Chapter Thirty-Five #2
Victor tried to fire his revolver again, but it was jammed, the hollow clicks doing nothing.
“Stand down,” Jackson ordered him while circling him on Horse, his rifle ready.
“…fine,” Victor grumbled, to Hope’s disbelief.
Closing his eyes and tossing away the useless revolver, Victor’s shoulders slumped forward in defeat.
His skin was deathly pale and his face looked drained, the expression of a man who’d given up.
But when Victor opened his eyes again, Hope saw the same mad, piercing blue that had haunted her since their first meeting.
Victor would never stop.
Hope screamed as Victor pulled a knife from his belt in a flash and lunged towards Jackson, aiming for his thigh. Hope started towards them, but Victor was already outnumbered in his fight against Jackson. Horse wasn’t having it.
Horse reared and kicked out his front legs at Victor, knocking the hand with the knife away. Jackson slid off Horse and rounded on Victor, his eyes flashing darkly as he leveled the barrel of his gun at Victor’s head.
“Don’t touch Horse!” Jackson seethed, his tone deadly.
“You’ll have to kill me to stop me!” Victor snarled at him.
Jackson stared him down in silence. Other riders started to arrive, and formed a circle around Victor with their horses. Hope longed to run to Jackson’s side, but she couldn’t leave Daniel, not after he’d been willing to give up his life to save her.
“Restrain him,” she heard Jackson order the men, keeping his gun trained on Victor.
David and Old Simon approached the man, rope in their hands. As they neared Victor, he snarled like a wild animal and gave David a violent shove. Old Simon swung back his arm and delivered a punch on the nose that knocked Victor out cold.
“Well, it’s about time someone did that!” Simon said, evoking a round of laughter from the men.
Ethan and David quickly restrained the unconscious Victor and slung him over his stallion. Hope laughed through tears of sheer joy. It was finally over.
“We’ve won, Daniel!” she whispered to her unconscious brother.
She looked to Jackson as Simon thumped him on the back.
“It takes nerves of steel and a heart of gold not to shoot a man like that when given the chance,” Simon said to Jackson. “You have my respect, son.” Jackson nodded appreciatively, but she could see his eyes hunting for something, searching for her.
Finally, Jackson locked eyes with Hope, and she could see the tension drain from him as he walked towards her and Daniel.
One sleeve had been ripped from his shirt, revealing a scar on his left shoulder, and his knuckles were purple and welling with blood.
He stepped up to her and she took his face in her hands and stared at him.
There was blood in his hairline and a gash along his forehead, but his lips pulled into a smile, and his green eyes glowed with warmth.
“How is Daniel?” he asked, dropping down next to her.
“It’s a shallow wound, but he needs a doctor,” Hope said, fighting off the swell of emotions that threatened. “How are you?”
“I’m a mess,” Jackson croaked with an exhausted grin.
“I don’t care,” she said, throwing her arms around him and breathing in his familiar, steadying scent. “I knew you’d come.”
Jackson buried his face in her hair as he held her tightly, his nose and lips pressed against her neck. She could feel her heart flutter in her chest as he took her face in his hands and kissed her gently.
There were cheers and whistles as the other riders rode past, back to the ranch.
***
Ethan rode ahead for the doctor, while Jackson and Hope got Daniel back onto his horse. Jackson rode him home, while Horse carried Hope. She was too exhausted to do more than lie on his back and loop her arms around his neck, but he knew the way and carried her carefully.
Once back at the house, Hope’s eyes filled with tears when she saw the aftereffects of the night.
The barn lay in a smoldering heap of mud and blackened wood.
The grass and flowerbeds were pulverized, stamped down with horse and boot prints, and brass casings lay scattered across the ground.
The remnants of Victor’s battered men sat in a huddle, restrained and guarded by one of the ranchers.
Hope found out later that Old Simon and his sons would keep Victor and his men restrained in the town jail until the district judge made it to Virginia City.
Jackson must have seen her expression, because he reached over and squeezed her arm.
“We walked away with our lives, and the lives of our animals,” he reminded her. “That’s worth far more than a barn. A barn we can rebuild.”
They walked the horses right up to the porch, and a frantic Margaret and Clara bustled out and helped Jackson lower Daniel off the horse.
They fussed over him, brushing the dirt from his face and ordering Jackson to help him into the house.
Hope slid off Horse and leaned against him, every part of her aching.
“Clara, dear,” Margaret stated, the urgency in her tone drifting out of the house, “we need hot water and cloths.”
“Ethan’s gone to fetch the doctor, Ma,” Jackson said as he placed Daniel on the settee.
“I feel at death’s door,” Hope heard Daniel, now conscious once more, whining.
“Oh, you poor dear,” Clara fussed, and Hope knew Daniel was getting the attention he needed and would be just fine.
Hope heard footsteps and knew by the scuff of his boots that Jackson was on his way back to her. He walked out onto the porch and, without a word, swept Hope off her feet and carried her inside.
“It’s over, my darling,” he assured her with a whisper in her ear.
Hope draped her arms around his neck and used the last of her strength to draw his head down to kiss her.
“I realized something today, and I was worried I’d never get to tell you,” Hope said.
“What might that be?” he asked, smiling at her.
Hope tensed. Her lips parted, and she felt the heat of a blush creep across her cheeks, so she lowered her gaze, fighting with herself.
“Hope,” Jackson said gently, one of his hands finding one of hers. “I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you either.”
Hope gained strength from hearing this. Her eyes found Jackson’s, taking in their sincerity, and she smiled, opening her mouth.
“No,” he said. “You had your chance. Now it’s my turn.
The thing is-” He hesitated, and she could see him undergo the same struggle she just had.
“Well, what I’m trying to say is…” He stopped again and cleared his throat.
He stared at her with more intensity than she’d ever felt before.
It was as if he could see right through her.
“I think… No, I know…” he sighed. “I love you, my wife,” he finally managed, relief rippling across his features.
Hope felt a wobble in her knees, and Jackson had to hold her up. Even though she had felt his love for some time now, it was different to have it voiced between them.
She realized that he was watching her, his expression nervous as he waited for her to say something. Hope gathered herself again and took a breath, her voice shaky. “I love you too, Jackson. So much,” she added, tearing up.
Jackson breathed out, and they both laughed. Once the awkwardness passed, Jackson leaned down to kiss her on the lips, and Hope felt in that moment that nothing could tear them apart.