“I need guns, Moss,” Etta spoke up suddenly, unable to keep from spilling her problems any longer. “You’re good with a gun and you know other men who are good with guns. I need those guns. I don’t know who else to ask.”
Amanda looked at Moss with frightened eyes.
“I…told you…Moss is through with guns and violence, Etta,” Amanda said in a shaky voice, moving her eyes to the woman.
Moss leaned back and took a deep drag on his cigarette. “Let her finish, Mandy,” he said quietly. Amanda looked down at her lap, swallowing fear and dread.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your life like this,” Etta told Amanda. Then her eyes moved to Moss. “But if you can’t go yourself, perhaps you can at least give me names, round up some good men for me. Surely you still know some men from your outlaw days who were good with guns—guns I could hire to protect me and my ranch.”
Moss frowned. “What ranch? You got a ranch in California? Where’s that lawyer husband of yours?”
“Ralph and I are…divorced,” Etta replied quietly, looking at the floor. “We divorced two years ago, and—and daddy died five years ago. Ralph…” She blinked back tears. “Oh, Moss, he cheated me out of everything! Everything! He took it all, everything daddy planned to give to me! Ralph planned and connived and handled daddy’s papers so that when we divorced I had nothing! Nothing!”
Amanda felt like crying herself, but Moss watched, untouched by Etta’s plight. He quietly puffed the cigarette.
“Why did you get divorced?” he asked coldly.
Etta covered her face and looked away. “I—I’d rather not go into it—not here, not now. The point is we are divorced. And daddy is dead and can’t help me. And Ralph—he took everything from me, everything but some land in Wyoming that he didn’t know anything about.” She wiped her eyes and faced Moss again. “It’s my land, Moss. And it’s all I have left. Ralph didn’t know about it. All the papers are legal and he can’t touch it! But he’s—he’s vicious and selfish and—and he wants it all. Everything I have. He’s bought off everybody in town, even the law! He harasses me, kills my cattle, burns my crops, threatens me. He’s even had some of my help killed. Others have left, afraid for their lives.” She stood up and paced. “He can’t get the place legally, so he’s trying to scare me off of it, badger me into giving up and leaving!” She whirled to face them both. “But I won’t leave, Moss! I won’t. It’s mine, and it’s all I have.”
She burst into loud sobbing and leaned on the mantle, her shoulders shaking in what appeared to be genuine tears. Amanda turned to look at Moss, whose eyes were studying the lovely form of Etta Landers, the woman he had once loved and for whom he now held nothing but contempt. This woman who once had everything now had nothing: nothing but loneliness and threatened poverty. And Moss, who once had nothing, now had the most important wealth of all: a woman who loved him, a home, and a child. Their small ranch did not bring them wealth, but they lived comfortably.
Moss turned his eyes to meet Amanda’s.
“Moss, it sounds dangerous,” Amanda whispered, searching his eyes. “You haven’t even worn a gun for the past two years!”
He reached over and patted her hand. “It’s not somethin’ you forget, Mandy. It’s kind of like learnin’ to walk. Once you learn it, it always stays with you. But don’t go gettin’ all lathered up yet.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek, then stood up and paced a few minutes while Etta struggled to regain her composure. Finally she breathed deeply and turned to face him with red-rimmed eyes, but Moss was not touched.
“Where’s your ranch?” he asked.
“It’s about three hundred miles north of here,” she replied, her eyes lighting up with hope. “On the Green River in Wyoming, north of Rock Springs.”
“Prime grazin’ country,” Moss told her, putting out his cigarette.
“Oh, it’s beautiful, Moss! I just can’t let go of it. Daddy gave it to me, and it’s good, rich land.”
Moss frowned, and a trace of a grin passed over his lips.
“Since when did things like that matter to you? You’re city-bred, remember?”
Etta stepped closer. “It’s important because it’s all I have left. I’ve learned to love it. And I intend to keep it. Please help me, Moss.”
He felt an old stirring as the soft blue eyes penetrated his own. And the jealousy Amanda had managed to bury struggled to let loose inside of her again. She quickly and silently prayed for forgiveness—and for the strength and courage to understand and cooperate with whatever decision her husband made. Moss sighed again and walked to a window.
“You’re askin’ a lot, Etta. I haven’t even had to use my gun in a while. And I’m settled now. I have a wife and a kid, and I own this place. It’s not much, but it’s home. I’m needed here.”
“I know that. But surely you—you know some men who I could pay—”
“Oh, I expect so. This here ranch is smack in the middle of outlaw country. But most of them know me, and they respect Mandy. So they don’t bother us. Sometimes one or two will even stop over here; Mandy feeds them and we put them up for the night. We don’t ask questions long as nobody causes us no trouble.”
“Then perhaps you could round some up for me.”
He turned to face her, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“I could. But I’d feel responsible. And I’m the one they’d kind of look to for leadership. I’m the, uh, top gun, so to speak.” He grinned a little, looking embarrassed.
“I heard that when I asked around about you,” Etta replied, looking him over admiringly. “They say losing that arm didn’t change a thing.”
“Yeah, but gettin’ married did change things. I can’t just go runnin’ off right into a gunfight.”
“Perhaps if I told you who helped my husband swindle me out of everything, and who has set up a bank in Rock Springs, just waiting for Ralph Landers to add my land and earnings to the account he already has at that bank, perhaps then you would help me.”
Moss studied her, his eyes turning colder.
“Yes,” she said with a sly grin. “Miles Randall. The same Miles Randall who helped daddy cheat you out of all your money. The same Miles Randall who obliterated your account in Nevada and swore you never had one there. The same Miles Randall you nearly killed and went to prison for shooting.”
Moss’s eyes lit up with hatred, and Amanda got up from her chair.
“Moss, I don’t like it,” she said in a shaking voice. “You could get hurt or get in trouble again!”
But she could already see the wheels turning, and her heart pounded with fear.
“Miles Randall?” he asked, still staring at Etta. He had the look of an eager little boy.
“Yes, Moss!” she said, smiling now. “This is your chance to show him you’re still around! He’d die of fright if Moss Tucker came riding into town! They’d all be afraid! Moss, you can chase my husband and his men out. I know you can! Maybe you can even show Miles Randall up for what he is and get rid of him, too. Oh, Moss, please, please, help me!”
Moss grinned almost wickedly. “Do I hear you begging, Etta?”
She stiffened, her cheeks flushing. “I suppose you do. And I’m sure you’re enjoying it. I…don’t blame you, Moss.”
His eyes made her feel uncomfortable. “There was a time I needed you, Etta, and you failed me. Now you need me. Why shouldn’t I ditch you just like you did me?”
She held up her chin and faced him defiantly. “Because you hate Miles Randall more than you hate me,” she replied defiantly. “Because through me you can enjoy a sweet revenge!”
The room hung in silence for a moment, as Moss and Etta glared at each other. “Moss!” Amanda spoke up then, her voice seeming to break some kind of spell. Moss turned as though startled. “I have never told you what to do, Moss,” Amanda went on sternly but quietly, “and I won’t stop you from this thing if you feel you must do it. But let it be for the right reasons. Let it because there is an evil that needs to
be set right, not for your own vengeance. If you let it be for vengeance, then the evil lies within yourself. You’ve already learned the loneliness and emptiness vengeance can bring.”
Etta watched, seeing a love she envied deeply, a loyalty that could endure many things. Amanda Tucker did not want her husband to go away, especially to walk into a dangerous situation. But he was her man, and she would not stop him from something he thought he had to do. Etta’s heart fell. She had thought that perhaps she could just walk right back into Moss Tucker’s life, and prove that he still loved her and desired her. But she had met a challenge bigger than herself.
Moss sighed, his mind in turmoil. He had to get out of the cabin. It suddenly felt stuffy and close. “Come and walk with me, Mandy,” he told his wife. He walked over and put an arm around her. Amanda did not reply; her throat felt constricted, and tears ran unwillingly down her cheeks. They walked outside together.
Etta sat down in the rocker to wait. A clock on the mantle ticked away quietly. She wondered if her husband’s men had already taken over the ranch. It had taken eight days to get down to Moss’s ranch in Utah. What a desolate area this was! Perhaps after having Moses Tucker to herself for several days—even weeks—and once he enjoyed the luxuries of her vast ranch in the cool grasslands along the Sweetwater, perhaps she could make him forget the plain little wife he’d left behind in the hot wastelands of Utah. She pulled at a red curl at her cheek and smiled prettily to herself. “He is just a man, after all,” she thought. “And all men are the same.”
Chapter Thirty
They walked quietly, the only sound being their footsteps, a grating sound against the red, dry earth of their small Utah ranch. Amanda put a hand to her cheek, wondering if the hot, dry air would age her before her time, wondering how she looked to him now, compared to Etta Landers. Yet all the time she knew it was a foolish thought. She was younger, and her skin was still soft and supple, and yet…
“Come on over here and sit down, Mandy,” he was telling her gently, leading her to the large, flat boulder under the sparse shade of a poplar tree. It was the only tree for miles around, and he knew this spot was her favorite. They sat down, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. He put his arm around her and kissed the dark hair that he loved. A fox squirrel ran in front of them and scurried up the tree.
“You want to go,” she finally said.
“I’m not sure, Mandy.”
“Yes, you are.” She sighed. “We haven’t been apart since we got married, Moss. Since before we got married.”
“I don’t like the thought of bein’ apart any better than you do, honey. But the men around here—they’d take care of you, as far as that part of it goes. And you’ve got Becky and the school. And I’d try to get back soon as I could.”
“And then again, maybe you wouldn’t come back at all,” she said quietly, watching the squirrel.
“Come on, Mandy. You know I can handle myself. There’s not a man can outgun me, and even that Apache’s hatchet couldn’t put me down. And I get along just fine with one arm.”
“And perhaps you’d never come back even if you didn’t get yourself killed,” she said in a near whisper. “She’s very beautiful, and you did love her once, you know.”
He sighed and hugged her closer. “Don’t do that, Mandy. That’s not how my woman talks. You know better than to say a thing like that.”
She turned and flung her arms around his neck, bursting into tears. He grasped her tightly around the waist and stood up, holding her so that her feet didn’t even touch the ground. To him she felt small as a child, and in many ways she was still as innocent as one. He kissed her hair over and over and let her cry. He knew she had worked hard all morning and was tired. And having Etta Landers appear out of a clear blue sky, catching her unprepared and suddenly seeming to challenge her had not helped. But he knew the kind of woman Amanda Tucker was, and he knew she just needed a little time to think about it, to remember the kind of love they shared.
“Moss, you’re doing this for vengeance,” she wept. “It’s wrong, Moss!”
He pulled away and took her hand. “No I’m not, Mandy. There’s just apparently some very wrong things goin’ on up there, and I don’t like seein’ a woman abused like Etta is bein’ abused.”
Their eyes held. “Moses Tucker, don’t lie to me. You might feel sorry for Etta, but there is too much hurt there for you to go running off risking your life for her. I warned you it shouldn’t be for vengeance. But I saw the look in your eyes when she mentioned that Miles Randall.”
His eyes hardened again and she nodded, wiping at her tears.
“It’s just as I thought.” She frowned. “Moss, that’s the worst reason.”
He turned away, running his hand through his hair. “It’s the best reason, Mandy. I’m damned sorry, but that man has to be stopped. And I can’t help but enjoy the fact that Etta Graceland Landers is begging me to help her. I know all them feelings are wrong, but I can’t ignore them. A man has his pride, and that whole affair with Etta and that banker and all—all of it has eaten at me all these years, kept me from feelin’ like a real man. Now I have a chance to make up for it all, and to earn us some money besides. Etta’s got money. She’ll pay me good and maybe I can buy us some more land, build you a nicer house.”
“Moss, I don’t care about those things.”
“Well, I do!” he said in almost a biting voice. She flinched, surprised and hurt; his eyes were instantly apologetic as he reached out and touched her face. “Mandy, you deserve the best I can give you. This is my chance to get back some of the pride Etta destroyed, to enjoy revenge, and to make us some good money besides. Don’t hold me back, Mandy. I’ll never feel right if I don’t do this.”
Her face fell in resignation. “A man must do what he must do,” she answered quietly then. “Lord knows part of what I love about you is your pride and manliness. I just don’t believe that anything good can come of vengeance, Moss. Try to use your common sense. Don’t let hatred be your guide and cause you to do something foolish.”
He pulled her close again. “I’ll try to remember those words, Mandy. And you know I can sure as hell take care of myself. It’s just that—God, Mandy, how can I pass up this chance? All of a sudden all that ugly past has come back to hit me right in the face. Maybe if I go do this thing, I can finally lay them memories to rest.”
She clung to his shirt. “Moss, I’ll be so afraid while you’re gone.”
“You’ve got protection here, honey, all kinds of it.” He knew she was remembering her abduction and rape five years ago, an event that still haunted her and often made her wake up screaming in the middle of the night. But he’d always been there to hold her and help her forget again. Perhaps it was wrong to leave her now. He gently urged her back to sit down again, and he sat beside her with his arm around her shoulders. She wiped at her eyes again, and he noticed the pins coming out of her hair. He grinned and began pulling them out so that her hair fell to her waist. The thick, dark waves had a reddish tint in the sun.
“Maybe it would be good for me to be away a while, Mandy,” he told her softly, running a hand through her hair. “You shouldn’t still be so afraid. And out here in this wild country, there’s no guarantee I’ll always be around. It could help you learn not to be so afraid all the time, and you could spend even more time at the school without me to be lookin’ after and cookin’ for and all. You’ve always said you’d like to teach more than three days a week, and you wanted to teach Wanda and a couple of them other Navaho women more—the ones you told me are so anxious to learn to read and write better. This would give you a good opportunity.”
“That’s true,” she replied, dabbing at her eyes. She turned to face him. “Tell me you love me, Moss.”
He flashed a handsome grin. “You crazy kid. Do I really need to do that?” He pulled some of the long hair in front of her shoulder and ran his hand through it, letting the back of his hand rest lightly against her breast.
“I guess I keep forgettin’ you still don’t know everything about men,” he told her, studying her with eyes that shone with love. “My God, Mandy, all the wealth, all the beauty in the world—they don’t mean anything compared to havin’ a woman like you. You fill needs in me that a woman like Etta could never satisfy. The kind of life I’ve led—hell, I never dreamed I could end up with somethin’ like you.”
She reddened slightly and looked down at her lap; he moved his hand to the back of her neck. “And you’re ten times prettier than Etta Landers, woman. You know it just as well as I do. And I don’t mean just in looks. But if you want to talk about looks, hell, you’ve got the prettiest hair I’ve ever seen on a woman, and big, pretty eyes, and that skin—it’s soft and pretty all by itself. You don’t need all that stuff on your face—painted eyelids and painted lips and black junk on your lashes. A girl like you don’t need any of that stuff. But all looks aside, you’ve got a beauty inside you that radiates right out and snags just about every man that looks at you. So I don’t want to hear any more talk about how pretty Etta Landers is. ’Cause her kind of prettiness don’t go too awful deep. And I know that woman, Mandy. I’m not the stupid kid I was eighteen years ago. It’s all different now. There’s not a woman alive can take me from you. And because I’d be lonely as hell and wantin’ to get back to you, I’d hurry and get the job done and be extra careful, so I could get back here soon as I could and all in one piece.”
She still looked at her lap. He took her chin and forced her face up, and in the next moment his lips met hers while his hand moved to the back of her head and pressed her mouth tightly to his own. It was a gentle, lingering kiss, and she could taste his loneliness and his hunger; and even after five years she never ceased to be surprised at her own ability to return a kiss just as hungrily. But Moss Tucker had taught her everything about the art of making love, and had changed her from a frightened girl into a willing woman.
Lawless Love Page 25
