Finding Promise (16 page)

Chapter Seventeen

“Uncle John!” Promise ran from her wagon into her uncle's outstretched arms.

“Oh, honey, it's so good to see you!” he exclaimed.

“Matthew . . .” She started crying as soon as she said her brother's name.

Her uncle patted her back and said softly, “I know, I know. Jake told me everything.”

At the mention of Jake's name she turned to him. “Thank you, Mr. McBride, for bringing my uncle.”

Jake thought she looked even thinner than before he left. “No thanks necessary.”

She glanced from him to the men surrounding her uncle.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Jake said, “Your uncle wanted to have some extra men for the ride back to the ranch. Nothing to worry about.”

“He's right, honey,” her uncle said. “No need to worry. I didn't want Jake to take his men from the cattle drive since they need to get to Wyoming. Now let me introduce you to my men.”

Jake watched as Hollister's men stared wide-eyed at Promise. It'd probably been a long time since they'd seen a woman as beautiful as Promise. If ever. Still, he didn't care for the way they were gawking. If they were his men, he would have told them in no uncertain terms to keep their bug eyes in their heads, but Hollister seemed oblivious. As much as he wanted to say something, it wasn't his place. He decided it was in their best interest if he just walked away.

As Hollister's men transferred Promise's belongings to the wagon they'd brought with them, Jake had a chance to talk to Cole and Shorty.

“I'm going back with Hollister, so I'll catch up to you as soon as I can. We're making good time, so just keep moving,” Jake told them.

“It helps that the rain finally stopped,” Cole said.

“I'll be sorry to see that little gal go,” Shorty said, surprising both Jake and Cole.

Seeing their stunned expressions, Shorty added, “I got used to the help, that's all. And she's a darn sight better to look at than your ugly faces all the time!”

“The way Hollister's men are hovering around, she won't lack for suitors in Denver,” Jake said. Every time he glanced in her direction, two or three of Hollister's men were on her heels.

“Sounds like that ‘green-eyed monster jealousy' to me. What do you think, Shorty?” Cole teased.

Jake wasn't sure, but it sounded like Cole actually quoted Shakespeare.

Shorty eyed Jake. “Sure does,” he agreed, smacking Jake on the back. “He'll be beatin' them off with a stick before he gets back to Denver.”

That rankled Jake. He had no interest in Promise in that way; he only wanted to see her safe. “All I care about is making sure they can be trusted.”

“Have they worked for Hollister long?” Cole asked, serious again.

“Yeah. I just hope no one can offer them enough money to do something stupid,” Jake replied.

“Let's just hope they can handle trouble,” Shorty pointed out.

Shorty was right. Problem was, he couldn't get out of his mind what he'd seen that day when he found Promise. He wasn't sure a good man like Hollister would be prepared for the kind of men who'd killed all of those people.

“Are you leaving in the morning?” Shorty asked.

“Yeah, I plan to spend some more time in Denver. I didn't find those three men who rode into camp, and I'd like to see if they are working for Schott. I'll catch up with you in a few days.”

As Jake rode out to talk to the men guarding the cattle, Promise and her uncle were sitting alone, talking quietly. He was glad her uncle had decided to accompany him, since talking to family would probably do her a world of good. Jake thought about what Hollister told him about the kind of life she'd led in South Carolina. Who would ever expect a lady of privilege to be out on the Great Plains, working cattle and trading bullets with killers? Now, that was a woman full of contradictions.

 

 

When it was time to depart, Promise became very emotional saying good-bye to Shorty. She'd grown very fond of him over the weeks on the trail.

“I'll be staying for a time in Wyoming on the McBride place, so you know where to find me if you ever need anything,” Shorty told her.

Promise tried to hold back her tears as she hugged him again. “I'll write to you, and if you are ever in Denver, please come to visit.”

Shorty held her by her shoulders. “Here now, no crying. You're going to be just fine with your family.”

“Thank you for everything,” she said. She handed him the hat and holster he'd given her to wear.

“Now you keep those. I know Jake would want you to wear them until you get to where you are going.”

Cole and Rodriguez rode to camp so they could say their good-byes.

She looked at both of them and tears started flowing again. These men who had risked their lives to protect her had become her friends. “Thank you so much.” She hugged them both.

“It was a pleasure meeting you. If you ever want to see Wyoming, you know where to reach me,” Cole said.

“I'd like that,” she answered. “And you both have a place to stay if you come back to Denver.”

“I am sorry to see you go. You added much beauty to our dreary surroundings. Keep practicing with the rope, señorita. You will soon be an expert vaquero,” Rodriguez told her.

“Thank you for teaching me. I will continue to practice.”

She felt a light grip on her elbow and turned to see Jake standing beside her holding Prince's reins.

Jake heard her tell Cole she would like to see him again, and he knew Cole would like nothing better. “We better get going.”

 

 

Outside of Denver, Jake told Hollister he was going to make a detour into town while the rest of them rode on to the ranch.

“Nettie will have my hide if you don't come to dinner. I'm sure she will have a feast now that Promise is here,” Hollister said.

“I'm just going to talk to the sheriff again. I won't be long.” Jake didn't want to say he planned to see if the killers were in Denver.

“We will wait dinner for you, Mr. McBride.” She wasn't ready to say good-bye to Jake. It had been difficult enough for her to say good-bye to his men. She'd become very attached to him, and it made her sad to think she might never see him again.

Jake gazed at her a moment, trying to read the expression on her face. “I'll be there.”

“We'll have apple pie.” Shorty had told her Jake loved apple pie so much that he'd had a lady in Texas bake six pies before they left on the drive.

Jake lifted his hat, resettled it on his head, and gave her a wink. “Then nothing could keep me away.”

Chapter Eighteen

Instead of wasting his time talking to the sheriff again, Jake went straight to see Clarke Parsons.

“I didn't expect to see you back so soon,” Clarke said, shaking Jake's hand.

Jake asked him again about the drifters that had been in town earlier. And to Jake's surprise, it was his lucky day. Clarke told him the same men rode in earlier, and they'd purchased some things that they couldn't find in Schott's store.

“How many?” Jake asked.

“I'd say about a dozen,” Clarke replied.

Jake glanced down and saw some peppermints alongside boxes of Gypsy Queen cigarettes. He pointed to the cigarettes. “Anyone purchase these today?”

Clarke looked at him like he was a soothsayer. “Why, yes, one of those drifters bought a box.”

“Describe him.”

“A tall man, almost as tall as you, but heavy, and ugly, real ugly, with a huge honker and scraggly blond hair hanging down his back,” Clarke answered. “Is he one of the men you are looking for?”

“Might be.”

“They are in the saloon right now. If you need help, remember what I told you. Don't look to the sheriff or his deputies, especially Potter,” Clarke whispered.

Jake nodded. “Understood.” He picked up two boxes of the peppermints, remembering that Promise mentioned she liked to give them to her horse. She might like to give some to Stubborn . . . Prince, he reminded himself. He knew Prince could not take the place of her horse, but he'd planned to give him to her since she'd grown so fond of the animal. He figured she'd lost enough. Picking up another box of peppermints for Preacher, Jake paid Clarke and headed to the saloon.

After tying Preacher's reins to the rail in front of the saloon, Jake reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out one box of peppermints. He put a few pieces of candy in his palm and held them to Preacher's mouth. He chuckled at his horse's reaction as he made quick work of the peppermints. “Don't take my fingers with them.” An unusual noise from one of the horses tied to the rail caught his attention. It sounded like the horse was in pain, so Jake walked around to see which horse was raising such a ruckus. He found the horse tied to the rail four horses down from Preacher. Talk about his lucky day. He couldn't believe his eyes; four white stockings and a white star on his forehead. This was the horse in Promise's drawing. It was Hero, or his identical twin. He checked him out to see if something was wrong with him. After looking him over, he could tell he'd been ridden hard, and he looked thin and worn out, but otherwise okay. Jake moved to his head to get another look at the white star on his forehead. No doubt about it, this was Promise's horse. “Is your name Hero?” he asked. The horse nibbled at Jake's pocket. “So you smell the peppermints, huh?” He pulled the peppermints out and the horse nearly took the box from him. After giving him a handful, Jake decided to take the horse to the livery to be fed and to get a good brushing. He grabbed his reins along with Preacher's and headed to the livery. He guessed he could be accused of being a horse thief, but since it was a stolen horse, he couldn't see anyone turning him in.

 

 

Twenty minutes later Jake was at the bar in the saloon, ordering a beer. He didn't have much time before he had to get back to Hollister's for dinner, but he wanted to get a good look at the men Clarke told him about. Several of the tables were filled, but he immediately spotted the man Clarke had described. Clarke's description was apt; the man was as big as his brother Colt, but where Colt was all muscle, this man was just slovenly and soft. And ugly—real ugly. He decided he'd bless him with the moniker Big Ugly. Yep, that suited him. Was this the man who'd held Promise down? He couldn't allow himself to dwell on that thought, or he would take him outside and beat the daylights out of him.

Looking into the mirror behind the bar, Jake watched everyone in the room. It was easy to spot the drifters from the hardworking cowboys. The man to Big Ugly's right was the deputy he'd seen the last time he was in the saloon. It looked like Big Ugly and the deputy were well acquainted. Every time he glanced at Big Ugly, he found him looking his way.

Forced to order another beer that he didn't really want just to watch the patrons a little longer, Jake put coins on the bar, never taking his eyes off the swinging doors as men came and went. He kept waiting for one of them to turn around and walk back in to say he didn't have a horse. Whoever was riding Hero obviously hadn't left yet. Since he had to get back to the ranch, he decided before he left he'd let Big Ugly know he was on to him. Nearing the table, he saw Big Ugly reach for a cigarette from a Gypsy Queen box.

Jake leaned over and tapped the box of cigarettes with his finger. “I found a box just like that where someone waited to take a shot at one of my men.”

All movement stopped at the table, every set of eyes moved to Jake. Big Ugly looked up at Jake and smirked. “You got a reason for telling us this sad tale?”

“Yeah, I got a reason. I expect you might know who shot my man,” Jake retorted, picking up the box of cigarettes. His black eyes bore into Big Ugly's beady ones, as he twirled the cigarette package in one hand. “Only a coward lies in wait to shoot a man.”

“Mister, I don't know you, and a lot of men smoke those cigarettes,” Big Ugly said.

Jake tossed the cigarette box in the air, and it landed with a thud on the table directly in front of Big Ugly. “You'll be seeing me around.”

The deputy stood and faced Jake. “Mister, you need to get on about your business.” Jake gave the deputy a look that had him backing up and second-guessing his interference. “I got to get to work,” he said to no one in particular before hightailing it out the door.

Jake waited a heartbeat to see if Big Ugly was going to get up, but when he didn't, he turned to walk out the door.

The deputy was standing outside the saloon looking in both directions as if he'd lost something. He glanced at Jake before he walked back into the saloon.

Through the window, Jake watched the deputy walk directly to Big Ugly and whisper something in his ear.

“I didn't take him,” Big Ugly responded to the deputy, loud enough for Jake to hear outside the saloon.

“Well who the hell took him?” the deputy asked, looking around the table.

No one at the table said a word. They all shrugged their shoulders.

Definitely my lucky day
. He turned from the window and waited for the deputy. “I have the horse,” Jake said once the deputy walked back through the swinging doors. “He belongs to a friend of mine, so I took him to the livery. Are you the one abusing that animal?”

The deputy glanced at Jake, trying to decide the best way to handle him. He figured this was the U.S. Marshal the sheriff had mentioned, so he decided to be cordial. “I bought that horse a few weeks back,” he responded in a friendly tone.

Jake pointed to the saloon. “Did you buy it from your big ugly friend in there?”

“Nope, I bought him from a stranger in town,” the deputy replied.

“You have a bill of sale?”

“Yeah, I got one, but I don't have it on me.”

“Leave it at the sheriff's office. I'll be in to look at it tomorrow.”

“Why don't you have your friend who you think owns the horse come in and have a look?” the deputy asked.

Jake smiled, but it wasn't a friendly smile. “Because I'm doing it for him.”

“It'll be in the sheriff's office.”

Jake knew he was lying, and as badly as he wanted to, he couldn't just take the horse. Horse thieving was a hanging offense. There was the remote possibility the deputy was telling the truth. “Make sure it is.”

The deputy watched Jake walk across the street to the sheriff's office before he walked back into the saloon.

“Sheriff, what do you know about that big black horse that your deputy says he purchased a few weeks ago from a stranger?” Jake asked.

“Not much. He told me the same thing. I didn't see the man he bought it from; he just came in with the horse one day. Why do you ask?”

“The horse is stolen. He said he had a bill of sale and I want to see it. I'll be back tomorrow and he'd better have it, or all hell is going to rain down on that deputy,” Jake promised.

“Can you prove it was stolen?”

“I sure can, and if he was in on the theft, he's in one hell of a lot of trouble. More than horse stealing,” Jake responded, and stalked out of his office.

When he got to the livery, Hero was gone and the livery owner told him the deputy came to get him. Jake saddled Preacher and left for Hollister's ranch. He decided he wouldn't mention the horse to Promise right now. It would just upset her more, and he hoped he could get him back. He just hoped the deputy didn't take off with Hero now that he knew someone was questioning his rightful ownership.

Deep in thought on the way to Hollister's, Jake almost missed Preacher twitching his ears, alerting him that something was amiss. Jake looked around for what might be bothering Preacher and saw a man on horseback behind him. Thinking quickly, Jake rode to a copse of trees, waiting for the rider to get closer. He recognized the deputy and rode out to meet him.

“I've been trying to catch up with you,” the deputy said.

Jake saw he was riding a different horse. “Why?”

“I have that bill of sale I wanted to show you.” The deputy reined in and put his hand in his vest pocket.

It occurred to Jake that the deputy's horse wasn't winded or lathered, like he'd been riding to catch up to him. That wasn't a good sign. He'd been careless. His hand went to his gun. Too late. A blast came from the trees.
It might not be my lucky day after all
, was his last conscious thought. A bullet slammed him in the chest, knocking him off Preacher, facedown into the dirt.

Big Ugly rode from the trees and holstered his gun. “You want to take his horse?”

The deputy dismounted, walked to Jake, and kicked him hard in the ribs to make sure he was dead. Preacher darted between Jake and the deputy and reared on his hind legs, barely missing the deputy's head. The deputy scrambled backward away from his dangerous hooves. “That's one crazy animal! Leave him here with the dead man. I don't want anyone else asking about another stolen horse.”