Page 8 of Cade’s Quest (The McIntyres #1)

Chapter Six

C ade prayed this would work. When he got to the doorway between the kitchen and parlor, he grabbed the door facing and sagged against it. “I’m not feeling too well. I think I might pass out.”

“You better not,” snarled George. “No tricks.”

Cade pushed the gauze the tiniest bit from his eyes so he could see. His vision wasn’t clear, but at least he could see the shadows of his adversaries. In the flash of clarity, he remembered Summer saying she’d placed his gun belt and weapon in a drawer in the parlor.

“I might have to have help. Can you lend me your arm? The room is spinning. And I’m blind, thanks to you and your boys.”

“Quit your whining. You’re not very tough.” George ordered, “Joe, give him your arm.”

“But, Pa.”

“Do it.”

Joe moved beside Cade and he clutched his arm, leaning heavily. “Oh, my head,” Cade groaned, barely moving his feet. “I have a feeling you’re planning something bad. Why couldn’t you have left me in peace? I’m a very sick man.”

Cade moved his head slightly and he saw the table where Summer said she put his gun belt and weapon in the table drawer. But could he get to it before they filled him full of lead? He needed a distraction.

“Would you mind if I sit down for a minute? Just until I can go on?” Cade’s voice wavered, weakening to go with his acting.

“Stop this! No, we want that paper, and we want it now. Stop fooling around.” George’s face had turned red and he looked like he’d bit into a sour persimmon. He stuck the barrel of his gun into Cade’s cheek.

“All right, all right. I’m getting there,” Cade protested. He had to get this over with.

A vase that Summer had filled with roses and honeysuckle gave Cade an idea. He stumbled into the small table, knocking the vase off. Shards of glass, water, and flowers scattered everywhere.

Cade himself went down onto the table that held his Colt. With one hand, he slid the drawer open and yanked out his gun. Simultaneously, he jerked the gauze off his head and dove behind the nearest overstuffed armchair.

At first, everything was one big blur. Blinking helped and after two or three times, his vision started to improve. He could at least see where the shooters were.

The cold steel of the Colt filled his hand. He aimed and fired from his position.

Pimply-faced John went down, screaming. “I’m hit! Pa, help me.”

“Help your own self. Be tough. Be a man!” George shouted.

Cade made himself as small as he could and swung the Colt on Joe, but the bullet only grazed him. Both men returned his fire. Cade timed his shots. He couldn’t afford to empty all six bullets before he neutralized the group, and he only had four shots left.

The chaos of shattering glass and men’s yells filled the house. Cade crawled behind a chair, using it for a shield. From there, he caught Joe when he tried to run for the door. John was down from his wound. That left George.

“Give yourself up, George!” Cade yelled. “You have nowhere to go.”

“Wanna bet?”

A volley emptied into the chair shielding Cade as George raced outside.

“Don’t leave us, Pa! Please, come back!” John begged. “Why are you leaving us?”

But their father was gone. Some parent.

A commotion outside drew Cade from behind the chair. Keeping his weapon on the two boys, he glanced through a window. He assumed the man with Summer was Deputy Dan and he was holding his gun on George.

“Cade, are you all right in there?” Summer shouted.

Cade went to the door. “I’m fine. These other two aren’t so lucky.”

“Thank goodness!” She hurried through the door then hesitated just a minute to take in the parlor they had wrecked beyond belief. She rushed to him. “Your bandage.”

“I had to see, Summer, or I’d be dead.”

“Don’t worry. The doctor does need to check your eyes after we get these men to the jail.” She seemed to want to hug him but wouldn’t give the two on the floor an opening so she stared at the mess, releasing little sounds of dismay.

“Sis, I’m sorry about your little house.” Cade turned when Dan came inside with his prisoner. “I’ll help clean it up.”

“Cade, stop.” Summer hugged him now that Dan had control of the situation. “I’m just happy you’re okay. I couldn’t bear to lose you now that we found each other. How much can you see?”

“At first, I could only make out shadows but it’s improving.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her since he could finally see. “You’re so pretty. Four years has changed you into a woman. Your hair is a much deeper shade of red and even your eyes look bluer. You’re the spitting image of our mother.”

“I thought you said you were going to be fine. Don’t worry, you said.” Tears bubbled in her eyes. “I could’ve lost you for good this time.”

“Aw, don’t cry, Sis.” He draped an arm around her. “You haven’t lost me. Besides, I had little choice in the matter.”

Dan finished tying the last of the three lawbreakers’ hands. “Summer, I’m going to march these men to jail, and I’ll be back. Cade, I have questions for you when I return.”

“I’ll be here,” Cade answered. “Look on the bright side, Deputy. I don’t need to look at any posters. These are the men who beat me at my camp.”

“Perfect. Even more to charge them with.” Dan prodded the old man in the back with the barrel of his gun. “March and don’t stop until you reach the jail.”

“You can’t prove anything, Deputy,” grumbled George. “We was only checking on McIntyre to see if he was okay.”

Dan chuckled. “You have a funny way of doing that. Plus, you shot up Miss McIntyre’s house. What do you have to say about that?”

Evidently, an answer escaped George. The outlaw stood there sullenly. Dan marched the lawbreakers, two of whom were bleeding, down the street, probably much to the astonishment of passersby.

“I need some tea.” Summer took Cade’s arm. “How about you, little brother?”

“I could drink some coffee. Never was much of a tea drinker.”

Later in the bright kitchen at the table, Summer took a sip of tea. “I’m dying to ask questions, but I’ll wait until Dan gets back so you only have to tell it once.”

“That might be best. I’m sorry about the mess they caused.” Cade cradled his cup between his hands. “I’m just sorry about everything we broke.”

“Stop that. I only care about you, not my vases or flowers or anything else.” Her bottom lip quivered. “You could’ve been killed.” She rested a gentle hand on his jaw.

“Summer, those men mentioned Jess’s name.”

“Oh no! What did they say?”

“They said they didn’t like the way Jess looked at them and that he scares them. Do you think they were talking about our brother?”

“I don’t know, Cade. But if Jess does happen to be in an outlaw gang, they could certainly mean him. Maybe Dan will find out what gang they belong to and that would help us find him. Would you like a refill?”

“I’m fine. Where’s your broom?”

She gave him a suspicious glance. “What for?”

“Now, what do people normally do with a broom?”

“Cade, I’ll do the sweeping.” She got up and pulled a broom from a closet.

“If you don’t let me do that, I’ll help pick up.” He pushed back his chair and went into the parlor with a waste basket.

For the next hour, they cleaned up the mess and set the room back to rights. They were admiring their handiwork when Dan returned. When Summer mentioned coffee, Dan suggested they sit at the kitchen table to talk while he drank some.

Finally, Dan shared that George and his boys were members of the Alonzo Dakota gang. “But I can’t understand their obsession with you, Cade.”

“They kept wanting me to give them a piece of paper with a map and the time they were supposed to meet up at some junction. Evidently, it fell out of one of their pockets and they thought it was at my campsite. So when they couldn’t find it, they assumed I had it.

I took George to mean they were doing a job, but I don’t know if it was a train or a bank.

They never said. They were really in a panic about missing it.

” Cade didn’t mention Jess. That had nothing to do with these men.

And even if it did, he wasn’t going to say anything that might get Jess locked up.

“They said they went back to the campsite and the paper wasn’t there. ”

“I see. I can imagine their fear of someone finding it.”

“Or worse, Dan. The fear of being in deep trouble with their boss was more like it.” Cade could only imagine. Most outlaws killed at the drop of a hat anyway and especially if they thought someone was not trustworthy. “I hope they didn’t find my saddle and saddlebags that I hid in the rocks.”

“Maybe we can rent a buggy and ride out there to find out. I’d sure hate for you to lose those, little brother.”

“I can’t afford to buy more. But that’s a good idea.” He changed the subject. “Sis, you didn’t say how the wedding went.”

She glanced up and smiled. “It was nice. I danced with Dan several times then with each of his brothers.”

“Yeah, all nine of them,” Dan said sourly.

“You can’t blame me for that. I was just standing there. Besides, they would’ve been upset.” She patted Dan’s shoulder. “This way, everyone went home happy.”

“Except me. But I did get to arrest those three outlaws.” Dan kissed Summer’s cheek.

Cade watched their interaction and realized they were more than friends.

Maybe much more. Guilt swept over him for asking her to leave her life here. She deserved every bit of happiness she’d found. Dan was a good man, the kind you didn’t find often. And so was the doctor.

“I’ve never heard of the Alonzo Dakota gang, Dan. What do you know about them?” Cade asked.

“Best we can figure, there are about six of them on average. Pretty small potatoes. However, they took some gold in a train robbery worth a fortune and that got the attention of the Pinkerton’s.

But they only got away with a little over four hundred dollars during their last job in Round Timber; that’s in southeast Baylor County.

Seems the robbery was foiled by an alert sheriff. ”