Silver Creek - G.L. Snodgrass Page 0,52

she once again remembered the dangers Luke faced. That their chance at happiness would not happen until this was all resolved, and this woman across from her would do everything in her power to stop him.

Taking a deep breath, Rebecca approached the table as they sat down. The man with Sarah was a stranger. Her brow furrowed, she thought she knew every cowboy within forty miles. Heaven knew most of them had come through there to get some of Helen’s cobbler.

Her stomach tightened as she examined the man. He had predatory eyes, she realized. No laughter, no happiness. Eyes that looked at a person like they were nothing more than a target. She glanced down at the gun on his hip and swallowed hard. This was not run of the mill cowboys. The clothes were too clean and the gun too well cared for.

The man had a nasty scar on his cheek and looked at her as if she was nothing more than roadkill for noticing his scar.

Suddenly, she felt a strong urge to run to Luke and tell him about this man.

“You new to the area?” she asked as she poured them coffee.

Sarah studied her for a moment then smiled. That evil smile. “Mr. Dawson works for me.”

Rebecca stepped back, “Oh,” she said. “Are you starting your own spread?”

Sarah Felton shook her head, “There are other tasks a man might be hired for. Cleaning out coyotes for instance.”

Rebecca’s stomach fell at the bluntness of Sarah’s words. This woman had hired this man to kill Luke. It was her only hope at getting her brother out of jail.

“How would you like your steaks,” she asked without giving any indication Sarah had scared her. She refused to give the woman the satisfaction.

When she passed their order to Helen, she quickly removed her apron and started out the back. Helen reached out a hand to stop her but Rebecca shot her a quick look that let the woman know that there wasn’t a force in this world that could prevent her from going to Luke.

She found him with his feet up on his desk. Jake in the bunk, snoring so loudly he would have made a locomotive jealous.

“Luke,” she gasped as she slid to a halt in front of his desk, “Sarah, … gun hand,” she tried to get out as she fought to catch her breath.

“Slowly,” he assured her as he came to her, his smile calming her racing heart. Nothing ever bothered this man. Why did she think if she rushed in here and told him the world was ending, he’d meet it with a calm expression?

“Sarah Felton has hired a man,” she said as she forced herself to speak clearly. “A gunman, I am sure of it. A man hired to kill you. The … woman has to be stopped.”

Luke laughed. “What did he look like?”

Rebecca gave his appearance and the name he had given. Her heart refused to still. A man wanted to kill Luke. A man who looked like he knew what he was doing. “This wasn’t some cowboy,” she added. “I know the difference. His clothes were too clean and his guns too expensive.”

He nodded that he understood and believed her but then he infuriated her by shrugging.

“You have to do something,” she gasped.

“He ain’t broken no laws. Not yet. And Dawson doesn’t show up on any of my wanted posters.”

“What are you going to do?” she asked him.

Luke shrugged. “I suppose I could arrest him on some trumped up charge. Keep him off the streets until after the trial. It won’t make any difference after that.”

Her heart broke. “No,” she said as she grabbed his arm. “That is what they want. For you to try. That was why Sarah made such a public display. In fact, she came to the one person she knew would run and tell you about him.”

A sickening guilt filled her. Why had she come here? Once again. she had placed Luke in danger. When was she ever going to learn?

“We ain’t got a choice,” Jake said as he turned over in the bunk and stared at them. “If we don’t go after him. He’ll just cause problems until we can’t ignore him no more.”

Luke glared at him. “There ain’t no we in this. You will stay here until I get back.”

Jake swung his legs over the edge of the bunk and scowled at his brother. “You know more ways to ruin fun than any man I ever met.”

“Maybe,” Luke said,