Two days after Carsten sent the telegram, he sat outside sulking and watching the road. He kept seeing dust clouds that became nothing. When would the Rangers get here? Why hadn’t he stayed in town to wait for a response? Surely there had to be a couple of Rangers that weren’t too far away.
Carsten didn’t know what to do with himself. He couldn’t work on the alfalfa. He couldn’t help with the branding. He couldn’t even help Ma in the garden. Restless didn’t even begin to describe it. He did make one delivery for Mr. Graves. It was hard to see Carey working at the print shop and not start accusing him. Especially when he saw the bruise on his face. Presumably, Carsten or one of his friends put it there.
Another dust cloud caught Carsten’s eye. He shook his head. Probably an animal or something. He had to stop getting his hopes up for no reason.
The dust cloud came closer. It wasn’t an animal; it was a person riding a horse. He squinted. Only one person, though. Would the Rangers send only one person? And how would they know where he lived besides a farm outside Angleton? They were investigators, so maybe they’d asked around.
As the dust cloud came closer, he realized it couldn’t be a Ranger. The rider sat sidesaddle. What woman would be coming here? Or was she riding by on her way to someone else’s home?
The rider and horse slowed as they neared the entrance to the Whitfords’ front yard. Carsten could finally see the rider’s face, and the breath left his chest.
Luella.
She dismounted in front of him, and he took the reins for her horse with his good hand and tied them loosely to the hitching post.
“Hi,” he said.
She quirked a nervous smile. “Hi.”
They stood awkwardly staring at each other for a minute.
“Sorry, I…”
“Me, too,” she said. “We need to talk.”
“Do you want to come inside?”
“Not really. I…” She looked down. “I’d prefer it be just you and me.”
Carsten nodded. “Have a seat.”
They sat on the step, and he waited for her to begin.
“I’ve been utterly unfair to you. I let my papa tell me things about you that I knew couldn’t be true, but I believed him. It wasn’t right. You tried to tell me that, but I didn’t want to listen. I didn’t want to believe Papa could be wrong.”
“So you believe I am innocent?” Carsten let a little hope sneak in.
“Yes.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I also think you might be right about Papa.”
His breath caught in his chest. “What?”
“You said you think he’s involved in something besides just a robbery.”
“Why do you think I’m right?” Carsten asked.
“When I went to bed a few days ago, Papa was perfectly fine. When I woke up that morning, he had a scratch on his cheek and a bruise peeking out of his shirt collar. Then I heard you, Amos, Kit, and Edmund were hurt. I didn’t know what to think.”
“Did you say anything to your pa?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Luella picked at her skirt. “What is he involved with?”
Carsten hesitated. Did she really want to know? Carsten didn’t have any clear evidence. “We’re still investigating.”
“I know. Tell me what you think he’s doing.” Luella turned to look at him. “Please.”
Carsten sighed. “Counterfeiting money.”
Luella’s eyes widened, then closed, and she bowed her head. “That makes sense, actually.”
Carsten’s mouth fell open. “It does?”
“Yes. Papa’s made some bad business deals lately and thinks Mother and I need more money than he’s made recently. It’s not true. We love our luxuries, but we don’t absolutely need them. We’ve tried telling him that, but he won’t listen. Counterfeiting money is the type of risk he might take.”
Carsten sighed. “This is the last thing I wanted. I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.” Luella slumped against the porch railing. “So here’s what I know. I wasn’t completely honest when I told you Papa didn’t leave the house after getting home from work. He sneaks out after everyone is in bed. Not every night but often enough that I’ve noticed it. Then a couple days ago, he had the injuries. Minor compared to yours, of course.” She brushed a finger on his bad arm. “I’m sorry if he had anything to do with this.”
“Thanks. Do you happen to have ideas on who he might be in league with?”
“He’s been talking to the marshal and Mr. Baumgartner more often than usual, so maybe them? Or there’s something going on in the town they need to talk about. Either possibility could be accurate.”
“Thank you. That is helpful.”
Luella opened her mouth as if to talk but then closed it again.
“What is it?”
“I… Do you have a plan on how to catch them?”
“Obadiah suggested that we contact the Texas Rangers. So I did that two days ago.”
“Good.” She sighed. “I’m glad we’re talking again.”
Carsten smiled. “Me, too.”
They sat in silence for a while.
She trusted him again. It was time he trusted her with something as well. He needed to know what she would think of him if she knew the whole truth. He cleared his throat. “I need to tell you something.”
Luella’s big, brown eyes held a little confusion. “What is it?”
“Four years ago, I did something stupid. Childish.”
“You were a child. Fourteen.”
“True. But by then, I was also the man of the house.”
“So this happened after your pa went to prison?”
“Yes. About three weeks after.”
“So you were still reeling from your loss.”
“Yes. I was out wandering and saw a palomino horse ground tied near a small camp. The owner wasn’t around, and I took the horse for a ride. I was gone for less than an hour and returned the horse to the same spot. I even brushed her down. At the time, it was exhilarating.
“A week or so later, I overheard some people talking about the owner of a palomino horse and that he was dead. Ever since, I’ve had the nagging feeling that I’m responsible. Horse thievery is punishable by death, and I couldn’t do that to Ma, so I never told anyone.”
Luella looked down and played with her skirt again but didn’t respond. Carsten began to wonder if he was wrong to confide in her. Would she turn him in?
“What if he didn’t die because of you? It could have been natural causes.”
“True, but the timing seems too coincidental.”
“Perhaps you should talk to the Rangers when they come. They can investigate and then you can accept any punishment they think is necessary.”
Carsten cocked his head. “You’re right. That’s a great idea. I knew I liked you for a reason.”
“Why?” Luella asked, a sparkle of mischief in her eyes. “Because I’m smarter than you?”
Carsten laughed. He touched his sore shoulder. “Ouch. Don’t make me laugh.”
Luella’s smile became a frown. “Are you all right? Do you need anything to help ease the pain I caused?”
Carsten took a couple slow, deep breaths. “No. I’m fine. Or will be in a minute. My laugh was a little too boisterous for my shoulder.”
Luella sighed. “I wish I didn’t know one of the people who’d done this to you.”
“Me, too. Your pa’s a good man. He shouldn’t have gotten himself involved in this.”
“No, he shouldn’t have. He should’ve talked to us, and we could have figured out something else. Hiring fewer servants. I don’t mind doing some of the cooking and cleaning. I want to know how to do both anyway.”
Carsten smiled. “Most of the eligible men around here won’t be able to hire cooks and maids, so you’ll have to do those chores if and when you get married.”
Luella laughed. “That is true. I need to pick up on learning some of those things better.”
“Can I walk you back home?”
“That probably isn’t a great idea. I don’t know where Papa is right now. And I don’t want him to know I was talking to you.”
“Okay. I’ll at least walk you to the magnolia tree.” He stood and held out his good arm to help her up.
“Thank you.”
“My pleasure. I’m just happy to be on speaking terms again. I only wish it wasn’t for the reason it is.”
“Mm-hm.”
After untying Luella’s horse’s reins, Carsten led the animal and talked about little things on the way to the magnolia tree. Once there, he helped Luella mount the horse, handed her the reins, and waved goodbye. He waited until she was a tiny speck on the horizon before turning back to home.
He knew what he needed to do. Carsten couldn’t let Luella go on pretending in front of her pa. It had been two days since Carsten contacted the Rangers, but they were being too slow. He needed to move this investigation along. Not today, but soon.