Except for that night, that is. When I never heard from Big Jack, I decided I'd dodged a bullet. Swore I wouldn't be careless again." The light in his eyes reflected how much the idea disturbed him, as he added, "I grew up without a father, and I promised myself I'd never do that to a child of my own."
A wave of compassion rolled through Caroline and prompted her response. "For what it's worth, Will doesn't hold it against you. He's proud that his father is a range detective."
"He knows?" Surprise lit his eyes. "What have you told him about me?"
Caroline squirmed a bit at that question. "Actually, I told him very little about you other than your name. Until recently, I didn't know how curious he was about you. I knew he spent a lot of time reading old newspapers, but I thought he was trying to learn the profession."
"Half of what has been written about me are lies."
"Tell him that when you meet him."
Logan leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. "So just how bad is it? Who is he riding with and what are they doing? Robbing trains? Rustling cattle?"
Well, shoot. She'd hadn't thought to research outlaw gangs, and she couldn't pull a name of one associated with Black Shadow Canyon from memory. "I don't know the name of the gang. He didn't tell me that in the note he left. What he did say is that he's gone to Black Shadow Canyon."
Logan went still. He cleared his throat. "Where?"
"Black Shadow Canyon."
He sat back in his chair hard. "No. Not there. Anywhere but there."
"I know it's not a nice place, but—"
"Not a nice place?" Logan shoved to his feet and reached for the whiskey decanter, refilling his glass with a hand that slightly trembled. "It's the roughest, meanest, most dangerous place in the West! It makes Tombstone, Arizona, in its heyday look like a Sunday stroll in a children's park. Jesus Christ, Caroline. Tell me my son isn't lost in that den of thieves and murderers!"
His son.
Caroline bristled at the idea. Will was her son. He had been hers and hers alone for the past fourteen years. Did Logan Grey truly think he could lay claim to a child so easily?
She folded her arms. What really made a man a father, anyway? The simple act of creation or the infinitely more complicated act of daily nurturing, teaching and providing? Caroline certainly had an opinion about that.
And yet, he'd accepted Will as his with little protest or resistance. She hadn't needed pressure from his friends as she'd expected. It wouldn't be necessary to shame Lucky Logan Grey into assisting her, not as long as he thought he was going to rescue his son.
His son.
Those two little words spoken with such caring and concern by this man—this same man whom she'd spent almost half her life cursing and despising and maligning—threatened to turn her world upside down.
The shame rested not with him, but with her. It appeared he wasn't as guilty as she'd thought him to be. He didn't deserve this worry she'd deposited at his feet.
"Caroline?"
She held herself stiffly. "I'm sorry, Logan. I wish I could tell you that Will hasn't disappeared into that place, but I can't." It would ruin everything. "I understand that you've gone into that den of thieves and come back out alive."
Logan ignored that. He shoved to his feet and started pacing the room. "How in the world did a fourteen-year-old boy make his way into that cesspool? Why would he want to? I need to know everything, Caroline, in order to formulate a plan to get him out. Start at the beginning. Tell me who influenced the boy and why."
Caroline gathered her thoughts, reminding herself of all the reasons she'd chosen this particular path. "After my father died, I had to sell the ranch to pay off his debts. By that time I was six months along, and I had nowhere to go, no one to help me."
Logan muttered an ugly curse.
She continued, "I found a job in Artesia helping the editor of the newspaper care for his wife, who was recovering from a buggy accident. I can't tell you
A wave of compassion rolled through Caroline and prompted her response. "For what it's worth, Will doesn't hold it against you. He's proud that his father is a range detective."
"He knows?" Surprise lit his eyes. "What have you told him about me?"
Caroline squirmed a bit at that question. "Actually, I told him very little about you other than your name. Until recently, I didn't know how curious he was about you. I knew he spent a lot of time reading old newspapers, but I thought he was trying to learn the profession."
"Half of what has been written about me are lies."
"Tell him that when you meet him."
Logan leaned forward and propped his elbows on his knees. "So just how bad is it? Who is he riding with and what are they doing? Robbing trains? Rustling cattle?"
Well, shoot. She'd hadn't thought to research outlaw gangs, and she couldn't pull a name of one associated with Black Shadow Canyon from memory. "I don't know the name of the gang. He didn't tell me that in the note he left. What he did say is that he's gone to Black Shadow Canyon."
Logan went still. He cleared his throat. "Where?"
"Black Shadow Canyon."
He sat back in his chair hard. "No. Not there. Anywhere but there."
"I know it's not a nice place, but—"
"Not a nice place?" Logan shoved to his feet and reached for the whiskey decanter, refilling his glass with a hand that slightly trembled. "It's the roughest, meanest, most dangerous place in the West! It makes Tombstone, Arizona, in its heyday look like a Sunday stroll in a children's park. Jesus Christ, Caroline. Tell me my son isn't lost in that den of thieves and murderers!"
His son.
Caroline bristled at the idea. Will was her son. He had been hers and hers alone for the past fourteen years. Did Logan Grey truly think he could lay claim to a child so easily?
She folded her arms. What really made a man a father, anyway? The simple act of creation or the infinitely more complicated act of daily nurturing, teaching and providing? Caroline certainly had an opinion about that.
And yet, he'd accepted Will as his with little protest or resistance. She hadn't needed pressure from his friends as she'd expected. It wouldn't be necessary to shame Lucky Logan Grey into assisting her, not as long as he thought he was going to rescue his son.
His son.
Those two little words spoken with such caring and concern by this man—this same man whom she'd spent almost half her life cursing and despising and maligning—threatened to turn her world upside down.
The shame rested not with him, but with her. It appeared he wasn't as guilty as she'd thought him to be. He didn't deserve this worry she'd deposited at his feet.
"Caroline?"
She held herself stiffly. "I'm sorry, Logan. I wish I could tell you that Will hasn't disappeared into that place, but I can't." It would ruin everything. "I understand that you've gone into that den of thieves and come back out alive."
Logan ignored that. He shoved to his feet and started pacing the room. "How in the world did a fourteen-year-old boy make his way into that cesspool? Why would he want to? I need to know everything, Caroline, in order to formulate a plan to get him out. Start at the beginning. Tell me who influenced the boy and why."
Caroline gathered her thoughts, reminding herself of all the reasons she'd chosen this particular path. "After my father died, I had to sell the ranch to pay off his debts. By that time I was six months along, and I had nowhere to go, no one to help me."
Logan muttered an ugly curse.
She continued, "I found a job in Artesia helping the editor of the newspaper care for his wife, who was recovering from a buggy accident. I can't tell you
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