Chapter Eleven
Nolan bunched his hands into fists. His first reaction was to grab his pistol, but then he realized he didn’t have it.
He grumbled under his breath as his mind swirled with ideas.
Since he’d never been in this situation before, he wasn’t sure what to do.
For now, he must keep his eyes on the bandits. And protect Deborah.
He glanced over his shoulder toward her. She stood near the window, clutching the drapes. Her eyes were wide and her face pale. As long as she didn’t do anything foolish, nobody would get hurt. According to William, the bank robbers hadn’t shot anyone yet.
The large, burly man walked to the counter, motioning the bank’s patron away. The robber pointed his pistol at the bank worker.
“It’s good to see you again, Clive.” The bandit’s eyebrows waggled.
The man behind the counter scowled. “Forgive me, but I cannot say the same.”
The burly bandit howled with laughter, which made the other two bank robbers laugh.
“I’m not being humorous.” The bank clerk’s face reddened. “You have robbed us before. Go find another place.”
“What did you say?” the leader of the bandits snapped at the clerk, holding his pistol steady as he pointed it at the other man. The laughter in the room had faded quickly.
Nolan held his breath, praying that the clerk’s outburst didn’t get him shot.
“Give me the money.” The leader’s voice was deep and demanding. “Before my trigger-finger becomes anxious.”
“Yes, sir.” The clerk moved away from the counter, and he and the other bank worker started to unlock the safe.
Nolan shifted his focus from one bandit to the next, wondering how he was going to stop them. He glanced over at the other two men in the room. They were middle-aged and overly round, and didn’t appear like they were strong enough to tackle anyone with a pistol.
Suddenly, from behind Nolan, came a loud groan. His chest clenched with panic. That was Deborah!
He swung around. She stood in a bent-over position as she clutched the large bulge in her middle that looked like... Slowly, he shook his head. Why did she look like she was pregnant and ready to deliver?
She lifted her agony-laced face toward him and groaned again, louder. She reached an arm toward him. “I... I’m in labor.”
Stunned, all Nolan could do was stare... with his mouth hanging open.
One of the bandits cussed. “Are you kidding me, lady?”
“No.” She took small steps toward the bandits. “My baby is coming. Now! Please, help me.”
Inwardly, Nolan prayed for strength not to yell at her now. What was she thinking?
She was almost next to the bandit standing closest to her. “Please...” She groaned again.
The bandit’s eyes were wide when he looked at Nolan. “Is she your wife?”
“Nooooo!” Deborah groaned. “My husband isn’t here.”
Once again, Nolan was at a loss for words. What was the confounded woman up to?
Deborah fell against the bandit, grasping at his arm that he used to hold the pistol. She threw a glare at Nolan. Suddenly, she didn’t look like a woman in labor, but instead, a woman who silently begged for help. Was this her distraction to try to help him disarm the bank robbers?
Nolan didn’t waste another moment. While the other bandits’ attention was on Deborah, Nolan knew this was his time to act.
He jumped at the leader of the gang, grasping the pistol as he fell on the other man. The leader struggled, so Nolan punched him in the face until the man’s grip loosened and Nolan was able to snatch the man’s pistol.
The third bank robber grumbled angrily, pointing his gun at Nolan, but the other two patrons quickly tackled the bandit to the ground.
Nolan whipped his gaze toward Deborah. She was standing over the third bank robber, who was now on the floor.
She had the man’s gun and pointed it toward the bandit.
Nolan looked at the other woman in the bank. “Go fetch the sheriff.”
She nodded and wobbled out.
The two bank clerks rushed around the counter, each with some rope.
“Tie his hands,” Nolan instructed, motioning toward the leader. “When you’re done with him, get that one tied up.” He pointed toward the one Deborah stood over.
She shook her head. “No, tie up the other man first.” She grinned. “I kicked this one, and well... let’s just say he’s out of commission for a few more minutes.” The bandit groaned in pain as he held his crotch.
Amazed, Nolan’s mind went blank as he stared at her, looking so proud of her accomplishment. The bundle of joy she’d had under her dress was the jacket he’d let her wear not too long ago.
Nolan tore his gaze away from the incredible woman and made sure the ropes were tied securely around each man’s hands. As he moved to Deborah, her victorious grin brightened her pretty face.
“All right, Mrs. Avery,” Nolan said with a touch of humor in his voice, “just how did you come up with that idea?”
Shrugging, she laughed. “Because I was so frightened, it made me sick to my stomach, and I wanted to empty it on the floor. The thought came to me that I was no better off than a pregnant woman. And well...” she glanced at the bandit tied up on the floor, “that’s when I realized I could pretend to be heavy with child. ”
“I’m proud of you,” Nolan said softly.
Her gaze bounced back to him. The arrogance in her eyes was gone. In its place, there was a tender expression.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Hey,” the closest bandit snapped.
Nolan whipped around and glared at the man. This was the one whom Deborah had taken down. The man’s attention was on her.
“Did I give you permission to speak?” Nolan growled, stepping over and lowering the man’s bandana to see his whole face.
“I know you,” the man said, still staring at Deborah.
Nolan swung his gaze to her. Slowly, recognition registered on her face, turning her expression to panic as she became pale.
“N-no, I don’t believe so,” she said meekly.
Just then, the bank’s door flew open as the sheriff and two other men strode inside.
The sheriff was tall with wide shoulders, perhaps in his early thirties.
He took fast steps toward Nolan as his gaze swept the room, ending on the bandit still holding the injured spot between his legs.
Two men behind the sheriff hurried to the other bandits.
The tall man with the wide shoulders looked at Nolan. “Are you responsible for catching these bank robbers?”
Nolan shook his head. “We all caught them.” He gave Deborah a wink.
* * * *
Deborah’s emotions were churning. Although her heart was light because she assisted in taking down the bank robbers, seeing someone who used to work at the same place she had, frightened her half to death.
Once Nolan had unmasked Mr. Simmons, she recognized him immediately. What was he doing this far from Bloomington? Then again, his job with the company had him making runs to different states, which was something she had never understood.
But now... if he ever escaped jail, he would return to Bloomington and let the Sapphire widow know that he’d seen Deborah. And that meant she and Nolan needed to get there first and turn over the documents to the U.S. Marshal.
“When are you going to tell me who that man was?” Nolan asked.
She snapped her focus back to the handsome man sitting next to her as he drove the wagon back to William and Martha’s cabin. Since they discovered the train depot was two towns east, they were doing the Christian thing and returning the buckboard.
She licked her suddenly dry lips and nodded. “He works for the Sapphire widow. I saw him a few times where I worked as a clerk.”
He reached over and grasped her hand. Warmth spread through her and made her catch a quick breath.
“Try not to fret. The man is in jail, and that is where he’ll stay until he meets the judge for sentencing.”
She exhaled slowly, knowing Nolan was right. “It’s difficult not to worry. Seeing Mr. Simmons that far from home tells me that the Sapphire widow has her men all over the place.”
Nolan grumbled something under his breath as his lips thinned. “I don’t have much money, but we need to convince William somehow to let us buy one of his horses. We need to get to the train depot as soon as possible.”
“I agree.” Her voice trembled, and she cleared her throat. “I have some money, though.”
He whipped his head toward her so fast, she jumped. His eyes were wide with surprise.
“You do? Where?”
She chuckled uncomfortably. “Well, when I left Bloomington, I stuffed my money in a coin purse and then fashioned a sash to wrap around my waist, making it tight under my travel dress.”
Slowly, he grinned out of one side of his mouth more than the other. She thought he looked adorable.
“Deborah, you continue to amaze me.”
She laughed, harder now. “I’m assuming that’s a good thing?”
“Indeed, it is.”
“Well, speaking of being amazed... When are you going to tell me how you know so much about being a lawman? I saw the way you tackled that bandit, and how you knew how to tie their arms together.”
He returned his gaze toward the road ahead. “Well, you see... before I became a rancher, I was a U.S. Marshal.”
It was Deborah’s turn to be surprised. But then, things began to make sense, given how he knew about the duties of a U.S. Marshal.
“You’re shocked, aren’t you?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Yes and no. But at least you know what you’re talking about, so now I can’t argue with you on subjects dealing with the law.”
His laughter was so loud as he tilted back his head. When he peered at her again, his perfectly blue eyes twinkled.
“Well, if you didn’t argue with me about something, I would think you were plotting something evil.”
She snorted another laugh and bumped her shoulder against him. “Oh, now you are being funny? I didn’t think you knew how to do that.”
She loved the way his energetic expression brightened his whole face. She especially loved seeing him smile and the cute dimple in his cheek.