Authors: Parting Gifts
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “If you’ll excuse me for appearing forward, you hardly look old enough to have a boy that age.”
Maddie felt the heat warm her face. “My husband was married before.”
A deep scarlet flushed his smooth cheeks. “I seem to have tripped over myself with that compliment. I am sorry for your husband’s loss. Have you been married long?”
“Only a few months.”
He bestowed upon her a gracious smile. “My congratulations to you then.” “Thank you.”
His smile broadened, creating a small dimple in his left cheek. “I’m soon to be married myself. My betrothed is waiting for me back East. I had some business to attend to here and wanted to get it out of the way before the marriage.”
Smiling, she tilted her head. “My congratulations to you then.”
“Thank you. I was thinking of bringing her here on our marriage trip, but each town I visit in this state is so different from the one before it, I hardly know what she would enjoy the most. Where do you think she might like to spend some time?”
Maddie folded her hands together. “I don’t know. I like the area around here, the hills, the greenery.”
“Did you grow up around here?”
“No.”
He waited as though expecting clarification. When none came, he studied his boots. “I recently visited Galveston.” He lifted his eyes to hers. “Do you think she’d like that?”
She shook her head. “I really wouldn’t know. I’ve never been there.”
He smiled. “I like listening to the surf wash upon the shore. I thought that would make for pleasant memories.” “It sounds lovely.”
“Perhaps, but then again she’s spent some time at the Atlantic Ocean. I don’t suppose the Gulf of Mexico is that much different. What about Fort Worth or Dallas? Is there anything of interest there?”
“There are some fine theaters.”
“Which one would you recommend?”
Maddie laughed lightly. “I’ve never been to any of them.”
“Truly? You seem a lady of culture. I thought surely you’d grown up in high society.”
She shook her head. “No, my life has always been quite simple and plain.”
“No adventures, no excitement?”
“I have all the excitement I need right here with three children.”
“But before you were married, did you never long for something more than this?”
She smiled softly. “No, Mr. Somner, for as long as I can remember, the life I have here is what I’ve always wanted. Now, if. you’ll excuse me, I need to see about getting a meal prepared for you and the other guests.”
Maddie walked into the kitchen, lifted the lid on the pot, and sniffed the stew.
“They’re a hungry bunch,” Jesse said as he and Charles walked into the kitchen. “They’re already sitting down to the table.”
“Everything’s ready. We just need to get it out there,” Maddie said.
“Be careful when you’re serving Miss Lilly that you don’t spill any of that stew on her,” Jesse teased.
Tilting her nose in the air, she began to spoon the stew into the serving bowl. “The thought never crossed my mind.”
Jesse chuckled. “You’re no good at telling lies, Maddie.”
“She’s a brazen hussy. Don’t you think so, Charles?”
Charles picked up the pitcher of water. “What I think is that we’d best start serving them.” He headed toward the dining room.
Maddie finished filling the large bowl with stew, picked it up, and carried it out of the kitchen.
Lilly was once again patting her chest, drawing every man’s attention to her generous endowments. Maddie was disgusted to see the woman’s enraptured audience included her husband and her brother-in-law. Jesse and Charles exchanged adolescent smiles, and she was tempted to leave the caring of their guests in their hands.
Lilly leaned across the table. “Mr. Somner?”
Sitting across from her, Paul Somner smiled. “Paul. Please call me Paul. Traveling by stage creates an intimacy between passengers that traveling by train doesn’t.”
She flashed him a smile. “And you look to me to be a man who would prefer the intimacy.”
He blushed clear up to the roots of his blond hair.
“I believe you mentioned you live in Washington. Are you a politician by chance?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Then, pray tell, what does a handsome man such as yourself do in Washington to earn a living?”
“I’m a detective with the Pinkerton Agency.”
The sound of a bowl crashing to the floor and breaking into a thousand pieces echoed throughout the room. Charles sent water sloshing over the table as he dropped the glass he was holding before he rushed over to join Jesse at Maddie’s side.
She was on her knees, fighting back tears, her trembling fingers picking up the broken remains. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”
Jesse put his hand on her shoulder. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, but it does. It was so beautiful. I was careless. It was so beautiful. Imported from England.” Her gaze remained transfixed on the floor, the splattered stew, and the broken bits of china.
“I know the truth, Maddie,” Jesse said quietly.
She jerked up her head. Jesse was totally unprepared for the stark terror reflected in her eyes. Gently, he squeezed her shoulder. “I know you’ve never been fond of my stew, and you were trying to spare these people having to eat it, but I’m afraid I’ve made enough to last through ten accidents.”
She covered her mouth with a trembling hand as the terror retreated and profound relief washed over her. Tears flowed onto her cheeks as she tried to laugh, but the sounds she emitted more closely resembled sobs. Jesse leaned back. Charles put his arms around her and helped her to her feet. “Come on, Maddie. We’ve got other bowls. I was never fond of that one, anyway.”
“Liar,” she whispered as he led her toward the kitchen.
Jesse picked up several pieces of the shattered bowl before he twisted his body slightly and looked toward the table. The guests had turned their attention to lighthearted banter. All the guests, except Paul Somner.
Somner sat, his elbow resting on the table, his chin resting in his hand, his expression thoughtful. His gaze locked onto Jesse’s, and then, as though some profound question had been answered, he turned his attention back to those seated before him.
Closing the door behind her, Maddie stepped onto the back porch. Cleaning the dining room and kitchen after the evening meal had seemed to take forever. She’d been unable to make her hands function. Her mind had been absorbed with thoughts of the man from the Pinkerton Agency, trying to remember exactly what questions he’d asked her earlier, what answers she’d given. The man probably wasn’t even betrothed, but had simply used the ruse to determine with which parts of the state she was familiar.
She knew several stage line companies took robberies against their coaches as a personal affront. She walked to the railing, wrapped her hands around it, and took a deep breath. A person always paid when they wronged others. One way or another, they always paid.
Paul Somner stepped out of the shadows. “Mrs. Lawson.”
Maddie spun around, fighting to calm her erratic heart, to disguise the fear she felt. “Mr. Somner.”
“I didn’t mean to startle you.”
She returned her gaze to the yard. “You didn’t.”
“I was apologizing for earlier when my revelation about being a Pinkerton detective seemed to upset you.”
“I assure you, it didn’t. I was so engrossed in watching Miss Lilly that I forgot about the bowl. It slipped. That’s all.”
“Ah, yes, Miss Lilly. She’s enough to distract anyone.” He cleared his throat. “The accommodations and food here are exceptional. Certainly worth the two dollars we’ll pay before we leave in the morning.”
“My husband takes a great deal of pride in his inn.”
“As well he should.” He moved until he was standing beside her, close enough that she noticed he smelled of lemon. Fresh and clean. She could feel him studying her, could feel his eyes take in every detail of her face.
“You have unusual eyes, Mrs. Lawson. Their shade is one a man is not likely to forget once he’s gazed into them.”
Quickly, Maddie stepped off the porch. “If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Somner, I have a few more chores to tend to before I retire.”
Somner watched as the woman was swallowed by night shadows. He withdrew a thin cheroot and a small pair of silver scissors from his breast pocket. Snipping off the tip, he placed the cheroot in his mouth, struck a match, and lit it, allowing the flame on the match to burn long after he needed it. He took several small puffs before releasing the smoke in one grand gesture. He removed the cheroot from his mouth, held it out in his hand, and studied it a moment. “I don’t much like being spied upon, Mr. Lawson.”
Jesse stepped out of the shadows. “And I don’t much like seeing Maddie upset.”
“It was not my intent to upset her.”
Jesse moved until he was towering over Somner. The man was small of stature, and yet there was nothing small in his manner. “I spent a lot of years working as a Texas Ranger. I know the look of a man who’s searching for someone. I know the look of a man when he’s found the person he’s looking for. You found who you were looking for today.”
Somner tilted his head and smiled. “Yes, Mr. Lawson, I did.”
“What do you intend to do about that?”
Somner looked out into the night. He took a long draw on his cheroot and then released three perfect circles of smoke into the air. “For the moment … nothing. I have a reputation for delivering surprises. More than one person is involved in this case. I have little doubt that eventually they’ll all come together. When they do, I shall spring my little surprise.”
Jesse leaned down until his face was close enough to Somner’s that he could have told the man which plantation had raised the tobacco he was smoking. “Well, while you’re waiting to spring your little surprise, contemplate this. You do one thing to cause that little woman to experience any pain or sorrow, and just before you die, you’ll regret the day you were bom.”
Somner casually quirked a brow. “I would expect such an impassioned threat from the woman’s husband, not her brother-in-law.”
“I place family above all else whether that family be through blood or marriage. Anyone harms any member of my family, they’ll answer to me. And they’ll answer dearly.”
Somner tilted his head in acknowledgment of Jesse’s feelings. “I’ll keep that in mind, Mr. Lawson.” “See that you do.”
Jesse stepped off the porch and disappeared beyond the trees. Somner listened to the wind, leisurely smoked his cheroot, and thought about the future. Surprises were such a joy to deliver, but this one, he had little doubt, would be the most rewarding of his career.
Standing before the creek, watching the muddy waters flow, Maddie heard Jesse’s soft footfalls. She wanted to turn around and throw herself into his arms, to feel the protection he had offered to so many during his life. But he’d only ever offered his protection to those who deserved it, and she knew she was one of the undeserving.
“Maddie, tell me,” he implored quietly, the deep timbre of his voice a caress through her soul. “Tell me what you’re afraid of. Tell me why you think Somner is a threat to you.”
“I don’t think any such thing.”
He touched her arm, and she skittered away.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you. I won’t let any harm come to you, but I’ve got to know what we’re dealing with here.”
She laughed. “You’re not invincible, Jesse. Aaron proved that easily enough.”
He dropped his head back, running frustrated fingers through his hair. “You said a marriage should be built on trust—”
“I’m not married to you.”
“You seem to remember that only when it’s convenient for you.”
She spun around. “I’ve never strayed from the vows I made with Charles.”
“No, you haven’t, but I’m not talking about you and Charles. I’m talking about you and me.”
“There is no you and me.” She looked at his beloved face, wishing the truth wasn’t so painful. “And there never will be, Jesse.”
“In two days, Maddie, I’ll be going to the Ranger headquarters in Austin. Their information won’t be outdated like McGuire’s. I’ll find out what I need to know.”
“I know you will.”
“Then for God’s sake, tell me now. Trust me tonight, before I go.”
She brushed her fingertips along his cheek. “It’s not a matter of trust, you bleedin’ idiot,” she said softly.
Turning away, she searched the waters. When he returned and looked upon her, she would once again be as she was before and would have to leave behind all that she loved.
“You’re going, then?” Charles asked.
Jesse slid the Winchester rifle into the scabbard resting alongside his saddle. The stage had departed shortly after dawn, and he’d decided against waiting another day to leave. He had little doubt that Somner would double back and, with a careful eye, be waiting to deliver his surprise. He wanted to know by nightfall whatever it was Somner knew now. “Yep.”
“Any idea how long you’ll be gone?”
“Long as it takes.” He slung the saddlebags into place.
“I’m sorry, Jesse. I had no right not to buy the cattle you wanted.”
With a thumb, Jesse tipped his hat back off his brow. “About damn time you realized that and apologized.”
“I realized it the minute I handed the money over to Bev. I just thought things would work out.”
Jesse extended his hand. When Charles grasped it, he pulled him close, hugged him tightly, and prayed it wouldn’t be the last time he saw him. He released his hold, mounted his horse, and brought the hat brim low over his brow. “If it makes any difference, I think you made the better investment.”
He urged Midnight out of the barn into the sunlight. Glancing toward the back porch, he felt disappointment settle within his chest. He hadn’t expected Maddie to be standing there, but damn, he’d hoped she’d see him off.
Charles walked out of the barn. “You take care now.”
Jesse gazed down at him. “I will.” He heard the door open and turned his attention back to the house.
The girls ran toward him. Hannah, with the advantage of years, reached him first. She held up a small cloth-covered bundle. “We made you a sponge cake to take with you.”
Taking the offering, he felt the warmth spread from its center. “ ‘Preciate it.” Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a movement and looked again toward the porch. Maddie stood there, hugging the beam. Bending down, he touched each girl’s cheek. Then he sent Midnight into a trot and reined him in beside Maddie as she stood on the porch.
Their eyes met and held, his imploring her to tell him the truth, hers pleading with him not to ask. He lifted the bundle. “ ‘Preciate the cake.”
“Eat it while it’s warm.”
“I will.” He had a thousand things he wanted to say to her, a lifetime’s worth. “Maddie—”
“You take care,” she urged, tears brimming in her eyes.
If she was his only responsibility, he’d dismount right then and there and say to hell with the cattle, Somner, and her past. The weight he carried on his shoulders had never seemed heavier. He tipped his hat and kicked Midnight into a slow lope.
She watched Aaron and Ranger run after him. Jesse stopped and ruffled Aaron’s hair. Then he rode away. She was certain her dreams were being carried within his saddlebags.
Charles ambled over to the porch. “I don’t imagine he’ll be gone too long.”
“No, I don’t imagine he will.” She smiled at her husband. “You look tired. Why don’t you take Aaron fishing?”
“Fish for dinner sounds good to me. Why don’t we all go?”
Stepping off the porch, she took Taylor’s hand. “Come on, let’s go see if we can find a catfish.”
She was a coward.
Gazing out the bedroom window into the blackness of night, Maddie acknowledged that solitary truth. In her heart, she already knew the path she would walk, and she would walk it with whatever dignity she could.
Regretting so much, she squeezed her eyes shut. She should have been honest with Charles. She should never have allowed him and his children to care for her. She should have rejected his proposal and returned to Bev’s where small brown-eyed children wouldn’t look upon her with love. Now she would destroy their faith with the truth.
Charles was her husband. She’d tell him tonight what Jesse would undoubtedly discover in the morning. She’d offer to stay with him as long as he needed her. Then she’d quietly surrender to the authorities. If he could no longer stand the sight of her, she’d surrender tomorrow.
She moved away from the window and folded down the quilt on the bed. She’d miss the children desperately. She’d miss Charles. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she knew she would miss Jesse most of all. She’d wanted to tell him before he left, but she couldn’t … not after all the times he’d promised that he wouldn’t let anyone or anything harm her. The truth about her past would give him no choice but to break his promises, and she hadn’t wanted to see that knowledge reflected in his eyes.
Perhaps if she didn’t love him so much, she could have told him. Perhaps that was why she could tell Charles now. As much as she had come to care for him, Charles did not hold her heart. It belonged exclusively to his brother.
She heard Ranger bark and fall into silence. She glanced out the window, but could see nothing among the shadows. She walked across the room, opened the door slightly, and peered into the hallway. Charles should have returned from checking downstairs. She wondered if he’d had one of his spells, if that’s what had caused Ranger to bark. Perhaps the dog was now licking his unconscious face. She rushed across the room, grabbed the lamp, and headed into the hallway. Descending the stairs, she glanced around as different portions of the lower floor came into view. She walked into the dining room and saw a pale light spilling out from the kitchen.
She hurried into the kitchen and came up short at the sight that greeted her. “Silas,” she whispered hoarsely.
“You lied to me, Maddie girl,” the giant man said, his scarred visage a testament to the life he lived.
Maddie looked at Charles as he sat in a chair, his hands tied behind his back, a cloth stuffed into his mouth. Unspoken apologies filled her eyes; understanding filled his. A movement caught her attention, and she saw the lumbering hulk of humanity known as Walsh. He sat on the floor running his huge hand over Ranger.
Resembling a buffalo, Silas shook his large head as though he was filled with great sorrow. “The money weren’t buried where you said, Maddie girl.”
“You were probably digging in the wrong place.”
“I had Walsh digging the area for a week.”
“Maybe you misunderstood my directions.”
He let a stream of tobacco juice fly. It landed near her bare feet. “Maybe. We woulda been back sooner, but we had a damn posse on our tail for near a month and had to go down to Mexico for a while. You wouldn’t of set ‘em on us, now, would you, girl?”
“How would I have managed that without giving myself away?”
He glanced around the kitchen. “You’re living fine, Maddie. You must have traded something for it. Maybe you dug up the money yourself. Maybe it’s here somewhere.” He drew his gun from his holster. “Which of his legs should I shoot first?”
Charles slid his eyes closed, and Maddie felt the fear rip through her. What was it Jesse had said about men who had no souls? When they were finished with Charles, they’d harm the children, whether she told them what they wanted to know or not. “If you hurt him, I won’t tell you anything. I’ll go with you and show you exactly where Father buried that money.”
Silas spewed his tobacco juice so it landed on Charles’s face. “That’s my girl.” He lumbered toward the door. “Come on, Walsh.”
Walsh stood, cradling Ranger in his large hand.
“Leave the dog, Walsh,” Maddie said.
“But I like him, Maddie.” He rubbed the dog against his cheek. “I want to keep him.”
“Leave him,” she ordered.
“He can take him if he wants,” Silas said.
She planted her hands on her hips. “I am the only one left who knows where my father buried that strongbox. You’d better give some thought to keeping me happy.”
“Leave the dog,” Silas growled.
Petulantly, Walsh dumped Ranger into his box and lumbered out of the room. Silas grabbed Maddie’s arm. She looked toward Charles. “Forgive me,” she whispered before she was jerked outside.
Charles struggled against the rope that chafed his wrists. He pulled, strained, and thought about toppling the chair over, but it would gain him nothing but Ranger’s tongue in his face. He dropped his chin against his chest. Thoughts rumbled through his mind like a storm encroaching on the sunshine. How could he have been so wrong? What would he tell the children?
He strengthened his resolve, gritted his teeth, and worked the bindings. It was still dark when he slipped his hands free. He yanked the soiled cloth from his mouth, untied his feet, and rushed to the water pump. Filling his cupped hands, he drank and splashed the cool water on his face at the same time.
He didn’t want to burden his son, but at the moment, he didn’t see much choice. He had no desire to trust this matter to the local sheriff or have nosy neighbors asking questions. He’d wake Aaron and explain only enough so the boy would be alert, but not frightened. He’d leave him to watch the girls while he rode hell-bent-for-leather to Austin. He and Jesse could be back here before nightfall. It’d put Jesse a day behind the men who’d taken Maddie, but knowing his brother, Charles knew one day wouldn’t make a difference.
He walked quickly through the dining area into the foyer. Unexpectedly, he felt the storm rage through his head and the pain rush at him stronger, with more fury, than it ever had before. He squeezed his eyes shut, pressed the heels of his hands against his temples, and staggered back. “Dear God, not now, please not now!” The anguished prayer went unanswered. He collapsed across the stairs and sank into the black abyss.
Jesse sat in the chair, his hand cupping his chin. He’d drifted off to sleep a couple of times during the afternoon, but stark images of men wanted for murder kept intruding on his peace. He’d ridden most of the night to get back to the inn, knew he should be riding now, but he’d be damned if he was going to leave before Charles came to.
Charles groaned. Jesse eased up in the chair and placed his hand on his shoulder. Charles opened his eyes, then slammed them shut. “Sweet Lord.”
“You in a lot of pain?”
“There comes a time when you stop measuring it by its intensity. I’m at that moment.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Laudanum. Top drawer of the dresser.”
Jesse retrieved the painkiller. He spooned the liquid into Charles’s mouth. Groaning, Charles dropped his head on the pillow. “When did you get here?”
“Around noon. Found you at the bottom of the stairs with a blanket draped over you.”
“The children?”
“They’re fine. They ate sponge cake for breakfast, then kept vigil at your side. Aaron was afraid to go for help, afraid to leave the girls.”
“How’d you know to come back?”
“I didn’t. I needed to talk to Maddie.”
Alarmed by the resignation he heard in Jesse’s voice, Charles opened his eyes. Jesse touched the raw wound on his wrist. “Want to tell me what happened here?”
Struggling, Charles managed to sit up. “Two men came and took Maddie.”
Jesse bolted from the chair, charged across the room, braced both hands on the window, and gazed out at nothing. “She go with them willingly?”
“I wouldn’t exactly say she was willing. They said she knew where some money was buried and threatened to shoot me if she didn’t tell them where it was.” When Jesse didn’t respond, Charles forced himself to ask the question he wasn’t certain he wanted answered, afraid he already knew the answer. “What’d you find out in Austin?”
Releasing a great gust of air, Jesse bowed his head. “What I suspected all along. Her father and brother weren’t passengers on that stage, Charles.” He cast a sidelong glance at his brother. “They were the ones robbing it.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. “Her father was known as the Highwayman because of his pronounced accent. Whenever he stopped a stagecoach, he yelled, ‘Stand and deliver,’ which is common among highwaymen in England. In the beginning, he rode with his son. Then later, what was believed to be another son joined the ranks. Since they never killed anyone, they were considered relatively harmless but irritating when they relieved passengers of their valuables. A few years back, their popularity faded when they hitched up with two men who were rough and quick to pull the trigger.”
Charles groaned. “The two men … Maddie called them by name.”
“Silas and Walsh?”
Charles nodded. “Don’t you dare say you told me so.”
Jesse threw his head back and tunneled his fingers through his hair. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Charles rubbed his brow. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going after them. They’ve killed four men.”
“Wonder why Maddie never mentioned that she had another brother.”
“Because she didn’t have another brother.” Jesse tossed the paper onto the bed.
Charles read the description of the youth. It was too vague for an artist to draw a likeness, but it contained enough description that if a man knew the outlaw, he’d recognize her. He jerked his head up. “What are you going to do?”
“I told you. Go after them.”
“What are you going to do about Maddie?”
Averting his gaze, Jesse walked toward the door. Charles struggled out of bed and stood unsteadily. “Jesus Christ! Jesse, for once in your life, don’t think this thing to death.”
Jesse stopped, his hand on the doorknob. “I haven’t thought anything through since you brought her home, and I’ve regretted it every time I didn’t.” He opened the door and walked out.
Pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead, Charles rushed after him. “Well, while you’re thinking this to death, consider this. She doesn’t know where the money is. She only told them she did so no harm would come to me or the children.”
Partway down the stairs, Jesse halted and glanced over his shoulder. “How do you figure that?”
“If she knew where the money was, she wouldn’t have had to step into Bev’s parlor.”
“Maybe she didn’t have the means to get to it.”
Charles held his brother’s unflinching gaze. “I’d think if a woman had a choice between stepping into Bev’s parlor or crawling on her hands and knees to a strongbox filled with money, she’d crawl.”
With the lightness of a shadow, Jesse approached the weathered shack hidden deep within the dense thicket. He’d been trailing them for three days. Twilight surrounded him. He knew it would be to his advantage to wait until the break of day, to catch them unaware at first light. That’s the way he’d been taught to do it.