by Barbara Goss
When the commotion of his swearing in had settled down, after he’d been congratulated by half the town, he walked to the church and arranged to be married the following Saturday. After that, he went to Goodwin and Sons Jewelers and bought a modest wedding band for Leila.
He went back to his office where he and Jack rearranged the furniture, as they no longer had to share an office with a federal marshal.
Next, Dan went to the newspaper office and had them print twenty-five signs that he would post in just about every location in Hays. The sign read: No Carrying of Firearms Within Town Limits. No Exceptions. Violators Will Be Thrown into Jail. In smaller letters: Beginning Immediately.
Dan went back to the office and told Jack and Eustace, “Give the town a day to get used to the new law, and then start giving warnings. After that, confiscate the guns with a warning that they'll be arrested the next time they’re caught, they’ll be arrested.”
“What do we do with their guns?” Jack asked.
“We’ll lock them up in the wall safe, and if the violator wants his gun back he’ll have to pay a fine,” Dan said. “I aim to keep this town safe, since this is where I plan to raise a family.”
He gave Jack and Eustace their orders but before leaving, he turned to Jack and said, “Oh, I forgot to mention: Joe Austin has threatened to kill me. He tried to blackmail Leila into marrying him by saying that if she didn’t, he’d shoot me, so keep your eye out for him.”
Dan headed for the Walker place. He couldn’t wait to give Leila his news.
On the trail leading to the Walkers’, Dan ran into Jeremy who was on his way home from the lumberyard. Jeremy pulled his horse alongside Dan’s, and they walked the horses as they talked.
“Well, how was your first day as sheriff?”
“It went great. So many people came out to watch the swearing in, and they actually cheered. That made my day,” Dan said.
“So, did you get the license and talk to the reverend?”
“I did both,” Dan said. “I have everything I need now, except for a place to live. I’ll check around for a flat tomorrow. Eustace thinks the flat over the hardware store's vacant.”
“A flat should do for now, but…” Jeremy hit his hand to his head. “I have a great idea!”
Dan looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“Kate’s old homestead is just a half-mile from my place. It needs fixing, but I bought it from the bank, mostly because the place has memories for Kate and it was cheap enough,” Jeremy said. “I’ll just have to check to see if Kate minds us renting it to you, with the option to buy it, of course. Every month’s rent you pay me will go toward buying it—If you’d like the place, that is. Heck, we don’t need the money, so the rent will be cheap enough.”
“Can we take a look at it?” Dan asked.
“Sure. Want to go now?”
“I’d like Leila to come. It’ll be her home, too.”
Jeremy grinned. “You have what it takes to make a fine husband. Good idea.”
The men tied their horses and went into the house. Kate and Leila were in the sitting room, sewing. After mutual greetings, Jeremy signaled to Kate. “I need to speak to you for a moment in the kitchen, Kate,” he said.
Kate put her sewing down and walked to the kitchen with Jeremy.
Leila also put down her sewing and walked over and into Dan’s waiting arms. They just held each other for several moments without speaking.
“I missed you,” Leila said.
“I missed you, too,” Dan said. “But I got a lot accomplished today. We’re going to marry on Saturday—this Saturday—which is only three days from now. Is that all right with you?”
“I have to wait three whole days?” she asked with a grin.
“I’m afraid so,” Dan said. “Say, did you see my new badge?”
Leila fingered the shiny badge. “I’ve never kissed a sheriff before.”
Dan bent down and kissed her. “Now you have.”
“All right,” Jeremy said as he stormed into the room, pulling Kate with him. “Break it up. You’ll have all next week for that. Right now, we’re all going for a walk.”
Leila looked up at Dan with curiosity.
“It’s a bit of a surprise, right, Jeremy?” Dan asked.
“A very big surprise,” Kate said. “Let’s go!”
Leila didn’t care one way or another where they were going as long as she was with Dan she was happy. Dan took her hand. She looked up at him and smiled, and he squeezed her hand in response. She couldn’t have been happier—until they came around a turn in the road and the house came into view. Dan stopped at the path leading to the house and pulled her to stand in front of him. He put both arms over her shoulders and pulled her closely to him.
“See that house, Leila? It’s going to be ours,” Dan said into her ear.
Not only did his words give her goose bumps, but also it gave her another reason to celebrate, as she had Dan and they had a real home.
“It needs some work, but we’ll have fun fixing it up just knowing it’s ours,” Dan said, kissing the top of her head.
Leila turned and looked up at him. “It’s really ours?”
“It will be. We’re going to rent it—”
“No!” Kate interrupted. “Not renting. Jeremy and I are making it a wedding gift.”
“Seriously?” Dan said. “That’s too large a gift. I can’t accept it.”
At Dan’s words, Leila’s smile faded.
“The house needs more work than you can see from the doorstep, Dan,” Jeremy said. “We actually bought the place for two reasons: Kate’s memories, and we feared that people might move in that we won't see eye to eye with. Years ago, my father and Kate’s father had quite a quarrel, but we both agreed that we’d love to have you two for neighbors. The house is yours, free and clear.”
“We’ll transfer the deed tomorrow, but it needs a lot of work. If you want to stay with us until its habitable, that’s fine,” Kate said. “We have plenty of room.”
Dan spoke for both of them, stroking Leila’s arm as he did. “Leila and I will discuss it and let you know.”
“Can we go inside now?” Leila asked.
The front door to the house squeaked as Jeremy opened it. He stood back and let them enter.
Leila gasped, and Dan put his arm around her for support.
“I warned you,” Kate said.
“Phew!” Dan exclaimed. “What hit this place?”
“Years of neglect and people breaking in and staying here from time to time. After my brother and I moved out, the bank foreclosed, and I’m guessing they never sold the place. As you can see, we left some furniture, such as it is.”
Dan and Leila walked through the dining room and then into the kitchen. A mouse scampered across the floor. Kate screamed and ran into Jeremy’s arms, and at the same time, Leila jumped into Dan’s arms.
“It’s just a wee little mouse, darlin’,” Dan said. “We can keep him as a pet, if you’d like. We could even name him. What do you think?”
Leila looked up at Dan, saw the beginning of a smile on his lips, and she grinned back. “Not on your life. The mice go before I move in.”
Joe Austin stood at the bar and waved to the barman to bring him another drink. He’d barely gotten himself a buzz-on after six mugs of beer. He thought that if this last mug didn’t do the trick, he’d go on to the harder stuff. He had to try to forget he'd lost yet another bride.
“You’d better get rid of that gun belt, Joe,” Mort Flannigan said as he sidled up beside him and waved to the barman.
“Why would I want to do a dumb thing like that?” Joe asked.
“The new sheriff has made it against the town laws to carry a gun, that’s why.”
“New sheriff?” Joe let out a loud burp. “Who’s the new sheriff?”
“Big Dan McCall. Everyone’s talking about it.”
Joe slammed his mug down on the bar and cursed. “Bring me a whiskey,” he yelled at th
e barman.
“What?” Mort asked.
“I hate McCall. He’s the one who locked up my brother and his friends, and now he’s stolen my bride.”
“I don’t think he’s married, Joe.”
“Not yet. I hear he’s getting ready to marry my bride,” Joe said. Then in a whisper he added, “I’m going to kill him before that ceremony takes place.”
“Aw, why would you do that? I hear he’s a good man.”
“He’s a dead man.” Joe emptied his whiskey glass and headed for the door. “Later, Mort.”
Chapter 16
“Leila and I own a house,” Dan told Jack as he cut into his meatloaf at Rosie’s.
“You bought a house already? One day I find out you're betrothed and the next, a homeowner. What’s next, a baby?” Jack laughed.
“That’s not funny, Jack, but it may be the next big news after our wedding. I never thought about marriage and a family before, in fact, I was completely adverse to it, but now I can hardly wait. I suppose that comes with falling in love.”
“Am I invited to the wedding?” Jack asked.
“Yes, but you’ll also be on duty. In fact, you’ll be in charge for a few days afterwards so I can get better acquainted with my wife.”
“I rather thought so. It’s been quiet. So far I haven’t spotted any guns being worn in town. I didn’t think it would be so easy, Dan.”
“Oh, I’m sure there are a few guns tucked away into boots, but we’re getting there,” Dan said.
“Eustace said he had to break up a saloon fight last night. The two men were in jail this morning when I came in,” Jack said. “Other than that, things have been quiet. John Rothchild said everyone's a bit leery of Big Dan McCall and they've been behaving because of it. The town’s not sure what to expect from you, Dan.”
Dan’s brows furrowed. “Any news on my impending death at the hands of Joe Austin?”
“I haven’t heard a word,” Jack replied.
“I was thinking,” Dan said, rubbing his temples as he spoke, “we need a canary.”
“Why in the world would we need a bird, Dan?” Jack looked at Dan as if he’d lost his head rather than his heart.
“A canary's someone whom we can trust to dig up some dirt around town and report back to us,” Dan explained.
“John Rothchild! He’s always giving me the heads up on something or other,” Jack said. “John owns the Gold Mine Saloon, and he hears just about everything.”
“Good.” Dan pushed his plate away. “We better get back to work. The print manager at the newspaper office said he’s finished running off the wanted posters, and I’m to pick them up.”
“You go ahead and pick them up, and I’ll go back to the office,” Jack said.
“All right. See if you can find Rothchild and tell him to listen for news of Joe Austin, especially where it concerns me,” Dan said.
Kate handed a packet of papers to Leila along with two keys. “You and Dan are now homeowners.”
“Thank you, Kate.” Leila rushed over and hugged her. “How can we ever repay you?”
“By being the good neighbors I know you will be.” Kate laughed and hugged Leila back. “We’ll have so much fun. In fact, let’s walk over and measure for drapes and curtains—we have work to do.”
The two women walked over to the house. Kate stood on the porch, waiting for Leila to open the door with her new key, but Leila hesitated. “Do you suppose that mouse is still in there?”
“Dan and Jeremy set some traps, and I think they got them all,” Kate said.
Leila fit the key into the door's lock and stepped into the sitting room. She stood frozen for a few seconds before smiling back at Kate. “They cleaned, too!”
“Yep, they did.” Kate pulled Leila into the kitchen. “Look!”
“A new stove!” Leila clapped her hands together silently. “Oh, how lovely!” She swung around and grabbed Kate’s shoulders. “I don’t know how to cook!”
“I can teach you while you stay with us.” Kate patted her arm. “Don’t worry about a thing. The stove's a wedding gift from Eustace and Jack.”
“Oh, that’s so caring of them, as well as you and Jeremy. You’re all so generous.”
“It’s what good folks here do,” Kate said.
Leila sighed. “I’m worried about Dan getting killed. He has a dangerous job and with Joe’s threat—oh, Kate, I don’t know what I’d do if—”
“Leila! Dan’s been a lawman for eight years now. He knows how to take care of himself. Stop worrying.”
“You’re right. Let’s measure the windows.”
After the windows had been measured, Kate said, “I think we can go to the mercantile and pick out some fabric tomorrow.”
“What will we do for furniture?”
Kate gazed around. “When my brother and I moved out we left some furniture that wouldn’t fit into our small flat. There’s a single bed in the downstairs bedroom, and this sofa could be covered. Then, little by little, you and Dan can add things.”
“We’ll need a table and chairs—that one doesn’t look too sturdy.” Leila pointed to a rickety dining set. “And definitely a double bed.”
“Otis Johnson makes furniture. You might want to talk to him,” Kate said. “He orders all of his wood from Jeremy.”
“We’ll do that after we pick out our fabric tomorrow.” Leila gazed around the sitting room. “I think we can fix this place up into something we can be proud of.”
Kate laughed. “I think so, too.”
Dan leaned back in his office chair and asked John Rothchild, “So, you’re going to let us know what’s going on around town? I’m especially interested in what Joe Austin’s up to. Do you know him well?”
“I know him. His closest friend is a man named Leo, a ranch hand on his place. Leo’s known for being a bit loose-lipped especially when he’s drinking," John said. "I may zero in on him rather than Joe who’d get wise to me since I’ve never been what you'd call fond of him.”
“Sounds good,” Dan said. “Joe plans to kill me, so if I know his plans, I might be able to turn the tables on him.”
“I’ll see what I can discover,” Rothchild said. “I do know he was wearing a gun the other day in the saloon. He was drinking heavily, too.
“Speak of the devil,” Rothchild said, nodding toward the front window.
Dan turned to see Jack leading a man into the office, jabbing his gun against the man’s back.
“Is that Leo?” Dan asked.
“Yep.”
Jack pushed Leo into the office, led him to a cell, slammed the door shut, and locked it. He threw the ring of keys on Dan’s desk. “Drunk and disorderly.”
“We’ll let him sleep it off,” Dan said, winking at Rothchild, “and maybe John here will bring him some dinner later.”
“Want to get some lunch, Dan?” Jack asked.
“Yep. I’m starving. Would you like to come along, John?”
“No. I have to get back to my saloon and finish up my paperwork so I can have supper with Leo.”
Once Dan and Jack had returned to the office from lunch, Jack asked, “Are you seeing your bride tonight?”
“I am. We’re going to go to our new house and discuss what we need to do to fix it up.”
“If you need any help, you only have to ask,” Jack offered.
“Thank you. I might just do that, though you’ve done plenty by getting us the new stove.”
“To be honest, Eustace ordered it for his own kitchen but it didn’t fit, so I paid him half the price and we decided to give it to you and Leila as a wedding gift.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you remember Fred Haskell?” Jack asked.
“Isn’t he the one we talked to about the stolen cattle?”
Dan held his finger to his lips and pointed to the back room where the cells were.
Jack lowered his voice. “Yes. I ran into him today and he said we should check out Joe Austin’s cattle. His weren�
�t branded, but the other men had brands on theirs. According to Fred, Joe actually distorts the brand. Like if the brand is PC, he’d change the P to a B or the C to a G,” Jack said. “Then, if questioned, he says he bought the cattle from a ranch with that brand.”
“Interesting. Next time you see Joe in town, go take a look. I’d do it myself but with the wedding in just a few days and his threat to kill me, I don’t want to press my luck by going to his house.”
“I don’t mind doing it,” Jack said. “Doesn’t it worry you that someone wants to take you out? You could be walking down the road and he could just shoot you in the back. I’d be nervous if it were me.”
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t concern me, because right now I have a reason to live. Before I met Leila, dying didn’t concern me. There wasn’t anyone to care anymore, and I didn't know how long I'd be able to continue as a marshal. What would I do when I got too old to fight crime?”
Dan did some paperwork, and put it all away, locked his desk, and said, “That’s it for today.”
“You going home already?” Jack asked.
Dan smiled. “I’m anxious to see my bride and take her to our new house. We have a lot of work to do, but if I'm lucky, we might find a bit of time to do a some kissing, too.”
“I’m willing to help—with the fixin’, not the kissin',” Jack said with a wide grin. “Just let me know and I’ll be there. Where is it anyway?”
“It’s just a half mile up the road from the Walker place on Buckner Road.”
“Well, that’s easy enough. I’ll be there anytime you need me,” Jack said. “I’ll be leaving myself as soon as Eustace gets here.”
“Be sure to remind him we have a prisoner,” Dan said.
“Oh, yeah. Should we keep him overnight?”
Dan thought for several seconds and then asked, “What’d he do?”
“He was drunk and started a fist fight with another man in the Horseshoe Saloon.”
