Marnie:

by Shanna Hatfield

  Lars wondered if the little girl in the other room would ever know such joy and happiness.

  Another photo he unearthed from the trunk showed Webster standing with a bunch of men in front of a store covered in bunting. He could pick out Luce and one of the other men he’d arrested and hauled to Portland a few weeks ago.

  Deciding to ask Noah about the photo and if he recognized any of the men, Lars set it out then returned everything else to the trunk.

  Quietly letting himself outside, he went to the barn. He knew people like Webster often hid things they didn’t want someone else to find in a place that was out of the way but easy to access. Going through the barn and not finding anything other than a revolver and cartridges in a hidden compartment in a box of mostly broken tools, he stood next to Viking’s stall and rubbed the horse on his neck.

  The outhouse and a rickety little shed were the only other two buildings on the place. Giving the horse a final pat on the neck, he went to the shed and looked around, shaking his head at piles of broken tools, empty whiskey bottles, and what looked like garbage.

  Shutting the door to the shed, he stayed in the shadows as Sadie hurried to the outhouse. Rushing to the barn, he listened for the outhouse door to slam then lifted his lantern high, pretending he was checking on Viking.

  “You feeling better, Miss Sadie?” he asked, his long strides catching up to the girl before she reached the front door.

  She squeaked and spun around, her light brown hair flying over her face. “Jehoshaphat! You durn near scared me spitless!” The little girl snatched her hair away from her face and stood glowering at Lars in the light spilling from the lantern he carried. “What do you think you’re doing pussyfooting around out here?”

  “I was just checking on my horse in the barn. I heard the outhouse door shut and wanted to be sure you were feeling better.” Lars hoped the child accepted his explanation. He had checked on the horse and he did hope she was feeling better, so it wasn’t a complete lie.

  “Oh.”

  “Do you need me to get something for you? Are you hungry?” Lars opened the door to the cabin and walked her inside.

  “I’m fine, but you settle down and stay put or I won’t be able to sleep a wink.” Sadie shook her finger at him, admonishing him as if he was a wayward child.

  Lars had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, but he couldn’t fully contain a smirk. Sadie huffed, spun around, and marched into the bedroom, softly closing the door behind her although he was sure she’d rather have slammed it.

  Shaking his head at the spirited child, Lars sat down on the well-worn settee that had probably been nice thirty years ago. Now it was lumpy with broken springs that didn’t make for the most comfortable seating.

  Going to the table, he sat down in the sturdiest chair, leaned back and propped his feet up on another chair then crossed his arms over his chest. He left on his gun belt and his rifle was within easy reach. A light sleeper, Lars would know Webster was home before he ever got close to the door.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Shh, don’t wake him up,” Sadie cautioned Noah as the two of them attempted to tiptoe past Lars to do the morning chores.

  He’d heard them stirring around as soon as they got out of bed, but he pretended to be asleep, waiting to see what they’d say and do.

  “You s’pose he slept in that chair all night?” Noah asked, creeping closer to Lars. “Won’t his neck be all cricked?”

  “Probably. Now leave him alone and go gather the eggs,” Sadie ordered. Her voice sounded much stronger and Lars decided she must be over her sickness for all the bossiness her tone carried. In some ways, she reminded him of Aundy. That thought almost made him grin, but he kept his chin tucked down on his chest and his eyes closed.

  “He’s gots lots of scars.” Noah edged close enough Lars could feel the warmth from his wriggly little body near his right leg.

  “He does? How do you know?” Sadie’s voice sounded closer, just not as close as Noah’s.

  “I seen them yesterday. We chopped a whole passel of wood and stacked it by the door. Lars took his shirt off so he wouldn’t get it all sweaty. We cleaned the barn and the chicken coop then went swimmin’ in the creek. I seen them then. He gots scars all over here and here.”

  Lars could picture Noah poking his chest and side to illustrate where his scars were located.

  “But the best scar is on his leg. It’s this long and he said he got um…he got… oh, I can’t ‘member the word, but a piece of iron went in his leg and he got stitches and everything.”

  “Well, what kind of feller do you s’pose gets scars like that? Pa ain’t got any scars although Uncle Ed has that one on his face.”

  Lars wondered who Uncle Ed was and why he hadn’t been by to check on the kids.

  “I forgot about Uncle Ed. You think he and Pa will finish up their job soon and come home?”

  “I bet they’ll be home anytime. Maybe even today, but you know Uncle Ed don’t ever stay more than an hour or two.” Sadie’s voice sounded closer. “You think I could get a peek at one of his scars?”

  “I don’t think so. He’d have to take off his pants and shirt and even I know that ain’t proper.” Noah bumped Lars’ side as he moved closer.

  “I bet I can peek one around his shirt collar,” Sadie whispered. He waited until he felt her breath on his cheek to lift his head, open his eyes, and grab a child in each arm.

  “What tomfoolery are you two about this morning?” he growled, glancing from Noah to Sadie.

  The little boy giggled and curled against his side, but Sadie looked like she’d been caught doing something punishable with wide eyes and her mouth gaping open.

  “You’re gonna start catching flies, Miss Sadie, if you don’t close your mouth.” Lars wasn’t surprised when she snapped it shut and struggled to get away from him. Instead of letting her go, he pulled both of them onto his lap and did his best to tickle them while trying to maintain his hold.

  All three of them were laughing before he finished and Sadie finally jumped down and stood just out of his reach while Noah flopped across his legs and grinned up at him.

  “I’m glad you’re feeling better this morning, Sadie. I’m happy to take care of the chores before I leave.”

  Grabbing Noah’s ankles, Lars hung him upside down in one big hand. The little boy laughed boisterously before Lars set him upright on his thigh.

  “Nope. Lulu don’t like nobody to milk her but me. Noah can gather the eggs. If you want to help, how about stirring up some breakfast? I’m powerful hungry this morning.” Since she was back to giving orders, Lars decided she must be well. Her face was no longer pale and she’d dressed, pulling her hair back in its customary tight braid.

  “I’ll get started on breakfast right away.” Lars picked up Noah as he stood and set the boy on top of the table. “I forgot to look at your hand yesterday, Noah, but I want to make sure it’s healing.”

  “Sadie done took good care of it.” Noah held out his palm for Lars to inspect. A bright scar ran across the boy’s hand, but the scab was completely gone and it looked clean.

  “She certainly did take good care of it and you. You’re pretty lucky to have a sister like Sadie.”

  “Yep. Do you have a sister like Sadie?” Noah asked as he hopped off the table and picked up the egg basket.

  “I sure do, and she took good care of me when I was your age.” Lars started making Farina. Although the kids would probably rather eat cookies, he figured it would be easy on Sadie’s stomach. Sadie grabbed the milk bucket and marched outside, dragging Noah along behind her.

  He could hear her telling Noah they should have left him alone and let him sleep. He wondered if she wanted to keep him there longer or just didn’t want to disturb him. Either way, the thought she cared at all made him glad. She often acted so prickly, he wasn’t sure she just tolerated him for Noah’s sake or if she was truly glad he checked in on them and helped them out.

&nbs
p; If their no-account father didn’t show up soon, he was going to take them to town whether they liked it or not. Both children should be in school and it was painfully clear they needed clothes, not to mention attention and affection. He couldn’t imagine being left alone at such young ages.

  Noah returned first with a dozen eggs. Lars cracked several in a skillet and scrambled them then decided to see if he could pry more information out of Noah before Sadie returned. Setting the eggs off to the side and giving them a final stir, he picked up the photo he’d found in his search and handed it to Noah.

  “I found this photo. I bet your pa is the man right there.” Lars pointed to the person he was sure had to be Chad Webster.

  Noah nodded his head. “Yep, that’s Pa.”

  “Who else is in the photo? I heard you and Sadie mention an Uncle Ed. Is he in the photo?”

  “Mmm-hmm. He’s right there.” Noah pointed to a man standing next to Chad with a prominent scar running across one cheek.

  “Is he your pa’s brother?”

  “No. He ain’t nobody’s brother. I’m not sure why we call him Uncle Ed, other than that’s what he told us to call him. He’s one of Pa’s friends. He’s the one who told Pa there was a job they needed to go do.”

  “Is that right?”

  Noah vigorously nodded his head.

  “Do you know any of the other men in the photo?” Lars sat down on a chair and Noah climbed up on his lap.

  “The man by Uncle Ed, he comes to see Pa sometimes.” Noah pointed to a baby-faced young man. “That’s Bob.”

  “Do you know where the photo is taken?”

  “Nope. I ain’t been there. Sadie might know, but she’s funny about looking at pictures and things.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll just keep it to ourselves.” Lars set Noah down and returned his attention to breakfast. Asking the boy to run out and check on Sadie, Lars quickly shoved the photograph into his saddlebag. He thought he recognized the building in the background, but wanted Kade to confirm the Bowman Gang had been kicking up their heels at some event in Pendleton.

  Leaving the kids a few hours later with a promise to be back soon, Lars rode directly to the sheriff’s office, hoping to find Kade.

  Told he was making rounds around town, Lars took Viking to the livery stable then went to his apartment to change his clothes. Tromping down the stairs, he wasn’t surprised to find Kade seated at Caterina’s kitchen table, ready to eat lunch.

  “We thought maybe you got lost yesterday,” Kade teased, motioning for Lars to pull up a chair. Caterina smiled and set a hearty sandwich in front of him along with a glass of tea.

  Nodding his head at her in thanks, he told them both about finding Sadie sick and Noah in a panic.

  “I don’t know what to do about those kids. Whether Webster comes back or not, they can’t keep staying out there. As soon as we bring him in, they’ll be on their own permanently.” Pulling men away from their families when he hauled them off to jail was a part of his job he hated. Then again, if they’d been walking on the right side of the law, he wouldn’t have to take them in.

  “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. We might be able to find a family to take them in. Lots of farmers are willing to take in a boy,” Kade said, biting into his sandwich.

  “If at all possible, I want to keep them together. Neither one of them would do well separated. The only mother Noah remembers is Sadie. I don’t want to tear them apart.”

  “We’ll figure out something, Lars. Don’t fret.” Caterina patted his shoulder before refilling his tea glass.

  “With Sadie down and out, Noah seemed quite talkative. He gave me a great description of his father.” Lars knew that would get Kade’s attention. The deputy had been after the Bowman Gang for years.

  “That’s something we haven’t had before.” Kade wiped his mouth on a napkin and stared at Lars. “Did you get anything else?”

  “Sure did. Once the kids were in bed I scoured over the place and found a photo of Webster with a group of men. Noah confirmed his father was in the photo along with a man he called Uncle Ed. He recognized one of the other men and I’d be willing to bet every dime I have that they’re part of the gang.”

  “Too bad I can’t take a look at the photo. I might recognize a few of them.” Kade took another bite of his sandwich and almost choked when Lars slid the photo across the table.

  “I just happened to stow it in my saddlebag before I left. I’ll return it when I check on the kids in a few days. Sadie is convinced Webster is going to show up anytime, with Uncle Ed, but Noah is beginning to have his doubts. I get the idea the boy wouldn’t mind if his pa never returned.”

  “That’s so sad,” Caterina said, setting a plate of cookies on the table and staring over Kade’s shoulder at the photograph. “Isn’t that the old cabinet maker’s shop? Mr. Linkley converted it to a hardware store not long after I moved to town.”

  “Yep. That’s definitely it.” Kade carefully studied the photo. Eleven men lined up across the front of the shop, in front of bunting draped across the porch rails. He assumed it was probably during the town’s Fourth of July festivities from the flags flying at the corner of the building. “Which men do we know?”

  Lars pointed to Chad Webster. “Noah confirmed that’s his father. His most telling feature is a deep cleft in his chin. According to Sadie, he looks like he ran into a door, chin first.”

  Kade chuckled and Caterina smiled, returning to her preparations for that night’s dinner at the restaurant.

  “He said the man next to Webster is Uncle Ed, although he told me flat out the man isn’t related to them.”

  “That’s Ed George, or at least that’s the name he goes by. He supposedly has a place somewhere around here. I’ve wondered about him being involved in some shady dealings, but he’s kept his nose clean when he’s in town so I don’t have anything to base my hunch on.”

  “Gut instincts shouldn’t be ignored,” Lars said, watching Caterina and Kade share a private smile. He’d heard about the outlaw who tried to kill them both out at Kade’s place before they admitted they were in love with each other. From what he’d been told, Caterina blistered the outlaw’s ears with a furiously delivered rant in Italian. Kade somehow managed to hogtie the man even though he’d been shot and lost blood like water running through a sieve.

  “No, they shouldn’t. Who else did Noah point out?”

  Lars pointed to the photo. “He referred to this one as Bob.”

  “That’s Bob Newberry. His father owns a sheep ranch southwest of town and is as solid as they come, but he spoiled that boy and Bob isn’t worth a lick. It wouldn’t surprise me at all for him to be involved with Bowman.” Kade lifted the photograph and studied it. “That ugly cuss on the end is Melton Feldts. He has awful burns on his face. He visits some of the seedier saloons, where the booze and the women are both cheap, because the high-end harlots won’t have a thing to do with him.”

  Caterina cleared her throat and gave Kade a pointed look. “Pardon me, darlin’.” He rubbed a hand across his face then gave her an apologetic smile. “Feldts is mean and even uglier than this photo, but he’s never gotten into trouble. I’ve got no idea what he does for a living because I can’t recall ever seeing him around town during the day. It might be worth following him the next time he makes an appearance. He doesn’t show up around here too often, though.”

  Lars jotted down notes in his journal. “I recognized Luce and his sidekick, but what about the other men?”

  “I recognize a few of them. This one is in prison,” Kade tapped his finger on the photo. “He robbed a bank and shot three bystanders. These other two are brothers and have a farm close to Helix. I don’t know where Melton lives, but it seems, with the exception of the worthless Newberry kid, most of our suspects live northeast of town.”

  “So it seems,” Lars said, looking at the two men left unidentified. “Do you think J.B. or Garrett might recognize these other two?”


  “Probably not, but it can’t hurt to ask. Garrett gets around to some of the other communities buying cattle and talking to people about improved farming and ranching practices. He might have some idea who they are.” Kade resumed eating his lunch.

  Looking around the restaurant, Lars suddenly realized it was unusually quiet. “Where are the boys?”

  “My uncle John decided to keep them overnight. He came into town to get supplies yesterday and volunteered to take the boys home with him. It might be the first and only time he does it, but it gave us a welcome evening alone.” Kade looked across the kitchen at Caterina and winked. Her cheeks bloomed with color and she turned her attention back to rolling out piecrust.

  Lars managed to subdue his chuckle and grinned at Kade. “I’m sure he’ll be careful about volunteering in the future. He doesn’t have any pets, does he?”

  “Just a barn cat and she knows to run for the hills when our boys arrive.”

  Rufus, Caterina’s cat, stretched as he crawled out of his box near the stove. The twins had gotten their hands on a pair of scissors and gave the cat a lopsided haircut one day when Caterina turned her back to answer the telephone. On the call only a minute, she hung up to find her feline had a huge section of his fur hacked away on his right side. The fur hadn’t yet begun to grow back in, so the poor thing appeared deformed.

  Looking at the cat, all three of them laughed.

  Lars leaned back in his chair with a teasing grin. “Yep, it sure is peaceful around here today.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lost in a rollicking adventure story, Marnie glanced up in irritation at a tap on her door. Swinging her legs over the arm of her chair, so she sat properly, she straightened her skirt and held back a sigh. She hated interruptions when she was at an exciting part of a book. “Come in.”

  The door opened a crack and Lewis stuck his head around the edge of it, waving an envelope at her.