Colt leaned against the corral fence and pumped the well over the watering trough. The day had been a scorcher, and his mouth tasted as dry as the dirt beneath his feet. He’d been working at the Double L for more than three weeks, and not one more cow had been stolen. His fears about the two men using thievery as a cover for something else were unfounded. He had no doubt they’d long since left the territory.
Water began to flow from the spigot, and he cupped his hands for a cool drink. Once he doused his face, he stood and glanced up at the house. Why did he stay? Was it the money, or was it about being a decent man?
With no answers, his gaze focused on Nancy high up in a live oak tree. How did she get herself up there? And how did she plan to get down? He walked over there until he stood beneath the branches of the tree.
“Miss Nancy, how did you get up there?” he asked.
He saw the little girl rub her nose. A faint sob escaped her lips.
“Are you stuck?”
“I think so.”
Colt shook his head. “Did you climb up there?”
“Yes, sir. I tried and tried. Then I got the ladder and finally made it. It fell, and I couldn’t figure out how to get down.”
He wanted to chuckle but thought better of it. “Can you make your way to the lowest branch?” On the far side of the tree, the ladder rested on the ground.
She nodded and slowly descended until her bare toes touched on the branch.
“Jump and I’ll catch you,” he said.
“Promise?” Her lips trembled—a trait he’d seen when the boss lady had ridden the bronc.
“Promise.”
“And you won’t tell my mama or Sammie Jo or Clancy?”
“I promise.”
She took a deep breath and jumped right into his arms. Made him feel real protective.
“Are you hurt?”
“No, sir. Would you put me down before someone sees?”
He grinned. “Sure, and I’ll keep our little secret.”
He set her on the soft ground, and she scampered off. Shaking his head, he picked up the ladder and headed to the barn. His swaybacked mare awaited him to join the others.
“Thank you.”
Colt swung around to find the boss lady speaking to him from the back porch.
“You’re welcome.” He waved and continued on.
“Got a minute, Colt?”
Great. Wonder what he’d done wrong. The tongue-lashing over sleeping in church had kept him awake the past two Sundays. Bored, but awake.
“Is there a problem?” he asked.
“Not at all. Do you have time to take a ride with me?”
His heart felt like tumbleweed in a windstorm. “I imagine so.”
He put away the ladder while she retrieved her horse, and he helped her saddle it.
“Will used to saddle my horse,” she said. “He always took the time to make sure it was tight.” She tilted her head, looking real pretty. “Then I decided I needed to do everything myself.”
He handed her the reins. She’d never talked to him before like he was a human being. But he’d wanted her to.
“I can see Will taking good care of you,” Colt said.
“That’s what I want to talk about.”
This must be it. She wanted to settle up on the money owed to him.
As they rode out across the pasture, Colt searched for conversation. His dealings with women in the past hadn’t been proper, and the women hadn’t been real ladies.
“I understand you told Thatcher Lee to stay away from Sammie Jo until she grew up.”
“Yes, ma’am. Sorry if I spoke without asking you first.”
“Not at all. I appreciate it. She wasn’t listening to me or Clancy. Of course, she’s a lot like me.”
Colt smiled.
“Tell me about Will and the times you spent together.”
How much dare he say? The man lay buried on his ranch. His wife did better than any woman he’d ever met, and his daughters weren’t afraid of anything—except Nancy and tall trees. Still, defaming the dead seemed wrong, even if it meant Will went to his grave with the knowledge of Colt’s money.
“What do you want to know?”
She hesitated as though carefully choosing her words. “I know my husband didn’t live according to the law. He confessed a lot to me while dying.”
Like the whereabouts of what belongs to me?
“And if you came here looking for money, you might as well turn around and head out of here, ’cause I don’t know anything about it.”
Colt’s spirits sank to his toes.
“What I want to know about is the man,” she said.
“Mrs. Langley—”
“The name is Anne.”
“All right, Anne. This is real difficult for me. Will and me did things I’d rather not discuss with a lady.”
“I’m your boss—and Will’s widow.”
Sweat streamed down the side of Colt’s face, and it had nothing to do with the heat. “He had a way of leading out in a situation that showed real guts. I mean, he didn’t ask a man to do anything he wouldn’t do.”
She nodded. “Go on.”
“He never lied or killed anyone that I knew about.”
“How much money did you two steal?”
He was afraid she’d ask that. “Twelve thousand.”
“I never saw any of it. My folks left me money to buy the ranch.”
They rode on in silence while Colt contemplated his miserable existence. No future.
“Did he speak to you about his family?” she finally asked.
“No. Didn’t know he had one until I looked you up.” He pondered over his conversations with Will, then turned his attention her way. “But he wasn’t unfaithful to you.”
A faint smile greeted him. “I’m glad to hear that. He always said he loved me and the girls. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I have another matter to discuss with you.”
Dread inched over him. The last topic nearly drained him.
“Do you think any other men might be looking for him because of money—or revenge?”
“I honestly have no idea.”
“If you think of anyone, would you let me know? I have my girls and my ranch to protect.”
“Why did you give me a job?”
“God told me to hire you.”
“God?”
“Yes, the one we worship on Sunday mornings while you pretend to listen.”
He laughed. “That must be the one.”
“Someday when you least expect it, God is going to grab your attention.”
“Yes, ma’am. He’d have to shake me good.” “Oh, He can, Colt. And it wouldn’t hurt you to be talking to Him now and then.”
Anne kissed Nancy’s cheek, then watched her slip into dreamland. Her daughter had confessed to the tree adventure, not realizing her mama had seen the whole thing.
Nancy had sighed and folded her hands over her chest. “Mr. Colt helped me down out of that tree and held me like I was a baby kitten,” the little girl said.
“He must have thought you might break.”
In the lamp’s light, Nancy’s face grew strangely solemn. “I thought I might. Mama, I just kept looking up in that tree and wondering what it would feel like to sit in its branches like a bird. I couldn’t stop myself. Then the ladder fell, and I was scared.”
“Sweetheart, curiosity is good, but you have to back it up with a little common sense.”
“I’ll try, but it’s hard.”
Anne blew out the lamp. “Ask Jesus to help you.”
“I did—for the next time.”
“I’m proud of you. Now close your eyes. I’m going to sit right here until you go to sleep.”
Anne never tired of watching her precious daughters sleep, and she did so tonight until darkness concealed Nancy’s features and Colt’s face took over.
Buried beneath the hardened man was a soft heart. She’d seen it with Nancy today and heard about it from Clancy. All of Anne’s frettin’ hadn’t deterred Sammie Jo from chasing after Thatcher Lee, but Colt had handled Thatcher Lee quite nicely. Today he’d chosen his words carefully so as not to mar Will’s image. Anne liked that.
Her husband might not have obeyed the law, but he’d loved her and the girls. And she’d loved him, too. The times he’d been gone on business must have been the times he robbed banks and other folks who had money. She hated that part of his life. It made her feel dirty. The girls should never find out about their daddy—no reason for them to learn the truth.
Until recently Anne hadn’t looked at another man. Strange that Colt Wilson had captured her attention, but she liked his rugged looks and quiet mannerisms. Her heart must lean toward lawless men. He was rough and tough, and his language hadn’t been graced by the inside of a grammar book, but he had some good in him. She prayed the Lord would touch him for heaven before he got himself into trouble and was killed.
Anne made her way to the open window where a slight breeze swayed the curtains. Her gaze trailed to the bunkhouse. Loyal men lived there—men who respected her and worked hard. Had it all been worth the struggle of just day-to-day living? As she turned to leave Nancy to peaceful slumber, she caught the silhouette of a man staring up at the stars. She studied him and wondered if it was Colt contemplating the future, maybe thinking about her.
Odd that she should care.
Clancy, Thatcher Lee, and Colt rode around a grassy ridge and along a thick forest north of Double L land. Clancy had something on his mind, and twice he’d dismounted to look at the ground. Obviously his part-Indian eyes detected a trail.
“Where are we going?” Colt lowered his voice to speak to Thatcher Lee. He knew better than to worry a concentrating man.
“My guess is that he has an idea about those missing cows.”
“Glad I’m packing my rifle,” Colt said.
“I never killed a man.”
“Here’s hoping you don’t have to. But I tell you this, if it’s them or you, you’ll squeeze the trigger.”
Colt scanned the area around them. Between the woods and the rounded hills, unseen men could be watching their every move. He pulled his rifle onto his lap. Thatcher Lee did the same.
Clancy halted his horse and raised his hand, signaling for them to stop. For long moments, he observed the terrain and waited. Finally he motioned Colt and Thatcher Lee to see what he’d found. At the foot of the hill below them were Double L cows.
“Where’re Hank and Thomas?” Thatcher Lee asked.
“Not where I can see ’em.” Clancy slipped off his horse and led the animal into the woods.
The two men followed. Colt admired the old man’s skill and confidence.
“Thatcher Lee, you stay here while Colt and I do a little scouting.”
The young man frowned.
“You heard me. Colt and me have done this kind of thing before. I don’t want to be taking you back full of bullet holes.” He didn’t give Thatcher Lee a chance to argue but took off toward a path that led around the hill. Vultures circled overhead.
Neither man spoke. Their bodies blended into the sights and sounds of nature. Peacefulness always masked the stalking of trouble. They moved hunched over through the woods and crawled through the low-lying areas until they were within several feet of one of the grazing cows.
“I didn’t see a sign of anyone,” Clancy whispered. “But that doesn’t mean they aren’t ready to ambush us.”
Colt pointed to a clump of trees adjacent to where they lay in tall grass. Clancy nodded. A cow bawled. Squirrels chattered. Birds sang. A sultry wind blew around them. The old sensation of excitement flowing through his veins swept over Colt as he made his way alone. All thoughts left his mind except the task before him. Once he made it alone to the other side, he drank in the surroundings.
His eyes narrowed. To his far right he saw a man sprawled face down on the ground. The grass was stained red. A few feet beyond him was another man on his belly. Brush hid the second man’s upper body. Two vultures picked around the area.
Colt studied the two men for signs of life. He motioned to Clancy and crawled closer. Once he joined him, they’d figure out what had happened here.
“Hank and Thomas,” Clancy said a short while later.
Both men had bullets in their heads, their hands tied.
“This is worse than what I thought,” Clancy continued.
“You and I both know about Will,” Colt said. “It’s been over five years since he died, but I can’t help but think this is related.”
A bullet whizzed past his ear. A second caused a gasp from Clancy as it ripped open flesh in his shoulder. A third lodged in Colt’s thigh.
“If you ever thought about praying, now’s the time,” Clancy said.
The fire burning in Colt’s leg fueled his temper. He yanked his rifle to his shoulder and fired repeatedly into the brush where the shots had come from.
“You go ahead and talk to God,” Colt said. “Ask Him to send Thatcher Lee our way and cover us while we hightail it back into those woods.”
Clancy aimed and fired. “That’s a start.”