Annie Gets Her Gunmen Read online

  The night before, she’d cleaned her weapons and gathered the correspondence she needed to make a case for her entrance into the shooting contest.

  The glimmer of hope that decided she was worried for nothing refused to die. Of course they would let her participate. Of course they would not hesitate to allow her a chance. Of course they would think she was wasting her entry fee because everyone thought a woman couldn’t shoot a gun. But Annabel knew she could fire a weapon. And she was damn good at it, too.

  The time had come to find out if this arduous journey had been worth all the trouble. She carefully dismounted her horse in front of the town’s saloon where a hand-painted sign proclaimed Shooters’ Contest Fees Paid Here.

  Annabel slung her satchel over one shoulder and marched to the table where an attractive, older gentleman sat beneath the sign.

  “Can I help you, little lady?”

  Annabel squared her shoulders. “Yes. I’d like to pay my fees to enter the contest.”

  He cocked his head to one side as if he hadn’t heard her clearly. “I beg your pardon?”

  She pushed out a deep breath and repeated her statement only louder this time.

  His eyes narrowed as if in total confusion. “This is a gun competition, ma’am. We shoot at targets with pistols and rifles.”

  “I’m well aware of what kind of competition it is, sir. I wrote in advance to ensure I’d be able to enter. I have the letter, if you’d like to see it.”

  He pushed his well-worn, tan cowboy hat back an inch off of his forehead and nodded. “I would like to see your letter.” He glanced down at the table and asked, “What’s your name?”

  She handed him the letter welcoming her to the contest listing the specifics for the rules and regulations. He scanned a hand-written list in his hand. It was a yellowed roll of crinkly parchment paper. “My name is Annabel Wallace.”

  He shot a quick look up at her. “Well, I have an A. Wallace on my list, but it doesn’t mention that you’re a woman.”

  “I’m A. Wallace. A is for Annabel. And what difference does it make if I’m a woman? Your rules and regulations don’t say anything about a woman being prohibited. And I have my entry fee all ready to pay.”

  “Why didn’t you put your given name on the entry form?”

  Annabel smiled. “Why do you think?”

  “We’ve never had a woman shooter in our competition before.” He scratched his chin and studied the letter she’d handed him.

  Annabel didn’t want to be dismissed. “Well, now is your chance to do something truly progressive. Are you going to allow me to enter?”

  He pushed out a deep sigh and brought his head up to stare at her. He glanced up and down her body a couple times as if to ensure she truly was a woman. “I’m going to have to get the judges together and the board of directors for our contest to decide on if you can enter or not.”

  “Why? Can’t you make this decision without getting permission from someone else?”

  He shook his head. “I’m only coordinating the contest. The president of the shooter’s club should make this unprecedented decision.”

  Annabel heaved a deep sigh and looked skyward, wishing this didn’t seem like a brush off. But it did. She dropped her head and sent him a scorching gaze.

  “And who might that be?”

  He looked over his shoulder at the saloon doors. “He’s probably having a drink at the bar. I’m not going to bother him. He’ll be along in a little while.”

  She crossed her arms and frowned. “I’m not going away. When will you find out about this ‘decision’ to be made from your club president?”

  He scratched his chin again. “Don’t rightly know. Plus, now that I think about it, I should probably ask our regular top shooters if they’d agree to shoot with a woman in the contest alongside them. Some men are superstitious about such things.”

  “How many of the contestants are you going to ask?”

  He shrugged and glanced over his shoulder at the saloon doors again.

  “Land sakes, are you afraid that I’m too good of a shot, and one of your male contestants will be embarrassed to be beaten by a woman?”

  He stood up. “Course not.”

  “Then show some backbone and make a decision, if you have the nerve.”

  Annabel locked angry gazes with the man. She heard someone approach from behind but didn’t break her stare to see who it was.

  “I’m one of the top shooters in the contest coming up, and I don’t mind if the lady competes. Actually, I think I’d sort of enjoy it.” The amused new voice in this conversation startled her with its familiarity. It sounded like Dane.

  She glanced over her shoulder at the tall man standing directly behind her and discovered it was Dane. A grin split his handsome face as if discovering her made him happy.

  “Well, you aren’t the only competitor, now are you, Dane?”

  “No, but I am one of the top two competitors from last year. All I’m saying is that if I get a vote, I think you should let her shoot. Why not?”

  They were drawing a crowd, and Annabel stiffened her spine ready to defend the right to participate in this contest. But it was reassuring to know Dane didn’t care if she entered.

  A new stranger approached shaking his head. “It’s bad luck to let a woman enter a shooting contest.”

  “Oh, it is not, Virgil!” Dane countered. “Your mama probably taught you how to shoot.”

  “That ain’t true.” Virgil frowned and crossed his arms. “You’d do best to watch your mouth, Larsen.”

  Dane only smiled and didn’t look like he planned to watch his mouth. “Women are capable of shooting a gun. Many do and on a regular basis.”

  “Well, they shouldn’t be allowed to compete.” Virgil shaped his mouth into a pout. “If I get a vote, I still say no.”

  The crowd around the small table had doubled in only a few minutes. Annabel’s insides roiled with both anger at the delay and pride that Dane would defend her. “The competition begins tomorrow. Today is the final day to enter. I’d like to pay my fee. If you won’t take my money, I’d like to know when a decision will be made. I don’t want to be denied entrance for being late to register.”

  Instead of answering, he turned his head to glance at the man exiting the bar.

  The smell of whiskey and smoke wafted from the swinging doors of the saloon each time another man exited to discover what the loud voices and ruckus was with the shooting contest.

  Her patience wearing thin, Annabel sighed inwardly at the delay and tilted her head up to check the heavens for the weather. The cloudless sky made for excellent shooting, and as a part of the entrance criteria into this contest, she needed to be able to hit the target with either a pistol or a rifle. She didn’t have to hit the bulls-eye, and given the opportunity, she shouldn’t show them her level of skill. At least until the real competition began. She lowered her head to begin her argument anew when someone new approached.

  A well-dressed, distinguished looking man strolled up to the entry fee table.

  “What’s going on here, Cletus?”

  The man she’d been conversing with answered, “Mayor Wheeler, I’m glad you’re here. Perhaps you can help out with a possible dispute.” Cletus turned and motioned to her. “This little lady would like to enter our annual shooting competition.”

  The mayor’s eyebrows went skyward. “Why does she want to shoot?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Annabel returned.

  Mayor Wheeler frowned. “Where is your husband? Does he know you’re here?” His gaze went above her head to the crowd searching as if her non-existent husband would finally step forward.

  “I don’t have a husband.”

  “Well then, where’s your father?”

  Annabel scowled at the mayor. “My beloved fiancé, James, passed away over four years ago from lung fever. My father died last winter from a similar condition. What does my marital state or the location of my parent have to do with whe
ther I can shoot a gun in your contest? I have the entrance fee, I have the skill, and I definitely have the desire to compete.”

  The mayor looked at Cletus, who shrugged.

  He gazed around the assembled body of men and shouted, “Raise your hand if you’re entered in this contest.”

  A couple dozen hands shot into the air, including Dane’s.

  The mayor gestured for everyone to lower their hands and then asked, “All right then, how many object to a woman being allowed to shoot in our annual contest?”

  Virgil’s hand shot straight up into the air. He waved his hand back and forth as if the more agitated he was, the more votes would be counted in his favor. Annabel hoped excessive enthusiasm on Virgil’s part didn’t matter. One or two other men also raised arms above their heads but certainly not as many as she expected to see.

  “How many don’t care whether a woman wants to waste her money on entering this competition?”

  Dane rolled his eyes and lifted his hand in the air. His expression said he wouldn’t have worded the question quite that way. Quite a few more hands went up into the air.

  The mayor cleared his throat. “I guess the lady can enter then.”

  Virgil’s eyes narrowed. He sent a petulant gaze her way, but she ignored it.

  Cletus huffed. “Fine.” He pierced her with a stern look. “But you still have to qualify just like every other man here.”

  “Of course. What are the criteria for qualification?”

  Dane answered, “You just have to be able to hit the target.”

  “Inside the ring,” Cletus added.

  Dane winked at her and nodded. “Think you can hit the target, inside the ring, sugar?”

  She grinned. “Without a doubt.”

  A murmur came across the crowd of men behind her, and Annabel looked to see what they were muttering about now.

  A lone horseman dressed in a soft, tan shirt with a sheriff’s star attached to his brown leather vest, sauntered down the dusty street toward the assembled group.

  The closer he got, the louder the voices in the crowd became.

  “Sheriff Butler!” Virgil yelled as he turned to Cletus and the mayor. “As last year’s winner, he should get a vote, too.”

  Annabel felt a sudden rush of heat creep up her neck and burn her cheeks. With Garrett’s name shouted into the air, she wasn’t mistaken about the rider’s identity. Beside her Dane grunted but kept his gaze fixed on Garrett’s approach.

  There was not a doubt in her mind that Dane and Garrett not only knew each other but were also rivals in this contest.

  Heated rivals.

  That put a whole new spin on her relationship with each of them.

  Garrett rode his horse, Trooper, all the way up to the saloon before dismounting. The tan shirt he wore today was the one she’d borrowed, and the heat in her face flamed again in memory of all the decadent things she’d done with him in the name of gratitude.

  Just like with Dane, after spending the night with Garrett, Annabel hadn’t spoken to him before leaving town on the stagecoach the next morning.

  Having both men show up at the competition shouldn’t have been a surprise, but she was stunned by the coincidence. What would she say to them? How would she explain her involvement and desire for each man?

  Garrett approached the crowd around the shooting contest’s entry table with a hard-to-read expression. Until the moment his gaze found her, then his face brightened and a hint of a smile curved his sensuous lips.

  “Sheriff Butler,” Cletus called and then waved to get his attention.

  Garrett kept his eyes focused on Annabel when he responded. “What’s going on here?”

  Virgil piped up, “This woman wants to enter the contest, of all the strange things.”

  Gaze still boring a hole through her eyes all the way to her soul, Garrett got within arms distance before he replied, “Why don’t you let her, then? Women can shoot. Sometimes they need to be able to defend themselves.”

  Another murmur of surprise rose in the crowd at his willingness to let her shoot.

  “Are you sure, Sheriff? We’ve never had a woman in the contest before.”

  “Then it’s about time, don’t you think?” Garrett finally broke his stare and turned to Cletus. “If you’re looking for my vote, I say let her in the contest.”

  Cletus looked at the Mayor Wheeler as if for assurance, and the mayor shrugged. “Let her sign up.”

  Annabel’s heartbeat sped up, and it wasn’t entirely due to being let in the contest. Having both Dane and Garrett so close in proximity made her think about the impact each man had on her level of arousal and desire.

  She turned away and bent over to sign her name on the line next to A. Wallace. She paid her fee in cash and received a contestant number. Twenty six.

  “Tomorrow morning, bright and early an hour or so after sun up, we’ll begin the qualification round. As long as you can hit the closest target with either a pistol or a rifle, you’ll move on to the next round.

  “Everyone that qualifies to shoot will be invited back for the quarter final round, which will start the day after tomorrow. The rings all have numerical values. The top ten scores from the quarter-final round will move on to the semi-finals. There will be a speed round for those ten contenders. You’ll have to shoot five shots in under a minute for a score.

  “Only five will come out of that match and move on to the final match, which happens the very next day. If you were to make it to the final match, you would have to shoot closest to the center target with both a pistol and a rifle to win this competition. Got it?”

  Annabel nodded. Her father had discussed at length the procedures for the competition. They hadn’t changed at all in twelve years.

  Behind her, two men waited. Each likely expected to command her free time. Each certainly had the right. Annabel didn’t know what she would do. They obviously knew each other from past contest events.

  After she’d gotten signed in at the twelfth annual shooting competition, she whirled around to face the two men who ruled equal parts of her heart and desire. She caught them sizing each other up. How would she ever choose between them? And would they make her choose only one man?

  Garrett smiled. “I didn’t know you were headed to this contest.”

  Annabel kept her gaze focused on his face. “It didn’t really come up at the time.”

  His gorgeous smile widened. “I guess it didn’t. Are you all right?”

  “Why wouldn’t she be?” Dane inserted himself between them.

  Garrett chin checked him. “Larsen.” He looked back to Annabel. “She was kidnapped off the stagecoach a few nights ago. I found her.”

  Dane put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Annabel. Were you hurt?”

  “I’m fine, thanks to Garrett.” Annabel, cognizant of the crowd still milling around, lowered her voice and spoke quickly. “I know I need to talk to each of you, but could we go elsewhere to a more private venue for the discussion?”

  Chapter Seven

  Dane waited patiently until Annabel finished signing into the competition and receiving the contest rules, thinking fast and hard about the obvious connection between the woman he was falling for and his greatest rival in this gun competition.

  When she turned around and looked at the sheriff, he didn’t have to wonder what level her relationship was with Butler. Her cheeks turned red each time she looked at either of them. If the sheriff had saved her life from being kidnapped, she had probably been grateful. Dane wondered how thankful Garrett had wanted her to be. Had they been intimate?

  She’d been blushing since Garrett rode into town, so, likely as not, they’d been together. Dane pondered this for a moment. Was he upset? Not exactly.

  It wasn’t as if he and Annabel had declared any kind of understanding upon parting ways several days ago. As a matter of fact, Dane owed her an explanation as to why he didn’t show up the next morning for breakfast after their long night tog
ether.

  Annabel requested a private venue for discussion, and Garrett offered to take her to breakfast once he got signed into the contest.

  Dane agreed, and the two of them headed over to the hotel dining room. Before they even got three steps away from the saloon, Dane started talking. “I need to tell you why I didn’t show up for breakfast.”

  “No, you don’t. We didn’t have any promises.”

  “I would have given you one, but someone hit me over the head when I went to check on my horse.”

  A concerned expression registered on her face. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. I was mostly worried about leaving you alone that morning. You were my first thought when the stable boy woke me up. I was as mad as hell that I’d missed you. There were more things I wanted to say before you left.”

  “Like what?”

  Dane glanced over his shoulder and noticed that Garrett was already on his way toward them at a speedy trot. “Private things. I don’t particularly want to share them with Butler.”

  “I appreciate that, but something happened between him and me.”

  “You don’t have to explain it to me, Annabel.”

  “I do if you expect something further between us.” She waved her finger between them.

  Garrett caught up to them in that moment. “So I’m very anxious to find out how you two know each other?”

  Dane looked at Annabel. She blushed again.

  “I see,” he said looking at her red face. “So were you two acquainted before or after the kidnapping?”

  “Before,” Dane answered. “Apparently, only two days earlier.”

  They stood on the boarded walkway just outside the hotel entrance. Directly inside the lobby on the left side was the dining room.

  “Can I assume you were very close?”

  Annabel huffed. “You may assume anything you want. I don’t owe anyone any explanations, and neither of you owe me any. We’re competitors now. Perhaps we should all keep our distance from one another.”