Redemption's Edge by Shirleen Davies Page A

could split it up.” Luke tipped his hat lower on his forehead, shading his eyes from the intense sun. “It may be something we should think about a little more.”
    They rode in silence, combining the small herds into a large pasture until the sun began to set over the Territory Range. There were mountains in the eastern states, long ranges of unending forests and clear lakes. Yet neither Dax nor Luke had ever seen anything to rival the size and majestic beauty of the mountains in the western region.
    “Have you selected men for tonight’s watch?” Luke slid off Prince and picked up a foreleg to inspect a hoof.
    “Bull and Ellis are staying, along with several others. I think it would be a good idea if you and I circled the outer perimeter to keep watch for a while.”
    “Out of sight?”
    “That’s right.”
    “I’d sure like to catch those doing the shooting. You think anyone else besides Tolbert is behind the attacks?”
    “Hank doesn’t know of anyone else who’d attempt something like this. There’s a large ranch on the other side of Tolbert—too far away from this property to make any sense to pursue. Another good-sized ranch lies to the west of us. It’s owned by two brothers Hank’s known for years. He swears there’s no chance either would be involved in what’s going on. The other ranchers have small spreads and not enough men. His money’s on Tolbert, the same as ours.”
    “What about Drake? Could he be working on his own?”
    “Perhaps. He sure as hell would like to see us back in Texas. The man’s got a real temper. It got him into trouble several times under my command. He’s fearsome in a fight, but doesn’t know how to let it go afterwards. Tends to bring his mean streak back into camp. He has a history of gathering followers, those who don’t possess the brightest minds. He’s also the type others hire to carry out actions too dangerous or too beneath them.” Dax scanned the area once again and wondered if Drake could be working on his own without direct instruction from Tolbert.
    “Did you recognize any of the men riding with him?”
    “A couple were in my unit. Disappeared the same time he did. I would’ve ordered the lot of them shot if I’d had the extra men to track them down.” Dax signaled to Bull, letting the man know he and Luke were leaving to take positions on the outer perimeter. He looked at this brother. “You call it.”
    “I’ll head up there, take up a position near that ridge.” Luke pointed toward a rocky outcropping a couple hundred yards away.
    “I’ll be opposite you.” Dax turned Hannibal, continuing to watch the men and cattle, as something nagged at him about the whole situation.
    He didn’t know what bothered him the most. Tolbert and his henchman, Rachel’s request and his subsequent refusal to help the town, or the woman herself.
    She’d weighed on his mind each day and night since she’d ridden off after his poor attempt at explaining his decision not to call on her. He’d wanted to assure Rachel his change of heart had nothing to do with her, at least not in the way she may have thought. She’d responded quite different from the way he’d expected, leaving before he had a chance to explain.
    He kept thinking of the gleam in her eyes when he’d asked to call on her. She’d been eager to see him again. He remembered all of it. The feel of her against him as they rode to town, the disappointed look she’d cast him when her uncle stepped outside. Every detail replayed over in his mind.
    Then the mention of King Tolbert. It had been as if someone had thrown cold water over him, and with it, a dose of reality. Dax wanted her, no doubt about it. At the same time, he believed his stay in Splendor would be short and he understood, without hesitation, that Rachel Davenport would not be a short-term woman. No. She’d be someone a man could get hooked on, marry, and build a life around. None of those were part of his future.
    Dax