Breaking Down Defenses

“Don’t move.” Tough words for a ten year old boy to obey but the harshness in the strangers voice had Nathan wanting to obey.

“What are they gonna do to my mama?” Nathan whispered. The man’s gray eyes narrowed and he frowned.

“Kill her.” Nathan’s eyes widened and he stood to run around the barn and save his mother but the stranger grabbed him and held him tight, clamping his hand over Nathan’s mouth so he couldn’t cry out.

“There’s nothing to be done for her, kid. I wish I could save her but it would be me against twelve armed men and if they get me, then there wouldn’t be nobody standing between you and them. What do you think they’d do to you?” Nathan struggled against the strangers arms but then his mothers screams filled the air and Nathan clamped his hands over his ears and sagged against the stranger as he sobbed giant tears from his ten year old eyes.

The stranger patted his hair in an attempt to be comforting and when Nathan tried to move his hands the stranger held them in place and shook his head.

“Leave them there.” he mouthed and Nathan swallowed hard and nodded. There was a haunted look on the mans face. A look that told Nathan he had better listen. How had this happened? Just this morning he and his mama had sat together at their tiny table eating breakfast. He had come out to the barn to milk the cows and he’d heard the sound of thundering hooves riding toward the house. He had tried to run out but this stranger had stepped out of a stall, where he had obviously bunked down without permission for a night, and grabbed him. Taking him behind the barn and keeping him there…. That had been what felt like an eternity ago.

“Okay kid.” The stranger said after he’d moved Nathan’s hands away from his ears. “They’re gone.” Nathan tried to pull out of the mans arms and run to his mother but the stranger held him tight.

“I think it would be best if you didn’t see kid.” he said as he glanced around the corner of the barn. Nathan was kicking and screaming but the man was big and strong and held one large hand over his eyes as he carried him across the yard and into the house. The man carried Nathan into the bedroom and then tied Nathan’s arm to the bed.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” Nathan yelled angrily as he glared up at the tall stranger. It was then that Nathan noticed the Texas Ranger star on his vest beneath his black duster coat and his brown eyes widened.

“You’re a ranger?” Nathan asked with awe. The stranger nodded slowly and then frowned.

“I gotta tie you up, kid, or else you’ll come out here and see something you don’t need to be seeing. I’ll come back in for you once I’m done.”

“Wait! Where is my mama?” Nathan demanded as the stranger turned his back to walk away.

“She’s dead, kid.” he said without turning and Nathan curled up to the pillow and cried as the man walked away.

888

Nathan had dried his face and squared his thin shoulders against the pain when he had heard the man coming back a long while later. He would be brave in front of the tough ranger. He wouldn’t let the man see him cry anymore.

“It’s done.” the stranger said when he walked in the room. He had taken off his duster coat and rolled up his black shirt sleeves. His tan skin was sweat covered and streaked with dirt. He had pulled off his hat and his thick blond hair was wild and messy. Without the shadow of his hat covering his face, Nathan saw that he had a long and jagged scar starting at the top of his forehead, running across his left eye and stopping just below his cheekbone. The stranger ran his rough, scarred hand through his ear length hair and offered Nathan a smile that scared the ten year old more than it comforted him. There was something about this man that told the young boy he didn’t smile very often.

“Can you untie me now?” Nathan asked, putting on his best brave face. The stranger nodded and quickly untied the rope, looping it around and around before hooking it back onto his belt.

“You got a pa, kid?” the stranger asked. Nathan shook his head.

“He runned off a long time ago. It’s just been me and my mama for as long as I can remember.” The stranger nodded and walked out of the room. Nathan jumped to his feet and followed him. “Can I go see where you buried my mama?”

“Yeah.” the stranger said. Nathan walked on shaking legs, following in the strangers footprints. They walked across the dusty ground. Past the worn out barn and the falling down woodshed and Nathan froze when he saw the fresh mound of dirt and small homemade cross in the ground by the river.

“I’ll leave you alone for a while.” the stranger said. Nathan watched him walk away and then fell to his knees beside his mothers grave.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe mama… I was s’pose to be the man of the house and I let you down.” A tear fell down his smooth cheek and he sat there staring at the tiny cross for what felt like hours. Finally he heard a throat clear behind him.

“I cooked us something to eat, kid. You better come in and get a bite before we head out.”

“Head out?” Nathan demanded. “Where are we going?”

“I’m gonna take you to your kin.” the stranger replied, not slowing his pace toward the house. Nathan was running to keep up.

“I don’t have no kin. I done told you it was just me and my mama.” The stranger growled with irritation.

“Then what the hell am I supposed to do with you?”

“I’ll stay here. I’m tough. I’ll keep the place up.” Nathan said with the ignorant confidence of a ten year old. The stranger gave a harsh chuckle.

“You’d be dead in a month.” he said matter of factly and Nathan bristled with indignation as he sat down at the table and looked at the plate of fried potatoes, bread and fresh greens in front of him.

“I’ll be fine.” Nathan argued. The stranger picked up a fork and starting eating his own food.

“Eat.” he said. Nathan’s stomach rolled at the thought of food but one look at the ranger’s no nonsense gaze told him that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Nathan picked up his fork and started eating. Once the plates were clean the ranger stood up.

“Go pack a bag. A small one. Just bring what you need and a change of clothes.”

“Where are we going?” Nathan asked as he rose from the table.

“I was on my way to Tortulla. I guess you’ll just have to come along with me.”

“Where’s that at?” Nathan asked.

“Close to Mexico. Pack your bag and meet me out in the barn.” the ranger replied and then he walked out of the house. Nathan was scared to death and shaking as he packed his bag. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He was scared of this ranger and he was heartbroken over his mother, but he wanted to look tough in front of this man. He didn’t want to look weak. For his whole life he’d been the man of the house and he wasn’t about to let himself look like a child now.

He put some clothes into a small green satchel and grabbed a picture of his mama off the mantle. He wasn’t sure what else he was supposed to grab and so he left the house and walked out to the barn.

The ranger was standing next to a large black stallion. It was the largest horse that Nathan had ever seen with a large broad chest and thick legs. His mane and tail were midnight black and looked like satin. He had a white star on his forehead and his eyes were more alert and aware than any other horse Nathan had ever seen.

“He ain’t the fastest but he’s surefooted on any terrain and he can go as far as I need him too without trouble.” the ranger said as he watched Nathan look over the horse.

“What’s gonna happen to my critters?” Nathan asked, looking at his and his mama’s sad excuse for a mare and thin cows.

“We’ll stop at the neighbors and let ’em know they can have them. You won’t be needing them anymore.” Nathan nodded and then took a closer look at the ranger. He had put his duster and hat back on. He now had a rifle strapped to his back. A revolver resting low in a holster on his hip and a large knife strapped to his leg. Add all that to the large scar across his face and he was the single scariest man that Nathan had ever seen and he felt his legs wanting to run in the other direction as the rangers gray eyes regarded him with a cold look.

Instead of running away he held up his satchel.

“I’m ready.” he said. The ranger nodded and swung his long legs up over the giant stallion, settling himself quickly into the saddle. He held out a rough, scar and callous covered hand and Nathan put his own shaking hand into it. The ranger pulled him up into the saddle behind him as if he weighed no more than a feather. Nathan wrapped his arms around the mans middle as they started out of the barn.

“What is your name mister?” Nathan asked when he realized he didn’t know what to call the man. The stranger pulled his hat down lower on his head, ran a hand over his scarred face and stared out at the horizon they were riding toward.

“Thomas.” he replied. “Thomas Cooper.”

Chapter Two

“If a man harbors any sort of fear, it percolates through all his thinking, damages his personality, makes him landlord to a ghost.“Lloyd C. Douglas quotes

Thomas would have ridden all night to save time but the boy behind him kept nearly falling out of the saddle and he knew he needed to rest. Thomas pulled up the reins. They had ridden pretty far south and the land was becoming more arid and desert like as they neared the Mexican border. He knew that tomorrow they would reach Tortulla.

He jumped from the horse and he reached up to help the boy who was half asleep.

“What are we doing?”

“Stopping for the night.” Thomas replied, looking up at the darkening sky.

“Where are we sleeping?” the boy asked as he looked around. Thomas pointed to the ground.

“Right there.” The boy looked scared but Thomas had to give him credit for not voicing a word of complaint. The boy sat down on the dusty ground while Thomas went about getting a small fire started for heat, knowing that the temperature was dropping now that the sunlight was nearly gone.

He spread out his bedroll and then frowned at the boy.

“Didn’t you bring something to sleep on in that satchel?”

“No. I thought we’d have a bed…..” Thomas didn’t want to give up the slight comfort of his own bedroll but until he got this kid dropped off at the barracks, he was his responsibility and it just wouldn’t do to force him to sleep in the dirt.

“You can sleep there.” Thomas said, pointing to the bedroll. The boy sat down on the bedroll and then rubbed his growling stomach.

“I’m hungry.” he said. Thomas removed the saddlebags from his horse and dropped them on the ground. He reached inside and removed some hardtack biscuits and jerked beef.

“Here ya go, kid.” he said, handing some to the boy.

“My name is Nathan.” the boy said. Thomas nodded.

“Eat ya a bite, Nathan, and then you need to get some sleep.” Thomas could feel the boys eyes on him as he sat down in the dust and poked at the small fire while he ate a biscuit.

“What if those men find us?” Nathan asked after he was done eating and was curling up to go to sleep. Thomas shook his head, but didn’t look away from the dancing flames of the fire.

“I’ll keep you safe, kid. Get some sleep.” Thomas watched the boy close his eyes and he could tell by the boys change in breathing that he had fallen asleep. Thomas looked back into the fire as he stretched out on his side. He closed his eyes but they quickly flew back open when images of that poor woman’s body flashed through his mind. Those men had taken away every ounce of her dignity before taking away her life.

Thomas had seen a lot of things in the last four years since joining the rangers. He could hardly remember the boy he used to be when he had left Atkinson Spread a little over four years ago. Back then life had seemed like one big adventure. The thought of living out of saddlebags and riding into danger had excited and thrilled him. He had wanted to be just like Brody. Tough. Dangerous. Intimidating.

Now he understood the haunted look that had often been in Brody’s eyes. He understood that killing men didn’t make you more of a man. He understood that riding into danger and living out of saddlebags didn’t make you tough. Killing men ate at your soul and living out of saddlebags and riding into danger made you realize just how alone you were.

He was a good ranger… Too good. His commanding officers had quickly seen the potential in him and had turned him into a spy. He had infiltrated several gangs in order to find out who they were taking their orders from… Those had been dark days. In order to maintain his cover and his life, he had been forced to take part in things that still haunted him to this day.

He had made it clear after the last infiltration, where he had been forced to go on several raids with the gang against Mexican families trying to create homesteads in south Texas, that he was done being a spy. A man could only live that kind of dark soulless life for so long before he began to lose himself to it and Thomas never wanted to lose himself to something like that. Those raids had ended with death and blood and fire and smoke. He had managed to keep from taking any lives himself when they attacked those families, but he had been helpless to save any, just the same as he had been helpless to save the boys mother today.

He looked back over at the sleeping boy and frowned. The night air was growing chilly and the boy was shivering. He hadn’t brought himself any kind of coat or blanket. Thomas sighed and stood up. He pulled off his duster coat and walked around the fire to cover the boy up. He thought about the boys earlier worries that those men would find them. He looked around the dark Texas night and listened to the sounds of the wilderness. The boy didn’t need to worry. There wasn’t anyone going to find them. That gang was probably back at their camp and sound asleep by now.

Thomas was glad that he had chosen that barn to sleep in the night before. If he hadn’t been there, the boy would be dead for sure. He let out a long breath, rubbed the back of his dirty neck. He pulled his rifle off his back and stretched out in the sand. He laid his hat over his face and folded his arms behind his head. He knew the nightmares would come but hopefully he’d get a few hours of sleep tonight in between them.

888

“Where did you get that scar?” Nathan asked Thomas the next morning as Thomas went about cleaning up camp. Thomas ran his finger across the jagged scar and shrugged.

“I was at the wrong end of a pissed off mountain lion.” he replied. Nathan’s eyes widened.

“A real one?”

“Sure as hell wasn’t fake.” Nathan watched Thomas as he finished loading up the horse and swung himself easily up into the saddle. He held out his hand and Nathan took it and let Thomas pull him into the saddle. He wasn’t as afraid of Thomas this morning as he had been yesterday. The man might be big and scary looking but he seemed nice enough, even though he didn’t talk much. And he was a lawman which made Nathan trust him. His grandpa had been a lawman. A good lawman according to what his mama had told him.

Thinking about his mama caused the fresh pain in his heart to flare up and tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He pressed his face against the rangers back and felt the big man stiffen.

“You okay, kid?” he asked. Nathan sniffed and sat up straight, squaring his shoulders and putting on a brave face.

“I’m fine.” he replied.

“I know you’re scared and I know you’re sad but you’ll be okay, kid.” Thomas said as they rode along at a steady pace.

“If you’re a ranger, what are you doing out here alone? And why were you sleeping in our barn?”

“I was heading back from a two week break. I needed a place to stay for the night and decided that your barn looked more comfortable than the rocks and dust.” Thomas replied.

“Who were those men?” Nathan asked.

“I don’t know. But when we get to the barracks I’ll see what I can do about finding out.”

“Thank you, Ranger Cooper.” Nathan said. Thomas just shrugged.

“Don’t thank me, kid. I couldn’t save your mother.” Just like all the other times he had been forced to watch innocent people die with no way to help them. At least this time he had managed to save the boy.

“Mama always said that God has a certain time planned for all of us to die and there isn’t a thing we can do about it.” Nathan replied matter of factly and Thomas shook his head.

“God had nothing to do with what happened back there, kid. That was the devils work.” Nathan held on just a little bit tighter to the tall ranger. He was scared that at any moment those men would ride up and attack them. But there was something about this man that made the ten year old feel safe. There was something about seeing a law man star that made all children feel a little safer.

888

Normally Thomas would have ridden straight through the day until he got to where he was going but the kid was talking his ear off and getting restless in the saddle. Thomas brought the horse to a stop beside a gently flowing desert stream.

“What are we doing?” Nathan asked as Thomas helped him down.

“Gonna stretch our legs for a while.” Thomas replied. “Go play, kid.”

“My name’s Nathan.”

“Go play.” Thomas said again and Nathan walked over to the stream. The sun was hot despite how late in the year it was and he splashed some water on his face.

Thomas watched the boy and wished there was something he could do to take that haunted look from his face. Thomas knew that all people learned eventually how harsh life could be but ten years old seemed awfully young to have to learn the lesson. Thomas knew the boy needed a friend but Thomas had adopted a new life motto over the last few years. ‘Don’t get too close to anyone because when you did you ran the risk of feeling pain once they were gone.’ Whether gone because they died or gone because they turned their backs on you… either one was just as painful.

Thomas munched on a hardtack biscuit and let his mind go back to Luisa. She had been a Mexican whore in one of the gangs that he had run with for a while. She had gotten in his pants and under his skin. He had really started to care about her and he believed her sad story about how she’d come to be with the gang after they had killed her husband. He had felt sorry for her and had wanted to take care of her. Had he loved her? No. But he had tried to talk her into leaving the gang with him… He even told her who he really was. She had agreed to leave with him and had given him a kiss that had shook the dusty ground.

Then that night the gang leader Byron Lee had called Thomas out to the fire. He had brought out Luisa, covered in blood and bruises and let Thomas know that she had ratted him out. Luisa had begged his forgiveness and he had given it. Few men could stand up to a beating without breaking down and telling his attackers what they wanted, so he knew that a woman wouldn’t stand a chance.

Thomas would have died that night if it hadn’t already been planned for the Ranger company to come riding into the camp. Thomas had made it out with his life but Luisa hadn’t been so lucky. She had died in his arms after a bullet had slammed through her chest. That had been the final gang he’d run with. After that he had told the rangers, no more. He had lost too many friends. He had seen too many innocent men, women, children, even babies die at the hands of men who hadn’t shed a single tear or lost a moment of sleep over what they had done. There were even times over the years that he had blurred the line between right and wrong… When he had allowed himself to get too caught up in the companionship and camaraderie of a gang and had begun to make friends with men he always turned his back on in the end.

Getting too close to people was dangerous and it was something he didn’t have bravery to do anymore.

“I’m hungry.” Nathan said walking back over from the stream. Thomas pointed to the saddlebags.

“Biscuits and jerky.” he said. Nathan made a face and Thomas chuckled. “Don’t worry, we’ll be at the barracks tonight and I’m sure they’ll have something other than biscuits and jerky.”

“I sure hope so.” Nathan said, grabbing a biscuit out of the saddlebag. He took a bite and frowned. “Because this stuff tastes like horse dung.”

Chapter Three

“This don’t look like anything more than a ranch or something.” Nathan said as they approached the barracks.

“That’s really all it is. The rangers live here when they aren’t off on a job.” Thomas replied. Thomas jumped from his horse, helped Nathan down and then handed the reins to a Mexican man who worked in the barn.

“Hola, Senor Cooper.” the short, black eyed man said. Thomas nodded.

“Hola, Jose.”

“Who is the boy?” Jose asked with a heavy accent.

“My name is Nathan. Ranger Cooper saved my life.”

“Is that true, Coop?” Another man asked as he walked over. This man was short, thin and wiry. He had a red beard and mustache and jumped and jittered like he had drunk about three pots of coffee too many.

“Yeah, it’s true, Parker.” Thomas replied with a nod.

“Never saw you as the heroic type there, Coop.”

“I’m no hero. I was just in the right place at the right time for the boy.”

“The men killed my mama.” Nathan said from where he stood halfway behind Thomas. He wanted to seem brave but at the same time this place was full of strong and some even dangerous looking men. He wanted to stay as close as he could to the one man out of all of these that he knew he could trust.

“Sorry about that, kiddo.”

“His name is Nathan.” Thomas said absently. He remembered the way Nathan had been quick to correct him every time he’d called him kid in the last day and a half. Jose and Parker shared a look and then shrugged. Jose walked off with Thomas’s horse and Parker pointed up at the big main house.

“Captian Wynter wants to talk to you.” Thomas nodded and headed up to the house with Nathan on his heels.

“Cooper! Finally you’re back…. Who’s that?” Captain Wynter asked. Nathan stared up at this man. He didn’t look nearly as big, strong or dangerous as Thomas and it was hard to believe that this man was Thomas’s boss.

“This is Nathan. I happened on his and mothers farm on my way back and while I was there a gang showed up. I don’t know who they were and there were too many men for me to take on. His mother didn’t make it but I managed to keep the boy safe.”

“Sorry that happened to you, kid.” Captain Wynter said with a frown. Then he smiled, his smooth cheeks wrinkling around his mouth and his blue eyes shining. “Say, kid, would you like to go get a bite of fresh homemade soup out of the kitchen? My wife made it and she’s a right good cook.” Nathan looked up at Thomas as if seeking permission. Thomas didn’t like the trusting look in Nathan’s eyes. He didn’t want the damn boy thinking that their togetherness was permanent.

“Get in there, kid. You’ve been complaining for the last day and a half about how bad the stuff we’ve been eating is.” he said as he sat down in an arm chair and stretched his long legs out in front of him. Nathan frowned and then walked down the hall toward the smell of soup.

“What the hell did you bring a kid here for, Cooper?” Captain Wynter demanded as he sat down in a chair across from him.

“I couldn’t very well leave him back where I found him. He’d have died for sure.”

“Why didn’t you take him to his kin?”

“He says he don’t have any and I believe him. He’s a bit of talker on the back of a horse but he seems like he’s a good kid.”

“Why do I care?” Captain Wynter asked as he lit a cigar.

“Because he’s your problem now. I’m ready for patrol.” Thomas said standing up.

“Sit your ass back down.” Captain Wynter said sternly. Thomas felt his defenses rise. He never had liked being cussed at. He was a grown man and he had seen things that would make Captain Wynter’s pretty little head explode. The least the man could do was show him a little respect.

“Why?”

“Because I said so, private Cooper.” Thomas grudgingly sat down and looked at the higher ranking ranger. “Now, the boy cannot stay here.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do with him?” Thomas demanded and Chief Wynter shrugged.

“I don’t know. But you’ve got two weeks to get him somewhere safe and get back here. There’s something important coming up and I need you back here for it.” Thomas laid his forearms on his knees and leaned forward.

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell you that yet. I suggest you get your stomach full. Get a good night of sleep tonight and then find somewhere to take the boy tomorrow. There’s an orphanage out in Austin and another in Santa Fe. I’m sure the boy would be fine at either of those.” Thomas felt his blood boil at the thought of taking that innocent boy to an orphanage. Thomas knew all about orphanages.

“That’s the last time I ever save somebody’s life.” he grumbled. He didn’t feel like taking this boy anywhere. He wanted to wash his hands of him and move on to bigger and better things. Things that didn’t run the risk of attachment.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you say that, Cooper. It’s your job to serve the people of Texas. Now go on in the kitchen there and get some of that soup Alice made, I’ve gotta get out and make a round around the barracks.” Captain Wynter stood and left the house and Thomas shook his head as he made his way down the hall toward the kitchen.

“Ranger Cooper saved my life all right. He felt real bad that he couldn’t save my mama but I know that everything that happens is God’s plan. God sent Ranger Cooper there to rescue me, I just know it. I really like him. He don’t talk much but he’s a nice guy. His horse is the biggest darn horse I’ve ever seen. I asked Ranger Cooper if he ever named him and he said no because when you name a critter you get to attached to it and it’s not safe to become attached to things. This is real good soup ma’am, almost as good as what my mama cooks…”

“Nathan, eat and quit talking Mrs. Wynter’s ears off.” Thomas said as he walked into the kitchen.

“Yes sir.” Nathan said obediently as he went back to eating.

“Good to see you again, Cooper.” Alice Wynter said as she wrapped him in a warm hug. Thomas stood there awkwardly, feeling a strange tug in his heart. He missed hugs…. There had been a short period in his life when he’d gotten them often.

“Good to see you too, Mrs. Wynter.” Thomas replied after she had pulled away. She waved her hand.

“Call me Alice.” she corrected with a warm smile. “Nathan here was telling me all about your adventures together.”

“It’s been a day and a half.” Thomas said dryly as he sat down at the table.

“A very eventful day and a half for a ten year old boy.” Alice replied as she sat a bowl of soup and a plate of fresh cornbread down on the table in front of him. Thomas went about eating while Nathan started telling stories. He told Alice about Thomas giving him his bedroll. He told her about watching the sunrise over the desert and thinking it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He told her about eating the dung tasting hardtack for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Thomas felt his responsibility for the boy growing with every word he said. The boy thought Thomas was some kind of hero.. Some special guardian sent straight to him from heaven above, or some such nonsense like that. Hell why did the kid like him so much? He hadn’t even been able to save his mother. Hearing the boy brag about him made him feel as awkward as a damn preacher caught sneaking out the whorehouse window.

One thing was for sure. He couldn’t take the boy to some orphanage to be raised without love or family. Family was important for a kid. Thomas knew because it was something he’d never really had as a kid. Only at the age of seventeen and eighteen had he become part of something like a family and then he had walked away from it for adventures. How foolish he had been.

’ That’s not the only reason you left’ A voice inside his head reminded him and he frowned. The other reason he had left no longer mattered. She would be around eighteen now and probably already married or attached to someone else. Besides there was no way that either Brody or Jacob would ever let their younger sister be with a man like him. He didn’t want to get involved with a woman anyway. A man who didn’t know if he’d be alive or dead the next day had no place thinking about gaining a wife or kids.

If he didn’t take the boy to an orphanage then where would he take him? He decided he’d sleep on it and maybe he’d magically think of a place by morning.

888

“So where are we going?” Nathan asked the next morning as he and Thomas started out.

“There’s a place up in Bakerstown that I think you’d really like.”

“Bakerstown? Where’s that?” Nathan asked as his skinny arms wrapped tight around Thomas and tugged at his heart. He had always loved kids and he was finding it really hard to stay hard toward the boy.

“About a four day ride. You think you’re up to it?” Thomas asked.

“Of course I am!” Nathan promised. “I’m tough.”

“Okay.”

“So what is this place?”

“A ranch. A big ranch. It’s called Atkinson Spread. The people that live there said I’d always have a place if I wanted to come back. I’m sure they’d be happy to give you one too.”

“Are they nice?” Nathan asked. Thomas nodded.

“Nicest folks you’ll ever meet.”

888

“Shut up, Jacob! If I want to go out riding without permission then I will! I’m a grown damn woman.”

“Don’t use that language with me Sally or you’ll be grounded to your room.”

“I’d like to see you try to ground me to my room.” Sally said as she stuck her nose up. Jacob glared down at his younger sister and then Sally yelped with surprise when strong arms closed around her waist and she was thrown over a pair of very broad shoulders.

“Brody, put me down!” she said, pounding his hard back with her fists. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Grounding you to your damn room.” Brody replied simply.

“No you are not!” she said as she attempted to kick him below his gun belt.

“I don’t care if you are eighteen years old now, Sally. If you kick me there, so help me God, I’ll bend you over my damn knee.” Sally thought about kicking him anyway just for the heck of it but then decided not to. Knowing Brody he probably really would spank her backside.

Brody carried her into the house. He grabbed a chair from the dining room with his free hand and then carried her to her room and tossed her on the bed before walking back out and shutting the door. He used the chair to keep her from turning the door knob and walked back outside.

“Did you really lock her in her room?” Jacob asked with a grin.

“Yes.”

“Why is Sally screaming that she hates Brody?” Ellie asked, stepping out onto the porch. Jacob smiled at his wife and walked up to her, lying his hand on her slightly rounded belly. It had taken a long time but finally she was expecting their first child.

“She went out riding without telling anyone where she was going today. She knows she’s not allowed to do that and when I tried to talk to her about it she starting yelling at me. She cursed at me. I told her I’d ground her to her room and she said she’d like to see me try. I guess Brody took the challenge personal.” Brody shrugged and lit a match.

“She’s out of control.” he said as he took a draw off his cigarette. Then his eyes narrowed as he looked down the road. His hand instinctively went to the handle of the revolver on his hip.

“What’s wrong?” Ellie asked.

“Someone’s riding in.” Brody replied. He squinted in the sunlight. “Can’t tell who it is from here.” As the large black horse got closer a look of disbelief came to Brody’s face.

“I’ll be damned.” he said as he moved his hand away from his gun and crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s Thomas.”

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

It had been a long time since Thomas had felt nervous. It wasn't an emotion that he wasted time on very often since it didn't accomplish anything and oftentimes only served to get you hurt. Riding up to Atkinson Spread and seeing Brody standing there with his arms crossed over his broad chest had Thomas rethinking his thoughts on that particular emotion and just about shaking out of his boots.  

He kept telling himself that being afraid of Brody Atkinson didn't make a man a coward, it made a man smart. Brody wasn't a man you wanted as an enemy.  

Thomas had no idea what his reception would be. Would they welcome him back? Would they be angry over how long he'd been gone without a word? Would they let Nathan stay here? And what would Thomas do if they wouldn't? All of these were questions that Thomas had no answer for.  

He brought his big black stallion to a stop and looked at all the eyes watching him. Brody, Jacob and Alice were here at the edge of the porch. Cookie was glaring at him through his crusty eyes from his chair by the barn and Frank had walked to the barn door to catch a glimpse of him as well.  

Thomas remained on his horse. He wasn't going to get down until either Brody or Jacob invited him too.

"That is one hell of a horse, Thomas." Brody mused as he stuck his thumbs through his belt loops and rocked back on his heels, "One hell of a scar too, you trying to outdo me?" he added with a grin.  

The sight of that grin had Thomas relaxing a little, "There was one hell of  a storm and me and the mountain lion took cover in the same cave. I was ready to share but he just wasn't willing," Thomas replied as he pushed his hat back a little.  

"Thomas?!" Thomas looked at the corral to see Liz standing there with a look of shock on her face. A little blond girl in a pink calico dress was wrapped around one leg and a little boy with messy brown hair was wrapped around the other.   

Thomas saw Liz shake both kids off of her and then she ran toward him just as quickly as her boots would allow, "Get off that damn horse and give me a hug!" she exclaimed.  

Thomas quickly slipped from the saddle, barely keeping himself upright when Elizabeth flew into his arms and clung to his neck, "Nice to see you again, Liz," Thomas said and he was alarmed to find that his voice was thick with emotion. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her or how much he had needed her hug until just now. Elizabeth was the closest thing to a sister he had ever had.  

"You should be ashamed of yourself for staying away that long!" Elizabeth scolded in his ear.  She pulled away and tossed back his duster coat to reveal the star on his chest, "I knew I felt something poking me. A Texas Ranger?"  

"For going on five years now," Thomas nodded.

 Elizabeth's eyes narrowed and she touched the scar over his eye, "What in the world happened to your face? That's worse than Brody's." 	Brody grunted as he ran his hand over his own scar, "Mine has a better story attached to it." he grumbled. "Much more heroic."  Elizabeth rolled her eyes at her husband.  

"I know how he got it!" Nathan spoke up from atop the big black stallion. "He was at the wrong end of a pissed off mountain lion.  And it was a real one too!"   

Everyone's eyes went to the boy on the horse, "Hi there," Elizabeth said, throwing a questioning look at Thomas. The boy was too old to be Thomas's son so who was he?  

"Hi, ma'am. My name is Nathan. Ranger Cooper saved my life. He couldn't save my mama and he feels bad about it but I told him that it's just Gods plan and there's not a whole lot we can do about that. Ranger Cooper took me to the ranger base! There were lots of men there. And we've been living out of saddlebags for four whole days just to get here. He told me this ranch was big and, boy oh boy, he was right! You got a real nice place here ma'am."  

Elizabeth looked back at Brody who just shrugged and Jacob hid his smile behind his hand as he wrapped his arm around Ellie's waist. Elizabeth looked at Thomas who was shaking his head, "What have I told you about talking so much, Nathan?"  

Elizabeth frowned. There was something very different about Thomas. The carefree, happy go lucky man that he had been was gone. She could see hints of him still there but now there was a haunted look in his gray eyes. The very same look that was often in Brody's. It made Elizabeth wonder just what kinds of terrible things that Thomas had done and seen.  

Nathan grinned sheepishly, "You told me that I talk too damn much and that if I don't stop it your ears is gonna fall off from me talking them to death." 
"Exactly," Thomas said pointedly and Nathan gave a guilty smile. Thomas helped Nathan from the horse and the boy stood in front of him and looked around at all the people.  

"You saved that boys life?"  Jacob asked.

 Thomas shrugged, "More like I just kept him from being killed."  

"Are you hungry?" Ellie asked from the porch. "Susie and I have some steak and potatoes cooked. And an apple pie too."  

Nathan's eyes lit up and he looked up at Thomas, "That sounds a heck of a lot better than those nasty biscuits and jerky!" he exclaimed.  

Thomas had to nod with agreement, "Get on in there with Miss Alice and eat then."  

"Actually my name is Ellie," Ellie corrected with a guilty half smile. Thomas's brow furrowed as he frowned but then he shrugged.  

"And she's a Misses," Jacob added proudly.  

"Congratulations," Thomas offered half heartedly. "Go on in there with Mrs. Ellie then and get ya a bite to eat. I'll be in after a while."  

Nathan nodded and then walked up the steps and into the house with Ellie while his mouth ran a mile a minute.  

"Those youngins can't be Lexi and Bryant," Thomas said with disbelief as the two kids wrapped themselves around Brody's long legs.  

"I'm Lexi!"  the little girl exclaimed.  

"And I'm Bryant." the boy added with a raise of his brow that made Thomas laugh.  

"Yeah, I believe you're Brody's youngin." he agreed with a nod.  

"Hey there, Thomas." Frank greeted as he grabbed the horses reins, "Nice to have you back kid, I'll take care of your horse for you."  

"Thanks Frank," Thomas replied.

 An awkward silence fell over the group after Frank walked away, "You look different," Elizabeth noted as she looked Thomas up and down.  

"I grew up I guess," Thomas replied as he scratched at his cheek.  

"Growing up is hard." Brody stated before taking a draw off his cigarette. Thomas simply nodded and said nothing.  

"How long do we have you for?" Elizabeth asked as she leaned against Brody's chest. Thomas felt an ache in his heart when Brody kissed her hair and Bryant and Lexi adjusted their arms so they were wrapped around both of their parents.

 Thomas wondered what it would feel like to be in love like Elizabeth and Brody. To have children that would look up to him and that he could protect and take care of. He shook his head to clear those kinds of thoughts. That just wasn't the life for him.  

"Just a couple of days," he replied. "I gotta get back down to the barracks." He decided that he would wait a while before he told them he was hoping they'd keep Nathan. Knowing that boys mouth and the way it ran, Ellie was already hearing all about it anyway.  

Thomas heard footsteps coming up behind him and suddenly Brody threw his cigarette aside and glared over Thomas's shoulder, "What the hell are you doing out of your room?!" Brody demanded.  

"I climbed out the window you big idiot. Did you really think putting a chair under the doorknob would keep me in there when I have a perfectly good window to slip out of?"   

Thomas was sure his heart stopped beating in that moment. He recognized that cocky voice and that bad attitude.  

"You better watch that language, Sally Atkinson." Jacob warned.  

"Why? Brody cusses more than I do. If he can do it then I can do it.... Who is that?" she asked. Sally couldn't see the stranger's face but the whole family was standing around like he was an old friend and there was something familiar about him but she wasn't sure what.  

Thomas pulled off his hat, ran his hand through his thick messy hair and turned with a sheepish grin on his face, "Hello there, Sally. It's been a while."  

Damn had it ever been a while! She was all grown up! Those were very feminine curves under her white blouse and her tiny waist flared out at her soft hips. Her face had lost its chubby appearance but it was still heart shaped and her nose was long and straight above her full dark lips. Her blue eyes widened when she recognized him. 	

She stared at him with a wide eyed innocence that had Thomas shifting his feet uncomfortably. The love he had felt for her was gone now after all this time. His heart had long since quit feeling emotions like that but damn if his body wasn't responding to the sight of that her. She was tall for a woman. Nearly five feet nine and she had the kind of breasts that made a mans hand itch to cup around them.  

Sally took several steps toward him and he wondered what was going on in her head. She looked like she was about to throw her arms around him and hug him, maybe even cry a little. Thomas hoped she wouldn't cry.  

He was trying to think of something to say when her blue eyes narrowed and she swung out her hand. Her fist caught him across the cheek, forcing his head to whip around and a surprising amount of pain to fill his head. Damn her for not being a regular woman... Of course Sally would punch instead of slap.  

Thomas rubbed his cheek painfully and glared at her.  

"Hello Thomas," she hissed. "It's been a while."  With that she stormed around him and disappeared into the barn.  

"Sorry about that," Thomas," Elizabeth offered. "She doesn't like you very much... I think she was fond of you before you left."  

 Thomas nodded. Sally had told him that she loved him the day he had left but she had only been thirteen and he had been nineteen. He had assumed that she'd realize with time that she hadn't really loved him. And apparently he was right... Now, she hated him and the throbbing in his cheek was proof of that.  

"I feel sorry for whatever man is tied to her," he mumbled.  

"There is no man tied to her," Brody said with a snort, "A few have tried but she's like a wild mustang. Some men get close enough to touch just before she turns on them and stomps them into the ground."  

"It'll take a special man," Jacob agreed with a shake of his head.  

"It'll take a desperate man," Brody countered and Elizabeth slapped his arm.  

Thomas didn't want to admit that he was relieved that no other man had settled down with Sally, after all, he wasn't interested in settling down, "I think getting a bite to eat sounds good right about now," Thomas said, looking away from the barn and toward the house. "Every time I swallow, my stomach yells at me to quit teasing it."  

Brody chuckled, "Let's go eat then. Between Susie and Ellie we got the best damn cooks in Texas living here."  

"What about your wife?" Elizabeth demanded as everyone headed up onto the porch.  

"Like I said, between Susie and Ellie we got the best damn cooks in Texas," Brody repeated. Elizabeth glared at him but Thomas could see the love in her eyes. He hadn't been here in five years and yet it was clear that Brody and Elizabeth were still just as in love as they had been before... Thomas couldn't help but wonder what that must feel like.  

---

Sally watched Thomas disappear into the house from the barn loft and she flopped herself down on a bale of hay. Her mind was reeling. Thomas was back. He'd been gone for a long time and not once in all of that time had he wrote her a single letter, sent her a single wire or visited her a single time.  

She had foolishly spouted out how much she loved him and he had practically spit in her face and left, never giving her another thought. She shook her aching hand and felt a moment of guilt for punching him but quickly pushed it away. He had deserved it.  

Sally let out a long breath as she stared up at the wooden planks on the roof of the barn. It would be a cold day in hell before she would admit how much she had missed Thomas and hell would actually have to freeze over before she admitted to the way her heart and body had both responded to seeing him today.  She had watched Brody and Jacob's relationships with their wives enough to understand what the heat in her blood had meant.  

Thomas had looked so different than he had five years ago. He was taller now and more filled out; rivaling even Brody in height and broadness. A horrible scar had marred his face and his gray eyes had seemed colder than she remembered. His nose had clearly been broken at least once and his cheeks had thinned out and become sharper than they had once been.  Thomas was handsome, even with the flaws. His thick, messy blond hair had been the same as it had always been. She wondered what it would feel like if she ran her fingers through it. She shook her head to clear such foolish thoughts. Thomas Cooper was a idiot. A big idiot who could rot in hell for all she cared.... Maybe if she told herself that enough times she would eventually start to believe it.

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"Sally, are you in here?" Susie's voice came from down below the loft, a while later.  

"No," Sally replied with a sigh and she rolled her eyes when she heard her sister climbing the ladder to the loft.  

"Thomas is inside. You should come in and talk to him," Susie insisted softly as she sat down on the hay and adjusted her skirt.  

"I already talked to him," Sally grumbled as she covered her eyes with her arm.  

"No, you didn't. You punched him and he is going to have the bruise to prove it."  

"He deserved it," Sally replied, unable to stop the smirk that formed on her lips.

 Susie shook her head, "You should never hit another person, Sally. Besides, I thought you said that if he ever came back you were going to marry him one day... After you made him crawl for you first."  

Sally sat up and glared at her sister, "He's not crawling yet,"  

Susie shook her head, "He'd be a fool to go crawling after a woman that finally sees him again after five years and her only greeting is to punch him in the face."  

"He broke my heart, Sue. He left me and never even looked back! He's probably been running wild and breaking a million more hearts," Sally mumbled as she threw a handful of hay down into the stall below and swung her legs over the edge of the loft.  

"I don't think so," Susie countered. "He's a ranger," Sally's eyes widened and Susie added, "He's been a ranger most of the time that he's been gone."  

Sally couldn't help but feel a little proud of him, "How long is he staying here?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound indifferent, but knowing that her twin sister would see right through her.  

"A few days," Susie replied.  

"So he's just going to leave me again?" There was an edge of anger to Sally's voice as she plopped her chin in her hand and stared down at the black stallion that Thomas had rode in on.  

"Yes. But, maybe, if you give him something to miss, he won't stay gone so long this time," Susie urged, even as a blush covered her cheeks. 	Sally laughed, "And what would you know about giving a man something to miss?"  

"I've seen the way Elizabeth and Ellie kiss Jacob and Brody whenever they have to leave. It brings those men running back to them just as soon as they get the chance."

"So you're saying I should throw him down and kiss him senseless?" Sally asked teasingly.  

Susie blushed an even deeper red, "You still love him.. Don't even bother to deny it," Susie added when she saw the argument flashing in Sally's eyes, "I know you better than anyone and I know you still love him. You haven't given up on your dream of being with him. That's never gonna happen if you don't do something other than hit him."

 Sally stuck her tongue out at her sister, "I'm not going to go chasing after his coat tails like some love sick girl!" Sally clicked her tongue, "Even though it looked like he'd filled out quite nicely under that coat." Sally laughed when Susie flushed again, "You're too innocent, Sue. You'll probably end up marrying some quiet, calm man who is just as shy as you are and the two of you will never end up in bed together because you'll both be blushing and stuttering too bad."

 Susie shook her head and climbed back onto the ladder, "Don't be mean to me just because you're mad at Thomas or at yourself. He's inside. You should really talk to him because you never know what could happen. You've been saving yourself for the man all these years and he's finally here and here you are hiding like some coward in the barn loft."  

Sally jumped to her feet at being called a coward. If there was one thing Sally Atkinson was not, it was a coward. She might be a brat and she might be rash and irresponsible but she was 

not a coward.

Sally rushed to the house but when she got to the kitchen, Thomas was gone, "Where did he go?" she demanded of Elizabeth and Brody who were getting ready to walk out the door to go back to their house.  

"For a walk, I guess. Hell, I don't ask another man about his business," Brody replied. "Come on Nathan, you're coming to our house for the night," he added.  

 Nathan stood up from the table, "Where's ranger Cooper sleeping?"  

 Brody shrugged, "Why does everybody think I know these things?"  

"Thomas said he's going to stay in town. We can't talk him out of it," Elizabeth replied. "Ellie wasn't feeling well. She's up in bed and Jacob went up with her. Susie and Sally, you both need to get the kitchen cleaned up and then it will be about time for you to head to bed as well."  

"Yes ma'am," Susie replied.  

 Sally rolled her eyes, "We're grown women. We'll go to bed when we're ready." Elizabeth gave Sally a glare that she had used countless times on countless ranch hands to show that she was the boss and it had Sally backing down, "Yes ma'am. We'll clean the kitchen and get some rest." she agreed meekly.

 Elizabeth nodded, Brody chuckled and then they walked out with Lexi, Bryant and Nathan. Nathan poked his head back in the kitchen a few moments later, "Ranger Cooper just left for town but he's coming back in the morning. Miss Elizabeth told me to tell you, Sally," he said and then he ran back out.  

"I wonder if he'll really come back," Susie whispered as she scraped the scraps into a bucket for the hogs.  

Sally snorted, "Probably not," she muttered, doing her best to sound as if she didn't care either way. Inside, however, she prayed he would come back. She had been regular foolish Sally today and let her temper get the better of her. Finally, after five years, Thomas had come back and instead of telling him how much she had missed him, she had punched him in the face and stormed away... Sure, he had deserved the punch but she should have told him that she missed him afterward instead of simply walking away.  

---

Thomas slammed back another shot of whiskey and tapped the bar for a refill.  

"Tommy-boy!" Thomas looked up and recognized Wendell and Kent  

"Hey!" he said as he downed his refilled shot of whiskey.  

"We heard you were back and wanted to come see you," Wendell grinned as he sat on the stool beside Thomas, "Are you trying to get drunk ranger boy?"  

"Nope, I'm done there," Thomas replied honestly. "And I'm not a ranger right now," he pulled his duster back to show that he had removed his badge.  

"Did you really save that boy's life? You're a regular old hero," Kent said, patting him on the back.

 Thomas shook his head, "I'm not a hero. I was just doing my job. To protect and serve the good people of Texas," Thomas laughed harshly. When whiskey mixed with his blood he tended to get hateful and moody.  

Kent and Wendell shared an odd look and then nodded, "Okay then. How long are you back for?" Wendell wanted to know.

"Pssh, I'm not. I just had to drop that damn kid off. I'm leaving in the morning," Thomas tried to take another drink of whiskey and Wendell stopped him.  

"I never knew you were such a drinker, Thomas. Why don't you come on back to the ranch with us 'til morning. I'm sure everybody would like to say bye to ya."  

Anger flashed in Thomas's gray eyes and he jerked his arm away from Wendell, "I don't need to say goodbye." he snapped. He downed his shot of whiskey and stood up, weaving slightly on his drunken legs.  

He stormed from the saloon and stood out on the porch. Coming back here had been a mistake. It made him crave things that he would never have. He had done things, seen things, been a part of things that had taken away his hope of ever having a woman to love or a family of his own.  

An image of Sally flashed through his mind and he quickly shook his head to clear it away. She wasn't anything he needed to be thinking about.  

"Hello cowboy. You look lonely."  

Thomas smiled at the curvaceous, delicate little woman that walked out of the saloon. She was wearing only a corset and her petticoats. Her large breasts were all but spilling out of the top of the corset and he could see the faintest hint of the pink of her nipples above the fabric. Now there was a woman he should be thinking about.  

"I reckon you could do something about that couldn't you?" he asked through a lust and whiskey induced fog.  

Her thin, painted lips curved into a smile and she batted her dark powdered eyelids, "I sure could cowboy... Wanna go back inside?"  

"How 'bout you come to my room at the hotel?"  

"You might have to give me something extra for my troubles,"  she purred.  

Thomas chuckled and lowered his lips to her ear, "I'll give you more than you can handle."  

She smiled with understanding and winked at him, "You tell me the room mister and I'll be there just as quick as I can."  

---

Thomas woke with a curse as the sunlight streaming through the window caused the pounding in his head to pick up tempo. He couldn't remember many details from the night before... He remembered Carlita, that had been that wild little woman's name, coming to his room.  

He didn't really even remember much about the lovemaking, finding that every time he closed his eyes he wasn't seeing the dark haired beauty below him but a feisty tall blond with a chip on her shoulder and ice in her blue eyes.  

Obviously Carlita hadn't been bothered by the fact that he'd been distracted. She had seemed mighty pleased and had vowed to come back the next night if he was still in town. Which he wasn't going to be.  

Thomas was going to make a break for it. Family life wasn't for him anymore. He pulled himself out of bed and walked naked across the room to the washstand. He was lucky that so far in his career with the rangers he had managed to avoid getting shot. His body was free of bullet scars.... If it hadn't been for that damn mountain lion that had gotten his face, he'd still look the same as he had when he'd left Bakerstown.... Well other then the fact that he'd grown a few inches and filled out.  

Whores didn't care about the scar on his face. Whores weren't frightened by it the way all other ladies seemed to be. They would lay with anyone willing to pay them and they had become his best friends and his only form of release. He was careful not to form any attachment to any of them. He had learned his lesson about doing that from Louisa.  

Thomas washed himself off and then pulled on his clothes. He stuck his badge in his pocket, strapped on his guns, grabbed his saddlebags and left the hotel. He squinted in the sunlight and pulled his hat lower. He walked down the boardwalk toward the livery. He needed to get out to the ranch. He was fairly certain that in his drunken rambling he had told Wendell and Kent he was leaving without saying goodbye and he needed to make sure Liz saw him before they had a chance to run their mouths and break her heart.  

Thomas knew how much Liz cared about him and he cared about her just as much. He had been with her through her darkest times and her strength had always impressed him. He wouldn't hurt that woman for the world. Not only had she been through enough already in her life but Brody would skin him alive.  

Thomas shook his aching head and rubbed his face. He tended to lose good judgment when he got to drinking.  

"Wow, gee thanks, Sheriff Brody! Am I a real deputy for the day?" Thomas heard Nathan's young excited voice through the pain in his head and turned to see Brody and Nathan walking down the street. Nathan was grinning proudly from ear to ear and admiring the star pinned to his shirt while Brody was smiling with amusement.  

"Well you sure as hell aren't a fake one," Brody replied, "I need me a good tough man to help out."  

Thomas made his way up to them and Nathan surprised him by throwing his arms around his waist and hugging him tight. Thomas felt his throat tighten with emotion and patted the boys messy blond hair, "Why don't you go and check on my horse for me? Tell the livery man to get it saddled?" Thomas asked the boy after he pulled away.  

"Look at my badge!" Nathan said pointing at the star.  

Thomas nodded, "That's a nice one. Now go on and see to my horse." 	Brody gave him a questioning look after Nathan had walked away, "Something wrong, Thomas?"

"What are you thinking putting him in harms way, Brody?"  

Brody raised a brow, "Harms way?" he glanced around,  "I don't see no harm anywhere."  

"Something could come up, Brody. What will happen to the boy if it happens while he's out running around with you?" Thomas demanded.  

 Brody lowered the brow he had raised and raised the other one, "I wouldn't let anything happen to the boy. I'm kinda fond of him already. He's been after my heels since you all showed up last night."  

"You was fond of Liz too and something happened to her,"  Thomas reminded him and then he realized he'd crossed a major line when he saw Brody's green eyes narrow to slits and fill with anger.  

"You better get to your point real damn quick, Thomas, because I've killed men for less then what you just said to me."  

Thomas swallowed hard. Thomas was fast with a gun and good with a knife but no man alive could beat Brody. Brody had a cold blooded side that made him that much more deadly, "Sorry, Brody. I didn't mean it like it sounded. I drank too much last night and I'm still feeling a bit foggy," Thomas apologized as he rubbed his face with his hand.  

"How exactly did you mean it then?" Brody demanded with a calm that indicated he was clearly still very angry.  

Thomas sighed, "I think you and I both know that sometimes bad things happen and there ain't a damn thing you can do to stop them--no matter how good you are with a gun."  

Brody nodded and his face softened a bit, "I promise you I won't let nothing happen to the boy. I was just gonna let him walk up and down the street with me. We haven't had any trouble in town in a long time. Most folks are too scared of me to try anything and those that do try something, and live long enough to be arrested, decide to change their ways after a couple hours of LeRoy's preaching."  

"I trust ya, Brody." Thomas assured him, "I always looked up to you, ya know. I wanted to be just like you."  

"Being the me I was back in my younger days ain't all ya thought it was, is it?" Brody questioned knowingly.  

Thomas nodded, "I like it just fine," he lied. The look on Brody's face said that he knew Thomas was lying but chose not to say anything.  

Nathan came back out of the livery, leading the big black stallion, "Here he is ranger Cooper."  

"Thanks Nathan," Thomas said and then he looked at Brody. "There's some things I need to talk to you about later."  

Brody nodded, "I already know what you're gonna ask and the answer is yes. The boy's got a family at the ranch for as long as he wants one. Speaking of family, you better get on out to the ranch and say hello to Elizabeth before she comes looking for you."  

Thomas nodded and climbed into the saddle. He felt that uncomfortable swell of emotion in his chest at hearing the word family... If only he really could be a family man. But that wasn't the path he had taken.

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Sally's thoughts weren't on the animals she was feeding. Instead they were focused on the road to the ranch. Her eyes seemed drawn to the road as she waited for a tall, broad silhouette to appear over the small hill

"He ain't coming, Miss Sally," Cookie grumbled as he limped past the cow barn.  

Sally snapped out of her daydreams and went back to filling the feed troughs, "Who isn't?" she asked, trying to sound as if she had no idea what the old man was talking about.  Cookie limped over to his chair and flopped down. Sally wondered why Elizabeth kept him on the ranch payroll. She assumed it was out of loyalty because the old man didn't do much other than sit around and sleep.  

"That boy you're watching for. Wendell and Kent saw him at the saloon last night and he said he was leaving out this morning and not coming back this way."  

"I'm not watching for any boy," Sally snapped as she carried the feed sack back to the storeroom and tossed it inside.  

Cookie leaned back and crossed his crooked legs, "Whatever you say."  

Sally stomped from the cow barn and went into the horse barn. She climbed the ladder to the loft and began to throw down hay roughly to put in the stalls.  

Thomas wasn't coming back.... Sally had known he wouldn't. He didn't care about anyone but himself.  She tried to ignore the disappointment bubbling up inside of her. Susie had been right yesterday. Sally had been saving herself and waiting for the day when Thomas would come back to her. How foolish she had been to think that he would want to. 	She was tossing down the hay with more force than was necessary and when she turned to grab another bale, her boot caught on an uneven piece of wood. Her arms wind milled as she tried to right herself but she couldn't and she let out a scream as she went flying over the edge of the loft. Sally tried to brace herself for the pain she knew she would feel as she squeezed her eyes shut.  

"I got ya!" a voice called out and instead of hitting the hard ground she landed in two strong arms. The impact sent her and her rescuer tumbling into the hay. Sally's face was buried in the man's broad chest. He smelled like witch hazel, "You okay, Sally?"  

Sally recognized Thomas's voice and she realized it was his strong arms wrapped around her. His broad chest she was currently being held tight against, his scent she was breathing in and his long, lean body she was lying on in the pile of hay.  

"I'm fine!" Sally snapped as she disentangled herself from his arms and stood up. She brushed the hay from her trousers and looked over at him but he was still lying there watching her.  

Thomas knew if he stood up now she would see the reaction that his body had had to holding her close against him plain as day in his denims. Her hair had smelled like a mixture of roses and horses and her long, curvy body had fit against his perfectly.  

"Are you okay?" Sally asked as she held out her hand to help him up. 	Thomas nodded and took her hand, though he jumped to his feet himself without much help from her, "You gotta be more, careful Sally. If I hadn't been there to catch you, you could have broken your neck." he scolded. Annoyance was easier and safer to show to her than attraction was. 	Sally's spine stiffened, "What the hell are you doing here anyway?" she demanded as she grabbed a rake and began spreading out the hay, "Cookie said you were leaving."   

"I am leaving but I wanted to say goodbye to Liz first," Thomas replied as he grabbed a second rake and began helping her.  

"Just Liz huh?" she asked, trying desperately to sound as if she didn't care.  

Thomas shook his head, "You too, I guess. Although you don't deserve it after punching me in the jaw yesterday."  

Sally glanced over at him and smirked when she saw the red welted bruise beside his mouth, "You deserved that."  

 Thomas's gray eyes widened, "What the hell for?!"  

Sally shrugged and went back to her raking, "For leaving me and never looking back," she whispered.   

Thomas had to strain to hear her voice and he wished he hadn't. He didn't like knowing that he had caused her pain, "I didn't leave you, Sally, I was never with you. I wanted to go out to live my own life and that's what I've done. And last time I checked you weren't with me the last few years so how the hell do you know that I never looked back?"

The silence between them was strained for several long moments. Finally Sally spoke, "Susie told me you're a ranger."  

"Yeah that's right. And that's why I'm leaving. I gotta get back down to Tortulla and get back to work."  

"You really should stay another day or two. Elizabeth missed you."  

"Just Elizabeth?" Thomas asked. His eyes were locked on her body as she went about raking the hay. He wanted to touch her.... God he'd been dreaming about the day he could finally touch her for a long time.

"What do you want me to say, Thomas? I told you how I felt about you all those years ago and you up and rode off anyway."  

"You were thirteen and I was nineteen. It just didn't make no sense, Sally."  

"So now you're calling me senseless?" Sally demanded as she threw the rake aside and stormed out of the barn.

 Thomas strode after her, "I didn't say any such thing!" he exclaimed in a low roar. "You were just a damn kid!"  

Sally whirled around, "That's right and now I'm a grown woman! And thank goodness you left all those years ago because now I see that falling in love with you was a mistake! I would have never made it as your wife.  Clearly you're the type of man who would just run off and leave his wife, chasing after his own life and adventures."  

"Wife? Ha!" Thomas spat in the dirt, "What kind of man would marry a woman that punches him in the jaw every time he comes home?  I happen to enjoy coming and going as I please and I'll be damned before any woman ties me down to one place!"  

Sally felt hot tears burning behind her eyes and quickly forced them back, "I assume you'd rather have a wife that says yes sir and no sir to your every command and doesn't care if you spend all your time away from home just as long as you send a little money every month! A wife who would turn her head while you bedded down with whores and lived your own life!"  

"If I ever did get married, which I won't, I would honor my marriage vows, you little brat," Thomas hissed.  "There wouldn't be no bedding whores. As for the rest of it that sounds about right."  

"Now you're calling me names!" Sally demanded, stomping her foot. 	Thomas nodded, though his eyes were drawn to the way her breasts bounced up and down as she stomped, "Just stating the truth, Sally," he growled and then he turned and quickly walked back to his waiting horse.  

"Where are you going?" she demanded.  

"To talk to somebody who might actually want to have a conversation instead of fight like an overgrown damn child," Thomas snapped and then he slid himself into the saddle and rode away toward Elizabeth and Brody's. 	Sally screeched angrily and stomped her boot in the dust, "Damn that man!" she exclaimed. And damn herself too for that matter. She still wanted to be with him just as bad as she always had but as far as she could tell, hell hadn't frozen over yet and the pigs were still rooting in the mud and weren't flying so she wasn't about to go crawling to him and begging him to love her back.  

"You Atkinson's are a stubborn bunch ain't ya?" Cookie asked from his chair.

"I thought you were sleeping," Sally snapped.  

Cookie yawned and rubbed his crusty eyes, "How can a man sleep with you and that boy yelling and cussing at each other? Reminds me of Brody and Elizabeth when they first met," he chuckled as his eyes took on a far away look. "Us ranch hands were placing bets on which one would kill the other one first... Course Thomas told us we was wrong and they'd end up married. Turns out the boy knew what he was talking about."  

Sally pulled a piece of hay from her hair, "Yeah, well Thomas and I aren't getting married. You heard him, he likes coming and going as he pleases and there's not a single damn woman that could ever make him wanna change that."  

"I think there might be one woman who could change his mind," Cookie said with a twinkle in his eyes and then he shrugged, "If she took a notion to that is."  

"I'm going for a ride," Sally said quickly and she disappeared into the barn.

 Cookie shook his head, chuckled quietly and patted the head of the hound lying next to his chair, "It's the beginning of November. I give them 'til Christmas before their head over heels in love and getting married."  

---

Thomas left Elizabeth's house a few hours later and cursed under his breath. Why had he promised that damn Lexi that he'd ride out in the morning and see her again? She had batted those green eyes at him and called him uncle Thomas and he'd been helpless to refuse her, that was why. He knew he could stay a good four days and still have time to get back to Tortulla before his two weeks were up but that didn't mean he wanted to stay that long.  

Settling down just wasn't for him.... Sure he might dream about it from time to time but he just wasn't sure he had what it took to be a good father or husband. Thinking of being a husband caused him to think of Sally. Damn that woman! He'd saved her neck that morning in the barn and had she even mumbled a thank you? Hell no she hadn't. She'd just been itching for a fight and he'd gladly given it to her.  

He hated how quickly she was able to get him riled up. He had patience most of the time. He was level headed and cool tempered when he wasn't drunk. He had to be in order to make it as a ranger. But there was something about Sally that riled him up in a flash, and always had. She'd stomp that foot, stick out that chin and run that harsh little mouth and his blood would heat, his temper would raise and he'd be torn between two desires. The desire to kiss her senseless so she couldn't speak and the desire to throw her over his knee and spank that little round ass.

"Ranger Cooper!" Nathan's excited voice brought him out of his satisfying vision of spanking Sally's backside, and he realized he'd already covered the distance between Brody's house and Jacob's.  

"What is it Nathan?"  

"I rested somebody!" Nathan exclaimed as Thomas jumped from the saddle and the boy ran to him.  

"Rested?" Thomas asked with a frown.

Nathan nodded, "Yep! He tried to steal a chicken from the butcher's chicken coop and I rested him."  

"

Arrested m“ Thomas grinned, “You arrested him.”

Nathan nodded a bit more impatiently, "That's what I said. Sheriff Brody said I could be a deputy again tomorrow if it's okay with you. Is it okay with you?"  

Thomas frowned, "You don't have to ask my permission."

"Sure I do. You saved my life and you've been taking care of me....." 	Thomas stood straight and took a step away from Nathan, "Kid, you should know that I'm not staying here with you. I have to get back down to the rangers."  

"You're leaving me here?" Nathan asked as his face fell, "But I thought you wanted to take care of me from now on. I thought that's why you kept me with you."  

Thomas shook his head, "I ain't the kind to take care of a kid," he argued. "I brought you here to these people because they got what it takes to take care of you. They got a home, money and plenty of love to give to ya."  

"But I wanna be with you," Nathan said stubbornly as he tried to hold his quivering chin still. He had thought that Ranger Cooper was going to be his pa... He'd never had a pa.  

Thomas felt an uncomfortable pain fill his chest as he looked down at the heartbroken child. How the hell had he gotten so attached to the kid? He hadn't meant to, that was for sure.  

Thomas crouched down so he could look in the boy's eyes easier, "Nathan, I don't have a house. You can't live in the barracks and you certainly can't ride with me on patrols. I can't take care of you the way you deserve to be took care of. I'm not leaving 'til tomorrow night and I promise you that I'll come back and visit you as much as I can. Brody and his family will take good care of you, a lot better care than I could."  

"You promise you'll come visit a lot?" Nathan asked in a brave little voice that tugged at Thomas's heartstrings. Hell he hadn't meant for the kid to like him so much.  

"As often as I can." he promised. He had no intention of coming back anytime soon but he didn't see any reason to tell the boy that. He looked up at Brody and the hard look in the mans green eyes told Thomas that he knew he was lying. Thomas swallowed hard. Dammit, he wanted Brody to be proud of him. He had looked up to the man and done everything he could since meeting him to be more like him. He had done everything he could to one day be half the man Brody was and possibly deserve a future with Sally.....  

A future with Sally! Where the hell had that thought come from?! Oh well there was no time to look into it right now.  

"Can you take me for a ride, ranger Cooper?" Nathan asked eagerly. "Sheriff Brody told me the ranch was huge!"   

Thomas nodded and stood up straight. He tousled the boys hair, "Come on then, kid. I've even still got some of them biscuits we can eat." 	Nathan made a face and stuck out his tongue, "Yuck! I'd rather be a cow and eat the grass."  

Thomas smiled, "Me too, Nathan. Me too."  

Brody watched Thomas help the boy on the horse and then the two of them rode off. He shook his head. Thomas was a good kid but something was wrong with him. Something down inside. He was fighting a battle that Brody recognized. Clearly, Thomas had some demons inside that he was dealing with. Brody knew he should try to talk to him about it but Brody was a firm believer in letting people figure things out for themselves. They learned the lesson better that way. Thomas was a smart kid. He'd be alright.

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Sally rode across the plains and rock cluttered ground, not paying any attention to anything around her. Her mind was on Thomas and on what Cookie had said. That old coot was crazier than a lark if he thought that there was anything between Thomas and her. Thomas couldn't wait to get away...

Sally wasn't the crying type. As a matter of fact she couldn't remember the last time she had cried... Actually, yes, she could. It had been the day Thomas had left all those years ago. Well, Sally had news for Texas Ranger Thomas Cooper... She wasn't going to be crying anymore tears over him.  

"He can just go riding back to wherever it was he's been all this time," she spat  out loud. She looked up at the sky. She'd been riding too long and the sun was getting low. It would be dark within the next hour or two and she had a long ride back. If she wasn't back by dark Jacob would go tell Brody and Brody would probably lock her in her room again and this time the giant ogre would be smart enough to block the window too.  

Sally smiled as she thought of her brothers. She loved them both. Jacob was more of a father figure. He tried to control everything she did and was always worrying over her and Susie but his heart was in the right place and he was quick to be there for them if they needed him. Brody was quieter than Jacob and he didn't seem to be bothered by a lot of what she did. Unless of course she ran her mouth too much and then he was quick to show her what he thought about that.  

Sally wasn't paying any attention to where her horse was stepping when the sound of the rattle reached her ears. She glanced over on the rock about a foot from her young mare's hooves and saw the giant rattler curled there.  Clearly it had been taking advantage of the above average temperatures of today and had been sunning itself.  

Before she could calm her mare down the young horse reared back and threw Sally to the ground before taking off toward the ranch. Sally rose to her feet cussing and wiping the dirt off her bruised backside. She glared at the snake that had stopped rattling and was currently slithering away.  

"I should shoot your stupid rattler off," she grumbled. She'd never make it home before dark now and Jacob and Brody would both take turns skinning her alive. She ran her hand through her thick golden air, unrolled her shirt sleeves to cover her arms against the cooling evening air and started toward home.   

Sally became lost in her thoughts as she walked and didn't even hear the horse approaching her, "Need a ride?" She nearly screamed and had her gun halfway out of her holster before she realized it was Thomas and Nathan on Thomas's big black stallion.  

"I believe she was gonna shoot you, ranger Cooper," Nathan laughed.  

Thomas nodded and the look he gave Sally told him he meant it when he said, "Yeah, she has good reason to want to shoot me, kid."  

Nathan appeared curious, "Why's that?"  

Thomas just shook his head and slipped from the saddle, pulling the boy down as well, "It's grown up stuff, kid. Do you think you can lead the horse while I talk to the lady?"  

"Yep, sure can," Nathan grabbed the reins from Thomas.  

Thomas grabbed Sally's arm and pulled her ahead as Nathan fell into step a few feet behind them. Sally tried to ignore the heat his hand was causing. She tried to ignore the tingling she felt low in her stomach from his touch. When he removed his hand she checked her blouse to make sure he hadn't burnt straight through the fabric.  

"What happened to your horse?" he asked.  

"Damn rattler scared her. She's young and she threw me and took off."  

"She threw you off?" he demanded with concern. "Are you okay?" Sally nodded and rubbed her backside. Thomas followed the movement and found it hard to pull his eyes away from the sight of her ass in those trousers. He couldn't seem to get over just how much she had grown up in the last few years. The little girl he remembered was gone and that was a woman's body now--a woman's body that his body was very attracted to.

"I'm fine, Thomas. Nothing wounded but my pride," she assured him. "Which is more than I can say for that mare once I get a hold of her. I'd say she's back to the ranch by now."   

Thomas took a moment to just walk in the peaceful silence beside her. This was better. No fighting. No yelling. No name calling, "Sally, I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."  

"For what?" Sally asked, raising her brow and making Thomas chuckle. She was definitely an Atkinson.   

"For hurting you all those years ago. You gotta know that I never wanted to hurt you, Sally. You meant a lot to me."  

The fact that his words were in the past tense didn't escape her attention but she forced a cavalier smile onto her face, as if she wasn't bothered by it, "No problem, Thomas. You wanted to live your own life and I didn't fit into it. I understand."  

Thomas was shocked by the ache in his heart at her words. He wanted to tell her that wasn't the truth. That he had loved her just as much as she had loved him and that was why he'd had to leave. A nineteen year old man had no business being in love with a thirteen year old girl. He didn't tell her that though because what good would it do now? He wasn't interested in settling down or falling in love... He didn't have enough of himself left to give to another person, and giving yourself to another person was what love was about, wasn't it?

"I don't wanna fight with ya no more Sally."  

"Then don't call me senseless and foolish anymore," she snapped. She was caught off guard by the tenderness of his tone. Hadn't he just say she had meant a lot to him? Had... As in didn't anymore? Why then was his voice so gentle?

"I never called you either of those things to begin with," Thomas countered, trying hard to hold onto his temper.  

"Sure you did."  

"Did not."  

"Did too."  

"Are you two gonna talk or argue like a bunch of babies, because it's getting on my nerves," Nathan muttered. Thomas threw a glare back at the boy but Nathan just shrugged and began whistling as he walked. 	

"I'm sorry if you thought I was calling you senseless before. I sure don't think you're senseless, Sally Atkinson. Do you think we could call a truce and quit trying to piss each other off every time we get within speakin' distance?"  

Sally took time to consider his offer. It went against her fighting spirit to just call a truce and wave the white flag of surrender, however if she was ever going to be able to call Thomas hers she couldn't very well be yelling and throwing punches every time she saw him. She let out an irritated sigh, "Fine."  

Thomas chuckled, "Still just as stubborn and hard headed as ever, ain't ya?"  

"Thought we weren't gonna piss each other off?" Sally demanded.  

"I meant it as a compliment," Thomas replied with a shrug. "I always knew you'd be a strong woman."  

Sally was thrown for a loop at his compliment. She'd spent so long being angry with him that she wasn't sure how to handle this kind side of him that she had forced herself to forget about over the years. Jacob liked to say that there were no two people in the whole world who could hold grudges better than Sally and Brody Atkinson. Of course Brody's grudges tended not to last as long as Sally's because he tended to just kill whoever had wronged him... Sally had no desire to kill Thomas. Punch him one more good time maybe, but not kill him.

"Someone's coming," Thomas warned suddenly as his entire posture changed and became one of tension and deadly grace. Sally heard the hoof beats after his statement and then he grabbed her arm, threw her body behind him and pulled his gun.  

"It's just Jacob and Frank," Sally exclaimed with annoyance as she peeked around his broad shoulder. She couldn't deny that his protective nature excited her. The fact that he had been willing to shield her with his body had to mean something, didn't it? Or was that just part of being a ranger?

"Thomas! Is Sally okay?" Jacob demanded as he reined in front of them.  

Sally stepped out from behind Thomas as he holstered his gun, "I'm fine, Jacob. My horse got scared and threw me off. Thomas and Nathan found me."  

"Your horse is at the barn. Scared the devil out of me when it rode in and you weren't on it!" Jacob glared at her, "You know darn well you aren't supposed to come out riding alone, Sally. Anything could happen to you! You're just a woman! You're not a darn cowboy."

 Sally felt anger fill her. She'd bet a hundred dollars that he would never say something like that to Elizabeth. Elizabeth would break his nose if he ever did. And Ellie would let him know quick that a woman could protect herself just fine.  

Sally was about to tell him as much when Thomas cleared his throat, "Jacob, Sally is more than capable of taking care of herself. I taught her how to use that gun before I left, so I know just how good she is with it."  

Jacob still didn't look convinced, "Come on, Sally," he urged, holding out his hand. He didn't trust Thomas with his younger sister. There was something different about Thomas, and Jacob didn't want him trying to touch his sister. As a matter of fact Jacob just might kill the man if he did.  

"Thomas will see that I get home," Sally countered, squaring her shoulders and glaring at her brother, "I don't need you protecting me like I'm some baby."  

Jacob brought his horse up beside her and grabbed her arm, yanking and giving her no choice but to get up in the saddle behind him. Thomas thought about punching the man right in his jaw. Jacob and Thomas had never really gotten along. Before Jacob had always treated Thomas as if he were a child which had rubbed Thomas the wrong way and now it seemed that Jacob thought Thomas was bad news and Jacob was probably right. But that didn't mean that Thomas liked to have his character judged and right now Jacob was clearly telling him that he wasn't permitted to be around his sister.  

Thomas shouldn't care that they didn't want him around Sally. Hell he didn't have any interest in being around her. Thomas sighed at the lie. He did have an interest in being around that woman. He liked that spark in her eyes. He liked hearing that soft feminine voice cussing and throwing insults better than any cowpoke around. And damn what he wouldn't give for just one time in a bed with Sally.... To touch that body and have her soft body moaning beneath him.  

"Can we ride the rest of the way?" Nathan asked, snapping Thomas out of his daydreams. Thomas realized that Jacob, Frank and Sally had ridden away and Nathan was standing next to the stallion.  

"Yeah. Yeah we can ride," Thomas replied. He helped the boy in the saddle, pulled himself up in front of him and they headed for the ranch.  

---

"Thomas!" Sally called out and Thomas let out a breath, pulled on the reins and waited for her to run to his stallion, "Where are you going?" she demanded, breathless from her sprint.

Thomas looked down at her and felt the urge to yank her up on this horse, take her into town and slide himself inside that feminine body. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was loose and free around her heart shaped face and her breasts were heaving up and down beneath her tight blouse  

"I'm going to town, Sally," Thomas replied, forcing his gaze away from her chest and onto her face.  

"You weren't even gonna say goodbye? Damn, you ain't changed much have you?" she demanded.  

"Before I leave town for good I'll say goodbye to you, you little pain in the ass. I said goodbye the first time didn't I?"  

Sally wanted to throw an insult back at him but then she remembered Susie's words. Sally could tell there was something inside of Thomas that had him scared. It had him wanting to run away from her, the ranch and the family She had to give him a reason to want to come back to them all.   

She stepped closer to his horse and laid a gentle hand on Thomas's upper leg. She could feel the hard, coiling of his muscles and she fought the urge to rub her hand up and down and feel the power of him beneath her palm.  

Sally turned her gaze up to his face and saw that he was so tense, the muscles in his jaw were shaking, "What are you doing, Sally?" he demanded in a hoarse whisper.  

She was about to reply when Jacob's angry voice came from the porch, "Sally Atkinson, get your butt up here to this house and into the bed! You are gonna be in there for a good long time after what you pulled today!" 	Thomas was grateful for the distraction that Jacob provided. He adjusted himself in the saddle to give relief to his growing arousal that her hand had stirred and he moved his horse sideways so her hand would slip off his leg, "You better do as he says, Sally." he warned and then rode off quickly before she could say anything.  

Sally watched him disappear and then turned and stormed toward the house, "You are the biggest oaf this side of the Mississippi, Jacob! Why can't you ever just let me be! I'm a grown damn woman!"  

"You're my little sister and I worry about you." Jacob replied. "Now get in that room." Sally went past him, hitting him with her shoulder and knocking him backward as she strode into the house. Jacob shook his head and watched the road Thomas had gone down. That boy was going to break his sister's heart bad and Jacob was afraid there wasn't anything he could do to protect her.  

---

"Nathan will be staying with us," Brody told Elizabeth after they had all three kids tucked into bed and they were sitting at the kitchen table with their coffee cups.  

"He's a good kid," Elizabeth replied as she stared down into her cup. She was grateful for the chance to have another child in the house because so far she and Brody had been unable to get with child again.  

Brody sighed and leaned back in his chair, "Something's wrong with you, cowgirl. Spit it out."  

"Brody, I'm worried about Thomas," Elizabeth whispered. "There is something going on in his head. He's scared to get too close to anyone. He used to be an open book to me but right now I can't read him at all."

 Brody laid a comforting hand over hers, "A lot can happen to a man in the time he's been gone. Things that have a way of changing him into someone else."  

Elizabeth gazed at him hopefully, "Couldn't you talk to him? You have to know something of what he's going through."  

Brody shook his head, "A man is better off figuring things out for himself."

 Elizabeth frowned at her husband. Sometimes a woman had to resort to playing dirty in order to get a stubborn man to do as she wished.   

Elizabeth stood from her chair and walked around the table to Brody. She straddled his lap, wrapping her legs tight around him. Brody's green eyes darkened with passion instantly. Elizabeth stuck out her chin and gave him her best no nonsense look, "Brody Atkinson, you are going to help him," she ordered before lowering her lips to his neck.  

Brody groaned and gripped her backside with his hands, pulling her closer against him, "Damn you, Elizabeth. You know I can't tell you no when you nibble on my neck like that."

 Elizabeth smiled against his skin, "I know."  

"I'll talk to him tomorrow."  

"Couldn't you ride into town tonight...." Elizabeth's words were cut off when Brody stood, keeping her legs locked around his waist.  

"No. Tonight I got something more important to do."  

"What's that?" Elizabeth asked breathlessly as his warm breath washed over her ear.  

"You."

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Thomas didn't plan on getting drunk when he walked into the saloon that evening but he had always had a nearly impossible time stopping at just one shot of whiskey. Whiskey let him forget about the things he had been a part of. It washed away the faces of widows and orphans crying as their husbands and fathers were shot down. Whiskey helped his ears forget the sounds of their screams as they were abused and tortured while he stood by helpless to stop the unthinkable from happening.   

But whiskey also washed away every trace of the good man he was and turned him into a loud, rude, thoughtless jackass. He'd been told as much a time or two, and he knew he shouldn't drink but he seemed to forget the negative effect the whiskey had on him after one or two shots began to warm his blood.  

"Back again, Tommy-boy?" Wendell questioned as he sat down on the stool beside Thomas at the bar.  

"Yep," Thomas said as he downed a shot and then sipped at his beer, "What the hell you doing back in here?"  

"I like to play poker some and drink a few. Mrs. Atkinson don't allow no alcohol at the ranch so we gotta come out here to have a few." 	

"Those damn Atkinson's think they're something special." Thomas said with a snort. "Perfect men, perfect women.. .Too good for the rest of us."  

Wendell took a drink of his own beer and frowned, "I didn't just come out here to drink. You're my friend and you seem like something's bothering you so I wanted to make sure you were alright. Are you alright Tommy?" 	Thomas nodded enthusiastically, spilling a little beer on his denims. He stood and wiped his face on his shirtsleeve.  

"I'm great Wendell. I ain't never been better. I don't need them damn Atkinsons to tell me I'm a good man to know that I am. To hell with Brody and his brow raising disapproval. To hell with Jacob and thinking I'm not good enough to touch his sister. And to hell with Sally too! The damn bitch is so caught up in the fact that I left back then she can't see over her raised nose enough to see that I didn't have a choice!"  

"I think you've had enough to drink," Wendell noted as he tried to take Thomas's beer.  

Thomas jerked his beer back and shoved the other man, "Who the hell do you think you are to tell me I've had enough?" Thomas demanded. The fact that Wendell had been his friend for years before he'd left seemed to have left his memory. "You ain't nothing but a ranch hand and I'm a god damned Texas Ranger!"  

Wendell wasn't a high tempered or overly proud man but he'd be damned before he stood here and took this abuse from a drunk, "Clearly you got something going on in that head, Thomas. Something that's making you forget who your damn friends are. I'll see you around," Wendell turned and walked out.  

 Thomas sneered and waved his hand dismissively, "See ya 'round," he said with a rough laugh.  

"Hey there cowboy," Thomas turned to see the whore from the night before. What was her name again? He couldn't remember, but then again that didn't really matter.  

"You want another ride?" Thomas asked with a smirk as he pressed his lips against her ear.  

"Yes sir," she purred, "You go on up to your hotel room and wait on me and I'll be there in a minute. I'll even sneak up the back stairs to make it extra naughty"  

Thomas winked, "Yes, ma'am,"

 He downed the rest of his beer, wiped his mouth on his shirt sleeve and walked, a little crookedly, out of the saloon.  

---

Sally was sitting in her room feeling sorry for herself and angry at Jacob when a sudden thought occurred to her. She needed to go to town. She needed to talk to Thomas. Their talk had actually been going somewhere earlier before her big nosed brother had butted in. She jumped from the bed and pulled off her sleeping gown.  

She pulled on a blue blouse and a dark brown leather riding skirt. She slipped on some socks and her riding boots that came nearly to her knees. She ran a brush through her thick wavy hair and put on her light tan hat. She opened her bedroom door and listened to the silent house. Everyone had long since gone to bed and Sally was grateful that Brody lived somewhere else. She could easily sneak past Jacob, Ellie and Susie but she knew there would have been no way she would be quiet enough to sneak past Brody... That man seemed to have super human senses.  

Sally stepped out of the house and walked through the silent night to the barn. She quickly went about saddling a mare. She could hear the ranch hands talking out in the bunkhouse and she hoped no one would see her leaving. It seemed that God was on her side as she rode off the ranch without anyone seeing her.  

Sally had seen the lust in Thomas's eyes when she had touched his leg. It might not be the love that she wanted but it was something. And it was something she could use to make sure he came back to her once his job was done.  

The ride into town was a long one and Sally kept imagining what she would say to him and how she would go about seducing him. She had never so much as kissed a man before but she had watched Elizabeth use her charms to have Brody following along behind her like a puppy dog. If wiggling your hips and licking your lips worked on a man as hard as Brody then it would definitely work on Thomas.... Or at least she hoped it would.  

She knew that if Jacob and Brody knew what she was planning--if they knew she had every intention of giving Thomas her innocence tonight, they would be grabbing her off her horse, tying her up and locking her in the hall closet for the rest of her life.  

Her stomach was tied in knots as she hitched her horse to the hotel post. She walked inside and the sleepy clerk jerked up from his cat nap and forced a formal smile to his face, then he frowned when he realized who it was disturbing him, "Sally?! What in the world are you doing here? Do your brothers know that you're riding into town after dark?"  

"No, they don't, Frances, and I'd like to keep it that way," Sally warned. "I need to know what room a man is in."  

"There are lots of men here, Sally, and I ain't telling you where none of 'em are because I value my life too much to piss off the sheriff," he stated as he ran his hand through his curly brown hair. 	

Sally gave him a calculated smile and leaned against the counter, "You either tell me what room Thomas Cooper is in or I'll let my brother know exactly who it was that stuck those thumbtacks in his chair at the jail."  

"You wouldn't dare! You're the one that told me to do that!" Frances hissed.  

Sally smiled and smoothed his suit jacket, "I would, Frances. I really would. Now tell me what room Thomas is in."  

"Room twenty-two upstairs, you damn trouble maker. But if Brody finds out you were here I'm going to deny that I ever saw you."  

"He won't find out. Quit you're worrying." she scolded and then she headed up the stairs.  

Sally paused at the top and laid a hand over her butterfly infested stomach. Since when did she get butterflies? She was a grown woman and she knew the man wanted her. She could tell that easily enough by the way Thomas looked at her. She would give him what he wanted and then he would come back for more.  

Sally walked silently down the dimly lit hall. Room twenty. Room twenty-one. She stopped and took a deep breath in front of the door to room twenty-two. She raised her hand to knock when the sound of voices coming from inside caught her attention. Frances hadn't mentioned that Thomas had a guest.  

"Damn, woman, you're well worth the money," Sally recognized Thomas's voice but it was gruff and drowsy sounding... Was he drunk?

"Glad to hear you think so, cowboy. I ain't never had quite so much fun earning my money. Now why don't you lay on back and let me give you what you've paid me for."  

"Yes, ma'am."  

Sally felt anger and jealousy fill her. Thomas was hers, whether or not he felt the same didn't matter to her. She'd be damned before she let some painted up whore take what belonged to her. Sally threw open the unlocked bedroom door and strode into the room.  

"What the hell are you doing?!" she demanded. Though she wasn't sure how she spoke when her heart was breaking and her body was heating all at the same time.  

Thomas was clearly naked, with only the thin white sheet pulled up to just below his hip bones hiding his very noticeable arousal. Sally had seen shirtless men before--she'd spent the last five years on a ranch and had two brothers but never had a body excited her the way Thomas's did. He was thick and muscular. Every inch of him was hard, toned and tanned. His arms were long and lean and his chest was broad and covered in a dusting of the same tawny blond hair that was on his head.  

She looked at his face and her blood cooled instantly. The gray eyes looking back at her were not the eyes she knew. This might be Thomas's body but he wasn't the person looking back at her.  

He had a smirk on his face and he ran his hand through his thick, messy hair before motioning for her, "Nice of you to join us, Sally. Why don't you hop on this bed here, I'll show both you ladies one hell of a nice time," he slurred.  

Sally shook her head. He was drunk. He was beyond drunk. If he got any more drunk his blood itself would turn into whiskey. The scent of it filled the air and she could smell his breath from here.  

Sally turned to look at the whore. She was short and voluptuous. Her corset had been pulled down and her large breasts and pink nipples were hanging free in the candlelight. She had her petticoats pulled up as she kneeled on the bed beside Thomas and she bit one dark painted lip and smiled at Sally, "I ain't never been with a man and woman at the same time but some of the other whores have talked about it. Sounds like fun. Close that door, sugar, and we'll make this cowboy real happy."  

Sally squared her shoulders and snapped her jaw shut. She walked calmly over to the washstand and grabbed the floral pitcher in her hand. She strode toward the bed as the whore lowered her lips to Thomas's neck causing his eyes to close while he threw back his head and moaned.  

The sound of a cocking revolver had his eyes flying back open and the whore freezing in her tasting of Thomas's skin. Sally pressed the gun against the whore's temple and gave her a cold smile, "Get the hell off my man and out of this room. If I ever catch you back around him again, I won't hesitate to pull this trigger. Understood?"  

Thomas sat up straight and watched with a sloppy, amused grin on his face as the whore jumped to her feet and quickly pulled her corset up, "Yeah sure. Whatever you say... Shit, you're sheriff Atkinson's sister!" she exclaimed as recognition dawned in her eyes. With that she quickly made her escape from the room.  

"Since you chased off my entertainment for this evening, I guess that means your ass is gonna have to get down here and take care of me," Thomas invited with a smile as he raised his brow suggestively and ran his hand over the considerable bulge under the sheet.  

Sally forced herself not to look at said bulge and shook her head, "I won't do anything with you, Thomas Cooper. You are drunk."  

"And in desperate need of a woman so either get down here and take care of me or else I'll just have to call that whore back."  

"How about I help you cool off?" Sally asked sweetly and then she proceeded to dump the pitcher of water over Thomas's head. He jumped from the bed stuttering and seeming to forget, or just not care, that he was naked as the sheet fell to the floor.  

"What the hell Sally!" he demanded.  

"What happened to you?!" Sally exclaimed, keeping her eyes trained above his neck so she wouldn't have to look at his body, which seemed to be perfection. Every inch of him was long and hard...  Even the part below the trail of tawny colored hair on his stomach.  

"Nothing," he snapped and then he smiled and leaned toward her, "Yet."  

 She nearly gagged as the scent of whiskey clogged her nostrils, "Nothing is going to. You are drunk and you need to sober up before you do something you'll regret."  

"I wouldn't have regretted bedding that whore," he argued.  

Sally shook her head, "You would. Once you sobered up you would."  

"I guess that means you think I should bed you?" Thomas asked, taking a step closer to her. "I can do that, Sally. You're a beautiful woman and all grown up now." His eyes darkened with lust as he reached his hand out and ran it over her breasts. She inhaled sharply and felt her nipple harden beneath his touch. "You won't be as good a ride as that whore but you'd probably be worth it," he added.  

Sally reached her boiling point. She knew that Thomas was beyond drunk. She knew he probably didn't even realize what he was doing or saying but that gave him no right to act like this. It gave him no right to be hurting her with his insults.  

"Kiss me," she whispered, doing her best to imitate the breathless voice she had heard the whore using through the closed door. Thomas grinned and leaned toward her.  

Sally let him kiss her. She knew she shouldn't but she wanted to torture him before she walked out. And if she were being completley honest, she wanted to feel it just one time. His lips were hungry as they pressed against hers and her knees nearly buckled.  

Her body seemed to catch fire as his strong arms wrapped around her and she leaned her body into his. She forgot about the whore and his harsh words. There was nothing mean about the way he was holding her. Nothing mean about the way his lips were devouring hers. There was tenderness and passion and heat.  

Then Thomas used his tongue to try to gain access to her mouth and she smelled and tasted the whiskey. It snapped her back to reality. It made her remember that he was drunk. Reminded her that he'd been in here ready to bed a whore and he had insulted her terribly before giving her this earth quaking kiss.  

"Sorry Thomas but you'll thank me later," she whispered as she pulled away from him and brought the pitcher down hard on his head. Thomas let out a grunt and then fell to the ground in a naked heap. Sally felt a moment of panic when she saw how still he became. She put her hand on his neck and then breathed out a sigh of relief when she felt his pulse. At least she hadn't killed him.  

He deserved that whack, she told herself. He was on a path to destruction tonight and she had kept him from doing something he would have regretted in the morning. Sally forced herself to believe that he would have regretted bedding that whore.... She refused to believe that her Thomas, her former best friend and the first and only love she'd ever had, truly enjoyed getting sloppy drunk and bedding down with loose, painted up women.  

She pulled a blanket off the bed and covered him up before slipping from his room and closing the door behind her, "Have fun?" Frances asked as she walked past him.  

Sally pressed her finger to her lips which were still tingling from Thomas's kiss and shook her head, "No," she replied. "I wouldn't disturb room twenty-two in the morning if I were you. He might be a little grouchy."

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Is he dead?" a feminine voice with a thick Mexican accent yelled... Technically it wasn't truly a yell but it might as well have been with the pounding in Thomas's head.

"I don't know..." another feminine voice replied, "I hope not. I recognize him. He is sheriff Brody's friend."  

"Senor? Are you 

muerto ?“ the first voice asked.

Thomas groaned and felt his stomach roll as he attempted to sit up, "No... I'm not dead." he whispered, wincing when the pounding in his head increased tenfold, "But I wish I was. Could one of you ladies be kind enough to please grab my gun off the floor and shoot me in the head with it?"  

They both giggled in response and Thomas was sure the sound was going to crack his skull. He raised his hand to the back of his head and felt the blood in his hair. What the hell had happened to him?  

He opened his eyes just a crack and saw the women, clearly maids, standing there staring at him. Glancing down Thomas realized he was naked. He quickly covered himself with the blanket that had fallen off when he'd sat up and blushed as he scratched at his stubble covered jaw.  

"Were you attacked, senor?" the first maid asked with concern, "Sheriff Brody is not in town yet but his deputy LeRoy is at the jail. We could get him for you."  

Thomas closed his eyes and tried to remember the night before. A kiss. He remembered a kiss. A mind rattling kiss that had made his legs weak, his blood seem to boil and his brain to turn to mush.  Sally. He had kissed Sally... Just before she'd cracked him upside the head with a water pitcher.  

"No I wasn't attacked," he replied. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened last night but he figured he probably deserved whatever Sally had done to him and he didn't want to get her in trouble.  

"You were hit with the pitcher," the Mexican woman informed him as if he hadn't already figured that much out.  

Thomas looked at the broken pieces of floral ceramic and shook his head, though he ceased that movement quickly when he realized that it made him want to vomit, "No, I was holding the pitcher and I fell..." he offered lamely.  

The ladies gaze was skeptic, "You fell and hit yourself in the back of the head with the pitcher, senor?"  

Thomas glared at her, "Yes. Now leave me alone."  

The maids clearly didn't believe him but they backed out of the room and shut the door behind them. Thomas used the bed and every ounce of strength he had to pull himself to his feet. He sat down on the edge of the mattress, pressed his fingertips into his temples and tried to remember exactly what had happened the night before, other than that amazing kiss and the less than awesome pitcher incident.  

He remembered he had been drinking. Why did every groggy story of remembrance of the night before always start with the words, 

he’d been drinking ? Maybe Thomas needed to stop going to saloons.

He shook his head again to focus back on the night before. He'd been drinking. A lot. Then he had argued with Wendell over something... It was foggy but he was pretty sure he'd said something like 

‘to hell with the Atkinsons’.

Then that little whore, he still couldn't remember her name, had offered to come back to the hotel and he had accepted. Not because he had really enjoyed her the night before but because his body had been screaming for a woman after Sally had awaken a burning desire in him when she had placed her hand on his thigh.  

Him and the woman had been enjoying themselves and then the door had burst open and Sally had been there..... He groaned as he vaguely remembered the things he had said to her. Thomas couldn't remember word for word but he knew he had invited her to join him and the whore in the bed.. Why had he done that? If he ever did get to bed Sally, there sure wasn't going to be any other person in the bed but him and her... He decided to just blame it on the whiskey and thought back to remember more.  

He smiled when he remembered Sally putting the gun to the woman's head and running her off, but then she had dumped the pitcher of water on his head after he said some more inappropriate things to her.... They had argued and then she had asked him to kiss her and damn had he kissed her. It had been a kiss unlike any he'd ever had and he hadn't even been able to deepen it because just as he was trying she had slammed that pitcher on his head.

Thomas groaned again and flopped back on the bed, covering his face with his arms to block out the sunlight streaming through the curtains. He had messed up. Royally messed up. It was time to pack up and move on. Should he even risk riding out to the ranch? If Sally had told Brody or Jacob about how he had treated her the night before they would probably shoot him on the spot and he wouldn't blame them a bit. He had never felt shame like he was feeling now. He was done drinking... No more whiskey for him. From this day on he was swearing that stuff off. He had never wanted to hurt Sally the first time he had hurt her but had not had a choice. Now he had messed up and hurt her yet again.  

But then Thomas thought of Nathan. He couldn't leave the poor kid without saying goodbye. And Thomas had promised Lexi he'd stop by today too. Not to mention that he had also promised Sally he would say goodbye to her before he left for good--not that she'd  want to speak to him after what he'd done to her last night.   

Thomas pulled on his clothes and used what little water was left in the washstand from the night before to rinse some of the blood from his hair. He winced at the welt Sally had given him with that pitcher and then pulled on his hat. After strapping on his guns and grabbing his saddlebags, Thomas headed out to the livery.  

"Ranger Cooper!" he heard Nathan's voice and he turned to see him and Brody walking toward him.  

Thomas felt a moment of panic. Would Brody shoot him right here on the street? He was sheriff so he could do it and get away with it and Thomas had no doubt that Brody was quick enough to kill him without much trouble.  

"Good morning," Brody said with a friendly smile and Thomas eyed him warily. Was it possible that the man didn't know what had happened last night or was he just trying to lull him into a false sense of security?

"Morning," Thomas replied. He didn't want to say good morning because he couldn't see much good in it. Between the pounding in his head and the regret and dread in his heart, it was shaping up to be a very bad day.  

"I'm a deputy again today," Nathan boasted proudly as Thomas crouched down and Nathan threw his thin arms around his neck.  

"I see that." Thomas replied, feeling a strange choking feeling in his throat. He didn't want to say goodbye to the boy but he had no choice. He was a ranger and a ranger didn't have a family. The dust, the dirt, the blood and the open sky were a ranger's family.  

"Whatcha doing today?" Nathan asked, though the dread in his voice told Thomas that the boy already knew what he had planned.  

"I've gotta get back to work, kid," Thomas replied as he stood up straight and patted the boys blond hair.  

"You're leaving?" Nathan pouted, his face falling.

 Thomas nodded and pulled off his hat, wringing it in his hands, "Yeah, I gotta get back to work, Nathan, but I'll come back and visit just as soon as I can." Thomas promised.  

Brody's eyes narrowed, "What happened to your head?"  

 Thomas quickly put his hat back on and shrugged nervously, "I fell last night in my room," he lied.

 Brody nodded and then tapped Nathan on the shoulder, "Deputy, go get Thomas's horse ready so he can move on." Nathan nodded, though he seemed less than happy to be helping Thomas leave as he walked toward the livery.  

"Wendell came to me this morning," Brody said as he put his thumbs through his belt loops and stood there looking slightly awkward.  

Thomas groaned inwardly. Here it came. "And?" he asked trying to sound as if he wasn't too worried about what Wendell had said.  

"Look, Thomas, I ain't the type of man that likes to stick my nose in another man's business but if you want to talk about anything, you can come to me. I'll do my level best not to raise my brow in disapproval."  

 Thomas frowned and thought back to what he had said to Wendell... Had he said something about Brody's brow raising?  

"I uh.. I was a little drunk last night," Thomas replied with a shrug. 	Brody nodded, "I find that drinking usually causes more problems than it fixes," he said and Thomas could tell he was making a conscious effort not to raise his brow. "What kind of job have you had with the rangers?"

"I guess you could call me a spy. They put me in with gangs to help figure out who's bankrolling them."  

Brody nodded as he struck a match across his cheek and lit a cigarette, "Guess a man sees all kinds of things when he goes into something like that."  

Thomas nodded as those haunting memories came flooding back, "Yeah"  

"A man does what he has to do to survive, Thomas. Were you successful?"  

Thomas shifted his feet. He'd always looked up to Brody and he knew that Brody had done things in his life that would make him the best to understand him, "The first few times. I was able to take a name back to the rangers and they caught the bankroller. The gang members usually went unpunished because they weren't who the rangers were after. The last time, I was found out and nearly killed but the rangers came in and broke up the gang and got me out."  

"How'd you get found out?" Brody asked, "You must have been good at what you did to make it through a few jobs before that."  

Thomas sighed and nodded, "Yeah I'm good at my job but I made the mistake of trusting someone else to keep my secret." Thomas wasn't about to tell Brody that it had been a Mexican whore. He was sure that tidbit of information would earn him a brow raise.

 Nathan started back toward them leading the stallion, "Whenever you get more time off, you come on back to the ranch, Thomas. Elizabeth considers you family and I do too, I reckon. You were there for my wife when I couldn't be and I'll always be grateful for that. We all have crosses to bear, Thomas, but we can't let those crosses ruin the rest of our lives. I've done some pretty questionable things but ya can't let them bad things keep ya from grabbing the good that you deserve."  

Thomas stared at the rough and tumble cowboy with a bit of shock. He had never heard Brody say more than a few words at a time and very rarely did he say anything with as much deep meaning as what he had just said, "I'm fine Brody." he promised as he took the reins from Nathan, "I'll ride out and say goodbye to Liz and then I'm gonna head on."  

Brody clicked his tongue, "Say goodbye to Sally too. I sure as hell don't wanna have to listen to her grouchy ass if you ride off without doing that."  

Thomas figured he'd be safer if he left without seeing Sally. She was liable to shoot him after what he had done but he didn't say that to Brody, "I will," he replied.

 Nathan looked up at Thomas and Thomas could tell the boy was fighting back tears and trying to look tough, "Will you come back for Christmas?" Nathan asked. "I've never had Christmas with a big family before. My mama never could afford to do much."  

Thomas sighed. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to come back for Christmas or not.. He wasn't sure he wanted to, "I'll try."  

"Okay. I'll get you a present just in case. Sheriff Brody said I can earn money from my deputy job!"  

Thomas forced a smile, "You be good for sheriff Brody and Liz." Thomas said sternly.  

Nathan nodded and stood there looking quite stoic for a ten year old, "I will. I promise."  

Thomas was caught off guard when Brody stepped toward him and gave him an awkward one armed hug, "Take care of yourself, Thomas. You're a good man for what you've done for the boy and what you did for Elizabeth back when she needed you. Don't forget that you've got people that care."  

"I'll see you around Brody," Thomas replied as he cleared his throat and stepped away. He threw his saddlebags over the stallion and jumped in the saddle, "You be good, deputy," Thomas called as he tipped his hat to Nathan. Nathan nodded but didn't say anything. Thomas felt an aching in his chest as he turned his horse and rode away toward the ranch.  

Brody shook his head and shrugged, 

‘I tried,’ he thought to himself. The boss couldn’t ask any more from him than that.

---

"I told Nathan I'd try to come back for Christmas." Thomas promised as he stood in Elizabeth's kitchen.  

"You'd better," Elizabeth warned, fighting back tears, "It will be nice to have you here."

"Mommy, Bryant is chasing me with a snake!" Lexi squealed as she ran into the kitchen.  

Elizabeth grabbed the frightened child in her arms and sat her on her hip, "Bryant!" she called.  

Bryant came into the kitchen with a sheepish grin on his face, "What's the matter, mamma?" he asked innocently.

 Thomas hid his smile behind his hand as Elizabeth fixed her son with a no nonsense glare, "Where is the snake that you chasing your sister with?"  

"I don't have a snake mamma," Bryant replied and Thomas saw that the boy was crossing his dirty fingers behind his back.

 Elizabeth frowned and Thomas watched her eyes drop to Bryant's pants pocket, which seemed to be squirming, "There's no snake huh?" she asked with a brow raise that reminded Thomas an awful lot of Brody.  

"No mamma,"  Bryant promised batting his green eyes.

 Elizabeth reached out, faster than Bryant could react and stuck her hand deep in his pocket, coming back out with a small harmless rat snake, "Looks like we're gonna be telling daddy that you lied today," she whispered sadly as she handed the snake to Thomas, who threw it out the open door.  

"No mamma, please don't tell daddy! I didn't mean to scare Lexi!" 	Elizabeth seemed to be weighing the decision in her mind but Thomas could see her amusement at the boys obvious panic, "Well okay, I won't tell him as long as you give your sister a hug and tell her that you're sorry." Elizabeth agreed as she sat Lexi down on her feet.  

Bryant kicked at the floor, "Oh, okay."  

Thomas watched Lexi and Bryant hug and then take off running together outside, clearly back to being best friends, "I'll be going now, Liz." Thomas called.

 Elizabeth nodded and gave him a big hug. Thomas felt that tug in his heart. The tug that made him wish he could have what everyone here had--a family, "Take care of yourself, Thomas."  

"I always do," he promised and then he turned and walked out.

He was just getting in the saddle when Elizabeth stepped out onto the porch, "Sally is out at the far end of the southeast pasture today, if you were wanting to see her before you go."  

"Thank you, ma'am," Thomas replied. He tipped his hat and rode away.  

Thomas wasn't sure exactly what he was thinking as he rode out to the southeast pasture. Sally would probably shoot him on sight but he couldn't stand the thought of leaving before he at least apologized for his actions the night before. 	

He saw her riding the fence line, checking for places that needed fixing. He caught up to her and fell into step beside her. She looked at him, scowled, blushed and then looked back ahead.  

"I believe I owe you an apology, Sally," he said sheepishly. "I was more than a little drunk last night and I think I might have said some things that weren't real nice."  

"You should stop drinking," Sally snapped.  

Thomas nodded, "Last night was my last night," he vowed.  

He would swear she was fighting back a grin when she gave him a sideways glance through her big blue eyes and said, "How is your head?" 	Thomas pulled off his hat and ran his hand over his welted head and blood stiffened hair, "It hurts. Can I ask why you felt the need to hit me upside the head with a pitcher? I was kind of enjoying that kiss"  

"You were enjoying your whore more. You told me yourself that I wouldn't be as good as her."  

Thomas frowned, "I didn't say that."  

"Yes you did," Sally growled as she picked at her mare's mane and looked straight ahead, "But you did tell me I'd probably be worth the ride."  

"You should have shot me for saying something like that."  

Sally nodded and laid her hand on the gun on her hip, "I still could." she warned.  

Thomas's eyes were drawn to the suggestive sway of her hips in her trousers as she moved with the horse. He forced his eyes away and instead focused on the fly that his horse was currently trying to flick away from his ear, "Like I said, I'm sorry. I was drunk and I can promise now that I won't get drunk again. I believe I learned my lesson." He winced as he put his hat back on.  

"Maybe I shouldn't have hit you like that," Sally admitted, "I shouldn't have come at all."  

Thomas gave her a questioning look and folded his arms loosely over his saddlehorn, "Why did you come?"  

"I was going to seduce you," Sally said without a single ounce of embarrassment. She never had bothered with feelings things like embarrassment. She said what she meant and meant what she said and whatever anyone else thought about it was their own problem.  

Thomas, however, nearly choked on his tongue, "Seduce me?!" he demanded.  

Sally shrugged, "I wanted to give you a reason to come back."   

Thomas thought back to the kiss they had shared. He had been beyond drunk and out of his mind from the whiskey but he had a clear memory of the way her kiss had tasted and the effect it had had on his body, "I gotta leave today Sally, but I'll come back, I promise."  

Sally wasn't happy to hear that he was leaving but if she wanted a relationship with a ranger, she would have to get used to long absences, "When?"  

"I told Nathan that I'd try to make it back for Christmas," Thomas replied. "Thanks for not telling anybody about last night. I was expecting Brody to put a bullet in my head this morning."

"I wasn't worried about you when I kept it a secret, I was worried about me," Sally admitted,  "What do you think they would have done to me if they'd have known I snuck out to come sneak into your hotel room?" 	Thomas smiled, "Good point. I can't believe you did that, Sally. You've always been too darn crazy for your own good."  

Sally frowned and glared over at him, "So thinking that giving myself to you would make you come back was crazy?" she demanded, feeling hurt. She had already forgiven him for the whore... After all they weren't a couple and he had been drunk, but to think that he hadn't enjoyed the kiss they'd shared or the thought of more, caused a pain in her chest.  

Thomas grabbed her horses reins and forced her to stop. He couldn't help but be proud when she met his gaze full force. Sally might be stubborn, proud and reckless but her fearlessness and bravery was something he admired, "It was crazy, but not for the reason you think," he assured her, "You can't just go giving your innocence to any man just to get your way, Sally."  

"You're not just some man and maybe I've already given away my innocence."  

Thomas felt a protective and jealous jolt shoot through him, "Have you?" he demanded.  

Sally snorted, "None of your business, Thomas Cooper. And you can't say anything, you damn whore lover."  

 Thomas knew she was right but the thought of another man touching the one woman who had ever had his heart made his blood boil. He might not be in love with her any longer but that didn't change the fact that he had been once. And he still cared about her and lusted after her strongly.  

"Do you think I could get one more of those kisses to hold me over 'til Christmas?" he asked finally.  

 Sally's eyes widened momentarily, "You mean you liked it?"  

Thomas nodded and she saw his gray eyes darken. This time there was none of the drunken haze clouding his vision. Those were purely Thomas's eyes looking back at her, "Sally, I'd been wanting to kiss you for a long damn time," he admitted.  

Before Sally had time to reply he grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. The kiss was closed lipped and quick but it still lit a fire low in her middle that had her squirming in the saddle. She clung to his arm as he pulled away, "Why did you leave all those years ago if you wanted to kiss me?"  

Thomas laughed; a deep gruff sound that caused her to tremble, "That's why I left. You were thirteen and I was nineteen... Kissing you wasn't an option."  

Before Sally could say anything else he moved away from her and smiled, "I'll see you at Christmas," he vowed. There was no way in hell he'd miss the chance to see what else Sally's body had to offer. Of course he'd make sure she understood they didn't have a future together before he ever bedded her and he prayed that she would still give him what he wanted because he didn't know if he could live without it now that he'd had a taste of her kiss.  

Sally watched Thomas ride off over the plains and couldn't believe what had just happened. She needed to make sure that she told her shy sister thank you for the good advice. Thomas had tasted her kiss and now he was coming back.... To beat it all she had found out that all these years she'd spent being angry that he had left, she had been wrong. He had left because of her. '

I do care Sally. I care too much.’ He had told her that when he’d left and she hadn’t understood it at the time but she did now.

Thomas had loved her then but their age difference had been too great at the time. He had loved her then and he still loved her... She was sure he did. A man couldn't kiss a woman like that and not be in love.

 She smiled as she touched her tingling lips. It was going to be a long wait until Christmas time.

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Thomas had spent the last few years keeping himself isolated from other people. He had been perfectly content being alone even when surrounded by other rangers or the gangs he went into. Never had he felt lonely but now, riding alone across the dusty texas plains, he felt lonely and alone.  

He missed Nathan's arms around his waist and the boys incessant rambling. He had gotten used to listening to Nathan carry on and he found that the silence was nearly deafening without the boy there. Every time he ate a hardtack biscuit he would think of Nathan making faces and calling them dung and he couldn't help but smile.  

That boy had definitely had an effect on Thomas and had him thinking about what it would feel like to have children of his own. Of course in order to be a father, he would have to first find a woman that he wanted for a wife.... This thought made Sally come to mind. If Thomas was to ever settle down and get married it would be to Sally Atkinson but settling down and marriage just weren't for him. He had seen and done too much. He lived for riding the open plains and sleeping under the stars and what kind of woman would want to start a family with a man like that?

That didn't stop Thomas from imagining what it would feel like to come home at night after a long day of running fences or outlaws to a warm meal and a warmer pair of feminine arms. He smiled when he imagined their children running to the porch to greet him with hugs and eager questions.  

When he would lay his head on his bedroll in the darkness and close his eyes, it was Sally's face he saw. He would remember the kisses they had shared and his body would instantly heat and crave more. He was amazed by the effect that she had on him. After all of this time he had thought for sure that his attraction and feelings for the girl would have died but he was finding that they had not even ebbed in the slightest. If anything they had gotten stronger. The fact that Sally was a grown woman now, with a woman's body only made it that much worse. Hopefully once he was able to have one good roll beneath the blankets with her, he would be able to get this insatiable craving for her under control.  

Thomas rode into the ranger camp four days after leaving Atkinson Spread  and after putting his horse in the stall, Parker let him know that Captain Wynter was wanting to speak to him up at the house. Thomas walked up on the porch and knocked on the door. He ran his hand over his scarred eye and waited for the door to open.  

"Cooper! It's about time you got back!" Captain Wynter exclaimed as he stepped out on the porch.  

Thomas shrugged, "I believe I'm back with a few days to spare. I had two weeks to get the boy taken care of."  

"Did you get him settled in at the orphanage?" Captain Wynter asked as he leaned against the big white porch banister.  

Thomas shook his head. "No, I took him up to those people I know in Bakerstown."  

"Oh yeah, sheriff Atkinson and his family..."Captain Wynter clicked his tongue, "That Atkinson fella would make a good ranger. Too bad you can't talk him into coming and joining us."  

Thomas nearly laughed out loud at the thought of Captain Wynter giving Brody orders. Brody was the first to admit that he did not take orders well and that was why he had never moved up in the ranks of the army during the war. He tended to laugh at those who tried to tell him what he could and could not do.

"I think Brody is happy where he's at, Captain." Thomas assured the other man with a grin.

 Captain Wynter frowned and took a puff off his cigar, "You should mention it to him just the same."  

Thomas kicked at a wooden floor board with his boot and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm ready to get back to work, Captain. You got something you need me to do?"  

"Actually, yes I do. There is a gang and I need you inside....."

"No," Thomas cut him off sternly.  

The Captain frowned, "You are the best man I have for the job and I need you," he insisted.  

Thomas shook his head, "You'll have to find someone else. I told you that the last time was the last time. I'm not doing that again."  

"I could always give you an order," Captain Wynter warned.  

Cold anger flashed in Thomas's gray eyes,  "And I could always hand you back my badge and be on my way too."  

The two men stared hard at each other. Thomas knew that the Captain would not push him because he didn't want to lose him and Captain Wynter knew that even if he pushed Thomas the boy would not really quit. Thomas lived and breathed the rangers. They were his entire life. But he had seemed off since his cover had been blown six months ago and he had nearly died. Captain Wynter didn't want to push him into something that he wasn't ready for and get Thomas killed. The boy just needed time to build his confidence and trust in himself back up.  

Captain Wynter waved his cigar, "Fine. I'll send Lykeheart. You can rest up tonight and then in the morning I need you to go after a man that's been terrorizing small homesteads."  

Thomas stood straighter, "Sounds good."  

"We want him alive," Captain Wynter added, "We believe he's taking his orders from someone else and they are the one that we really want." 	Thomas frowned, "You just made it sound not so good, but I'll get the job done for ya."  

"You always do, Cooper." Captain Wynter replied honestly.  

Thomas turned and started off the porch but then turned back.  

"I'll be taking a break at Christmas. I got people  I need to see." Captain Wynter frowned his disapproval,  "You just had a month off, Cooper."  

Thomas shrugged. "I'm taking more time, approved or not. I've made promises that I intend to keep."  

"You catch Herman Sheecks by then and you can have all the time off you want," Captain Wynter relented after several moments of staring each other down. Captain Wynter was no fool. Thomas was a valuable ranger but he was also a deadly adversary and the captain would do what he had to do to stay in the boy's good graces.  

Thomas nodded, "Thanks captain."  

"Go get you some rest, Cooper." Thomas turned and walked away, leaving Captain Wynter scratching his head. Thomas Cooper had always been distant and a loner but something else was going on with the boy. He seemed to be even more disconnected and it bothered Captain Wynter. What exactly had Thomas been doing in Bakerstown?   

---

"I gotta go to town," Sally told Allie and Susie as they worked in the kitchen, "Three weeks should be long enough for something I order from the catalogue to make it here in time for Christmas shouldn't it?"  

Susie looked up from cutting potatoes and frowned, "I thought you already did all of your Christmas shopping when I did."  

 Sally shook her head and picked at a piece of string, hanging off her wrist, "I thought of someone else I need to buy for." At first she had been sure that she didn't want to get Thomas a gift. She didn't want to get her hopes up that he would really show up for Christmas. But now she wanted to get him something just in case. She didn't want him to show up and know that she had doubted him.  

"Who did you forget?" Ellie questioned, her voice full of the fatigue that her pregnancy was causing her to feel. She ran her dough covered hands over her pale face and slid her dark black hair from her cheeks before going back to her bread.  

"Let me guess--" Susie mused with a small smile. "--he's a tall, dark, Texas ranger that came riding back into our lives  looking rugged and dangerous?"  

"Thomas?" Ellie asked curiously. "Is he really coming back? I know he mentioned it to Liz but she seemed to think he was just telling her what she wanted to hear."  

Sally threw down the knife and potato she had been peeling and wiped her hands on her pants, "Of course he's coming! He promised me that he was. Right after he kissed me." she added with a mischievous smile.  

Ellie and Susie stared at her with shock, "Kissed you!" Susie exclaimed while Ellie looked out the window to make sure that Jacob was still out in the fields and not within hearing distance of something that would make his head explode for sure.  

"Yep... He kissed me and it was amazing." Sally replied dreamily. "And he's coming back because he promised." She hoped that she wasn't just fooling herself.  

"I'm surprised he left you at all," Susie said cautiously as she continued to cut the potatoes alone.  

Sally put her hands on her hips and glared at her sister, "He had to leave! He's a Texas ranger and has a duty to the state. But he'll be here."  

"What are you going to get him?" Ellie asked, deciding not to lecture the girl on falling in love or giving herself too quickly to a man who had not made any sort of commitment. Ellie had done her fair share of questionable things in her life. If Sally was making a mistake with Thomas, she wouldn't be the first woman to do so and she would be okay. And if Sally was right and Thomas did care about her then she didn't want to say anything to come in between the two of them.  

Sally rubbed at her cheek and frowned, "I'm not sure yet. I'll know it when I see it.... I just hope it has enough time to get here."  

"It will. But if you plan on going into town alone then you better be ready for a butt chewing when Jacob finds out," Ellie informed her.  

Sally gave a dismissive wave of her hand, "Jacob will be fine. I can shoot better than he can so I don't know what he worries about so much." Sally turned and left the kitchen and made her way outside to the barn. She saddled up her young brown mare and brought her out into the sun.  

"Where you going?" Cookie grumbled.  

"Town," Sally replied to the grizzled old man.  

Cookie shook his head and spit in the dirt, "You know you ain't supposed to go alone."

Sally felt her temper rise, "I am a grown damn woman and if I want to go into town then I will!"  

Cookie's eyes widened beneath his bushy brows and then he shrugged, "Fine, do whatever makes you happy little missy. I'm too darn old to worry 'bout getting into trouble."  

 Sally smiled at the old man and then rode away toward town.  

---

Damn cold. That is what it was up on top of this ridge. Thomas could nearly see his damn breath as the cold wind blew across his face. He'd been tracking Herman Sheecks for weeks and finally he had the bastard. He was down in a camp with a few of his buddies, right below the ridge Thomas was on.  

Thomas pulled out his looking glass and focused on Herman. The man was short, probably only about five foot three and he was thin, to the point of being skinny. He was of Irish descent and his beard, mustache and flyaway hair were all bright red. He had green eyes that were full of good humor, merely a mask for the darkness inside the man.  

Thomas happened to know that Herman had killed a woman and child just several days before. Thomas had found their bodies while they'd still been warm. Of course he had been too late to save them.... It seemed like Thomas was always too late.   

Thomas watched Herman laugh at something his friend said and he put his looking glass away. Thomas knew that he was going to have to kill men today. He was supposed to take Herman alive but surely these other men would have something to say about that and Thomas had no orders to keep them alive too. He was sure they were all just as rotted deep down as Herman. No man could be friends with someone that evil and not be just a little evil themselves.  

Thomas kept his stallion tied out of sight and out of the line of fire and then made his way down the ridge with the bright noontime sunlight shining on his back. He walked to the edge of the camp, unseen by the unsuspecting outlaws and stood behind a rock that would provide him cover if he needed it, "Herman Sheecks!" he hollered.  

All four men all turned in unison and looked at him, "Who the hell are you?" Herman demanded.  

Thomas pushed his hat back a little and pulled his duster coat aside to show his badge, "Thomas Cooper, Texas Ranger. You're wanted for questioning down in Tortulla. Why don't you just come on with me now and then we can both get on with our lives."  

"How about he don't, we shoot you and then we can get on with our lives?" one of the other men said with a grin and all four of them laughed. 	Thomas realized they were drunk, "I'm not here for you three, you go on and mind your own business." Thomas said warned, "I just want him," he added pointing at Herman.  

Herman spit in Thomas's direction, "Too bad."   

"They wanted you alive but the warrant said dead or alive, Herman. Don't push me," Thomas growled, pulling back his duster to reveal his .45 revolver.

"Guess you'll have to take me dead then, you damn law dog!" Herman shouted and Thomas grumbled under his breath and went for his gun as the other four men did the same.  

Bullets filled the air but the gunfire only lasted seconds and once the sound ceased echoing off the surrounding mountains, Herman's three friends were lying dead in the dust and Herman was bleeding from a hole in his side and crying at the long gash across his hand from Thomas shooting away his gun.  

"You shot me!" Herman exclaimed.  

Thomas reloaded his revolver and stuck it back in its holster, "I only shot your hand. One of your buddy's shot ya in the side. Y'all were too damn drunk to be playing with guns."   

Thomas cuffed Herman and then cut a long strip from one of the other men's duster coats. He looked at Herman's wound while the man cried and blubbered like a baby and then he tied the fabric tight around his waist.  

"You'll be fine!" Thomas scolded "It didn't hit nothing important."  	He walked over and untied three of the dead men's horses so they could go find shelter and then he led a fourth horse over to Herman and waited impatiently. When Herman just stared at him Thomas grabbed him under his arm and pulled him roughly to his feet.  

"Get on the damn horse," he hissed.  

Herman shook his head, "No. You'll have to kill me."  

"You think I won't? You're a baby killer. I buried those two you killed just a few days ago. I would gladly carve your name in a bullet and sink that bullet right between your eyes."

 Thomas watched Herman swallow hard and shiver and it made him want to vomit. The man was only tough when it came to murdering innocent women and children, "Where are we going?" Herman asked as he pulled himself slowly into the saddle with a little help from Thomas.

 Thomas grabbed the reins and began leading the horse back up the ridge to where his own horse was waiting, "What is today?" Thomas asked.  

"December twenty-second," Herman replied, "I was on my way to my wife for Christmas. She's gonna be awfully upset when I don't show up." 	Thomas cursed under his breath. There was no way he'd make it to Tortulla and then back to Bakerstown before Christmas. Maybe it would be best if he didn't show up for Christmas. Maybe everyone would be better off if he stayed away? Nathan's face so full of hope flashed through his mind and he knew he couldn't let the boy down. Then he remembered the kiss he had shared with Sally and the promise he had made her. His body still hungered for her and he suddenly knew exactly where he had to be.  

"Bakerstown, Texas," he replied.  

Herman blanched, "But sheriff Atkinson lives there! I thought I was wanted in Tortulla. I'd rather just go there."  

"And deal with a whole army of rangers?" Thomas demanded.

Herman nodded vehemently, "Of course! I've heard stories about that Atkinson fella!"  

"You're my prisoner so you won't have to worry about Brody unless you do something to piss him off. You can stay in the jail for a few days and then I'll take you down to Tortulla."  

"Brody? You're on first name terms with that crazy man?" Herman demanded. When Thomas nodded, Herman swallowed hard, "Do you promise they really want me alive and aren't going to kill me as soon as we ride in?"  

"Yes," Thomas replied and that thought made him sick. To ensure that they caught the man bankrolling Herman they would let the sick bastard walk and Thomas was ashamed that he would be a part of that. For the first time in his life he was ashamed of being a ranger.  

"Can I....." Herman started and Thomas pulled his revolver and turned to face the man, whose eyes widened when he found himself staring down the barrel.  

"One more word, Herman. You say one more word between here and Bakerstown and I will shoot you in the face." Herman nodded quickly as sweat tricked down his dirty forehead. Thomas put the gun away and turned around so they could continue walking.  

Sally's face filled his mind and his pace quickened. He had always hated Christmas as a child since he didn't have a family but he had a feeling that he was going to have a very good Christmas this year.

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

"Santa is coming tonight, Aunt Sally! We have to get lots of sleep!" Lexi exclaimed as Brody helped her slip into her coat. Sally forced a smile onto her face as she stabbed at the dying fire with her poker.  

"Santa isn't really real but Elizabeth told me that it's good to let the little ones think that he is," Nathan whispered to her.  

Sally nodded. While neither she nor Nathan had mentioned Thomas they were both wondering where the man could be. Sally was beginning to doubt that he was coming at all. She had wanted to believe that Thomas really cared about her but now she was beginning to see that she may have been wrong. It was the end of Christmas eve, Christmas was only a few hours away and there had been no sign of the Texas Ranger.  

"It's good to let kids have their dreams," she agreed, even though her dream was being ripped apart. For so long she had dreamed of being Thomas's woman, but he was not the same man who had left here all those years ago. Something was different inside of him and clearly promises no longer meant a thing to him.  

"I'm helping with Christmas dinner tomorrow," Elizabeth informed the room as she helped Bryant slip into his coat.  

Brody faked a look of horror and then whispered loudly in Nathan's ear, "Better make sure you sneak some snacks in your pockets tomorrow so you ain't too hungry at suppertime.... Elizabeth's cooking has been known to kill a man."  

"You're still breathing," Elizabeth countered with a glare.

 Brody grinned.  

"I'm one hell of a man," he replied with a mischievous twinkle in his green eyes.  

"That you are, sheriff Atkinson," Elizabeth agreed.  

"Oh brother," Nathan muttered as he ran his hand over his face.  

"Alright kiddos, lets get gone," Brody said as he walked over to the door and put his hat on his head. Everyone said their goodnights and then made their way to their beds after Brody and Elizabeth were gone.

---

"Sally seemed quiet tonight," Jacob said as he held his wife close in their bed later that night.  

"Do you honestly not know why?" Ellie asked, wondering how her husband could be so blind sometimes.  

"Did I do something?" he asked curiously.  

 She sighed and nestled her head into his neck, "No. She is still in love with Thomas. Thomas said he was coming for Christmas and he isn't here.... She's heartbroken."

 Jacob grumbled at hearing his sister was in love and he shook his head, "I knew that boy was going to break her heart, but in his defense Christmas isn't over yet. He still has time to show up."  

"Men don't always do what they should. Sometimes they have trouble making the right decisions," Ellie replied sadly.  

Jacob thought back to some of his own foolish choices when it had come to Ellie and as he remembered nearly letting her slip away from him he squeezed her a bit tighter, "We can be awfully stupid," he agreed.  

Ellie pulled her head away and looked at his face. She could see the lines of regret around his mouth and she quickly kissed them away, "I love you, Jacob Atkinson."  

"I love you too." he replied, kissing her soft black hair. "And if Thomas isn't here by midnight tomorrow I'll hunt him down myself and drag him back just so he can tell my little sister to her face that he's a two faced liar. I won't let him hurt her and get away with it."  

"You and Brody are so typical," Ellie said with a sigh.  

"What do you mean?"  

"Protective older brothers. The only difference is that while you are overly protective of Sally, the one sister that could probably take care of herself no matter what comes around, Brody is protective of Susie."

"Susie doesn't need protection. She's too smart to get into trouble."  

"And Sally?"  

"She's smart too but she's too darn reckless. She'd jump into just about any kind of mess just so everyone else wasn't having all the fun."  

"Sally will be fine," Ellie promised as she kissed his jaw again. "I have a good feeling about her and Thomas. I saw the way he looked at her, even after she punched him in the jaw."  

"I hope you're right," Jacob replied, still not sounding convinced. 	Ellie rose up on her elbow and looked down at his face, "You're not going to sleep anytime soon. You're too tense."

 He gave her a wicked grin and looked down at the low neckline of her nightdress, "You could help me with that."

With a smile Ellie pressed her lips to his.  

---

Thomas knocked on the scarred door of the jail and waited for it to be answered. The streets were deserted and dark this late at night on Christmas eve. Even the saloon was empty and quiet.  

"I'm cold and hungry," Herman whined.  

Thomas glared at him and knocked on the door again, louder this time, "Didn't I say not to talk?" he asked the outlaw.  

"You said not to talk until we got to Bakerstown. We're in Bakerstown now."  

Before Thomas could reply the door swung open and he found himself staring at LeRoy's scarred face, "Thomas! What the world you doing here and who's your friend?" LeRoy asked sleepily as he rubbed at his matted eyes.  

"I ain't his damn friend," Herman snapped.  

"He's a prisoner. I gotta take him down to Tortulla but I promised the Atkinson's I'd be by for Christmas. I need him to stay here 'til I'm ready to move out."  

LeRoy shrugged, "Sure. We got plenty of room. We're empty at the moment and it might be nice to have someone to talk to." Herman glared at LeRoy but the scarred war veteran just smiled, "If you're trying to scare me quiet with that dirty scowl of yours then I suggest you give it up. Me and Brody Atkinson is friends so I'm used to being scowled at.... And let me tell ya that his is an awful lot scarier than yours."  

"He's all yours LeRoy," Thomas said, gratefully passing Herman off to the other man and handing him the key to the cuffs on Herman's wrists.  

"Go get ya some rest, Thomas," Leroy urged. "You look beat." Thomas nodded and walked off into the night, leading the horses toward the livery.

"Alright, let's get you all set up," LeRoy said cheerfully as he led Herman back to a cell and locked him up.  

"I'm hungry and cold," Herman pouted as he sat on his hard cot.  

"Breakfast is still a few hours away and you're sitting on your blanket," LeRoy replied and then he sat down in a chair beside the cell and grabbed a worn bible from the floor.  

"What the hell you doing?" Herman demanded.  

"What I do to every man that finds himself in my jail. You and I are gonna review the ten commandments together," LeRoy replied simply.  

"The hell we will, you crazy bastard!" Herman scoffed, "I'm going to sleep and you can take that bible and shove it straight up your damn ass." 	LeRoy sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his long legs in front of him, "Thou shall not kill." he began, "I'll cover this one first since I need to be reminded of that to deal with your belly aching."   

Herman growled with irritation, flopped down on the cot and covered his face with his hands.  

---

Thomas lay in the bed at the hotel and all he could see were images of Sally's pretty face. Knowing that she was so close was driving him crazy. He had to see her... Even if it was only for a moment.  

He didn't have time to think about what he was doing as he ran to the livery and saddled his horse. He galloped hard until he neared the ranch and then he approached as silently as he could. He hitched his horse to a tree a ways away from the house and slipped silently through the shadows. He hoped Sally still slept in the same room she always had or else this could get mighty awkward.  

He walked to the window that he prayed was hers and looked through the glass. The moonlight illuminated her sleeping form and he felt his mouth go instantly dry. Her blond hair was loose and pouring across her shoulders and bright white pillowcase. Her full lips were parted and her long lashes rested on her sun tanned cheeks. She looked so much like an angel that suddenly he didn't want to wake her up. Instead he wanted to just stand and watch her.  

An owl hooted in the distance and Thomas turned to look out at the night. When he turned back to the window he nearly choked on his tongue when he found himself staring at the barrel of a revolver. He looked behind the revolver to see Sally staring at him with wide blue eyes.  

She was clearly surprised to see him and her eyes narrowed as she sat the gun down on the bedside table and pushed the window open, "What are you doing here?" she demanded.  

Thomas took a moment to ensure himself that he hadn't soiled his pants and then shrugged, "I told you I was coming for Christmas," he reminded her.  

Sally moved away from the window to allow him to climb through, "You better get in here. If Jacob catches you outside my window, he'll kill you for sure."  

Thomas only hesitated a moment before quickly jumping inside. Once there he felt suddenly unsure of himself and awkward. He felt like a young boy again, standing in front of his childhood crush. Sally pulled on her robe and crossed her arms over her chest. Thomas noticed the way the robe accentuated her small waist and large chest and he quickly looked away from her and stuck his hands in his pockets.  

"What happened to your eye?" Sally asked after she had turned the lamp on and sat down on the edge of the bed. She was fighting off her own nervousness and wondering what Thomas was doing here in her room in the middle of the night.  She had a good idea what he wanted and she suddenly had doubts on whether or not she wanted to give 

that to him. What if he got it and then never came back?

"There was a mountain lion," Thomas replied as he sat down in the chair across from her, "I took cover during a storm and unfortunately he wanted to use the same cave. It wasn't big enough for both of us."  

"I've missed you, Thomas," Sally admitted as she smoothed out her robe, "I didn't think you were coming back."  

"I told you I was," Thomas replied, meeting her gaze. "I'd never lie to you."  

"Nathan will be happy you're back."  

"How is Nathan?" Thomas asked and Sally saw the way his gray eyes seemed to light up.  

"He's good. He loves working around the ranch and at least a few days a week he serves as the town deputy," she smiled. "He has the bad guys running scared."  

"I'll bet he does," Thomas chuckled and scratched at his pants leg. He stood up then and made his way back toward the window. His resolve had failed him and he suddenly realized he couldn't do this. Not to Sally. He couldn't just sneak in her window, take what he wanted and walk away from her. She wasn't just some whore at the saloon... She was Sally. His Sally.  

"I should probably get back to town before someone sees my horse," he said.  

Sally nodded as she stood up, "Thanks for letting me know you were back." She stepped toward him and smoothed her hair behind her ear, suddenly feeling shy.

Thomas swallowed hard, "I didn't want you to think I forgot."  

"Will you be back tomorrow?" she asked. "I got you something for Christmas."   

Thomas mouth turned down, "You got me something?"

"Yes, of course I did. That's what people do at Christmas," she replied with a roll of her beautiful blue eyes that had Thomas's heart beating just a bit faster.  

Escape! 

His brain screamed at him. Being around Sally was too dangerous! She put ideas of forever in his mind that had no business being there, “I didn’t get you anything.” he said simply.

Sally moved closer to him and he felt as if a bolt of lightning had just struck him. He lost all the stealth and deadly grace that his years as a ranger had given him and nearly tripped over his own boots as he moved closer to the window.  

"Just show up tomorrow.... That's all I want," Sally replied, doing her best breathless woman impression. Seeing Thomas looking less than confident was causing her own confidence to rise. She would keep the man coming back for more and eventually maybe he would no longer want to leave at all.  

"I'll be here... I promise," Thomas assured her.  

He turned away and she grabbed his arm quickly. When he turned back to her she laid a quick kiss to his unsuspecting lips, "You better go before you get caught," Sally urged after she pulled away.  

 Thomas stood there looking like a fish gasping for air as he tried to think of something to say. She was surprised by his reaction to her. He didn't seem to be the same man he had been when he had been drunk and kissed her and he didn't seem like the same man who had kissed her on horseback... He seemed more innocent. Almost like the old Thomas.  

"Yeah... Wouldn't want one of your brothers to shoot me," he agreed as he climbed out the window.  

He looked back in at her and she leaned out the window and smiled at him, "No I wouldn't want that," she purred. "See you tomorrow," she added with a coy wave.  

Thomas nodded quickly, swallowed hard and then took off into the darkness. Sally smiled as she closed her window, turned out her lamp and collapsed on the bed. Thomas was hers.... Now all she had to do was convince him that she was right.

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"Come on out to the Atkinson's with me and spend Christmas. You know you don't wanna be here at the jail with no one but old Herman for company," Thomas said to LeRoy the next morning as the two men stood in the jail office.

"What about your friend back there?" LeRoy asked, tilting his head toward the closed door that led back to the cells.  

Thomas shook his head and looked up at the dingy ceiling, "He's not my friend and if I didn't have orders to bring him back alive he would already be a corpse. He'll be fine back there by himself. Nobody even knows he's here, he don't have any friends to help bust him out and I don't reckon he can chew his way through those bars. He'll be just fine."  

"If you say so," LeRoy grinned, "You're a texas ranger after all so you outrank me,"  

Thomas pulled off his badge and stuck it in his pocket, "Today I'm just Thomas Cooper," he countered. "Now lets get on out to the ranch."  

"Hope you ate a big breakfast," LeRoy warned, smiling as the two of them walked out of the jail.  

"Why's that?" Thomas asked as they made their way across the empty streets toward the livery.  

"I heard tell that Elizabeth's gonna be helping with dinner," LeRoy replied and Thomas let out an involuntary shudder.  

---

"It's ranger Cooper!" Nathan exclaimed excitedly as he stuck his head inside the house, "Ranger Cooper is back!" With that excited announcement he ran back out the door.  

Sally fought the urge to jump to her feet and run out the door after him. She didn't want to seem too eager to see him but at the same time she had to act surprised to see him. She couldn't stop herself from smiling though and she saw Jacob watching her closely.  

"Aren't you gonna go out and greet the boy?" her oldest brother questioned and Sally didn't need any more incentive than that to get up and race out onto the porch.  

"LeRoy! It's great that you could join us!" Elizabeth exclaimed as LeRoy and Thomas walked up toward the house from the barn.  

"I didn't think the man should have to sit at the jail alone on Christmas," Thomas replied as Elizabeth threw her arms around his neck and he patted her back awkwardly. Displays of family affection had always made him feel awkward.  

"Are you all ready to open presents?" Liza asked as she stepped outside. She had come from Austin to spend Christmas with Ellie and the family.  

"Presents!" Lexi and Bryant exclaimed as they ran past her and into the house.

 Brody shook his head, "Bunch of wild Comanches. That's what them youngins are."  

"Well what did you expect when you mixed you and Liz's blood together?" LeRoy grinned, "You're as wild as a buck and she's twice as mean as you."  

"Well come on in," Brody urged, ignoring the man's comment and motioning with his hand for everyone to follow him as he walked into the house.  

"I'm glad you're back, ranger Cooper," Nathan exclaimed, "Did you have fun at your job? Did you catch bad guys? I haven't rested anybody else. There aren't very many bad guys 'round here. Sheriff Brody is teaching me how to shoot though. I'm pretty darn good too...." Thomas chuckled and Nathan stopped talking and looked up at him.  

"Sounds like you've been doing good... Don't you want some presents? Get on in there and get ya some," Thomas said, adjusting the sack on his shoulder.	

 Nathan smiled excitedly and ran into the house leaving Thomas standing alone in the yard with Liza and Sally standing on the porch looking down at him.  

Liza batted her long lashes, "I don't believe we've met."  

Sally scowled and bumped the woman aside with her shoulder, "Thomas, Liza. Liza, Thomas," she grumbled, not bothering with politeness.

Thomas smiled at Liza and tipped his hat, "Nice to meet you, ma'am." He held out his gloved hand and she laid her dainty palm inside it.

 As far as Sally was concerned they shook hands longer than was necessary and she stuck one hand on her hip and the other on the handle of her gun, "Liza, don't you have some baking to be tending to?" she demanded.  

Thomas's eyes lit with amusement as he realized that she was jealous while Liza looked confused at her sudden harshness, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Cooper." Liza said with all the lady like politeness and polish that Sally lacked.  

Sally's scowl deepened and Thomas nearly laughed out loud at the angry lines that appeared on her forehead. He could practically hear her jaw popping and cracking it was so tight, "Pleasure's all mine, ma'am," Thomas replied warmly.  

Jacob and Ellie were watching unseen through the sitting room window and Jacob shook his head at his wife, "If you have any fondness for your sister, you better go get her now before my sister gets her first,"Jacob warned his wife.

 Ellie sighed and walked over to the door, "Liza, get in here and help me for a minute." she called.  

Liza nodded at her sister before turning her gaze back to Thomas, "Perhaps we can talk some more later, Mister Cooper," she purred as she pulled her hand from his.  

"Yes ma'am," Thomas replied, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing when he saw the way Sally's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. He had always loved getting her temper worked up. The spark in those blue eyes was truly something to behold.  

"Get in there to your bread," Sally hissed. Liza gave her one last bewildered look and walked into the house.  

Thomas chuckled when he and Sally found themselves alone, "Temper. Temper."  

"Don't you laugh at me, Thomas Cooper. You sure seemed awful fond of Liza. She's Ellie's sister just so you know."  

"Is that so?" Thomas asked as he looked through the open door that Liza had walked through. He had no more interest in Liza than he did in LeRoy but he wasn't about to tell Sally that. He enjoyed hearing the jealousy in her voice; it stroked his male ego.  

Sally crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip to the side. Thomas couldn't help but follow the movement of those feminine curves that he desired so badly, and the increase in his pulse and the stirring in his pants was a true testament to that fact.  

"You never call me, ma'am." Sally pouted.  

 Thomas shrugged as his gray eyes lit with amusement, "You've never been much of a lady....

ma’am .“

Sally wanted to be angry but it felt so good to see the old Thomas that she couldn't. He was pushing her buttons.. Of that she was sure. His eyes had always lit up like that when he had pushed her buttons.  

"You came back today... I wasn't sure you would." Sally admitted as her gaze softened.  

Thomas shifted his feet and shrugged, "I told you I was coming," he adjusted the sack on his shoulder, "I got you something."  

 Sally's blue eyes widened, "You said you didn't get me anything."  

"I picked it up this morning. It's not much so don't get too excited," Thomas warned.  

Sally smiled and leaned toward him, "You could always just give me a kiss. That would be the best present I could think of," she teased.  

Thomas let his gaze drift to her heart shaped lips glistening in the sunlight as she ran her tongue across them and he was tempted to take that kiss... He was beyond tempted. He was leaning in for it when a throat cleared on the porch.  

"You gonna come in or stand out in the cold all day?" Jacob demanded with a protective growl.  

Sally let out an angry growl of her own, turned on her heels and stormed to her brother, "You need to mind your own business, Jacob. Don't you have a pregnant wife you need to be worrying about?" she demanded.  

"You need to get in the kitchen and help the other women with the food," Jacob replied calmly.  

Thomas thought for sure that Sally's head would explode as she glared at her brother. He was actually worried about Jacob's safety and so he quickly climbed the steps and broke between the two of them.  

"I'm actually feeling a little cold," he admitted, "Let's get in out of this air."   

He saw the angry look Sally gave him but surely she understood that he couldn't give her what she wanted right here on the steps in front of her brother!  

"Fine then. Let's go." Sally snapped her voice sickly sweet with false kindness.

---

"Thank you, Ranger Cooper!" Nathan exclaimed as he held up the dark brown leather gun belt and smiled from ear to ear.  

"I figure a deputy needs a good gun belt," Thomas replied as he stood, leaning against the wall by the door. Sally had noticed that he had remained near an exit all day and seemed to be waiting for the moment when he could get away.  

"Did ya get him a gun to with it?" Brody asked from where he was lounged on the sofa with Lexi and Bryant in his lap.

"Right here," Thomas pulled a wooden toy gun from the bag. 	Nathan's face fell but Elizabeth looked grateful for the toy, "A wooden gun?" Nathan demanded as he secured his gun belt around his hips. 	Thomas nodded, "You get used to handling that one and sheriff Brody and Liz will decide when you're ready for the real thing."  

Nathan took the gun and stuck it in his holster and then quickly pulled it again, however he didn't grip it tight enough and it flew out of his hand and across the room.  

Sally caught it and tossed it back to him, "Easy there, outlaw," she teased.  

"Come on outside with me, Nathan, and we'll practice," Thomas urged and he led the boy out of the house.   

Sally wanted to follow but she was still buried beneath a pile of presents. She picked up the pace while opening them when she saw Liza slip silently from the house. That damn woman was determined to take Thomas.... It would be a cold day in hell before Sally would let that happen.  

---

"I'll bet you're real good at handling that gun of yours, aren't you, Mister Cooper?" Liza asked as she leaned against the porch banister next to him.  

"Yes'm," he replied distractedly as he watched Nathan trying over and over to pull the gun without dropping it.  

"I'd like to see just how good you are with those hands," Liza said suggestively and this was enough to break through Thomas's distraction.  

He looked down at the woman and knew instantly what she wanted from him. Not long ago he would have jumped at the chance to bed this beauty but for some reason now the urge just wasn't there... The urge hadn't been there for any woman other than Sally since Sally had whacked him upside the head with that water pitcher. Maybe she had knocked something loose that night because he was in his longest dry spell ever.  

"I'm gonna go down and help the boy," Thomas stated but as he tried to move away from the banister she grabbed his arm to stop him.  

"I'm not as innocent as I look, Mister Cooper. I am not asking for any sort of commitment from you, I'd just like to see how talented those hands are. You are handsome and rugged and dangerous, what woman could resist you?"  

"Obviously not a whore like you," Sally's voice snapped from behind Liza. Thomas smiled gratefully at her, he'd never been so happy in his life to see the angry look in her eyes. Sally would save him from this she-devil.

"Excuse me?!" Liza exclaimed as she turned with a rustling of her thick skirts.  

Sally put her hands on her hips, "You heard me, Liza, I didn't mumble or stutter. Now get the hell away from my man before I am forced to shoot you in that proper, cultured, lady-like, little ass."

 Liza appeared confused a moment and then her eyes widened, "Oh..... He's yours?" she asked. Thomas wanted to argue that he wasn't but then again he wanted Liza to leave him alone and Sally's strategy seemed to be working.  

"Yes, he's mine," Sally replied.  

Liza nodded and moved away from Thomas, "You could have just said so. You didn't have to call me names and threaten to shoot me," she scolded.  

Sally's lips curved upward and she winked, "Women like you and I don't know how to be subtle do we?"  

 Liza laughed lightly, "No, I guess we don't." Thomas watched in shock as the two women hugged and then Liza walked into the house.  

"Thanks for getting her away from me, Sally," Thomas said gratefully as he turned back to watch Nathan, "But I'm not your man," he added trying to keep her from getting her hopes up that he was, "I'm not anybody's man." 	Sally forced a smile, though inside his words cut her deep, "I know that, but what better way to get rid of her?"  

"It worked. I'll give ya that much."  

"So what did you get me?" Sally questioned, "I never did get my present."  

Thomas looked down at the fancy new boots that Elizabeth and Brody had gotten for him and the black leather vest with the satin back from Jacob and Ellie that made him feel proper. He turned his gaze to Sally and smiled, "I didn't get yours for me either."  

"Give me mine first," Sally urged with a bounce.

 Thomas loved the way her lips curved into a mischievous smile and in that moment he couldn't have denied her the moon if she had asked for it. He picked up the sack next to him and pulled out a small bag. Sally took it and her eyes lit up as she looked inside, "Peppermint candy?"  

She looked up at him and he was shocked to see that her big blue eyes looked to be near tears. He shifted his feet uncomfortably, "Yeah. Sorry it's not much but it was last minute... I didn't realize y'all would get me presents."

"Thank you, Thomas!" Sally exclaimed and she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.  

Thomas felt something in his chest crack.... The protective wall that he'd built around his heart crumbled slightly at the feel of her warm arms around him and her head resting against his chest.   

"You're welcome," he managed to whisper around the lump in his throat as he rubbed her back gently.  

"I can't believe that you remembered this is my favorite. It's been years since you've been here and bought me any," she added as she pulled away and stuck a piece of the candy in her mouth.  

Thomas watched the way her jaws and lips moved as she sucked at the candy and he felt his pants get just a little tighter as desire coursed through him. Damn what was it about this woman that got to him so bad?  

"So what did you get me?" he asked, knowing he had to get his mind off his lust.

 Sally smiled and reached into her pocket. She handed the burlap wrapped present to him and he took it in his large calloused hand. He unwrapped it while she watched on nervously.

"That's a damn nice watch," Thomas said as he ran his finger over the gold pocket watch in his hands. It had fancy engravings of horses on the front and back and it looked like it was more valuable than anything else he owned.  

"Open it," Sally mumbled impatiently.  

Thomas frowned, wondering what had her so nervous and then opened the watch. His heart thundered when he saw that she had stuck a picture of herself to the inside of the watch so that when he opened it he could see the time on one side and her smile on the other.  

"Sally....." he uttered uncertainly.  

"Now when you check to see what time it is, you'll be reminded that there is somebody waiting on you, Ranger Cooper. Somebody who cares a whole hell of a lot," she said in a softer voice than Thomas had ever heard her use before.  

Sally could see the uncertainty in his eyes and it broke her heart. She was so certain that she and Thomas were made for each other so why couldn't he see it? She was hot headed, temperamental and stubborn. He was cool, calm and collected most of the time.. Perfect to even her out. They balanced each other perfectly.  

"I don't..." Thomas started to reach the watch back to her but she cut him off.  

"Keep the watch You can take the picture out if you want. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she snapped and then she quickly dashed back into the house before she made a fool of herself and cried in front of him.  

Thomas looked down at the watch in his hand and thought about removing the picture. It was a pretty picture. She was smiling and despite the black and white coloring of the image he could still see the glimmer of mischief in her eyes. He would rather cut off his hand than get rid of that picture.

 He snapped the watch shut and shoved it in his pocket. He thought about chasing after Sally but changed his mind when he remembered that Jacob was in the house, probably standing guard.  

"Look, Ranger Cooper! I did it!" Nathan exclaimed and Thomas turned his attention back to the boy. Thankful to have a distraction from the war of confusing emotions in his head and heart.

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Sally was lying in bed feeling sorry for herself yet again. Thomas hadn't spoken a single word to her since she had given him that watch and he had quickly excused himself and headed back to town he'd been through eating dinner. Sally wondered if he had already left for another town or if he was going to stay the night in Bakerstown since it had already been nearly dark when he had left the house.  

She realized that maybe she had pushed him too hard with the picture in the watch. Why did she have to be so foolish sometimes?! She needed to find him, if he was still in town, and talk to him about it. She had tried throughout the rest of the day but Jacob had stood guard over her like a hawk and made it impossible.  

Her mind made up, Sally stood from the bed and slipped out of her nightdress and into a white blouse and brown trousers. She pulled on her boots and her hat, hooked her gun belt around her waist and slipped out her bedroom window. She didn't want to risk going through the house because Nathan had fallen asleep on the couch and was still out there.

The hour long ride into town was uneventful. She rode onto the empty streets of town and hitched her mare in front of the hotel. The moment she walked in Frances shook his head, "I'm not having any more part in you breaking water pitchers over men's heads," he warned. "I was just about to head home for the night."  

"You know you can't resist me, Frances," Sally replied with a smile. "And besides I didn't mean to break the water pitcher. It's not my fault the man has such a hard head."  

Frances frowned and ran his hand over his face, "What do you want?"  

"You know what I want. Is he here?"  

Frances pointed up the stairs, "He rented room twenty but he's not here. He dropped his stuff off and then went over to the saloon."  

"The saloon!" she exclaimed. So much for his vow to give up on drinking. Sally had to save him from himself. Whatever demon he was running from was holding him tight and refusing to let him get away.  

"Where are you going?" Frances demanded as she turned back for the door.  

"To go get my man."

---

"No." Thomas said for the one-hundredth time as he tried to focus on the poker game he was playing. This red-haired whore named Charity just didn't seem to be taking no for an answer.  

"You sure there isn't anything I can get you?" she asked suggestively. "Whiskey? A room upstairs?"  

"I'm sure," Thomas snapped, even though the whiskey sounded damn good right about now. He sipped at the beer in front of him and folded his bad hand.  

"Come on cowboy. You look a little stressed. I can help with that," Charity purred as she dropped down onto his lap.

 Thomas fought the urge to knock her off of him and picked up the cards he'd been dealt, "I said I wasn't interested, ma'am," he repeated. 	Charity wasn't giving up that easily. Carlita had told all the other girls about this man and Charity was determined to have him herself. He was the best thing to come to Bakerstown since Brody Atkinson and Brody Atkinson hadn't visited them since he'd settled down with Elizabeth.  

"What's the matter with ya, Thomas. You losing your manhood or something? Refusing whiskey and a warm woman?" Kent teased with a chuckle from across the table.  

Thomas glared at him, "Get me that damn whiskey," he told Charity. He didn't really want it but he didn't want Kent harassing him either... And he wanted to get the woman out of his lap.  

"I'll be right back," Charity purred.

 She made her way to the bar and Carlita grabbed her arm, "What are you doing? If sheriff Atkinson's sister catches you all over that man she'll shoot you. She put a gun to my head when she caught me and I took her warning serious."  

"Oh please," Charity waved her hand, "If he was interested in that loud mouthed bitch he'd be with her... He's not though is he?" Charity grabbed the shot of whiskey that the bartender poured and made her way back to Thomas.  

She sat in his lap and put the shot glass to his lips, "Here you go, ranger." she purred.  

Thomas saw no way around gulping down the liquid. It burned on the way down and then he wiped his mouth on his sleeve, "You can get out of my lap now."  

Charity shook her head, "Your shoulders look tense."  

 She stood and walked behind him, using her tiny hands to expertly rub Thomas's shoulders. He cursed the way he hardened in his pants. He had been too long without a woman! He'd have to have one soon or else he was going to explode. He was just debating whether or not Charity would be worth it when a revolver cocked behind him and everyone near the table stood and backed away.  

"Get your hands off of him now."

 Thomas recognized Sally's voice and stood quickly, staring at her with shock, "What in the hell are you doing in a saloon?" he demanded. 	Sally didn't even spare him a glance as she kept the gun trained on Charity, "I should ask you the same question, Thomas," she spat.

 Thomas heard the chuckling of the men around him and it sparked his temper, "I don't have to have permission to come have a beer and play some poker. I'm a grown man."  

"And I'm a grown woman and don't need permission to come and go as I please," Sally replied. She motioned with her gun for Charity to leave and the woman did so, very quickly.  

Sally put her gun away and stuck her hands on her hips as she glared at Thomas, "What are you doing here with whiskey and whores?! Am I not good enough for you or something? Is there some reason why you keep coming back to this nasty place?!"  

Thomas looked around and noticed the way some of the men were watching Sally. He felt a protectiveness fill him and he grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the door.  

Sally was about to fight against him when two big men she had never seen before stepped in their path.  

"Let the woman stay," one of the men said, "She's awful pretty."  

"Real pretty," the second man agreed.  

"She's not for you to look at so if you'll step out of the way..." Thomas tried to shove through them but they pushed him back.

 Sally suddenly felt very foolish for coming into a saloon at night. What if Thomas got hurt because of her stupidity? She would never forgive herself.  

The air bristled with tension as Thomas and the two men stared each other down, "I want a turn with her," The first man said. "You can't hog her all to yourself."  

"Gotta share," The second man, obviously not a big thinker, agreed.  

"I'll only ask one more time. Let the woman and I pass," Thomas said, his voice was cold and emotionless. Perfectly controlled and calm. It shocked Sally to hear it.  

"What are you gonna do if we don't?" the first guy asked with a chuckle.

 Faster than Sally could blink, Thomas's fist shot out and caught the first man in the chin. He dropped hard to the floor and lay there motionless. Thomas turned to the second man but he held his hands up in surrender, "Smart man." Thomas growled and then he dragged Sally the rest of the way out of the saloon.  

Once they were outside and in the safety of the hotel lights beside her horse Thomas turned to face her and she could see just how angry he was by the fire in his eyes, "What in the hell did you think you were doing?! What if I hadn't been in there and those men had wanted you? You have to think about those kinds of things, Sally! You can't just go doing whatever you want, whenever you want to!"  

Sally was near tears but she would shoot herself in the foot before she would let Thomas see her cry, "I came to town to see you and Frances told me you were at the saloon," she raised her gaze to meet his, "Can I ask you something."  

Thomas pulled his hat off and ran his hand through his thick blond hair, "What?" he demanded. He was on edge with the thought of what could have happened to Sally. The thought of those men touching her made him want to shoot someone. Maybe he should go back in the saloon and shoot those men just for good measure.  

"What do those whores have that I don't?"  

Her question shocked him and he turned to look at her. Her blue eyes were sad, her face was pale and her lips were turned down in a frown, "What are you talking about?"  

"I want you, Thomas, but all you seem to want are those cheap women in there and I want to know what they have that I don't."  

Thomas wasn't sure how to answer. Leave it to Sally to ask questions that no other woman would have the nerve to ask, "Nothing." he replied honestly, "I wasn't going to do anything with that woman. I went in there to play poker, that was all."  

"You weren't fighting her off too hard," Sally accused.  

 Thomas couldn't help but chuckle, "Was I supposed to punch her too?"  

 Sally nodded, "Maybe you should have."  

Thomas sighed and rubbed at his neck feeling himself relaxing a bit as he stood with her, "What did you come to town for Sally?"  

"You never gave me the present I asked for this morning," she replied as she shifted her feet and crossed and uncrossed her arms.  

Thomas frowned at her obvious discomfort, "What present was that?" he asked.  

Sally forced herself to meet his gaze and squared her shoulders. She could hear Susie calling  her a coward and it gave her the strength to continue on the path she had started down. Sally Atkinson was no coward, "A kiss."  

Thomas smiled and moved closer to her. He was finding that all Sally had to do was ask him for something and he couldn't deny her, "I would hate to disappoint you, ma'am," Thomas took off her hat, buried his free hand in her thick golden hair and crushed his lips to hers.  

The kiss started gentle but grew hungry as she moaned and opened her mouth to give his tongue admittance. Sally felt her knees growing weak but Thomas wrapped his arm around her waist and held her up, pulling her body into his so she could feel his arousal against her stomach.  

Sally had never felt anything like this kiss. She was already his but with his mouth against hers so hot and hungry it truly felt as if he was branding her--claiming her for the world to see that she belonged to him. 	She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her hands in his thick hair. She thought for sure they would burst into flames right here on the cold Texas street. An ache began building low in her stomach and between her legs. It made her squirm and crave more of him. She let out a whimper of protest when he pulled away from her and stepped back.  

Thomas's gray eyes were nearly black with passion, his eyelids heavy. His breathing was harsh and his face was flushed in the low lantern light. His hat had been knocked to the ground and his hair was messy from her hands. Sally wondered if she looked the same.  

"You should go home now, Sally," he whispered and she could hear the husky quality of his voice. She knew what that meant. He wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. Her body was still humming from his kiss and aching for more.  

"I don't want to go home, Thomas," she replied, with a breathlessness that was not faked.  

Thomas licked his lips, put her hat back on her head and took another step away, "I can't promise you forever, Sally, and you deserve a man that can. My heart don't work anymore and you deserve better than that. Go on home now. I'll be gone in the morning."  

Sally felt her heart breaking, "You can't leave me, Thomas... Not again, not like this. I want you. There isn't anyone else that I want to be with."  

"Go home, Sally," Thomas repeated, more harshly this time than before. He wanted nothing more than to grab her, carry her to his room and make love to her long and slow until sunrise but that wouldn't be fair to her. He couldn't promise her a future and she deserved a man that could.  

Thomas watched in horror as a tear rolled down Sally's cheek and then she turned quickly and jumped on her mare. He watched her disappear down the road and then kicked the dirt in frustration. He looked over at the saloon. Part of him wanted to go in there, get good and drunk and find a whore to spend the night with. He was about to do just that when he stuck his hands in his pocket and felt the cool metal of the watch Sally had given him.  

He felt a pain deep in his chest and shook his head. He turned and walked into the hotel, opting for bed instead of drunkenness and whores.  

---

Sally clung to her pillow and cried. Damn Thomas Cooper for reducing her to tears once again. He was the only man alive who could do it. She knew she should just forget about him but she couldn't, especially not after that kiss they had just shared. She had felt his passion for her.. Passion could turn to love couldn't it? Surely if he would just give into his feelings for her then they could be happy and good together.... He was just too stubborn to try.  

She knew she needed to sleep. She had wasted enough tears on him. Sally closed her eyes and tried to drift off but a tapping on her window had her eyes flying back open, "Thomas?" she gasped when she saw him standing out in the moonlight.  

She rose from the bed and quickly opened the window and he climbed through without hesitation. He stood a few feet from her and she noticed that he seemed to be shaking with tension as he stuck his hands deep in his pockets, "I want you, Sally." he whispered.  

 Sally felt her heart soar, "You've always had me, Thomas," she assured him, finding that her voice was shaking.  

Thomas reached out a shaking hand and wiped the moisture from her face with his calloused thumb, "You were crying," he stated and she nodded; there was no point denying it. "I can't make you any promises, Sally."  

"I don't need promises," she vowed, stepping closer to him.  

"I ain't cut out for settling down," he added and Sally stepped closer still.  

"I'll wait for you," she promised, "You'll always have a place to come back to."  

"Are you sure you want this?" he asked, though she could hear the control he was forcing into his voice. The fact that he was barely containing his urge to make love to her sent a delicious shiver down her spine.  

"I'm sure, Thomas. Make love to me."  

Thomas moved to her and wrapped his arms tight around her, before crushing his lips to hers. This kiss was hungry and deep and full of urgency as he moved her toward the bed. He needed this. He needed the warmth and comfort that only Sally could give him. He needed to feel the arms of a woman who truly cared around him. To feel her lips against his own and her body moving below him.  

Only Sally could give him what he needed right now. He pulled away from her and slid off his rifle and gun belt. He untied his knife sheath from his leg and began to unbutton his vest when Sally stopped him by laying her hands over his.  

"Let me," she whispered.  Thomas swallowed hard and lowered his hands. She pushed his duster coat off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Her hands were shaking as she undid his vest and shirt and pushed them to the floor as well. She had seen his naked torso before but this time it was different. This time it was hers for the taking.  

She felt him tremble and heard his sharp intake of breath as she pressed her fingertips against his hot, tan skin. She took her time, exploring the hard rigid muscles of his body with her hands and finally he grabbed her wrists and shook his head as his darkened eyes met hers, "Keep that up and this is going to be finished before it starts, sweetheart," he warned.  

Sally felt her confidence rise with the knowledge of what her touch did to him. He pulled off his boots and slid out of his pants and Sally took in the sight of his naked body in the moonlight. Acting on instinct alone, she reached out and touched the tip of his hard, rigid shaft. It was soft and smooth, yet rock hard against her skin. She thought it felt heavy and painful and she wondered if it hurt him.  

"Does it hurt?" she asked innocently.  

Thomas shook his head as he watched her looking at him, "No, grip it tighter." he urged and she did. She closed her small hand around the shaft and then looked up at him questioningly. He put his hand over hers and guided her up and down until she was pumping without any help from him.  

Sally watched him throw his head back as his mouth fell open and his eyes closed. Suddenly he grabbed her arm and pulled her hand away from him, "My turn," he growled and she felt a shiver of delight at the possessive quality in his voice.  

He grabbed her nightdress and pulled it over her head, letting it fall to the floor as his eyes feasted on the sight of her naked body, "My God, you're perfect," he whispered as he wrapped his arm around her and lowered her to the bed.  

Sally nearly cried out with pleasure when she felt his lips touch her breast. He circled her swollen nipple with his hot tongue and she gripped the sheets and bit her lip to stay silent as she arched her body up against him.  

She couldn't stifle the small cry that left her lips when she felt his finger slip between her legs and enter her. He raised his mouth back to hers to take in her cries as he continued to pleasure her with his finger, "Stop, Thomas.. Please.. I need more." she gasped.

 Thomas nodded as he laid kisses along her neck and collarbone and removed his finger. She felt his manhood, thick and throbbing against her sensitive flesh and she looked up at him with fear in her eyes, "Do you want me to stop?" he asked, though he wasn't at all sure he'd be able to if she said yes. He had no doubt that she was a virgin and he'd never had a virgin before... The fact that this was Sally only made her that much more tempting.  

"No.. Don't stop," she whimpered desperately and he slid himself inside of her, stifling her cry of pain with his lips. He held perfectly still as he let her adjust to his size and presence inside of her.  

"It hurts," she gasped.  

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked again.  

Sally lay there and though she could still feel the pain, there was something else. Some promise of pleasure behind the pain and she shook her head, "Just stay like this for a moment," she urged.  

Thomas growled but nodded. Staying like this was easier said than done. He could feel the tightness of her and the strength of her muscles tightening around him and it was nearly enough to send him over the edge. After several moments of stillness he felt her beginning to move beneath him. She was driving her hips up at him and he met her thrusts with his own.  

Sally had never felt anything like the pleasure she was feeling right now. She felt as if he was filling her completely. There was something about knowing that their two bodies had become one that made her fall even deeper in love with him. She looked up into his gray eyes and she could see his feelings shining back out at her. Was she only kidding herself or was that love she saw there?

She felt a pressure building inside of her and she moaned his name and begged for more.. She wasn't sure what was about to happen but she wanted it now!  

Thomas knew she was close so he closed his mouth over hers just as her muscles tightened around him and she cried out his name against his lips. He moaned her name as well as he felt his own release. As the waves of passion receded he remained braced over her with his head resting on her chest, listening to the thundering of her heart.  

"No wonder my brothers like to go to bed nowadays. That was amazing," Sally said finally and Thomas laughed. "Is it always like that? I mean is that why whores do it?"  

"No, it isn't always like that," he promised as he kissed her nose. Never had he made love and felt it so deep in his heart and that scared him. He wasn't at all sure he wanted to be in love... He wasn't sure he even knew how to be in love.  

Thomas pulled away from her and lay down on his back beside her while she curled up on her side against him. He stared up at the ceiling feeling panic well up inside of him. He was like a cornered wild animal and all he wanted to do was run.. Run away from these feelings... Run away from this woman.

"This is nice," Sally whispered as she pulled the covers over them and ran her fingers through the blond hair covering his chest. She was too relaxed and sleepy from his lovemaking to notice how tense and on edge he was, "Goodnight, Thomas, " she whispered sleepily against his sweaty skin. 	Thomas kissed her hair but it was more of an automatic response than it was one he put thought into, "Goodnight," he replied. Sally closed her eyes and let sleep claim her as she lay in the warm cocoon of his arms. Little did she know that when she woke up she would be alone.

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

"You keep your damn mouth shut while we're here," Thomas warned Herman and the man nodded.  

"Sure, I'll keep it shut. This is sheriff Atkinson's spread and I sure as hell don't wanna say nothing to piss him off. I heard tell that he once branded a man's forehead!"

 Thomas pulled his horse to a stop outside the barn and Cookie eyed Herman warily, "Who is he?" he grumbled.  

"A prisoner. I'm taking him down to Tortulla," Thomas replied. He had already said goodbye to Elizabeth and the rest of the family yesterday and he had seen Nathan in town with Brody and told him goodbye. He knew he should have just headed straight out but he had wanted to say goodbye to Sally first. He didn't want her to think that he had taken what he wanted from her and then forgotten about her.  

He felt bad about leaving without waking her last night but she had seemed so peaceful as she slept that he hadn't wanted to disturb her, and staying with her until morning hadn't been an option because someone may have caught him there or seen him leaving.  

"What did ya bring him here for?" Cookie asked.  

Thomas gave Herman a sharp look, "You better stay right here. If you try to run, I think I should warn you that I can shoot a gnat off rover's ass with this rifle so you wouldn't get far."  

"I'll be a good boy," Herman promised with a sneer as he made the sign of the cross on his chest with his shackled hands.  

Thomas jumped from his horse and led Cookie out of hearing distance of Herman, "I wanted to say goodbye to Sally," he said.  

Cookie frowned, "She's still asleep, Thomas. Weird for her too since the girl is usually up at the crack of dawn. Jacob seemed a bit worried a few minutes ago when he came out and told me before heading into the field. She must have gotten to bed late or something."  

Thomas hoped the heat he felt rising in his cheeks wouldn't tell the old man exactly what had kept Sally up last night, "Damn. I was hoping she'd be awake. I don't know when I'll be back."  

Cookie nodded knowingly and pointed at the door, "You can go on in and wake her up. Jacob is out in the fields so you'd be safe," he assured him wiht a wink.  

Thomas shook his head, "I don't trust old Herman. It would probably be best if he doesn't know about Sally I guess."

 Thomas looked up at the house with so much longing that it made Cookie hurt for the boy, "Are you sure?" he asked.  

Thomas sighed, rubbed his hand over his scarred eye and nodded, "Just tell her that I stopped by.... And that I'll be back just as soon as I can." 	Cookie nodded, "I'll do that. You take care of yourself, Thomas."  

"Thanks Cookie... You too." Thomas replied as Cookie lowered himself into his favorite chair.  

Thomas turned and walked away and as he jumped on his horse and rode off, leading Herman with a rope, he felt as if he was leaving half of himself behind. He chose not to think about what that might mean and instead focused on getting this worthless waste of oxygen to Tortulla so he could come back to Sally.  

---

Sally stretched her deliciously sore body and reached out for Thomas, only to find that the bed beside her was empty. She sat up quickly and looked around but he was nowhere to be seen. His clothes and guns were gone and her window was closed. She wanted to cry but then reminded herself that he had warned her that he could not make any promises and that he wasn't looking for love.  

She had known those things and had accepted him into her bed anyway. If her heart was breaking, she had no one to blame but herself. She stood and washed herself off with the water still left in the washstand. She was still sore from Thomas filling her and the reminder of their lovemaking filled her with both pain and wanting.  

Sally wondered why he hadn't at least stayed long enough to tell her goodbye but maybe he had been worried about being caught in her room and causing trouble. That must have been it. Thomas wouldn't just make love to her and then take off--that's what men did to whores, not women they cared about.  

She pulled on her clothes and hooked her gun belt around her hips. She had to go check the far south pasture today for breaks in the fence and it would take her until dark. She stopped in the kitchen long enough to grab a fresh baked biscuit and slather it with butter.  

"You slept late," Susie accused.  

"I couldn't sleep well last night," Sally replied, wishing that she was a better liar.  

Liza looked at her over the top of the book she was reading and her eyes widened, "You're glowing this morning," she said with a knowing smile.  

"What do you mean?" Sally demanded as Ellie turned from the pie crust she was making and looked at her.  

"Funny thing happened," Liza added. "I couldn't sleep last night.. It was a few hours before dawn and I walked down to the river to get some fresh air... I saw a man leaving the ranch."  

Sally stuck half her biscuit in her mouth and shrugged as she headed for the door, "Musta been a hand or something," she muttered through her stuffed mouth and then she slipped from the kitchen to make a quick exit.  

"It was not a ranch hand," Liza stated, "I would recognize that ranger's backside anywhere."  

Susie squeaked, blushed and turned her back to Liza and Ellie. Ellie shook her head and let out a long breath, "Oh dear..... Jacob will not be happy."  

"Maybe they didn't do anything," Susie quickly came to her sister's defense, "Maybe he just came to talk."  

Liza snorted, "If that man showed up in my room in the middle of the night, there wouldn't be any talking."  

"Liza! What am I going to do with you! I didn't work so hard to make sure you'd have a good life to have you act like this!" Ellie scolded.

 Liza frowned and looked down at the table, "I lead a boring life, Ellie. I'm a school teacher for heaven sakes! I just like to act like a different woman when I'm away from Austin."  

"I have to go get started on the laundry," Ellie said with a sigh as she laid her hands over her belly. "Liza, finish this pie crust." Liza stood quickly and took over the crust while Ellie walked out of the kitchen. Ellie stripped down Liza and Susie's beds and she walked into Sally's room with her arms loaded down with dirty sheets. She pulled the blanket back and saw the small smudge of blood on the whiteness of the sheets. She was sure her heart stopped beating for a full minute before it kick started back to life in her chest.  

She hoped Sally knew what she was doing but deep inside she feared the girl was heading for a heartache. Should she tell Jacob about her findings? No! That answer was pretty easy to come by. Jacob would lose his mind if he knew and until there was a real problem Ellie would keep it to herself.  

She stripped down the bed and carried all the linens outside to get started on the washing.  

---

"Good morning, Cookie." Sally said cheerfully as she approached the barn. She couldn't seem to erase the smile that seemed permanently fixed on her face. She was sure that Thomas would come this morning and see her before he left for work. Last night had meant so much to her and she knew it had to have meant just as much to him. There was no way he could have faked that look of love in his eyes, even if he hadn't said any pretty words out loud.  

"Good morning, miss Sally," Cookie replied as he stood from his chair, his old bones creaking.  

"You don't have to get up, old man, stay in your chair." Sally scolded. 	Cookie snorted, "I ain't that old," he argued. "Thomas stopped by this morning. He wanted to speak to you but you were still sleeping."  

Sally's heart fell even as it filled with love. He had come... But why hadn't he awoken her so they could talk? "Why didn't he wake me?" she demanded.  

Cookie shrugged, "He had a prisoner with him. A man he has to take down to Tortulla. I don't think he wanted to leave him alone. Thomas looked like a kicked puppy though when he heard you was still asleep. I think he really wanted to talk to you."   

"What direction did he head and how long ago did he leave?" Sally asked. She wanted to see him this morning.  

Cookie frowned, "He had a prisoner with him, miss Sally. I don't think he'd want you chasing after him."  

Sally stuck her hands on her hips and glared at him, "I didn't ask for your opinion," she snapped.  

Cookie scowled, "He headed southeast about fifteen minutes ago." 	Frank came out of the barn then with a saddled horse and Sally held out her hand, "I'll take that horse."  

Frank shook his head, "I was about to take her out to the field." he replied.  

Sally glared at him, "I'll take her. Give her here."  

Frank knew he didn't really have a choice. Sally was the boss after all and so he handed her the reins and walked back into the barn to get another horse ready. Sally jumped in the saddle, tipped her hat to Cookie and then took off at a fast gallop to the southeast.  

---

"Looks like we got company riding in," Herman whistled as he glanced over his shoulder, "That looks to be a woman in that tight blouse." The dirty man licked his lips and wiggled his brows.  

Thomas pulled his horse to a stop and turned it around to see Sally approaching them. He saw the lust filled look on Herman's face and fought the urge to blow it right off with one quick shot of his .45 revolver.  

"Well hello there beautiful," Herman said with a leer as Sally pulled her horse to a stop beside them, "I like them trousers," he added, his eyes traveling across her body.  

Sally shivered under his gaze and looked at Thomas. The anger on Thomas's face shocked her. He looked ready to kill and he wasn't looking at the prisoner, he was looking at her, "What the hell are you doing here?!" Thomas demanded.  

"I wanted to say goodbye to you," Sally replied, sitting up straight in the saddle and refusing to let her hurt show. "Cookie told me you stopped by and wanted to see me."  

"Is this your woman then, Thomas?" Herman asked with a raise of his brow.  

Thomas glared at the other man and then turned his sharp gaze on Sally, "Hell no she ain't my woman. Just a pain in the ass little girl who doesn't know when to leave well enough alone." Thomas saw the hurt and pain so intense on Sally's face and he nearly broke down and blew his cover but he couldn't. Herman was going to be a free man one day, as much as that fact made Thomas's head want to explode, and Thomas did not want the man to know how much Sally meant to him.  

"Thomas..." Sally gasped through her tear filled throat.  

"Get the hell back home and leave me alone," he said harshly. Damn her for making him hurt her like this! Why couldn't she see that he couldn't spout out his feelings right here in front of this damn outlaw who lived for murdering women... The thought of him getting free from the rangers and coming after Sally to get revenge on Thomas made Thomas's blood freeze in his veins.  

Sally couldn't believe Thomas was treating her like this. Surely he couldn't mean what he was saying.... He wouldn't hurt her like this. Not Thomas. Sally squared her shoulders and glared at him, refusing to let her tears fall, "Is there a reason you're being a complete ass, after everything we shared last night?!" she demanded.  

Thomas shrugged, keeping his posture and his face indifferent, "Nope, this is just me, sweetheart. Last night didn't mean a damn thing. It was just rutting plain and simple.  Now get home before you make a fool of yourself in front of this man here."  

"Don't mind me," Herman said as he chewed at his dirty fingernail. "The longer it takes to get to Tortulla, the longer I get to enjoy breathing."  

"Shut up you son of a bitch," Thomas growled, "You'll get to keep breathing forever by the looks of it. I done told you that they want you kept alive or else you'd already be a damn corpse." 	

Suddenly Sally understood, or at least she hoped she understood. Thomas was acting cold because he didn't want this nasty man to know that he cared about her. She prayed she was right and not just fooling herself.  

"Fine then Ranger Cooper. I'll leave you alone. Just so you know though, you've lost the best thing you ever had," she spat, "And last night wasn't that great, just so you know. I had certainly had better," she added with a cruel smile.  

"I never wanted to have you woman, least not for anything other than a quick roll between the sheets; now get the heel out of here," Thomas sneered.  

Sally turned and quickly galloped away, fighting back tears and praying that she was right about his reasons for doing what he had done.  

"She's a pretty thing," Herman mused, watching her go.  

Thomas wanted to punch the other man square in the face but he couldn't do that because then Herman would know that he cared about Sally, "You don't need to be worrying about pretty things, Herman. By the time the rangers get done with you, you'll probably be an old man."  

"Even so, I may have to come back down to Bakerstown and have a go at her."  

Thomas felt his blood freeze in his veins and his hand twitched as he urged his horse onward, "I wouldn't do that if I was you. She's sheriff Atkinson's sister and crazier than a damn loon."  

"Shit!" Herman spit into the dirt, "Well that sealed it for me. I ain't scared of many men but sheriff Atkinson is at the top of that list." Thomas picked up the pace of their horses, wanting to put as much distance as he could between Herman and Sally.  

"Slow it down, ranger! My side is killing me!" Herman grumbled. 	Thomas rolled his eyes but didn't slow the pace, "If only," he mumbled under his breath. He had to get Herman to Tortulla and then get himself back to Bakerstown as quick as he could. He needed to make things right with Sally and pray that she'd listen to him long enough to realize he hadn't meant a word he'd said to her.... She was as important to him as oxygen. He needed her. He knew that now. He just prayed she'd believe him when he told her.

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

"Here's your damn prisoner," Thomas growled tossing Herman Sheecks at Captian Wynter' s feet.  

"Did you just curse at me?" Captain Wynter demanded.  

"Yes," Thomas shrugged, "What do you need from me now?"

 Captain Wynter frowned at the ranger and wondered what was going on inside his head. Thomas had always been respectful... A good, obedient ranger who did as he was told. This was a new side of him, an independent and disobedient side that Captain Wynter didn't like.  

"Nice of you to join us Herman," Captain Wynter greeted with a smile as he turned his attention to the outlaw and handed him off to two waiting rangers.  

"Pleasures all mine, sir." Herman sneered, "Deputy Do Little here, promised me that I'd be set free, unharmed, if I tell you what you want to know."  

"That's right," Captain Wynter replied, while Thomas crossed his arms over his chest and waited impatiently for orders.  

"He wasn't too happy about that," Herman added, spitting into the dirt.  

"It's not his call to make" Captiain Wynter turned his attention to the deputies holding Herman, "Take him to the jail."  

Herman threw up a three fingered wave, "I'll see you around, Ranger Cooper."  

"You better hope not, Herman," Thomas warned, "Cuz next time I see you out and about I won't be under orders to bring you back alive." Herman's confidence faltered and a look of fear crossed over his features before the two rangers led him away.  

"You in a mood or something?" Captain Wynter asked of Thomas once they were standing alone.  

"That man is a murderer of innocent women and children! He doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as the rest of us and yet you're still gonna let him walk once he gives you what you want. You're gonna let him kill more people," Thomas hissed angrily.

 Captain Wynter sighed and took a puff of the cigar in his hand, "That's just the way the game is played, Cooper."  

"Yeah, well, maybe I'm getting tired of playing the game."  

Captain Wynter frowned, "What are you saying?"  

Thomas unhooked the badge from his vest with his leather gloved hand and held it out to the captain, "I'm done."

 Captain Wynter's eyes widened with disbelief and he shook his head, "You can't be done. You're one of the best rangers I got." he said, his voice rising with anger.  

Thomas shrugged and shifted his weight to one leg, "I'm done, Captain."  

"Why? Just because of Herman? I'll let you kill the man if it means that much to you. Once I get what I want you can....."  

Thomas shook his head and cut the captain off, "No, it's not just because of him. I'm looking at my future, Captain, and thinking that maybe I want some things that the rangers just can't give me."  

Captain Wynter's eyes narrowed, "It's a woman isn't it? You've met a woman and now you're going to throw away your whole career."  

"I'm not throwing away anything that I'm gonna miss too awful bad. I'm tired of being forced to do the wrong thing and say that it's for the greater good."  

Confusion filled the Captain's eyes, "So this is about the things you had to do with the gangs....?"  

Thomas shook his head, his impatience building, "Like I said, this is about my future and what I want to have in it. The rangers just don't fit." 	Captain Wynter studied the younger man. He could see the determination in his gaze and knew that nothing he could say would change his mind. With a resigned sigh he reached out and took Thomas's badge, "When you figure out that this is where you belong, your badge will be here waiting for you."

 Thomas nodded, jumped up on his large black stallion with one fluid motion and quickly rode away from the place he'd dedicated nearly five years of his life too. He didn't even have to think about  where he was going as he headed straight for Atkinson Spread and the woman who occupied his thoughts every single second.  

---

"Where's Sally?" Jacob asked Cookie as he walked out of the house. 	Cookie didn't even open his eyes as he said, "She and Nathan went out for a ride. The boy wanted to practice shooting with that pea shooter Brody gave him."  

"She's not supposed to go out alone!" Jacob scolded the old man. "Why didn't you come tell me?"  

"And have her shoot me?" Cookie let out a whistle, "No sirree bob, I happen to like myself too much for that. She's been in a raw mood lately."  

"She's always in a raw mood." Jacob grumbled.

 Cookie nodded and picked at a tear in his worn out trousers, "Well she's rawer than usual today." The old hound at his feet snorted as if in agreement.  

"I have a bad feeling that it has something to do with Thomas." Jacob admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck.  

"You Atkinson's sure do get in raw moods when your love lives aren't going the way you want them to," Cookie agreed.  

Jacob threw the old man a sharp glance and then sighed, "It's been over a week since the boy left... Maybe she'll get over him soon. I knew he wasn't going to be any good for her."  

"I'm not sure about that," Cookie argued. "I think the two of them would be damn good together if they could get along. They remind me a lot of Brody and Elizabeth."  

"Only in their case Sally is Brody and Thomas is Elizabeth," Jacob agreed.  

 Cookie chuckled, "Don't worry so about the girl, Jacob. She'll be fine."  

"Jacob!" Susie called from the porch.

 Jacob turned to face her, "What's wrong?"  

"Ellie is sick again and she wants you."

 Jacob immediately went running for the house and Cookie leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. These damn Atkinson's would be the death of him. First it was the McCready's wreaking havoc on his nerves and now it was the Atkinson's. A bunch of stubborn, overreacting pain in the asses was what they were and God help him but he loved every one of them... In truth, watching their lives play out and the daily scuffles they got into was what kept his old heart beating on.  

Jacob ran into his and Ellie's bedroom to find her pale and shaking as she sat at the edge of the bed. He went to her and dropped to his knees in front of her, "Are you okay, angel?" he asked softly as he pushed her sweaty hair from her face.  

"If you ever get me with child again, I will kill you." she warned weakly.

 Jacob took notice of the green tint of her skin and he smiled comfortingly as he grabbed a damp rag from the bedside table and rubbed it across her heated cheek.  

He climbed in the bed and pulled her into his arms. She lay on her side and wrapped herself around him burying her head in his chest, "If you kill me, then who would take care of you?" he asked gently as he ran his fingers through her hair.   

"I'd find somebody," she replied, even as she snuggled closer against him.  

"Is the sickness getting any easier?" he asked and she shook her head.  

"One day I'm fine and the next day I'm sick as can be... I think she's going to be like you and have trouble making up her mind." Jacob knew she was referring to the way he had acted when they had first gotten together. Pregnancy was making his wife mean.  

"That was a low blow," Jacob scolded as he kissed her satin black hair.  

"Sorry. I'm not really in the mood to fight fair."  

"Then let's not fight at all. Get some sleep and I'll hold you."  

"You're falling behind on your work because of me," Ellie accused.

Jacob snorted with amusement and buried his face in her hair, "You and this baby are my life, angel, the ranch will keep just fine without me."  

---

"I got closer that time!" Nathan exclaimed as he reloaded the small rifle Brody had given him.  

Sally nodded, "A little," she agreed.  

Nathan frowned at her, "I'd like to see you try to hit it!" he exclaimed.  

"You think I can't?" Sally asked with amusement as she leaned against the oak tree and looked across the pond at the rock Nathan was shooting at.  

"Well you are a girl," Nathan replied as if that would tell her all she needed to know.   

"Dangerous words, kid."

 Nathan and Sally both turned quickly to see Thomas riding up to them on his big black stallion, "Ranger Cooper!" Nathan exclaimed as he ran toward Thomas and Thomas jumped down to hug the boy tight.  

"I'm just Thomas now, kid. I don't have a badge anymore."  

"They fired you?" Nathan demanded as he leaned against his rifle like a cane.

 Thomas shook his head, "I quit," he replied. "There were more important things I wanted to be able to focus on."

 He gaze went to Sally as he said the last part and she felt her heart skip a beat in her chest. She had begun to believe that he had meant what he'd said over a week ago and that he wasn't coming back. Now here he was and he had just said that she was the reason he had come back... hadn't he?

"Right now 

I’m trying to focus on shooting that rock.“ Nathan mumbled as he looked across the pond.

Thomas followed his gaze, feeling very aware of Sally's blue eyes watching him closely, "Get it in your sights, blow out slowly and then squeeze the trigger gently," Thomas urged.   

Nathan nodded, eager to impress Thomas and put the gun to his shoulder, "There ya go. Take it easy now," Thomas said from behind him as he moved closer to Sally.  

Sally fought to keep her breathing normal as Thomas moved close to her. She swore she could feel his presence deep inside of her. She suddenly felt complete with him standing here. It was as if a missing piece of herself had finally come back.  

Nathan fired a shot and then whooped loudly with pride and excitement when the bullet struck the rock he'd been aiming at, "I did it ranger Cooper! I did it!"  

"Call me Cooper or Thomas," Thomas replied, "And yes you did do it. Why don't you see if you can do it again while I go talk to the lady?"

"Lady?" Nathan brow furrowed with confusion and Sally cleared her throat and cocked her hip to the side. He grinned sheepishly. "Oh, you mean Sally."  

Thomas hid his grin behind his hand, "That's right."  

"Is she your girl or something?" Nathan asked.  

"Go shoot your gun," Thomas scolded sharply and Nathan smiled and turned back to his rock. Thomas took Sally by the arm and led her a little ways away from Nathan so they could have some privacy to speak, "Sally, I didn't mean those things I said when I left. You know that right?" Thomas asked nervously.  

He was prepared and ready for a fight, what he wasn't prepared or ready for was for her to smile with understanding and nod, "You said what you had to in front of that man. I understand.... Of course I was starting to have my doubts the longer you stayed away."  

"Damn woman, I came back as fast as I could!" he exclaimed. Pleasing Sally had never been easy.  

"Did you really quit the rangers?" Sally asked as she picked at the bark of the tree beside her. She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and feel his lips kissing her senseless but with Nathan standing by as a witness and Jacob's overprotective nature that could be a bad thing.  

"Yeah, I quit."  

"What you said to Nathan... Did you mean that?" Sally asked nervously. She hoped she hadn't misinterpreted that look he had given her. 	Thomas's gray eyes looked deep into hers and he nodded, "Yeah, I meant it. Sally, I can't make you any promises, sweetheart. I don't know if I'll be able to stay in one place real long without going crazy," he shrugged. "Of course these last two times I've had to leave you, I've gone crazier than I've ever been when I've been holed up somewhere. There's a dark place in me that you need to know about. I've done some damn bad things and let some bad things happen for the 'greater good' or some such nonsense... Least that's what the rangers said it was for. I can't promise you forever but I can promise you that I'll do whatever I can to make you happy and I can promise you that I need you more than I've ever needed anything."  

"So what you're saying is..." Sally said cautiously after a moment of silence. "That you need me and you go crazy without me but you aren't sure that you want to be tied down to one place and you might come and go as you please because the things you've done in your past have made you incapable of love and settling down?"  

"Yeah," Thomas shifted his feet awkwardly, "That's what I'm saying. But I have my watch, so I'll always come back to you."  

Sally studied him for a long hard moment and Thomas wondered if she was going to punch him again. Or maybe shoot him... Hell from the way she had worded things, he had just told the woman that she would basically be his whore, only she wouldn't get paid... He wouldn't blame her if she did shoot him. But what was he supposed to do? Lie to her and offer her the world? He didn't know if he knew how to be in love with someone. He didn't know if he was ready for marriage, settling down or children. Those concepts were things that he'd never thought about. They were so foreign to him that he had a hard time wrapping his mind around them.  

Sally couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure he hadn't said he loved her but he did say that he needed her and even if his words weren't of love that look in his eyes couldn't be mistaken... Thomas Cooper loved her and she just had to have patience until he realized it. Sally had never been good with patience but for Thomas she would learn to have some. She would love him and give him everything she could and eventually he'd realize that not only did he need her but that he loved her and he wanted to stay where she was always.... Of course if staying in one place really bothered him then she could always travel with him. She knew how to live on the land. Brody had taught her well.  

"Just so long as you remember what you have waiting here when you're out wandering," she replied simply.  

"I'll remember," Thomas vowed, finding it hard to believe that she had accepted all he'd said.  

"One more thing," Sally added. "I think you need to make me at least one promise... Make at least one sacrifice for me."  

"What?" Thomas asked suspiciously.  

Sally squared her shoulders and stuck out her stubborn chin, "No whores or other women period. If you have anyone other than me then you can forget about coming back."  

Thomas smiled and reached out to smooth some of her golden hair that was blowing around her face. His thumb lingered on her cheek and she felt the heat from his touch course through her body as his eyes darkened, "There hasn't been no woman but you since you whacked me in the head with that pitcher."  

Sally smiled with satisfaction, "Then I guess I'll be your warm place to come to and eventually you're going to find out that you love me too."  

"Sally..." Thomas said uncertainly but Sally cut him off by kissing his stubble covered cheek.  

"Let me have my dreams, Thomas," she pleaded.

 Thomas gazed down at her and felt a tugging in his heart. Hell maybe the woman knew what she was talking about... Was it love when your very existence seemed to depend on another person? Was it love when you would give or do absolutely anything just to see them smile? 	

Before either of them could say anything else Nathan appeared beside them, "I'm ready to head back. My stomach is eating my backbone, as sheriff Atkinson likes to say, and I could really use a bite to eat."   

Thomas nodded and took a step away from Sally, "Let's head back then."  

 The three of them mounted their horses and headed for the ranch. Sally looked over at Thomas's stallion, "He's a nice horse." she said. 	Thomas nodded and patted the beast's neck, "Yeah, he's been a good one."  

"What's his name?" she asked.  

"He doesn't have one," Nathan cut in. "Ranger Coo... I mean Thomas, says he doesn't name his horses because when you give something a name you get attached to it and Elizabeth seems to think that Thomas is afraid to get attached to anything because he's seen things since he's been away from you all that taught him how quick people can die and be ripped away from you."  

Thomas stared at the boy in shock, "Is that so?" he demanded.

 Nathan nodded smugly, "That's what she said and she's real smart. "  

"The damn thing is named Horse," Thomas snapped.  

 Hell, Horse seemed like a good damn name to him. Was Liz right though? Is that really why he hadn't named the horse before? And was that why he was reluctant to give in completely to the feelings he had for Sally? Was he afraid? He shook his head. He was Thomas Cooper, former Texas Ranger. He wasn't afraid of anything. This was one time that Liz was wrong.  

"Horse?" Sally frowned, "Is that really the best you can come up with?"  

"What's wrong with it?" he demanded.   

Sally rolled her eyes.  

"Nothing, I guess." she relented and then she smiled and got that mischievous glint in her blue eyes. "I'll name our children," she added and before he could say anything she urged her mare into a gallop and was gone, giving Thomas and Nathan no choice but to race to keep up with her.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

"You want to work on the ranch again?" Elizabeth asked Thomas after she finally released him from a rib cracking hug.  

"For now," he replied, aware that Brody was watching him from the corner as he played cards with Bryant. Sally, Nathan and Lexi were outside in the barn with the horses.  

"I win!" Bryant exclaimed.  

Brody looked completely bewildered as he threw his cards down, "What the hell is this game called that we're playing?" he demanded of his five-year-old son.  

Bryant grinned sheepishly, "I win."  

Brody couldn't help but laugh as he nodded, "That's what I figured it was called," he said as he dealt out yet another hand.  

"You know you don't have to ask to come back to the ranch, Thomas," Elizabeth said as she smiled at her husband and son. Thomas watched her as she walked over and stood behind Brody. He saw the tough law mans posture relax when she wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.  

What would it feel like to have a woman come up behind him and hold him close? What would it feel like to have a family... To play impossible to win card games with his son and go to bed each night with his wife.  

"So what made you quit the rangers?" Brody asked, breaking Thomas away from his thoughts.  

Thomas sighed and leaned against the wall, "I got tired of taking orders from a man living in comfort I guess."

"That was what I hated most about the military," Brody agreed. "Having a man tell me to run into harms way and risk my life for the cause while he sat nice and relaxed at camp; sipping on his coffee and getting all the credit."   

Thomas moved toward the door, "Well I'll head on out then. Here's hoping I can get my old bed back at the bunkhouse."

 Elizabeth smiled and moved away from Brody, "I'll walk out with you." Once they were out on the porch and out of Brody's hearing Elizabeth cleared her throat, "What really brought you back here Thomas?"  

Thomas looked down at her and saw the knowing look on her face and sighed. It had been a while since he and Elizabeth had been close but there was no forgetting the bond they had once shared. She knew him too well to fall for anything but the truth, "Being tired of the ranger bureaucracy really did have a big thing to do with my quitting but.... the main reason I came back here is just walking out of that barn."  

Elizabeth looked at the barn and saw Sally walking out with Nathan and Lexi on either side of her. Nathan sent a huge smile in Thomas's direction and Elizabeth saw the man smile in response, though his eyes seemed to be glued to Sally. Elizabeth tried to look at her through a man's eyes. Sally really was beautiful. Her golden colored hair shimmered loose and free in the sunlight. Her skin was tanned from the sun and her blouse and trousers fit her tall, feminine frame perfectly.  

Sally smiled over at Thomas and her normally sullen, angry face, lit up and her blue eyes shone. Elizabeth knew about Thomas and Sally's night together. Ellie had shared her findings with her and asked for advice. Elizabeth had told her that they should keep it to themselves. If Jacob or Brody knew about it they would both blow up with anger and it wouldn't do anyone any good. Men were hypocrites by nature. Both Jacob and Brody had slept with their wives before they were married but it wasn't okay for someone to do the same with their younger sister.  

"Take a look at our new ranch hand, Sally. Do you think we can get him back into the swing of ranch life?" Elizabeth asked.  

Sally looked surprised for a moment and then she looked Thomas up and down and frowned, "I don't know... Being a ranger probably made him fat and lazy."  

Thomas's eyes narrowed, "I'll show you fat and lazy," he warned and then Sally squealed with surprise when he lunged for her. She sidestepped him and laughed as he barely managed to catch himself before he face planted in the dirt. "It might take a while to whip him back into shape," Elizabeth agreed.  

Thomas ran his hands over his duster coat and gave Sally a smug look, "Why don't you show me back to the bunkhouse, Sally. I may have forgotten how to get there after all this time."  

Sally grinned and nodded, "I'll see ya later," Thomas said to Nathan, Elizabeth and Lexi and then he jumped on his stallion while Sally jumped on her mare.   

They were halfway back to the main ranch when Thomas pulled his horse to a stop, grabbed Sally's arm and pulled her over onto the saddle in front of him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and straddled him as he held her tightly in place, with his hands resting on the curves of her ass.

"Fat and lazy, huh?" he asked, though his voice was rough with passion.  

Sally nodded, even as she felt her blood pumping hotter and faster and that tingling feeling reappeared between her legs, causing her to squirm in his lap and push herself closer against him, "Well you know there's nothing like work on a ranch to keep a man fit," she replied.  

Thomas chuckled, though there wasn't much humor in the sound, just raw desire, "I can think of something else that can keep a man in shape."  

Sally trembled with anticipation. His lowered his lips to her neck and his warm breath washed over her skin, "What's that?" she asked as she clung to his coat.  

"Something we can't do right now," Thomas grumbled angrily.  

Sally nearly cried out with a mixture of surprise and frustration when Thomas quickly jumped from the saddle and pushed her away from him before lifting his stallion's front leg and acting very interested in the hoof.  

"What in the hell are you doing?" Sally demanded as she put her hands on her hips and tried to ignore the way her body was aching for him.  

"We have company," Thomas replied.  

Sally followed his gaze and realized with annoyance that Jacob and Frank were riding toward them, "Please tell me that you are not out here looking for me!" Sally demanded of her brother once he pulled his horse to a stop.  

"You'd been gone a long time," he replied defensively as he eyed Thomas suspiciously, "What are you two doing out here?"  

"We were riding back from Brody's when my horse picked up a rock," Thomas replied, setting the stallion's hoof back on the ground.

 Jacob looked at the color on his sisters cheek and the quickness of her breathing and didn't believe Thomas for a second. He knew there was something going on between Sally and the ranger and he was determined to protect his sister until Thomas made his intentions clear, "How long are you staying for this time?" Jacob asked Thomas. 	

Thomas shrugged and walked over to Sally. He put one hand on her arm and led her over to her horse. Jacob took note of how his hand lingered on her backside as he helped her up into the saddle. He also noticed the way Sally's eyes followed every movement that Thomas made as he swung himself into his own saddle.

"I'm not sure," Thomas admitted, "I'm here for a while though, I know that much. I quit the rangers, and Liz said I can have a job back here on the ranch."  

"It'll be good to have you back," Frank said earning himself a glare from Jacob.

"So you gonna stay in town?" Jacob asked as they started toward the ranch.  

Sally blew out an irritated breath, "Of course not, Jacob. He's going to stay in the bunkhouse just like all the other hands do."  

"Is there room out there?" Jacob asked Frank, even though he knew there was.  

Thomas knew that Jacob was just trying to tell him that he wasn't welcome. Jacob Atkinson was a cocky son of a bitch who thought he was better than everyone... Clearly he didn't think that Thomas was good enough for his little sister.  

"You know damn well that there's room," Sally snapped at her brother before Frank could reply, "Quit being such an ass."

"Sally Atkinson, I am sick and tired of that mouth. I'm gonna bend you over my damn knee and spank you the way I should have done years ago!" Jacob exclaimed angrily as he reached for Sally's arm.  

Thomas quickly brought his horse between the two of them and sent a cold look in Jacob's direction, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned. The thought of any man, even her brother, striking Sally filled Thomas with a protective urge that could not be denied. Sure Thomas himself had been tempted to spank her ass a few times but no one else better think about doing it.  

Jacob glared at Thomas and Thomas glared at Jacob. Neither man seemed to be in any hurry to back down. Sally wished they would stop this. Jacob needed to back off and realize that she was a grown woman and Thomas needed to realize that she could handle her brother on her own.  

"Frank, are you ready to head back?" Sally asked the man and he nodded as he grinned. 	

"Sure am, Miss Sally," he replied.  

"Let's go then and we'll let these two idiots settle their differences however they see fit." With that she and Frank rode off leaving Thomas and Jacob sitting there watching them ride away. 	

"Get to the bunkhouse and drop your stuff off then get out to the west pasture and help bring the cattle around to the big corral." Jacob ordered before he rode off toward Brody's house.  

Thomas grumbled under his breath. He wasn't a ranger anymore but he was still taking orders.... And from an even bigger asshole than the one before.  

---

The next few days came and went quickly. Sally spent all the time she could with Thomas, working in the fields, cleaning the barns, grooming the horses. They talked and they laughed... They butted heads and they argued. Sally fell deeper and deeper in love and Thomas's need for her grew.  

Whenever he got the chance he would let his hand linger on her shoulder or he would lean over her body just so they could be close together. They never got the chance to go any further because Jacob kept such a close watch on her and had ordered the other hands to do the same. They were never left completely alone and both of them were growing tired and impatient of the situation.  

"Get in here for supper, Sally!" Jacob called from the ranch house porch.  

Sally rolled her eyes and Thomas stabbed the hay he was raking, extra hard with his pitchfork, "You heard the boss, Sally," he grumbled.  

Sally looked over at Wendell who had kept himself busy in the barn the entire time Thomas and she had been working, just to ensure they had no privacy. This was getting ridiculous and it was time to take matters into her own hands, "Wendell?"  

He looked up from the reins he was polishing, "Yeah?" he asked.  

She pulled her gun and cocked it before either of the other men in the barn had time to realize what she was going to do, "Get the hell out of the barn right now," she spat.  

Wendell's eyes widened and he nodded, "Sure. I'm leaving." he said and he made a hasty retreat.  

"What was that about?" Thomas asked as Sally holstered her gun.  

She didn't say a word, just walked across the barn to him, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily. Thomas was quick to throw the pitchfork aside and wrap his arms tight around her and pull her body into his. She could feel  the evidence of his desire pressed against her and she ground her stomach into it.  

Thomas growled deep in his throat and thrust his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her with desperation. His hands traveled up her body to cup her breasts and her nipples hardened instantly as he teased them through the fabric of her shirt. He smiled against her lips when he heard the cat like sound she made in the back of her throat as she arched her body against his.  

Sally knew she had to pull away. In seconds they were going to be undressed and in the hay if she didn't end this. Thomas let her go with a moan of frustration and he stood with his arms at his sides and his fists clenched as she straightened her blouse and ran her hands through her hair.  

"I want you something fierce, Sally." he said, his voice tight.  

Sally nodded, "Then why don't you come to my room tonight. I'll leave my window open."  

Thomas nodded once and then Sally quickly left the barn before she lost all control and jumped on him again. Doing that would only cause more trouble between him and Jacob when he came barging in here and caught them.

Thomas watched her walk into the house and he met Jacob's protective gaze with one of his own. That damn man was going to have to realize that Sally was his whether he liked it or not... Then again he understood the problem that Jacob was having. He wouldn't want some man coming in and bedding his sister without marrying her.  

Marriage... Sally... The two words seemed to fit together perfectly. Maybe it was time for him to get married and make an honest woman of her. She deserved it. He still wasn't sure he could stay in one place for the rest of his life but that didn't mean he couldn't be a good husband to her. He cared for her deeply. He already knew he would do anything to make her happy and he wanted and needed her with a desperation that scared him.  

Tonight he would ask Sally to marry him. He was surprised that he wasn't more frightened by the prospect but then again there wasn't much that did scare him. He would ask her to be his wife, he would marry her just as soon as they could get a preacher and he would be the best husband he could possibly be...

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Sally waited nervously in her room and wondered why she felt so nervous. She had made love with Thomas before, but this time it felt different. She guessed it was because he had surprised her last time and this time she was just sitting here and waiting. It made her impatient to know he was coming but be unsure of when.  

It was dark outside her window but Sally had the kerosene lamp burning low to illuminate some of the darkness in her room. It cast shadows over the walls as she sat there and looked out the window, waiting on her ranger... or ex-ranger.  

She didn't have to wait long once the house became still. He slipped around the house and through her window as silently as a ghost and he didn't even give her time to rise from the bed before he was pushing her down on it, covering her body with his and devouring her mouth with his hungry lips.  

"Thomas...." she gasped as he pulled back long enough to remove his shirt.  

"We'll talk later, Sally. Right now I got more important things to do with my mouth." As if to prove his point, he lowered his mouth to her neck and his fingers quickly slipped under her nightdress and danced across the bare curves of her body.

Sally buried her hands in his hair and pulled his mouth back up to hers. Their shadows danced across the room as they finished undressing one another and Sally pushed Thomas down on the bed and crouched over him.  

His eyes feasted over her flawless body. She was perfection. Every curve, every freckle, every single inch of her body was all he had ever wanted.. The only thing he would ever need.  

When she pressed her lips to his chest he thought for sure his heart would pound right out of his ribs. Her hands moved down and gripped his arousal, squeezing and pumping until Thomas feared he would find his release right in her had. Thomas grabbed her by her shoulders to stop her and tossed her onto the bed.  

Sally gasped with pleasure and surprise when his mouth instantly went to her breasts. She clung to him, fighting back her moans and gasps of pleasure as he teased and licked her swollen nipples. Sally was thankful that he covered her mouth with his to mask her cry of pleasure as he slid himself inside of her. She surrendered to the pleasure. She stopped thinking and only felt. Her man had come back to her. He was here and he was loving her and she was going to enjoy it.  

She felt the pleasure mounting as his kisses continued to devour her mouth and neck. Her arms and legs were wrapped tight around him as she clung to him and as she felt the tight band of pleasure within her snap at her release. Thomas stiffened and she knew he was feeling his own release as he moaned her name again and again in the cool night air.  

Thomas collapsed on the bed beside her and pulled her into his arms. Gone was the urge to run that he had felt the first time they had made love. The only urge he had now was the urge to stay. The urge to wrap his arms around her, pull her close and never let her go.  

Sally practically purred with contentment as she stretched in a feline like way and curled herself against him. Thomas kissed her hair as he smiled. She was the damnedest woman he'd ever met.  

"That was even better the second time around," she whispered, her voice sounding very sleepy and content.  

Thomas pulled the covers over them and squeezed her tight in agreement. This was his woman. The one made for him. He remembered telling Liz once that when he found a woman to love him he had wanted her to love him the way Elizabeth loved Brody and he had no doubts in his mind that Sally loved him that much. She would have to in order to put up with the way he had been acting and treating her.  

"Marry me," he whispered in the low lamp light and he felt her body stiffen.  

He could tell she was holding her breath when she whispered, "Why?"  

Thomas was confused, "What do you mean, why?"  

"Why do you want to marry me?"  

"Because I need you, Sally. I care about you and I have since I was little more than a kid. I've taken your innocence and shared your bed and I'm not about to stop anytime soon so it's only right that we get married." This argument seemed completely logical to Thomas but Sally looked up at him and he could see the tears in her eyes even as she bit her lip to try to stop them from falling.  

"Do you love me?" she asked quietly.  

"Love you?" Thomas asked as that trapped, panicked feeling began to come back.  

"It's a simple question, Thomas, and it shouldn't be so hard to answer."

"Why is that word so important?" Thomas demanded. He pulled Sally away from him so he could look into her eyes more easily. "I'm here aren't I? I'm asking you to marry me and I'll treat you good. I'll always come home to you and you'll be taken care of. Marry me, Sally."  

Sally stared at Thomas, wondering what she was supposed to say. She wanted to marry him but not like this.. Not until he said he loved her. She wouldn't marry a man simply because he felt a duty toward her now that they were sharing a bed. She stared at the wall as he stared at her and silence fell over the room.  

---

Jacob had come down to the kitchen to get Ellie a glass of tea. It was the only thing that seemed to settle her stomach when the nausea struck her. He was on his way back to the stairs when he heard a hushed conversation coming from Sally's room. Anger filled him when he recognized Thomas's voice. That damn boy was in his sisters room in the middle of the night! There was only one thing a man snuck into a woman's room for and Jacob would kill Thomas for doing 

that with his sister!

He stormed down the hallway and threw open the door, "What the hell is going on here?!" he bellowed.

 Thomas and Sally both jumped from the bed and Thomas threw the cover around Sally to hide her nakedness as he quickly grabbed his hat to cover his own. He held his hand out to explain the situation to Jacob but Jacob was in no mood to talk.  

He launched himself across the room and punched Thomas hard in the jaw. Thomas stumbled back, tripped over the edge of the bed and fell down hard on the mattress.  

Sally yelled in anger as Thomas sat up and wiped blood from his lip, "Stop it!" she exclaimed.  

"What is he doing in your room?!" Jacob demanded as he tried to ignore his throbbing knuckles.  

"Obviously we made love..." Sally frowned, "No, he's not in love so I guess we just, rutted. I believe that's what he called it before." She was angry at Jacob for running in the room and punching Thomas, she was angry at Thomas for not loving her and most of all she was angry at herself for believing that he did love her. Surely if he loved her he would be able to say it.. But no, he didn't love her. She had been fooling herself. She had given everything to a man who 

cared deeply for her.

Sally didn't like being made a fool of and that was just what he'd done.  

"Now wait just a damn minut," Thomas roared angrily as he stood from the bed.  

 Jacob cut him off, "You shut up, Thomas. Sally get your ass to Susie's room and put some clothes on." Jacob turned to see Susie and Ellie standing in the doorway watching what was going on, "Susie, you go tell Frank to go get Brody." Susie nodded and disappeared down the hallway as Sally pushed her way out of the room, even as Thomas tried to grab her arm.   

"Jacob what are you going to do?" Ellie asked cautiously.  

"I'm gonna make the man do the right thing. He's going to marry my sister tonight."  

Thomas didn't say a word. If Jacob expected an argument, he wasn't going to get one. Thomas wanted to marry Sally and he would gladly do it tonight if that's what Jacob wanted.  

"What!?" Sally exclaimed from the hallway and she sounded anything but happy. "I am not marrying that damn man!"  

"Why the hell not?" Jacob demanded and Thomas listened intently for the answer because he sure as hell wanted to know what it was.

"Because he treats me no better than a whore!" Sally spat, "And I don't love him... I won't marry a man if there's no love involved!"  

Thomas felt his heart break apart in his chest and then it hardened and every wall that Sally had cracked the past few months went straight back up. That woman could go to hell. He had offered her everything he had to give and she had spat in his face... Now he learned that she didn't even really love him. She was a good damn actress if she didn't love him! He had truly believed he'd found the one.  

"You treated my sister like a whore?" Jacob demanded, wishing that he had his gun.  

"Well she spread her legs like one," Thomas growled. He heard Sally gasp and then he heard a door slam shut. Guilt tried to worm it's way into his heart but he quickly pushed it away. She had just accused him of treating her like a whore and he sure as hell hadn't been doing that when he'd asked her to marry him! Damn her anyway. He didn't like feeling like a fool and right now he felt like ten kinds of a fool. He had actually been willing to settle down with a woman who could lie well enough to make him believe she loved him.   

Thomas didn't even have time to realize another punch was coming before Jacob landed one hard across his jaw once again and Thomas felt the pain resonate throughout his entire body.  

"If I leave this room are you going to slip out the damn window like a coward?" Jacob hissed.  

Thomas stood straight and spit out a mouth full of blood, "I ain't a coward and I ain't gonna run." Regardless of how he now felt about Sally, he knew he had to marry her. She had been a virgin and he had claimed her and there was a chance that she could already be carrying his child. He would do the right thing by her, marry her tonight and then take off just as soon as the 'I do's' were spoken. They'd never have to see each other again.  

Jacob walked out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.  

---

"What's going on?" Brody demanded as he came into the house over an hour later.  

"Jacob is being an ass," Ellie snapped from the couch.  

 Brody shrugged, "That's nothing new. Can I ask why I had to be woken up and dragged away from my wife?" Brody looked around, "And where is my brother?"  

"Gone to get a preacher," Ellie replied.  

"Why?" Brody asked cautiously.  

Ellie bit her lip, "Because he caught Sally and Thomas together... naked... in a bed." 	

Ellie saw Brody's face fill with anger but he quickly took a deep breath and pulled a cigarette from his pocket. She watched him light the match across his cheek and after he'd taken a long draw and blew out the puff of smoke he looked back down at her, "And now Jacob is going to make them get married?"  

"Yep."  

"And they don't want to get married?"  

"I think they were heading in that direction.. Before Jacob got in the damn way with his yelling and his punching and his...."  

"Jacob punched Thomas?"  

'Yes. Twice."  

Brody chuckled, "I didn't know the man had it in him."  

"Brody this isn't funny!" Ellie exclaimed, "What are you going to do about this?"  

"Nothing," Brody shrugged, "It's not my business. Thomas and Sally played with fire and now they're gonna have to suffer the consequences. If you were right and they were heading for love and marriage anyway then things'll work out. If you're wrong and they really only wanted each other for one thing, then divorce is fairly simple."  

"Elizabeth would smack you for standing by and letting this happen."  

"Probably," Brody grinned, "But luckily she's home with the children, sound asleep."  

---

"Are you okay?" Susie asked her sister as she helped her brush out her hair.  

"No, I'm not. That was a stupid question," Sally snapped.  

Susie sighed and laid the brush on the bed, "Why did you say that you don't love Thomas? You know that you do."  

"Because he doesn't love me!" Sally exclaimed.  

"I think he does."  

"But he doesn't," Sally insisted.  

"Did he say he doesn't love you?" Susie asked and Sally stuttered several times as she thought back to the love they'd made and the words he had said afterward.  

"No," she replied quietly. "But he didn't say that he did love me either. He asked me to marry him before Jacob came barging in and never once did he say that he loved me."  

"He asked you to marry him?! That's what you've always wanted!" Susie exclaimed.  

"No, what I've always wanted is for him to love me."  

"So what did he say?"  

"That he cares deeply for me, he needs me and that he'll always come home to me and treat me good."  

Susie smiled gently, "That sounds like love."  

Sally was quiet for a long time. That did sound like love. "Then why won't he say the words out loud?" she demanded with frustration.  

"I don't know," Susie replied with a shrug. "Maybe he's one of those men that has a hard time with it. I've heard that some men do. Anyways it doesn't matter, you guys will have loads of time to figure things out once you're married."  

"I am not marrying a man that won't say he loves me."  

"You don't have a choice," Susie reminded her. "Jacob caught you in bed with him. You could be carrying his child. You have to marry him." 	Sally knew that Susie was right. If she was carrying Thomas's child she wanted it to be legitimate, "You heard what Thomas said. He doesn't want to marry me."  

"Obviously he does. He asked you to marry him after all."  

"Yes but he called me a whore!"  

"In a way," Susie agreed with a frown. "But then again, you did accuse him of being a monster and treating you like one. You know how bad your temper is and how quickly your temper has always gotten him worked up. Cheer up, Sally. You're marrying the man you always wanted to marry and if I had to bet, I would bet that he does love you, so give it time."  

"Jacob just had to come in and make a mess of things," Sally pouted.  

"I think your mouth did that more than Jacob did," Susie scolded, "You knew that's how Jacob would react when you snuck a man into your room!"  

"Well you'll never have that problem. You'll die a spinster because you're too shy to ever turn a man's head."  

"No, I'm too fat to ever turn a man's head, but that besides the point," Susie said as she studied her and her sister reflections in the mirror. Sally was slender with meat in all the right places, just like all men dreamed of their women to be. Susie just had meat in all the places!  

"Hush. Men are stupid. Trust me, you don't want one." Sally promised her sister as she flopped back on the bed and wondered what Thomas was doing in her room. 	

---

"I've never performed a wedding before," LeRoy said as he stood in the sitting room.  

"You can do it though can't you?" Jacob demanded. "You said you could."  

"Yeah, I can," LeRoy assured him. He had never seen this particular Atkinson in such a deadly mood. He was used to seeing Brody looking ready to kill. "Not sure I want to though. These kids don't want to get married do they?"

"Nope," Brody replied calmly from where he sat lounged in an armchair with his long denim clad legs crossed in front of him. "But they did share a bed and she could be with child."  

"Yeah but...." LeRoy started but Jacob cut him off.  

"You're always preaching about what that bible of yours says. Don't it say something about love making being something between a husband and wife?"  

LeRoy sighed with defeat, "Yes it does. I'll do it. Bring the victims out here."  

"You mean the lucky bride and groom," Ellie quiped with a glare sent in her husbands direction.  

Jacob knew Ellie was angry but he was also sure that this was the right thing to do. He walked down the hall and tapped on Susie's door, "It's time," he called and he heard Sally mumble something and he was glad he couldn't understand it.  

"She'll be out in a minute," Susie promised.  

Jacob turned his attention to the door across the hall and knocked on it, "It's time, Thomas." Silence met his words and he was suddenly sure that the man had made a run for it. He was about to burst into the room when the door opened quickly.   

Thomas stood there in his dirty denims and wrinkled black shirt and vest. His hat was pulled low and his split lip was scowling, "Let's get this over with," he grumbled.  

Thomas had had time to cool off enough to realize that he couldn't just ride off once they said 'I do.' He and Sally at least needed to talk first. He knew how her temper was and most times she didn't mean what she said when she got in a fit of rage, so maybe she hadn't meant those things she'd said. Lord knew he hadn't meant what he'd said. His Sally was no whore.  

They stood together in the sitting room. Sally looked nervous as she stood beside him in a simple white cotton dress that she had clearly borrowed form Susie. It was a little big and her face looked sad, but Thomas still thought she was beautiful.  

They both said "I do' and Thomas pressed a small, quick kiss to her lips under the watchful gaze of both Brody and Jacob. They signed the marriage document and then the sitting room suddenly became awkward. No one knew exactly what to say or do now that the marriage was complete.  

"Let's go to bed, Sally," Thomas said as he grabbed her arm gently and went to lead her down the hall.

 Jacob grabbed him roughly by the back of his vest and jerked him away from her, "You aren't going anywhere with my sister."

 Sally's eyes widened, "But he's my husband now," she argued.  

"In name only," Jacob growled.  

"What are you doing?!" Ellie demanded of her husband.  

"Don't question me anymore, dammit. I'm the man in this relationship and you'll do as I say.  Get your butt up to bed and I'll be up shortly."  

Ellie glared at him as rage filled her icy blue eyes, "Oh, I'll go bed, 

honey , but just remember that you have to come up those stairs at some point and the reception is going to be less than warm.“ Jacob knew he’d have some major sucking up to do to his pregnant wife but he didn’t have time to worry about that right now. He heard her stomp up the stairs and turned his attention back to Thomas.

"You're going to ride out of here right now and not come back. You can check back in in a month. If she's with child then we'll set up an arrangement for you to support her. If she's not, then we'll get started on your divorce."  

Sally waited for Thomas to argue. She waited for Thomas to insist that he was going to stay with his wife, or at least take his wife with him; but he didn't. He simply stood there and glared at Jacob.  

Little did Sally know that Thomas was waiting on her to argue with her brother. He wanted to hear her defend him and say that she was going to come with him if he couldn't stay here. Her silence told him all he needed to know. The Atkinson's were making their stance clear and Thomas was not worthy.  

Just when he thought no one was going to stand up for him, Brody stepped forward, "Now wait just a minute, Jacob, he can stay here at the ranch if he wants to. He's family now."  

"He called our sister a whore 

after he took her innocence,“ Jacob growled and Thomas watched the only friend he had left in the room take a step back as rage filled his features. Thomas’s knees nearly buckled at the look of anger on Brody’s face. Brody didn’t say a word, just took a step back and laid his hand on the butt of his gun.

"That's not really what he said," Sally whispered, but her normally loud and opinionated voice was quiet and quickly drowned out by Jacob once again telling Thomas to leave.  

Thomas nodded. He walked toward the door with Jacob on his heels. Thomas had had enough of Jacob Atkinson. He turned quickly and slammed his fist hard into the other man's face, causing him to crumple to the ground.  

"Jacob!" Susie exclaimed.  

Thomas took note of the way Sally's eyes met his but he quickly turned away. She had had her chance to take his side and she hadn't done it. She had turned her back on him and now he was leaving. It took only a few minutes to pack his meager belongings, saddle his horse and ride away, though he was leaving every last bit of his heart and soul behind him.

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Eighteen

Thomas wandered aimlessly for a few days. He had no real idea of where he was going or what he wanted to do when he got there. He had lived alone the last few years and had never planned on getting married or settling down. Sally had changed that. He had wanted to marry Sally. He had wanted to make a home with her; have a family with her.  

Well he got one out of three anyway. He was now a married man. Sally Atkinson--no--Sally Cooper, was now his wife. Thomas was like a shell. He had no more hope for his future. He felt no emotions because when he opened his heart to feel things, it ended with his heart being broken by the thoughts of what he had lost.  

He wandered into the small, lawless town of Devils Fork around midnight, three days after leaving his life behind and it just seemed natural when he hitched his horse at the saloon and walked inside. He breathed in deep, taking a strange kind of comfort in the scent of beer, whiskey, sweat, horses, dirt and men.  

He made his way to the bar and sat down on the stool. The bartender, a grizzled old man who looked as if he had seen and done everything there was to see and do in life, walked over and greeted him with a scowl, "What can I get ya stranger?"  

 Thomas looked at the whiskey bottles along the back wall and licked his lips, hungering for just a taste. Hell why not? It's not like Sally gave a damn what he did or didn't do anymore, "I'll take a beer and a whiskey." Thomas replied as he sat his change on the bar.  

The barkeep nodded and wiped out two dirty glasses with an even dirtier rag, "Leave the bottle." Thomas ordered after the barkeep had poured his shot of whiskey. The old man nodded, pushed both glasses and the bottle toward Thomas and then walked away.

 Thomas looked down into the dark whiskey and then without hesitation, he grabbed the glass and downed the shot. It heated his throat on the way down and he imagined it burning away all his regret, mistakes and pain as it moved down into his chest.  

A short time later, Thomas was feeling much better and he refused to acknowledge that that was only because the whiskey bottle was now nearly half empty.  

 He looked around the brightly lit, dirty saloon and smiled when he saw the whore making her way toward him, "Hello there, big man," she purred.  

Thomas smiled rolled his broad shoulders, "Hello, beautiful," he replied. He didn't take the time to worry that only the whiskey was making her seem beautiful... He had seen her when he'd walked in and she was not any type to turn a man's head. She was clearly a woman who had been in this line of work for a long time and her face and body showed her age and wear.  

"You looking for some company?"  

"I could be. You offering company?" he replied.  

She sat down on his lap and ran her painted fingernail down his cheek, "If you've got the money, I've got the time." she whispered in his ear.  

Time

.

 Time reminded Thomas of the watch in his pocket. That simple word broke through his drunkenness enough that he could see Sally's smiling face on the inside of the watch. And then he heard her voice telling him that he had to make just one sacrifice for her. 

No other women , she had told him. ‘What do they have that I don’t? Aren’t I enough for you?’ She had asked him that.

Thomas jumped from the barstool so quickly that the whore nearly fell to the floor before she caught herself on the edge of the bar.  

"What's your problem?" she demanded.  

Thomas didn't bother answering her. Instead he ran as quickly as he could out of the saloon, jumped on his horse and galloped out of the small town.  

He was a married man now and, dammit, he was going to honor his vows. There wouldn't be any whores for him and no more whiskey either... Whiskey made his brain soft. He wanted to go home... Home to where Sally was; his wife. But that wasn't an option. The Atkinson's had made that clear. There was only one other place that he had ever had a place of his own.  

He headed his horse in the direction of Tortulla.  It took him two days to reach the ranger's station and he was greeting by Captain Wynter's arrogant grin, "The prodigal son returns," he chuckled. "You want that badge back now?"  

"Yeah," Thomas replied, jumping from the saddle.  

Captain Wynter reached in his pocket and pulled out Thomas's badge, "I had a feeling you'd be back," he said in answer to Thomas's unspoken question, "I take it that future you had in mind didn't work out so well?" 	Thomas hooked his badge to his vest and nodded. "This is where I belong after all."  

"Glad to hear it. You wanna take a bit of a rest in the barracks?" Captain Wynter asked, noticing Thomas's haggard appearance.  

Thomas shook his head, "I want some work, " he replied, "I'd like something that could end with me dead."  

Captain Wynter assumed the boy was joking so he chuckled. Little did he know that Thomas was deadly serious, "You got any gangs that need to be took out from the inside?" Thomas asked.  

Captain Wynter nodded, "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Lykehart didn't work out in the gang I was telling you about before. You could take his place."  

Thomas shrugged, "Sounds good."  

"You sure?" Captain Wynter questioned skeptically, "You would be running with bad men and forced to do bad things for the greater good again."  

"I don't care anymore," Thomas assured him and he meant it. He'd lost all he cared about. She had stood there and let him leave without so much as batting an eye.  

"You okay, Cooper?" Captain Wynter asked. "I don't want to send  you into danger if your head isn't in the right place."  

"I'm fine," Thomas lied.  

Captain Wynter nodded and gave him the details they had on the gang and where he could go to meet up with the members. As Thomas was mounting his horse to ride away a thought struck him and he looked down at the captain, "I need you to do something for me."

"What's that?" Captain Wynter asked.  

"If I die, I need my belongings and my benefits all sent to my wife."  

"Wife?!" Captain Wynter demanded with shock.  

Thomas nodded and Captain Wynter saw a pain so sharp on the man's face, it made his own chest ache, "Sally Cooper... She used to be Atkinson. She's sheriff Atkinson's sister and she lives up in Bakerstown."  

"Is that right?" Captain Wynter asked. So that's where Thomas had been. Apparently things had ended badly and that was good. Captain Wynter didn't want to lose Thomas for good. Thomas was too good of a ranger to lose him to married life. Captain Wynter was one of the lucky men who had a wife that was willing to live at a ranger base. Not many wives were as understanding or as willing to bend. Many a ranger had been lost to marriage and Captain Wynter did not want to lose Thomas Cooper too.  

"I'll make sure she gets everything," Captain Wynter promised. 	Thomas nodded and then rode away from the ranger base. He removed his badge and hid it deep in his saddlebags as he headed back toward Devils Fork. That's where he'd meet some members of the gang and be able to work his way inside. He would forget about Sally and what could have been, even if he had to die to get it done.  

---

Sally rose from her bed after yet another sleepless night. Thomas had been gone for a little over a month. He hadn't written. He hadn't come by. Not once had he checked on her or bothered to find out if she was carrying his child. She wasn't. Her cycle had come regular as clockwork only a week after he had left and she had felt an emptiness so deep and profound that it had shattered whatever had been left of her broken heart.  

This wasn't the first time Thomas had left her behind but none of those times had it felt permanent. This time it did. Her husband had left her. Thomas 

was her husband now… In name only, per Jacob’s orders. She hated her brother with a passion and she would never forgive him for what he had taken away from her. Because of Jacob, Thomas had left and now he wasn’t going to come back.

Whatever progress Sally had made in taming and claiming Thomas's skittish heart had been shot to hell when Jacob had come bursting into that room. She knew that some of the blame was her own as well for losing control of her temper and her mouth but ultimately it was Jacob who had forced them into that marriage. Jacob who had then proceeded to run Thomas off and Jacob who had caused this brokenness in her soul.  

She pulled on her trousers and blouse, ran her brush through her long wavy hair and pulled on her hat. She tightened her gun belt around her hips and then walked from her room.  

She was irritated when she saw Jacob standing in the sitting room, "Sally, can we talk?" he asked cautiously.  

"No," Sally snapped.  

"I'm sorry for what I did, Sally. I didn't realize how much you loved him."  

"You must be real blind then, Jacob, because everyone else could see it. You had no right to do what you did. You slept with Ellie before you ever agreed to marry her. Hell you ran her off after you took her innocence and sent her on her way. As a matter of fact it seems that running people off is what you're good at."  

"Sally.." Jacob sighed helplessly. He didn't know what to say or do anymore. Sally was too angry to listen to his apologies. His relationship with Ellie had been tense and his relationship with Elizabeth had disappeared entirely. She refused to speak to him for running Thomas off. Brody had tried hard to remain neutral during the whole thing but Jacob knew that if push came to shove he'd side with Elizabeth.  

Jacob had been a fool but he couldn't take it back now. He'd tried to find Thomas but that was finding a needle in a haystack. He had no idea where the boy had gone. He'd sent word to the rangers just a few days ago, thinking that maybe Thomas had gone back there, but Captain Wynter had sent him word back that no one there had seen Thomas since he'd turned in his badge.  

"I gotta go see how close they are to having my cabin finished," Sally stated as she walked out the door.  

Jacob followed her, "I wish you wouldn't insist on moving out."  

"I need to be away from you, Jacob, because if I have to keep seeing your face everyday, I am going to end up shooting you."  

Jacob stopped following her and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand as he watched her storm away, "Jacob Atkinson, out of all your screw ups, this one's gotta be the worst," he mumbled.  

"Jacob?" Susie called from the door.  

"What?" Jacob asked, as he turned and looked at the only member of the family who didn't treat him like the jackass that he was.  

"Ellie is sick and she wants you."  

"She does?" Jacob asked as hope filled him. Maybe his wife would forgive him after all.  

Susie nodded gently, "Yes."  

Jacob ran up to the room and when he saw Ellie sitting there on the bed looking weak and pale he dropped to his knees and cradled her face in his hands, "I'm sorry I was so foolish. I'm sorry I spoke to you that way," he apologized for the millionth time.

"I'm sorry I got so angry," Ellie whispered, "I am your wife and I am supposed to stand behind you. I love you, Jacob."  

"I love you too," he said as he kissed her gently. "I tried to find Thomas."  

"I know."  

"I want to fix this but I just don't think I can."  

"Hopefully it will fix itself. We just have to wait," Ellie assured him soothingly.  

"Can I get anything for you?" Jacob asked, noticing the green tint of her skin.  

"Just hold m,." she replied and he climbed in the bed happily, to do just that.  

---

"Wendell?" Sally asked as she walked into the barn.  

Wendell turned and smiled cautiously as he tried to judge her mood, "Yes, miss Cooper?" he asked.  

Sally felt the swell of pride in her new name along with the pain in her heart when she remembered that her husband had abandoned her, "My cabin?"  

"Finished," Wendell replied. "Kent and Frank are filling it with the last of the furniture right now. I was about to come find you and get your belongings so I could take them out there as well."  

"Great!" Sally said with more happiness then she had felt in a month. She was finally going to have her own place even if it was still technically on ranch land. She would be able to start building her own little life and this time Jacob wouldn't be standing over her and ruining everything.  

---

Thomas rode into Bakerstown early in the morning. He had to be quick about his visit and get back to the gang hideout before the fellow members became suspicious. Luckily he had earned enough trust in the last month to earn the privilege to come and go as he pleased. He was just sorry it had taken so long for him to accomplish because it had made him late in getting back to Bakerstown. It had been a month and a half since he'd left. A month and a half since every dream he had had been blown to hell.  

He waited in the alley beside the jail for Brody to show up for work. He was wondering how long it was going to take the man to show up when he heard a throat clear behind him, "Can I help you with something Thomas?" Brody asked.  

Thomas turned to look at the man who looked far too wild and untamed to be a sheriff. His hair was still long, his face still covered in stubble and the scar on his cheek stood out in sharp contrast against his tanned skin. Of course Thomas had been told many times that he looked more like a member of a gang then he did a Texas ranger so he supposed that you couldn't judge a book by its cover.  

"You know why I'm here, Brody. Am I gonna be a pa?"

 Brody shook his head and the look of devastation on Thomas's face told him all he needed to know about the way he felt for Sally, "You should go on to the ranch, Thomas. Sally would like to see you."  

Thomas shook his head, "I don't think she would Brody. She let Jacob send me away and not once did she ask me to stay or ask to come with me."  

"She was in a state of shock, Thomas. You didn't beg her to come with you either." Brody reminded him.  

Thomas leaned against the stone wall of the jail and kicked at the dirt, "I gotta go, Brody. I'm back with the rangers and I'm working undercover." Thomas stared down at the toes of his fancy boots that Elizabeth and Brody had gotten him, "I guess she'll be wanting that divorce now."  

Brody shook his head as he stuck his thumbs through his belt loops and leaned back on his heels, "She hasn't mentioned wanting one," he said. "Do you want me to tell her that you want one?"  

Thomas's eyes widened and he took several deep breaths to clear his head. Divorce? Hell no he didn't want one. Sally was the one woman he had always wanted. He loved her.  

Thomas nearly fell right there in the dirty alley as the enormity of his feelings for Sally struck him. He loved her. One hundred percent, without a doubt, loved her. But she didn't love him. She had said that just before they had gotten married. Maybe he should give her a divorce.. Would that be the kinder thing to do? Let her find a man that she did love? No matter how hard he tried he couldn't make his mouth say the words. His heart was in the way. 	

"I'll leave it up to her," he said instead. "Just send the papers to the ranger station if that's what she wants to do. I check in there now and then."  

"Thomas, I...." Brody started but Thomas was already walking away. Brody wanted to tell the man that his wife loved him. His wife loved him so much that she had been biting everyone's head off at every opportunity since he'd left. She loved him so much that more often than not her tears could be heard coming from the barn when she thought no one was listening.  

But Thomas was going to have to work through this on his own. Eventually the man would realize where he needed to be. He would realize that being tough didn't mean making it on your own and he would realize that he had had enough of doing things the hard way.  

Eventually Thomas would come back to his wife. Brody just hoped it would be soon because poor Sally couldn't take much more.

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

"Come on, boys! We got another Mexican rancher trying to set up a homestead. Let's clear 'em out. One hundred dollars promised to every man who comes with me!" Lee Bryce called as he mounted his horse and looked around at all the men.

 Thomas, as Lee's right hand man, was expected to ride along and he was already mounting his horse. He was close to finding out who was pulling the strings with Lee, it wouldn't take too much longer and he'd be able to report back to Captain Wynter.  

So many things he'd been a part of the last two months since talking to Brody. People had been killed. Families destroyed. All in the name of justice according to the rangers. Thomas found that it was easier to deal with the pain now. His heart was too broken for any new hurt to faze it.  

Thomas had built a reputation in the gang as being a cold and emotionless man who did what had to be done when he needed to. He liked that image. The men didn't try to laugh or joke with him. He didn't have to pretend to be their friend. He was just there and they basically ignored him.  

"How long a ride is it, boss?" Beebee asked as they rode.

 Lee glanced back at the younger man, "For one hundred dollars are you really going to complain about the ride?" he demanded.  

 Beebee shook his head sending his long greasy hair flying around his shoulders, "Hell no. I was just wondering is all."  

"A couple hours," Lee replied. He looked over at Thomas, "You seem quieter than usual today, Tommy." Thomas simply shrugged.  

"How can you tell?" Belcher asked with a laugh. "The man never does say more than two words a day."  

"But he's damn good with a gun!" Beebee cut in. Thomas just kept his eyes focused straight ahead. He was on his way to another family that didn't deserve what was coming to them. They were poor people just trying to make a life for themselves here in Texas. He quickly hardened his heart and turned his emotions off before he did or said anything to give himself away. He wasn't allowed to be soft. He had to be just as cut throat and evil as the men he was riding with.  

It was easy for him to lose himself when he was riding hard like this. The pounding of hooves, the dust filling the air, the grunts and snorts of the horses. It was easy to turn off his mind to all that was wrong in his life and time passed quickly.  

The homestead came into sight and Thomas saw several girls out playing a game of jump rope while a woman hung clothes out on a line and a man walked a horse around the corral. Thomas pulled his gun as the other gang members did and when the shots started his bullets were among them, though he was careful to aim high enough to avoid hitting what he was shooting at.  

Whoops of glee filled the air from the gang members as screams of fear and pain came from the rancher and his family. They were helpless to stop their own deaths from coming... Thomas watched in a state of numb horror as the man, the woman and even the children fell lifeless to the ground, their blood soaking into the Texas earth.  

Beebee lit a torch and threw it into the house while several other gang members did the same to the small barn and woodshed. The smell of smoke, blood and death filled the air.  

"Shit, there's one more!" Belcher exclaimed and Thomas looked toward the house to see a young boy, probably nine or ten coming out of the house, dragging a rifle that was longer than he was tall.  

Thomas looked at that boy and all he could see was Nathan, "Leave him be, he's just a kid," he ordered harshly.  

"Boss said to kill 'em all," Belcher argued. Thomas realized that he, Belcher and Beebee were the only men left. Everyone else had already ridden back out.  

"Kill him," Beebee said to Belcher and the man aimed his revolver. Thomas snapped. He couldn't let this boy die... Too many dead people were on his conscience and he just couldn't stand for this boy to be among them. 	 	He leapt from his horse and put his body between Belcher and the boy. The bullet from Belcher's revolver struck him in the arm and he hissed at the burning pain even as he threw the boy to the ground and pulled his own revolver.  

Shots rang out in the quiet afternoon, while the smoke filled the air. Thomas heard a horse scream in pain and realized with a pang of despair that Horse had been shot and the black stallion was dying as it twisted on the ground.  

Quite suddenly the shooting ended. Thomas looked at Beebee and Belcher both lying dead and pulled himself to his feet. The boy was looking up at him with a mixture of fear and hope. Fear that Thomas was going to kill him and hope that the man was really there to help.  

"Mamma? Pappa?" the boy asked.  

Thomas looked down at his dirt streaked, innocent face and shook his head. He wasn't very good at Spanish but he did his best, "Muerto," he said, knowing that meant death or dead or something like that.  

The boy's brown eyes filled with tears and Thomas stood there feeling awkward as a whore at confessionals as he watched the boy cry, "There, there, kid," he said as gently as he could, "I'll make sure you're taken care of."

 The boy wiped his face clean on his dirty shirt sleeve and frowned, "I not speak good English."  

"Well I not speak good Mexican," Thomas replied with a half grin. "But we'll make it work." Thomas knew they had to leave soon. It would only be a matter of time before Lee noticed that he had three men missing. Thomas had blown his cover. He had no choice but to leave the gang with the job unfinished.  

"You hurt?" the boy asked pointing at Thomas's hand. Blood was dripping down his arm and running off his fingertips. Thomas shrugged and quickly tied a bandana around his arm to stop the flow of blood.  

"It's just a scratch," he promised. The boy looked confused and Thomas let out an exasperated breath, "It's all bueno." he offered and the boy nodded.

 Thomas wanted to bury the boys family as fast as he could, "Do you have a shovel?" he asked. The skinny boy frowned again. Thomas realized he really was tiny for a nine or ten year old. Maybe he'd been wrong about the age and had just seen what he'd wanted to see. Because what he wanted to see was Nathan. Thomas did sign language as if he was shoveling dirt and the boy nodded.

"I know what shovel is. But it is there," he said and pointed at the woodshed, which was currently burning to the ground.

 Thomas ran and saved the shovel before the fire claimed it, "Go pack a bag," he told the boy as he pointed to his saddlebags on his now dead stallion, "We have to go."  

He signaled walking with his fingers and the boy nodded, "Yes. Must go," he agreed. "More men come."

 Thomas nodded, happy that the boy understood the danger. He did his best to dig a hole big enough for all the bodies. He didn't have time to make sure it was deep enough. They really did have to go. He was just placing the last rocks over the grave when the boy came back out.  

Thomas saw tears fill his eyes when he saw the place where his family was now buried but in true pioneer fashion he squared his shoulders and held up his bag, "I ready," he whispered.  

Thomas was proud of the boy, just as he had been proud of Nathan. Frontier children were made of some pretty tough stuff. Thomas undid his rig and saddlebag from his dead stallion, bid the loyal horse a fond farewell and walked over to Beebee's Palomino mare who was munching on some fresh grass. He undid Beebee's rig and saddlebags and replaced them with his own. He dug in the saddlebags and pulled out his badge, pinning it to his chest.  

The boys eyes widened, "Ranger?" he asked.  

Thomas nodded, "Yeah." He jumped onto the horse and held out his hand for the boy. The boy gave one last look to his families grave and took his hand. Thomas slid him up into the saddle behind him and felt the skinny boy wrap his arms tight around him. Thomas's heart warmed at the contact. He had missed this feeling of companionship. He had missed having family...  

"What you do with them?" the boy asked, pointing at Beebee and Belcher's bodies lying in the dirt. The crows had already begun circling overhead.  

"Leave them. They don't deserve to be buried," Thomas replied. "What is your name, kid?" Thomas asked as they quickly left the homestead behind them.  

"Max."  

"How old are you?"  

"Nine."  

Thomas nodded. He'd been right about the age after all. The boy was just a runt. He looked over his shoulder and smiled, "I'm Thomas. Thomas Cooper."  

---

It only took a day and a half to reach the ranger base. Thomas helped Max from the saddle and the two made their way up to the main house. No one tried to speak to him and Thomas wondered why everyone avoided him like the plague. It was probably because they'd heard about his temper lately.  

"Thomas Cooper! You have a lot to answer for!" Captain Wynter bellowed as he came striding down the porch and meeting Max and Thomas halfway.  

"What would that be, Captain?" Thomas asked as Max hid behind him and peeked around his waist.  

"Why did you blow your cover?! We were getting so close!"

Thomas frowned, "How did you hear about that already?"  

"I had men keeping an eye on you," Captain Wynter replied quickly. 	

"Thanks for the trust there, Captain," Thomas said with a snort.  

"Clearly you couldn't be trusted! Why did you blow your cover?!"  

"Ranger Cooper, save my life," Max said coming to his defense.  

"You blew your cover for him?" Captain Wynter sneered, "All those weeks and months of hard work thrown away for one skinny little Mexican brat?"   

"Ranger Cooper is good man! He saved my life. You a bad man if you think that wrong." Thomas looked down at Max. For a boy who couldn't speak English good that had come out loud and clear.  

"Shut up, you damn Mexican rodant!" Captain Wynter growled. 	Thomas had a sudden moment of clarity. Why was he here? Why was he doing work he didn't want to be doing? Why was he taking orders from a man this ridiculous and foolish? "I'd like you to keep from calling the boy mean things. His name is Max if you'd like to call him that," Thomas growled.  

Captain Wynter threw his hands in the air, "I don't care what the hell his name is! I should have you put in the jail for a month for causing me all this trouble and wasting all this time."  

Thomas leaned his weight to one side, "When it saves a child is it wasted time?"  

"Yes!" Captain Wynter exclaimed.  

Thomas looked down at Max who was looking up at him with anger in his brown eyes. Thomas nodded down at the boy and patted him on his thick black hair. Thomas undid the star from his chest and held it out to the Captain.  

"What are you doing?" Captain Wynter demanded.  

"Quitting," Thomas replied simply.  

"Keep it," Captain Wynter said with a harsh laugh. "You'll be back."  

"Not this time," Thomas said with certainty. When Captain Wynter still didn't take the badge, Thomas threw it down on the dirt and then spit on it just to help get his point across.  

"I'm don," he said coldly. He walked back over to where he'd hitched his horse, grabbed the reins and jumped on, helping Max up behind him.  

"This is a mistake, Thomas Cooper!" Captain Wynter shouted. 	Thomas ignored the man and just kept riding, "Where we going?" Max asked after several quiet moments. "To your home?"  

Thomas thought about telling the boy that he didn't have a home but then he stopped. He did have a home. Atkinson Spread was his home. Liz had made that clear. And that was where his wife was. His Sally. Pride had kept him from going to her sooner. He hadn't wanted to go crawling back to her just to have her break his heart again... Pride be damned he was crawling back anyway. Life without her just wasn't any kind of life he wanted. He needed her. If Jacob didn't like that then Jacob could just go crawl under a rock somewhere and die.  

Thomas aimed the Palomino toward Atkinson Spread, though it was still a good four days away, "Yeah, Max. I'm gonna take ya to my home." 	And as they headed across the plains Thomas prayed. He had never been a religious man but he figured he needed some forgiveness for the things he'd done, not just to Sally but to all those families that he had let die. He wanted to be a good man. He had wanted to be like Brody and somewhere along the way he'd lost sight of that. It was time to ask for God's forgiveness and for his help. He needed help if he was gonna become the man he wanted to be.

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Thomas and Max rode into Bakerstown around noon four days later.  

"Why we stop here?" Max asked.  

Thomas and he had been working hard on teaching the boy to speak better English. Thomas had learned that Max understood English, he just didn't speak it that well, but he was getting much better. His accent was still thick but that just added to the little runts charm.

"I'm gonna get you some clothes, kid. Yours are looking a little rough around the edges."  

Max looked down at his pants and smiled at the large hole that his knobby knee was sticking out of, "Mamma and Pappa never have money for new clothes."  

"Never 

had money,“ Thomas corrected him gently.

 Max nodded sadly, "Si. Never 

had money.“

 Thomas jumped from the saddle and helped Max down as well. He hitched the horse to the post in front of the tailor's shop and led Max inside. Truthfully, getting the boy clothes could have waited but Thomas was trying to waste time. Now that he was so close to Sally, he was suddenly scared nearly to death at the thought of speaking to her.	

 Yes, the tough Thomas Cooper was finding that he wasn't quite as tough as he thought he was and the thought of Sally slamming the door in his face had him shaking in his boots. He was actually hoping that she would punch him, kick him, or try to shoot him... Something that would indicate that there was still fire and passion in her heart where he was concerned. If all she did was give him that sad look she had given him after their 

wedding and close the door in his face, then he didn’t know how he would pick himself up and carry on. He needed that woman. He had loved her before he’d left all those years ago and if he’d been being honest with himself when he came back, he would have realized that he never stopped loving her. She was everything he had ever wanted and all he would ever need.

It took nearly an hour but they were able to get several outfits that would fit the boy and he looked much better in his new hole-free trousers and unstained white shirt that contrasted sharply with his dark skin and hair.  

"We go to your home now?" Max asked as they walked out of the tailor's shop.  

Thomas saw no way around it. He wanted to go home and now was the time, "Yep, we're going to my home now."

 He was just stuffing the brown paper wrapped package of clothes into his saddlebag when he heard Nathan's voice, "I think that's Thomas."  

"Yeah, it's Thomas," Brody agreed.  

Thomas turned to see the two of them walking toward him, "Hi Nathan." Thomas said, smiling and feeling his heart swell at finally seeing the boy again. He'd missed that messy brown hair and those big brown eyes. 	But Nathan didn't look quite so happy to see him, "Nice of you to finally come back," he sneered.  

Brody's hand landed sharply on the back of the boy's head, "Be nice," he warned as Nathan looked up at him with indignation.  

Nathan bit his lip and gave Thomas a look that said he really wasn't regretful but he obediently said, "I'm sorry."  

"Have you been being good for Brody and Liz?" Thomas asked. He hadn't expected Nathan to be angry with him but he realized now that he should have.  

"Yes. I'm not a baby," Nathan replied, "It's not like you care anyway." 	Thomas frowned, "I care."  

"You didn't care enough to tell me goodbye before you left," Nathan reminded him, "And you've been gone a long time!"  

Thomas nodded. He had been gone a long time. Nearly four months, "I'm sorry you think I don't care, Nathan. Truth is I care a heck of a lot and I'm back for good this time."  

Nathan's eyes widened and Thomas saw the hope in them. He noticed that even Brody, who was normally very good at hiding what he was feeling, looked happy yet skeptical at Thomas's announcement.  

"Who is that?" Nathan asked when he saw the pair of legs behind Thomas's legs. Thomas reached behind him and grabbed Max's shoulder. He pulled the boy around him and stood him in front of Nathan, "This is Max. Max this is another boy that I met kinda the same way I met you, his name is Nathan. That man is sheriff Brody Atkinson. His family is the only family I've ever had."  

"Nice to meet you, Max," Brody said holding out his hand. Max looked nervously at Brody but held out his trembling hand and shook Brody's large scarred hand.  

"Why don't you boys go over to the store and buy some candy?" Thomas asked as he gave each boy a nickel. The two of them smiled and ran off together toward the store.  

"So you still working with the rangers?" Brody asked.  

Thomas shook his head, "I quit." 	

"Again?" There was that Brody Atkinson brow raise that he was so good at.  

"For good. I saved Max's life. I turned on the gang they had me riding with and blew my cover. My boss found out," Which Thomas still found odd. "And he was angry that I disobeyed orders and ruined all the months of undercover work just to save a skinny little Mexican rodent--those are his words, not mine."  

Brody's eyes narrowed, "Your boss sounds like a real winner."  

"I used to think so," Thomas replied with a shake of his head. "I changed my mind."  

"You headed out to the ranch?"  

"Yeah. The Captain didn't try to give me any papers when I checked in," Thomas added cautiously.  

Brody grinned, "That's because your wife doesn't want a divorce. You might wanna be careful though because she's been working on her right hook."  

"I'm counting on it," Thomas said as he felt his hopes rise.  

Just then Max and Nathan came running back looking as if they were best friends, with their pockets bulging with their sugar filled purchases, "You coming to the ranch with me or staying in town with Brody?" Thomas asked Nathan.  

Nathan shifted his feet and shrugged, trying to act as if the thought of spending time with Thomas didn't excite him, "I guess I could ride back with you," he muttered, "Brody was gonna take me back anyway because he's gotta ride out of town for a while."  

"Well come on then," Thomas urged. He jumped in the saddle and pulled Max up in front of him and Nathan up behind. 
"What happened to Horse?" Nathan asked as they started out of town. 	Thomas felt a pang of regret, "He died."

 Nathan patted him on the back, "I'm sorry. I guess that's why you didn't want to name him, huh?"  

Thomas nodded and pulled his hat down a little lower, "He was a good horse."

 And then, just like old times, Nathan launched into story after story about what he'd been busy doing since Thomas had been gone. The boy barely paused to breathe in between tales and Thomas found himself loving every minute of it. The ranch came into view and Thomas jumped from the horse and headed straight toward the house.  

"Come on and let me show you my pony! I keep him out here cuz he has a girl out here," Nathan said to Max and the two boys ran to the barn. 	Thomas would have chuckled if he hadn't been so damn nervous. He got to the front door, took a deep breath and knocked. The wait for the door to open nearly undid him and when it swung open it was Susie standing there.  

Her blue eyes, which were identical to Sally's, only without the fiery spark, widened with surprise, "Thomas!" she exclaimed.

 Thomas gave her a small smile but before he could say anything, Susie was pushed aside and Jacob was standing there. Thomas braced himself for a fight, fully prepared to knock the man's head off again, if necessary. Instead he was shocked speechless when Jacob smiled broadly and hugged him tight.  

"Am I glad to see you!" the man exclaimed.  

Thomas pulled away from him and crossed his arms over his chest, "Why the sudden show of affection, Jacob? You were ready to kill me the last time we saw each other."  

"About that...." Jacob rubbed his jaw and recalled the pain he had felt once he had regained consciousness after Thomas had punched him all those months ago, "I messed up."  

Thomas snorted "Ya think?"  

"Don't act too smug," Jacob warned. "You did take my sister's innocence, sneaking in and out of her window and coming and going as you pleased."  

Thomas frowned and let out a defeated sigh at the reminder of just how foolish he had been. If he hadn't been so stubborn about never falling in love, ff he hadn't been such an idiot then none of this would have happened, "I know. You would have had every right to shoot me."  

Jacob rubbed at his neck, "I messed things up for you and Sally. The whole family hates me now. Liz won't speak to me, Sally moved out, Ellie...."  

"Sally moved out?" Thomas demanded. "Where the hell did she go?"  

"She had the hands build her a cabin."  

"She lives alone!" Thomas exclaimed. "Anything could happen to her!"  

"I know that," Jacob said with exasperation. "I told her as much but like I said, everyone hates me."  

"Where is the cabin?" Thomas demanded, "Where is my wife?"  

Jacob looked at Thomas and realized in that moment that the man loved Sally, "The cabin is close to the pond in the north pasture," Jacob replied and Thomas turned and practically ran back to his waiting horse.  

"Senor, wait!" Max called with fear and Thomas stopped and watched the boy run out of the barn with Nathan on his heels. Thomas kicked himself when he remembered Max's fear of every other 

gringo but him and, apparently, Nathan.

"Sorry, Max. I'm going out to talk to Sally."  

"Your senora?"  

"Yeah."  

"She's real nice. You'll like her!" Nathan told Max. "She is real good at shooting and she has taught me how to ride horses real good too." 	Thomas was happy to know that Sally and Nathan got along so well. He had always known that Sally would be good with kids. Hopefully Max would like her too.  

"You both coming with me?" Thomas asked.  

Nathan nodded and Frank came out of the barn with a brown pony saddled, "That's my horse, Thomas. She's a real good one. She doesn't spook at snakes or nuttin. Sally picked her out for me!" Nathan exclaimed. 	Thomas smiled, "That's real good."  He helped both boys onto the mare and then the three of them started across the plains.  

"'Bout time that boy came home," Cookie grumbled as he sat down in his normal chair beside the barn.  

"Looks like you were right all along," Frank agreed, "They're gonna be real happy together once they get their differences settled. I always knew that Thomas was a good kid."  

"Now the only one I have to worry about is Susie," Cookie agreed. 	Frank laughed. He knew about Cookie's fondness for the Atkinson's and their antics and love lives, "If you're staying alive in hopes of seeing Susie find her soul mate then I'm afraid you're going to live forever old man."  

"I ain't that old," Cookie argued. "And Susie'll find her man and it won't be too much longer if I ain't mistaken."  

"He'll be a school teacher or shop keep or something real safe. I don't reckon he'll be a man that'll fit in out here," Frank said with a chuckle.

 Cookie appeared thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head, "No, he'll be a wild one. A drinker, a hooter and a good timer. But one look at our Susie and he'll be hooked."  

"You've got quite an imagination old man," Frank said with a shake of his head and then he headed for the corral.

 Cookie just grinned and leaned back in his chair. Mark his words, he knew just the kind of man that would come along for shy little Susie.

---

"I'm nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs," Thomas whispered when Sally's cabin came into view.  

"Why you nervous?" Max asked.  

"Because I messed up bad with Sally," Thomas replied, "And I have no idea what to say to make it better. I don't know how to explain to her how much I love her."  

Nathan and Max seemed deep in thought for a moment and then Max shrugged, "You know what made mi mamma smile?" he asked and Thomas shook his head. "When me and my sisters spread our arms wide like this--" Max spread his arms as wide as they would go, "--and say 'I love you this much'"  

Nathan nodded in agreement, "My mama used to do that to me." 	Thomas felt foolish taking love advice from a couple of kids but they seemed to know more about telling someone how you felt than he did, "So that really works on women, huh?" Thomas asked and both boys nodded.  

"Works on moms," Nathan said, "So it'll work on girls too."  

"What about wives?" Thomas asked with a frown.  

Max nodded, "Si, those too."  

Thomas couldn't help but chuckle and then he gave the boys a serious look, "You two stay right here. I want a bit of privacy to talk to Sally."  

 They nodded and stayed on the pony a good one hundred feet from the cabin as Thomas rode closer and then dismounted. He wiped his sweaty hands on his denims and prayed she'd be home. He glanced in the small barn and saw a horse in a stall next to a milking cow. Hopefully that meant she was in the cabin.  

He noticed that the cabin was small. It would have to made bigger... that is if she accepted him back. They would need more room for Max, and Nathan, if he wanted to live with them.. And of course for their own children.  

Thomas walked up onto the small porch but before he could knock on the door it was thrown open and suddenly Sally was in front of him. Thomas looked down into her big blue eyes and he could see the fear, anger and uncertainty in them but he could also see love. The spark of anger and temper let him know that he still stood a chance and the love gave him even more hope.  

He stood there awkwardly for a moment. He didn't know what to say or do. He saw her hand twitch and her eyes narrow and he knew she was about to yell. He quickly pressed his fingers against her full lips, "Let me talk," he pleaded and she nodded and just stared up at him.  

Thomas dropped to his knee and took both of her hands in his, "I'm sorry, Sally. Nothing I say is going to make up for what I've done or how I've treated you. We both said things the last time we saw each other that I know we didn't mean. I think it's about time you hear exactly how much you mean to me.	

"You are everything in this entire world that I will ever need. I can't do this without you anymore, Sally. I have to have your touch, your smile, your kisses. I have to hear your voice cursing at me when I push your buttons and whispering when I hold you close. I need to hear that purring sound you make when I kiss your neck.  

"I want to be a real husband to you, Sally. I want to lay down with you every night and wake up beside you every morning. I never, 

never , want to be apart from you. I’ve had enough of being apart from you. I want to fill a house with our children that have your temper, your smile, and my… last name.“

Thomas stared up at her and saw tears running down her cheeks as she smiled at the last part of his speech. He hoped that was a good sign, but he still had more to say so he continued, "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize all of this, Sally, but I love you. One hundred percent, without a doubt, more than anything else in this entire world, I love you," Thomas looked back at Nathan and Max and saw the boys nod. He felt a little silly but he spread his arms out wide and smiled up at her, "I love you this much."  

Sally stared down at him and didn't even bother trying to wipe the tears away. She had always prided herself on being strong. On being as tough as any man and tougher than most... But right now all she wanted to be was a woman. Thomas's woman. She knew that they had both said things they hadn't meant before. Both of them had made mistakes and gotten in their own way. But he was here now and he was on his knee and he had finally said the words that she had been waiting to hear since she'd been twelve years old and nothing else in their past mattered.  

"That's all I've ever wanted to hear you say," she whispered.

 Thomas gave a nervous smile and looked up at her, "Which part?"  

 She spread her arms wide, "I love you this much. Thomas, I love you too... I always have."  

Thomas jumped to his feet and wrapped her tight in his arms. He kissed her lips and tasted the salty tears.. Though whether they were her tears or his he wasn't sure and didn't care. All that mattered was that his wife was finally in his arms for good.  

He tilted her head up and kissed her lips like a starving man being offered a final piece of fruit. He savored the kiss and tasted her long and slow until he heard giggling from behind him. He pulled away and turned, keeping one arm tight around Sally's waist, to see that Nathan and Max had come up to the house on Nathan's pony.  

"Told you it would work," Nathan said with a smug smile.  

Sally cleared her throat and Thomas looked at her, "What is it?" he asked seeing the question in her eyes.  

"Who is that?" she replied, pointing at Max, who smiled shyly and gave a small wave which Sally returned.  

"Oh, that's Max. He's our newest addition."  

"Newest addition?" Sally asked with that Atkinson brow raise that she was so good at.  

Thomas nodded and kissed her hair, finding that he couldn't get enough of this closeness with her. He doubted he ever would, "Seems I've got a talent for picking up strays."  

Sally smiled and then she laughed, "I've missed you, Thomas."  

"And I've missed you, Mrs. Cooper."

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

"You cook now?" Thomas asked Sally later that afternoon as she lit a fire in the oven and slid some ham inside that Thomas had brought in from the smokehouse.  

Sally glared at him and put her hands on her hips, "Yes, I cook. I've always cooked." Thomas raised his brow in his best Atkinson impression and Sally gave him a sheepish smile, "I've always 

tried to cook,“ she amended.

Thomas was still smiling as he glanced out the window at Nathan and Max, who were throwing rocks into the pond, "I can still remember that time when me and Liz was living with you, Jacob and Susie in Virginia and you decided you were gonna bake me an apple pie because you wanted me to notice you. If I remember correct, Liz had to throw the pie in the pond and it took a good two weeks to get the smell of smoke and burnt apples out of the house."  

Sally threw a rag at his head but he caught it and laughed, "Yeah, well don't worry, I've gotten better at baking pie since then," she promised. 	Thomas's gray eyes suddenly darkened as he stared across the kitchen at her, "I ain't a bit interested in pie right now," he promised.  

Sally was on her way across the kitchen to have him show her just what he was interested in when the door burst open, "Senor, look what I found!" Max exclaimed, holding up one of the biggest toads that Thomas had ever seen.  

"Wow, talk about a mood killer," Sally laughed as she went about peeling some potatoes to boil.  

"What?" Nathan asked, walking in behind Max.  

Thomas chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Nothing," he replied, "Max, that's a nice toad but ya really shouldn't bring wild critters in the house."  

Max gave him a look full of so much guilt that Thomas felt himself about to cave and let the boy have a house full of toads.  

"You know what..." Sally said as she wiped her hands on her apron and walked over, "If you want to, I'll get Thomas here to help build a big pen one day soon and you can catch all kinds of toads and frogs and keep them in it. Would you like that, Max?"  Max looked up at Sally as if she were an angel.  

"Si, senora. I would like that," his eyes went to the floor. "I had a dog at my old home but those men....." his little voice trailed off sadly.  

 Sally's eyes went to Thomas but Thomas was staring out the window, though his eyes were distant and his jaw so tense she was sure the bones would crack.  

Sally knelt down so she'd be on Max's level, "Well, we'll get you a dog too. I think there's a hound up at the main ranch that's fixing to have pups soon. You can pick one of those."  

"Gracias!" Max cried and he threw his arms around her neck and hugged her as tightly as his skinny body could. Sally felt her heart melt for the small boy.  

Thomas cleared his throat and Max pulled away and both boys looked up at him, "Why don't you boys go out and play for a while. We'll call ya when suppers ready." Max and Nathan both nodded and then ran out the door, laughing with excitement.

Sally stood and walked over to Thomas. She lay her hand on his arm and suddenly his whole posture changed from rigid and tense, to defeated and broken. He threw his arms around her and pulled her against him, holding her tight, as if his entire existence depended on being able to feel her.  

"The things I've done, Sally... The people I've hurt, the people I've been forced to kill, the people I had to let others kill.... All for the greater good of the rangers." This last sentence was spoken with a venom that told Sally what Thomas now thought of the rangers.

"You did your job, Thomas," Sally said gently as she rubbed his back and breathed in his scent. He hadn't bathed since he'd gotten back and he smelled like dust, sweat and horse. It was a comforting scent.  

"Well that's over now. I'm gonna work on the ranch from here on out. I don't ever want to have to kill nobody, or orphan anymore children again.. I helped those men kill Max's family. Sure it wasn't none of my bullets that killed his ma or pa or his sisters but I was right there and didn't stop it. Then out of the burning house comes Max, with a rifle that was bigger than he was and when Belcher lowered his gun to shoot the boy, I just couldn't let it happen. I jumped in front of the bullet, it grazed my arm, I threw Max down, covered his body with mine and killed the two men that were still there from the gang. I took Max back to Tortulla and somehow the Captain had already heard that I'd blown my cover. He told me that saving a Mexican boy was not a good enough reason to waste all that hard work..... I turned in my badge right then."  

"If I ever meet your old captain, I'll be sure to punch him in the face." Sally promised.  

 Thomas chuckled as he pulled away from her, "He's not a very tough man and you have one hell of a punch," he noted rubbing the side of his jaw. "You'd probably end up killing the man."  

"Oh well," she said with a shrug, "There'd be one less jackass in the world."  

Thomas kissed her nose and then she pulled away and went back to fixing supper, "We'll have to make this cabin bigger," Thomas stated as he sat down at the table and looked around. The kitchen led into the living area. There was one small sofa and an arm chair in front of the fire place. Small feminine touches covered the place. The yellow checked blanket on the back of the sofa and the cup of wildflowers on the kitchen table were a few of these.   

There was only one small bedroom with a tiny bed, washstand and dresser. All of the windows were covered by simple yellow curtains giving the cabin a light and airy feel, "Why did you have the hands build you such a small cabin with only one bedroom?" he asked.  

Sally rolled her eyes and looked over at him, pausing in her peeling of the potatoes, "Because when they built the cabin I was sure that I was going to be alone for the rest of my life."  

Thomas felt a pang of guilt and then glanced around, "Well I'll get to work on making it bigger," he said, "We'll need room for Max... I wonder if Nathan will want to stay with us?"  

Sally chewed on her lip and looked back at her potatoes, "You might want to talk to Brody and Liz about that first. They've become pretty attached to him over the last seven months or so. And he's pretty attached to them too. He calls Liz mama every now and then..."  

Thomas felt a moment of disappointment but he quickly pushed it away. He had wanted Nathan to be close with Brody and Liz. That's why he had brought the boy here, "That's what I wanted, I guess," he whispered as he ran his hands over the table.  

He was staring down at the wood when suddenly he felt Sally's arms slip around his neck as she pressed herself against his back. Thomas had wondered what this would feel like but never had he imagined it would warm his soul the way it did. Feeling her love and support of him was unlike anything he'd ever felt. She wrapped him up in her arms and suddenly nothing he had done in his past mattered... The mistakes he had made, the life he had led, faded away and the only thing he needed was this woman. His Sally.  

"I love you." he whispered as he grabbed her hand and pressed it to his lips.  

Sally smiled and kissed his neck, "You're getting pretty good at saying that now... See it wasn't so hard," she teased.  

Thomas chuckled, "It shouldn't have been," he agreed.  

---

"Thomas, thank goodness you're back!" Elizabeth exclaimed a couple of hours later when she, Brody and the twins arrived at the cabin. Sally, Thomas and the kids had already eaten supper and were outside enjoying the last of the day.  

"It's good to be back, Liz. I'd like to stay for good," Thomas replied after she released him from a hug.  

"You had better," Elizabeth warned, "This coming and going nonsense has to stop and don't you worry any about Jacob. I'll set him straight real quick if he tries to start his crap again."  

"Mommy is mad at uncle Jacob," Lexi informed him and Bryant nodded just before he and Lexi ran down toward the pond where Nathan and Max were playing.  

"Nathan, you better watch them around that water," Brody called out.

 Nathan nodded, "I will pa!" Nathan replied distractedly.  

Brody and Elizabeth instantly looked at Thomas but Thomas just shrugged and gave them a small smile, "I'm glad the boy took up with you two so good."  

"He's a good kid," Brody said with a nod.  

"Max is too," Thomas replied, "But he's different than Nathan. He's more scared and he don't talk near as much. Can't really blame him though, he's had a tough life."  

"He'll be alright," Brody assured him as he watched Nathan introducing the small boy to Lexi and Bryant. Bryant was already nearly as tall as Max, Brody noticed with a grin.  

"You should go make up with Jacob," Thomas said to Elizabeth as she and Sally sat down together on the porch swing and Thomas and Brody stood leaned against the banisters.  

"And why is that? He had no right to do what he did," Elizabeth replied stubbornly. Thomas looked over at Brody to see if he would try to help talk to Elizabeth but he was looking pointedly away, indicating that he had no urge to involve himself in this particular discussion.  

"He did what he thought he had to do," Thomas insisted, "And it's not as if he made me do anything I didn't want to do when he made me marry Sally. I already wanted to marry her."  

"Yes, but then he made you leave."  

"If I hadn't left then I may not have realized just what Sally and this ranch mean to me. If I hadn't left I wouldn't have been there to save Max," Thomas reminded her.  

Elizabeth let out a sigh of defeat, "I'll talk to him," she promised.  

The four of them sat and talked until darkness was beginning to fall and then Brody indicated that it was time to go. Nathan hugged Thomas tight, "I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.  

Thomas nodded, "Definitely."

Nathan smiled happily and then Sally, Thomas and Max stood on the porch and watched Brody and his family ride away.  

"I'm tired." Max said with a yawn.  

Thomas walked into the barn where he had put up his horse and grabbed his bedroll out of the corner. He brought it into the house and made a bed for the boy on the floor beside the fireplace.  

"Goodnight, kid," he said after he had Max settled into  bed.  

"Goodnight," Max replied as he curled up on his side and closed his eyes.  

Thomas turned his attention to Sally and she shivered with anticipation at the hunger she saw in his eyes, "You ready for bed, Mrs Cooper?"  

 She bit her lip and turned her back to him. Tossing her golden hair Sally glanced over her shoulder and winked at him, "Are 

you ready, Mr. Cooper?“

Thomas gave her a wicked grin and followed her into the bedroom.  

---

"You can't just come here and talk to me like this!" Captain Wynter exclaimed as he looked at the dirty man currently leaning against his fireplace mantle and twirling a revolver around his finger.  

"Why's that, brother? You too good to be seen with me or something?" Lee Bryce asked.

 Captain Wynter looked at the gang leader who was his half brother, "If anyone here at the base recognizes you then I'll have to arrest you," Captain Wynter reminded him.  

"You worry too much, Frankie. None of these stupid rangers are smart enough to realize who I am."  

"Why are you here?" Captain Wynter hissed.  

"Who the hell was that Tommy man? And why did you send a man into my gang that would kill my men?"  

Captain Wynter threw his brother an irritated glance and then plopped himself down in the chair. He was thankful that Alice was sleeping soundly upstairs. If she knew about his extracurricular activities she would not be happy, "Thomas Cooper has done plenty of undercover work for me. I have to send in a ranger and make it look like I'm trying to tear these gangs apart. If my superiors knew that I was the one funding the murders of the Mexican slime coming into our fair state, I'd be executed."

"He killed two of my men," Lee spat angrily as he holstered his gun and spit into the fire.  

Captain Wynter frowned at his brothers lack of polish and lit a cigar, "So go to the nearest saloon and pick up two more. The boy is gone, he quit. It's not my fault he had a sudden burst of heroic conscience."  

"I want him," Lee growled.  

"He's gone," Captain Wynter replied with a shrug.

 Lee strode across the room to stand in front of his brother threateningly. Captain Wynter felt a moment of unease. Lee was dangerous and unpredictable. Hell he had killed their mother and his own biological father in a fit of rage when he had only been twelve, "I want him. Where did he go?"  

"I don't know," Captain Wynter replied. He didn't like the fact that Thomas had quit but he didn't want the man dead.  

Lee grabbed the cigar from between his brother's lips and took a puff of it himself, "Tell me where I can find him. I owe him two bullets."

 Captain Wynter shook his head and then he nearly let out a cry of fear when Lee pulled his gun, cocked it and pressed the cold metal against his graying temple, "Tell me."  

"To his wife I guess!" Captain Wynter exclaimed as he shook uncontrollably. "Up around Bakerstown."  

"My gang broke up," Lee said pulling his gun away and sticking it back in its holster, "I need at least another man or two to go after him."  

"You won't find anyone here. I'm the only crooked ranger on this base," Captain Wynter attempted a grin, though it was more like a grimace in his nervous state.  

"Well I need someone," Lee insisted.  

He handed Captain Wynter back his cigar and took a step away. Captain Wynter frowned, "There is one man that would probably like to get back at Thomas just as much as you would... Though I'd rather Thomas didn't die. He was a damn good ranger and I'd like to have him back."  

"Not an option," Lee growled. "He's going to die. Now who is this man?"  

---

"Hello, Captain Wynter. How nice of you to come visit me," Herman Sheecks said from his cell as he chewed on his dirty finger nail, "Oh and you brought me a friend!" he added with false enthusiasm.  

"This is Lee Bryce and he has a proposition for you," Captain Wynter replied. He didn't like this at all but there was nothing he could do about it. His gun and knife crazy brother would kill him if he didn't help him all he could. Besides Thomas Cooper had made his bed, and it was about time for him to have to lie in it.  

"I'm just a simple man, Captain, I don't understand those fancy words," Herman said with a grin.  

"He wants you to come do something with him," Captain Wynter replied.

 Herman frowned and looked around the tiny windowless cell he was locked in, "I don't know if both you gentleman have noticed, but I'm a little locked up at the moment. Which I'm still pissed about by the way. You were supposed to let me go after I told you what you wanted to know."  

"I had to give you some form of punishment, Herman, you killed more than just Mexicans and that was against the rules of our agreement." 	Herman grumbled under his breath and leaned against the cold, damp stone wall, "What do you want?" he asked Lee.  

Lee ran his fingers over his thick beard and mustache and smiled, "I hear you might want a piece of Thomas Cooper."  

Herman scowled at mention of that name and ground his rotten teeth together, "He killed my friends, shot me and then treated me no better than a mutt as he brought me down here."  

"He killed two of my men as well," Lee admitted.

 Herman cocked his head, "And what line of business are you in, Mr. Bryce?"  

"The killing Mexican's kind." Lee replied.  

 Herman laughed, "Me too." 	

"Get on with it you two. Before the guards get back from their break," Captain Wynter warned.  

Lee leaned against the bars, "I want you to ride with me to go put a bullet, or two, in Thomas Cooper."

 Excitement lit up Herman's face, "I can definitely help do that," he agreed and then he looked over at Captain Wynter. "Am I free then?"  

"Yes," Captain Wynter sighed, "You've served your sentence. But no more killing American women and children. Stick to the good for nothing Mexicans."  

Herman nodded, "I'll try my best," he promised as he made a big show of crossing his fingers.  

---

"Do you know where Thomas Cooper is at up in Bakerstown?" Lee asked as the two men rode out of Tortulla.  

Herman nodded, "Yep. He's got him a pretty little woman up there too."  

"That gives me an idea," Lee said with a grin. "We could get a hold of her, kidnap her, and then take Thomas out when he comes after her... That way we could have us a bit of fun with the woman."

 Herman frowned, "There's just one problem with your plan."  

"What's that?" Lee demanded.  

"His woman is Brody Atkinson's sister," Herman replied as if that should be the worst news Lee had ever heard.  

Lee rubbed his chin, "Who's that?"  

"You've never heard of him?!" Herman exclaimed. 	

 Lee shook his head, "Should I be scared of him?"  

"Hell yes!" Herman said with a nod that nearly snapped his neck. "I heard tell he once branded a mans head just before he blew his brains out with that gun of his."

 Lee shrugged, "I slit my mother's throat while she was sleeping when I was only twelve," he replied coldly and Herman's black eyes nearly bulged from his head, "You still afraid of this Brody fella?"  

"Yes," Herman answered truthfully. "But I'm not nearly as afraid of him as I am of you."  

Lee smiled, "Let's go then. We'll have us a good old time with that woman and kill that Mexican loving, yellow bellied murderer while we're at it."

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

"I'm going to go home and start some dinner," Sally called out to Thomas.

 He had been home for over a week and the last week had been more than Sally could have ever dreamed. They made love every night and he held her in his strong arms until dawn. Max was fitting in and they had even begun working on adding another room to the cabin.  

Today they had spent the day on horseback, rounding up the cattle so they could brand the calves.

"I go with you too," Max said.  

Thomas helped him off his horse and Sally pulled him up onto hers.  Thomas looked up at the storm clouds rolling in and frowned, "I'll try to be back before dark. I really want to get these cattle brought around and I have to run into Bakerstown to pick something up."  

"Pick what up?" Sally asked.  

Thomas looked around the plains and hills and shook his head, "Just some things for the rooms on the cabin."

. Sally thought maybe he was hiding something but she wasn't sure what and Max tugged on her sleeve before she could ask, "Senora, we go now?"   

Sally nodded, frowning at the sight of those storm clouds rolling in, "You better get to town and back quick, Thomas, or else you're going to get awful wet."

 Thomas grinned, "You'll just have to help dry me out."  

Sally rolled her eyes and turned her back to him as she and Max started toward the cabin, "Why don't you bring me back some more bullets for my gun?" she called over her shoulder.  

Thomas laughed, "Why's that?"  

"That way when you start coughing your lungs up because you catch your death riding around in the rain, I'll have enough bullets to put you out of your misery."  

"My loving wife," Thomas muttered dryly. Sally gave him one last dazzling smile and then rode away. Thomas whistled loudly to get Franks attention and the other man rode over, "I gotta ride into town," Thomas informed him.  

 Frank nodded, "We can handle the rest of this," he said looking out at all the other hands, including Elizabeth, who were busy moving the cattle toward the ranch.  

"See ya tomorrow," Thomas tipped his hat and across the herd of cattle Elizabeth did the same. He broke away from the commotion and headed off across the dusty plains toward Bakerstown. He hoped he wasn't wasting a trip into town. He had ordered a set of wedding bands out of the catalogue at the mercantile and they were supposed to be in today.  

He hadn't told Sally about them, nor did he tell her that he'd had to sell off two of his revolvers that he'd kept since he'd been old enough to shoot, to buy them. He could have used the newfound ranch money since he was technically now a part owner thanks to his marriage to Sally but he hadn't wanted to. He had wanted to buy the rings with his own money.  

It wasn't common for men to wear a wedding band but Thomas noticed that both Brody and Jacob did and so he figured he could too. He couldn't wait to see the smile that would appear on Sally's face when she saw the rings. They were just simple gold bands, all he could afford, but they were a big step for a man who had been scared to death, not so long ago, just to say the words, 

‘I love you’.

Thomas smiled as he thought of how different his life was now that he wasn't afraid or fighting against his feelings anymore. Sally was more than he deserved but he was a smart enough man now to grab onto her and hang onto her for all he was worth. Nothing in this world would ever take him away from Sally again.  

---

Sally pulled the ham out of the oven and sat it on the table beside the fresh baked bread and the greens Max had just sat out. She looked out the window at the pouring rain and the darkening sky and frowned. Where was Thomas? She couldn't help but worry as a bolt of lightning lit up the darkness and thunder shook the windows.  

"Don't be scared," Max said comfortingly as he patted her arm, "Senor Cooper will be home soon."

 Sally smiled down at him, "I know." She walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a deck of cards. "Do you know how to play poker?" she asked.  

Max smiled and nodded enthusiastically, "My papa taught me."  

Sally brought the lantern over to the table to further illuminate the growing darkness inside and sat down, "Let's play then."  

 After several hands of poker, which Max won much to Sally's surprise, Sally saw how tired the boy was becoming. She made him a plate of food and told him to eat while she walked out onto the porch to watch for her husband. Darkness had fallen, and the rain was still coming down hard. At least the thunder and lightning had moved away. She sat in the swing and before she knew it, the sound of the rain against the tin roof above her had her drifting off to sleep.  

"Looky here, Lee! I believe the woman is a bit on the tired side." 	Sally's eyes flew open at the unfamiliar male voice and she nearly screamed when she saw the two dirty men standing on the porch in front of her. Her first instinct was to go for her gun but she then she remembered that she had taken it off earlier and it was in her bedroom inside the cabin.  

"Who are you?!" Sally demanded as she rose to her feet and tried to hide her fear behind false bravado.  

The red haired, beard covered man, with mean black eyes and rotten teeth feigned hurt, "Are ya saying you don't recognize me?"  

Sally stared at him and then her eyes widened as recognition dawned. This was the man that had been Thomas's prisoner all those months ago. What was he doing here and who was this other man?  

"My husband is inside," she warned. "You men better leave."

 Lee chuckled and shook his head as he spit on the wooden floor boards of the porch, "Nope. Tommy isn't here. We made sure he'll be nice and busy in town for a while. That was a nice try though," he reached out a hand and ran his finger across her cheek,  "You are a pretty thing."  

Sally slapped his hand away and felt fear fill her. She wondered if these men meant to kill her or if they were here to do worse. Then she remembered Max in the house and felt her fear multiply tenfold.

"You're gonna come with us now," the ex-prisoner said.

 Sally shook her head, "No I'm not." she hissed. She was fully prepared to punch this short red haired men in his rotten teeth when the bigger, dark haired man grabbed her arm and threw her down on the porch. 	She refused to scream or let him know how badly he was hurting her as he put his knee in her back and tied her hands behind her. She felt desperation fill her when the cabin door opened and Max stepped out, "What are you doing?!" he exclaimed with fear.  

Sally looked at the tiny boy, "Run, Max!" she screamed but it was too late.  

Lee stood and brought his hand down hard on the side of Max's head. Max let out a cry of pain as the men laughed, "Not only did that son of a bitch kill two of my men to save this skinny little brat but then he took him in!" Lee exclaimed as he gripped Max's upper arms tightly.

 Sally grunted with disgust when the ex-prisoner grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. He pressed his face against her cheek, breathing in her scent and when he pulled back just a bit, she head butted him hard in the temple, "Dammit!" he exclaimed as he stumbled back.  

"She's a feisty one, Herman," Lee warned with a chuckle.

Herman closed his fist and punched her hard in the face. The pain exploded inside her head and she grunted and nearly fell but he held her up, "What are we doing with the damn Mexican boy?" he asked Lee impatiently, "We need to get going if we're gonna have any fun with her before Thomas finds us."  

Lee nodded, "We'll keep the boy with us. I know some men that'll pay us good money to have a little Mexican boy as a pet."  

Sally felt her stomach turn, "Leave him alone!" she exclaimed as she looked into Max's fear filled dark eyes. 	

"No such luck, pretty lady," Lee lamented.

 Herman handed Lee his rope and Lee tied Max's hands. "It'll be okay Max. These bastards don't realize who they're messing with. Thomas and Brody will chew them up and spit them out," Sally assured the boy.  

"I'm afraid you're wrong" Lee countered.

 Sally watched as Lee pulled a nail and a piece of paper from his pocket. He used his gun as a hammer and hung the paper on the door before grabbing Max roughly and leading him off the porch and into the driving rain. He jumped on his horse and pulled Max up in front of him. Herman tossed Sally over his horse on her stomach, before jumping up in the saddle. 	The raindrops were big and quickly soaked through their clothes as they rode off into the darkness of night. Sally felt desperation fill her the farther they rode. There was no moonlight tonight and nothing to help Brody and Thomas track them. The rain would do away with any tracks they might leave fairly quickly. Brody was the best tracker that Sally knew but even he wouldn't be able to find them until sometime tomorrow and who knew if she and Max would be alive by then. The only weapon Sally had was a knife in her boot. But what good was a knife against two crazy men with guns?  And she had Max to think about. She had to think of a way to save both of them. If something happened to Max it would destroy her husband.

---

"Thanks for your help with that, Thomas," Brody said as the two men started toward the ranch from Bakerstown.  

"I ain't never seen nothing like that before," Thomas replied.  

Brody nodded as he pulled his hat lower. The rain gathered on the brim of both men's hats and poured off them like waterfalls, "That was a pretty good fight at the saloon for sure. I've got more people in the jail right now than I had all year last year."  

"It almost seemed like somebody wanted to keep us busy," Thomas admitted.  

Both men shared a look that said they were worried but didn't want to say anything out loud. The overdone bar fight had seemed staged and more than one of the men had talked about the money they had made that night. They had seemed more interested in Thomas than they had Brody and Thomas prayed that their worries were baseless and Sally and Max would both be fine when he got back to his cabin.  

It was a wordless agreement that had Brody riding with Thomas to the cabin. The driving rain and darkness made the ride miserable and Thomas kept turning his new wedding band around and around his finger.

 He tried to push back his feeling of dread, but both he and Brody had learned over their lives to listen to their gut instincts and their gut instincts told them that something just wasn't right.  

The glow of light from the cabin porch came into view and Thomas picked up the pace with Brody on his heels. Thomas knew something wasn't right because Sally wasn't waiting on the porch. In the glow of light from the porch he could see footprints in the mud... Men and horses...  

"Sally!" he called out as he jumped from his horse and ran, slipping and sliding, through the mud and rain to the porch. "Max!"  

Thomas saw the paper on the door and ripped it off. His eyes scanned it quickly and then he yelled out in fear and anger as he dropped the paper to the floor of the porch and ran into to the house, calling out desperately for his wife and Max.  

Brody walked up onto the porch and picked up the piece of paper.  

Tommy,

Did you think you would get away with killing my men just to save that boy? I don't think so. Your wife and that little Mexican brat are mine now and by the time you find us they'll be broken. 

Lee Bryce

P.S. Herman says hello

Thomas came back out of the house and he and Brody shared a look that needed no words to decipher. They were going to get these men and they were going to make them regret messing with their family.

"It'll be hard to track them in this dark and rain," Brody noted, even as they mounted up.  

"Hard but not impossible," Thomas agreed.

 Brody saw the paleness of his face. The way his skin was drawn and tight and the way his gray eyes were full of fear, worry and anger. Brody himself was better at turning his emotions off but even he was scared, "We'll find them, Thomas." he promised.

 Thomas stared straight ahead and Brody saw the light from the porch glint off the golden band on his hand, "I can't lose her, Brody. If I lose her...."  

Thomas didn't need to say anything else. Brody understood exactly how he felt. He had felt the same thing when he had thought his wife was dead. It was a feeling worse than any other feeling in the world. It was helplessness and pain and it made a man crazy.

 Instead of replying, Brody hung off his saddle and focused all his attention on the wet muddy ground. He would be able to track those bastards down but it was going to be slow going.  

"Please, God, let her be okay...." Thomas whispered up at the angry, dark sky. He stuck his hand in his pocket and closed his fingers around Sally's ring. He couldn't lose her... If he lost her then he would lose everything in the world that made his life worth living.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

The rain had ceased when Lee and Herman finally brought their horses to a stop, "We can let 'em rest a while. There ain't no way Brody and Thomas will be able to track us tonight," Lee grumbled.

 Sally bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain when Herman grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her down on the wet, muddy ground. Lee threw Max down beside her.  

"I'm going to try to ride ahead just a bit and see how close we are to that river and just how swollen it is. We may have to find another way 'round," Lee stated.

 Herman nodded as he sat down on a rock and chewed his fingernail, "I'll keep our guests company," he assured the other man.  

Lee rode off into the darkness and Sally gave Max a wink. The boy was clearly scared to death but Sally was going to get him out of this. When he saw her wink he seemed to relax just a little. Sally was going to get them back to Thomas and then she was going to tell Thomas all she had heard Lee and Herman say about his old Captain as they'd been riding tonight.  

"Herman..?" Sally whispered, adding just a bit of a helpless and breathless quality to her voice.

 Herman stopped chewing his dirty nail and looked at her skeptically, "What?"  

"My wrists hurt," she whimpered. She knew that most men couldn't resist a damsel in distress and she hoped that went for murderers and crazy men as well.  

"What do you want me to do about it?" he demanded.

 Sally batted her lashes and bit her lip as she looked over at him. He had lit a small light that he'd pulled from a bag on his saddle to illuminate the darkness, "Maybe you could untie them just for a bit?" she asked.  

When she saw that he was about to refuse she leaned forward. She knew that the top buttons of her blouse had come undone and her breasts would be nearly visible in the glowing fire light, "I'd make it worth your while."  

"You would huh?" Herman licked his lips, "Aww what the hell? Part of taking you was so that we could have some fun with you. I might as well get started."

 She watched him undo his gun belt and toss it and his knife aside. Clearly he wanted to make sure she didn't have a weapon within her reach, "Untie me, Herman. You won't regret it," she whispered as she raised her brow suggestively. Men were so foolish sometimes. Bite your lip, show them some breasts and their entire brain turned to mush.  

"What about the boy?" Herman asked.  

"You won't watch will you, Max?" Sally asked and Max looked at her as if he couldn't believe what she was doing.  

"Thomas will not like this!" he cried.

 Sally frowned, "Thomas is nothing. This man got the best of Thomas and if Thomas shows up he wouldn't stand a chance," she argued.  

Herman smiled broadly as he stood up and stuck out his chest, "Listen to her, you damn Mexican. She's a smart woman."  

"I don't know about that... .I am awful lonely though. Thomas focuses all his time on the boy," Sally pouted as she too stood and walked close enough to Herman that her breasts were brushing against his chest. She had to fight to hide her complete and utter disgust as he smiled and she smelled his rotten breath and teeth.  

"Turn around," he urged.  

Sally did and she smiled when she felt him untie her wrists. She rubbed the soreness from them as she turned back around and before she could say or do anything he grabbed her by her hair and threw her down on the muddy ground, covering her body with his and pressing his mouth to hers roughly.  

His dirty beard and mustache dug into her soft skin and his filthy hands made her want to vomit as she felt them running up her legs and over her chest. Max let out a yell of disbelief and Sally hoped the boy would understand later.  

She acted as if she liked what Herman was doing and brought her legs up to wrap them around his waist, "Yeah, I love a woman with long legs," he grunted as he ripped her blouse open.  

Sally pulled his mouth back to hers. She needed him to be too busy kissing her to realize what she was doing. She reached her hand down to her boot and pulled out her eight inch long, pearl handled knife she always kept there. Thomas had given her that knife when she had been younger.  

"Bye Herman," she gasped as she pulled her mouth away. He looked at her with confusion and then his eyes widened with shock and pain when she brought the knife down hard on his back, driving it into the left side, just below his shoulder blade and directly into his heart.  

"You bitch," he gasped as blood trickled between his lips and dripped onto her cheek.  

"You bastard," she replied harshly. Sally twisted her knife and then pulled the blade back out and pushed his dead body off of her with a grunt. She stood up, cleaned her knife on Herman's shirt and stuck it back in her boot.  

She walked over to Max and he acted scared at her approach, "I'm sorry, Max. I had to act that way to get him to untie me so I could kill him. Come on and we'll take his horse and go back home. We have to hurry before Lee comes back."  

Max nodded and Sally untied his hands and helped him up onto Herman's horse. She grabbed the small lantern that Herman had lit and Herman's gun belt and climbed up into the saddle. She used the light to follow the tracks back toward the ranch. She could only pray that she didn't get herself and Max lost, that Lee wouldn't find them before they made it back to the ranch and that Thomas would be able to take care of Lee if he came looking for her.  

---

"Dammit Brody this is taking too long! What if they're touching her?! I swear by all that is holy, Brody, if they touch my wife, if they so much as harm a single hair on her or Max's head, I will make sure they die so damn slow the buzzards will get tired of waiting!" Thomas exclaimed.  

Brody couldn't say anything to the man... He had branded a man's head, let a man bleed to death slowly for hours, and then shot an unarmed man point blank in the head when he thought his wife had been killed. When you messed with a man's wife and children it changed him. It taught a man real quick just what he was capable of.  

Brody wanted these men too. That was his little sister they had. But Brody also knew how tough Sally was. She knew how to protect and take care of herself. He had taught her a few things and he knew that Thomas had taught her as well when they'd been younger. He was actually more concerned that she'd kill both the men and get lost out here than he was that the men would hurt her.  

"Look Brody!" Thomas exclaimed when he saw a light bobbing in the distance.  

"Careful Thomas," Brody warned but Thomas was already galloping ahead. He had his gun drawn and aimed at the target but then he saw her pale face illuminated in the light and he nearly burst with relief.  

"Sally!" he shouted.  

"Thomas!" she called back. They both jumped from their horses as they met up and Thomas wrapped her so tightly in his arms that she found herself unable to breath. But she didn't mind. Breathing seemed unimportant right now when compared to being held by her husband.  

"What happened to your face?" Thomas asked as he ran his hand over the bruise that was forming on her soft skin.

"Herman hit me," she replied with a wave of her hand, as if that wasn't important.  

His eyes went down to her ripped blouse that barely covered her body and his jaw tensed with rage,  "Where are Lee and Herman?" Thomas demanded as he pulled away from her and looked up to see Max. He patted Max on the leg and the boy smiled.  

Sally shivered against him, "Lee rode ahead to look at the river and while he was gone I killed Herman and took his horse."  

"You killed Herman?" Brody asked, riding up to them.  

"Yes." Sally replied, swallowing hard.  

"You okay?"

 Sally looked up into her brothers intense green eyes and forced a smiled, "Of course. I was born an Atkinson after all."  

"Brody, take Max and Sally back to the your house. I need to go have a talk with Lee," Thomas growled as he moved away from Sally.  

Sally's eyes widened and she clutched at him with desperation, "No, Thomas, please don't leave me," she begged. Regardless of what she said to Brody, she was not okay. She had killed a man. She could feel his blood, drying and sticky on her face. Her clothes were soaked, her hair was plastered to her, her stomach was tied in knots and she was shaking like a leaf. She needed her husband.  

"I'll take care of Lee," Brody assured him, "He'll learn what happens when you mess with my family," he added, looking from Sally to Max. "I protect what's mine."  

"It should be me," Thomas argued but Brody shook his head.  

"You need to be with your wife and Max right now. They need you. I can take care of Lee. You go back to my house. I don't like the thought of Elizabeth and the kids being there alone. There may have been more men than just those two."  

Thomas nodded, grateful that he didn't have to leave Sally and Max. He wanted them with him and in his sights. Sally put her hand on her brother's knee, "Brody, Lee and Herman talked about you. Lee seems to think he can kill you... He was pretty sure of himself." she warned.

 Brody smiled, but it was cold and caused a shiver to run down her spine, "A lot of men have said they'd kill me. A few of 'em almost did but yet I'm still here. You guys go on and I'll be along shortly."

 With that Brody rode away and Thomas quickly helped Sally back into the saddle and began to lead her and Max toward Brody's house. The quicker he had them both out of harms way, the better he would feel.  

"Thomas there are some things you need to know about your Captain," Sally said cautiously.

 Thomas frowned, "What?" he asked.  

Sally let out a breath and looked at him sadly, "He was lying to you all those years."  

---

The clouds were beginning to break apart as Brody rode and the moon illuminated the night. He found Herman's dead body in the mud and stared down at him.  

He jumped from his horse and walked to the man. The front of Herman's body was untouched, and he flipped the man over to find that he was covered in blood. He filled with pride when he realized his little sister had stabbed the horrible man in the heart. Now Brody just had to find the other one.

He jumped back on his horse and looked around. His felt a tingling sensation pass over his spine. Someone was watching him, "Hello, Lee Bryce," he said calmly and then he turned as he heard a horse approaching him.  

"Hello. I guess you're Brody Atkinson?"  

Brody looked at the dark haired man on horseback twenty feet away. He had a thick beard and mustache  and an arrogant smile on his face, "Yep."  

"You look more like some kind of savage than you do a man," Lee said with amusement.  

Brody shrugged, "I guess."   

"Your sister killed my friend."  

 Brody shrugged, "And I'm going to kill you."  

Lee laughed and the sound told Brody all he needed to know about the man's sanity, or lack thereof, "Herman told me a lot of stories about you, Brody. It seems you're a man I'm supposed to be afraid of."  

Brody raised a brow but didn't respond. Lee jumped from his horse and Brody did the same, "Why don't we settle this like men?" Lee asked.  

"Unless you're a woman I don't see any other way to settle it," Brody replied.  

 Lee laughed again, "Too bad you're on the other side of the law Brody. I believe we've got a lot in common."  

"Yeah, it truly is a shame."  

"I have an idea," Lee said thoughtfully.  

"What would that be?" Brody asked, his hand itching to just pull his gun and end this now.  

"Let's settle this hand to hand, with our knives," Lee replied. "I love my knife. I love the way it feels when it slices into my opponent's skin and I feel their warm blood flowing over my hands."  

Brody thought that Lee needed some serious help but he didn't say anything just stared at the other man. Lee undid his gun belt and tossed it aside and Brody slowly did the same. Lee pulled his long knife from its scabbard on his leg and the blade glinted in the moonlight. Brody noticed it was a good twelve inches long and his own knife was only about eight.  

"I killed my mama and my pa with this knife," Lee informed him. "And now I'm gonna kill you." Lee started quickly across the muddy ground toward Brody and Brody decided enough was enough. He didn't want any hand to hand combat with this waste of air. He wasn't worth it and didn't deserve it. Brody bent, pulled his derringer from his boot and fired a shot into Lee's chest.  

Lee's eyes widened and he fell to the ground even as Brody stood straight once again, "You... .shot... me." Lee gasped as blood gathered in his mouth and ran down his chin.  

Brody nodded as he slid his gun belt back on and cinched it tight, "Yep."  

"I thought we were gonna fight man to man."  

Brody pulled his .45 army colt and aimed down at Lee's head. The man's eyes narrowed as he stared up at the barrel, "You're clearly not a man. I protect what's mine, Lee Bryce. I'm sorry you didn't realize that Sally, Thomas and Max are mine and anyone that messes with what's mine dies. It's as simple as that."  

"You're a coward," Lee hissed.

Brody shrugged, "I'm a coward that's fixing to send you to hell."   

"I'll see you there shortly," Lee spat weakly.  

"Yeah, you probably will." Brody agreed and then he pulled the trigger and the sound echoed across the rolling hills and plains, "But not today."  

 Brody holstered his gun and then looked at the two dead bodies. He'd have to come back out tomorrow and bury them... Tonight he just wanted to go home and let Elizabeth heal his guilty soul with her touch the way that only she could.   

---

Thomas sat in the chair at Elizabeth's kitchen table and stared down at his hands. Sally and Max were getting cleaned up and for the moment Thomas was alone. He thought about what Sally had told him about Captain Wynter and felt his stomach turn.  

For nearly five years he had helped gangs wipe out Mexican families under the belief that he was doing it so that the rangers could find out who was funding the gangs and take them down. That had all been a lie... Thomas's entire career with the rangers had been a lie. Captain Wynter was the one that wanted the Mexican families gone. He had been paying the gangs and supplying them with guns and ammunition. Every order he had ever given Thomas had been for his own twisted goals. 	

Thomas had come to the only logical conclusion. Captain Wynter had told Lee and Herman where to find him and Sally. He had sent Lee and Herman to his doorstep. He had lied to Thomas for years. He had turned Thomas into little more than a contract killer... He had played him for a fool.  

Thomas would make sure that Captain Wynter paid for what he had done and he would make sure that Captain Wynter didn't order the deaths of any more Mexican families.  

Brody came in the house, soaked to the bone and covered in mud and sat down across from Thomas.  

"Dead?" Thomas asked.  

"Dead," he replied with a small nod.  

"I need your help with something else." Thomas launched into the story that Sally had told him about Captain Wynter and then about his own plans to take the man out.  

"You'll have to be careful, Thomas. There's a good chance they'll kill you if you don't play this right."  

"I'll play it right," Thomas assured him.

"Max is asleep," Sally said as she walked into the room. She was wearing one of Elizabeth's sleeping gowns and her golden hair was wet but clean as it hung down her back. She sat down next to Thomas and slid her hand into his.  

"Where's Elizabeth?" Brody asked.  

"Upstairs in your bedroom. She doesn't know you're back and she's a nervous wreck," Sally replied.	

 Brody nodded and quickly left the room, "What's that?" Sally asked Thomas when she saw the golden band on his finger.

 Thomas grinned and pulled her band from his pocket, "I wanted us to have some rings."  

 Sally smiled and held out her left hand, letting Thomas slide the ring onto her finger, "It's beautiful," she whispered, "I love you."   

"I love you too." Thomas replied.  

Sally frowned, "I want to be happy but I can't shake the feeling that this isn't over yet," she said cautiously.  

"I'm leaving for a while, Sally. I have to go down to Tortulla and finish this."  

"You're going to leave me again?!" she demanded. She didn't want him to leave. She needed him here... Especially after tonight.  

Thomas nodded and looked down at the table, "I'll be gone for about a week, but I'll be back."  

"Well I'm coming with you," Sally said stubbornly.  

"I don't think you are." Thomas argued in a tone of voice that Sally had never heard him use with her before. It clearly showed that this was not something open for discussion and his mind was made up.  

"What's going on?" Brody asked as he walked in with Elizabeth's hand wrapped firmly in his.  

"Thomas is leaving to go after Captain Wynter," Sally replied, hoping that her brother would talk Thomas out of this. It seemed like suicide to her. The captain was on a base surrounded by Texas Rangers!  

"I know," Brody replied simply.  

Sally couldn't believe her ears, "You know and yet you aren't going to say anything to try to stop him?!"  

"Nope. A man has a right to protect his family, Sally." he said and Elizabeth nodded in agreement.  

 Sally was sure that her entire family had lost their minds, "Fine. Then I'm going with him."  

"No," Both Brody and Thomas said at the same time.  

"Brody have you seem a US Marshal around lately?" Thomas asked while Sally sat with her arms crossed over her chest and fumed with anger in her chair.  

"There's one down in Libton right now. You'll pass by there on your way to Tortulla." Thomas nodded.  

"I'm coming," Sally said again.  

 Thomas looked at Brody, "You better keep her here and keep her safe. I don't care if you have to tie her ass up, she better not follow me."  

"Yes sir," Brody replied.  

Sally stood up and glared at her brother, "You wouldn't dare," she hissed.

 Brody pulled his rope from his belt and nodded, "I would."  

Sally shifted her feet nervously because she knew the truth and the truth was that her brother would indeed tie her up if that's what it took to keep her out of trouble.

"Walk on the porch with me," Thomas said to Sally and she nodded, despite her anger with him, and followed him outside.  

"I need you to stay here and take care of Max. You're the only one he trusts other than me. I'll be back, Sally, I promise you that. I'm going to get the US Marshal, take him down there, get Captain Wynter to confess his crimes and then I'll be back."  

"What if there are more dirty rangers and you get yourself killed?"  

"I don't think there are. From what you told me, it sounds like the Captain was working alone with his brother and the other gangs. Please don't worry about me, Sally. I've been keeping myself alive for a long time."  

Sally looked up into his gray eyes and felt her anger melt away. Of course Thomas had to do this... Everything he had done the last four years had been a lie and he needed to bring Captain Wynter down in order to heal, "I have to worry about you," she insisted as she laid her hand on his cheek. "That's part of a wife's job."  

Thomas smiled and smoothed her wet hair from her face, "I love you, Sally, and I will come back to you."  

Sally nodded, "I know you will. I love you too." Thomas pulled the golden watch she had given him from his pocket and opened it to see what time it was.  

When Sally saw that her picture was still inside her eyes widened, "You kept my picture?"  

"Of course I did," Thomas replied, as if her question was a bit ridiculous, "And let me tell you that it's a good thing you gave me this watch. It's kept me from making quite a few mistakes."  

"Well good... Keep it with you and maybe it will give you luck with the Captain." Thomas nodded, snapped it shut and slid it in his pocket. 	"Here, Thomas," Elizabeth said walking out with Brody and handing Thomas a sack, "I wrapped up some left over chicken from dinner and there are some biscuits in there too."  

"It's edible..." Brody said teasingly and Elizabeth rolled her eyes but leaned into his arms.  

"I'm all dirty woman," he warned.  

"Since when has that bothered me?" she asked and Brody smiled and pulled her tighter against him, "Stop by the main house and let Jacob know what's happening on your way," Brody said to Thomas.  

 Thomas nodded. He grabbed Sally and pulled her closer to him. He ran his thumb along her jaw and then kissed her long and slow, not caring that they had an audience. When he pulled away Sally's eyes remained half closed and her lips stayed parted.  

"I'll be back," he promised and then he turned and walked away quickly. Sally leaned against the porch banister with a heavy heart and watched him ride away into the darkness. He never looked back but Sally knew that was only because he found leaving her to be too painful.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I'm coming with you," Jacob said quickly once Thomas explained what was going on.  

Thomas shook his head as he stood on the porch, "No."  

 Jacob nodded, "Yes I am. I messed things up for you and Sally... The least I can do is watch your back and make sure my sister's husband comes back to her."  

"Jacob, your wife is very pregnant. She needs you here."  

Jacob shook his head, "There's still another two months or so before the baby will be here and she has Susie's help. I'm coming with you. Wait for me here."  

With that Jacob disappeared into the house and Thomas looked up at the sky impatiently. He and Jacob were going to work together on something? He hoped Ellie would be able to talk her husband out of coming but when Jacob appeared with a sack over his shoulder and a gun belt around his waist several minutes later, he knew there would be no such luck. 	Ellie was behind her husband. Her blue eyes were full of tears and her face pale with fear and anticipation but clearly she was supporting her husbands decision. Jacob kissed his wife goodbye and then Thomas watched him walk into the barn to saddle a horse.  

"Jacob wants to watch your back and be there to help you," Ellie said softly.  

 Thomas nodded, "I know."  

"You better look after my husband. I love him and I understand why he feels like he has to do this but he isn't like you and Brody. He hasn't had to fight to survive like you have. "  

"I'll bring him home safe to you, Ellie," Thomas promised. "I don't plan on getting into a gunfight with anybody."  

Ellie nodded and they stood in silence until Jacob walked out of the barn, "Let's go then, Thomas." he said.  

Thomas mounted the Palomino mare and he and Jacob rode off toward what Thomas hoped, would be an easy task.  

---

"I can't help you," US Marshall Theodore Banks said with regret. 	Thomas glared at the other man, the man who owed him a very large debt yet seemed to have forgotten that now, "When I came looking for a marshal, I had no idea that you'd be the one I'd find. I was happy when I saw you since I figured you'd help me out.. seeing as how I saved your pregnant wife's life three years ago."   

Theodore sighed and leaned back in his hard chair in the middle of the diner. It was a few hours past sunrise and Thomas and Jacob were both exhausted, "Thomas, I can't help you unless you give me some kind of proof."  

"Come with me. Hear what he has to say. That'll give you all the proof you need," Thomas said angrily before taking a big gulp of his coffee.  

"Captain Wynter and I have been friends for years. I don't think he's doing or has done any of the things you claim. I won't have him thinking that I don't trust him by showing up and questioning him about all of this."  

"Are you calling Thomas a liar?" Jacob demanded. He didn't like this man. He seemed arrogant and conceited and the fact that he wouldn't help the man who had saved his wife and child didn't speak well for what kind of man he was.  

"Of course not," Theodore said cautiously as if weighing his words very carefully, "Thomas is a good man, young but smart. Those other men though, the ones that have accused Captain Wynter of all of this were quite different."  

Thomas grumbled under his breath and shoved his chair back, "Thanks a hell of a lot, Theodore. Give Grace my best," he said as he placed his hat back on his head and left the café. 	

Jacob stood quickly and followed after him, "Now what?" he asked as they mounted their horses.  

"Now we go talk to Captain Wynter. I want to make sure he knows that coming after my family or sending others to do it for him is going to end with him dying."  

Jacob nodded but inside he was scared. What did Thomas have in mind and how could the man hope to get onto a ranger base and threaten the Captain without getting both of them killed?

---

Captain Wynter looked over at Alice as the two of them sat beside the fire late in the night. He was reading his newspaper and she was sewing new buttons onto some of the ranger's shirts.

 He gazed out the window at the darkness outside and then back at his wife, "Are you ready for bed?" he asked.

 She yawned into her hand and nodded, "Yes. It's been a long day."

 He nodded sadly and sat his paper aside. Today they had found out that she was not pregnant. They had really thought she was this time but like all the times before in the last ten years, it had been false hope, and they had been disappointed yet again.  

"Come on, darling,"  he said gently. He reached out for her hand and helped her up and then her eyes widened with a mixture of fear and surprise as she looked out the window.  

Captain Wynter followed her gaze but didn't see anyone, "What was it?"  

"I swear I thought I saw Thomas Cooper out there," she replied and then she shook her head, "I guess I'm just seeing things because I'm tired." 	Captain Wynter quickly began to lead his wife from the room. Thomas could not be here. Thomas was more than likely already dead. Herman and Lee would have wasted no time in hunting him down and killing him.  

"You're just stressed and tired, darling," he said gently.  

"No. She really saw me." Thomas's voice filled the room as the door opened.  

Captain Wynter felt his blood freeze in his veins. Why wasn't that door locked?!  

"Thomas!" Alice said happily as she quickly crossed the room to the man and hugged him warmly. "It's so nice of you to come back. Please tell us that you're going to rejoin the rangers."  

"Get away from him, Alice." Captain Wynter warned, his voice full of fear.

 Alice was clearly confused as she looked from her husband to the man who had been like a family member for the last few years. Thomas was angry, that much was clear. He was staring at her husband with so much rage and cold blooded fury that it shocked her and her husband was scared.  

"What is it, Frank?" Alice asked as she tried to leave Thomas's side and go to him but Thomas grabbed her arm and held her tight. Jacob walked in the room and stood quietly by the door. He was happy to stay in the background but ready to help if he was needed.  

"Let go of my wife," Captain Wynter warned as he reached for his gun.

 Thomas pulled his own gun and pressed it against Alice's side. She barely held back her scream and stared at her husband with shock and confusion, "What is going on?" she demanded. "Why is Thomas doing this?!"  

"Tell her, Captain. Tell her that you are the one that's been paying the gangs all these years. You're the one that's been trying to wipe out all the hardworking Mexican families. Tell her that it's been under your orders that hundreds of innocent men, women and children have been gunned down in cold blood."   

Captain Wynter held his hands up in the air and shook his head, "I don't know what you're talking about, Thomas," he said as he swallowed hard and stared at Alice, "Please let go of my wife and put the gun away... where have you heard such nonsense."  

"It's not nonsense," Thomas replied. "And I'm not putting this gun away until you admit as much."  

"Frank? Frank, did you really do all that?" Alice asked. She wasn't as afraid as she knew she should be.. For some reason her mind refused to accept the fact that Thomas might shoot her. It just didn't seem possible.  

"Of course not," Captain Wynter replied as he licked his lips nervously. Alice's eyes narrowed. Ten years she'd been married to this man and she knew when he was lying.. He was lying now.  

"Frank, what did you do?! How could you?!" she demanded.  

"Tell her, Captain. Tell her how you sent Herman and your brother Lee Bryce to come kill me and my wife."  

Captain Wynter began to tremble violently, "Now I never told them a thing about your wife! If they hurt her then they did that of their own choosing!"  

"Brother?!" Alice demanded. "You have a brother? And you sent him to kill Thomas?"  

"Yes, I have a brother. No, I didn't send him to kill Thomas. He asked where Thomas lived and I told him because he had a gun to my head."  

"The rest of it is true though? You've been helping these gangs?"  

"You don't understand, Alice." Captain Wynter said desperately. "Those damn Mexican's are going to ruin our state! They are like a parasite.. A disease that needs to be dealt with before they get out of control!"  

"Who else, Frank, who else here is doing this?" Alice demanded. 	Thomas was impressed that the woman wasn't panicking or crying with a gun in her side and the truth about her husband finally coming to light. But then again she was Texas born and bred and Texan women were a tough breed.  

"No one.... There's no one else.. Please Alice, forgive me. I need you... Thomas please get the gun away from her.. Let her go. I'll give you anything."  

Thomas cocked his revolver and pressed it against Alice's temple. He felt her stiffen with fear while Captain Wynter fell to his knees and reached out helplessly, "Let me make something very clear to you, Captain. If you so much as think about coming after my family or sending someone else to do it for you, you will pay. If I lose what I love, you will lose what you love. I will kill her and then I'll make you wish you were dead. Have I made that clear?"  

"Yes! Yes! Please let her go," Captain Wynter whimpered as he stared at his wife's wide green eyes.  

"A wife for a wife," Thomas replied and he pulled the trigger of his revolver.  

Alice screamed but the gun simply clicked as Captain Wynter sobbed and nearly vomited on the floor. Thomas put his gun back in its holster. He had unloaded one chamber before coming in just to make sure that he would be able to fully get his point across to Captain Wynter.

 He shoved Alice toward the Captain who stood and wrapped his arms tight around her. She stiffened but her love for her husband, despite his flaws, was still written all over her face.  

"I'll kill you now, Thomas," Captain Wynter growled going for his gun.  

"I wouldn't pull that gun, Frank." US Marshal Theodore Banks warned, stepping into the house with his own gun drawn. "You're in enough trouble without adding first degree murder to your charges."  

Captain Wynter moved his hand away from his gun and shook his head, "Are you saying that you're here to arrest me?! We've been friends for twenty years!"  

"Which makes me wonder how you were able to hide your 'special interests' from me all these years." Theodore replied with a  sad sigh. "You're under arrest, Frank."  

---

"I sure am glad you changed your mind and came with us, Teddy." Thomas said a while later as they walked out of the ranger jail where they had just locked up Captain Wynter. He'd be transported to Austin within a month and serve trial for his crimes.  

"Yeah well, Grace would have skinned me alive if I hadn't stood behind you, Thomas. You did save her life after all."  

"I can't believe you put a gun to a woman's head and pulled the trigger. You scared her, and me, to death! I thought you were really shooting her!" Jacob exclaimed.

 Thomas looked insulted, "Of course not! I'd never shoot Alice, I always liked her. I just needed to make my point real clear to the Captain." 	

"The Captain will be lucky to ever see daylight again," Theodore promised. "And if he does, he'll be sure to stay away from you I'm sure."  

"You send me word if he gets out," Thomas warned and Theodore nodded, "And thanks for not charging me for going into his house and doing what I did."  

"If someone had put my wife in danger like he had yours I don't know if I would have stopped myself before killing them..." Theodore clicked his tongue, "I won't say a word." 	

"Thanks," Thomas said.  

"I still can't believe this was so easy. I expected more of a fight," Jacob said looking around at the rangers going about their business as if nothing interesting had happened in the night.  

Thomas glanced around, "Not all the rangers are dirty, just the Captain. The rest of these men here were friends of mine."  

"That's right," Parker said as he and Jose walked over.  

"I can't believe Captain Wynter was responsible for killing so many of my people," Jose said with a sad shake of his head.  

"Makes you wonder why he let you work here," Thomas agreed.  

"Probably to make it look like he didn't have anything against Mexicans," Jacob offered with a shrug.  

Thomas sighed, "I'm ready to go home to my wife."  

Jacob nodded with agreement, "Me too."  

"You both go. I'll take care of the Captain," Theodore assured them.  

Thomas tipped his hat, "Tell Alice I'm sorry."

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Five

    “Why am I nervous?’ Thomas demanded as he stood in front of the barn at the main ranch and adjusted his fancy black vest that he was wearing with a crisp white shirt and black trousers. His boots were polished and his thick blond hair was slicked back on his head. 

    “Because you’re fixing to get hitched,” Cookie replied with a shrug. 

    “I’m already hitched. I have been for nearly six months.” 

    “Yeah but this time you’ve had time to think about what’s going on,” Brody said. 

    “Well I just thank God that this’ll be over soon. Between the grouchiness because she’s as a big as a house and she can’t move and how stressed out she’s been planning your wedding, Ellie has liked to have killed me the last few weeks,” Jacob exclaimed, “You’d think it was her getting married.” 

    “I guess Sally wasn’t much help with the planning.” Thomas admitted.

    “Are you kidding? She says she doesn’t care about any of it.. She doesn’t even want to have this ceremony,” Elizabeth said walking over to them. 

    “Well she deserves it,” Thomas insisted, “The woman deserved to have a real wedding and I wanted to give it to her.”  

    “It’s good that George Bass was free to perform the ceremony. He married Brody and I and Jacob and Ellie… It’ll be a family tradition,”  Elizabeth smiled proudly. 

    “Come on everybody! It’s time!” Ellie called from the porch. Jacob quickly ran to his wife and helped her waddle her way down the porch and to the bright white chairs covering the yard. The guests all made their way to their seats and Thomas walked up to stand beside George Bass. Brody stood behind him. 

    Rita Halcomb began playing the piano and Max and Nathan came down the white satin aisle with Lexi and Liza. Nathan kept giving Thomas a thumbs up as he looked at Liza walking beside him. Liza left the flower throwing to Lexi who seemed more than happy to decorate the lawn with the red and white flower petals. 

    The piano music changed as the four of them took their seats and Thomas looked up to see Jacob making his way down the aisle with Sally on his arm. Thomas nearly swallowed his tongue and his mouth fell open at the sight of his wife. 

    Her white silk and lace dress, hugged every curve of her body. Her golden hair was pinned up with several loose curls falling down and framing her face, neck and collarbones. Her blue eyes were shining and the smile on her face put the sun to shame. 

    Thomas was in a daze as George began speaking. Since they were already married they skipped over the part about asking if anyone objected and when George told him to kiss his bride, Thomas was more than happy to do as he said. 

    He gathered Sally in his arms and devoured her mouth with his, “Alright, that’s enough of that.. That is my little sister you’re kissing.” Brody wanred with a chuckle. 

    As Thomas and Sally danced close a short time later to the music that Rita and the small band were playing she laid her head on his shoulder and sighed, “Thanks for this, Thomas.” 

    “I’d do anything for you, Sally,” Thomas admitted shamelessly, “I’m just sorry it took us so long to get here.” 

    “We’re here now, that’s all that matters,” she assured him. 

    He was about to kiss her again when Jacob let out a yell, “Holy shit!” he bellowed. Everyone in attendance looked up at the man who was standing with Ellie beside the roasting pig, that was going to be dinner. “She’s having the baby!” he told everyone as if they were brain addled to have not figured that out. 

    “I’ll go get the doc,” Brody stated he ran into the barn to saddle a horse. 

    “She’s stealing your thunder, Mrs. Cooper.” Thomas teased.   

    Sally tapped her chin, “For my little niece and nephew, I’ll let it slide.” 

    “I think it’s triplets,” Susie said as she rushed over to Ellie’s side. 

    “I will kill you, Susie Atkinson. If there is more than one child in here, I’ll shoot you just as soon as I’m done popping them out, “ Ellie warned and then she moaned as a pain hit her. Jacob scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the house. 

    “Ya better go help,” Thomas said to Sally and she nodded, lifted her billowing skirt and raced into the house. 

---

    Later that night, Brody, Thomas, Jacob, George, LeRoy, Sally and Susie all sat on the porch while the kids played in the yard. Elizabeth and Liza were upstairs with Ellie and the baby. 

    “I got a boy..” Jacob said with a dreamy quality to his voice. 

    Brody chuckled, “Just one,” he thumped his brother in the chest. “I always told you that you were half the man I was,” he teased, looking at his twins who were currently busy chasing Nathan and Max around the yard with lassos. 

    “You can’t bring me down today, Brody. I am the happiest man in the world right now,” Jacob assured him. 

     Thomas tightened his arms around Sally who was sitting in his lap and silently disagreed with Jacob. 

    “Well looks like everybody in the family has settled down except for you, Sue.” Sally noted, “We gotta find you a man.” 

    Brody’s jaw tightened at this and Susie sighed, “I don’t think there’s any man that’ll waste his time on me.” 

    Brody scowled, “Men are foolish.” 

    “There’s a man out there for ya, Susie. God makes someone for each of us,” George said warmly. 

    “I already know who he’ll be,” Cookie said, limping over with his hound. 

    “Really?” Brody asked, his brow rising. He sat his hand on his gun. “Why don’t ya tell me so I can go take care of him.”

     Susie was too busy staring at Cookie to pay attention to Brody but Sally frowned at him, “Who will he be Cookie?” Susie asked. 

    “A hell raiser. One for the record books.” 

    “Get out of here before I fire you,” Brody warned. 

    Susie frowned, “You really think so?” she asked. 

    Cookie nodded, “Yes I do. He’ll sweep you off your feet and you’ll know what hit you.” 

    Brody growled, “You’re moving past firing and getting close to being shot, old man.”

     Thomas stood up and sat Sally on her feet, “Time to go home.” he said. 

    Sally frowned, “You think you can tell me what to do now that you’re here for good?” she demanded.

     He nodded, “Sure do,” he gave her a hot look that promised she wouldn’t regret listening to him and she quickly said goodbye to her family. She, Thomas and Max all mounted up and left for their cabin. 

    “I’ve been thinking,” LeRoy said once they were gone, “George weren’t you wanting to start up a church?” 

    “I tried once but folks don’t wanna listen to a colored man,” he replied. 

    “Ignorance,” Brody cut in and everyone nodded in agreement. 

    “What if we build a church and you and I can both preach there… With Brody backing us folks just might decide to listen,” LeRoy offered.     George shrugged and then smiled, his white teeth a shocking contrast to the darkness of his face, “I’d say it’d be worth a try. I need something to do with my time now that my daughter and son in law decided to run off to the city.” 

    “Can I help?” Susie asked. 

     LeRoy nodded, “Of course you can. Having a pretty woman around the church might make even more men take an interest.” 

    “Aren’t they taken an interest for the wrong reasons if it’s lust that brings them there?” Brody grumbled. 

    “I think it’s a great idea,” Jacob said.

     Brody finally sighed, “Fine. We’ll see about ordering the wood tomorrow.” 

---

    “You are an angel and I was a fool for staying away from you for so long,” Thomas gasped as he fought to get his breathing and heart rate back to normal. 

    Sally looked down at him and laid her hands on his broad chest, smiling at how small they looked against him, “Yes you were.”

    Thomas grinned and then grabbed her and pulled her off of him. He threw her down on her back and moved his body over hers, pinning her down and kissing her until she was breathless, “I happen to think that maybe you got a bit lucky too.” 

     Sally seemed to think hard about it for a moment and then nodded, “I suppose… Maybe just a little,” she teased. Thomas rolled onto his side and pulled her against him, “It’s sad that Susie thinks she’s going to be alone forever,” Sally said after they had laid in silence for several moments. 

    “Uh-uh,” Thomas agreed softly as he ran his fingers up and down the soft skin of her arm. 

    “Maybe we could find her someone,” Sally added. 

    Thomas frowned and looked down at her, “Are you trying to play matchmaker?” 

    “Elizabeth did it for Jacob and it worked out,” Sally insisted.

     Thomas laughed, “Barely,” he reminded her. He’d been filled in on the Jacob and Ellie fiasco. 

    “Still, she needs somebody. A school teacher… Shopkeeper… Doctor… Something boring… Maybe even a lawyer.” 

    Thomas thought this sounded ridiculous but he decided to go along with his wife to make her happy, “And where are we gonna find Mr. Wonderful?” he asked. 

    “I don’t know but we’ll find him somewhere. I just have to start searching town. Maybe I’ll ask Liza if she knows anybody up in Austin.” 

    “We’ll start the great search in the morning… Right now I’m ready to get some sleep,” Thomas replied. 

    Sally smiled and snuggled up into his chest, “I just want to see Sue as happy as we are,” she whispered. 

    “Happy? I’m plumb miserable,” Thomas teased. 

    Sally rolled her eyes and bit down on his nipple, causing him to cry out in pain and laugh at the same time, “You know I make you happy, Mr. Cooper,” she said sternly. 

    Thomas frowned and rubbed his sore chest, “Happier than a opossum eating persimmons, Mrs. Cooper.” he agreed dryly. Sally smiled and snuggled up against him. He tightened his arm around her and kissed her hair. 

    “I love you,” she mumbled sleepily. 

    “I love you too,” he replied and he knew that never again would he have trouble telling her those words

A/N: the next story in this series is ‘Breaking thru to Sue’