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Half an hour later, in the living room, Loudon found her. She rose from her chair at his entrance and faced him in silence. The cold, defiant expression had vanished from her face. In its stead was the look of a frightened child. Loudon halted within a yard of her.
"Kate," said he, "yuh can say what yuh like about yore reasons for goin' to Judge Allison an' takin' that night ride to the Cross-in-a-box, an' I've got to believe yuh. But if yuh don't love me why did yuh jump in front o' me when O'Leary fired?"
"I thought he was going to shoot you," she replied, forcing herself to meet his eyes. "I--I didn't know I was the one till I heard him say so."
"Yuh thought he was goin' to drop me, an' yuh jumped in front o' me; why?"
Kate's face was upturned. Her lips parted. Her body swayed toward him.
"Take me!" she cried. "Oh, take me!"
"Why did yuh say what yuh did about wantin' to make me suffer when yuh loved me all the time?"
"I couldn't help it. I thought I'd lost you, and then you came, and--and then I wanted to hurt you, and I did. I don't know what I'd have done if you'd gone away. For I do love you, boy!"
Loudon held her close as the dark head snuggled against his shoulder.
"I know," said he, soberly.
"I guess I've always loved you," murmured Kate, "I must have. I--I hate myself when I think of--of Blakely. I found out what he was while he was lying here wounded. He was delirious and he spoke of a woman, another man's wife, named Marie, down on the Sweet.w.a.ter. Oh, it was awful--what he said. I can't tell you. It--it woke me up. Then I knew what I had lost when you left the ranch. You'll never leave me again, will you?"
"Of course I won't!"
It was a large wedding for the Lazy River country.
Scotty Mackenzie privately informed Jack Richie that he didn't know, the marriage might turn out all right, but Kate was such a good-looker, and he'd always mistrusted good-lookers himself.
Scotty's pessimism was pardonable. He had lost a good employee, while Mr. Saltoun was the gainer by an excellent range-boss.
THE END
