Lady Renegade

On his way back to the house, Gideon stopped to draw water from the well then washed his face so he could cool off—physically and emotionally. It was a crime what that high-spirited female did to him. She disrupted his logical thought processes. When he came within five feet of her, desire and wariness warred inside him.

The damnable truth was that he wanted that golden-eyed virago more than he’d wanted any other woman in his life. Yet, he didn’t want to want her because she represented the kind of individual he was sworn to apprehend.

In addition, he refused to make the kind of disastrous mistake his mother made when she fell for her second husband’s manipulative lies.

If Lori knew how many twisted, treacherous lies and proclamations he’d heard from outlaws—men and women alike—she would have tried a different tack with him. Gideon had heard and seen the worst humanity could do to each other and he’d lost faith. Time and time again, people had looked him right in the eye and lied through their teeth to protect themselves.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Gideon forcefully set aside his frustrating inability to deal professionally with Lori. Instead, he focused on his family. He’d been the head of the household for so long that he considered it his duty to make certain everything ran smoothly. He’d rather take a bullet himself than to see Galen suffer. Especially since it upset his pregnant wife to such extremes. Sarah was so deeply and completely in love with Galen that it still amazed Gideon to watch her interact with his middle brother.

Gideon had lived with that ornery Galen and impulsive Glenn for years. He didn’t consider them exceptionally lovable. Perhaps the fact that ruthless raiders had killed Sarah’s family five years earlier made her cling so fiercely to her new husband and family. After Gideon tracked down every last one of the three men and then watched Judge Parker send them to the gallows, Sarah had sworn eternal gratitude.

“He’s at it again,” Sarah said as she breezed onto the porch. “Galen insisted he can mount a horse to begin a search for our horses. I swear you’ll have to tie him to the bedposts. Glenn is trying to do just that, but he needs help.”

Shaking himself like a duck to shed water, Gideon strode into the house. He could hear Galen swearing a blue steak, long before he witnessed the struggle between Galen and Glenn.

Gideon walked over to press his palm to Galen’s forehead, noting his high fever and forcing his brother down while Glenn secured his good arm to the iron headboard. “Stop resisting. You’re a sick man and you’re worse than a belligerent prisoner.” Like the one he’d tethered in his barn. “You’re hurt and you need rest,” he added tersely. “Do us all a favor and calm down.”

“You have your own problems,” Galen panted, completely out of breath. “Can’t expect you to take time off to hunt down our horses. They’ll be miles away if I don’t track them.”

“I will track them down. Count on it,” Gideon guaranteed. “The other marshals can handle the jail wagon and still round up fugitives before we head to Fort Smith.”

“What about the woman?” Galen’s green-eyed gaze zeroed in on him. “What are you going to do about her?”

“I think you should let her go.” Glenn spoke up. “She looks innocent to me.”

Galen and Gideon exchanged glances before staring at their younger brother. Gideon said, “So is a delicate rose…until you grab hold of it and suffer the painful prick of its thorn. Looks are deceiving, little brother. It’s time you learned that.”

Glenn gestured toward Sarah. “Lori is pretty like Sarah.”

“Thank you,” Sarah murmured.

“I think Lori also has a kind heart and generous nature,” Glenn continued. “You should give her the benefit of the doubt.”

“I did more than that,” Gideon replied. “I tested her and she attacked me.”

“Tested her?” Glenn smiled wryly. “How?”

“I provoked her temper.”

“I can see why she might’ve attacked you.” Glenn crossed his arms over his chest and studied Gideon all too closely. “I never knew you were so rude to women.”

The comment caused Galen and Sarah to arch their eyebrows and study Gideon speculatively.

“Sparring with each other, were they?” Galen asked.

“Stay out of this. You’re injured,” Gideon snapped.

“Nothing wrong with my mind, except when my lovely wife overdoses me with that foul-tasting sedative.”

“Everything’s wrong with your mind,” Gideon said, and smirked. “When you’re sedated you think you can fly and your judgment is skewered.”

“He’s not that bad,” Sarah put in defensively. “And I must say I’m surprised by your attitude toward Lori. In fact, I’m on my way out to offer her food and make amends.”

“Just be careful that she doesn’t bite the hand that feeds her,” Gideon warned.

Sarah scoffed as she exited the room, provoking Gideon to mutter under his breath. He wasn’t accustomed to his family ganging up against him. All because of that feisty female prisoner who went around shooting former lovers for proposing to her. If that wasn’t the dumbest excuse he’d ever heard, he didn’t know what was.

Furthermore, his family should trust his instincts.

Gideon lashed Galen’s leg to the bedpost—just in case he became rowdy again.

Galen cursed him sourly. “That isn’t necessary, you—”

“—tyrant,” Glenn teased, borrowing Lori’s description.

Gideon’s arm shot toward the door, as if his annoying little brother was too dense to know where it was. “Leave. Go with Sarah to make sure Lori doesn’t try to escape while taking her meal.”

“Where is she?” Glenn inquired.

“Tied to a post beside the sheep pen in the barn.”

“Tied to a post?” Glenn howled in outrage.

“She’s a prisoner, not a princess,” Gideon reminded him caustically. “I’m not going to book her a room at the hotel in the Osage Capitol at Pawhuska for safekeeping.”

Flashing Gideon a disapproving glance, Glenn hastened from the room.

Galen smiled wryly. “We both seem to be upsetting the family today.”

Gideon plunked down in the chair next to the bed. “I’m cranky from lack of sleep. I’ve been tracking fugitives for five weeks. You’re irritable because you’ve been shot, sedated and restrained. We’re destined to upset a few people along the way… Now tell me about the horse theft.”

Galen yawned broadly then shrugged his good shoulder. “Not much to tell. I heard the broodmares and Appaloosa stud stamping around and banging against the corral railing. They were nickering uneasily so I went to investigate and called to Glenn on my way out the door.”

“What time was this?”

“Before eleven. I was late in returning from police headquarters in Pawhuska. I’d had to investigate a domestic quarrel between John Running Bear and his wife, Leta.”

Gideon nodded. “Those two were going at each other while I was an officer with the Osage Police. As I recall, Leta constantly accused John of cheating on her.”

Galen nodded. “Not much has changed. They still go on the warpath and take after one another. Their neighbors heard them raising a ruckus from a quarter of a mile down the road.”

“So you came home late,” Gideon prompted to get his brother back on track.

Galen blinked owlishly then shook his dark head to clear his thoughts. “Sarah fixed me something to eat. Glenn had already gone upstairs to his room. When I heard the horses nickering, I hurried outside. Like I said, I called to Glenn and grabbed my pistol on the way out the door. I figured a panther or bear was lurking around, disturbing the horses.

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