Gunslinger (16 page)

“Say your prayers, Talbot,” she spat. “I’m going to give you the same chance you gave Desperado. What did you do, shoot him in the back? That’s the only way anyone could kill him.”

“Desperado Jones was an outlaw, Chloe,” Talbot argued. “There is only one way a man like him ends up. You saw how he attacked Tate and his friends in town. One dead and two wounded. He had to be brought down.”

“You know as well as I what happened in town. Desperado was ambushed. He shot in self-defense.”

“That’s not the way the marshal saw it.”

She speared Townsend with a scathing glance. “How could he see anything from inside the saloon? If Desperado is dead, where is his body?”

“He fell into the river and was carried away by the current,” Talbot replied. “We stuck around the rest of the day but he never surfaced.”

“Then he’s not dead,” Chloe said triumphantly.

“He was shot full of holes,” Townsend said. “He was probably dead before he hit the water, that’s why he didn’t resurface.”

Chloe’s gun hand shook slightly but never wavered from her target. Her face hardened and her finger teased the trigger; she was as close to killing a man in cold blood as she’d ever been.

“Pull that trigger and Townsend will hang you from the nearest tree,” Talbot warned.

Chloe could see beads of sweat popping out on Talbot’s forehead. He was frightened, and he had every reason to be.

“Don’t shoot, Miss Chloe,” Cory pleaded. “Think of the ranch. Marshal Townsend will hang you for sure. It would just about kill the boys to see you hurt. They might do something foolish and get themselves killed. Is that what you want?”

“Talbot killed Desperado,” Chloe charged, as if that condoned what she intended to do.

“Put your gun away, Chloe,” Talbot warned. “It’s over. Jones is dead and there is nothing you can do about it. The law is on my side.”

Defeat was not easy to accept for a woman like Chloe Sommers. The weight of it beat her down and stomped her into the ground. But she recognized the voice of reason whispering in her ear and knew she couldn’t risk the lives of the hands, who would surely come to her defense should Townsend try to hang her. They might ultimately succeed in their efforts. There were a dozen of them, after all, but one or more of them could be killed for coming to her defense. Did she want that on her conscience?

Slowly she lowered her gun and slipped it back into its holster. “You win this time, Talbot,” Chloe gritted out. “Now get off my land. If either you or your rapacious son set foot on my property after today, I’ll fill you both with so much lead you’ll never be able to swim again. It will be legal, too. According to the law, I’m entitled to protect my own property against intruders.”

“You’re not going to shoot anyone, Chloe,” Talbot warned. “Step away where we won’t be heard. I’d like a private word with you.”

“You can say whatever you like in front of my hands,” Chloe snapped.

“I insist,” Talbot said in a menacing tone that caught her attention. “I don’t think you’d like them to hear what I’ve got to say. It’s about you and Tate.”

Chloe turned ashen. She had no idea what Talbot intended to say, but he was right about one thing. She didn’t want the hands to know the kind of humiliation and pain she had suffered at Tate’s hands.

“Very well, but make it quick. I have little time to waste on the likes of you. I don’t believe Desperado is dead. You can lie all you want, but my heart tells me he’s still alive.”

She stepped away from the hands, who had formed a protective ring around her, and followed Talbot to the newly raised barn, where they could talk in private. Townsend remained behind to keep an eye on the cowboys.

“Say your piece, Talbot,” Chloe said, refusing to go any farther than the barn door.

“I’m not going to mince words, Chloe. Tate fancies you. I promised he could live out here on the ranch with you after you two got hitched. I’m not interested in anything but the parcel of land lying north of the creek.”

Chloe had the audacity to laugh in his face.

“What makes you think I’d marry Tate? He’s the last man in the world I want.”

“I know you and Tate got off on the wrong foot,” Talbot cajoled. “Tate admitted he made a mistake with you. But Tate is young and hot-blooded. He had too much to drink that night and couldn’t control himself when you gave all the signs of being willing. Your own mother was promoting the match between you and Tate. If he hadn’t gone off half-cocked that night, you probably would be married to him now.”

“God forbid,” Chloe said, rolling her eyes. “I’m just glad I found out what he’s like before I consented to the marriage.”

“Tate is planning to come out here soon to discuss plans for your marriage,” Talbot confided. “He’s still not fully recovered from his wound, but he’s anxious to get hitched. Desperado’s bullet shattered his collarbone, but he’s not going to let that stop him, Chloe. Tate is determined to have you, and I’m just as determined to have this spread. When you and Tate marry, your property will become his and he can do what he wants with it.”

“What’s so special about this land?” Chloe asked. “You already own half the county.” She already knew about the railroad but wanted to hear Talbot admit to his greed and ambition.

“I’m going to say just one word, Chloe, and let you figure out the rest. Railroad. Now do you understand?”

Chloe did indeed understand. “It’s becoming clearer by the minute.”

“I’m glad you see things my way. Cooperate and everything will be just fine. Ultimately Tate and I will both get what we want.”

“Maybe you didn’t understand
me
, Mr. Talbot,” Chloe said with emphasis. “I don’t want any part of Tate.”

“Then you’re forcing me to get tough. You seem mighty fond of those young cowboys you hired on. You’d probably hate to see anything happen to them. If you don’t let Tate court you, they are going to start disappearing, one by one, until none are left.”

His words chilled her blood. “You wouldn’t!”

He gave her an evil grin. “I got rid of Desperado, didn’t I? Those untried boys will present little challenge after dealing with Jones.”

“I’ll sell you the land, Talbot,” Chloe offered, desperate to keep the young men in her employ safe.

Talbot shook his head. “That’s no longer enough. Tate was hopping mad when you climbed into bed with Jones. He always thought of you as his. I promised he could have you after I got rid of Jones, and I always keep my promises. I’d best be off now. The posse is waiting in town to be paid off.”

He took two steps, then turned back, pinning Chloe with his malevolent glare. “I’m warning you. Either welcome Tate when he comes calling or suffer the consequences.”

Rooted to the spot, Chloe watched grimly as Talbot and Townsend mounted up and rode away.

“Are you all right, Miss Chloe?” Cory asked when she found the strength to join them.

“Fine, Cory.”

“What did that bastard say?” Rowdy wanted to know. “If he insulted you, just say the word and the boys and I will take care of him.”

One by one the hands gave verbal approval to Rowdy’s violent solution to the problem. But Chloe knew these young men were no match for the wily Talbot. “Violence isn’t going to solve anything,” she said. “I need to be alone to think. Go back to work.”

“Do you really believe Desperado is dead?” Sonny asked.

“Not for one minute,” Chloe declared.

“Where do you think he is?” Randy wondered. “Those sure were blood stains on his mustang.”

“I don’t know,” Chloe whispered. “I’d know in my heart if he were dead.” She turned abruptly and strode toward the house. She didn’t want the hands to see her with tears streaming down her cheeks.

Chloe sought the privacy of her room and finally gave in to the grief that had been building inside. She didn’t want to believe Desperado was dead, but the evidence was too overwhelming to suggest otherwise. Still, what she’d told the hands had been true. Had Desperado been dead, something would have died inside her. But deep within her being she felt the spark of life that was Desperado. As long as she felt that steady beat she knew he still lived.

Common sense told her all wasn’t well with Desperado, however. Had he been able, he would have returned to her. And there
was
the blood on his saddle, an ominous sign that didn’t bode well for him. Talbot had said he’d been carried away by the current after he’d fallen into the river. The water must have been cold, for the days were no longer warm and the nights sometimes produced light frost. Could Desperado have survived the current, the bullet wounds, and the weather? He was a strong man, but no one was invincible.

The longer she thought about it, the more she realized she couldn’t just sit there and wait and worry. As soon as she got things settled here, she intended to search for the man she loved. She would not rest until she discovered his body or found him alive. What she wasn’t going to do was submit to the Talbots’ plans for her future.

Tate Talbot came calling the following week. His shattered collarbone was still bandaged and he appeared to be in considerable pain, but Chloe soon learned he was the same bully she had grown to despise.

“Pa said you’d be expecting me,” Tate said, walking into the house as if he owned it when she opened the door to him. She never considered not letting him in, at least not until she found a way to escape his plans for her without endangering her hired hands. As for his visit tonight, she figured she could handle a wounded man.

“He didn’t give me a choice,” Chloe returned.

“I come courting. Just like I did a couple years back, remember?”

“How could I forget?” Chloe said dryly.

“Pa said I couldn’t bed you until after the wedding. He doesn’t want anything to set you off or interfere with his plans before we’re hitched.” He sat down on the sofa and patted the place beside him. “That don’t mean I can’t kiss or touch you. Come here, honey, I want to see if your titties are still as soft and round as I remember.”

“Go to hell, Tate Talbot,” Chloe hissed.

Tate’s expression turned ugly. “Now why did you go and say that? Here I was trying to be nice, just like Pa instructed. He wants us to set a date for the wedding. It can’t be too soon for me,” he said, leering at her. “You were the best piece I ever had. You had enough spunk in you to make it challenging for me.”

Chloe clamped her mouth shut to keep from lashing out at him. “How can you ask me to set a date when I’m still mourning Desperado’s death?”

“The hell with Desperado Jones!” Tate shouted. “I won’t have my wife pining for another man. Not even a dead one.”

“I’m not your wife.”

“Next Saturday is as good a day as any,” Tate continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “I’ll arrange it with Reverend Tully. He owes Pa a favor. No Justice of the Peace for us. We’re gonna do it up all nice and legal, with the words spoken over us by a preacher. Yep, Saturday next,” Tate repeated. “Pa will be pleased that I’m finally doing something right.”

He rose abruptly and caught her wrist with his good hand, dragging her against him. “Shall we seal our engagement with a kiss?”

“No, thank you,” she said coolly.

“I ain’t gonna stand for your shenanigans after we’re married. I’m gonna be the only one in the family wearing trousers. Go into town and buy yourself some fancy dresses like you used to wear. Something that will show off those pretty titties I’m drooling to taste again.”

Chloe struggled against him but he managed to bring her close enough to capture her mouth. Vomit rose in her throat when he thrust his thick tongue into her mouth. If he didn’t release her quickly he was going to be damn sorry. She reached for her gun and remembered she’d left her gunbelt hanging on a hook beside the door. She might not be able to shoot him, but she sure as heck could hurt him without using a gun.

Suddenly Juanita appeared in the doorway, an old shotgun that had once belonged to Ted raised against her narrow shoulder. “Take your hands off of Senorita Chloe,” Juanita ordered in a voice that meant business.

Tate’s arms fell away and his eyes bugged out as he stared at Juanita. “Shit! How did you get here? I thought I told you to go back to your family.”

“You know Juanita?” Chloe asked, stunned.

“Yeah, I know her. She’s a whore I picked up in San Antone. I got tired of her and sent her packing”.

“I wasn’t a whore until you carried me away from my family and made me one,” Juanita charged. “Now they will not have me back.”

“And I don’t want you here with my future wife. It ain’t right.”

“Put the shotgun down, Juanita,” Chloe pleaded. “Shooting Tate can get you into a lot of trouble. Don’t worry. I promise he’ll get what’s coming to him one day.”

“I want that whore out of here, Chloe,” Tate ordered.

“Are you the one who beat her?” Chloe asked. “She was a mess when she came here looking for work.”

“She deserved it. She called me an animal and spat at me.”

With a calmness she didn’t feel, Chloe said, “Go home, Tate. I’m trying very hard not to get my gun and shoot you myself.”

“But Pa said it was all right if we kissed and played around a little as long as I didn’t poke you.”

Chloe thought he sounded like a petulant child deprived of his favorite toy. “I’m not in the mood tonight.”

“You’d better be in the mood Saturday next,” he warned. “I want a willing wife in my bed.” He moved reluctantly toward the door, then turned to glower at Juanita. “I mean it, Chloe. Get rid of that whore or I’ll get rid of her in a way you won’t like.”

The moment the door closed behind him, Juanita ran into Chloe’s outstretched arms.

“You’re not going to marry that animal, are you, Senorita Chloe?”

“Not in a million years.”

Chapter Fifteen

Chloe rode into town the next day to call on Thadeous Baker. He greeted her sadly, his expression conveying without words that he had heard about Desperado’s death and commiserated with her.

“I’m sorry, Chloe,” he said. “I was right fond of that boy.”

Chloe couldn’t help smiling. Mr. Baker was probably the only person in the world who dared to call Desperado a boy. “He’s not dead, Mr. Baker,” Chloe said with confidence.

Baker’s relief was immediate. “You’ve heard from him? Thank God!”

Chloe shook her head. “No. I haven’t heard a word, except for what Calvin Talbot told me. I suppose he’s told the whole town that the posse killed Desperado.”

“He couldn’t wait to get the word out. Not everyone believes Mr. Jones was a killer, you know. Desperado wasn’t a wanted man. Most considered him a good sort despite his reputation. I’m inclined to agree. I think Desperado Jones put on a good show, that he used his guns as a prop, though no one would dispute his ability to use them.”

“You’re a perceptive man, Mr. Baker,” Chloe said. “Desperado told me he has never killed in cold blood and I believe him. I, on the other hand, could have killed Calvin Talbot without the slightest hesitation when he came out to the ranch yesterday. And it
would
have been in cold blood.”

“Perhaps you should be made aware of the other bit of gossip Talbot has put out,” Baker said. “It’s all over town that you and his son Tate will marry next Saturday.”

Chloe groaned. “I would never willingly marry Tate. I loathe him.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“I wish there were. Talbot threatened my hired hands if I refused to marry Tate. He wants my land because the railroad is considering building a spur line to Amarillo. They’re going to start buying land for the right-of-way and Talbot wants to own it all. There’s been talk for a long time about the Fort Worth and Denver City Railroad and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe meeting up in Amarillo and then continuing on to Dodge City. A spur line through Trouble Creek would make taking cattle to market a whole lot simpler.

“Somehow Talbot got wind of the proposed spur and bought up land along the route at bargain prices. I’m the only holdout. The other landowners caved in to his pressure, and those who didn’t soon found their homes and loved ones threatened. Talbot needs my land to become sole owner of all the land lying within the proposed route. With all the land in his pocket, he would be in a good position to dicker with the railroad for more money than they would have paid individual owners. Talbot stands to make a fortune.”

“There is more to it than that,” Baker revealed. “As the only lawyer in town, I’m privy to many of his legal transactions, though I have no liking for it. During the course of business I’ve learned the man has political aspirations. He wants to amass enough money to become a force in the state of Texas. He plans to run for political office in a year or two.”

Chloe groaned. “There are enough dishonest politicians without Talbot joining their ranks.”

“What are you going to do about Tate?” Baker asked.

“I’m going to be gone long before Saturday,” Chloe confided. “I wanted you to know my plans in case…in case…well, someone should know.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” Baker said. “Where will you go? Who will run the ranch?”

“Winter is closing in. Things are at a standstill right now. The hands are capable of running the ranch in my absence.”

“Where will you go?”

“To look for Desperado. He’s still alive. I can feel it here,” she said, placing a hand over her heart. “I came to town to buy provisions and warm clothing, and to see you, of course. I want to sign a paper giving Cory authority to act in my stead during my absence. Buying supplies, paying the hands from my funds, that sort of thing. Can you do that?”

“I’ll draw something up immediately,” Baker said. “But should you be going alone? Inclement weather isn’t the only danger out there.”

“I don’t want anyone to risk his life on my account. Write up the paper and I’ll return to sign it after I’ve finished shopping.”

Tate Talbot was looking out the window of his father’s office when he saw Chloe leaving Baker’s office. “Wonder why Chloe was visiting the lawyer,” Tate muttered to himself.

“What did you say?” Calvin asked, distracted by his son’s muttering. “Speak up.”

“I just saw Chloe leaving Lawyer Baker’s office. What do you suppose she has up her sleeve now?”

“Nothing good,” Calvin replied sourly. “Can you see where she’s headed?”

Tate craned his neck to see where Chloe was going. “The general store.”

“Hmmm, why don’t you go see what she’s up to?”

“I ain’t feeling good, Pa. This damn shoulder is giving me fits. I don’t think that old horse doctor knows what he’s doing.”

“Quit whining and go see what Chloe is about. Old Doc Hockmeyer has been treating animals and people in this town many years before we came and he’ll still be here after we’re gone.”

Tate moved stiffly toward the door. “I don’t know what you’re worried about, Pa. Chloe knows she has no choice. Come Saturday we’ll be married.

Reverend Tully knows what to do in case Chloe turns obstinate, doesn’t he?”

“Leave the good reverend to me,” Calvin growled. “He knows what he has to do. I have information that could ruin him, should I choose to reveal it. He has a wife and children to protect. He’ll do as I say.”

Confident of his father’s ability to handle the situation, Tate left the office and walked over to the general store. Chloe didn’t see him enter and neither did the clerk. Both were engaged in lively conversation. Tate scooted down a side aisle and crouched behind upright bolts of material, listening to what Chloe was saying.

“Is this the warmest jacket you have, Mr. Dudley?”

“That one is lined with sheep’s wool,” Dudley explained. “You won’t find anything warmer.”

“I’ll take it. And those heavy stockings and boots I already picked out. What about corduroy trousers? Do you have something in my size?”

Dudley eyed her critically, then went to a shelf where boys’ trousers were folded neatly into a pile. “These should work,” he said, pulling out a pair of tan corduroys in an appropriate size. “Anything else?”

“Trail food,” Chloe said. “Something nourishing but easy to pack. Oh, and a canteen. Mine has seen better days.”

“It’s a bad time of the year to go on a trip, Miss Sommers,” Dudley advised.

“There’s no help for it,” Chloe said. “Please wrap everything and tally the bill.”

Tate slipped out the door while money was exchanging hands and hightailed it back to his father’s office.

“She’s gonna leave, Pa,” Tate exclaimed, bursting into the office. “She’s buying trail food and warm clothes. We gotta stop her.”

“I warned her what would happen if she didn’t submit to my wishes,” Calvin hissed. “Go round up some of those drifters who stayed in town after the posse disbanded. Tell them I have another job for them. Make sure they know they’ll be well paid for following orders with no questions asked. Hurry. I want this taken care of before Chloe returns home today.”

Chloe left Baker’s office for the second time that day, having signed the paper giving Cory authority to run the ranch in her absence. Her last stop before returning home with her packages was the bank, where she withdrew fifty dollars to take with her.

The supper hour had come and gone by the time Chloe rode into the yard. She was weary but satisfied with her day’s work. Her sense of well-being was shattered when Cory hailed her from the bunk-house. She noted his grim expression, and her heart constricted in fear. What had gone wrong?

“Bad news, Miss Chloe,” Cory informed her. “Rowdy is missing, and no one has seen him since he rode out to mend a fence in the north pasture.”

The color leached from Chloe’s face. “Did anyone look for him?”

“Sonny and Randy rode out after he failed to show up for supper but found no trace of him. I’m worried, Miss Chloe. He wouldn’t take off without telling us.”

A terrible premonition shook Chloe. Had the Talbots somehow gotten wind of her plans to skip out before the wedding? Was this their retaliation? Calvin had promised dire repercussions if she didn’t submit to their plans for her. Oh, God, let Rowdy be all right, she silently prayed.

“We have to go out there and search again,” Chloe said. “He might be lying injured somewhere. Choose two men to remain behind, Cory. The rest of you, follow me.”

Cory quickly picked two men to remain behind while the others saddled up. Chloe rode at their head, but they never reached the gate. She pulled hard on the reins when she saw a horse plodding toward them, its reins dangling on the ground. Though dusk had darkened into night, Chloe could see a figure slumped over the saddle.

She leaped from the saddle and ran, knowing what she’d find.

“That’s Rowdy’s horse!” one of the men exclaimed.

Chloe reached Rowdy first. She raised his head and felt something sticky on her hands. Blood. “Help me lift him,” she said when the others reached her.

“Is he dead?” Sonny asked.

“I don’t know. Carry him into the house where I can get a good look at him.”

“He’s still breathing,” Cory said triumphantly.

Grim-faced, Chloe bent over Rowdy after he’d been carried into the house and laid out on a bed in one of the spare rooms. Juanita had brought in a basin of water and some clean rags while the hands crowded the doorway.

Chloe found a scalp wound that bled profusely but didn’t look particularly serious, and a chest wound, where the bullet had entered in the front and exited through the back.

“He’s alive,” Chloe said, feeling for the pulse in his neck. “His chest wound needs immediate attention.”

“Let me,” Juanita said, moving Chloe gently aside. “I have some experience with gunshot wounds. I used to help the padre at the mission with wounds before I was…taken from my home. I will need antiseptics. I saw some in a cupboard in the kitchen.”

Chloe stepped aside and let Juanita take her place beside Rowdy. “The previous housekeeper kept a supply of antiseptics to treat minor wounds,” she said. “I’ll get them.”

Suddenly Rowdy opened his eyes. They were unfocused but lucid. “Miss Chloe. I have to tell you—”

“Don’t talk, Rowdy. You can tell me later.”

“No…now. Ambushed,” he gasped in a voice that didn’t carry beyond Chloe. “Talbot’s men. I was to tell you…the wedding…” His voice faded away as he lost consciousness, but Chloe didn’t need to be told what he was going to say.

“What wedding, Miss Chloe?” Cory asked, having moved close enough to catch Rowdy’s last words. “Are the Talbots forcing you to do something you don’t want to do?”

Talbot’s warning was clear. Chloe had no idea how the Talbots had learned she planned to skip out on the wedding, but she should have known they’d find out. There was no question now of leaving. The Talbots meant business. She valued the lives of her men too much to leave them to Talbot’s mercy.

“I’m going to marry Tate Talbot next Saturday,” Chloe replied. “I’m not being forced. It’s my choice. It’s what I want to do,” she insisted. She decided it was better to let the hands think this was what she wanted rather than have them do something foolish.

“Don’t worry about us, Miss Chloe,” Randy ventured. “We can take care of ourselves. If you don’t want to marry Tate Talbot, let us know and we’ll take care of it.”

Chloe’s lips thinned. That was exactly what she didn’t want. She’d bargain with the devil to save the lives of the boys she’d watched grow into men. “I
want
to marry Tate.”

Rowdy hung on to life by a slim thread. He had a stout heart, a healthy body and a strong will to live. By Saturday he was taking liquids and remaining lucid for longer periods of time, thanks to Juanita, who cared for him with tender concern. During one of his more rational moments, Chloe advised Rowdy not to tell the others what he had told her about Talbot. The reason, she explained, was to keep the hands safe.

Time had passed so swiftly that Chloe didn’t realize it was her wedding day until she heard riders enter the yard and stomp up to the porch. The visitors didn’t bother knocking as they burst into the house. Chloe had started down the stairs when she heard the racket and she paused on the bottom landing when she saw the Talbots and a man she recognized as Reverend Tully. Two men she didn’t know accompanied them.

“Where’s the dress I told you to wear for our wedding?” Tate growled.

Chloe was stunned by Tate’s appearance. He was pale and thinner than she had ever seen him. He was holding his shoulder as if it pained him, as indeed it must, for suffering was etched across his drawn features.

“I didn’t have time to shop for clothes,” Chloe shot back. “I had a wounded man to nurse back to health. Of course, you’d know nothing about that, would you?”

“Enough of this chitchat,” Calvin said, taking charge of the volatile situation. “It doesn’t matter what Chloe wears for her wedding. You can make her do your bidding after she’s legally yours. A beating might be in order.”

Chloe smiled grimly. The day didn’t exist when Tate would beat her.

“Both of you stand over by the reverend,” Calvin ordered impatiently. “This should only take a few minutes. I’ve even brought along witnesses. Go ahead, Reverend, begin.”

“I won’t repeat the wedding vows,” Chloe said stubbornly.

Calvin smiled. “Is that young man you’re nursing back to health going to make it? Life is so precarious.”

“Bastard!” Chloe hissed. She turned to appeal to the reverend, to make him aware of her reluctance. “How can you condone this, Reverend Tully? You can’t force someone to repeat vows. I don’t want to marry Tate Talbot.”

“Miss Sommers has a point, Mr. Talbot,” Reverend Tully observed. “This isn’t right. I’m a man of God. Marriage is a holy state. Both participants must be willing.”

“Believe me, Reverend, Miss Sommers is willing,” Calvin said. “Either you marry them or your family suffers the consequences. You have a wife, young children and a congregation to think about. Imagine how they would feel should they learn that you sinned with a whore. You’d be defrocked and thrown out of your church.”