Chapter Twenty-Seven

Leah and Chase were carefree. For the first time since they met neither of them were worried about anything. They were not worried about death or escaping dangerous circumstances. They were not worried about angry families or hatred from loved ones.

The only thing they had to occupy their thoughts were dreams of the future and the pleasure of the here and the now. They laughed and talked. They rode in comfortable silences. They loved each other well into the night every night and neither could remember a single time when they had ever been happier.

"We will soon be there." Chase said as he looked off into the distance. Leah sighed.

"Good. As fun as this is my backside is beginning to get a little sore." she replied.

"You can ride right here." Chase stated with a raise of his brow as he patted his lap. Leah felt a little tremor pass down her spine but she laughed and waved her hand.

"I'm sure Blaze would appreciate it if I just stayed on my own horse."

"I will tell him to close his eyes." Chase replied and Leah laughed loudly.

"That's not what I meant." she countered and Chase simply frowned but said nothing.

"Are you pouting?" she asked with amusement.

"I never pout."

"You're pouting right now." she exclaimed, shaking with suppressed laughter.

"You're being ridiculous." he stated though she was sure she saw his lip twitch and his eyes sparkle before he pulled his hat down lower.

"It will take a while before I can get our cabin built. Lumber is scarce here and I had to order most of it while in town. They said it will be two months before it arrives." Chase stated, guiding the subject away from his pouting.

"That's okay." Leah replied with a shrug. "I enjoy sleeping under the stars with you and on nights when it rains we have a tent."

Chase smiled over at her and wondered just what he had done to deserve to be blessed with such a woman. A woman so perfectly suited for him. As they were climbing the last hill before their future home a sudden wave of unease washed down his spine. Quickly he pulled his gun and Leah frowned as she looked at him, her green eyes suddenly alarmed.

"What is it?" she whispered. Chase frowned and just shook his head. He wasn't sure what it was but it was something. Using his sharpened senses he scanned their surrounds and as they reached the top of the hill he saw him.

Yancy.

The man was sitting beside the pool of water, leaning against the same oak tree that Leah and Chase and laid under during their time here together.

"Is that Yancy?" Leah gasped, squinting in the sunlight and trying to make out the man who was still a good hundred yards away. Chase merely nodded in response as his jaw tightened.

"Stay here." he growled.

"But..." Leah started and he sent her a look that had her pulling up on her horses reins and doing as she was told.

Chase rode away from her and down the hill, keeping his revolver in his hand. That familiar rage once again began bubbling up and his hands flexed as he imagined wrapping his hands around Yancy's neck and blocking off the flow of oxygen to his lungs just the same as Yancy had Leah.

Chase thought of Leah's neck which was now turning a green color as the bruises aged and it took every ounce of self control he had not to shoot Yancy right then and end the mans life.

But that wouldn't be good enough. Chase wanted to feel Yancy's blood and make sure the man knew exactly why he was dying. Chase wanted to be looking in his eyes as his life left him.

Yancy looked up and caught sight of Chase nearing him. Chase heard the man let out a sigh and get to his feet. Yancy's eyes went behind him and he threw his hand up at Leah.

"Good to see the squaw made it." Chase felt his spine stiffened as he bristled.

"Do not look at her. Do not wave at her. Do not even think about her. She is too good to even be on your mind."

"I agree, Chief." Yancy replied as he shoved his hands into his pants.

"What are you doing here? Why would you come here knowing this is where I would head? Do you want to die?" Chase demanded, his voice low and cold. Yancy shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Nope sure don't. But I knew that if you lived through all that with Tobias that you'd come for me eventually. I reckon I just didn't want to be lookin' over my shoulder for the rest of my life."

Chase was silent as he slipped from Blaze's back and holstered his gun. He stalked toward the other man looking very much like a predator stalking his pray.

"Do you know what Tobias nearly did to her?" Chase ground out, his hand closing around the handle of his knife. Yancy spared a glance at the deadly knife Chase was so fond of using and swallowed hard but his voice didn't waver when he replied.

"Yes I know."

"Why did you betray me?" Chase asked and then he shook his head. "No, why did you use Leah to do it? What did that woman ever do to you? Why would you want to hurt her?" Yancy shrugged.

"It wasn't personal. She was just a means to an end."

"What end?"

"Money."

"That is it?"

"What else is there?"

"Loyalty. I trusted you." Chase replied and Yancy smiled, though there was no humor in the act.

"Your mistake, not mine." he said sadly. "Now let's settle this like men. This is gonna happen sooner or later, I'd just as soon get it done now." Chase knew that Yancy wanted to have a duel with their revolvers and while Chase was more fond of killing with his knife he also knew that to be a man of honor, which is what he wanted to be for Leah, he would have to give Yancy a fighting chance.

Chase nodded and took several big steps back putting twenty paces of distance between he and Yancy. Both men assumed a wide legged stance and settled their hands just above their revolvers.

Chase watched Yancy for any sign of movement. He knew he could draw faster than Yancy and he knew his aim was better. This was only going to end one way and that was with Yancy dead and Chase's vengeful side sated.

Before either man could draw, Leah came charging down the hill on her gray mare and brought the beast between them.

"Stop this!" she exclaimed. Chase growled and grabbed her by the arm, jerking her from the horse and yanking her body behind him.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed, kicking out so the mare would move and no longer be blocking his view of Yancy. Chase wouldn't put it past the man to shoot him when he was unable to defend himself.

Leah yanked herself out of his hold and came around him again. She glared at Yancy and then turned to look up at Chase.

"Hasn't there been enough killing? Haven't enough people died and enough blood been spilt?" she demanded.

"He deserves his death." Chase ground out, keeping his eyes on Yancy instead of his angry wife. Leah snorted.

"Yes I know. I know he does. It was me he choked remember? Me he mocked and told to just be a good girl and give Tobias what he wanted. I know how badly Yancy deserves to die but I also know that I don't want you to be that man anymore."

"I am who I am." Chase growled.

"I know and I love you but surely this can be settled without killing." Leah looked over her shoulder at Yancy and the man shrugged.

"If he says he won't come after me then I'll leave the territories and never show my face again." Leah turned back to Chase and he looked into her green eyes that were pleading with him.

"See? We can let this go. We can move on and there doesn't have to be bloodshed. I don't want bloodshed to mar our paradise." he added.

Chase took a deep breath as instinct and emotions warred within him. Every instinct he had was telling him to shoot Yancy where he stood so he would no longer have to worry about the man and yet here was his wife asking him, pleading with him, to just let the past go and let Yancy leave.

Could he do that?

Would he do that for her?

Yes.

Chase nodded as he ran one knuckle over the welt on Leah's cheek. He looked at Yancy and could see the relief on the other man's face.

"Leave the territories. If I ever see you again I will kill you. And nothing will stop me." he added pointedly for Leah's benefit.

"I can do that, chief." Yancy promised. He tipped his head to Leah as he walked past her and she simply glared at him in return. She hadn't done what she'd done for him. She had done it for Chase. To help end the cycle. To keep their place pure and free from the violence and the death that had made up the first few months of their time together.

"Thank you, Chase." Leah whispered as Yancy walked away. Chase didn't like standing with his back to Yancy and yet he didn't want to turn and watch the man walk away because he wasn't sure he could resist the urge to put a bullet in his back.

Leah wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her toes and hugged him tight. Chase hugged her in return, allowing her touch to wash away the anger and rage he currently burning inside of him.

Chase became lost in that touch. So lost he almost missed the sudden movement behind him.

Almost.

He knew Yancy was drawing his gun. Yancy was going to shoot him in the back, with no regard to the fact that Leah was close to him and could also be struck if the bullet went through. Chase was pulling his gun and preparing to turn, hoping that he would be able to take a shot in time when suddenly a gunshot rang out in the peaceful evening air.

The birds resting in the oak let out a racket and quickly flew away and everything stilled. Chase waited for pain but none came as he froze in place.

He heard a grunt behind him and someone fall to the ground. It

It took a moment for Chase to realize what had just happened. He pulled away from his wife and looked down at her to see that she was pale and shaking as she continued to hold her .38 colt revolver in her hand.

Chase gently took the gun from her and then turned to see that Yancy was lying dead, facedown in the grass with an exit wound through his back.

"I just killed a man." Leah gasped.

"You've killed before." Chase replied quietly, remembering the way she had fired that revolver in the cabin. Leah nodded as her eyes widened.

"Yes but this was different. I was looking right in his eyes. He was going to kill you. He was going to shoot you in the back and it would have been my fault because I told you not to kill him....."

"It would not have been your fault. I made the choice to let him live."

"I'm too stupid for this kind of life, Chase. I make mistakes and trust the wrong people." Leah cried as tears filled her eyes. Chase shook his head and then moved his body to shield her eyes from seeing Yancy any longer.

"And what of me? I trust Yancy and Tig as well and I have been in this life for my entire life."

"From now on I don't trust anyone." Leah stated matter of factly as she swiped at her tears with shaking hands. Chase raised his brow.

"No one?" he asked and she looked up into his eyes. She laid her hand on his cheek.

"Only you." Chase captured her hand in his own and kissed her fingertips before smiling.

"We are all we need."