Last Promise (13 page)

“Your horse,” Colt and Jake answered at the same time. Colt and Jake both had black horses and Luke's was a buckskin.

Colt looked at his wife and boys. “Honey, is everyone still wanting to go to church?”

“Absolutely,” Victoria responded. “I'm confident you and your brothers can handle any problems.”

Colt winked at her. His wife always made him feel invincible by her confidence in him. “Jake, let's go.”

* * *

They arrived late to church so Luke had to wait until the service was over to tell Arina about Sam. When the family entered the hotel, Luke headed for the stairs. “I'll be down in a few minutes.” Mary Ann was behind the desk when Luke passed and he stopped to say hello, forgetting about his decision to let other cowboys fight over her. This morning she was dressed in a pristine white shirt and a black skirt and he noticed she was buttoned up to her neck again. Luke thought she looked even lovelier than she did last night. She didn't need to show so much skin.

Mary Ann saw Luke and his family when they arrived, and she'd noticed Luke had changed his clothes. He certainly didn't have time to sleep after leaving the hotel at dawn. She didn't look up when he spoke to her. “Back so soon?”

Luke figured she was referring to the fact he'd picked up Arina for the dance last night. He thought it odd she wouldn't look at him. Perhaps she was embarrassed about what happened between them at the dance. “You look beautiful this morning.”

“I'm sure you say such things to every woman you see. At all hours of the day or night.”

She sure sounded testy this morning. “You're the first woman I've said it to today,” he teased. She still refused to look at him, so he tried again. “How are you today?”

“Perfect.” She walked from behind the desk without sparing him a glance and walked into the restaurant.

Luke stood there looking after her wondering what in the heck he'd done wrong this time. Were all women such a puzzle? He'd have to ask his brothers if their wives were as unpredictable as Mary Ann. He shook his head. No figuring women. He hustled up the stairs to get his business over with.

Arina answered her door on the first knock, and to Luke's surprise she was dressed.

“Oh . . . hello, Luke, do come in.”

Luke thought she acted like she was expecting someone else. He walked in and closed the door. “Arina, I have bad news.”

One look at Luke's face and she said, “Sam's dead.”

Luke nodded. “I received a telegram from Tom Sparks, the supervisor at the mine. He said they found Sam in the desert. He'd apparently been there for some time.”

Arina moved close to Luke and put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “That's terrible news.”

Luke didn't know what to say or do, so he ended up patting her on the back. He heard her sniffling, but he didn't know if she was really crying.

She pulled back and looked up at him. “What does this mean? I know Sam had a will, but I don't know what this means.”

Luke hadn't even thought that far ahead. “We'll find out all of the details when we get to Arizona.”

“But what about the mine? Are you going back to oversee the mine?”

Luke thought about his contract with Sam. It stated if anything happened to either one of them, the surviving person was sole owner of the mine. Their agreement had been signed before Sam's marriage, and Luke never gave it another thought until this very moment. Interesting that it was the first thing Arina was asking about. It made him think about the incident earlier.
Was that shot this morning a coincidence?
Colt's words rang loudly in his head
. There are no coincidences
.

* * *

Mary Ann saw the McBride family at the table and she thought Luke was probably upstairs with his . . . whatever she was to him, so she stopped and talked to them. She genuinely liked Luke's family and adored his nephews.

“We didn't see you at church this morning,” Victoria said.

“I'm afraid last night's dance was too much for my uncle, he's a bit under the weather this morning, so I was taking care of him.”

“I do hope it's nothing serious,” Victoria said.

“I think it's just a cold.”

“Give him our best?” Colt said.

After she conversed with the women briefly, Mary Ann hurried to the kitchen. She didn't want to be at the McBride table if Luke and Arina were joining them.

* * *

Luke politely asked Arina if she wanted to have dinner with the family. He hated to leave her alone when she'd just heard the devastating news. While he wasn't positive he could trust her to display some decorum, his conscience wouldn't allow him to desert her at such a time. Arina declined his invitation, saying she preferred to be alone right now. Before he left he told her he would be back later to make plans to go to Arizona. He wanted to pay his respects to Sam and try to find out what happened to him. He'd need to attend to business while he was there.

When he left Arina's room, he realized two things: It was the first time Arina hadn't made any sexual overtures, and there was a black cowboy hat on one of the bedposts. He also noticed the coverings on the bed were in complete disarray. Obviously Arina didn't spend the night alone. His mind drifted to Detrick. He didn't think Detrick spent the night with her since he always wore a brown hat. So who belonged to the black Stetson? Arina didn't seem particularly surprised over the news of Sam's death. Of course Sam had been gone so long that she may have just accepted the fact that he was dead.

“How'd she take it?” Colt asked when Luke took a seat beside him.

“I think she'd already convinced herself that Sam was dead.” Maybe it was easier for him to believe that she saw herself as a widow than it was to know she had a man in her bed while she thought she was still a married woman. He hated to think Sam's wife would dishonor him in such a way.

“And you don't think she knew Sam was dead when she arrived here?” Jake hadn't trusted her motives from the beginning.

Knowing Arina had actually acted on her physical desires without a care about Sam forced Luke to rethink the entire situation. He'd almost convinced himself that she was throwing herself at him out of fear. “I can't say one way or the other.”

“No one had taken a shot at you until Arina came to town, so I'd say someone wants you out of the picture.” Colt was worried for his brother, and logic told him Arina was involved with the incident this morning.

Luke thought his brother was closer to the truth than he realized. “Arina said something that reminded me of my contract with Sam. On his death, I inherited his half of the mine.”

Jake whistled. “Well, little brother, I'd say that changes things. In the event both of you died at the same time, what happens then?”

“My half goes to you two. Sam's half would go to his next of kin. He wasn't married at the time of the agreement, but that would be Arina now.”

“I don't want you going anywhere alone,” Colt said.

“I've got to go to Arizona for Sam's burial, and to see if I can piece together what happened.”

“Someone will go with you,” Colt stated. He wasn't about to entertain any arguments. His brothers were both home now, and as far as he was concerned he was their guardian angel.

Luke didn't want to remind his big brother that he'd been on his own for ten years. He knew Colt was just being cautious and he was trying to protect him out of love. It meant a lot to Colt that the family was back together, and he was determined to keep them all safe.

Hearing someone enter the hotel, Luke glanced up to see if Mary Ann was at the desk. He saw a tall man walk directly up the staircase without stopping at the desk. He thought he had seen the man before, but he couldn't place where.

Chapter Thirteen

The family had just ordered dessert when Luke looked up and saw Arina coming down the staircase on the arm of the same man he'd noticed earlier. He finally remembered where he'd seen him before. He'd been on the stagecoach with Arina, but they didn't act like they knew each other. Luke noticed he was wearing the black hat he'd seen on Arina's bedpost.

“This is a strange twist.” Luke looked at his brothers and nodded in the direction of the staircase. “I saw him get off the stagecoach before Arina and it didn't seem like they knew each other. I haven't seen him since he arrived.”

Jake glanced at the man standing beside Arina. “Maybe he's staying at the boardinghouse.”

Suddenly, Colt jumped to his feet, pulled his pistol, and checked the chamber.

Victoria glanced at her husband and saw the murderous look in his eyes. “Colt?”

“It's Creed Thomas,” Colt growled.

Before Colt could walk away, both Luke and Jake jumped up and moved in front of him.

“Are you sure?” Luke asked.

Colt's eyes didn't leave Thomas. “I'm sure. He's older and added some weight, but it's him all right.”

“Who is Creed Thomas?” Promise whispered to Victoria. She seemed to be the only adult at the table who didn't know the name.

Victoria jumped up and reached for Colt's arm. “Colt, what are you going to do?”

Hearing the fear in her voice was the only thing that momentarily stopped him. “Honey, take the boys out the back way and wait for me at the livery.” He didn't want any stray bullets putting his family in danger like they did his mother years ago.

“But . . .” She wasn't sure what to say, the only thing on her mind was she didn't want to lose her husband.

Colt took her by the shoulders. “I promised I wouldn't go looking for him and I didn't. I never promised I wouldn't kill . . .” He glanced at his boys seated at the table with their large eyes glued on him and he amended his words. “I never promised I wouldn't face him if he came here.”

She knew by the look on his face that she wouldn't deter him. “I'm afraid for you.”

“I'll be fine. Now take the boys out.” He gave her a light kiss on the lips and turned toward the lobby. Luke was right behind him, and Jake turned to his wife and told her to go with Victoria and the boys. “She will explain.”

“I can't believe that's Thomas with Arina, and yet you don't believe in coincidences, Colt,” Luke commented.

Colt didn't answer, he'd have to think about that later. Right now his mind was on one thing: killing Creed Thomas.

Arina and Thomas were standing outside the hotel when Colt stalked through the door. “Thomas!”

Luke and Jake exchanged a glance. Colt's voice was cold. Deadly. They'd never heard him sound so threatening.

Thomas turned around to see who called his name. “Yeah?”

Colt noticed he wasn't wearing a gun. “Do you remember me?”

Thomas looked the big man up and down. He didn't recognize him. “No, I don't know who you are.”

Arina turned to see the three brothers standing side by side, and the look on their faces was truly frightening. “Luke, what is this about?”

“Maybe you should tell me how you know this hombre,” Luke responded.

“This is our new ranch foreman, Alan Thomas,” she said.

“This is Creed Thomas,” Colt corrected. “The man who caused our mother's death.”

“My name is Creed Alan Thomas,” Thomas admitted. “No one calls me Creed now.”

“What do you mean he caused your mother's death?” Arina asked.

To everyone's surprise it was Creed who answered the question. “I was in a gunfight in this town some years back and a woman was accidentally shot.”

“That woman was our mother and it wasn't accidental. You were the cause of her death,” Colt growled.

“I'm sorry about that, but it was a long time ago. I was young and I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I'm a different man today. I always regretted what happened to your mother,” Thomas said.

Colt wasn't listening to excuses, all of the excuses in the world would never bring his mother back. “Luke, give him your gun.”

Thomas held his hands in the air. “I'm not going to draw against you.”

Luke unbuckled his belt. “You were heeled when you got off that stagecoach.”

“This is the Sabbath, I don't generally arm myself on the Lord's Day.”

“But you'll spend the night in a married woman's bed,” Luke said.

It was an affront that someone like him even spoke the Lord's name, Colt thought. “Take the gun.”

“I've got no quarrel with you. Look, I'm sorry about your mother, but as I said it was a long time ago. I made a lot of mistakes and I'm not making another one now. I ain't looking for trouble here and I won't take the gun.”

Colt removed his holster and handed it to Jake. “Trouble just found you.” He was determined to have his revenge. Colt's fist landed with a powerful thud against Thomas's jaw.

Thomas hit the ground hard and it took him a minute to regain his senses. He struggled to his feet and took a swing at Colt and missed. Colt slammed a right uppercut into him which sent Thomas staggering backward, though he managed to stay upright. Thomas took a run headfirst at Colt, but Colt knew what was coming. Bracing himself, Colt grabbed Thomas by the shirt and used his momentum to throw him over his head. Thomas crashed through the hotel door, shattering the oval glass insert. Colt went after him and jerked him off the floor and proceeded to give him a thorough thrashing.

Jake and Luke tried to pull Colt off Thomas when they saw he was no longer capable of fighting back. “That's enough, Colt, he's no match for you,” Jake said.

Somewhere in his mind, Jake's words registered, and Colt knew his brother was right. He would take no pleasure in beating a man to death who wasn't able to defend himself. He didn't say a word as he straightened, took his gun belt from Jake, and buckled it around his waist. Was it a coincidence he'd seen Creed Thomas after all of these years? At one time he might not have thought twice about beating Thomas within an inch of his life. But he'd changed. Loving Victoria and the boys had changed him. Having his brothers back at the ranch made a difference in his life. Old grudges were no longer important to him.

He realized that even though he was a boy when his mother was killed by that stray bullet, Thomas was also a young man. Thomas looked to be about ten years older than Colt, so when he started the gunfight that fateful day he was probably about twenty-one. Colt remembered his father told him that Thomas didn't have a pa to teach him right from wrong. Maybe Thomas had turned his life around, maybe not. But Colt figured it was up to the Good Lord to right the wrongs. He had to answer for his own soul, and he was glad he no longer had hate in his heart. Revenge didn't seem so sweet. No, it wasn't a coincidence seeing Thomas after all of these years. God had a way of opening his eyes at just the right time. He was a man who had a whole lot to be grateful for, and he wouldn't allow himself to take his blessings for granted. There couldn't be room in his heart for grudges or for hate.

Luke handed Colt his hat, then turned to Arina. “Aren't you going to help your boyfriend?”

“He's not my boyfriend,” she countered.

Luke grinned. “Well, whatever he is to you, he's wearing the Stetson that was on your bedpost this morning.”

“As I told you, he's our foreman on the ranch. We were together last night, but that doesn't make him anything special to me. You can't say I didn't tell you what I wanted.”

Luke had to give her credit, she didn't lie about sharing her bed with Thomas. “Maybe you should start at the beginning and tell me why he came here with you. More importantly, why you didn't mention you two were traveling together.”

“He thought I needed protection. I didn't want you to get the wrong idea about us, so I didn't mention him.”

Her explanation rang hollow. She obviously didn't care about his good opinion while she was coming on to him. “Did you two kill Sam?”

She looked at him like she was surprised he would suggest such a thing. “Of course not! I didn't know he was dead.”

“How long have the two of you been sharing a bed? Before Sam disappeared?”

“No, last night was the first night.”

Luke didn't believe her. “If I find out you had something to do with Sam's death I will see you hang.”

“Let's go,” Colt told them. He turned and saw Eb behind them. “Eb, tell George I will pay for a new door.”

The brothers were quiet as they walked to the livery. Luke and Jake wanted to give Colt time to settle down. They were taken by surprise when Colt stopped suddenly and turned to them. “I remember Pa saying that Creed Thomas was always causing trouble when he was young. He might have changed, but we can't take his word as gospel. Someone took a shot at you this morning, Luke, and considering Thomas's past, he's the most likely candidate around. You own the mine now, and Thomas is sharing a bed with the new widow, so we can't ignore the fact that if they didn't kill Sam they could have paid someone to do it.”

“That's what I was thinking. She doesn't strike me as the type who would sit back and let someone else inherit her husband's half of the mine. I don't believe a word out of her mouth. I'd say she had plans of being a wealthy widow,” Jake added.

“Yeah, but how do I go about proving it?” Luke asked.

“I'll go to Arizona with you and we'll see what we can find out,” Jake said.

Luke smiled. “Are you sure you want to leave your new wife?”

“Heck no, I don't want to, but I don't want a dead brother, either,” Jake said.

Colt liked the idea of Jake going with Luke, but he also wanted Jake's former partner, Cole Becker, to go with them. Jake and Cole had been partners as U.S. Marshals for ten years. “I'd feel better if you two took Cole with you.”

“Can you do without the three of us for a few weeks?” Luke asked.

“No, but we'll manage. I don't want either of you riding into a trap. Until we know what happened to Sam, we need to take precautions,” Colt said. “If you leave soon you'll make better time than the stagecoach. You might have a better chance of finding out what happened before Arina gets there.”

“If it's okay with Jake and Cole, we can leave tomorrow,” Luke replied. He thought about Mary Ann even though he tried not to. She'd treated him like he had the black plague this morning, but he sure hated the thought of not seeing her for weeks.

Bob, the owner of the livery, walked from the stables and saw the McBride brothers coming his way. He turned around and motioned for the women to come out. “He's here and in one piece.”

Victoria ran from the livery into Colt's arms.

Colt could feel her shaking as he hugged her to him. “I didn't kill him.”

“Is this the end of it?” Victoria asked.

“It is for me.”

* * *

The following morning Luke, Jake, and Cole were saddling their horses to leave. “I need to stop in town before we leave,” Luke told them.

“Me too, I want to send a telegram and see if a Marshal can meet us there,” Jake said.

Colt walked in to see them off. “Luke, is the mine supervisor up to running it without the owner on-site?” He'd stayed awake all night worried that his brother might need to move to Arizona to see to the day-to-day operations of the mine.

“He's more than capable, he's done a fine job.” Luke knew what his brother was asking, and he'd thought about the same thing. “Don't worry, Colt, I'm staying on the ranch even if I have to sell the mine.”

Jake laughed. “Colt, looks like we can't get rid of little brother.”

“That suits me just fine.” He slapped his brothers on the back. “Make sure you get yourselves back here in one piece.”

“Colt, if you need us, just send a telegram to the mine,” Luke told him before they rode away.

* * *

Reaching town, Jake headed for the telegraph office, and Cole accompanied Luke to the hotel.

Eb said Mary Ann was upstairs checking on her uncle, and Luke headed for the stairs. He turned to Cole and said, “I'll just be a minute.” He didn't want Cole to accompany him upstairs. What he wanted to say to Mary Ann was a private matter.

Mary Ann tried to appear indifferent when she answered the knock on the door and saw Luke standing there. “How may I help you?” No matter how many times she told herself to forget the kisses they had shared, she couldn't stop her reaction to him. Her heart was thumping wildly at the mere sight of him.

“How's George?”

“He's much better today. Did you need to see him?”

“No, I wanted to see you.” He really wanted to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her like he did behind the church.

“Why? Aren't you at the wrong room?”

Her words were frosty, but it didn't deter him from stepping over the threshold without being invited. “No, I'm right where I want to be.”

She backed up a step. “I told you I wasn't going to be one of your conquests.”

Why did his brain turn to mush with just one look at her? “Yeah, you told me. I don't want to conquer you! I want to kiss you.”

She started to say she didn't want to kiss him, but didn't have a chance. He pulled her to him and lowered his mouth to hers. Reacting the same way she did at the dance, her arms automatically wound around his neck as she returned his kiss with uninhibited passion.