The Outlaw Bride Read online

  Josie walked over to the safe. Though she’d opened wall safes in rich people’s homes, she’d never encountered anything like this. It took her more time than she expected, but finally it clicked open. Even in the poor light, she could see that there was no saddlebag inside, only a stack of bills. If the money had found its way back to Perryman, they’d never identify it. And there was no sign of any jewelry. Letting out a sigh of disappointment, she closed the safe. “Nothing here, Callahan.”

  “Well, well,” Callahan said. “Here’s the file on the Callahan brothers in this drawer. And here’s my signature on the loan attached to a letter that says it’s paid in full. It’s signed by Ben.”

  “Let me read it,” Josie said, reaching for the paper.

  “No need. This isn’t Ben’s signature.”

  “Are you sure? I mean, if he was wounded, it might look a little different.”

  “His normal handwriting already looks different. Ben is left-handed. Look at his original letter of inquiry about the land. The letters lean to the left. Whoever signed this payoff note didn’t slant them in that direction. Besides, whoever signed this has an ornate handwriting. Ben would never have put a tail on the C in Callahan. Somebody forged his name.”

  Josie studied the paper. “You’re right.”

  Callahan leaned back in the banker’s chair. He’d always known Ben didn’t steal the money, but now that he had the actual proof in his hand, he didn’t know what to do. Could he convince Will Spencer that the banker was somehow mixed up in this?

  Josie obviously thought so. “Let’s find Will,” she announced.

  “Not necessary, Josie. I’m right here.” With gun drawn, Will stood in the doorway.

  “Will,” Josie began, completely surprised, “we’ve found proof that Ben didn’t pay off the note on their ranch. Show him, Callahan.”

  “Thanks for getting him here, Josie. Ellie said you would,” Will interjected.

  Callahan looked back at Josie in disbelief. “Getting me here? You had this planned all along? Why?”

  Josie was just as stunned. It had to be jealousy making Callahan blind. “You can’t believe that. Not after …” But she could tell from the look on his face that he believed what Will had suggested. Either that, or he was protecting her.

  “After all that big talk about being on my side, you arranged for me to walk right into a trap. Well, it won’t work. I’m leaving.”

  “There’s only one way out, Callahan, and I’m blocking it,” Will said. “And I have a few of your former partners outside, just in case you decide to try.”

  Josie moved as close to Callahan as she could. “You know I didn’t arrange this, I swear. Will’s doing the same thing you are—protecting me. Tell him, Will.”

  “Yeah, tell me, Will. How’d you just happen to be waiting for us? How, Sheriff Spencer?”

  “That was easy. When Ellie told me that you’d kidnapped Josie, I knew she was lying. I know how Josie’s mind works. Coming to Sharpsburg to see the payoff note was the logical thing to do. I had no doubt that you’d come with her.”

  “But, Will,” Josie began, trying to bring both men to their senses, “in the interest of justice, you have to listen. No matter what you think, we really do have proof that—”

  Will frowned and cut her off abruptly. “Breaking into a bank?” He was clearly uncomfortable. She could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. Then, he said, “Josie, if I hadn’t known what you were up to, I’d have to arrest you, too. Thanks for your help.”

  “She didn’t have any choice,” Callahan said. “I forced her to come along.”

  “Stop this, both of you!” Josie protested. “Nobody forces me to do anything.”

  “Josie, shut up. You, too, Callahan,” Will said knowingly. “I’m locking Callahan up. Josie, you get on over to the hotel. Ellie is waiting. I’ll get back to you later.” He stood aside and waited for her to go, his gun pointed at his prisoner.

  “I’m going with you,” Josie argued. “After all, I’m his attorney.”

  “Get out of here, Josie,” Callahan barked. “I already told you, you’re fired.”

  “We’ll just see about that.”

  13

  Ellie was waiting in their hotel room. She hugged Josie. “I was so worried. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. What did you tell Will when you came into town?”

  “Just what Callahan said—that he’d kidnapped you and headed for the missionary wagon train.” Ellie looked worried. “I told Will I’d followed him to Sharpsburg to tell him because I figured he’d want to go after you. Did I do something wrong?”

  “Of course not. But Will just told the men in his posse that I’d arranged to have Callahan caught breaking into the bank.”

  “I guess I’m not a very convincing liar,” Ellie said biting her lower lip.

  “No, it’s not that. Will lied in front of the ranchers so that I wouldn’t have to be arrested. But now Callahan believes him.”

  “Oh, Josie. I’m so sorry.”

  Josie patted her friend on the arm and moved toward the window. “It’s just as well. I need to do some investigating, and I couldn’t do it in jail.” Through the hotel window, she saw Callahan, his arms trussed up like a Christmas goose, walking up the street ahead of Will Spencer. Several other men closed in behind them.

  “I wanted to ride out to warn you, but Will was camped out at the livery stable all day, just like he was waiting. I couldn’t get the horse. I’d planned to try again, but now you’re here. What’s going to happen to Callahan?”

  “Will’s put him under arrest. Looks like he’s locking him up in the livery stable.”

  Ellie came to look out the window. “Josie, what are we going to do?”

  “What we set out to do,” she answered wearily. “We’re going to find out who is responsible for this mess. And I think we have our suspect.”

  “Who?” Ellie asked.

  “The banker, Mr. Perryman. He gave himself away by pretending to pay off Callahan’s loan. I just don’t know how I’m going to prove it.”

  “Mr. Perryman?” Ellie asked in disbelief. “But he’s a very important man. He owns everything in Sharpsburg, even the hotel. The proprietor said he’s planning to get himself appointed territorial governor of Wyoming. He’s built himself a fine new house. He’s even throwing a ball for all the important folks in the territory on Saturday night. They’ve been arriving for days.”

  “So that’s why he needs money—to buy the governorship. Callahan’s jail sentence is his ticket to the appointment.”

  Will and the other men came out of the stable and headed for the hotel. Josie’s first inclination was to lock the door. The last thing she wanted to do was face Will Spencer, but she had no choice.

  A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. “Josie?”

  Josie looked down at her still damp, wrinkled clothes, gave a deep sigh, and opened the door. “Come in, Will.”

  He stood there for a moment, then stepped inside. His lips were narrowed; he was steaming. “Can you excuse us for a moment, Ellie?”

  Ellie protested, “But, Will, don’t you think—”

  “I think you spent most of today telling me how smart Josie is and how I should forget about the law and let her take charge. I know Josie Miller. You don’t have to tell me she has a mind of her own and knows how to get what she wants, including an outlaw.”

  “What do you want, Will? I guess you know your little story turned Callahan against me.”

  “Somehow I don’t feel real bad about that.” He gave Josie a long look. “Stop playing games with me, Josie. I intend to get some answers to some questions that I sure as hell don’t want to ask.” He glanced again at Ellie.

  “I’ll be all right, Ellie,” Josie said. “Go on.”

  Reluctantly, Ellie left the room.

  “What have you done, Josie?” Will stared at her wrinkled clothing and the broken pieces of dried grass clinging to her skirt. �
�Besides breaking a criminal out of jail?”

  “I don’t understand what you mean,” she said, brushing her hands against her skirts.

  “I think you do. Why him? Any one of a dozen men in Laramie—and probably more in New York—would have gone through fire for you. Why this man?”

  “I don’t know,” she said softly. “I love Dan and Dr. Annie. They took me in and gave me the kind of life any woman would want. But I’m different. I’ve always known that. I pretend to be a lady when I’m really just an outlaw. The irony is, Callahan’s a gentleman hiding underneath that dangerous exterior. Maybe I care about him because we’re both alike—we’re frauds.”

  “Alike? You and Callahan?” Will’s voice bounced across the room.

  Someone next door pounded on the wall. “Keep it down in there.”

  Will walked over to Josie and stood before her. “I knew I was too old for you, that you weren’t interested in me, and I accepted that. You were a Miller. I expected you to settle down with a younger, more educated man, someone with a future. But Sims Callahan? You’re no outlaw; Sims Callahan is. He even served time for bank robbery.” Will groaned. “I can’t believe he sweet-talked you into breaking into Perryman’s bank.”

  “He didn’t.”

  “Don’t excuse him, Josie. I don’t want you falling for a man who isn’t good enough for you.”

  “You’re too late, Will,” she said softly. “I think I’m already in love with him. But that isn’t why I’ve done what I’ve done. I believe in the law and enforcing it. And I’m going to prove he’s innocent.”

  “By breaking the law?”

  “If I have to. In the end, I intend to see that justice is served, Will. What I’ve done is morally right.”

  Will slammed his hand against the wall beside the window.

  “If you don’t keep it down in there, I’ll call the sheriff,” the voice roared from the next room.

  “I am the sheriff!” Will bellowed. He took a deep breath. “You do realize what you’ve done?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “All, come on, Josie. Dan told me a long time ago about your career as a pickpocket. Nobody else could have picked the lock at the jail. Now there’s the bank. Tell me what you expected to accomplish.”

  “To prove he is innocent. To find the real thief.”

  “If he’s innocent, it’s up to you to prove it in court.”

  “I would have, if you’d done anything to help me. I still will, once I find the money.”

  “I’ve done everything I can. I’ve sent telegrams to every office west and north asking for information about that missionary train. Nobody has seen it. I can’t even prove that it exists. Then I came down here and talked—separately—to the ranchers whose money was stolen. They’re angry. Not only have they lost their money, now they’re about to lose their ranches—all thanks to your client.”

  “Not Callahan, Will.”

  “Not Callahan? Okay, so it was the kid brother, Ben.”

  She walked back over to the window and glanced down into the street. Even at this late hour, the ranchers were still milling around, their voices growing louder. Josie didn’t like the picture she was seeing or the possibilities that existed. In the last year, Judge McSparren and the law officers had done a lot to civilize the west, but this was still an untamed territory. She knew what a group of ordinary men could do if they were desperate enough to believe that Callahan was responsible for their losses. She needed to get Callahan out of Sharpsburg and back to Laramie where she had people she could call on to protect him.

  “It wasn’t Ben either, and I can prove that.”

  “How?”

  “I’ve seen his signature on the paperwork settling the loan on their ranch. It’s a forgery. Neither of the Callahan brothers paid Perryman.”

  “Probably not,” Will agreed. “I wouldn’t take a chance on coming into the bank and paying the debt either. I mean, folks in Sharpsburg just might notice that the man they’d given their life savings to was spending it. You want to hear something funny? I even interviewed Perryman.”

  “I’d expected you to, Will.”

  “I asked him if you were the one who’d paid off Callahan’s mortgage. After all, as Callahan’s attorney, you’d legally be able to do things on his behalf, wouldn’t you?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Perryman said it was Ben who paid the mortgage, the same day as the holdup, before anyone knew what had happened.”

  “You can’t believe Perryman,” Josie said. “This is a clear case of forgery.”

  “I didn’t say that I did, Josie. But Callahan’s jailbreak certainly makes him look guilty. At the moment it’s Callahan’s word against Perryman’s. Who do you think the ranchers are going to believe?”

  “I was hoping they’d feel more sympathy for Callahan.”

  “Not when they owe Perryman money. What’s your plan now?”

  Her answer was simple and devastating. “I don’t have one. All I know is that I have to stop Perryman from winning.”

  Any further discussion came to a dramatic stop when Ellie pounded on the door, then opened it. “Josie! Will! Come quick. The hotel manager says those men are about to string up Callahan.”

  Will swore. “Now look what you’ve done. There’s no way in hell I can stop a lynch mob.”

  “I’m the one responsible,” Josie said. “Let me talk to them.”

  “What makes you think they’ll listen to you?” Will asked, turning to the door and making his way down the stairs.

  “Because …” The solution came to her in a blinding flash as she trailed after him. It had been there all along. “I’ll pay for the cattle myself,” Josie announced.

  “Think about that,” Will said. “Even if you wanted to, it wouldn’t be smart. How would you explain where you got the money?”

  Josie took in a deep breath. She realized that by coming up with the money, she had just given Will more evidence to make Callahan look guilty. Either she was in it with Callahan or she’d been duped. Either way, the woman who loved him would be buying him out of his mess.

  From the hotel counter she took a piece of paper and began to write. “Will, go wake up the telegraph operator and have him send this message to the Sinclair Banking Company in New York. Just so you know, Will, this is my own money. I made it investing in the stock market while I was studying law.”

  Will took her scribbled message. “You know that won’t be what people think.”

  “I don’t care what people think.”

  “And it won’t get Callahan out of jail.”

  “No, but it’ll buy some time, maybe keep Callahan from a hangman’s noose until I find enough evidence to dismiss the charges of theft and escape from jail.”

  “I’d just like to remind you that as the sheriff, that’s my job,” Will said.

  “Will, we’ve run out of time. And right now, I have to get to the livery stable in a minute, or I won’t have a client to defend.”

  ————

  “We’re running low on supplies,” Rachel said. “Brother Joshua says that there’s a trading post about two miles west of here. I’ll borrow Eli’s horse and ride in with him, if you’ll keep the wagon moving.”

  “No, I’ll go,” Jacob said, then frowned. “Of course, I can’t pay. I don’t even know if I have any money. You’ve just married a man who might not be able to support you.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” she said. “I have some money. Enough, I think.”

  “I’d like to think that I might able to contribute something, Rachel, but I’m not sure how. Maybe someone at the trading post knows who I am.”

  Rachel blanched. He shouldn’t go. Somehow she knew this. Or maybe she didn’t want to take a chance. She’d watched him regain his strength, turning into a handsome young man. Even as the thought came to her, she tugged at her skirt. She wasn’t so old—she just felt old. Looking at Jacob’s dark eyes and thick curly hair, she wondered again how he’d come to be so badly
beaten. There was something southern about him, his slow way of talking, his polite manners. Jacob Christopher, or whoever he was, was a gentleman. Wherever he’d come from, he was her gift from God, and she intended to protect and keep him, no matter who he was. By going to the trading post, she might be able to avoid Fort Bridger, the next place they could buy supplies. Fort Bridger was the federal law in this part of the territory. Fort Bridger had a stockade.

  She felt a tinge of remorse at her need to protect Jacob from the truth. But as she thought about how diligently he’d tried to fill the role she’d assigned him, all the while struggling with his memory, she strengthened her resolve. Jacob might not be a farmer, but he belonged to her now, and she intended to keep him. It wasn’t that he was unaccustomed to physical labor—he was no well-heeled easterner who’d never gotten his hands dirty. He was a gentle man, taking a real interest in Eli and making certain the boy always got a portion of the milk.

  Jacob’s memory was returning in snatches, and that worried Rachel. She knew it was selfish of her, but if he never knew who he really was, she’d find a way to make him happy. Still, she heard him in the night, talking in his sleep, calling out in fear as he thrashed restlessly. The man who’d been sent to her was fighting his own demons, and she was afraid for him.

  Rachel had to persuade him to let her go to the trading post instead. “Jacob,” she began, “I appreciate your offer, but I think I should go. And we’d be better off getting supplies here than waiting until we get to Fort Bridger.”

  “Fort Bridger? There’s an army fort ahead?”

  “About two days away. But Jacob, you have to be careful. We don’t know who beat you. They might still be out there. You could be in danger.”

  He shot her a quick look, a frown marring his face. “What are you saying, Rachel? Do you know something you’re not telling me?”

  “Know something? No. I just think it would be safer if I went, just to check it out. Then if you’re … wanted or something, I … we’ll know.”

  “Wanted? You think I’m a criminal?” Jacob saw something in Rachel’s eyes he’d never seen before. Fear? Uncertainty?