Jessie and Matt skirted the southern boundary of Wilbur Fletcher’s land, as most of it lay northeast of the Lane ranch. Wearing dark clothes and riding dark horses, they traveled for hours beneath the crescent moon. Their target—a herd of fine horses—was kept near the eastern side where Fletcher’s best grazing land was located.
When they reached the point where the fence angled northward, they followed it at a safe distance. Jessie hoped Fletcher wouldn’t think of placing guards in that area. They reached their destination and halted, slipping off their mounts to check their surroundings for sights or sounds of danger. Hearing none, they proceeded to the fence with Matt holding Jessie’s hand and guiding their way. It was a strong and reassuring gesture that caused her to lock her fingers around his.
There, in near darkness, Matt grasped Jessie’s arm and stopped her from going farther. “Let me check it out first,” he whispered. “Wait here.”
Jessie sensed that he needed to prove himself to both of them, so she obeyed his soft command. She watched him maneuver through the strands of barbwire that she spread with her gloved hands and boot. Soon, shadows engulfed him. The redhead strained to hear every sound, ready to go to his aid if necessary. Time passed, and she grew worried, Matt was such an important part of her life and she couldn’t imagine losing him. If he got killed helping her, she would never forgive herself. She implored God to protect him.
Jessie knew they were taking a big risk, but Fletcher had to be punished. With Navarro gone, she had to take control of the campaign against Fletcher. They couldn’t sit back and await their enemy’s next strike or simply keep retaliating blow for blow. For now, she didn’t know what else they could do.
Matt reached her and talked over the fence. “All clear. No guards around. The herd is still grazing over there. Let’s hurry. Stand back while I cut a big gap. You know horses are scared of wire and will balk around it.”
Jessie stepped away for Matt to cut several sections. When one end was released, each strand of wire whipped back toward the next imprisoning post. Jessie knew those razor-sharp barbs could tear bad holes in flesh and clothes, so she gave them plenty of room to dance in their freedom. Afterward, she helped Matt gather and toss them aside. With pieces torn from her father’s old Indian blankets, Jessie snagged them on a few of the prickly knots to conceal their guilt. She scattered about beads from a broken Apache necklace. “There…that should confuse them, especially with us riding unshod horses. Big John will shoe them first thing in the morning. Shouldn’t be any trouble for the Indians. All the Apaches and Comanches are gone from this area, except for a few renegades to the west.” Before they mounted, she said, “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Weren’t worried about an old hand like me, were you?”
“Yes, but you aren’t old. You only have ten years on me.”
“Eleven afore too long,” he amended.
They prodded their mounts into the pasture and rode to the horses. They herded the animals to the gap without any problem. Using ropes and whistles and encouraging words, they moved along at a steady pace. Once they were clear of Fletcher’s property, they ran the herd faster. They traveled for over an hour toward the east. When they were certain the noise couldn’t be heard by their enemy, they fired shots into the air to spook the herd onward. They knew the animals would run for a long time, then locate the grass and water ahead.
“He’ll be mighty angry when his men find them missing tomorrow.” Matt said grimly. “My pa always told us boys never to make a dangerous man angry, but you have no choice in times like these. It’ll take ’em a while, but they should be able to recover all or most of them. Let’s get home before light shows our faces.”
“Thanks, Matt.”
“For what? Tweren’t much.”
“For saving Tom’s life and for helping me tonight.”
“Knowing you, Jessie, you would have come alone if I had refused.”
“Yes, I would have. But I’m glad you agreed. I feel safer with you here.”
“I’m not as good with my guns and wits as Navarro, but I’d give my last breath protecting you.”
“I know you would; that’s why you mean so much to me. Home it is.”
Jessie and Matt reached home just as dawn was lighting the landscape and hinting at a beautiful day. They were exhausted yet elated by their easy success. The smithy joined them at the forge as they dismounted.
“Good morning, Big John. Shoe them as quick as you can. I don’t want Fletcher finding unshod horses on Lane land. Thanks for the help.”
The black man smiled broadly and revealed snowy teeth. “Yessum, Miss Jessie. I’ll git a fire het up and have dem hawses ironed afore vittals.”
“You can eat first,” she encouraged.
“No’m, Miss Jessie. I wants ’em dun afore dat bad man rides over.”
“Matt will tell Biscuit Hank to keep a special plate hot and ready for you.”
The smithy started his task as he hummed a spiritual song.
“You get some sleep, Jessie. We can tend the chores today.”
“You do the same, Matt, at least until noon.”
“I don’t want to be abed when Fletcher gallops over here.”
“He won’t, not today. Those clues will fool him for a while. He’ll wait to see how that rustling Tuesday and the stampede yesterday affect us. If I’ve got him figured right, he’ll give us a week to watch and worry. Besides, he probably thinks we’ve sent for the sheriff and soldiers again, so he’ll be careful. No need to report to them; Cooper and Graham can’t help us.”
Jessie was right: Wilbur Fletcher didn’t appear until the next Thursday. When he did, it was on horseback and accompanied by Sheriff Toby Cooper. It was five o’clock, and the hands were changing shifts or tending chores. Big John Williams was finishing in the smithy. Biscuit Hank had fed one group of men and nearly had the second serving ready. Miguel, Carlos, Jefferson Clark, and others were unsaddling their horses after riding fence and herd all day. Jimmy Joe, Rusty Jones, and a few others were riding out to take their places as night sentries. Mary Louise was milking the cows. Tom was in the house with Gran who was cooking the evening meal and Matt, Jed, and Jessie were talking near the barn.
Father and daughter walked to where the sheriff, Fletcher, and two men hitched their reins to the corral. Matt and the others gathered around, too.
The lanky lawman looked at the Lanes and their hands. “Jed, boys, I have to ask you a few questions. Mr. Fletcher has made some accusations against you.”
“About what this time?” Jessie asked with a disgusted sneer.
“Robbery” came the reply Jed, Jessie, and Matt didn’t expect.
“Robbery? Of what?” Jessie inquired in a sarcastic tone.
“His payroll and bank withdrawal. His men were killed and robbed yesterday on the way home from the bank.”
Jessie eyed Fletcher, then the sheriff. “You think we did it?”
“The tracks led here, Miss Jessie.”
“That’s impossible. Fletcher probably hid his money and is trying to frame us for a crime that never happened. How are we supposed to know about his money and travels?”
“You took it because I kept you from getting those sales and loans,” the other rancher accused. “You said you’d find another way to survive. It won’t be on my money, Jed. Turn it over and I’ll have Toby drop the charges.”
“We don’t have your payroll. We don’t steal or murder. None of my men have been off this ranch for a long time. I’ll swear that on the Holy Bible.”
“You’d swear anything to get back at me and for fifty thousand dollars!”
“Fifty thousand dollars,” Jessie murmured, wide-eyed. This was the first time she had seen Fletcher lose his temper. If the theft was for real, she could understand why. “Isn’t that a bit much for a small ranch payroll? Something is funny here, Sheriff.”
The man glared at the redhead. “I ordered a new bull and stud. They’re arriving this week. The man wanted cash.”
“Then I’d say he’s the only one who knew you’d be withdrawing so much.”
“She has a point, Mr. Fletcher.”
“She’s wrong. The seller wouldn’t know when I’d withdraw the cash.”
“Neither would we, especially since we didn’t know about the purchases.”
“If you’ll check my account, Sheriff, you’ll see I don’t have his money.”
“No man would be fool enough to deposit stolen money, Jed. You need cash.”
“I got plenty until I make my fall sales.”
“How?” Fletcher scoffed.
“There are plenty of markets west of here—forts, reservations, mining towns.”
Jessie wished her father hadn’t mentioned their prospects. Now Fletcher would try to block them, too. She saw the man’s brow lift in interest.
“What about that drifter you hired to fight me?”
“He’s been gone almost two weeks.”
“Why did he leave?” Fletcher asked.
“We had a private disagreement. I fired him. If he was still around, we would have seen him while riding range. We haven’t.”
“I want my money, Jed.”
Mary Louise had ceased her task and joined the group. “We don’t have it, Wil—Mr. Fletcher. That drifter left weeks ago as Father said, and none of the other men have left the ranch. We had a terrible stampede here, and my little brother was almost killed. My grandmother and I were in the middle of it, too. The men have been staying close to protect us. I swear this is all true.”
Fletcher smiled at the blonde. “I’m sorry to appear so upset, Miss Mary Louise, but it is a great deal of money to lose. I’m relieved none of you were injured during that stampede.”
“It would suit you fine if we’d all been killed,” Jessie retorted. To the sheriff, she said, “We didn’t contact you, sir, because we didn’t think you could do anything about it. Dynamite was set off in all directions, and the herds were sent charging toward here. We barely stopped them before they reached the barn.”
“Dynamite, you say?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sounds like the same man, or men, who blasted Mr. Fletcher’s windmills. I’ll check around to see who’s been purchasing it.”
“I doubt you’ll find anything. Fletcher here probably had his hirelings steal it.”
“You’ve a bad tongue on you, Jedidiah Lane.”
“Better a bad tongue than a black heart and mind.”
“This quarreling won’t help matters. It’s time we leave. I’ll come back when I learn something, Jed.”
“If you learn something,” Jessie corrected the sheriff. “Mr. Fletcher is very clever and determined; but so are we.”
That night in her bed, Jessie wondered if Navarro had robbed Fletcher before traveling on. Surely if he was still around, he would have contacted her by now. Torment filled her—the anguish of not knowing where or who he was or the true reason he had deserted her. But she could not bring herself to regret loving him. Navarro had brought her a wild, passionate, and reckless love just when she needed it most. He had made her realize it was time to think of love, marriage, home, and children. If the past few months were all she would ever have of him, now she knew what her life was missing. He had taught her it was time to think of her desires, and the future. She had done her duties and responsibilities for others; it was time to do them for herself.
How, she didn’t know yet. Navarro’s loss was too fresh and painful. Too, someday he might return to her…or for her. Yet, she admitted, there was little hope for that. All he had needed to say was Wait for me, I love you, I have to leave for a vital reason, or anything like that. But he had held silent. Whatever had driven him away, he had kept secret. He had accepted her job, done it as long as permitted, and ridden off saying he couldn’t ever come back.
Should she, Jessie wondered, allow herself to hope and dream? Could Navarro kill the ghosts that haunted him? Tears slipped from her eyes into her hair as she sensed that whatever stood between them was too strong to forget.
On Saturday night, the sounds of gunfire, breaking glass, and galloping horses shattered the slumber of all on the Lane ranch. Men rushed from the bunkhouse, yanking on clothes and carrying weapons. But it was over; the danger had passed.
Matt and the other hands hurried to the house to see if anyone was hurt. Jed opened the door and shouted they were fine. The men continued on to join him on the porch.
“Damn that bastard! I told him we didn’t take his money!”
Gran, Tom, Jessie, and Mary Louise came outside to listen.
The shaking blonde shrieked, “You’ll get us all killed, Father, if you don’t sell out! Even if it is Mr. Fletcher, we can’t win.”
“Hush, girl, we aren’t backing down now or ever.”
“They weren’t trying to kill us, little sister. All the bullets were aimed for the tops of the windows. None of us is that tall.”
“They still fired at us!” the girl argued. “Go after the sheriff.”
“That won’t do any good.”
“Then send our men after them.”
“And let them lure us away like before for a worse reason? We can’t trail them at night, and their tracks will be covered by morning.”
“I’ll post guards around the place,” Matt said.
“That’s about all we can do,” Jed agreed. “Whoever goes on duty, be real careful-like. Jessie might be right about them trying to get us to race after them so they can double back and attack again. Light plenty of lanterns; let them know we’re on alert. If he’s got men out there watching, the others won’t return tonight.”
“Tomorrow we can patch the windows until we can get new panes next week,” Matt suggested. “It hasn’t rained in a long time, but a storm could break any day now.”
Jed gazed skyward and remarked, “Weather’s been odd this spring. Been too warm and dry for this time of year, and getting hotter every day. The mills and rivers are dropping low. Keep your eye alert, Matt. After that dynamite stunt, a violent thunderstorm could set off another stampede. After all this rustling and the last panic and the shootings, I’ve lost nigh onto ten thousand head. That’s near a three-hundredthousand-dollar loss at market time, and that bastard is fuming over a mere fifty thousand! We also need to keep the garden watered so we won’t lose our crop. I surely hope it rains soon. If it don’t we’ll be in a bind as tight as Fletcher’s.”
Sunday night, under a lessening full moon, Jessie and Matt waited until the wee hours of the morning before retaliating. From rifle range and different sides of the house, they rapidly shot out windows in Fletcher’s home. Matt rushed to join Jessie at the assigned place.
They mounted and galloped toward safety. Men rushed to pursue them. Before long, they noticed a fiery streak like a shooting star.
Jessie’s heart pounded and her blue eyes widened. “It’s a flaming arrow! The bastard is signaling somebody ahead of us! He must have taken the idea from that Indian ruse we pulled. We have to hurry before we’re cut off.”
“They’re trying to trap us between forces. Let’s head south and return from that way. If we get separated, keep riding southward until it’s safe.”
“If I slow you or get wounded, don’t stop, Matt.”
“I’d never leave you behind.”
“You must. The law will go easier on a distraught and emotional woman than on you. Promise me you’ll obey. It’s an order from your boss!”
To settle her down, Matt promised, but he knew he would never obey. He guided them southward to skirt Fletcher’s ambush. “They’ll head for the ranch to see who’s missing. We can’t waste time.”
As dawn approached, they rode hard and fast. The terrain was a blend of grasslands and rolling hills. The ranch was in the midst of a series of little valleys full of trees and hillocks that was set inside a large valley surrounded by ridges and mountains that were no trouble to cross. Southward and northward were tabletop mesas and more desertlike territory. The flatlands were often dotted by amaranth: roundish green scrubs that broke free of their roots in fall, dried to prickly balls, and tumbled across the landscape forever like restless ghosts. This area was usually tranquil and fragrant; the many wildflowers made it seem as though a special garden had bloomed amidst the harsh surroundings as a gift from heaven. But now the lack of rain had left its mark, mainly in the wilting grass.
As they neared the ranch, they saw Wilbur Fletcher and a band of men nearing the settled area. “Let’s sneak in the back of the barn,” Jessie whispered. “I have an idea.”
It was light now, so they had to be cautious. At the last gate, they unsaddled their horses and let them go free, away from the corral their foe was certain to check for sweaty mounts. They tossed their gear over the fence and hoped they wouldn’t be noticed at that distance, as bridles and saddles had been needed for a swift getaway pace. If checked, the damp undersides would expose their recent use.
As the family and hands hurried out to see what the neighbor wanted this early, they slipped to the barn and entered by the back door, then bolted it from the inside. They sneaked to the front door and listened to the talk outside. They peeked through cracks at the hirelings who checked the home and bunkhouse.
“How dare you!” Jed thundered. “Sheriff Cooper will hear of this outrage!”
“Don’t fight me on this, Jed!” Fletcher shouted. “I don’t want to get tough, but I have to know who’s missing. I see all of your men except your foreman. And where is that fiery daughter of yours? Two people attacked me hours ago. They couldn’t have beaten us here. I had guards posted along our boundaries. Seems you’re caught red-handed this time. What’s it worth for me not to have them charged and imprisoned? It’s dealing time, Jed; you’ve lost our battle.”
Jessie sensed what was coming and prepared them while Fletcher ranted at her father. She pressed a finger to her lips for silence, then smiled. Matt watched with intrigue as she loosened his shirt from his pants and mussed his brown hair. She unbraided her own, tousled it, and tossed pieces of hay on both their heads and clothes. They exchanged grins.
Jessie opened the barn door and looked outside. The creaking of it caused all eyes to rivet in that direction. Looking as if caught during wanton play, she glanced at her father and shrugged. As she pulled straw from her auburn tresses, she said, “We’re in here, Papa. We were…talking and haying the cows. We started tussling like children. You know how Matt and I are at times.”
As she pushed open the door, Matt was brushing off himself and trying to gain control of his wayward emotions. The intimate illusion she had created was arousing, and he wished it were more than a deception. He hurriedly tucked in his shirt as if he thought no one was noting his action. He jammed his hat over uncombed hair with its telltale gleams of hay. “What’s wrong, Boss?” he asked, knowing Jed would grasp their ruse and not be angry. Matt assumed Jed’s uneasy demeanor was part of their ploy to mislead Fletcher.
“Mighty early to be cleaning the barn,” Jed remarked with a feigned scowl, playing along with their clever stunt. He liked the way they looked and worked together, and was annoyed he hadn’t pushed a closer relationship sooner. He didn’t know why he hadn’t realized before that Matt was perfect for Jessie and the ranch, and the foreman would keep her mind off that drifter should he return.
Jessie saw a curious twinkle in her father’s eyes. “Papa, we—”
“Later, Jess. We have other business to handle.” Jed turned to his foe and charged, “I know you only came here to see how we took your shooting party Saturday night. You can’t trick me by claiming we shot up your home last night. If anybody did, you can see it wasn’t us. Get off my property and don’t come back. No more offers, ’cause they’re useless. And if you ever send your men over here to shoot at my house again, I’ll kill you, you sorry bastard.”
Fletcher looked confused before he could conceal his surprise. “If everyone’s here, it must be that drifter again. You lied about him leaving.”
Mary Louise, wearing a pretty dress as usual, vowed, “He’s really gone, sir. He tried to ravish me, so Father fired him over two weeks ago.”
“The beast,” Fletcher murmured, then looked her over as if checking for damage. “Maybe he’s the one who’s attacking both of us.”
“You said shots came from two directions,” Carlos reminded him.
“Perhaps he’s hired a partner for profit against me and revenge against you.”
“That is farfetched, hombre,” Miguel scoffed.
“You can see we’re all here,” Jed told him, “and you can tell none have been gone. Unlike you, we have no unbranded horses or strangers around. As you said, it must be somebody after both of us. We better watch our backs.”
“I don’t know how, Jed, but I’m sure you’re behind the robbery, rustling, and the shooting.”
“A third charge now? All you gotta do is send for the sheriff and prove it.”
Fletcher’s scowl deepened. “I handle my own affairs.”
“Is that why you came over with him the other day?” Jessie taunted. “And why you have twenty-five men on payroll for a small ranch? Do you pay them to watch you do your own dirty work? I doubt it, Fletcher.”
“You’ve inherited your father’s nature, Miss Jessie, but you won’t inherit this ranch. Before long, it will be mine,” he warned. “Let’s go, men!”
After they rode away, Jessie whooped with delight and hugged Matt. She could not resist planting a kiss on his cheek. “We did it, Matt.”
The others, all except Mary Louise, understood the interchange and grinned or chuckled. As the couple hugged and others praised them, she caught on to their ruse. “Congratulations, Jessica; you two fooled them.”
“He’s too cocky, so he thinks we aren’t as smart as him,” Jessie said. “And just wait until he tastes our next sour trick. Right, Matt?”
“What is that?” the blonde inquired.
“I don’t know. Matt and I haven’t made it up yet, but it will be a bitter one.” Jessie looked at the nodding foreman, sent him a conspiratorial smile, and squeezed his hand. She felt him return the meaningful gesture with a firm grip.
Monday night, Jed invited Matt to have dinner with them. During the meal, the foreman mentioned that the two men he had sent after the new windowpanes would return tomorrow so the panes could be replaced on Wednesday. They discussed the unusually dry weather once more. Matt told them the irrigation troughs from the well behind the house to the garden would prevent any loss of that crop.
When Mary Louise asked what their next plans against Fletcher were, Jessie replied, “We don’t know yet. We have to be careful and sly, because he’s on watch now. We have to come up with ways to discourage him. If he sees it’s going to be an impossible battle, maybe he’ll leave this area. There are plenty of good locations nearer to Fort Davis or on the high plains west of us. I’d like to see him leave Texas altogether.”
“If he’s guilty, Jessica, he’s going to become more and more dangerous. If you two push him too far, those bullets might strike lower next time. I’m scared.”
Gran patted her hand and said, “We all are, girl, but we can’t let him win.”
“If any or all of us are hurt or killed, will your victory be worth it, Father?”
“No Lane has ever been a coward, girl.”
“Isn’t it better to be a live coward than a dead hero?”
“For some people, it might, little sister, but not for us.”
After the meal, Jessie and Matt took a walk. “This may sound awful, Matt,” the redhead told him, “but I don’t want our plans talked about around Mary Louise. There’s something about the way she’s acting about Fletcher that makes me nervous. I know she can’t be warning him, because there’s no opportunity. But I don’t like her attitude. It might just suit her fine for him to run us off our land.”
Matt grasped Jessie’s hand as they strolled. It felt wonderful to touch her, to be with her, and to feel her voice covering him like a warm blanket on a cold night. He halted and placed his hands on her shoulders. Moonlight reflected in her blue eyes as she returned his steady gaze. “I’ve been here long enough to speak my mind to you and Jed. Even if it hurts, you two expect me to be honest. We’re good friends, Jessie, so I’ll tell you what has me worried. Have you stopped to wonder what Fletcher and Mary Louise talk about whenever he comes over? She would have time to pass along a few hints if she had a mind to aid him. I’ve noticed he’s been coming around a lot lately.”
Jessie reflected on their neighbor’s many recent visits. Her sister was alone with the man on most of those occasions. On the few that privacy had been prevented, Mary Louise had spoken openly to their enemy in front of all. The redhead recalled what her sister had said after the robbery and window shooting when Fletcher rushed over, and realized there could have been hidden messages in her words. “I know how devious she can be, Matt, but surely we’re wrong to suspect her. If only she weren’t so desperate and determined to leave home, I wouldn’t have these doubts about her. I do know for certain that she framed Navarro to get rid of him. But did she do it to help Fletcher or to weaken us into giving up?”
“I don’t know. I hope we’re wrong, Jessie, but watch out for her.”
As she had done many times in the past, the redhead wrapped her arms around Matt’s waist and rested her head against his chest. Especially tonight, she needed the strength and comfort from her longtime friend. “I’m glad I have you to talk to, Matt. I can trust you with anything.”
Matt’s hands traveled to her back, then drifted into her hair. She smelled so enticing, and her mood was so mellow now. He enjoyed holding her and sharing anything with her. He wished she realized how much he loved and wanted her, and wished that she felt the same. He knew it was too soon to expose his feelings, that Navarro was still between them. His voice was strained with emotion as he replied, “You can, Jessie; I swear it on my life and honor.”
She heard the affection in his tone and felt the arousing effect of their contact. It warmed but worried her. Despite her longtime relationship with Matt and Navarro’s desertion, to enjoy Matt’s embrace made her feel traitorous to her missing lover. She knew she must pull away. “We’ll talk again tomorrow while we’re riding range. Good night, Matt.”
As the shifts were changing the next morning, gunfire from the northern pasture captured their attention. Matt assigned guards to the house while he and other hands rode to check out the peril. Anticipating more dead steers, Jed and Jessie went along. After a few miles, they saw and heard nothing.
Jessie yelled at them to halt. “It’s a trick, Papa! Let’s get back home!” She turned Ben and galloped for the house with the men strung out behind her.
Rapid shots told her she was right, and she prodded the paint to a faster pace. The guards at the house had been ordered not to be drawn away from their protective posts for any reason, and they had obeyed.
As Jessie and the others thundered into the yard, Davy shouted, “That way! Something’s up!” He pointed toward the eastern pasture closest to the settlement.
The riders headed in that direction. When they reached the villain’s targets, it was a horrid sight. The four prize bulls were lying dead on the ground. Jed hurriedly dismounted and approached the huge bodies. He dropped to his knees and stared at them. Tears slipped down his cheeks as his hand stroked the expensive Durham. He balled his fist and shook it in the air as he cursed Wilbur Fletcher.
Jessie took command. “Rusty, see to Papa. Matt, Carlos, Miguel, Jimmy Joe, ride with me. We’re going to catch those bastards and kill them.” The angle of the bullets revealed the direction from which the shots had come. The five took off southward.
They rode for hours on the fresh trail, but couldn’t sight the culprits.
“We’ll never catch them!” Matt finally yelled. “They’ll keep running as long as we’re chasing them!” After the group halted, he suggested, “We better head back before dark.”
Jessie glanced southward once more. She knew the foreman was right; those men would continue on into Mexico if necessary to keep from exposing their boss. She lifted her face skyward, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she lowered it and looked at Matt. “I’ve never been one to believe in violence, but we have no choice now. I don’t know if Fletcher was robbed of his stock payment or if it was a lie to frame us, but he hinted about bulls, then murdered ours. If it’s dead bulls he wants, then he’ll get them.”
“That is dangerous, chica,” Carlos told her. “He will be expecting you.”
“I’m learning fast from him, Carlos. Some of you will lure his guards away while Matt and I return his foul deed.”
“What will your padre say, amiga?”
“I don’t know, Miguel, but it has to be done. We must meet every challenge Fletcher makes. If we don’t he’ll win.”
“She’s right, boys. We can’t let this go unpunished.”
“Thanks, Matt. We’ll make plans back home. I’ll come to the chuckhouse after supper,” she said, and knew the foreman caught the reason for her caution.
* * *
“What do you mean he’s gone to confront Fletcher?” Jessie asked Rusty.
“He took off right after you did. He ordered me to take care of the bulls. He has two of the boys with him. I’ve never seen Jed like that.”
It was nearing dusk and they were tired, but Jessie said, “I’m going after him. Papa’s in danger. Fletcher will kill him, then claim it was self-defense.”
The group hadn’t reached the boundary when they intercepted Jed, Walt, and Talbert. They all reined in to talk.
“Why didn’t you wait for us, Papa? That was reckless. Fletcher’s men could have cut you down and claimed you attacked them.”
The weary, dispirited man responded in a strained voice, “I told the bastard I would poison my water, burn my lands, and kill all the stock before I would let him take my life away. I told him I’m hiring as many gunslingers as he has and lining my borders with armed men. We’ll shoot any man or horse belonging to him that comes near my place.”
Jessie saw that he was too exhausted and depressed to keep his fury at full level. She hated seeing her father like this. But she had enough energy and fury to make up for what Jed had lost today. “What did he say?”
“Didn’t bother him at all, Jess. He claims he’ll outwait us. Said I would never harm my land. Said I can’t afford to keep that many men on payroll long.”
“It was easy because he knows it’s true, Papa. You could never cut the heart from this land, and we can’t afford the high price of gunslingers.” Jessie’s mind raced to Navarro. She wished he were there to lead them. They needed his wits and skills. Her father was losing hope and courage. Yet, as she had for weeks, she pushed him from her thoughts.
“Let’s go home, Papa. You need to rest.”
They reached the ranch after dark, a three-quarter moon lighting their way. The others came to greet them and to hear the news. Matt repeated it as Carlos and Miguel took Jed and Jessie’s horses to tend. The redhead led her father to the house and handed him a glass of whiskey to settle his nerves.
“What happened this time?” Mary Louise asked.
“I’m sure Wilbur will tell you the next time he sees you. Leave Papa alone tonight. It’s been a hard day. I’ll help Gran get supper on the table. You come, too,” Jessie ordered her sister, not wanting to leave her father to the girl’s lack of mercy while his spirits were low.
“Father looks terrible. Tell me what happened,” she persisted.
Jessie grasped the blonde’s arm and pulled her into the kitchen where she revealed the news, which didn’t seem to disturb her at all. “We’re lucky Fletcher didn’t use their visit as an excuse to kill Papa.”
“Don’t you think that’s odd since you claim he wants to be rid of all of us? It would have been a perfect solution…for a guilty man.”
Jessie glared at her sister. “He had a reason. A man like him doesn’t do anything without a selfish reason.” As the words left her lips, similar ones from Navarro the day they met sounded inside her head. She closed her eyes and prayed, Please come back to us, my love. Wherever you are, hear me and return.
“Jessica, are you all right?” Mary Louise asked. “You look pale and shaky.”
“I’m just tired and angry. Let’s eat and get to bed.” What she didn’t say was that she had a terrible feeling something worse was about to happen.
Big John put in the new panes on Wednesday, and Mary Louise washed them afterward. The hands did their chores in silence, as if some gloom hung over them and the ranch. The day was hot and oppressive, so most blamed the weather for their crazy moods.
While Jessie and Matt were checking on stock, a disheartened Jed rode to the family graveyard—located a little over a mile from the house on a lovely spot near a chapparel—to visit his wife. Alice, their two sons, and his father were buried there. The aging rancher was frightened for the survival of his remaining family. He didn’t know if he should risk their lives by holding on here. If he could get Fletcher alone without his many guards, he knew he would kill the man and end this madness. But other matters troubled him, too: Mary Louise’s hatred and defiance, Tom’s disabilities and his sullenness since Navarro’s departure, and the longing for the gunslinger’s return that Jessie was trying to hide. He felt guilty over separating her from Navarro. He sank to his knees beside his wife’s grave, buried his hands in his face, and prayed for the answers to his problems.
Late in the day, as Jessie was walking toward the house, Matt caught up with her and grasped her hand. Jessie halted and looked at him. Something in his expression told her there was trouble. “What is it, Matt?”
“I’ll go with you. I want…to see Jed.”
Jessie knew the men had told Matt to tag along for a reason, and she realized the hands had acted odd upon their return. Her heart pounded, as she knew something was wrong. She jerked her hand free and ran into the house. Jessie rushed to the kitchen, then glanced into the dining room. She paled and trembled. Her hand covered her mouth and moisture sprang to her eyes. “No,” she murmured in anguish, and the tears escaped rapidly down her cheeks.
Matt’s arm banded her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jessie. The boys told me he was…dead. I didn’t want you to come in here and face this alone.”
Jessie left his embrace to walk to the long table where her father’s body lay. Her grandmother was lovingly bathing her son to prepare him for burial. Dazed, the white-haired woman sang a hymnal as she worked, as if oblivious to her granddaughter’s presence. Jessie’s eyes touched the wound in his chest. She knew from experience it was from a knife blade. “What happened?”
Martha Lane continued her chore as if she hadn’t heard the girl’s words. Jessie looked at her and knew it was best not to press her for answers at this time. “Tom! Mary Louise!” she shouted.
Both came to the kitchen from their rooms. Tom gaped at the sight and buried his face against Jessie’s chest and sobbed. Jessie clutched him to her and comforted him.
Mary Louise glanced at her father and remarked, “He killed himself.”
Jessie’s tears and soothing words halted, and she stared at her sister. Anger flooded her. “How dare you say such a thing, you wicked girl!”
Mary Louise backed away a few steps, looking as if she expected her sister to attack her. “I’m the one who found him, Jessica. I rode to the graveyard to speak with Father about my leaving here. I’m frightened, Jessica. He was lying across Mother’s grave. There was a knife in his heart, and he was holding the handle.”
“Only because he was trying to pull it out when he died, fool! He was murdered! Fletcher did it. I’ll kill him. I swear, I’ll kill him!”
“I didn’t see anyone there, Jessica. Father’s face was still wet with tears. He couldn’t have been dead long. If anyone else did it, I would have seen him.”
“If you did, you wouldn’t tattle! You’d do anything to get away!”
“I know you’re upset, Jessica, but don’t attack me like this. Even though we didn’t get along, he was my father, too.”
“I can see how your heart is bleeding over his loss,” Jessie scoffed, as the girl didn’t appear the least bothered by their parent’s death…his murder.
“We’ll get him buried quickly, then contact Mr. Fletcher about accepting his offer. The sooner we leave here, the better for all of us.”
Jessie’s light blue eyes enlarged with astonishment. Anger such as she had never felt before consumed her. “You’re crazy! I would never sell to that bastard.”
“You have no choice. Father is dead. We can’t stay here. Be reasonable. I’ve already started packing. We should move into town tomorrow after the funeral. From there, we can decide where to settle. If you don’t want to try it back East, Dallas or San Antonio would be nice.”
Jessie stiffened, and she clenched her jaw over and over. “This ranch is mine now, little sister. Go if you wish, but get out of my sight before I punish you as Papa should have!”
“You don’t inherit everything, Jessica! Tom and I get something. I want my part so I can leave this awful place. When can you give it to me?”
Matt grabbed the girl’s arm and almost shoved her into the parlor. He closed the door to the kitchen and said, “Leave them be! Let them mourn in peace.”
“You aren’t a member of this family!” she snapped. “Get out of our home!”
Matt had never been tempted to slap a woman until tonight. He had to struggle to control his temper. “I won’t let you torment them with your selfishness, girl. If you love your family, settle down.”
“So you can walk in and take over Father’s place?” Mary Louise sneered.
“I’m responsible for them. I won’t let you hurt them more than they’re hurting already. How can you be so cruel at a time like this?”
“This is Father’s fault. He knew he was going to lose, so he took his life.”
“Jed Lane didn’t kill himself.”
“It looks that way to me. If we don’t clear out, we’ll be killed, too.”
“You just said he killed himself.” He pointed out her contradiction.
“He did, but he let this trouble push him to it. Jessica can’t run this ranch.”
“Yes she can.”
“With your help, Mathew Cordell? I know you want her—and the ranch. I won’t allow you or anyone to steal what belongs to me.”
“Nothing belongs to you, Mary Louise. Jed left it to Jessie.”
“She’s not an only child, Matt. I have rights, too.”
“Do you?” he challenged.
“I’m sure a lawyer will see it my way,” she threatened.
“I doubt it. Jed made certain his will was legal. I was with him. He knew you would try to cause trouble when he died so he fixed it so you can’t. If I were you, Miss Lane, I would behave myself before Jessie kicks you out with nothing. According to the law, she can do just that.”
“You would be delighted to help her do it, wouldn’t you?”
“Yep, I would. You’ve been nothing but heartache to your family since you returned home. You lied about Navarro Jones, and we all know it.”
“I should think you would be glad I got rid of him. It opened the door for you to pursue my sister. With him around, you wouldn’t stand a chance of winning her.”
“Winning a woman through deceit and pain wouldn’t be worth much to a real man. If I were you, I’d be scared. Navarro Jones isn’t a man to double cross. You better hope he doesn’t return now that Jed is gone. Jessie would never make him leave again. A cold and hard gunslinger can find ways of punishing a person without killing him…or her. You did lie about him, didn’t you?”
Mary Louise looked frightened for a time. “Think what you will. I’m packing, because we’ll be leaving soon. You’ll see,” she murmured, then went to her room.
Matt returned to the dining room, where Jessie was helping her grandmother prepare Jed’s body. He went to the grieving women and asked how he could help.
“We’re almost through here, Matt,” Jessie said softly. “Ask Big John to prepare a coffin. We’ll bury Papa tomorrow. After this, Fletcher should lay off a while. He’ll expect me to panic and sell, so he’ll bide his time for a week or so. Can you take care of the ranch for the next few days? I’ll have a lot to do.”
“Anything you need, Jessie, just ask me or the boys. Jed was a good friend and a good boss. We’ll all miss him.”
Jessie tried not to cry again, but her heart was aching. She told herself she had to be strong for her brother and grandmother. Death was no stranger to her; she had lost her mother in ’70 and her grandfather years before that agonizing day. It was difficult for those left behind to go on without their loved ones. She still missed them, and always would. She knew that time and love and hard work were balms for the heart, but even they didn’t help much during the first months. “I put Tom to bed. He’s so upset. He and Papa loved each other, but there was always a distance between them. I hope you can spend time with him over the coming weeks. You’re his best friend, and it will help him adjust.”
“I will, Jessie. What else do you need tonight?”
“You did the most important thing by getting my sister out of here. How can anyone be so cold?”
“I don’t know, Jessie. She has problems. If she troubles you again, just call me. I’ll take her into town to get her away from here if need be.”
“Thanks, Matt. I don’t know what we would do without you.”
The men had worked hard since receiving the grim news. The coffin was completed and brought to the house. Matt and Rusty helped place the body inside the box in the parlor. They closed but did not nail the coffin.
Tom had finally fallen asleep. Gran was mourning in her room. Mary Louise was plotting in hers. Matt held Jessie in his arms at the front door and comforted her. The men were quiet as the death of Jedidiah Lane settled in on them.
Jessie climbed into her parents’ bed, as she could not sleep in the same room with her unfeeling sister. She wept over her father’s loss, and the guilt she felt over it. The road before her would be hard; she prayed she had the courage and wits to travel it. She swore revenge on Wilbur Fletcher. She ached for her love’s return and comfort.
Where are you, Navarro? I need you. I love you. Please, God, send him back to me.
Yet she remembered his parting words. He had claimed it was too late for them, but wouldn’t explain why. He had said that if she didn’t hear from him soon, that meant he was gone “for good.” He had ridden off shouting, “Forget me!” But how could she stop loving, wanting, and remembering him? It was as if cruel Fate had stolen the two men she loved and needed most.
Jessie rested her head against Matt’s strong shoulder. Now she allowed the tears she had kept pent up during the brief ceremony for her family’s sake to flow. Long funerals were hard on loved ones, so Jessie had made her father’s short.
Gran had taken Tom back to the house in the wagon. Mary Louise had come and gone with them, and had kept her wicked mouth shut today. The men had replaced the earth around the grave and returned to their tasks. Jessie had remained at the gravesite to mourn in privacy, and the foreman had stayed with her.
Matt stroked her unbound hair. He let her grieve in silence. There was little anyone could say or do to bring real comfort during a time like this.
When Jessie mastered her tears and wiped her eyes, she murmured, “It’s all my fault, Matt. I should have seen this coming. I knew Fletcher was evil, but I didn’t believe he would go this far.”
“You’re not to blame, Jessie.”
She looked up into his gentle eyes and refuted, “Yes, I am. I was the one who kept spurring Papa on. It was my idea to hire Navarro and to attack Fletcher. If I hadn’t challenged him, maybe he wouldn’t have responded this way.”
“What Jed did and said after his bulls were killed is what set Fletcher off.”
“But I kept pushing Papa to hold out and to fight back. If I hadn’t he might have given in; then he’d still be alive. It wasn’t worth his life, Matt.”
“Jed needed your courage and wits to keep him strong, Jessie. He depended on you. If he had yielded to Fletcher, he would never have been the same again. What is a man without his pride and honor? Jed was too proud and honest to give up his existence. What’s left if we throw away our dreams when the going gets hard or dangerous?”
“But I can’t let anyone else get hurt.”
“You can’t back down now, Jessie,” Matt argued. “If good men give in to bad ones, they get stronger and bolder with everyone. Soon, they rule everything. If you surrender, Jessie, the fighting and Jed’s death were for nothing. Jed would want you to hold out.”
“But what if it’s Gran or Tom next—or both? How can I stop him, Matt? Nothing we’ve done has slowed him. I’m the head of the family now. I must think of their safety and happiness, like I prevented Papa from doing.”
“You’re thinking through grief, Jessie. You’d be sorry and angry you sold out. It would be too late to expose Fletcher and punish him. At least wait a while before you make any decision. The boys and I will protect you and the others. From now on, we stay armed and on guard every minute.”
Jessie glanced at her father’s final resting place. She reflected on all he had endured to create this beautiful and prosperous spread. She looked at her surroundings and thought of all her years on the range. This was her home. This was Lane land. She loved it. No one had the right to take it from them. With Mathew Cordell and the hands behind her, she could continue her battle to save it. Matt was right; that is what Jedidiah Lane would want.
Her gaze went to the fresh mound once more. “I didn’t get to tell him good-bye or tell him how much I love him. It isn’t fair, Matt.”
“He knew. He knows, Jessie.”
Fury filled her. “I want to know whose knife that was in his heart. It wasn’t Papa’s. I’ve never seen one like it. He didn’t take his own. life.”
“It wasn’t marked so I don’t know how we can discover its owner. We didn’t find any tracks, either. Somebody clever concealed them. This is why Fletcher didn’t attack Jed on his land; he wanted his body found here and looking like he killed himself.”
“Let’s get back so I can check on Tom and Gran.”
Matt mounted and pulled Jessie up before him, as she was wearing a dress and couldn’t ride behind. She laid her head against his chest once more and wrapped her arms around his waist. Matt was so comforting, and she needed his warmth and tenderness. She never stopped to think how contact with her affected him.
Matt glanced down at the woman in his arms. He wished she could stay there forever. He loved her and wanted her with every ounce of strength and emotion he possessed. When her anguish subsided, he would confess his love with the hope she could come to return it one day.
On Monday, Jessie wrote a letter to the Cattlemen’s Association and asked for membership as the new owner of the Box L Ranch. She explained their troubles and accused Wilbur Fletcher of being responsible. She told them if they were men of honor and conscience, they would not allow Fletcher to prevent her inclusion in the association or be influenced by his money and status.
She and the hands were kept busy getting stock to water, as several windmills were running low and so was the Calamity River. They had never seen this area so hot and dry this time of year, and they were concerned.
Since Jed’s loss, everyone had been quiet and sad. The men hadn’t played any practical jokes on each other since that grim day last week. When music was played at the bunkhouse, it was soulful tunes that reflected the men’s moods. Yet none of them doubted Jessica Lane’s ability to run the ranch, and none quit.
That night, Matt, Carlos, Miguel, and Jimmy Joe sneaked to the adjoining ranch and slit the throats of Fletcher’s prized bulls and studs. The ranch hands were accustomed to deft and swift slaughter of beast and fowl; they did their task with merciful quickness and skill that didn’t cause the animals to suffer. It was a difficult course to take, but they all agreed with Navarro’s blow-for-blow strategy to discourage their enemy. Matt didn’t tell Jessie about their action until it was over, as he didn’t want her to endanger herself by riding with them.
As she talked with him Tuesday morning, she was astonished to learn of their deed, and knew it had been done with compassionate speed. “That was a brave and generous thing to do, Matt. Thanks. No doubt Fletcher will be rushing over today with hot accusations. I’m ready for him.”
But Fletcher didn’t appear, and Jessie wondered why not. She also wondered why her sister was doing more than her share of chores without protest. Gran and Tom seemed to be adjusting slowly to the tragedy, but all of them were quiet and tense. Jessie blamed part of it on the inexplicable heat that blazed down on heads and land, greedily sucking the life from water and grass.
As she lay in her father’s bed, having moved into his room, Jessie thought, Wouldn’t it be crazy if nature beat us both, Mr. Fletcher? If a drought is in the making, neither of us will have anything of value to sell.
Dread and alarm attacked Jessie. Please, God, we’ve had more than our share of danger and torment. Don’t send more burdens to us. Let us find peace and happiness again. We miss Papa so much. Expose his killer. Punish Fletcher for his evil. You’re a good and just God, so how can you allow this to happen to us? I want Navarro; I need him. Please guide him back to me. If you can’t, then protect him and give him freedom from his torment. I’ve tried to understand and accept these troubles and losses, but it’s so hard to face them alone. I’ve tried not to become bitter and hard. Please answer our prayers before I do. Protect Matt and the boys. Help Gran and Tom not to suffer so much. As for Mary Louise, Lord, I don’t know what to say about her. I know she’s the one who found Papa, but she couldn’t hate him enough to kill him. I suppose it’s wicked of me to have such awful suspicions, but I can’t help but mistrust her. Help me in the days to come to do my best for everyone here.
Wednesday, Fletcher arrived in the company of two men and Sheriff Toby Cooper. His gaze was narrow and hard. His aura was cold and threatening.
Jessie met them and glared at the man responsible for her father’s death. “What do you want? Haven’t you done enough to us? Get off my land!”
Fletcher scowled at her and the men who gathered around the redhead. “I came to see Jed. My bulls and studs were slaughtered Monday night. I know who did it. Toby is here to investigate. You’ll all hang for this outrage.”
“Investigate all you like, Sheriff, but not with him here! My father is dead. He was murdered last Wednesday. This ranch is mine now. I’m warning you before witnesses, Fletcher—if you or any of your hirelings ever step foot on Lane land again, I’ll take it as a challenge and attack. And I’ll kill you, you murdering bastard! You have no reason or right to be here. This ranch isn’t for sale; it will never be for sale. Get out and don’t come back or you’re a dead man!”