Dark Journey Home (24 page)

As they rode the trail through the forest, then down
into the foothills, Logan was thinking of Lord Beckford and Olivia, and knew
that they would be a little worried, so he figured it was a good thing that
they were going back to town.  Beckford needed to know about the situation at
the Triple-B ranch.  They pretty much knew the layout now and there wasn’t much
more to be learned.  It was time to take legal action to establish ownership. 

Logan
had seen enough
dishonesty in his young years to last a lifetime.  It was time to fight back,
and he intended to do just that.  He didn’t at all like the fact that someone
else was actually living in the mansion on the ranch, when the only occupant
should have been a housekeeper. 

The hands lived in the bunkhouse, and the foreman had
his own cabin.  He was only supposed to be running the ranch for Lord Beckford,
in cooperation with that attorney from town.  Obviously the attorney was a part
of an extensive crooked scheme.  Who could they trust?  How many cattle drives
had they made in the last ten years and pocketed the proceeds from those
sales?  There were a lot of questions to be answered. 

As they rode towards town, both deep in thought, they
hadn’t noticed that they were being followed, until Trudy Perkins finally
caught up with them, riding the pinto mare that they had broken to saddle only
days before.  For some reason, when Logan noticed that fact, it irritated him
to see her riding the horse he had pictured Olivia riding. 

“Hey, cowboys, you two handsome fellas leaving without
saying goodbye?”  She purred as she rode up.

“Mornin’ ma’am.”  Logan answered, and Ricardo touched
his sombrero, though the men kept on riding. 

“Well?”  Trudy called to them.  “Aren’t you going to
ask me why I’m here?”  She rode alongside Logan, and kept pace. 

Logan
glanced over at
her, then grinned, “It’s fairly obvious that you felt like going for a ride to
town at the same time we’re heading that way.  Why now though?” 

“I get lonesome back there.”  She shrugged, and
frowned.  “Daddy won’t even let me talk to any of the men.  He sics that hound
Holderman, on me if I even look at anyone.  I thought that maybe I’d just catch
up, and ride into town with you boys.  You surely don’t mind, now do you?”  And
she tossed a flirty smile Logan’s way. 

“I honestly don’t believe your daddy would like you bein’
here like this, ma’am.”  Logan assured her in a kindly way. 

“Well, what the old man doesn’t know, won’t hurt none,
now will it?  Besides you won’t tell will you, handsome?”  She smirked, then
laughed lightly as she rode on ahead a ways, her long thick auburn curls flying
out behind her in soft glistening waves. 

Ricardo glanced back at Logan, and rolled his eyes,
then cautioned, “Don’t look now, mi amigo, but I do believe we are still being
followed, though not by ones so pretty as the señorita Perkins.”  He laughed
loudly, as he said, “I will enjoy seeing you squirm out of this one, amigo. 
This is one mad looking hombre who is fast catching up with us.  Possibly the señorita’s
padre, no?  He doesn’t appear to be so impressed with you as the señorita is.”  
Ricardo shook his head, his dark eyes gleaming in humor, as he jerked on the
reins, pulling his two-year old pinto to the side of the trail; he then added,
“For a gringo, Logan, you are mucho too good-looking for a señorita’s father to
like.” 

Logan
heard the
approaching hoof beats getting closer, and he too, pulled to the side of the
trail to await the angry horseman, followed by two very impressive and tough
appearing men, both heavily armed with six-guns and rifles, along with mean
expressions to match their artillery. 

The leader of the three, who was mounted on a tall and
lathered white stallion, was a big burly, thick-chested man, with gray hair, a
thick mustache, and sporting a determined expression.  He didn’t slow down
until he was even with Logan, eye to eye, then he pulled up abruptly on the
reins, skidding his mount to an abrupt stop.  Logan noted that this older man
looked even meaner than Jinx Holderman, if at all possible.  He was the devil’s
twin in every way. 

As Logan looked into the older man’s black eyes, tough
as Logan was, he felt a distinct chill.  This tough hombre had to be Perkins,
Trudy’s pa, following his daughter.   Logan glanced over at Ricardo with a look
to silence him, to let Logan do the talking. 

Trudy looked back just as the men halted; her
expression furious.  “Daddy, how could you?”  She shouted at the older man,
then turned her horse, as if trying to decide whether to run ahead, or turn
back. 

Logan
had it figured
right; so this big tough looking man was Woody Perkins himself, finally.  This
wasn’t exactly the situation in which he had wanted to meet the ‘supposed’
owner of the Triple-B, though he just watched the exchange between father and
daughter. 

“Go home, girl.  Now!!”  Was all the big barrel-chested
man said, and he meant it too, with the authority in his tone that brooked no
response, and probably wasn’t used to back talk of any kind, from any one.  He
glared at Logan, as he spoke to his daughter. 

Trudy sat the pinto, for a moment, frowning at her
father, and then quickly decided, from past experience, that it would be
fruitless to argue with her parent, the mood he was in.  She only shrugged,
looked over wistfully at Logan, then said, “Well, it was a nice try anyway.” 
She rode slowly past her father, glared at his two thugs, and with a defiant
toss of her auburn head, rode reluctantly back towards the ranch.

Woody Perkins sat in his saddle for a moment longer,
studying the two hands, before he spoke again.  “I don’t expect to see either of
you on my ranch ever again.  If I do, you will be the sorriest two men who ever
lived.  Is that understood?” 

“Logan grinned, and Ricardo kept his silence, as he
watched his friend. Logan, sitting easily in his saddle, only shrugged, then
spoke, “I’m a little slow to comprehend a threat, sir.”  Then he added, “That
was a threat, wasn’t it, sir?”  He slurred the word ‘sir’, in a very
disrespectful manner.  Then, as Perkins opened his mouth to issue another
warning, Logan couldn’t resist adding, “By the way, Mr. Perkins, sir, just
where this ranch of yours might be anyway?  I don’t remember seeing it around.” 

“What do you mean by that?”  Perkins shouted, growing
red in the face, a muscle twitching in his jaw.  “You’ve been working on my
spread for the last three days.”

“That a fact?”  Logan drawled, and as he stared
directly into Perkins’ dark eyes, he kept his right hand near his hip, the
impressive colt six-gun sitting easily in the holster.  Something about the way
Logan’s hand hovered near the holster, and the almost calm look in his eyes,
made the three men take a second look at the younger man. 

They studied him, as Logan continued, in his most congenial
and friendly tone, “Well, Mr. Perkins, sir, it certainly has been right nice to
‘finally’ meet up with such a friendly person as you.  I look forward to seeing
you again soon.” 

“Don’t count on it.”  Perkins retorted, still glaring,
though hesitant now. 

“Oh,” Logan began slowly, “actually…...you can bet on
that one……..Mr. Perkins...sir.”  With that, Logan nodded to Ricardo, and rode
away down the trail; after a moment Ricardo followed.

Perkins expression was puzzled, thoughtful.  Bitterly
holding his temper, he watched as they rode down the foothills trail towards
town.

Logan
knew he’d made an
enemy.  Well, it wasn’t the first time, and surely wouldn’t be the last.  Also,
Jake, his ranger friend, was still back at the ranch, working undercover.   Logan had made a few friends of some of the other hands too.  He would soon see just where
he stood in that regard, and how much backing they’d have, if any, once the
sparks began to fly.

Later on that same evening, back in Coyote Springs,
after freshening up in his hotel room, Logan was pleased to meet again Claude’s
nephew, Garth, who had arrived that day on the stage.  Things would definitely
be looking up now that they had the extra backing. Garth’s strength of will and
character, not mentioning his husky build, was impressive.  Though with the
tough characters living on the ranch, they needed all the extra strength they
could get, if they were to take back possession of the Triple-B for Lord
Beckford. 

Ranger Jake Welby, working undercover at the ranch as
Butch Hogan, was to meet up with Logan later on in the night, at a certain
location outside of town.  Logan wanted to take Lord Beckford with to that
meeting.  They would make their plans then.  He would see if Garth and Ricardo
would ride with, too, and was certain that they would.    

The group were now having dessert and coffee, though
Olivia and Maria were drinking hot tea, after enjoying a well-prepared and tasty
supper of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed peas and biscuits. They
were seated at a long table, in the corner of the hotel restaurant.  Lord
Claude presiding at the head of the table, Olivia to his right, and Logan to
his left, and Garth and Bridgett sat side by side further down from Olivia; across
from them were Ricardo and Maria.

Logan
was secretly
enjoying his position right across from the lovely Olivia. Olivia thought that
Logan had never looked so handsome, with his lightly tanned face, his muscular
arms and shoulders showing through a lightweight and freshly ironed white
shirt, though she would never let on to anyone her thoughts, and tried to keep
her eyes averted from his impressive personage.

She chanced a glance in his direction as she sipped
from her cup of hot tea, only to note his green-eyed gaze fixed intently upon
her face.  She flushed and quickly tilted her pert little chin in the air, as
she looked away, though the telltale rattle of her tea cup, as it hit the
saucer, was a dead give-away, to those sitting at the table, causing her to
flush prettily even more, and Logan grinned at her discomfort. 

Logan
realized that
Lord Beckford was addressing him with a question, and he quickly turned to
him.  “Sorry, Claude, I wasn’t listening.” He said, “Would you repeat that
please?”

Beckford hid his humor with a frown, noting Logan’s
apparent interest in Olivia’s beauty, then he repeated what he had said, “Oh, I
was only saying that before you begin to relate your and Ricardo’s experiences
at my ranch, let me inform all of you of who else has arrived in the town of
Coyote Springs.”

He had the attention of everyone at the table now, as
he continued, “None other than our old friend, Henry Adams, although it seems
he has checked into the boardinghouse under the last name of Birch.”

“No!”  Olivia breathed.  “You didn’t tell me that, Uncle
Claude.” 

“I just found it out today, dear. I presume that after
he had his release from that cargo ship of Devlin’s, he proceeded to track us
all the way to Texas.”  Claude countered. 

Garth fumed, “We’ll handle the lout, Uncle Claude. 
Have no doubt of that.”

Logan
stated, “If the
town marshal, or sheriff can’t handle him, then we certainly will.  Mr. Birch
can look forward to leaving this town quicker than he came here.  And that’s a
fact, not just a statement.”  He then turned to Claude, and asked seriously,
“Just why is this character following you, sir?” 

Claude glanced at Olivia, who quickly answered for her
uncle, “It isn’t so much my uncle that he is following, Mr. Wakefield.  It
seems that Mr. Birch is entranced with my uncle’s wealth, and through me, he
seems intent on getting it, although we felt that he had given up on his quest
years ago.  Apparently he hasn’t.” 

At Logan’s questioning look, Garth continued on in the
explanation.  “What my sister is trying to explain, Logan, this Henry Adams was
courting our Olivia at one time, until my uncle had him investigated.  The man
is a penniless con man.  He had presented himself as a wealthy man of industry,
and had wanted to be betrothed to Olivia, thus receiving a healthy endowment
from Uncle Claude, once they were wed.

“My sister is a beautiful woman, although we suspect
this man isn’t so much interested in her beauty, as in her uncle’s wealth.  I
might add that Henry’s track record, upon investigation, is not all that good. 
We found his past history contained quite a few misdeeds in other countries, as
well as parts of England other than London.  We won’t go into the details,
though I’m sure you get the point.”