The following day Will had barely sat down, loosened his tie and closed his eyes before he was summoned once more. Between the cattle drives, the baby, the rodeo and the subsequent injuries and investigation, he hadn’t had a moment’s peace. His questions had yielded no answers about the incident at the rodeo. Neither had he located Tomasina for an apology. A task that required his immediate attention.
His behavior had been inexcusable.
After wearily rising, he winced with each step as he made his way to the sheriff’s office and discovered Noah waiting for him.
“I didn’t expect to see you,” Will said.
Tall and broadly built, Noah was dressed in his working clothes, his lengthy blond hair visible beneath his hat, his scars shaded by his brim. Since Noah rarely came to town, his business must be important. Will put his confession about the letter on hold. Though he wasn’t normally given to maudlin sentimentality, he owed his friend. As his commanding officer, he owed Noah the life he should have had before the war had ravaged more than just his body. The battles might be over, but loyalty among soldiers never faltered. There was a woman worthy of Noah; a woman who’d see past the scars. Was it so unlikely that the bride they’d sent for might be that woman?
Noah motioned Will inside. “You won’t believe what I discovered on my way to the feed and grain this morning.”
Whatever Noah had discovered must be exceedingly unusual for him to linger in town. Will followed his friend through the building, and they paused in front of the jail cell.
A feverish man writhed on the single cot, a dirty bandage wrapped around his head. His clothing was damp with sweat, his face ashen. Doc Fletcher had taken a seat beside the prone man, a deep crease between his eyes.
Will started. “Is that Zeb Murdoch?”
“I reckon so.”
A few weeks back Zeb Murdoch had been winged in the ear by one of the Cowboy Creek deputies after he and his gang had robbed the church. The gang had subsequently made their way to Morgan’s Creek, where they’d stolen horses and robbed a saloon. One of the witnesses had identified Zeb Murdoch and noted his injury.
The wound had obviously gone septic. The skin visible beneath Zeb’s scraggly beard was pale and waxy. Dark blood matted his greasy blond hair, while his painfully thin frame bordered on gaunt.
The doc leaned over the outlaw and gingerly lifted the edge of the bandage, grimacing at the oozing wound. “He’ll live, but he’ll wake up with one less ear.”
Though Will had seen plenty of lacerations in his lifetime, the angry infection had him wincing. He asked Noah once more. “Where did you find him?”
“He was propped up behind the laundry on Fourth Street. Wolf sniffed him out.”
Noah’s dog was part wolf and, though intimidating, the animal was an excellent tracker and fiercely loyal.
“How long was he there?” Will asked.
“Since yesterday, I’m guessing. He didn’t have his horse, and there were two canteens of water set out. Like someone left him there.” Noah doffed his hat and threaded his fingers through blond hair that nearly touched his collar. “I heard from the deputy that you had some trouble at the stockyards, as well. Anyone hurt?”
“Someone riled up a bull and set it loose. No serious injuries. Cuts and bruises from when the crowd panicked and ran. A sprained ankle. Owen O’Neill fell down and took a boot to the head, but he was only grazed. Last I saw him, he was having pie at the Cowboy Café.” Will paced in front of the jail cell. “I don’t believe in coincidences. The Murdoch Gang left Zeb behind the laundry about the same time that bull cut loose in the ring.”
“The timing works out,” Noah agreed, replacing his hat and running his thumb and forefinger over the brim. “He didn’t get here by himself. Not in his condition.”
The pieces fell into place with sickening clarity. “Which means the Murdoch Gang created a diversion and dumped him.”
Remorse socked Will in the chest. He’d accused Tomasina of having an enemy, and she was innocent. He already owed her one apology. Now he owed her a couple of them.
“Why go to all that trouble?” Noah mused. “Why didn’t they shoot him or leave him for dead?”
“Who knows? Family loyalty. Honor among thieves. Seems like Xavier wants his brother healed.”
“But why travel forty miles south with a sick man? Why not leave him in Morgan’s Creek?”
“The sawbones in Morgan’s Creek died last fall. If they were riding south anyway, and Zeb took a turn for the worse, Cowboy Creek is the logical choice.”
“Good point.” Noah braced his forearm on the bars and studied the outlaw. “Zeb gets shot during the holdup at the church. The gang robs Morgan’s Creek, but Zeb’s wound turns septic.”
“There’s no doctor in Morgan’s Creek,” Will said. “Xavier can’t kill his own brother. Can’t leave him for dead, either.”
“Instead they create a diversion and dump him in Cowboy Creek. They’ve been here before. They know the town. They know we have a doctor.”
Will crossed his arms. “What now? If Xavier risked his life saving his brother, he won’t let us hang him.”
“Which means he’s sticking close.”
“Bad news for Cowboy Creek. If the gang is in the area, they’re bound to be a nuisance.”
“Not necessarily.” Noah pushed off from the bars. “They’d be fools to stir up trouble. Not with Zeb in our jail cell. I’m guessing they’ll lay low for a while, let things cool off and wait for Zeb to heal. That’s when we worry.”
“We’d best double our guards anyway. The Murdoch Gang will need supplies. And they can’t exactly waltz into Longhorn’s and buy grain for their horses.” Zeb groaned and Will studied the sick man. “Let’s hold them off as long as we can. If anyone asks, Zeb is near dying. That’s not far from the truth.”
“What if we spread the rumor he’s already dead?”
“Too risky. We can’t chance pushing the Murdochs to retaliate.”
“Too bad,” Noah said. “One less Murdoch is one less problem. You’re right about Xavier, though. He went to a lot of trouble to save his brother. He’s not going to let him hang.”
Will slanted a glance at the outlaw. “Which means they’ll be back to bust him out.”
“We better be ready when that happens.”
“Don’t worry.” Will spoke with grim determination. “We’ll be ready.”
By the time he’d finished at the jail, Tomasina was nowhere to be found. According to Theo, one of the drovers, she was tracking strays along a creek bed. There’d be no apology today. He’d seek out Tomasina tomorrow. And that meant he’d be carrying another burden for a spell.
The day stretched out ahead of him, bleak and lonely.
Lonely.
He was accustomed to solitude. An only child, he’d grown up without the constant patter of siblings. In the army, his rank had kept him isolated. He valued his privacy. He should be relieved the preacher’s daughter had taken Ava for the afternoon. He could catch up on his work. Yet the thought of spending the day alone left him oddly empty. The feeling itched like wet wool beneath his collar.
Any chance at peace was a long time coming for him.
* * *
Tomasina’s first step was to find James Johnson. A fellow named Butch directed her toward the saloon. Inside, she spotted James’s distinctive fringed vest. He’d had the back beaded in the shape of Texas, and leather fringe dangled from the hem. She thought the vest atrocious, but James had bragged about the ladies admiring his style. She snorted softly. When it came to a handsome face, sometimes ladies didn’t have the sense of a peahen.
Unheeding of the curious stares, she stomped across the saloon, planted a hand on James’s shoulder and spun him around.
His scowl lasted an instant before he masked his temper with a cool grin. “I thought you didn’t like saloons.”
“I don’t. But you and I need to talk.”
He turned his back on her and lifted his drink. “I got nothing to say to you.”
Tomasina planted her boot on the brass foot rail and leaned close. “Pa is dead and you’ve got nothing to say? I thought he meant something to you.”
James’s hand stilled midair, then his drink hit the bar with a thud, splashing his whiskey. “What happened?”
“He went to sleep and never woke up. Smitty thought it was probably his heart.” Her throat tightened. “You didn’t know, did you?”
“Nope.”
The chill in his voice sparked her anger once more. “He never got over you leaving. You know that, don’t you? We took you in when you had no one.”
Not a flicker of emotion showed on his face. That was James, all right. Always stoic. Why did men figure that showing their feelings made them weak? There was nothing wrong with sorrow. Except with James, there was always something to prove.
James appeared to gather himself. “Your pa was a good man, but he was too old for the trail.” Taking a long draw from his whiskey, he fixed his gaze on the mirror behind the bar. “He shoulda quit years ago. He only stayed on as point man ’cause of you.”
“That’s not fair and you know it. He stayed working because the trail was his life.”
“Think about it, Tom.” James cast her a sidelong glance. “Your pa was always working and saving for your future. You weren’t getting married or anything. And he knew once he was gone, you’d never be able to protect yourself. So he worked and he saved. Worked himself right into the grave.”
His words picked at her conscience like buzzards on a carcass. She shook her head. No—James was lashing out to hide his grief. Her pa hadn’t worked himself to death because of her. He’d always been a frugal man. They’d never needed much between the two of them.
“You’re being hateful because of your guilt,” she said. “Taking out your anger on me isn’t going to bring him back. Near broke his heart when you left, and you know it.”
James had all the charm in the world when a pretty face was nearby, but none for her. She wasn’t a woman as far as he was concerned. She was one of the boys. She wasn’t worthy of his fawning attention. That suited her fine. His fake charm was wasted on her. His words were as shallow as a creek bed in a drought.
“Too bad.” James ducked his head. “Maybe your pa should have had a stronger heart.”
“How can you say that?” She hitched in a breath. His indifference cut her to the quick. “After everything he did for you?”
She didn’t know James anymore. He wasn’t the boy she’d grown up with, the boy she’d considered family. This was a stranger. A hateful, bitter stranger.
“I’m not arguing with you anymore, Tom.” He turned away. “I said all I got to say.”
“This isn’t who you are, James.” She felt as though her whole world was tipping upside down. First she’d lost her pa, now she was losing James. “Why are you acting like this?”
He stumbled back from the bar and glared at her. “Why is everyone trying to tie me down? To change me? This is exactly who I am. I do what I want when I want. I’m not beholden to anyone. I stayed on with your pa’s outfit because it suited me. Nothing more.” Shrugging his shoulders, he mumbled, “Doesn’t matter anyway, now. Without your pa, the Stone outfit is finished.”
“At least he didn’t live to see this.” She fisted her hands against her sides. “I’m glad he’s not here to see what you’ve become.”
“Take my advice, Tom. Find a job in town. Your days on the trail are over. Without your pa, you’ll never be safe.”
“Fine talk coming from you.” Though angry, she grasped for one last shred of hope. “There’s no reason you and I can’t carry on the Stone name. We can build on that name and create our own reputation.”
“I’m not a Stone, Tom. And I’m sure not riding trail with a girl.”
“Oh, so I’m a girl now?”
“Let it go, Tom.”
She blinked rapidly before recalling the reason she’d come in the first place. “You were supposed to be watching the corral gate at the rodeo. Someone let a bull loose during my show. Speared the animal. Almost killed me. You know anything about that?”
Guilt flicked quickly over his face, replaced just as quickly with that same indifference. “That’s not my fault. I had some, uh, someone I had to meet. Stop pestering me. I wasn’t even there.”
One of the men at the bar winked at her and let out a low whistle, then sidled closer. “Your fellow giving you trouble, pretty lady?” Her rotund admirer was unkempt with breath like kerosene. “Why don’t you come on over here? I’ll treat you real nice.”
“I’d rather swim in a latrine.”
James caught her around the arm and dragged her toward the batwing doors. “You shouldn’t be in here.”
“Neither should you.”
Once outside, she shook off his hold. “Theo saw you near the gate before the accident. Were you trying to get revenge on me or something? Are you still mad about what happened back in Harper?”
Hot color suffused his face. “You don’t really think I had anything to do with what happened at the show?”
Orphaned early in the war, James had joined the Confederate Army at fifteen seeking revenge. His commanding officer had quickly discovered his deception. By the time James was old enough to serve, peace had been declared. He was a man with something to prove and no way to prove it.
Tomasina’s mouth twisted. “You were awful mad when you left.”
“You tell me your pa died. Then you accuse me of sabotaging the show. You have no right, Tom. No right to accuse me of something like that.”
His denial only fueled her outrage. “But you were there. Did you see anything?”
“I didn’t see anything. I told you before. I left to meet someone.” James narrowed his gaze. “Maybe someone else has it out for you. Did you ever think of that?”
Her stomach clenched. Will had come to the same conclusion. “I don’t have any enemies. Why would someone come after me?”
“You tell me. You’re not exactly the easiest person to get along with, you know. Your pa let you give orders, but no one else will. Now that your pa is gone, you’d best keep your pistol cocked and at the ready.” His voice softened. “I’m telling you this as a friend.”
“Oh, so you’re my friend now? You sure weren’t treating me like a friend a few minutes ago.”
“That’s because you never pay me any mind. Listen this once.”
The sharp finality of his words settled around her. She pressed her hands against her chest, halting the flow of emotions. She’d never cared much one way or the other what people thought of her. Why did their opinions matter? She liked herself well enough.
Once or twice she’d tested James’s flattering style during a negotiation, but the role had never sat well with her.
Will Canfield certainly found her difficult. How many others had thought the same? She’d goaded Will because she wanted her way. She’d dismissed his objections to the rodeo without considering his concerns, and his fears had come to pass. Theo had warned her that Will was looking for her. Unsure how to atone for her mistake, she’d been staying clear of him instead.
“You’re like a brother to me, James.” She spoke quietly. “I don’t want bad blood between us.”
Her future had always seemed vast and never ending, the possibilities infinite. Except her world wasn’t the mountains and the prairies and herding thousands of cattle to market. Her future consisted of the people around her, and that reality was rapidly shrinking.
James scuffed at the ground. “There’s no bad blood, but things have changed. We’re not kids anymore, Tom. With your pa gone—” His voice broke. “With your pa gone, it’s time for you to act like a girl for once.”
Her throat constricted. He was angry. He was grieving. Even if he didn’t show his pain, he was hurting. But so was she. Her heart was breaking, as well. When had anyone ever spared her feelings?
The events of the past weeks caught up with her, and pain throbbed behind her eyes. “Don’t you dare start in on me. I can take care of myself.”
“You’ll have to, won’t you?”
“Fine words coming from you. You take care of yourself, as well. It’s what you’re good at.”
Everything she’d thought about herself crumbled. Had she ever had the respect of the men she rode with, or had they only tolerated her in deference to her pa? Without him, where did she belong? Even James, the one person she’d thought was loyal to her, had turned his back on her.
Unable to face the pity in his resigned expression, she pivoted on her heel.
James reached for her. “Tom, wait.”
Shoving him away, she glared. “You think of anything you may have seen at the rodeo, tell the sheriff. If you can tear yourself away from the saloon long enough, that is. You and I got nothing to say to each other.” She poked his chest with a finger. “Being a jerk doesn’t make you more of a man. Just makes you more of a jerk.”
She stomped off without waiting for an answer. Once she rounded the corner, she searched for a darkened corner. Pressing one hand against the side of the building, she heaved a sob. She’d lost her pa already. Now she’d lost James.
There was no reason for her to take his hurtful words to her heart. Except that doubt had already wormed its way into her soul. Pa’s death had peeled back the covering on her life, and she didn’t like what she saw hidden beneath the surface.
How quickly her life had changed. Her pa was gone, James was gone, and she wasn’t any closer to discovering who’d sabotaged her show. Her knees weakened, and she braced her back against the wall, sank down and hung her head.
She thought of how Will was caring for Ava, his unabashed affection for the baby, and her chest grew so tight it hurt. Now that her father was gone, she didn’t suppose she’d ever feel that sort of love again.
She’d always considered herself a solitary person, and yet this was the first time she’d ever been truly alone.
She pushed off from the wall and stood. Feeling sorry for herself had never solved a problem.
When she arrived back at the drover’s camp, she discovered Will had left a note for her with one of the fellows. He wanted to speak with her.
She crumpled the message and tossed it in an open fire. Until she figured out who had sabotaged her show, she was steering clear of Will Canfield.