Carla Kelly (40 page)

Julia didn't raise her voice, but she had never been more emphatic. “My husband trusted you with my life and the life of our unborn baby. He trusted you with
me!
” She didn't try to hide the menace in her voice now, even though it was no louder than before. “I'd hate to be in your boots when he shows up here, because I mean more to him than the Double Tipi.”

She glanced at Kaiser, who was looking at her with wide eyes too. “Mr. Kaiser…”

“Call… call me John,” he stammered.

“John? When will Paul get here? Did you send someone ahead?”

He nodded, in control of himself again. “My little brother. We were heading to the cow gather and were close to your place when we heard gunfire. What did you shoot at, Colby?”

“The dog,” he replied. “I thought he was going to chew my leg off.”

“
Magnus
?” Julia asked, amazed.

“Wagner, you're a lousy shot. I told my brother to ride like the devil for Mr. Otto.” Kaiser gave Colby an appraising look. “I'd say you have about another five hours to live, if you don't clear out now.” He rubbed his chin. “Of course, there is a full moon, so riding's easier, and Mr. Otto will be angrier and more worried than any man I know. Four hours, maybe less.”

Colby began to sob, his tears mingling with the blood and vomit on his shirt. “I told Mac it wasn't a good idea, but he was past listening. Mac's insane, isn't he?”

Julia nodded. “That's why I can forgive him. But not you, Colby!” she continued, her voice passionate now. “Not you! Not where my husband and child are involved. If I were you, I'd get on my horse and ride. I wouldn't stop at the border, either. You might be safe if you get far enough north in Montana, or maybe North Dakota, but there's no guarantee.”

She looked away in disgust as Colby wet himself.

Kaiser's eyes bored into the desperate man's face. “My brothers and I live on the Colorado and Nebraska plains. Best you not show your face in those states at all. Just sayin’…”

Kaiser looked at Julia then, and she saw the hesitation in his eyes.

“There's more, isn't there?” she asked quietly. “Tell me, John. I have to know.”

“I think there is. Not sure, but I have my suspicions.” Kaiser glanced at Colby. “Let him tell you, if there is.”

“Colby, you'd better spill it all, or I'll tell Mr. Kaiser to keep you here until Paul returns.”

Colby stared down at the ruin of his clothes, not able to look at her. “Malcolm Clyde put Mac and me up to it.” He sobbed and his nose ran. “What you saw me do—coming to your rescue like some
hero
”—he spit out the word—“some hero at the roundup, was a big show, even more than Mac probably told you. Clyde wants to ruin your husband.” He sighed. “With Mac, Clyde knew he was working on a sick mind, and I guess I'm stupid enough.”

Julia could hardly breathe. She put out her hand blindly for John, and he held it firmly in his grasp.

Colby looked at her, then glanced quickly away. “I don't know why Clyde has it in for your husband. Mr. Otto seems a fair man to me. Maybe they have some longstanding feud.”

“They do,” she said, remembering how the Clydes had bullied her husband after his father died. She stared at Colby. “But how… you must be wrong. How could Malcolm Clyde know about James or the fire or… anything?”

“I think I can answer that one, Julia,” John said, his eyes troubled now. “I remember. It was three or four years ago at our poker-playing confabulation in Denver. Paul told everyone, Malcolm included, about the boy that had just wandered onto the Double Tipi. McAtee wasn't there, of course: he's small potatoes.” He looked at Colby. “Did Clyde know about the fire McAtee set, and the dead people?”

Colby nodded. “Those other three ranchers couldn't help blabbing over their whisky, and word got to Malcolm Clyde. He put two and two together. He figured out how to work on Mac's delusions, and paid him a visit. I guess Clyde couldn't resist an opportunity to do Mr. Otto some harm.” There was disgust in his voice. “Trust Clyde to get someone else to do his dirty work and come off smelling sweet.”

“But that was four years ago,” Julia said. “And it's been twenty years since the Clydes tried to drive out my husband!”

“He's a patient man, Mrs. Otto,” Colby muttered. He sighed. “And he never forgets a grudge.”

Julia was silent a long moment.
I am so naïve
, she told herself.
I can't imagine that much hatred
. She looked at John Kaiser. “This is a hard country,” she said. He nodded, and she saw the weariness in his eyes, familiar because it used to be Paul's expression.

She returned her attention to Colby. “What were you and Mr. McAtee supposed to get out of this? Money? Land?”

“Money. The Clydes don't give away land.”

Julia felt growing sympathy as she looked at Colby's bowed head, sympathy she knew she couldn't show. “Did it never occur to you that it's wrong to ruin people who have done you no harm?”

Colby had no answer for her; she didn't expect one. Cold, she instinctively moved closer to John Kaiser. She waited another long moment before she spoke, thinking through what must not happen, not ever.

“John, Paul must not know of this. He'll kill Malcolm. Colby too.”

“They'll deserve it. No jury would think otherwise, Julia.”

“Doesn't matter. Paul will kill Malcolm,” Julia repeated, her voice stronger now. “I know it. John, you have no idea of the depths of my husband's love for me.” She blushed to say it, but he had to know how serious this was. “It goes far beyond death.” She grabbed John's shirt. “Paul can't ever know of this conversation. He can't ever know that Malcolm Clyde engineered this! He can't have murder on his hands.”

John looked at her for a long moment. “I have some idea just how much a man can love a woman, Julia,” he told her finally, his voice far quieter than hers. “My word of honor, Paul will never know of Malcolm's part. If I have to kill Colby to stop any possible chance, I will! Say the word.”

The two of them were silent, measuring each other, as Colby sobbed.

“I think he should leave now,” Julia said gently, releasing her grip on Kaiser. “Promise me, Colby, if there is any honor in your worthless hide, not a word to anyone of Malcolm's involvement. Never! Go now.”

“You really mean it?” Colby asked, still unbelieving.

“I really do. The longer you sit there and mess yourself, the greater the probability that Paul will arrive.” She looked at Kaiser. “John, did I forget anything?”

“Not a thing.” He reached out to touch her hands, balled into fists. “Calm down, little missus. You're about as ferocious as your man. Are you completely sure about this? Clyde is still capable of mischief.”

“I know that,” she said, her voice soft now. “It may be that I have to leave it in the Lord's hands. Get out, Colby. John, please make sure he leaves.”

Kaiser helped her to her feet and fanned her face with his Stetson until she pinked up again. He pointed her toward the front door of her house. “Don't go in the kitchen. Sit on that porch swing and cool off, tiger. I'll take out the trash.”

Julia did as he said, closing her eyes in relief when she heard a horse begin to gallop.

Charlotte came from the barn and sat with her a few minutes. “Kringle's sleeping,” she said. “He's just irritated now, so you know he's all right.” Charlotte pushed the swing with her foot, as Kaiser spent a long time in the kitchen.

The two women listened to their rescuer walking through the hall toward the front door. “I think I'll go home,” Charlotte whispered. “You have a real champion there.”

“And I am grateful,” Julia whispered back. “Good night, my dear.”

With a sigh of his own, John sat down beside her and kept up the gentle movement Charlotte had started. “You all right?” he asked finally.

“Yes.” She leaned back, and John put his arm across the back of the swing to pillow her head.

“I wouldn't dare do this if Paul were anywhere about,” he told her.

She rested her head against his arm. “Thank you, John,” she told him simply. “For me. For my baby. For my husband.”

They sat there for a long time, then she sat up, wondering what he must be thinking. “Oh, I should never…”

“No fears. You needed a good arm, and it happened to be mine.” He sat up too and appraised her. “Pardon me, Mrs. Otto, but you look like death on hardtack.” He hauled out his timepiece as though it weighed a ton. “It's one o'clock in the morning. Go to bed. I'll stay on the porch and explain things when your man rides in here like all the hounds of… Hades are after him.”

“No, Mr. Kaiser,” Julia said with a shake of her head. “If he sees you before he sees me, he might shoot you.” Her voice faltered, and she took several gulping breaths. “He can't think for even one second that I'm not all right! I'll just bed down in the parlor, if you'd be so kind as to get me a blanket from upstairs. I'm not sure I'm equal to the climb right now.”

Without a word he did as she said, bringing back the throw from the foot of her bed. She took it with a smile of thanks and went into the parlor.
I’ ll never sleep
, she thought as her eyes closed. The last thing she remembered was the creak of the porch swing as Mr. Kaiser continued his watch over her on the other side of the wall.

Julia heard the vibration of horses’ hooves through the pillow on the sofa. She threw back the blanket and sat up in one motion, hurrying to the front door as Paul and Doc rode into the yard. She was down the steps before her husband dismounted, holding out her arms to him. He leaped from Chief and gathered her close. She whispered a modified version of what had happened.

Kaiser watched them, his watch out. “You made good time, Paul,” he said. “All's well.”

The expression on his face inscrutable, Paul tucked her next to him and climbed the steps to the porch. With a long look at Kaiser, he gathered the man in his other arm and stood in silence with them both.

“I will never be out of your debt, John,” he said finally.

Neither will I
, Julia thought.

“I have a first name now?” Kaiser joked, but his voice was strained too. “Actually, you might be out of debt, but it can wait. Let's see what Doc has to say about that lump of… carbon on your kitchen floor. Paul, make her stay here.”

“I can try,” he said. “Your choice, sport.”

“I'll stay here.”

“He's in bad shape,” Paul said a few minutes later as he returned to the porch. He sat down beside her and pulled her close. He kissed her hairline above her ear. “Doc and John are moving him into Charlotte's old room. If McAtee survives the night, Doc's going to take him to the sheriff in Gun Barrel.” He peered closer at her. “What on earth did you hit him with?”

She pressed her face into her husband's shirt. “The cut glass knife rest!”

“Wow. I'll clean it up, put it back, and remember never to have an argument with you in the dining room!” He laughed a little, then sobered. “Julia, when I think what could have happened…”

“Don't think about it,” she told him, her fingers gentle on his face. “It'll make you crazy if you think about it.”

“Excuse my baser instincts, but is there anything to eat? I noticed some pie crust, but I didn't see a pie.”

Julia stood up and stretched. “Charlotte and I made pie crust with cinnamon and sugar baked on top.”

“Just pie crust?”

“Yep. It's Charlotte's antidote for misery. We were missing our guys.” She held out her hand. “Come on, cowboy. I'm pretty sure there's currant cake somewhere, and milk.”

Kaiser stood in the doorway to Charlotte's old room, watching Doc with McAtee. At Julia's invitation, he sat down with them, demolishing the currant cake and drinking two glasses of milk before leaning back with a sigh. “Sun's coming up soon,” he said. “Mrs. Otto, may I bed down somewhere?”

She smiled at him, happy he had called her Julia when her need was so great but understanding she was Mrs. Otto now. “Of course you may. There are two guest bedrooms upstairs.” She felt shy then but had to know. “Mr. Kaiser, tell us. Why were you here in the first place?”

The Colorado rancher looked at Paul. “We had our roundup a week ago. I told my little brother I wanted to look at some of the Clyde brothers’ bulls, but I really wanted to talk with you, Paul. I had planned to stop and see if you had left for the roundup yet.” He shrugged. “That's why I'm here.”

“Talk to me about what?” Paul asked, and Julia heard the wary tone in his voice.

Evidently, Mr. Kaiser did too. “You say you're in my debt.”

“I'll never be out of debt to you now.”

“You can pay that debt easily. This is the real reason I came this way. I was wondering, will you give me one of those books? You know, the one you Mormons read.”

“The Book of Mormon?” Paul asked.

“That's the one.” Mr. Kaiser looked down at his empty plate. “You know how quiet it gets in the winter. Something new to read is always welcome in Colorado too. I mean, if it's all right to share it.”

“I'll be glad to give you a copy,” Paul said, and there was no overlooking the amazement in his voice. “Sport, do we have an extra one?”

“You can have mine, Mr. Kaiser,” she told him. “I'll get it for you. It's all marked up. I hope that's all right.”

Kaiser nodded his thanks.

“Why, John?” Paul asked simply. “I thought you didn't approve of what I did.”

Kaiser stared into the distance, obviously embarrassed. “Yeah, I convinced the others to boot you out of the poker-playing club in Denver, didn't I?”

“That's the way I see it.”

He got up and went to the window, standing there with his hands shoved in his back pockets. “Paul, I've been watching you since I had you blackballed. You never backed down an inch, when a lesser man would have. It's hard out here, and you did something so radical it stunned me. Made me angry too, I guess. Don't know why.”

He looked at them both. “I watched you two at the spring roundup. You bore that inexcusable nastiness with uncommon grace.” He spoke to Paul. “You used to be a proud man, almost insufferably so, if I may say.”

“Go ahead; it's true.”

“You had the best cattle, the finest range.” His gaze lingered on Julia. “And then the prettiest wife.” He shook his head. “You still have all those things, but you're something else besides proud now. I'm not sure what it is, but maybe it's because of that book. Will I find out?”