Texas Moon TH4 (43 page)

Peter gave a halting grin, then turned back to set the horse in motion. He wasn't used to being embarrassed, and he didn't know how to respond. This woman beside him made him feel emotions he hadn't thought himself capable of feeling. They were all stirred together in a cauldron of confusion right now. He tried to stick with the known and leave the unknown to settle itself out.

"Why did Stephen follow you here?"

Accepting this change of topic, Janice wiped her eyes and went back to watching the road for any clue of Betsy. "I don't know. He showed up by himself a few weeks ago. He tried to talk as if he'd seen me yesterday instead of ten years ago. He knew Betsy was his. Everyone in the town where I came from knew it back then. He must have gone home and heard the rumors sometime. I don't know why he chose now to seek me out."

Peter didn't want to think about what she meant by Stephen's talking as if he'd seen her yesterday. He could imagine the sweet words a loving couple might have said to each other. He scowled. "Did he touch you?"

"I wouldn't let him in the house. I told him if he didn't leave, I would shoot him ."

Peter's eyebrows soared. "Shoot him? You had a gun?"

"Mr. Martin left a shotgun. It was in the house, but I could have gotten it if I needed it. I didn't. Stephen finally got the message and left."

"Mr. Martin?"

Janice sent him a curious look. "Mr. Martin. You know, from town? He helped me to find your cabin. He brought us supplies a time or two. He's been real kind to us. I thought he was a friend of yours."

"I don't know any Martin. What does he look like?"

Janice's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed as she tried to think. "He's tall, maybe even taller than you. He's kind of grizzled and a bit stoop-shouldered though, so I figure he's not young. He always keeps his hat pulled over his face so I can't see much. He wears a holster and has a rifle with him, and he wears a really ratty-looking leather vest. I thought it looked worse than Jason's." As a thought hit her, she turned to stare up at him expectantly. "I asked him once if he'd ever been in Natchez. I could have sworn he was the same man I spoke to in Natchez. He never answered me."

Peter's mouth tightened into a grim line. "And he calls himself Martin?"

Janice thought a minute. "He never called himself anything. One of the men in town called him Martin."

"Damn Daniel to hell and back," Peter muttered, slashing at the reins.

Janice glanced at him in surprise.

When she said nothing, he sent her a grim look. "If it had been anybody else, I would have my doubts, but Daniel has a hole where his brains ought to be. He's sent Pecos Martin to look after us."

Janice stared at him in astonishment. Pecos Martin was the imaginary hero of Daniel's western novels. Peter must be losing his mind.

Chapter 35

Janice didn't have long to reflect on the possibility that her husband was madder than the proverbial hatter. The rattle of wagon wheels and pounding of horse hooves swung her attention back to the road ahead.

Peter settled his rifle across his lap and guided the horse to a wide space at the side of the road. Janice closed her hands tightly over her shotgun. There wasn't any question of running. The people riding around the curve were coming at a pace much greater than theirs.

The first horse burst from the cover of the trees and Janice let out a gasp. Manuel! It didn't seem possible. What could he possibly be doing out here?

The next horse to follow explained everything. Daniel Mulloney's lanky figure was unmistakable even after five years of absence.

By the time the wagon rounded the curve, Peter groaned in surrender. Setting the rifle aside, he watched as Tyler whipped a four-horse team up the narrow road and Evie clung to the seat beside him. Peter wouldn't have been in the least surprised if Georgie had been with them. He gave Daniel's wife credit for having the sense to stay home and take care of her new babe. He assumed she'd had the babe by now or Daniel wouldn't be here.

Manuel and Daniel reared their horses to a halt and whooped at sight of the wagon. Daniel leaped from his saddle and pulled Janice from her seat before she could protest. He swung her around and kissed her roundly, then set her down and grinned up at the fury on his younger brother's face.

"I'm damned glad to see that ugly mug of yours, Aloysius." Daniel grinned as Peter's expression soured even further at the sound of his hated middle name. "When I had word that you'd gone missing and left your new bride alone, I thought I would have to come find you and strangle you."

Peter turned his sour look from Daniel to Manuel and back to Tyler. The line of communication here was rather obvious. Janice had left Carmen worrying. Carmen had immediately told her brother Manuel, who had told their cousin Evie. Evie of the big mouth had instantly informed both Tyler and Daniel. This wasn't a family that kept secrets from one another.

"As much as I would like to spend time expressing gratitude for your concern, I haven't got time. Did you just come up from Gage?"

Tyler was out of the wagon and standing with the others by now. All three men turned at Peter's tone. Janice climbed back up beside him. Her face was pale and set and not one of joy.

"We were on the noon train. We spent the night at the stage station," Daniel answered for them. "What's wrong?" His eyes narrowed with concern.

"Betsy's been kidnapped. I don't know if you remember her. Did you see any little girls at the station?" Janice spoke quickly. Daniel had been her friend when she had most needed one. He'd always been kind to Betsy, but that had been five years ago.

Tyler was already running back to the wagon. Evie held the horses' reins, easing them to the side of the road so they could turn around. Manuel cursed and climbed back into his saddle. Only Daniel remained where he was, hanging on to the wagon wheel and staring up at the worried couple on the seat.

"We'd all know Betsy if we'd seen her. We didn't. I think you'd better tell me the story while we ride." Instead of mounting his horse, Daniel tied it to the back of the wagon. Before Peter could protest, he climbed up, shoving Janice over and taking the reins. "You look like hell. Save your breath for talking. I'll drive."

Janice adjusted her position between the two men and managed to capture one of Peter's hands before he could reappropriate the leather. Daniel was right. Peter's cough had not improved with the ride. He ought to be lying in the back of the wagon instead of driving. She didn't dare push him that far, but she could keep him from arguing foolishly. She leaned against him, and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her. Daniel set the wagon into motion the instant Tyler had his turned around.

The story was a long time in the telling since it had to begin with why Peter had disappeared for so long. Manuel served as messenger between the two wagons, carrying snippets of the story up to Evie and Tyler, then coming back for more.

It was while Manuel was with Tyler that Peter answered one of Daniel's unspoken questions.

"Townsend says what we've found ought to be sufficient to repay Tyler's loan. We own the mountain. One day we can come back and try to excavate deeper. For now, I want to bring Janice and Betsy home."

Janice jerked her hand away from him and sat up straight, but she didn't contradict her husband in public. She just clenched her teeth and kept her eyes on the road. Betsy came before any argument over where they were going or when.

Beside her, Daniel gave them a thoughtful glance, but Manuel was already on his way back. He answered simply, "You know you're always welcome. Mother asks about you constantly. That's one of the reasons I'm here."

Peter lifted a scornful brow. "Didn't your friend Martin tell you where I was?"

Daniel shifted a little uncomfortably on the seat. Janice could almost swear he flushed a little.

"He's not much of a letter writer. He does what he wants. I haven't heard from him in weeks. Have you seen him?"

"No, but Janice has. I didn't even know he was out there. He does his job well, I'd say. How long have you had him following me?"

Daniel shrugged. "I wouldn't exactly say I had him following you. I just asked if he'd keep an eye out for you when I hadn't heard from you in a while." He turned and winked at Janice, who listened to this with astonishment. "The last I heard from Pecos, he said my brother had good taste in women. He must have decided looking after you was more important than looking after Peter. Or more interesting."

Janice ignored the implied compliment. "You aren't really telling me that man was Pecos Martin, are you?"

Daniel grinned. "It's a little like saying I talk to Santa Claus, isn't it? But those dime novels get written about real people often enough. You've heard about Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok and Annie Oakley. They're all real people. Why shouldn't Pecos be real?"

"I'm not even sure the others are real," she muttered. "Nobody can do the things those dime novels say."

"Well now, that's another story entirely. I make up Martin's exploits for my books. He comments on them occasionally. He didn't like it when I had him wooing women, for instance. He's not much of a skirt chaser. I think he meant to correct me physically at one point, but he's come to enjoy the notoriety some. I doubt if he has any real friends, but he's willing to help out upon occasion."

Peter growled and pulled Janice closer to him and away from his brother. "I don't fancy some outlaw gunslinger hanging around my wife. I'd suggest you call him off."

"I'll drop a note to his box, but I can't promise when he'll pick it up. I'm surprised that he didn't go up the mountain after you, or take off after these men who took Betsy. That's more his style than flirting with the ladies." Daniel sent Janice a look of concern. "Why would anyone kidnap Betsy? Do they know about the gold?"

Peter hadn't mentioned her relationship to the kidnappers. Janice glanced down at her hands, letting him explain as he thought best.

"I think one of them is a cowpoke I tangled with back in Mineral Springs. His name is Bobby Fairweather. Remember those fires I told you about?" Peter addressed this to Daniel over Janice's head.

Daniel nodded. "You thought they were set, but you were the one who got blamed for them."

"I'm almost certain the first one was set. I did some nosing around, and Bobby's name came up a time or two too often." Peter ignored Janice's look of surprise. "He's the spiteful kind who harbors grudges and likes to get revenge for every sort of imagined slight or wrong. He talked against Janice in the presence of some of his cronies a couple of times." He gave Janice a wicked grin. "You weren't very nice to the boy, you know."

"He's a malicious drunk and a lazy no-account," Janice replied serenely.

Daniel chuckled. "And no doubt you told him so to his face."

"I don't believe in talking behind people's backs." She squeezed her hands together. It had never occurred to her that Bobby would be so small-minded as to try to get even with her for words said in argument.

"That's mighty high-minded of you, but Bobby took offense. And then there are always those who thought a woman shouldn't be teaching their young ones and so on and so forth, so he probably convinced himself he was doing a good deed. Besides, he was drunk most of the time and probably liked showing off at fires."

Manuel intervened. "I caught him setting a prairie fire once. The boy is sick. I told Jason to keep an eye on him, but Bobby's always been good at playing possum."

Peter nodded. "I haven't got any proof on either fire. No one saw him either time except afterward, when he was helping to douse the fires. But he's been known to have words with the bootlegger who died in that shack. He was there gambling that night. I know that much. But I asked a few too many questions after that first fire. Bobby heard about it and we had words. He could have set the second fire just to get even with me, knowing who the sheriff would go after."

"And now he's here with Stephen. What does that mean?" Janice clenched her hands in fury as much as anguish. She'd never liked Bobby Fairweather, but she was ready to murder him now.

"Probably just that birds of a feather stick together. Stephen asked after us. Bobby repeated some malicious gossip. Their minds started working in the same direction. They could have come here with just this plan in mind."