An Agent for Darcy

by Laura Beers

  Adam grabbed her arm from behind, causing her to gasp. “You can’t just walk into a cave without light. You could plummet to your death if you’re not careful.”

  Reluctantly, she knew he had a point. “We’ll need to come back with a lantern.”

  She backtracked her steps and exited the cave. After they shoved the boulder back into place, Darcy kept her eyes trained for any other caves or crevices that were wide enough to hide a body.

  “Darcy!” Porter’s frantic voice echoed off the mountain walls. “Darcy!”

  “Coming!” Darcy hurried down the terrain, not realizing how far she had gone in her initial search of the crevices. When she broke through the trees, she could see Porter held his revolver in his hand. “What’s wrong?”

  Porter gave her an exasperated look before he tucked his pistol back into his gun belt. “Where in the blazes have you been?”

  “Searching,” Darcy revealed as she heard Adam come to a stop behind her. “We found the most unusual cave…” She stopped speaking when she saw Porter glaring at her. “What is it?”

  Porter pointed towards the path she had just come down. “You can’t just wander around these hills alone.”

  Adam cleared his throat. “This might be a bad time to point out that I was with her, so she wasn’t alone.”

  Ignoring Adam, Porter marched up to her. “Need I remind you that four disappearances have happened in this valley. Four.”

  “I am well aware of that fact, considering that’s what we came out here to investigate.” Darcy lifted her brow. “May I point out that you just wandered off on your own?”

  “That’s different!” Porter exclaimed.

  “In what way?” she countered.

  Porter huffed. “I don’t require your protection, but you do require mine.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  He grabbed her elbow and led her away from Adam’s prying ears. “You are a woman, and an untrained agent. You are not to chase down a lead without first obtaining my approval. Do I make myself clear?”

  Darcy reared back in disbelief. Porter didn’t consider her a partner, or his equal. He only considered her as someone he had to protect, and no matter what she did, she recognized that it wouldn’t change his mind. “You are supposed to be my partner. I never asked you to be my protector.”

  “We will discuss this later,” Porter declared, his eyes darting towards Adam.

  Ignoring her dolt of a husband, Darcy directed her next question towards Adam. “Do you require my assistance in relocating the cattle?”

  “No,” Adam replied with a shake of his head.

  “Just as I assumed.” She brushed past Porter and mounted her horse. “I will see you back at the cottage.”

  As she road off, she heard Porter shout, “Darcy, get back here!”

  Never. Porter had humiliated her in front of Adam. For a short time, she had thought he was different. But she was wrong. He had been manipulating her, controlling her. Never again.

  She would never be controlled by another man… trainer, or no trainer.

  Darcy hummed as she picked up the cookies from the cooling rack and placed them into the basket. On the ride home, she decided that she would prove her worth to Porter by solving the case on her own. But the only lead they had was that cave, and it might not even be related to the case.

  She was tired of sitting inside, waiting for something to happen. She was going to seek out the information from the potential suspects themselves. The cowhands. Her plan was to loosen their tongues with cookies.

  As she walked towards the bunkhouse, the sun was dipping below the horizon, and the fleeting colors of dusk began to fade away. She stopped in front of the crude wood building and knocked on the door. The door was wrenched open and Dustin, wearing only his trousers and no shirt, stood in front of her.

  “Mrs. Bailey,” Dustin cried out before he lunged out of view. A moment later, he was wearing a shirt and tried again. “I wasn’t expecting it to be you, ma’am.”

  Darcy smiled. “I made some cookies, and I thought you gentlemen would like some.”

  “Gentlemen.” A deep grunt came from inside the room. “You got the wrong bunkhouse.”

  “Well, if you aren’t interested…” she said, letting her words trail off.

  “Not at all,” Dustin replied, holding his hand out.

  Rather than extend him the basket, she brushed past him into the communal home with beds lining the walls. A wood stove sat in the center of the room with drying poles running the length of the structure. Socks, shirts, and other garments were hanging from these poles. The cowhands were playing cards around a table near the stove.

  Dustin cleared his throat, and all the men in the room jumped up from their seats. In a coordinated effort, the cowboys all grabbed their garments off the drying poles and tossed them onto their beds.

  “I am sorry to barge in on you gentlemen,” Darcy started, “but Porter and Mr. McCoy aren’t back from relocating the cattle from the north-west corner.”

  “When did my brother decide to do that?” Ralph asked from his seat.

  Darcy walked further into the room and placed the basket on the table. “After you left, Mr. McCoy decided to relocate the cattle since he knew how much they meant to you.”

  An older man with silver hair sat next to the stove, stirring the contents of a large iron pot. “That would be a first,” he mumbled under his breath. That had to be Don, the cook, she thought.

  Dustin walked over to his bed and dropped down. “Let’s hope that Adam has come to his senses and builds a fence to block off that valley.”

  Ralph sighed. “No way Adam will do that. He loves that valley too much,” he hesitated, “as did Amanda.”

  “Four men have disappeared and are most likely dead. I don’t care about that good-for-nothing valley,” a dark-haired cowboy interjected.

  “I have no doubt that someone ambushed those men,” the cook said. “I’m telling you, it’s those Indians doing the killing.”

  “The Indians have never been hostile towards us before,” Ralph contested.

  The man removed the ladle from the soup and pointed it at him. “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.”

  Ralph rolled his eyes as he rose from his seat and directed his next comment towards her. “I apologize for Don’s backwards thinking. He was dropped on his head as a child.”

  Don grunted. “No. I just speak the truth.”

  “Diluted truth,” Dustin corrected.

  Darcy’s eyes scanned the group of worn, rough-looking men and said, “I’m afraid I haven’t had the opportunity to meet most of you. My name is Mrs. Darcy Bailey.”

  “We know who you are, ma’am,” the dark-haired man replied. “My name is Tom.”

  Darcy tipped her head graciously. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Tom.”

  Tom provided the rest of the introductions. “You already met Dustin, Ralph, and everyone knows Don.” He pointed towards a brawny man with a blue bandana around his neck. “That’s John.”

  With a suave smile on his lips, John tipped his head towards her. “Ma’am. It is always a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman.”

  A stodgy man next to John swatted at him with the cards in his hands. “She is married, you ninny. Save your charms for another sucker.” He met her gaze. “My name is Bill,” he pointed towards the man next to him, “and this here’s my brother, Butch.”

  In the corner, a tall man with wide shoulders leaned back against the wall. “My name is Perry,” he said in a grizzly tone.

  Darcy gave the group a tentative smile. “It’s nice to meet all of you. I apologize for barging in on you, but I am not used to being alone at night.”

  “Would you like to sit for a spell, ma’am?” Ralph asked, picking up his chair and repositioning it next to her.

  “Thank you, Ralph,” she murmured, gracefully sitting down. She took the basket and removed the linen napkin, revealing a pile of cookies. “Please, help yourselv
es.”

  The men all lunged forward, and Darcy feared that they would break out into a fight. Don banged the ladle against the side of the pot. “Have you all forgot your manners, you worthless lot?” He grabbed the basket and yanked it towards him. “I will hand out a cookie to each one of you.”

  While Don passed out the cookies, she attempted to make her next words sound casual. “Mr. McCoy informed me that he employs almost twenty cowhands. Where are the others?”

  Ralph nodded. “That’s right, but us cowhands take turns sleeping out on the range during the warm months to prevent cattle rustlin’.”

  “I see.” Darcy decided to attempt another conversation about the valley. “I must admit that I was nervous when Porter informed me that he was going with Mr. McCoy to move the cattle out of the valley. I have been praying for their safe return.”

  Dustin sat back down on his bed and leaned his back up against the wall. “In my opinion, we need to stay far away from that valley.”

  “Is there a reason why Mr. McCoy refuses to take your advice?” she asked innocently.

  “Because my brother is a stubborn fool,” Ralph spoke up. “He has plenty of grazing land, but he refuses to leave that valley, even temporarily.”

  Tom shoved the cookie in his mouth before saying, “If he doesn’t rotate through that land then some other cattle rancher could claim that valley.”

  “Doesn’t he own the land?” she questioned.

  “Ownership is a funny thing in the west,” Dustin remarked. “It is easier to maintain ownership if one has possession of something, and the McCoys never bought the land. They staked out a squatter’s claim.”

  “Do you think someone is trying to kick him out of the valley?” Darcy asked.

  Pushing off from the wall, Perry asserted, “That is exactly what someone is trying to do.”

  Darcy accepted the empty basket back from Don with a smile. “For what purpose?”

  Perry shrugged. “Grazing rights, waterhole… who knows.”

  “I think it is because of gold,” Tom spoke up in an excited tone.

  Dustin let out an annoyed groan. “Here we go again.”

  Tom leaned forward in his seat and explained, “Multiple mother loads of gold have been found throughout the Rocky Mountains. The streams are filled with gold nuggets.”

  “I have yet to see a stream filled with gold nuggets,” Perry joked.

  “You can deny it, but it would make sense,” Tom said, not deterred by Perry’s teasing comment. “I think a prospector is in those hills and is killing anyone that steps foot in the valley.”

  Darcy gasped, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. “You don’t think Porter will be shot for helping Mr. McCoy?” she asked, her tentative voice barely above a whisper.

  Ralph tossed a shirt at Tom, hitting him on the head. “Will you stop flapping your trap? You’re scaring Mrs. Bailey.”

  Tom removed the shirt and dropped it on the ground. “I am sure Porter is fine,” he stated in a reassuring tone.

  Now that she discovered the information she had hoped to obtain, Darcy rose from her seat. “I suppose I should be heading back to my cottage,” she murmured.

  “Are you familiar with the game ‘jackpots’?” Bill asked, holding up a deck of cards.

  A genuine smile came to Darcy’s lips. “It’s my favorite card game.”

  “You are full of surprises, Mrs. Bailey,” Dustin acknowledged, pulling his bed frame closer to the wood stove.

  You have no idea, she thought, accepting the cards that Bill dealt.

  Chapter 7

  Porter stormed out of the stable. He couldn’t recall a time when he had been angrier than he was right now. Not only had Darcy carelessly been searching the caves, but she had disobeyed him when she had ridden home alone. What was that woman thinking? Did she not have a lick of sense? A murderer was loose in those hills, and she just up and left when he had reprimanded her.

  He was the lead partner. Darcy was an untrained agent. Why did she discount what he said so easily? She was completely aware that he couldn’t leave Adam to relocate those cattle alone. She had intentionally fled from him.

  The sun had set before Adam and Porter arrived back at the stable. Even though he wanted to rail at Darcy the moment he got back, he needed to see that his horse was brushed, fed, and put away for the evening.

  Adam’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. “Porter!” he barked from behind him.

  Porter stopped and spun back around. “Yes.”

  “You might want to go easy on your wife.”

  “Is that so?” he asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Why is that?”

  Not appearing intimidated by his bristly tone, Adam closed the distance between them. “You were unfair to her in the valley.”

  “Unfair? In what way?”

  Adam furrowed his brows, and he lowered his voice. “May I offer some advice?”

  “You may.”

  “You were completely justified in your anger but try to look at it from your wife’s perspective,” Adam shared.

  “Darcy could have gotten herself killed,” he pointed out, uncrossing his arms.

  “True, but she didn’t,” Adam said, giving him a knowing look. “Furthermore, she didn’t get reckless until after you berated her.”

  “I didn’t berate her,” he contended, “I was training her.”

  Adam wore a look of confusion. “You were training her for what?”

  He removed his hat and hit it against the side of his trousers. “Darcy is a new agent, and as her husband, I have been assigned to train her.”

  Adam chuckled. “I wish you luck with that, but I find that wives don’t like to be bossed around so much.” He gave him a pointed look. “If Darcy kicks you out, you are welcome to stay in one of my guest rooms.”

  “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary,” Porter replied confidently.

  He was still fuming as he made the short trek to his cottage, but as he got closer, he realized that no light came from within. It was completely dark.

  Increasing his stride, he rushed to open the door, but was met with the deafening sound of silence. “Darcy!” He ran straight down the hall and opened the door to her room. His heart dropped when he saw it was empty. His next step was to run into the kitchen, but nothing was out of place.

  Porter fell back against the wall. His anger quickly melted away, and it was replaced with a sense of panic. Did Darcy leave? Did she abandon him? Straightening up, he ran back into her bedroom and saw that her trunk was still there. Wherever she went, it hadn’t been far. He snapped his fingers as an idea struck him. The house.

  Porter sprinted towards Adam’s home. Without bothering to knock, he tossed open the kitchen door.

  Adam jumped up from his chair. “What is it?” he cried out, alarmed.

  “Darcy is gone. Is she here?” he asked as he ran through the kitchen and into the parlor. Running up the stairs, he checked each room, but he found no trace of her.

  “Did you find her?” Adam asked from the base of the stairs.

  “No!” he exclaimed. “Where could she be?”

  “We saw her horse in the stall,” Adam reminded him. “Which means, wherever she went, she walked.”

  “It is dark outside. Why isn’t she in the safety of the cottage?” he asked, frantically. What was happening to him? He was a Pinkerton agent. He never got frazzled. But the thought of Darcy being hurt caused him to shake to his very core. She was his partner, his responsibility… his wife.

  Adam walked over towards the door. “Before you start panicking, I propose we go speak to the cowhands. They might know something.”

  Porter nodded as he followed Adam out the door, but his mind was whirling with the possibilities. What if Darcy had been abducted? If so, he should be out looking for her. What if she had been ambushed on the way back to the homestead and the murderer had returned her horse to avoid suspicion?

  Before he knew it, they had arrived
at the bunkhouse. Adam took his fist and pounded on the door. A smiling Ralph opened the door, but his smile dimmed when he saw their hardened faces. “Is everything okay?”

  “Mrs. Bailey is missing,” Adam informed his brother.

  “No, she ain’t,” Ralph replied, opening the door wide. “She is playing cards with us.”

  “What?” Porter shouted, storming into the room.

  Darcy was sitting around a table with the cowhands, holding cards in her hand. When she looked up at him, her smile vanished for a moment, before a forced smile came to her lips. “You’re finally home,” she said in what sounded like a cheery voice. But Porter detected the anger behind her words.

  “I came home to an empty cottage, and I was worried about you,” he said, honestly.

  Her eyes trailed over the cowhands. “These gentlemen have been kind enough to keep me company while you were out.”

  The cowboys all watched her with enamored looks on their faces. It was clear that many of these men found her company to be more than tolerable. Porter clenched his jaw so tight that he started grinding his teeth. What was she thinking, keeping company with these men?

  Darcy rose, but not before she turned over her cards. “I believe I will leave on a high note.”

  A few of the cowhands leaned forward and stared at her cards in disbelief. “You won again? Who taught you how to play?” Tom asked, wiping his hand over his chin.

  “The cowhands at my father’s ranch taught me,” she admitted.

  “They did a right fine job,” stated a gruff older man by the stove.

  Porter tipped his Stetson at the cowboys. “See you all tomorrow,” he said as Darcy came to stand next to him.

  “Good night, and thank you for a wonderful evening,” Darcy acknowledged with a smile.

  Adam stepped next to the chair that Darcy had departed and asked, “Mind if I join you for a few hands?”

  “Don’t mind if you do,” Dustin declared, “but our boss is a real slave driver. We shouldn’t stay up much later.”