Miss Lily's Boarding House

by Sandi Hampton

  “So what’s our next step?” she asked.

  “Well, I had planned—”

  A commotion outside drew them both to the window. A buggy careened into the yard throwing up a cloud of dust and sending chickens squawking in every direction. A man on horseback followed.

  Randolph—and the Sheriff.

  “Well, here’s your chance,” Logan said, “to have me arrested.”

  “And don’t be so sure I won’t.” Even as she said the words, Grace wondered what she should do. After all, she didn’t know Logan Barnett at all. Maybe he was responsible, in some way, for Aunt Lily’s death. She’d have to watch him like a hawk. Would she ever be able to trust him? But one thing she did know—the Sheriff disgusted her, and she wanted to stay as far away from him as she could.

  The Sheriff dismounted, pulled his gun and rushed forward. He pounded on the door and yelled. “Miss Wentworth, are you in there?”

  Logan opened the door, and Grace walked out onto the porch. He followed on her heels.

  Randolph rushed up to her. “Oh, thank God, you’re okay, my dear. I’ve been afraid for your safety. Maggie told me you were at the cemetery, but when I didn’t find you there, I was afraid you’d been injured or kidnapped, so I summoned the Sheriff and we followed the tracks here.”

  “I assure you, Mr. Randolph, I’m okay.” She flicked her gaze to the Sheriff and hardened her voice. “You can put that gun up.”

  But the lawman just stared at Logan. “Who’s he? What’s he doing here?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but the name’s Barnett,” Logan answered. “Tom Barnett was my father.”

  “Never heard tell that Barnett had a son,” Johnson said. He kept his gun aimed at Logan. “How do we know you’re telling the truth?”

  Logan shrugged. Although his stance appeared nonchalant, Grace sensed he was like a tiger, ready to pounce—and deadly. The Sheriff must have sensed it too, because he holstered his gun.

  “Bob Morgan can tell you who I am,” Logan drawled. “I’ve known Bob and Edna Morgan for a long time.”

  “Well, you can be sure I’ll ask him.”

  Randolph grabbed Grace’s arm. “Well, let’s go, my dear. We’ll take you back to town and get you home safely.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Randolph. I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be along directly.” The lawyer’s grip tightened, and Grace jerked free. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Logan’s hand hover over his holster. She had to diffuse the situation before someone was hurt…or killed. “Mr. Barnett and I were just going for a ride, so if you’ll excuse us…”

  Randolph’s mouth twisted, but he managed a nod. “Very well. We were just trying to do the right thing.”

  “And I appreciate it, sir, but I’m in no danger.”

  “How do you know him?” The lawman nodded his head at Logan.

  “My affairs, sir, are none of your business.”

  “I’m the law here in Dry Springs, and everything is my business.”

  “Very well. Mr. Barnett’s father and my aunt were friends. I met Mr. Barnett on a trip to San Antonio last year with my aunt. So, you see, everything is fine.”

  “I don’t believe you, but I guess there ain’t nothin’ I can do.” The Sheriff grabbed the reins to his horse and swung into the saddle, and Randolph climbed into his buggy. “Miss Wentworth, we need to speak about your aunt’s estate.”

  “I’ll be at your office in the morning, but first, sir, I have a question for you. Why didn’t you,” she turned to the Sheriff, “or you, tell me my aunt had been…murdered. I was led to believe that she’d died of the fever.”

  “We don’t know that it was murder,” the Sheriff answered.

  “She was shot and killed a mile from here,” Logan said. “What do you call that?”

  “We think it was an accident,” Randolph interrupted. “Why, no one would murder Lily. She didn’t have any enemies.”

  “Well, evidently she had one,” Grace corrected him. “Good day, gentlemen.”

  As they rode from the yard, Grace turned to Logan. “I must say I didn’t like their attitude at all. I detest liars.”

  Logan smiled, those incredible dimples appearing. “I thought you were gonna press charges against me.”

  “Wipe that smirk off your face. I still might.”

  “You done burned that bridge.”

  “The only thing that saved you is that you were the only one to tell me the truth about Aunt Lily. Even though you thought I was involved in…you know. And when we find out who killed your father and my aunt, I’ll expect an apology from you.”

  “And I’ll give you one.” He smiled then made the sign of an X over his heart. “I promise.”

  The smile curled her toes. How could somebody who made her feel…so warm…and good…be bad? “All right. What do we do now?”

  “I had planned to ride over to the Morgan ranch this afternoon. Bob Morgan is the closest neighbor, and the one who found my father and wrote me. And he promised me a home-cooked meal. You hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “You want to ride over there with me?”

  She nodded. “Maybe he knows something about Aunt Lily.”

  “I’ll saddle a horse for you.” He stepped off the porch and walked toward the barn. He glanced over his shoulder at her and raised an eyebrow. “You can ride, can’t you?”

  A lump rose in Grace’s throat, but she forced it back down. She’d never ridden a horse before, but she wasn’t about to tell him that and maybe be left behind. “Of course I can.”

  “Good.”

  “But first, I need to, well, you know…”

  “What?”

  A flush crept up her neck and across her face. “You know…”

  He wrinkled his brow then evidently realized what she meant because he nodded. “Out back. I’ll meet you at the barn.” Then he was gone.

  After Grace took care of her personal needs, she joined him. He’d saddled his horse and another…very large…horse. That lump came back. Logan vaulted in the saddle then stared down at her. She walked over, hitched up her skirt, put her foot in the foot holder thing as he’d done and reached for the knob on the saddle.

  “Wrong side.”

  “What?” She looked up at him and caught a grin on his face before he quickly hid it. “Oh, yes, yes, I know that.” She walked around the rear of the horse to the other side. The animal shied, and she squealed and jumped back.

  “Grace, admit it. You’ve never ridden a horse, have you?”

  She shook her head. “Afraid not.”

  He slid from the saddle. “Then I’ll give you a quick lesson.”

  After about fifteen minutes, Grace decided she was ready. With help from Logan, she mounted and followed him out of the yard and down the road. As she rode, her confidence built gradually. Soon she relaxed and rode up even with Logan. “I’ve been trying to figure out why everyone would lie to me about Aunt Lily’s death, but nothing makes sense.”

  “I figure it’s because they don’t want you talking to anyone. They want you to leave town as soon as possible. I suspect they would not have voluntarily told you that Lily had been shot.” With his knuckle, Logan pushed his hat back.

  “Probably not. But why?”

  “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to me, either.”

  Grace waved her hand at the surrounding area. “You know, it’s beautiful out here. At first, when I was on the stagecoach, it kind of scared me, being so big and desolate, so empty. Having grown up in Philadelphia, I guess I’m just used to being around a lot of people.”

  “I guess you’re planning to return to Philadelphia, after you sell the boarding house?”

  “And after we find out what happened to my aunt and your father, yes, I’ll be going back there.”

  “You got family back there?”

  “No. Aunt Lily was my only kin.”

  “Anybody else?”

  She didn’t pretend not to know what he
was talking about. “There is a man…” She didn’t add anything else. Right now, she was having trouble remembering what Matthew looked like. “You got any other family?”

  “Nope. I was an only son, and not a very good one.”

  She heard the bitterness in his voice. “I know how you feel. I feel the same way, but you can’t blame yourself for what happened.”

  “That’s what I keep telling myself, but somehow it just doesn’t work.” He reined in his mount and pointed at a puff of dust in the distance. “Riders coming. Three, maybe four. Let’s get out of sight.”

  “Why?”

  “Just to be on the safe side.” He grabbed the reins from her. “Hold on.”

  She grabbed the saddle horn as he led her horse down into a ravine and into a strand of trees. He dismounted and motioned for her to do the same. As she slid to the ground, he handed both reins to her. “Stay here.”

  “No, let me go with you.”

  “No. I can sneak up on the ridge without them seeing me. You’re not exactly dressed to go climbing up there, and you might fall or something.”

  “But, but—”

  “No buts. Stay put.” He climbed the slope and disappeared from sight. Butterflies danced in her stomach, and she gnawed on her bottom lip, wondering what the real reason was for their hiding.

  Logan knew more than he was telling her. Were they in danger? Since he’d chosen to hide, the answer had to be yes.

  What if something happened to him and he didn’t come back?

  The horses moved restlessly, stomping their feet and huffing out breaths. She tightened her grip on the reins. The thunder of hoof beats drew nearer, and she could feel the earth vibrate.

  A swirl of dust blew down over the ridge, and then in a matter of minutes, the riders were gone. In a few minutes, Logan appeared and picked his way down the rocky incline.

  “Let’s go,” he grabbed the reins from her. “Mount up.”

  “No,” she crossed her arms over her chest, “not until you tell me what’s going on. Who were they?”

  “Grace, we need to get out of here just in case they double back.” When she didn’t move, he nodded. “Okay, okay. It was Jake Magee and his men. Magee is an outlaw—”

  Grace’s eyes widened. “I heard talk about him when I was on the stage. They say he’s a killer.” She grabbed his arm. “Do you think it was him that…?”

  “Some people in town are speculating it was him.”

  “But you’re not convinced? Why not?”

  “It just doesn’t feel right.” Logan took his hat off and swiped his sleeve across his forehead.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know how to explain it, just a hunch. If it was just the fact that my father was killed, I might lean more in that direction, but the house was searched. Someone knew where my father hid his money and important papers. Magee wouldn’t know that. I figure it had to be someone my pa knew and trusted.”

  “I see what you mean. But what if they forced him to, you know, tell them where he kept his money. Maybe it was just a robbery after all.”

  “Could be, but something about it just sticks in my craw. Let’s go. It’s not much further.”

  ****

  As Logan rode, his thoughts returned to Randolph and the Sheriff. His concern for Grace grew. Maybe whoever had killed Lily thought she knew more than she did. Like he had. But Lily had evidently played her cards close to her chest and had confided in no one. He had a lot of questions for Bob Morgan, but would Morgan have any answers?

  Logan’s conscience pricked him, and while he knew he should take Grace back to town for her safety, he wanted her to himself for just a little bit longer. He liked being with her. Not only was she good to look at, she was intelligent with a sense of humor. And for the first time in a very long time, Logan thought about settling down. With a woman like Grace beside him, surely the wanderlust would disappear.

  She rode ahead of him, and he admired her lithe figure. She’d taken to the saddle like she’d been born to it. Her golden hair blew behind her, and his fingers suddenly itched to wrap themselves in that glorious silken cascade. She’d taken off her jacket, and the thin white shirt did little to hide her breasts. Her skirt was hitched up, and he could see the long slender length of her legs. Everything about Grace Wentworth was beautiful.

  But her words floated through his mind.

  There is a man…

  Morgan’s ranch house came into view, and he nudged his heels into his horse’s flanks and pulled even with Grace. “Let’s go in slow and easy. Everybody’s a bit trigger-happy these days.”

  “All right.” She fell in behind him.

  As he rode into the yard, a man appeared on the porch, a rifle in his hands and pointed at them. “That’s far enough.”

  “Bob, Bob Morgan, it’s me, Logan.” He reined in his horse, slid from the saddle, then held his hands up in the air. “Logan Barnett.”

  “Logan, boy, is that you? Why, come on up here this minute. Edna, come here. We’ve got company.” The man stepped down off the porch and walked toward them. He offered his hand to Logan, and the two men shook hands. “It’s good to see you, boy.”

  A woman appeared in the doorway. “Bob, you bring him in this minute, you hear?”

  “Yes, Ma.” He caught sight of Grace and raised a bushy, white eyebrow. “And who’s this young lady? Your wife?”

  Grace dismounted, her face red, and held out her hand. “No, no. I’m Grace Wen—”

  “Grace is a friend of mine,” Logan interrupted.

  “Well, any friend of Logan’s, is a friend of mine,” Bob said as he shook her hand. “Let’s go in the house before Ma comes at me with a broom.”

  “All right. Lead the way.” As Logan followed the old man, he shot a glance at Grace who raised her eyebrows at him. “I’ll explain later,” he whispered.

  Edna Morgan caught Logan at the front door and wrapped him in a bear hug. “It’s good to see you, Logan. Sorry it’s under such horrible circumstances.”

  “Yeah, me too, Edna.”

  “Hello, Logan,” came a third voice. “Do you remember me? Ellie?”

  “Of course I do.” Logan looked behind Edna, then his mouth gaped open. “Wow. Ellie, you sure have changed. Last time I saw you, you were all arms and legs. You’ve turned into quite a woman.” And indeed she had. With long black hair, a full bosom and rounded hips, she had definitely changed.

  “Well, I was only fourteen when you left, and now I’m seventeen, almost eighteen. She pirouetted in front of him and sent a seductive glance his way.

  “Ellie, stop that this instant. That’s not very ladylike. Now get in the kitchen and set the table.”

  “Yes, Ma,” the girl said and walked toward the kitchen, her hips swaying provocatively, and Logan knew it was for his benefit.

  “Logan, you and your friend will stay for supper, won’t you?”

  He glanced at Grace, and she smiled, a somewhat tentative smile. He turned back to Edna. “We’d like that.”

  “Good.” She shoved him toward the living room. “Go sit down and have a drink with Bob while we women get things set.” She grabbed Grace’s hand and led her into the kitchen.

  Dammit! He’d wanted to talk to Grace before the Morgans did. Logan took his hat off and plopped down on the sofa. Bob pulled a bottle of whiskey from a side table then poured two glasses full of the amber liquid. He handed a glass to Logan then raised one in salute. “To your father. May he rest in peace.”

  “To my father.” Logan tossed down the whiskey in one gulp. “Thanks for writing me about what happened, Bob. I came as soon as I got your letter.”

  “Well, Tom was my friend.”

  “So can you tell me what happened that day?”

  “Don’t know much. I rode over late that afternoon to see him about buying one of his brood mares. When I got there, the front door was open, and I could see him lying there on the floor. He was already…gone.”

  “Did
my father have any enemies?”

  “Not that I know of. Well, there is one thing…”

  “What?”

  Morgan looked uncomfortable and looked away for a moment. “Your father was having some trouble, financial trouble. He was thinking about selling, said he’d had several offers—and some threats. Strange things have happened—stock run off, fires, riders at all hours of the night. What with the drought we’ve had, lots of ranchers wanted access to the Big Sandy.”

  “My father would never deny water to thirsty animals.”

  “No, but there’s others who would—unless they were paid.”

  Logan nodded. “That makes sense.”

  “He wanted to borrow some money from me,” Bob continued, “but I just didn’t have it, so I agreed to buy one of the mares.”

  “I didn’t know. Did he say why he needed the money?”

  “Said he had to pay back taxes or lose the ranch. Said the bank wouldn’t make him a loan. Said Jones, the banker, acted real peculiar.”

  Logan uttered a low curse.

  “But,” Bob went on, “I thought everything had worked out because he told me he’d borrowed the money and paid the taxes. Even showed me the receipt.”

  “But who from?”

  The old man glanced over his shoulder, then leaned forward in his chair and spoke in a low voice. “I think he borrowed it from Lily, the madam. You know who I mean?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, she used to loan money to some of the cowboys and ranchers. Charged them interest, too.”

  “That hussy,” came Edna’s voice from behind them. “She should’ve been run out of town—all of them whores.”

  Logan lifted his gaze and saw Grace standing behind Edna. Her face paled to a ghostly white.

  Chapter 6

  As they left the Morgan ranch, Grace exhaled a sigh of relief. Edna’s words and obvious dislike of Aunt Lily had made dinner a miserable experience. Even though she’d been hungry, her appetite had deserted her, and she’d merely picked at her food. Logan was evidently ashamed of her and hadn’t wanted the Morgans to know who she was. That had never happened to her before, and it had thrown her out of sorts.

  On the other hand, Logan had obviously enjoyed his meal and the second helpings served by the buxom Ellie. The girl had flirted shamelessly with him during the whole meal, sitting next to him and rubbing up against him, and him grinning at her like a fool, showing those sexy dimples.