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“Remember when I said I was afraid that one of these days my past would catch up with me?” He turned to look at her, all amusement gone from his face, and her stomach dropped.
“Yes,” she managed to choke out, though she already knew what he was going to say.
“It just rode into town, looking for me.” He glanced behind him where Mrs. DuVere and Mercy stood watching them with wide eyes. “And he’ll be looking for Woodson, too.”
“What?” Mercy said, taking a step toward him.
Adam stood stoic under the weight of her furious stare, and Nora moved closer, ready to intervene. Oh, she understood the overwhelming desire to hurt the man. She felt it herself. Frequently. And most certainly at that moment. But, if necessary, she’d step in to defend him.
“Only if he finds out Woodson is here. I sent Martha to the jailhouse to warn him,” he said, trying to calm Mercy’s obvious rising fear. “And Spurlock won’t specifically be looking for him. He’s here for me. Most people outside of this town assume Woodson is dead, so as long as he stays out of sight, he should be fine.”
“And if this man does see him?” she asked, her voice low and tight.
Adam pursed his lips together like he didn’t want to answer. He didn’t need to answer, really. They all knew already. But he voiced it anyway. “There’s still a price on his head. And Spurlock would love nothing more than to bring in the legendary Quick Shot.”
Mercy took a step toward him, fury radiating off her. “And you brought this man here? He is here huntingyou?”
Adam nodded, and Nora briefly closed her eyes against the onslaught of terror that threatened to overwhelm her.
Mercy’s hands curved into claws, and Nora stepped between them, choking back her panic.
“Everyone,stop. We need to think. We can throttle him once everyone is safe,” she said to Mercy, who blinked at her like she was coming out of a fog.
Nora relaxed a little when Mercy took a deep breath and stepped back.
“All right. So. We need to keep Adam and the sheriff out of sight and get this man out of town as fast as possible.”
Mrs. DuVere folded her arms. “He won’t find a place to sleep, I’ll see to that, so if he wants to stay in the area, he’ll have to camp outside town.”
Nora nodded. “Good.”
There was a brief ruckus at the back door that had them all turning, poised to fight, until the sheriff and Sunshine came marching in. Mercy flew to her husband with a little cry, and he wrapped his arms around her, murmuring something in her ear before moving farther into the room.
Nora stepped closer to Adam, ready to intervene if the sheriff threatened him. Adam put his arm around her waist and pulled her close, giving her a smile that tore at her heart. It didn’t escape her notice that he put her a little behind him, keeping his body between her and any possible threat.
Sunshine glanced down at the skirt Adam still wore and pursed his lips, nodding appreciatively. “Pretty.”
He flashed a brilliant grin. “Thanks. It has pockets! It’s a bit too long though. I keep tripping over the damn—”
“Would you take that off before you rip it to shreds?” Nora asked, holding her hand out. “Mrs. Riley is expecting to get this back in better condition that it was. Not worse.”
Adam gave her an apologetic smile while quickly untying the skirt and handing it to her. “Sorry,” he muttered.
The back door closed again, and after a few moments, Doc and Preacher came in. They looked around the room, visibly relaxing to see everyone there.
“Glad you’re all in one piece,” Doc said, moving closer to Martha. “Someone said they spotted Adam running down the street in a skirt, and our interest was piqued.”
Adam grimaced. “I wasn’t running.”
Sunshine laughed, and the mood lightened. Somewhat.
The sheriff turned to Adam. “Am I correct in assumin’ the stranger who just rode through town is lookin’ for you?” He didn’t wait for Adam to agree. “Do I know him? Or, I should say, does he know me?”
Adam nodded, and Nora leaned against him, offering what support she could. Because she knew what came next was not going to go over well.
“Marshal Robert Spurlock.”
The sheriff froze, his face tightening until he looked like he was carved from stone, save for the muscle that ticked in his jaw. He started pushing Mercy away from him, and Nora had the sudden realization that they were about to find out which of the gunslingers in the room was the fastest.
