Jesse stiffened. He saw his efforts to finally uncover the man in charge going up in smoke. "Where's your boss?" he demanded.
Mort grinned, though it looked more like a sneer. "I'm the boss."
"I don't believe you," Jesse said flatly.
Mort revealed the automatic weapon in his hand and said, "I'll take that bull."
Jesse didn't hesitate. He threw himself out of the light at the same instant Mort fired. Instead of running for cover, Jesse leapt toward the rustler. Blinded by the headlights, Mort didn't see Jesse until he had been knocked down and his gun kicked out of his hand, disappearing somewhere in the underbrush.
Moments later, Jesse straddled Mort on the ground, with a viselike grip on the rustler's throat and his gun aimed at the rustler's head. "I told you I'm only going to deal with your boss."
"Why you-" Mort rasped.
"You can release Mort," a voice said from the shadows on the other side of the truck, "and drop the gun. I'm here."
Jesse didn't recognize the man who stepped into view, his automatic weapon aimed at the center of Jesse's back. But it wasn't Adam Philips. Jesse dropped his gun. Then he released Mort and stood to face the newest threat. "Are you the boss of this outfit?"
"I am," the man said. "I can't say it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Whitelaw. Actually, you've thrown a bit of a corkscrew into my plans. If you'll just step over to that shed, we can finish our business."
"You brought the money?" Jesse asked.
"Oh, no. All deals are off. I'm simply offering you a chance to get out of this alive. Are you going to walk over there peacefully, or not? I've already killed once. I assure you I won't hesitate to do so again."
Jesse was pretty sure the Boss intended to kill him anyway, but he was counting on Dallas to make sure he got out of this alive. Meanwhile, he had best keep his wits about him. He took his time sliding away the board that held the shed door closed, giving Dallas plenty of time to get everybody into position. Once Jesse was inside the shed and, he hoped, before the Boss man shot him, Dallas would move and it would all be over.
The instant Jesse released the door, a blur of movement shot past him. The escaping body was caught by Mort. Jesse's blood froze when he saw the gangly teenager the rustler was wrestling into submission.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Jesse rasped.
"Waiting for you!" Jack retorted. "You won't get away with this, you know. I'll tell them everything. They'll catch you, and you'll go to jail forever."
"Dammit, Jack, I-"
"Hey!" Jack was eyeing the man holding the gun on Jesse. "I know you! You're the foreman of the Lazy S. What're you doing here, Mr. Loomis?"
"Dammit, Jack," Jesse muttered. Now the fat was in the fire.
"You got any more surprises hidden around here?" Loomis asked Jesse.
"Look, the kid being here is as much a surprise to me as it is to you," Jesse said.
Jesse closely watched the man Jack had identified as Mr. Loomis and saw his mouth tighten, his eyes narrow. By identifying the Boss and making threats of going to the law, Jack had signed his own death warrant. Jesse forced himself not to glance out into the darkness. Adam's foreman was suspicious enough already. Dallas would realize that the boy's presence complicated things and make new plans accordingly.
"Both of you get into the shed," Loomis said, gesturing with the gun.
Jack spied the gun for the first time, and his eyes slid to Jesse's, wide with fright.
"It's all right," Jesse said in a voice intended to calm the youth. "They're just going to lock us up in the shed."
Jesse's last doubts that Loomis intended killing them both ended when Mort chuckled maliciously and said, "Yeah, you two just mosey on inside."
Jack struggled against Mort's hold, and the outlaw slapped him hard. "Quit your belly-achin' and get movin'."
Jesse had decided to use the distraction Jack was creating to make a lunge for Loomis's gun, when a pair of headlights appeared on the horizon.
"I knew it was a trap!" the outlaw snarled. Loomis swung the gun around to aim it at Jack and fired just as Jesse grabbed at his hand, pulling it down.
Jesse grunted as the bullet plowed into his thigh, but he never let go of his hold on Loomis's wrist. He swung a fist at the foreman's face and heard a satisfying crunch as it connected with the man's hooked nose. Loomis managed to fire once more before Jesse wrenched the gun away, but the bullet drove harmlessly into the ground.
Moments later, the area was swarming with local police and Texas Rangers. It soon became apparent to Jack from the way Dallas Masterson greeted Jesse, that the drifter wasn't going to be arrested by the Texas Rangers because he was one!
"What idiot turned on those headlights?" Jesse demanded. "Damned near got us killed!"
Jesse's head jerked up when he heard the sound of a woman's voice beyond the arc of light provided by the semi's headlights. "Who's that?"
Dallas grinned. "The idiot who turned on the headlights."
Jesse only had a second to brace himself before Honey threw herself into his arms. Her eyes were white around the rims with fright. Her whole body was shaking.
"I saw what happened. You saved Jack's life! I heard shots. Are you hurt?" She pushed herself away to look at him and saw the dark shine of blood on his leg. "My God! You've been shot!" She turned to the crowd of men scattered over the area and shouted, "Where's a doctor? Why haven't you taken this man to the hospital?"
Jesse pulled her back into his arms. "It's all right, Honey. It's just a little flesh wound. I'll be fine."
Jack stepped into the light and stood nearby, afraid to approach his mother and the drifter…who wasn't really a drifter after all.
Honey saw her son and reached out to pull him close. "Are you all right? You're not hurt?"
"I'm fine," Jack mumbled, feeling lower than a worm for having caused so much trouble.
"You're damned lucky not to be dead!" Jesse said.
Jack glared at Jesse. "If you'd just told me the truth in the first place, none of this would have happened. I spent a whole day in that stupid shed for nothing!" He turned to his mother and said, "I'm hungry. Is there anything at home to eat?"
Honey gaped at Jack and then laughed. If her son had started thinking about his stomach, he was going to be just fine.
Dallas had left briefly and now joined them again. "I've got a car to take you to the hospital, Jesse."
"I'll see you at home, Honey," Jesse said.
Now that she knew Jesse was all right, Honey forced herself to step away from him. If anything, this episode only proved what she had known all along. She didn't want to be married to a Texas Ranger. "I'll let you in to get your things," she said. "But I expect you to find somewhere else to spend what's left of the night"
Jesse didn't argue, just limped away toward the car Dallas had waiting.
But Jack wasn't about to let the subject alone. "He saved my life, Mom."
"I suppose he did."
"You can't just throw him out of the house like that."
"I can and I will."
"If you want my opinion, I think you're making a mistake," Jack said.
"I didn't ask for your opinion," Honey said. "Besides, you've got a lot to answer for yourself, young man."
Jack grimaced. "I can explain everything."
"This I've got to hear."
Angel interrupted to say, "I can give you both a ride home now."
"Let's go," Honey said. She put her arm around Jack and dared him to try to slip out from under it. "It's been a hectic night. Let's go home and get some sleep."
"But I'm hungry!" Jack protested.
"All right. First you eat. Then it's bed for both of us."
But hours later-just before dawn-when Jesse Whitelaw returned, Honey was sitting in the kitchen, coffee cup in hand, waiting for him.
Ten