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side.
    “Jim Harper.”
    Ken instantly recognized his name. “He was one of the Jackson gang, wasn’t he?”
    “That’s right. How long has he been in town?”
    “He just rode in today.”
    “Was anyone else with him?”
    “No, he rode in alone,” Sugar offered as she came over to join them. “So he was part of that gang?”
    “That’s right. Did he mention that he might be meeting up with anyone?” Grant asked.
    “He was all about drinking tonight,” she told the lawman, and then remembered something Harper had said. “He did mention that he didn’t have to be in Canyon Springs for another week.”
    Canyon Springs—
    Grant nodded and looked at the bartender. “You got an undertaker in town?”
    “We sure do.”
    Ken sent one of his customers after the undertaker, and the fellow quickly showed up to haul the gunman’s body away.
    Grant went along with the undertaker. He wanted to go through the outlaw’s belongings to see if hecould find any other clues to where the rest of the gang might be hiding out.
    Sugar stood off to the side of the room with her friend Annie, watching as they took the dead man out of the saloon. She had worked in the Golden Nugget for quite a while and had seen a lot of wild things, but she had been shocked by what had just happened.
    “I had no idea he was a killer—” she told her friend.
    “Thank heaven the Ranger showed up when he did,” Annie said.
    “You’re right about that.” She shuddered at the thought of being upstairs alone with a vicious killer. “I sure would like to buy that handsome Ranger a drink if he comes back in.” The thought of spending time with the good-looking lawman eased her tense mood.
    “Not if I get to him first,” Annie challenged with a sly grin.
    “Let’s just hope we get the chance.”
    They were both smiling at the thought as they went back to work.
    After leaving the undertaker, Grant took his horse down to the livery to stable it for the night and then went to the hotel to take a room. First thing in the morning, he would send a wire to his captain to let him know Jim Harper wouldn’t be causing any more trouble and that he would be headed for Canyon Springs on the trail of the rest of the gang. He hoped the information he’d gotten from the saloongirl was reliable, for he’d found no clues to the gang’s whereabouts among the outlaw’s possessions.
    As he bedded down for the night, Grant found himself wondering how Frank was doing tracking the other members of the gang.

Chapter Four
    It was getting late when Sarah sent Andy on to bed and took up her vigil at the wounded Ranger’s bedside. Their father hadn’t returned from Eagle Ridge yet, and she knew there would be trouble when he finally did come home, but for the moment, the only thing that really mattered was keeping watch over the injured man. She would worry about her father later.
    Ever so gently, Sarah touched the Ranger’s forehead. She was relieved to find he hadn’t developed a fever. She turned the lamp on the bedside table down to a softer glow and sat back in the chair to keep watch over him.
    Frank regained consciousness slowly, coming back from the peace of oblivion to the agony of reality. The throbbing in his head was nearly unbearable.
    A sudden sense of panic filled him—
    There was danger—
    Something was wrong—
    He opened his eyes and looked around to find himself in a darkened room that he had never seenbefore. His panic worsened, and he was suddenly sure he needed to get out of there fast!
    He tried to move, but the pain in his side stopped him cold, and a low groan of pure misery escaped him as he fell back on the bed.
    Sarah had dozed off for a moment. The sound of the Ranger’s groan startled her—and thrilled her—for she knew it meant he was finally coming around.
    “You’re awake—Thank God—”
    The sound of the unknown feminine voice so close beside him shocked Frank, and he looked over to find a beautiful, fair-haired young