“There’s a bounty on him. We can collect the money and give it to Alfonso and Damita.”
After a moment, Merrill inclined his head and left the house.
Devlin gathered blankets and pillows to cushion the back of the buckboard to make the ride a little more comfortable. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the couple even more.
The rumble of wagon wheels over hard packed dirt and the steady clip-clop of horses’ hooves drew his attention. He stepped outside as Merrill brought the buckboard to a halt in front of the porch.
His deputy jumped down and grabbed a piece of canvas from the back of the wagon. He threw it over the dead man then dragged him away from the front door by his feet.
Devlin dumped the pillows and blankets into the back of the wagon then sprang into the bed and fashioned a comfortable cocoon for Alfonso and Damita. He looked up to see Merrill standing beside the wagon.
“I’ll need you to ride over to Montaña del Trueno. Let everyone know there’s no longer a need for a posse.”
“Sure thing, Boss.” He looked at the blankets in the back of the buckboard. “I’ll help you with Alfonso and Damita then head on over.” The deputy started toward the porch then stopped and turned toward him. “You gonna be all right?”
Devlin nodded. “Eventually.” He stared at the ground, frustrated. “I hate this.”
“I know. It ain’t easy to kill a man.”
His head shot up. “That’s where you’re wrong, Merrill. Killing him was easy. Much too easy. No, it’s Alfonso and Damita I’m worried about, not to mention Josie’s girls.”
Merrill nodded his understanding then went into the house.
Did his deputy truly understand? He wasn’t so sure.
CHAPTER 14
Tresia looked up from the sketch on the table before her when the kitchen door opened. Devlin stood there, his hands hanging loosely at his sides. Pain filled his eyes and was repeated in the grimace on his face. There was blood on his shirt, the brownish stain long since dried.
Despite telling her not to worry, she had been worried, though her anxiety had lessened after Merrill had stopped by to take Corianna back to Josie’s house and let her know what happened at the Serrano’s. Her worry lessened even further when Nate and Rafael came by the house to give her updates and let her know Devlin was all right.
Still, she was concerned for him. Devlin was a marshal. Hunting down bad men was part of his job, but seeing what had happened to Josie and the Serranos had surely affected him. “Are you all right?”
He didn’t answer her question, but one look at his face said he wasn’t. “Where’s Avery?”
“She’s asleep.” She put down the pen in her hand as she rose from her chair and took a few steps toward him. She didn’t tell him that Avery had been upset that he hadn’t been there for breakfast nor that she was even more upset that he hadn’t comehome for dinner. He didn’t need to hear that. Not now, when he seemed to be struggling.
He gave a slight nod, but still didn’t move out of the doorway, as if he was frozen in place. She reached out for him, laying her hand on his forearm. He flinched, something he’d never done before. She ignored his reaction, knowing him, sensing what this day had done to him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, even though the words couldn’t possibly help.
He gave her a look she’d never seen before, adding to her concern for him. There was so much pain in that look, etched into the fine lines around his eyes and mouth, that it hurt her, too.
As he seemed unable to move on his own, she took his hand and led him toward the kitchen table to the seat she’d just occupied. She made him sit then got a bottle of brandy from the cabinet, had second thoughts, and chose the whiskey instead. She pulled a glass from the cabinet, her fingers suddenly awkward and stiff and poured some of the liquor, filling the tumbler halfway then set it before him.
He glanced at her then at the whiskey and gave her a slight nod before downing the liquor in one swallow. “Did Merrill stop by and tell you what happened?”
“He did. Nate and Rafael, too.”
“I killed a man. I should have remorse for what I did,” he said, his voice reflecting the pain on his face and in his eyes. “Delany had to be stopped before he killed again. Merrill says he deserved what he got, that Alfonso and Damita might have been next. I think about Josie, lying dead. She was trying to protect her girls.” He looked at her, as if not quite understanding. “How can one human being treat another so cruelly, like their lives don’t matter?”
Her heart in her throat, she sat beside him and grasped his hand, entwining her fingers with his, offering comfort though the sentiment fell far short of what he needed. “Tell me.”
And he did, the words seemingly pulled from deep within, his voice much hoarser than usual, telling her so much more than what Merrill, Nate, and Rafael had told her earlier. For a big, brave man, Merrill had had a hard time describing what he’d seen, too. What a close call Alfonso and Damita had. “They’re with Doctor Ben right now. I stayed with them for a little while. Ben insisted they stay the night so he could keep an eye on Damita. She didn’t lose the baby, but she’s been through so much…” He didn’t finish the sentence though he didn’t have to. She already suspected there was still a chance Damita might lose the child or go into early labor. And knowing that was how Hannah had lost her life, she knew he was reliving that nightmare. Her heart went out to him.
Devlin stared at the tumbler. “I had Lucy come and take pictures of Delany so I can collect the bounty before I turned him over to the undertaker.” He glanced at her then and let out a sigh. “I’ll be giving the bounty to Alfonso and Damita.”
Tresia did the only thing she could do at that moment. She rose from her seat, walked behind him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, offering such little comfort for the things he’d seen. His hands came up and grasped her arms, as if holding on to her for dear life, for sanity.
