Lauraine Snelling (22 page)

He airily waved a hand. “Throw him on the cot and drag that blanket over him. I’ll go see his wife in the morning.”

They did as instructed and returned to the doctor’s house to get their horses. Neither one had anything to say on the ride home.

Mavis woke and met them in the hall on their way to bed. “How is she?”

“Sleeping off the sedative at the Doc’s. Mrs. Barnett is happy; she has someone to fuss over. We’ll go back in the morning.”

“Which isn’t terribly far away. You two sleep in and I’ll get Gretchen off to school. She’s going to be real upset that she missed all the action.”

“Someone needs to ride up to the cabin and tell them what happened. I’m sure they’re worried about her.” Ransom stopped in his doorway. “I’ll take care of that when I get up.”

Mavis watched her eldest son disappear into the room and close the door. His shoulders sagged. He looked weary, as well he ought. She still couldn’t grasp it all—raiders, fire, poor little Cassie injured. She would ride up to the cabin first thing, for sure.

But Mavis found Micah waiting on her doorstep when she started the morning fire in her kitchen stove. “Come in, please. Don’t stay out there freezing.”

“Where is Cassie?”

“In Argus yet. The doctor kept her at his house, just to watch her. We’re going in to see how she is first thing this morning.”

“The bleeding stopped? She was bleeding a lot.”

“Yes. Ransom says it was a clean wound, but she lost enough blood to make her weak.” Mavis filled the coffeepot with water and added the ground coffee before setting it on the quickly heating stove. “Hopefully we’ll bring her back home, and she can stay here until she gets back on her feet.”

She looked to Micah. “The wagon burned completely?” At his nod she continued, “You and Chief can sleep in the bunkhouse. It’s better than the floor.”

“Cassie and Runs Like a Deer up there by themselves?” He was shaking his head as he answered. “No. Wouldn’t work.”

Mavis could see the concern in his face. Or was it fear? “Our sheriff will take care of that gang of ruffians. They won’t be bothering anyone from jail.”

“Are they in jail now?”

“One is. The one that was knocked off his horse.”

“And the others?”

“Micah, I will find all that out when I go to town. And then we’ll come tell you.”

Gretchen wandered into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes. “How come Ransom and Lucas are still sleeping? Mr. Micah, good morning.” She looked from her mother to their guest. “Something has happened.”

Mavis told her in a couple of sentences.

“So I missed it all?” Gretchen moaned. “How could I sleep through all that?”

“Because all the noise and the shooting were up at the cabin. But Cassie will be all right.”

“What if she can’t shoot for the shooting match? Then what?”

Mavis stood like someone had struck her.

For sure. What then? As soon as Cassie realized this, she would be frantic.

I
should have known better than to trust anyone concerning that riffraff.”

“But, Mor, you can’t blame yourself. That’s what you’d tell me.”

“Gretchen, eat your eggs or you’ll be late.”

Seated at the table, Gretchen whined, “But I want to be here when they come back.”

“Who knows? You might be. We have no idea how long Dr. Barnett will keep her there.” For the millionth time Mavis’s thoughts turned to town and what might be happening there.

“How come no one woke me up?” Gretchen glared at her plate. “I can’t believe I didn’t hear the dog barking. I always hear him before anyone else.”

Mavis ignored her daughter’s grumbling and handed Gretchen her lunch pail. “You’ll have to get your own horse this morning.” Usually one of her brothers saddled her horse for her if they were already working outside.

“It’s all right.” She shrugged into her coat and looped her scarf around her neck. “I could go by and see Cassie before school starts. She might like company.”

Mor shook her head. “She no doubt is sleeping. Her body needs rest to heal quickly. Besides, you’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on.”

“Are you riding into town or taking the wagon?”

“Quit stalling. You’ll have to lope all the way as it is. And don’t slam the door as you go out. That will wake up your brothers for sure.”

Gretchen closed the door with exaggerated care, making Mavis smile for the first time that morning. She poured herself a cup of coffee and took the cinnamon roll she’d been heating out of the oven. While she rarely had breakfast alone and would normally treasure the time, today having someone to discuss the matter with would have helped keep her mind reined in. Instead, it went shooting off in all directions, all of which were unhappy possibilities.

Finally, she got up and fetched her Bible from beside her rocking chair in the big room, as she so often referred to what others might call a parlor. Since she’d not started the fire in the fireplace yet, the room still wore the chill of the night, so she settled at the table in the nice warm kitchen. She flipped pages until she located Jeremiah.
I know the thoughts that I think toward you . . . thoughts of peace, and not of evil. . . .
Surely these verses were for Cassie, who if she was awake, was most likely worrying about how she would take care of them all through the winter.

Lord God, how do I convince her that she is welcome to whatever we have, that she is not alone in this, that we are here, and as far as I’m concerned, she is a member of our family? Forgive us for letting her down like this.

And even more, help my boys to forgive themselves. I know Ransom, and he blames himself. I’ve never seen Lucas so visibly concerned about another person. Maybe he is coming to love Cassie, and maybe his desire to marry her is true, not just some dream. Lord, you know my mother’s heart.

She turned from studying that passage and heard Gretchen loping out of the yard. Did the child remember to pick up her lunch pail when she saddled up? She’d be mighty hungry come dinnertime if she didn’t.

She heard stirring from the bedrooms, mostly boot soles slamming on the floor.

Mavis got up and moved the coffeepot to the front of the stove, the frying pan to the hottest spot, and scooped bacon grease out of the can and into the pan. Giving the oatmeal a stir to keep it from burning on the bottom, she dished up two bowls and set them on the table just as Ransom wandered into the kitchen.

“Gretchen already gone?”

“Yes, but running late. You’ll probably hear from her how disgusted she is to not have wakened with the dog barking.”

“I’m glad she didn’t. Good thing someone got some sleep. How long until you’ll be ready to go?”

“Give me half an hour?”

Ransom poured cream on his steaming oatmeal and added brown sugar. “I’ll go on up to the cabin before we go.”

“No need. Micah was waiting on the back porch when I came into the kitchen.”

“They are all right?”

“He didn’t say not.”

Lucas came meandering into the kitchen looking more asleep than awake. So far today, he’d forgotten to shave and comb his hair. She handed him a dish as he shuffled by and plunked into his chair. She pulled the plate of warming rolls out of the oven and set it on the table.

“I’ll get dressed and ready while you two eat. We better take the wagon with bedding in it in case we can bring her home.” They both nodded and kept on eating.

In less than the half hour she’d said, she was stepping into the wagon. Ransom clucked the team forward. Mavis forced her mind to keep praying for Cassie, for her friends, and for the sheriff, that he would have all those involved in jail.

“What do you mean, you couldn’t find him?” Ransom leaned rigid arms on the sheriff’s desk, almost nose to nose.

“You’re saying Beckwith got away?” Lucas joined his brother.

“I’m saying he never came back to town. No one has seen hide nor hair of those two. Like they disappeared off the face of the earth.” Edgar sat up straighter, leaning toward the two confronting him. “Now all that means is—”

“What did you find out from Jud?”

“All their names. Exactly the ones we suspected. He don’t know where they went either. But then, he’s not feeling too good himself. Says he has a terrible bad headache.”

“He can be grateful he still has a head that hurts.”

“Lucas, Ransom, give the man a chance to answer you.” Mavis turned to the sheriff. “So what do you plan to do?”

“Well, nothing right now. They’ll come sneaking back into town, and I’ll throw them in there.” He nodded toward the cells, where Jud lay softly snoring.

“Has Doc been over to see him?”

“Yep. ’Bout an hour ago. He said Miss Lockwood slept through the night, and depending on how her arm looks this morning, she can probably go on home.”

Mavis nodded. “I know. He told us the same. But I said let her sleep as long as she can. It’ll hurt less that way.”

The sheriff looked rather put upon, and with good cause. “You got any other suggestions regarding the troublemakers?”

“Track ’em.”

“Now, how can we do that? This ain’t some Wild West show, you know.”

Ransom straightened. “You don’t mind if we go looking? I hear Chief used to be a mighty good tracker. We can hope he’s not lost his touch.”

“Now, Ransom, let’s hang on here. You know I don’t abide vigilante law.”

“Oh, if we find ’em, we’ll bring ’em in all nice and proper.” He leaned forward again. “But you swore to protect the citizens of Argus, and from what I can see, you failed in this case.”

The sheriff planted his hands on the desk and rose to his feet. His voice softened, something like a hissing snake. “Ransom, let me give you a warning. You don’t want to go too far here and step over the bounds. Granted, I miscalculated, but I will catch them, and they will be punished.”

“Miscalculated?
Miscalculated!
” Lucas clamped his teeth. “That young woman has a hole clean through her arm and her personal possessions up in flames because you miscalculated?”

Mor chimed in. “Lucas, Ransom, so did we. Keep that in mind.”

Lucas whirled on his mother but cut off whatever he was going to say. Ransom huffed a sigh and took a step back, releasing his jaw and forcing his shoulders to relax a little. “But you are not telling us that we can’t go looking for them?”

“No. I’m just trying to defuse worse trouble here. I don’t believe they will return. They don’t even know if Jud is still alive. I don’t know if they realized Miss Lockwood had been hit. But you riding up there like avenging angels certainly put the fear into them.” Edgar sat back down. “Now, tell me. Did you actually see these men, or were they already hightailing it when you arrived?”

The brothers looked at each other. Ransom shrugged. “I heard the shooting and the shouting coming up the hill, and we opened fire immediately.”

“What were you aiming at?”

“Mostly shooting into the air to frighten the intruders away, I’d say.” Lucas narrowed his eyes to remember better. “Nowhere toward the cabin. Probably a good thing no one else got shot in the mayhem.”

“What started the fire?”

Ransom shrugged again, realizing how little they did know.

“Chief John Birdwing said that a bullet must have exploded the kerosene lamp and started the fire.”

Edgar grunted, studied his desk blotter. “Jud says they didn’t throw any burning brands or flaming arrows or anything.”

Lucas snorted. “Oh sure. He’s going to own up to that?”

“He said they just wanted to frighten the people away, get them out of the area here. Said they didn’t intend to kill anybody. And it’s for sure they were all drunk as skunks.”

“And that’s an excuse for this kind of behavior?” Mor raised her voice. “If they didn’t intend to hurt anyone, why were they firing right into the wagon and cabin?”

“No excuse, Mavis. Just a fact.”

“And why do you believe anything that Jud says? Do you mind if we ask him some questions?” she continued.

“No, but it won’t do any good. Doubt he’ll wake up, at least enough to think straight. He’s sound asleep again, probably thanks to something the doctor gave him. Hear that snoring?”

“Have you talked with his wife?”

“Yep. She said good riddance or something to that effect. Miz Beckwith said he hadn’t come home, and she didn’t mind if he never did. Mayhap this will be a good thing for their families in the long run. Put some backbone in those women.”

Mor snorted. “‘Some backbone’ isn’t going to help much if the men come back and take out their anger on the wives.”

“The word is out that we’re watching for them.”

Ransom was getting fed up with this whole business. “Be that as it may. Thank you, Sheriff. We’ll be taking Miss Lockwood back to our house, and if Chief is willing to track them, well, we’ll see what happens. By the way, did you ever question any of this group as to the beef rustling? Seems to me that anyone coward enough to get drunk and try to drive out law-abiding citizens might have needed some money and helped themselves to some of our pastures.”

“Yes, I asked them, but there was never any indication that they were involved. I can’t accuse anyone without some kind of evidence, you know.”

“Good day, Sheriff.” Mavis turned, marched toward the door, and looked at Ransom and Lucas. “You coming?”

“Yes.” Both her sons followed her outside into the morning sun.

Ransom was boiling. Boiling! Here they had an innocent girl injured, her wagon lost, even the wives of these yahoos in danger from their men, but those men still ran at large, and their precious sheriff was sitting on his hands in the comfort of his office. Certainly Mor had preached to Ransom from infancy that God was in control, but he sure couldn’t see it. He strode to the doctor’s house with his thoughts so churned up he didn’t even notice where they were until they got there.

Doctor Barnett greeted them at the door. “We saw you getting out of your wagon down at the sheriff’s office. Come on in. Cassie’s awake, and the missus is helping her get into some clothes the missus loaned her. They’re too big on her, but that makes it easier to dress her.”

“So she’s going to be all right?” Lucas asked, worry in his voice, maybe even fear.

“There’s no indication of infection so far,” Dr. Barnett informed them. “But you’ll need to watch for any signs of heat or swelling in the arm, or excessive redness. I’m putting her arm in a sling, and she’s not to use it for at least a week. Then in about ten days bring her in so I can check it and remove the stitches.”

Mrs. Barnett emerged from the back of the house. “Your timing is perfect. You may go to her if you wish.”

Mor started toward the door to the hallway, Ransom and Lucas following. “We brought the wagon so she can lie down.”

“Good. She’s liable to be some woozy yet. And weak. Make sure she eats well. Oh, and keep the arm dry.”

“We will,” Mor said with a nod. “Does she need help walking?”

“Yes. You two strong bucks on either side of her will be good. I just gave her some more pain medicine to make the trip easier on her.”

Strong buck,
huh?
Angry buck.
But letting his burning anger show wasn’t going to help anyone just now, so Ransom banked his fires. With difficulty.