Give My Heart to Kaitlyn (2nd in Outlaw Series)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Dear God, don't shoot me! I came to warn you!" a skinny Mexican man declared when he found himself staring down the barrel of Marston's forty-five revolver.

"Warn me of what?" Marston asked with a deceptively charming smile on his face. Duke and Jeremiah were standing on opposite sides of the porch steps with their own revolvers aimed at the intruder and Pete had his rifle sights on him from the upstairs window. The women were safely tucked away in the cellar with Langley standing guard.

Pete had to admit that there was something about that smile on Marston's face when he was toying someone that made a man want to tuck tail and run in a hurry.

For two days the entire house had been on edge and simply waiting for something to happen. Then today, this man had shown up. Jeremiah had wanted to shoot him the moment they'd seen him in the distance but Marston had insisted that they first needed to see what he wanted.

"Warn me of what, perro?" Marston repeated. "You better get to talking before I blow a hole in your head and watch your tiny Mexican brain leak out."

"You have a problem with Mexicans, gringo?" the man demanded. Pete had to give the short man a little credit. He clearly had a lot of balls—too bad he was so low on brains.

"Nope," Marston shook his head. "I've got a problem with any man who rides up and claims he has something to warn me about when I know damn well there's a man and his gang wanting to come gunning for me."

The Mexican nodded. "I was riding with Frank and Vincent, yes, but they have gone loco! Vincent can barely hold himself in the saddle from that bullet you put in his lung years ago and Frank is half blind with rage and grief as he watches his brother dying."

"They always were close," Jeremiah agreed with a wink.

"Real close," Duke added with a slow drawl and a chuckle.

Marston laughed as he holstered his gun and put his thumbs through his belt loops. "So where are Frank and Vincent now?"

"They are with four other men in town. They are drinking at the saloon and building up the courage to come face you. I snuck away on my own."

"Uh-huh," Marston didn't seem convinced. "And how exactly did you figure out where I was?"

"The doctor in town told me. I asked him where Marston Jacobs lived and he asked if I meant Jacob Marston. I said yes because I remembered Jeremiah speaking of a man named Jacob."

Marston threw his brother a glance which only served to make Jeremiah shrug as he swiped at his cold-reddened nose.

"So they're in town right now?" Duke asked.

"Yes, sir. They are waiting until dark and then they will make their move on you."

"Why the hell should we believe anything he says if he was riding with them?" Pete called down from the window.

Marston nodded as he took off his hat and wiped his brow. "Yeah, amigo, why should we believe you?"

"His name's Jose Rodriguez, Marston," Jeremiah spoke up. "I've ridden with him a few times and I think you can believe him. He ain't got the brains or the guts to lie to us."

"Someone else is riding in," Pete warned.

"What's going on, doc?" Marston demanded when he recognized Doctor Rankin.

"I came to warn you about a man in town asking questions." Doctor Rankin was breathing hard has he got down from his horse. "But I see he's already here."