Redemption's Edge (11 page)

Abby listened to the discussion. Being in Philadelphia much of the last several years, she’d paid little attention to her father’s social life, and never wondered if he courted other women. It appeared he did. She glanced once more over her shoulder and into the livery as King escorted her toward the Western Union office a few steps away.

“Father, do you mind if I wait outside while you send your telegrams? It’s such a nice day.”

“Of course, Abby. Just stay close. I won’t be long.” The minute the door closed, Abby retraced her steps to the livery. She felt her resolve falter as she got closer and noticed Noah look up, locking his gaze on hers.

Noah straightened, wiping his blackened hands on his pants, then shoving them in his pockets. “Good afternoon, Miss Abigail.”

She made a slight nod. “Hello, Mr. Brandt.” Abby looked around the large structure. It sat back a few feet from the main street, the forge placed near the middle and stables in the rear. “Appears you have quite a bit of work.”

Noah knew his interest in the young woman was foolish. King Tolbert would never allow his daughter to be courted by someone like him—a broken down ex-solider. Still, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Abby whenever she visited. It was enough to be near her, talk to her once in a while. At least, that’s what he told himself.

“Yes, ma’am. I seem to keep busy.”

She stood a moment, unsure of what else to say. Thankfully, Noah broke the silence. “When do you return to Philadelphia?”

“Oh, I haven’t had a chance to tell you. My father has agreed I won’t be going back. I’m staying here to help him with the house.” She cleared her throat and glanced at Noah in a conspiratorial way. “He doesn’t know I learned how to keep the books while back east. My hope is he’ll allow me to help with ranch business.” Her slight blush at confiding something quite important to her touched Noah.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine at whatever you do, Miss Abigail.”

“Abby? What are you doing?” Her father’s rough voice startled her and she turned abruptly to see his face harden at seeing her with the blacksmith.

“I had a question for Mr. Brandt. Daisy has developed a slight limp and I thought he might know of something I could use to wrap her leg.” She cast a worried glance at Noah.

“Like I said, Miss Abigail, sometimes warm compresses do the trick. If you find comfrey, mash it and include it in the wrap.” His eyes wrinkled at the corners in amusement and his mouth quirked into a small smile.

“Thank you so much, Mr. Brandt.” She bit her lower lip, then turned back to her father. “Are you ready?”

King eyed her, looking for signs of any untruth, but found none. He held out his arm to his daughter. “Yes. I still need to stop by the bank.” He looked toward Noah. “Mr. Brandt.”

“Good day, Mr. Tolbert.”

“That’s all of them, Ellis.” Bull reined in his horse next to the other cowhand. “I’ll take drag if you and Rude want to ride toward the front. The others can spread out in between.”

“Wish we had a few more men. At least we don’t have to drive them too far.” Ellis secured his hat and rode to the front of the herd.

Bull looked around. He’d felt a prickling sensation along his neck a couple of times. He always heeded the warnings his body sent out, knowing from his past that to ignore them was a mistake. Ellis had settled into a spot on the left side of the herd, while Rude rode on the right. Bull’s head snapped up at what seemed to be a flash of light coming from a nearby ridge. He rubbed the dust out of his eyes, blinked a few times, and tried to focus. Seeing nothing, he let his gaze roam across the moving cattle, keeping track of the other men.

A series of loud cracks sounded from overhead, sending the cattle into a full run. Rude, Ellis, and the other men tried to turn them into each other to slow their progress. Bull kicked his horse, riding full speed to catch Rude and help him reverse the herd’s course. Ellis had reined up and circled around toward the others, firing into the air and yelling at the bawling animals, trying to get them to follow his commands.

Bull and Rude also fired into the air, getting the reaction they wanted. The lead animals began to turn, the others following, circling around to join the back of the herd. It took time before the cowhands got the cattle settled down. Their success wasn’t a matter of luck as much as an expectation they knew they could control the herd.

“What the hell happened?” Ellis glared at Bull after he’d pulled down the kerchief covering his face.

“Gunfire. It came from the ridge a couple miles back.”

Ellis let out a string of curses. “It’s time we go after that son-of-a-bitch.”

Like the others, he was certain who ordered the stampeding of their herd. The same person who shot Hank and who’d tried to run Pat off the land for years—King Tolbert. He’d tried this same tactic several times over the years, yet they’d never been able to prove his men had been the ones to do it. Most of the time, they’d stopped the running cattle and recovered any who’d become separated. A couple of times, they’d lost more than a few head, and on one occasion, a wrangler had been injured, breaking a leg and cracking a few ribs.

Bull nodded, as angry as Ellis at the continued attacks, wanting to hunt down and punish those responsible, but accepting they’d do nothing until the Pelletiers gave the word. He glanced at Rude, who sat astride his horse on the front edge of the herd, drinking from a canteen, and looking in the direction of the gunshots. Bull knew someone had been tipping off Tolbert to their daily routine. He couldn’t believe any of the ranch hands, his friends, would put the others in danger. Still, he planned to be more vigilant.

“Let’s get the cattle moving and talk to the Pelletiers. With luck, they were able to find more men.” Bull made a slight clucking sound and his horse pulled out, following the cowboy’s subtle commands.

It took three hours to get the cattle to a large pasture not far from the ranch house. Joe and the new men joined them and helped to split the herd into groups. By dusk, the tired ranch hands slid off their horses and headed for the supper Bernice had set out in the bunkhouse.

“How’d it go?” Dax asked as he sat alongside Luke on a long bench and grabbed a plate.

Ellis spoke up. “We’ve got more trouble. Someone tried to scatter the herd, but we got them under control. It had to be Tolbert’s men.”

“What do you think, Bull?” Luke asked.

“I agree with Ellis. I saw a flash of light from a ridge not long before the shots rang out. They didn’t aim at us. Their goal seemed to be to spook the cattle, get them out of control, and make us lose a few.” He glanced at Rude. Something about the man’s silence didn’t sit right. “We’re good, though. Still have the same count.”

Ellis scrubbed a hand over his whiskered jaw. “When we going to go after them, General?”

The new men glanced up at the mention of the military title. Rude knew his bosses were from the south. Now he also understood at least one had fought in the war.

“I met Tolbert in town today. Seems it’s time Luke and I paid him a visit.”

Luke agreed. “We’ll ride over tomorrow morning.”

Chapter Six

Rachel sat up and rubbed her eyes, having been roused awake by the loud knocking. “Coming!” She grabbed her wrap, slipping it on before yanking the door open to see Al, the bartender at the Wild Rose.

“We need the doctor, Miss Rachel. There’s been a fight at the saloon. One of the men has been shot pretty bad. We’ve got him out front of the clinic.”

“I’ll get the doctor.”

Charles hurried through the back door. He’d thrown on pants and a shirt, but still looked disheveled from Rachel shaking him awake. He looked down at an unconscious man, covered in blood and laying on the table.

Al and another man stood to the side, the eyes of the younger one showing a combination of fear and anger as he watched the doctor strip open the man’s shirt to expose the wound.

“Who is he?”

“Jeff Decker. He’s my brother.”

“What happened?”

“A man at the card table didn’t like losing and accused Jeff of cheating. Jeff stayed calm, told him maybe he shouldn’t be playing if he couldn’t afford to lose, then started dealing the cards. The man pulled a gun and fired, then took off. Can you help him?”

“I’ll do what I can.” Charles glanced at his niece, who took the cue.

Rachel settled the young man out front while Al went back to the Rose.

“What’s your name?” she asked him.

“Stephen.” He rested his elbows on his knees and covered his face with both hands. “Hell, it was just a friendly game. This shouldn’t have happened.”

“The doctor will do everything he can. Would you like some coffee?”

Stephen looked up, his eyes red. “No, thank you, ma’am.”

Rachel left him alone and joined her uncle.

“It’s not good. He’s lost a lot of blood. I need to get the bullet out, but his chances are slim.”

By dawn, the bullet had been removed, the area bandaged, and Jeff continued to cling to life. Still in grave danger, the young cowboy fought for each breath, giving Charles and Rachel hope he might make it. The biggest concern was infection. His brother had fallen asleep in a chair out front, knowing Jeff had made it through surgery.

“This has to stop.” Charles scrubbed a hand over his face.

Rachel turned to him. “What?”

“This is the fourth shooting since the sheriff was murdered, and that doesn’t include the foreman out at the Pelletier place. Men think they can ride in, do whatever they want, then ride out. We have no one to protect us.” His eyes met Rachel’s. Her safety weighed heavily on him, knowing his sister would never forgive him if anything happened to her daughter. Charles knew he’d never forgive himself, either. “You should leave. Go back to Boston where you’ll be safe.”

“We’ve talked about this before. I’m not leaving.”

“Rachel, listen to me. It’s been months since the sheriff was killed. No one in Splendor is interested in taking the job, and we’ve had no responses from the inquiries we’ve made around the territory. The country has a lot of angry men roaming around who’ve lost their homes, families, and their way to make a living after the war. They’re desperate and preying on smaller settlements where raiding is easy. I’m afraid it will get worse. You’ll be safe in Boston.”

She sat down on a nearby chair and tucked stray strands of hair behind her ears, too tired to have this discussion tonight. “I won’t leave unless you do.”

“You know I can’t do that. Who’d care for these people?”

“Then neither of us goes. We’ll have to find another solution to the problem. There must be someone who’ll take the job. Even if it’s just temporary.” She thought a moment, then blew out a breath. “I have an idea.”

Charles looked at her.

“The Pelletier brothers are Texas Rangers. They plan to stay for a while, until they decide what to do with the ranch. Maybe one or both would help out.”

Charles considered the idea. “Seems to me they have their hands full with the ranch. However, it would solve the problem, at least until we can find someone to permanently take the job.”

“Fine. I’ll ride out to their place tomorrow.” She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.

“Maybe one of the men should ride out. Mr. Clausen at the bank, or Griggs at the telegraph office. A man might have better luck.”