The Stafford Collection, Historical Western Romances (25 page)

She turned abruptly to yell up the staircase. “Father, the Sheriff is here.”

Returning to Brock, she motioned for him to be seated in the sitting room. Brock took his hat off and eyed the rather small settee as he stepped into the room. He chose a chair to sit in, ignoring Sally’s dismayed expression.

Harvey Reynold hurried down the staircase and Brock stood up to shake his hand as he walked over.

“Dr. Reynold.”

“Call me Harvey,” he stated, motioning Brock to sit and shooing Sally out of the room. She left in a pout and pretended to stomp upstairs.

“How is your father?”

“He is doing well.  I have no doubt that Thomas saved his life.”

“Yes, Thomas is very talented. He is not with you?”

A silence settled over the room

“Well, no. He decided to stay longer and care for my father. He sent a letter explaining his absence.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the slightly wrinkled envelopes. He handed both to Harvey.

He accepted them with a frown. Opening the one addressed to him, he pulled out the letter, unfolded the paper and read it quickly. Brock sat quietly, trying to gauge his reaction. The man sighed, refolding the paper and replacing it in the envelope.

“ ’Tis always a woman.’ To tell you the truth I am a bit relieved. He spent way too much time with that stable boy, if you know what I mean.” He whispered the last part,
and Brock couldn’t prevent a smile.

“I’m sure Sally will be disappointed,” Reynold said. “One less to boss around. Sounds like we’re practically family. If you need anything, feel free to come to me.”

“Likewise…”  Brock said, standing up and shaking his hand.

Sally had been eavesdropping from behind the door. “What? Thomas isn’t returning?”

Her father held out the letter addressed to her so she could read it. Angrily, she ripped it up and her father grabbed her arm, embarrassed by her display.

“You behave yourself in front of company!
I apologize,” Harvey said.

“Not needed. I trust she’ll get used to the idea
eventually,” he said, meeting Harvey’s eyes. They both nodded in understanding and he could hear the shouting behind him as he left.

He had a much happier welcome at the jail. Paperwork was strewn over the desk and his deputy practically hugged him. Not too much had happened in Tulsey while he was gone but the neighboring town was not as lucky.

He went on to tell how a family of six was slaughtered in a ranch house outside of Keystone.

“I rode out there as soon as I heard of it,” he said softly. “Saw the bodies.” He took a deep breath. “They weren’t just killed.
Looked like the work of the devil. The wife and daughters were defiled. The youngest was only six.”

Brock sat down heavily in his chair. Coldness crept  into his soul. This was not right, this was pure evil.

“The father was home?”

“Hung from a tree and shot. Looked like they used him for target practice. Women were stabbed. By the time I arrived, the army was called in. Not much for me to do. No witnesses.” He shrugged. “I still see them when I close my eyes.”

The similarities between this and the attack on Sabrina’s family were too much alike to be coincidence. Thinking of Sabrina at home by herself, his heart lurched. 

“Did they come up with anything?”

“Scout said there might have been four or five based upon the different horse hooves. It had rained so the earth was soft. Have you ever heard of such craziness?”

“Yes, yes I have,” he muttered, standing up. “I’ll ride out tomorrow and see if they’ve found any other evidence.”

Stan said some other things but Brock was not hearing him. All he could think of was the fact that Sabrina was home alone.

“I’ve got to go.” 

“What? You just got here.” Stan said, exasperated.  He whacked  his hat down on the desk as Brock quickly departed.

Chapte
r
26

S
abrina heard the horse thundering down the trail to their house. Standing up, she heard her joints groan as she went to wipe her hands on her pants. Realizing she was wearing her new skirt, she stopped and clapped her hands together as she tried to disperse most of the dirt. Deja’vu, she thought, peeking around the corner of the house to see who was racing a horse to their property.

She quickly recognized Brock and went to meet him. He jumped off Troy even before the horse had stopped and ran to her. He grabbed her and dragged her toward the house, pulling her close to him in relief.

Sabrina, pushing against his rock hard chest, squirmed away. “What on earth? Are you crazy? You shouldn’t drive a horse like that all the way from town. What’s the matter with …”

Brock covered his mouth with hers, cutting her off. As he kissed her she forgot what she was angry about. He pulled her closer and just held her, kissing the top of her head. Laying her head on his chest, she listened to his thumping heart. What the hell scared him so bad?

“You okay?” she asked worriedly. He laughed.

“I’m just fine. I was worried about you.” He led her over to the table to sit.

“There was an attack while we were gone. A family was murdered outside of Keystone.”

“Oh, my God.”

“I was worried about you being by yourself so I wanted  to make sure you were okay.”

“I don’t understand.  Why would you be worried about me?”

“The mother and her four daughters were raped and stabbed. The father was hung,” he said softly, holding her hands tightly as her eyes widened.

“You think it was the same gang?”

“I don’t know what to think. Either way, I am just very concerned with your safety.” He hesitated. “I think you should become Will again.”

Sabrina hung her head, deep in thought. Brock rubbed her hands with his thumbs, trying to soothe her as he waited for her response. A second later, her head popped up, her determined green eyes boring into his.

“No.”

“But...”

She held her hand up, silencing him.

“I am not going to let them win. I am not hiding and I am not running. I refuse to let them take anything else from me ever again.”

“But you…”

“No!” she said firmly.

“Okay, but we should leave here, and we can leave together. We can go back to my parents or I can take you home to Montgomery.”

Sabrina flinched a bit at the word ‘Montgomery.’ She did not know if she would ever go back there. She did not know if
she ever could.

“I am not running. If they are in the area then I will hunt them down like the dogs they are. They will pay. I will not be at peace until they’re dead.”

Brock sighed. “You are the most obstinate, stubborn person I have ever known. I can’t leave you at home alone. The army is tracking them, and we might be able to give them more information. I was going to ride out tomorrow to look for them.  I guess I’ll have to bring you along.”

Sabrina wrapped her arms around his neck. Overcome with a confused mix of emotions, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. He guided her to the bed and he soothed her with caresses, then with
their love making. Neither of them knowing what the future held.

Morning did not come soon enough for Sabrina. She had slept very little. Every time she closed her eyes, events replayed through her mind and she was tormented by Lydia’s screams. The few times she did drift off, she writhed and turned in anguish and Brock was forced to wake her.  He knew that she was right. She had to have closure. He would make sure she got it.

Sabrina’s stomach churned and she refused any breakfast. Brock grabbed some cornbread left over from supper and headed out to saddle the horses. They worked in silence, each dealing with their own demons.

Mounting the horses, they headed out toward Keystone. He was hoping the army was still there; he didn’t want to ride all the way to the fort. He had packed the ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ poster of Ted Roberts and would see if they knew about the other murders.

Brock looked over at Sabrina. There were dark smudges under her eyes from lack of sleep but she gave him a wistful smile. He was glad she had at least worn her cowboy hat and riding skirt. Perhaps from afar she could pass for a male. However, up close she was stunning. Her hair was just touching her shoulders now and framed her face perfectly. He was really regretting not buying the plain gunnysack dress the clerk had suggested so long ago.

They stopped for a quick lunch of beef jerky and beans. Sabrina was in a hopeful mood. For the first time in a long time, instead of life controlling her, she was controlling her life, and it felt good. She nudged the worried looking Brock and winked at him when he looked up. He touched her cheek and said they’d better remount. They would be there soon. He surprised Sabrina as he bent over and grabbed Justice’s harness. He then leaned over and kissed her.

“Stay close to me.”

“Why? It’s the army, right?”

Brock snorted and headed off. A little while later, they arrived at an encampment outside of town. The camp was comprised of numerous lean-to’s and tents. Several uniformed men were milling around. All of the men stopped and watched them as they rode in. 

Will would have hung his head and avoided any eye contact, but Sabrina unabashedly let her gaze rake over each face to see if she recognized any of them. It was a slim chance that any of the soldiers had been involved with her families’ murder but she did not want to take any chances. She was going to look under every rock until she found the bastards.

Brock stopped at the edge of the encampment and dismounted, Sabrina followed suit. She climbed down by herself much to the dismay of the small crowd of admirers that had gathered. She gave them a small smile and moved to stand next to Brock.

She was not too familiar with army protocol. A tall lanky man came forward to ask their business. Brock introduced himself and
they were led to the large tent in the center of the encampment. Tying the horses outside, the tall man went inside and reappeared a second later. He held the flap open wide for Brock and Sabrina to enter.

It was a large tent. Even so, Brock had to duck his head a bit and stay to the center, while Sabrina had no problem standing upright. A man sat behind a desk and was having a discussion with two other men. All three looked up when they entered. Their eyes appraised Sabrina with interest; then they turned to Brock.

Brock stepped forward nodding to all of them but speaking to the officer in charge. “Major, I’m Brock Stafford, Sheriff of Tulsey. I understand you’re investigating some murders.”

Sabrina watched them all carefully. Even though Brock was the one speaking, they were stealing curious glances at her. She stared back
at them boldly until they looked at their shoes.

“Major Benjamin Strider,” the man said
introducing himself in a rather bored way not bothering to stand. Sabrina thought that he seemed rather rude.  “Sheriff, yes, as you can imagine we are very busy. Is there something I can do for you?”

“
Actually, I came to offer you help. I have some questions about and possibly some information that may be of assistance.”

“And the girl?”

“The girl is with me.”

“She can wait outside. I’m sure my men can amuse her for a while.
It is not proper to address certain details in front of a lady.”

“She stays,” Brock said in a deadly tone as the two locked eyes. They reminded her of two male deer sparring and locking antlers.

“We are wasting time,” Sabrina said, exasperated. She stepped forward and leaned both hands on the desk. “Have you heard of any other killings like this?”

He stared at her astounded. He was not used to women speaking to him so directly. He tried to look past her to Brock but she banged her hand on the desk, repeating the question.

Brock gently grabbed her around the waist and sat her behind him. He motioned for her to stay there and returned to the Major.

“There have been other similar attacks. We think they may have been committed by the same group of outlaws.” Brock pulled the wanted poster from his pocket. “Ted Roberts was in the area a couple months back. He was involved in a bank robbery.”

“I’m afraid bank robbery’s a horse of a different color,” the Major guffawed, and the men around him laughed.

Sabrina could hold her silence no longer. “Ted Roberts used to work for my family in Mississippi. My father fired him. A week later, my family was killed. My mother was stabbed repeatedly. If you need more details she was stabbed in her breast, in her stomach, between her legs. My sister was shot in the back as she tried to escape. Two animals took turns with her even after she was dead. My father was hung from a tree in the yard. What kinda horse is that?”

The Major stood up, suddenly looking uneasy as he glanced at the other men. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I had no idea,” he said.

“That’s why we’re here,” Brock said, stepping forward and placing a hand on Sabrina’s shoulder in a move that was supportive and possessive at the same time. “You may want to have your men ask around town if anyone’s seen him. Sabrina’s attack occurred three years ago but she may have seen something that can help.”

The Major handed the poster off to one of the men who hurried from the room. He then turned to Sabrina, evaluating her in a new light.

“You were there when…you saw…?” he began, not sure how to approach the delicate subject.

“Yes, not everything. But I saw enough.”

He motioned for her and Brock to sit down while he started taking notes and asking her various questions. It was very difficult for her. She held onto Brock’s hand like it was a life line. The Major asked very detailed questions and it was hard reliving that day again. Nevertheless, she thought if they caught the killers, perhaps the screaming nightmares would stop.

After Sabrina’s statement, the Major filled them in on the current investigation. The Johnson house did not burn to the ground. There was a torch thrown inside the home but it extinguished itself before the house caught fire. The Johnsons lived comfortably Mr. Johnson was a banker.

At first they speculated that perhaps  money was the object. Now it was looking like they just killed for the fun of it. Sabrina felt a cold chill creep down her spine as he spoke. She wondered how many other innocent people they had killed and why? Why those two families? She wondered if there were more---three years is a long time. She thought back to her previous speculation that perhaps Ted had come looking for her. Perhaps it was her fault that this monster was created.

“This Ted Roberts knows you’re alive?”

“I don’t know; I guess. No one knows I’m here. I have no idea how he could find me. Alternatively, I don’t know if he’s even looking for me. This may be just a coincidence.”

“I don’t believe in coincidences. You have contacted no one?”

She hesitated. “I wrote my brother a letter about a month ago. I didn’t tell him where I was, though.”

“When you mail a letter it is stamped with a seal or a post mark. Most of them say the city and state.”

Sabrina paled. “So he could have been here looking for me? How would he get my letter?”

“Mail passes through many hands. He probably has someone in Mississippi watching for mail made out to your brother. A clerk, perhaps.” He shrugged. “Rest assured you will be safe with me. I will have someone personally escort you to the fort. We will contact your brother from there.”

“No.” Brock and Sabrina both spoke
as one.

“I don’t think you understand the danger you are in.”

“I don’t understand it? I understand it perfectly. I have made it for three years without the army’s help. I think I can survive a while longer.”

He
took a deep breath. “Miss Lovett…”

“It’s Mrs. Stafford,” Sabrina said, without a hitch. The Major eyed them skeptically before speaking.

“Forgive me, I just assumed…”

“You assumed if I was unattached you would make my decisions for me?”

“Of course not. I was just concerned for your well-being. I’m sure Sheriff Stafford is better equipped to protect you than a fort full of soldiers,” he said sarcastically.

“Yes, he is very well equipped,” Sabrina said, unable to hide her smirk.

Brock let out a strangled cough. “We have used up enough of your time. If there is nothing further, we need to head back home. Please keep us updated.”

Brock stood up and shook hands with the Major. Sabrina stood up as well, the Major reached his hand out to her also. Sabrina reluctantly placed her hand in his. She tried to hide her aversion as he brought it up to his mouth and kissed the back of it with his dry lips. Brock again locked eyes with him in an unspoken warning as he placed his hand on Sabrina’s back and guided her out the door.

Brock sighed as they rode away. “Well, that may have done more harm than good. I don’t know what I was thinking. If it gets around that there is a witness nearby, you could be in more danger.”