Chapter Twenty-Nine

Ace's heart dropped into his stomach. He turned slowly while shaking his head. He pushed Penny behind him but tried to make it subtle. "Not at all. Why would you think that?"

Franklyn had that gun aimed at Ace's chest—and the five other men scattered about looked ready to draw if need be. "You think I didn't notice how she seemed almost happy to see you? Not to mention the way she's all cuddled up to your back. You know each other. Now who are you, really?"

Ace cursed under his breath. It wasn't Penny's fault. Hell, she wasn't an actress or a liar and as far as he was concerned she'd done real good given the situation.

"I told you who I am," Ace replied. "Montgomery Phillips. Maybe the lady is hiding behind me because you're pointing a gun our way. Mind putting that thing up?"

With a click of his tongue, Franklyn shook his head. "Don't think so." He gripped his revolver a bit tighter. "What is your goddamn name?"

The jig was up. Ace wasn't getting out of this without shooting. He wasn't real happy about killing people—he'd never done it before. But to save Penny? Hell, he'd blow all these men to hell.... His only hope was he could do it before they blew him to hell and that Penny would be smart enough to just stay behind him and out of the way of bullets—even if he got hit.

Ace was fairly confident he could shoot his way out of this. He was a good trick shot and had even performed in the fair—but there were six men and he only had six bullets. If he missed even once....

After dealing with these men, he'd have to reload and get Penny out of this canyon while dealing with the guards. There were four of them he'd seen on his way in.

"Name's Ace Anderson. You ransacked my cabin, killed my dog, and stole my woman. Did you really think I wouldn't come for her?"

"Goddamn cowpoke tracked me down?" Franklyn seemed truly disappointed. "I thought I was better than that."

"You're not."

"I wouldn't run that mouth, Ace Anderson. You're facing six men with guns."

"Yeah and you're facing me with a gun."

Franklyn chuckled, glancing at one of his men for a split second. A split second was all that Ace needed.

Slipping his gun from the holster, Ace fired from the hip as he'd practiced doing countless times at bottles and cans. Franklyn never even knew what was coming before the bullet slammed into his head.

Headshots were what Ace needed. He couldn't afford to have to shoot someone twice.

Ace lost track of everything else around him as he simply fired shots. He felt a burning pain as a bullet connected with his arm but it didn't stop him. He just kept going.

Finally his gun was empty. Six fired shots—and only five dead men. The sixth was shot but it had been low and in his shoulder. He growled as he aimed his gun at Ace's chest. "These men were my friends, you bastard."

Ace knew something had to happen fast before the guards made it down. "Pick better friends."

"You and your bitch are about to die."

Ace braced himself for pain but when the shot echoed in the night, it wasn't Ace that fell—it was the gang member. He stumbled forward several steps and then hit the dirt.

Ace turned quickly and groaned. Billy Godamn Henkley. Now Ace owed him twice.

"Ace?" Penny whispered. He pulled her around him and let his eyes scan her body.

"Are you okay, Princess?"

Her face was pale and those eyes wide. "I... I think so... But you're bleeding."

Ace glanced at his arm but it was a graze. "Just a scratch," he assured her, pulling her into a hug and kissing her hair.

"Billy, the guards?"

"Dealt with," Billy assured him. Riding in behind Billy, Ace saw the sheriff, deputies, Luke, and Gregory heading in.

Penny was trembling in his arms and Ace knew that her tough façade and her brave face was fading. "I'll let you deal with all this, Sheriff. I'm gonna get Penny home."

"Home is cleaned up," Luke stated, riding closer. "Mama and Patricia made sure of that."

Penny pulled out of his arms suddenly and strode across the camp, sidestepping the dead bodies littering the ground. She approached a certain sack among a stack of them and opened it before cinching it closed once again and laying it over her shoulder. "My dress," she answered the questioning looks. "I'm getting married tomorrow."

"Yes, you are," Ace assured her, as she returned to his arms.

"Ace, I'm gonna need to talk with you and Penny about everything that happened with these men. I'll have to write up a report..." Sheriff Potter informed them.

Ace nodded. "And we'll talk to you. But it'll have to wait a few days. You heard the lady; we're getting hitched tomorrow and we'll spend at least three days being newlyweds."

Sheriff Potter sighed. "Ace..."

"What is there to know?" Ace demanded, his temper with the sheriff piquing. He wanted to get Penny home. He needed to shed the layers of clothes between them and hold her against his skin. He needed to reassure himself that she was safe and whole and right where she was supposed to be.

"It's real simple sheriff," Ace continued. "Gavin Hendershot had debts he couldn't pay and offered up my woman as payment. These men have been dealt with but Gavin is still left. If you don't deal with him, I'll have to take care of that myself as well."

"You won't," Sheriff Potter countered, narrowing his gaze. "I can write this off as self-defense and rescue. You go gunning down Gavin Hendershot in cold blood and you'll be the one hanged. I'll arrest Gavin and with Billy's testimony and the testimony of a few more that heard him in the saloon should be enough to find him guilty at trial and see him in prison."

"Prison?" Ace growled. "Prison isn't good enough."

Sheriff Potter squared her shoulders. "Prison is what it'll be."

"Come on, Ace," Luke insisted. "We'll let the sheriff and his deputies deal with this mess and we'll get Penny home. I'm sure she's tired."

Ace knew she was. Hell, he was doing more to hold her up than her own legs were. Ace led her to Blacky. He hopped up into the saddle and pulled her up in front of him laying her across his lap with her head resting on his chest.

Without a word, Ace let Blackey carry them away from the camp and back toward home.

***

Penny was sound asleep against him when they arrived at the cabin. "Luke, Gregory, thank you both," Ace whispered as he pulled Penny off Blackey, cradling the woman in his arms.

"You don't have to thank us," Luke assured him.

"That's right. You're our brother and she's our sister. We're family and we have your back," Gregory agreed.

Ace knew that was true and yet he was still grateful that his brothers had dropped everything and ridden out to help ensure Penny's safety.

"Go home," Ace insisted. "Rest. I'm sure everyone else is worried sick. Tell mama, Penny says there's still gonna be a wedding tomorrow."

Gregory smiled. "I'll tell her."

Luke and Gregory headed down the trail toward the ranch. Ace glanced over at Billy Henkley. "I guess I owe you some thanks as well."

Billy shook his head. "No, you don't. We used to be friends and my drinking temper messed that up. I'm lucky you didn't kill me after what I did to Penny and I'm sorry. I reckon I owed you a debt so now we're even."

Ace simply nodded. He wasn't sure he could have gotten a 'thank you, Billy', out without gagging.

"I'll take care of Blackey," Billy insisted. "Get her in and rest. If you're getting married tomorrow, you'll need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is only a couple hours away."

Ace headed up the porch but stopped on the steps. He turned his head. "Hey, Billy? You're welcome to come to the wedding. If you want to."

Without waiting for an answer, Ace carried Penny into the house, closing and locking the door behind them. Luke and Gregory hadn't been lying. Any evidence of the ransacking this cabin had experienced were gone. Everything was back in its place, neat and tidy.

Penny came to a bit when Ace laid her upon the bed and began ridding her of her stained clothes. "What.... Where...."

"We're home, Princess," Ace replied gently.

The next thing Ace knew the woman was breaking down in tears. He had known they'd come eventually given the tough act she'd been putting on, but, damn, that didn't mean he liked them.

Ace got into the bed and held her against him while she cried. He whispered gently into her hair as he rubbed her back and tried his best to comfort her. A few tears may have escaped his own eyes as he thought of how close he'd come to losing her.

Slowly, she quieted and Ace realized she had once again fallen asleep. He finished removing her clothes and then removed his own, realizing he needed to deal with the graze on his arm.

Outside, Ace walked to the pump well and brought up some water. He cleaned his arm with soap, rinsed it off and tied a thin white strip of shirt around it.

Returning to his woman in bed, Ace curled up around her and let his tired body drift off to sleep knowing in just a few short hours Penny would be becoming his wife because she herself had said so.