by Ember Pierce
* * *
She could feel tears brimming in her eyes, ready to fall. Kristian took a step toward her, but Bonny stumbled several steps back.
* * *
He had reached a hand out but when she moved away from him, he let it fall back to his side.
* * *
Bonny continued, “That’s where all the money has gone, hasn’t it? To you and your drinking buddy? Have you been drinking the whole time I’ve been here?”
* * *
“What? No,” Kristian spluttered. “Bonny, let me explain.”
* * *
He clasped his hands in front of his chest in a pleading gesture, but Bonny turned away. She wasn’t going to let him see her cry.
* * *
To steady herself, she took two deep breaths, and then turned to face him again. He looked stricken, and Bonny felt her heart kick against her ribs.
* * *
She thought she might have been falling in love with him, but being a drinker was worse than him being a liar.
* * *
She was not able to marry a drinker. That was the ultimate deal breaker.
* * *
“Don’t,” she said. “There is no way that you can explain away your lies.”
* * *
His voice was harsh and sounded like hurricane waves battering a high cliff, spitting out bits of stone and rock. “Bonny! I wasn’t drinking with anybody!”
* * *
His tone was fierce and, she thought, indignant. It silenced her.
* * *
“I saw a friend at the saloon and I went in, but I did not have a drink. I forget the exact day I quit drinking but it was before you came and I haven’t touched a drop of liquor since.
* * *
“I know how you feel about alcohol, and my love for you means everything to me, certainly more than sipping whisky in a saloon.
* * *
“I went in to say hello to a friend and to, for a minute or two, get my mind off a subject—a subject that does concern our marriage, a matter I was struggling with.”
* * *
Bonny looked at him with shock and bewilderment. Despite her hurt and anger at what he had done, the fury of his rage had an element of truth in it, she thought.
* * *
She thought for a moment. She had not actually seen him taking a drink. She had seen him walking out of the saloon. Nothing more.
* * *
For a moment, she didn’t know if she wanted to believe him. She shifted on her feet and looked around the room.
* * *
“Look at me. Do I look drunk? Do I sound drunk?”
* * *
Almost imperceptibly, she shook her head.
* * *
“We have to get this straightened out and straightened out now, or we never will. I had to decide something in my mind.
* * *
“It’s about the debts I ran up when I was drinking. I think I know a way to clear the sheet and start over.
* * *
“I’m not sure you would like it and, now, I’m not sure you would care anyway. But I’m going to see if I can wipe the slate clean. And we can start fresh, with no debts.”
* * *
For a moment, she said nothing. She opened her mouth once but closed it again without speaking.
* * *
“Would you give me a chance to explain?”
* * *
She stood by the table, rubbing her jaw, then sighed. She moved to the table’s other side, and pulled out a chair.
* * *
Then, she walked around to the other side and pulled out the second chair. She eased down into it.
* * *
“I came more than a thousand miles out here. Perhaps I should listen before I go back more than a thousand miles,” she said.
* * *
He dropped onto the seat. “I thought of a way to clear away the debts and to get enough money to build a room on the house, that little library you always wanted.
* * *
“A wall full of bookshelves, full of books. A place to read and contemplate beauty. It’s not a nice job, but it’s legal and, to be honest, a lot of men in the West have done from time to time.”
* * *
Her eyes froze with interest. “And your friend knew about this job?”
* * *
Kristian nodded. “Yes, he’s done it a few times. Guess he could say he’s something of a pro. So, I asked him for advice.”
* * *
“What is this job?”
* * *
“Bounty hunting,” Kristian said. “You may not know this about the West, Bonny, but at times, the county or the state puts a bounty on the head of an outlaw.
* * *
“They might be as low as fifty dollars or as high as a thousand. I have seen one five thousand dollar bounty. Most bounties vary between two hundred and five hundred dollars.
* * *
“A bounty hunter would go track the man and bring him in and collect the reward. I won’t kid you, some bounty hunters kill their targets.
* * *
“Some go out with the intention of killing a man. Others do their best to bring their man in alive. My friend brings his people in still breathing. He’s never had to kill someone.”
* * *
“You’re saying this is why you went into a saloon?”
* * *
“Yes.” Kristian reached into his shirt and pulled out a piece of paper. He unfolded it and showed it to her.
* * *
The man had narrow, angry eyes and a full beard. The poster listed his name as Cougar Smith, and after the dollar mark on the poster there was an eight and two zeros.
* * *
Bonny gasped when she read that the man was charged with murder.
* * *
“Mr. Smith shot a rancher over in Kincaid County, a man named Emmet Willcox. From all the rumors, Mr. Willcox was a very decent man.
* * *
“He had come out here about thirty years ago and built his spread over the decades, very friendly with his neighbors and a man of decency and integrity. He was going to purchase about thirty acres of land when he was waylaid.
* * *
“Don’t know how Smith knew the man was carrying the money to buy the property, but he did. Shot Willcox twice before the man could even draw his gun. Got men in three counties looking for him.”
* * *
Bonny, still shocked, held up the wanted poster. “And you mean to tell me you are going to become a bounty hunter and look for this man?”
* * *
Kristian nodded. “I’ve been thinking very seriously about it. You know about my days with the bottle, but before I popped the cork on a few ounces of whisky, I was a pretty good shot and a pretty good tracker.
* * *
“Of course, a lot of people in the West are, but my skills were considerable, too. I have a hunch I could find Mr. Smith and I wouldn’t take too long to do it.”
* * *
“And you would… bring him in?” she asked.
* * *
“Bound and hogtied. With the money on his head, I could pay off all my debts and start us off with a new life.” He flicked the poster with his finger.
* * *
“You can see I’m not lying to you, I’ve been talking to the sheriff. That’s where I got the poster. And you can talk to my friend and he will back up my story.
* * *
“My friend is not like me. He has not given up drinking, and he will admit he has a few flaws, but lying is not one of them. Most men in the West stand by their word, Bonny.
* * *
“If they make you a promise, you can count on it. He will tell you there was no drink on my side of the table.”
* * *
She held up the poster again. “You would go after this man for me.”
* * *
“I’d go after him for us. To give us a new start.” He
gave her a smile. “I have nothing against hard work. I’ve done some in my life.
* * *
“I’d gladly work five years or ten to pay off debts if you’d stay with me. I figure this is a bit quicker and easier, and it will keep me sober.
* * *
“I’ve been on one posse, and you don’t drink. You don’t want anything slowing down your reflexes.
* * *
“The bounty on Mr. Smith is dead or alive. I prefer him alive. I don’t want to kill someone, but if it comes to that… can you accept that?
* * *
“You don’t feel about bounty hunting the way you feel about drinking, do you?”
* * *
Shocked, Bonny let the poster slip from her fingers. It fell to the table. She felt a rush of emotions.
* * *
A few seconds ago, she had been angry with her husband for taking one drink with a friend in a saloon. Now, Kristian was talking about risking his life to bring in a wanted man.
* * *
She hated drinking, but now, sipping from a glass in a saloon seemed… almost trivial. Insignificant.
* * *
She swallowed. She also felt guilty in not giving him the benefit of the doubt. He had been trustworthy and he loved her. She should have listened to his explanation.
* * *
What was wrong with her? She was not the type of woman to leap to conclusions. She didn’t shout and jump and spit cotton about small things.
* * *
For one thing, she was too busy working.
* * *
For a moment, she didn’t know what to do. Or what to say. She reached over and gently touched his hand.
* * *
The gesture brought a small from his lips, and his eyes lightened. Previously, they had seemed to be weighted down by a heaviness.
* * *
The gaiety that had just begun to show had, for a while, disappeared. But that gaiety was fighting back.
* * *
“I was wrong,” Bonny said softly. “At the very least, I should have given you the benefit of the doubt. That’s the least a wife owes her husband.”
* * *
She showed a brief smile. “Especially a husband who is teaching his wife how to ride. And will build a library for her. I believe you, honey. You did not lie to me.
* * *
“You were not taking a drink. But right now, it seems almost irrelevant. You could get killed, Kristian. We can work off the debt. You don’t need to hunt a man like Smith.”
* * *
He squeezed her hand, and knew he had found his way into her heart again. She wasn’t heading back east.
* * *
“Bonny, before I became… basically a drunk, I was a pretty good cowboy. I know I have the skills to take Smith.
* * *
“Besides, regardless of what has happened, Smith is a man who should be arrested and brought to justice. He doesn’t need to be running around free.
* * *
“Plus, we do owe Graves money. If he wanted to, he could press me and take one of our horses. When you’re in debt one thing leads to another.
* * *
“I’m beginning to understand that now, and I really didn’t before. My debts were always paid for me.
* * *
“The note didn’t come due, although I always knew eventually it would—and now it has. It’s about time I’ve taken some responsibility, and this is a good place for it.
* * *
“I knew Emmet Willcox. Not well, but I did know him. I considered him a neighbor and he was a good man, a very good man.
* * *
“Now that I’m thinking about more than my next drink, I want to do something worthwhile, and finding his killer would be worthwhile.”
* * *
“But Kristian, shouldn’t you let the law handle this? If they need a posse, they can let you know.
* * *
“Wanting to bring Smith to justice is admirable, whether you do it sober or drink a pint of whisky when you’re on his trail, but is this the best way to do it?”
* * *
He nodded. “Yes. You are still not familiar with the area here and the people around. Smith is known in these parts almost as well as Willcox was.
* * *
“With the direct opposite reputation—Smith is known for causing trouble. He has been in and out of jail and has done three years of prison time.
* * *
“But I know most of the places he can use as hideouts. I can track him. I know it, And when I bring him back we’ll have the money to pay off our debts.
* * *
“It will be the only time that Smith did anything worthwhile—he’ll be helping us pay our debts.”
* * *
A trace of fear came in her eyes. “No, I don’t want to lose you, Kristian. Having you take a drink seems so trivial and small now.
* * *
“It seems utterly insignificant. We’re talking about life and death here.”
* * *
He shook his head. “No. Bonny. You’ve not only given me your love, you’ve given me back my skills.” He sighed.
* * *
“There’s something else I want to do—get my self-respect back. And bringing in Smith will do that.
* * *
“I won’t be the wastrel, drunken version of the respectable rancher. I’ll be a man worthy to be your husband.”
* * *
She grasped his hand with both of hers. “You already are worthy to be my husband!” she said, almost screaming.
* * *
“We made some mistakes, but this shouldn’t destroy a marriage. There’s a time when a couple needs to get used to one another.”
* * *
He sat back in the chair. “There’s something else you should know. I think I told you I didn’t drink. I think I had stopped drinking about a day before that.
* * *
“I was a drinker, Bonny, and I drank too much. That’s why I got in debt. You should never play poker when drunk. It’s a rule of poker, but only a few people follow it.
* * *
“I was a regular drinker for a while, and that’s what got me in so much trouble. I wanted to live up to my brother, and I didn’t think I could. And I probably couldn’t at that time.”
* * *
He rapped the table. “But I think I can now. Or, rather, I will live up to what I should be, and I think that will be very close to what my brother would have been.
* * *
“And part of that is due to you, Bonny. With you, I want to do better. I want to be better than the man who got drunk and lost at poker. It was an endless cycle for him.
* * *
“Getting drunk and losing at poker and borrowing money to pay for the debts—that was all I was. Now, I want to be better.
* * *
“And I don’t know if I can put this into words, but Smith is part of that. I want to capture him and bring him back to face justice.
* * *
“He killed an acquaintance of mine and a good man, and I want him behind bars or at the end of a hangman’s noose.”
* * *
Bonny nodded. There was strength in her voice when she replied. “I understand. This is much bigger than a whisky glass. But I understand,” she said.
* * *
“Thank you. Because I’m not sure how many people would. But things will be different when I come back, I know that.”
* * *
