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The stage was almost ready to move out. Glenn had said his goodbyes to Katie, and had duly ignored Matlock. He had no doubt Matlock loved her, and no doubt that he ought to tell Katie the truth, but destroying the life she’d built for herself felt just as bad as not saying anything.
Randall was right – revenge at this late stage would bring nobody any joy. Randall had left town some hours ago. With Glenn making his peace with Clyde Price, and perhaps gaining another friend in Niles Archer, he could stay in town and make a life for himself here, but perhaps not everyone here would trust him after everything that had happened, and so he had to move on.
He loitered outside the Archer hotel as the driver checked that the baggage on the roof was secure. Presently, Katie leaned from the window to wave goodbye. He knew that he now had to say what he’d learned or never say it.
He pushed himself from the wall and walked to the stage. He held her hand through the window, smiling. Then, in a sudden decision, he opened the door and swung himself inside to sit beside her, and sitting opposite to Matlock. Aside from Matlock’s hired guns, they were the only people inside.
“Are you coming with us?” she asked.
“I guess there’s nothing for me here and I don’t fancy following Randall.” He shrugged. “Perhaps I should go east, too. You certainly made it work for you.”
Matlock pursed his lips, clearly avoiding breathing while he waited to find out what he’d say.
“That’s marvelous,” Katie said, clasping his hand, oblivious to the tension between the two men. “I’m sure you’ll love it there.”
“I will.” Glenn smiled at Matlock. “In fact, your husband was kind enough to offer me a job. I reckon I’ll take him up on his generous offer.”
Matlock’s eyes flared and he let out an explosion of air.
“I did what?” he blustered. “I can’t—”
Katie bounded out of her seat and her huge hug cut off the rest of his comment before he could utter it. Then the driver arrived to check that Glenn really did want to leave with the stage. Glenn nodded and then edged closer to Matlock.
“What do you think?” Glenn asked, his tone neutral.
“I suppose that is possible,” Matlock said. He extricated himself from Katie’s arms and spoke quickly and commandingly. “But you have to understand that a man in my position offering a job to a man who was convicted of murder can cause problems.”
“I know, and that was why it was so generous and brave of you to offer me such a senior and well-paid position in your office.”
“Senior?” Matlock said. “Is that entirely appropriate for a man who was so unappreciative of Adam’s actions?”
Katie furrowed her brow, clearly confused as to what Matlock had meant, but Glenn caught the inference that he was accepting a bribe to keep quiet about what he knew. Such an action had been furthest from Glenn’s thoughts, so the slight didn’t concern him.
“The seniority doesn’t appeal to me and neither does the money,” he said. “I’m just pleased you and I will be able to spend plenty of time together. We can get to understand each other and check that we both have Katie’s interest at heart.”
“Yes, I suppose we can do that,” Matlock said through gritted teeth.
“And I can check every day that my sister has made a wise choice for her husband.”
“I did,” Katie said in an unconcerned manner.
Her pleasant comment stopped Glenn from offering any more veiled threats, but Matlock’s flared eyes showed he understood Glenn’s meaning. Glenn had accepted his father’s death was an accident only because of Katie, but if he ever had reason to suppose Matlock wasn’t putting her interests first. . . .
With much hollering the stage lurched to a start. Glenn settled back on his seat as the town slipped away and a new land and new possibilities opened up ahead, but he knew one thing for sure: no matter what the future held for him, he would never return to Black Rock.