosity was aroused. “What other females have patched you up?”
“Jessie Summers, for one.”
That jarred her memory. “That’s right, I recall hearing something about you being shot by some rustlers on her land. How badly were you wounded that time?”
“Bad enough.”
“Then possibly it’s the wounds you remember, rather than the fixing of them.”
“Could be—nah, I could count on two fingers the women I know as gentle as you ... make that one finger.”
She smiled at that point. “Are you trying to flatter me, Angel?”
He finally cracked one eye open. “Is it working?”
Yes. “No.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Just what were you angling for?”
“For you to lie down with me. I could use some soft cuddling about now.”
Her mouth dropped open, then snapped shut. “You could probably use a doctor,” she said tartly, amazed that he would suggest such a thing. It had to be the drink... hell, he was probably so far gone he really didn’t know whom he was talking to.
She continued to think that, even when he replied, “A doc can’t fix what’s ailing me now—unless it’s a female doctor.”
“Ours isn’t, and I suggest you try sleep as a second option.”
“Sure you won’t accommodate me on the first?”
“Quite sure.”
“You might like it, Cassie.”
She drew in her breath sharply. He knew who she was after all, and that simple fact had an amazing effect on her. She actually reconsidered. What harm could it do to lie down next to him? The man was certainly in no condition to do more than cuddle, despite the improper remarks he was making, and ... She must be mad!
Cassie shot to her feet and hurried out to the balcony, where she’d placed a wet cloth to chill for his eye. Angel let out a sigh behind her. Even drunk, he couldn’t get her off his mind.
She was wearing the same kind of white cotton nightgown she’d been weari
ng the other night, long-sleeved with ruffles at the wrist, high-necked with more ruffles and a bit of lace, totally without shape—and this one wasn’t ripped up the front. There was certainly nothing there to tempt a man beyond the fact that she was in her bedclothes, which wasn’t about to make a difference to a man in his present condition.
God, he liked seeing her with her hair down. It flowed about her like rich mahogany, looking so soft he ached to bury his hands in it. Didn’t suppose she’d stand for that. She was the very proper Miss Cassandra tonight, though for a second there she’d looked like she might devour him. Had to be the drink making him see what he wanted, not what actually was.
She came back with her lips pursed tightly. “This might help the swelling.” For all her stiffness, she was very gentle in placing the cold cloth over his eye.
He caught her hand before she drew back. “One kiss to put me to sleep.”
“I’m not so sure you’re awake even now. More likely you’re having a dream that you won’t remember come morning.”
“Then make it a pleasant dream, honey.”
For a moment he thought he had her as she glanced down at his lips. But then she jerked her hand away and he sagged into the mattress, suddenly feeling every single ache he had.
“You’re being highly improper,” she told him as she headed for the door.
“I’m allowed, after your ex-beau tried to kill me with his bare hands, all because he thinks I’m your fiancé.”
“Good night, Angel.”
“It could have been,” he grumbled.
Chapter 18
A storm blew through that Sunday, severe enough to keep Cassie home for the day. Church had been a difficult experience anyway these past weeks with all of her former friends not talking to her. And Jenny hadn’t shown up for one service since the elopement. After what Buck had told Angel about his sister, Cassie figured that it was probably because she couldn’t stop crying long enough to make the trip to church.