Outlaw Vices (third in The Crane Gang Series)manxman

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

The trip to the ranch could have gone worse, Craig supposed, but it still left him feeling hollow and broken.

Ezekiel hadn't been there. And Edison hadn't seen the man. Edison had realized that something was very wrong. He had asked many questions but Craig hadn't given him any answers—he hadn't wanted to see yet another person looking at him with disappointment.

So, he'd given the ranch owner the supply receipt, gotten his last week of pay, collected his belongings from the bunkhouse and ridden away from that ranch as quickly as his horse could carry him.

Craig felt his mind still attempting to wrap around the day he'd just had. He knew that there was a very good chance Susannah was lying to him. He knew there was a very good chance the babe was not his. He knew there was a very good chance he'd never even bedded the women.

But there was still that slightest chance that she was being truthful—no matter how small the chance might be. Craig's weakness was children—always had been. It was Jeb's weakness as well. Craig supposed his older brother had instilled those values in him.

Craig wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing he might have turned his back on his child.... Surely, when the babe was born or as it grew a bit, he would know. He would see something of himself in that child. He would feel something when he held it and then, Craig would know.

He wished Ezekiel could have helped him—could have supported him somehow. Could have come to the ranch with them so that Craig had the man he loved to lean on....

Fresh pain lanced its way through Craig's heart. He loved Ezekiel. Loved him something fierce. But Ezekiel hadn't felt the same and he'd walked away.

Craig couldn't make the man come back—and wouldn't beg him to do it either.

He was going to go home to his family. Sure, they might give him a hard time initially but they'd have his back—they would support him despite his mistakes.

He'd been a fool to stay gone so long.

Craig hitched his horse at one of the hotels closer to the outskirts of town. He was just stepping up onto the boardwalk when Susannah rushed into his arms in a flurry of skirts.

Craig stiffened and was quick to peel her arms from him and disentangle himself. "What the hell are you doing?" he grumbled.

Then he heard her sniffles. Was she crying? He grabbed her shoulders and held her still. "Look at me," he ordered, feeling a bit of himself soften. He hated to see a woman cry.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes red and her cheeks damp......and a bloody welt at the corner of her lips.

"What happened?" Craig demanded.

"The Madame.. she's so angry. She hit me and tossed me out with nothing. Please.. please, I have nowhere to go tonight..."

Craig heaved out a sigh. He was angry at the Madame for hitting the woman, especially given the Susannah's condition, but, then again, Susannah's actions had cost the woman a fair deal of money so he wasn't going to get involved.

But he also couldn't let a woman, who might be carrying his child, sleep on the street.

Craig cast a glance up at the sky. "We still have some daylight left. Why don't you go to the mercantile and get a few things you might need for the trip and I'll go see about getting a wagon. We'll leave out today."

***

Ezekiel rode into town at dawn the following morning. He'd spent the entire night simply riding in around in circles with his heart aching and his mind tangled.

He'd had time to cool the initial anger he'd felt at knowing Craig had lied to him. He was no longer angry—only hurt. Hurt worse than he had ever been hurt in his life.

But he also loved Craig and, despite the man's words the day before, he had a feeling Craig loved him too. They could get through this together.

Whether the babe was truly Craig's or not, Ezekiel wouldn't turn his back on the man—not so long as Craig wanted him at his side.

Ezekiel searched the streets for Craig but couldn't see him. He checked the diners, the saloons and the hotels but there was no sign or word of Craig.

Unease settled in his gut. Where was Craig?

There were two buildings left. One of the town mercantiles and the brothel. Ezekiel couldn't bring himself to step into the latter, so he entered the mercantile.

"Good morning, Ezekiel," the clerk greeted.

"Good morning, Phillip. Have you seen Craig this morning? I thought he'd be at the ranch but he isn't..."

Phillip nodded. "Yeah. Well, I didn't see him exactly but a young woman named Susannah was in here yesterday afternoon. She was surely beaming and carrying on about how Craig had admitted he wanted to be with her and the two of them were running off together. They were gonna get married and everything. Ain't that something?" Phillip chuckled. "I never figured that man would settle down after seeing him around town but I guess the right woman will change all our minds."

Ezekiel had heard enough. He fled from the mercantile and stumbled around the corner, struggling to breathe. His eyes burned and his vision went blurry.

Letting out an angry growl, Ezekiel slammed his fist into the wooden beams of the mercantile and the wood splintered and dug into his bare knuckles.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his bloody hand across his face. He was done. Done worrying about that bastard. Done with it all. His life had been going fine before Craig and he wouldn't let that son of a bitch destroy it.

Ezekiel had known Craig was a risk. He'd known the man would break his heart and Ezekiel had set down for that game of poker anyhow.

He had no one to blame but himself for his losing hand.

Ү