maybe Dietz would let that be the crowning glory of this mission. He'd see Gaffney locked up and safely away from Keely.
"Well, go after her, man," Waters said. "I'll clean up here."
Yeah, sure. Waters would clean up good. Dietz didn't like taking orders, but protecting Keely seemed more important than making a point with Waters. Dietz took off after her.
He caught up with her near Canyon Creek. Behind him he heard the gasp of a flame taking life, and then its angry birth cry—a roar. Keely strode on. He let her have her lead and her space until they got to the boardinghouse. Then he'd had enough. He caught her in the kitchen.
"Keely."
She stopped and turned to face him. "How dare you!"
"How dare I? How dare you. Do you realize what a foolish thing you did out there?"
"Do you realize what those miners intended out there?"
"I do." He ran his fingers back through his hair. Could she be that naive? Didn't she know who McCullough was, what he'd done?
"No, I don't believe you do. They meant to kill that man in any hideous, ugly way they could. You haven't seen them. You haven't seen their cruelty. They're so frustrated. They don't know what to do other than show their anger, retaliate."
Oh, he knew about cruelty. He'd seen far more than he hoped she'd ever imagined.
"Michael would have stopped them."
"Michael would never have gone on a fool's mission. He knew which battles to fight."
"How dare you presume to know my brother better than I do? If you were half the man he was, you would have stopped them." She turned on her heel. He caught her by the elbow.
"I trained him. I know what he would have done. The same thing I did myself."
"No." She shook her arm. "Let go of me."
"Not until you listen to me."
"No, you listen to me, Ian McCullough. I will not marry a man of violence. A coward. You pack your things and move across the street to Shipley's in the morning."
He should have let it go right there. She'd given him the out he'd wanted. But something greater was at stake—her safety, his.
"I'm not going anywhere. I promised Michael that I'd take care of you. Call off the wedding if you like, but I'm staying to see to your safety until this thing is over." For once in his life, Dietz spoke the truth.
She wouldn't look directly at him. He softened his voice. "What you did tonight, though brave, was also foolhardy in the extreme. Can't you see that you made Waters test me? He wanted to see where my loyalties lay, with the union or you. To choose you would put both of us in danger." He lifted her chin with his fingers. "You know the truth of it, though, don't you, Keely? Where my loyalty is."
"I'm not sorry for what I did."
"No, I knew you wouldn't be, lass. And I don't expect you to be. You're a hardheaded Irishwoman after all."
"And you're not an equally stubborn Irishman?"
"Not as stubborn as you, lass. I'm only half Irish. My pa was a Scot. They're much less temperamental."
She laughed and blinked away her tears.
"Now do you still insist on throwing me out?"
She didn't answer, just started crying. He hated it when a woman cried, even though he suspected her tears were those of relief, maybe even happiness. He pulled her into his embrace. "I'm here now, lass. Let me do the fighting." He kissed the top of her head. "And stay away from Gaffney. He's trouble."
Dietz didn't speak just for McCullough. Somehow John Dietz had become involved with this woman.
The next day Dietz sat in Waters' office, called in to perform another fool's errand, no doubt. The trouble with Waters seemed to be his love of power and bossing other men around. Dietz didn't like it, but it went with the job. Soon enough Dietz would have the upper hand and Waters would be where he belonged—locked up.
Today Waters seemed a bit too jovial and confident for Dietz's tastes. Who'd he put one over on this time?
"How's the shoulder today?" Waters set two shot glasses on his desk and removed the stopper from a decanter of
"Well, go after her, man," Waters said. "I'll clean up here."
Yeah, sure. Waters would clean up good. Dietz didn't like taking orders, but protecting Keely seemed more important than making a point with Waters. Dietz took off after her.
He caught up with her near Canyon Creek. Behind him he heard the gasp of a flame taking life, and then its angry birth cry—a roar. Keely strode on. He let her have her lead and her space until they got to the boardinghouse. Then he'd had enough. He caught her in the kitchen.
"Keely."
She stopped and turned to face him. "How dare you!"
"How dare I? How dare you. Do you realize what a foolish thing you did out there?"
"Do you realize what those miners intended out there?"
"I do." He ran his fingers back through his hair. Could she be that naive? Didn't she know who McCullough was, what he'd done?
"No, I don't believe you do. They meant to kill that man in any hideous, ugly way they could. You haven't seen them. You haven't seen their cruelty. They're so frustrated. They don't know what to do other than show their anger, retaliate."
Oh, he knew about cruelty. He'd seen far more than he hoped she'd ever imagined.
"Michael would have stopped them."
"Michael would never have gone on a fool's mission. He knew which battles to fight."
"How dare you presume to know my brother better than I do? If you were half the man he was, you would have stopped them." She turned on her heel. He caught her by the elbow.
"I trained him. I know what he would have done. The same thing I did myself."
"No." She shook her arm. "Let go of me."
"Not until you listen to me."
"No, you listen to me, Ian McCullough. I will not marry a man of violence. A coward. You pack your things and move across the street to Shipley's in the morning."
He should have let it go right there. She'd given him the out he'd wanted. But something greater was at stake—her safety, his.
"I'm not going anywhere. I promised Michael that I'd take care of you. Call off the wedding if you like, but I'm staying to see to your safety until this thing is over." For once in his life, Dietz spoke the truth.
She wouldn't look directly at him. He softened his voice. "What you did tonight, though brave, was also foolhardy in the extreme. Can't you see that you made Waters test me? He wanted to see where my loyalties lay, with the union or you. To choose you would put both of us in danger." He lifted her chin with his fingers. "You know the truth of it, though, don't you, Keely? Where my loyalty is."
"I'm not sorry for what I did."
"No, I knew you wouldn't be, lass. And I don't expect you to be. You're a hardheaded Irishwoman after all."
"And you're not an equally stubborn Irishman?"
"Not as stubborn as you, lass. I'm only half Irish. My pa was a Scot. They're much less temperamental."
She laughed and blinked away her tears.
"Now do you still insist on throwing me out?"
She didn't answer, just started crying. He hated it when a woman cried, even though he suspected her tears were those of relief, maybe even happiness. He pulled her into his embrace. "I'm here now, lass. Let me do the fighting." He kissed the top of her head. "And stay away from Gaffney. He's trouble."
Dietz didn't speak just for McCullough. Somehow John Dietz had become involved with this woman.
The next day Dietz sat in Waters' office, called in to perform another fool's errand, no doubt. The trouble with Waters seemed to be his love of power and bossing other men around. Dietz didn't like it, but it went with the job. Soon enough Dietz would have the upper hand and Waters would be where he belonged—locked up.
Today Waters seemed a bit too jovial and confident for Dietz's tastes. Who'd he put one over on this time?
"How's the shoulder today?" Waters set two shot glasses on his desk and removed the stopper from a decanter of
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