“Hawk, this woman?—”
“Lord Douglas, this man?—”
“She isn’t Sabrina, Hawk, she’s?—”
“I am Sabrina Connor!” the woman exclaimed.
“She’s not! She’s?—”
“Who the bloody hell is this wretched bastard?” she hissed.
Hawk’s brows shot up. “Sabrina Connor, a very good friend and associate, Major Sloan Trelawney. Sloan, my sister-in-law, Sabrina Connor.”
Sabrina Connor had something of her sister’s fighting spirit about her as well. She stamped hard upon Sloan’s booted foot.
“Will you let go of me, please, Major?”
Sloan grated out, “I still don’t believe?—”
“Wait!” Hawk said, putting up a hand when it looked as if both would begin arguing again. “Riders coming again, from the south. Sabrina, see if Henry is breathing.Sloan—toss me Henry’s gun.”
He ducked down, taking aim at the half-score of riders now coming toward them. Sloan sank down as well, his Colt leveled upon his arm.
They came into view. Dillman’s two aides first. Then two other men, white men, strangers to the territory. They had a look about them. Professional gunfighters, Hawk thought.
Behind them rode Dillman.
With Skylar seated before him on his mount.
For a crippled man, he was riding damned well.
“Are you going to shoot, Lord Douglas?” Dillman called out. “It wouldn’t be a very good idea. I’d kill her before you could even pray to hit me.”
Hawk stood, shoving the pistol through his belt loop. The group remained perhaps twenty-five feet away from him. He met Skylar’s eyes. He could see them clearly at this distance. They were filled with misery and more. A wealth of sorrow that she had involved him in this. Love. Aching. She didn’t move, but he could see it all there. So much that he had missed for so long. She wanted to come to him…
She sat dead still. Staring at him with those silver eyes. They misted. “Hawk, I’m so sorry—” she began.
“I nearly had to kill her to get here, Douglas. Or do they call you Hawk, Lord of the Plains? She thought she could keep you safe if she bargained well enough with herself. But then, I’m a gambling man. I’ve always been a gambling man. If this territory wasn’t filled with idiots, she might be dead now, and you might be a grieving young widower. I hate to be forced to show my hand. If you’d agreed that she was mentally unbalanced, I’d havebeen happy to take her back east and leave you a free man. Unfortunately, this territory is filled with incompetent fools.”
“Not everyone would have been fooled, no matter what your offers of gold might have accomplished. You wanted to escalate the Indian problems in the West, didn’t you, Dillman?”
Dillman shrugged. “I don’t give a damn about the Indians. They don’t need me to escalate their problems. Let’s just say that I meant to use a situation already well underway. Sabrina! How nice to see you. What a pity you hadn’t the good sense to figure out where a decent future awaited you!”
“What a pity I didn’t have the damned good sense to realize what a lying pathetic fake you were! You’re riding damned well for a cripple, Dillman.”
“Indeed, I am. I have a will of steel, girl, and of course, I had your capable, tender care—until recently. Ah, well. Is the driver dead?”
“No,” Sabrina said. “But he needs medical attention?—”
“See if he’s blacked out. It might do well to leave the attorney, since he must have been struck by these painted fools on the ground here before they let themselves be killed by a pair of half-breeds.”
“Dillman, just what the hell do you think you’re going to get away with?” Hawk demanded.
“This is Lord Douglas,” Sloan spoke out, “And I am a US Army major, not a drunken prospector or desperate agency Indian.”
Dillman smiled, showing them the knife that he’d been pressing against Skylar’s side. It was tipped with blood. Hawk almost made a move. Thought better of it. Dillman was trying to goad him.
“Don’t let him get away with this!” Skylar suddenly cried out. “Hawk, whatever happens to me, shoot the bastard! Don’t let him bring you and Sloan and Sabrina down, too!” She broke offwith an involuntary shriek of pain. Hawk took a step forward. Sloan leaped down from the wagon, catching his shoulders.
