by Linda Broday
“Sure thing, Trinity.” Sid disappeared into the kitchen.
Melanie gave him a blinding smile that showed her dimples. “You remembered.”
Tait nodded. “And that you take two lumps of sugar. I made a note of it the last two mornings.”
He’d also noticed how quietly she’d sat with Becky last night, and the expressions on her face brought questions to his mind. She’d been smiling and content for a while, but then she’d been close to tears. And for God’s sake, he wasn’t dumb. He knew the difference between a sob and a sneeze. But if she wanted to pretend she hadn’t been about to cry, who was he to stop her?
Maybe she’d just been missing her family.
Tait set down his cup and took her hand. “Why don’t you invite your sister and father to come visit? I’d like to meet them.”
The question seemed to jolt her into awareness. Her eyes became guarded again and she blinked hard. “My sister?”
“Yes, and your father too. I think we need to get acquainted. You do know where they are, don’t you?”
“No. Yes. I mean, I’m not exactly sure.” Then she appeared to recover her composure. “I think it’s far too soon for them to come. Let’s table this for now.”
“I was just thinking of you. Sometimes you seem sad. You must miss them.”
“Of course I do, although Mac Dunbar could try a saint. I love my father, but he exhausts me if I’m around him long. Instead of settling on one new avenue to make money, Ava and I had to try a dozen or more…and most times turn the profit over to him. You’ll see what I’m talking about one day.”
Sid brought Melanie’s tea and took their order. Since Tait didn’t know the next time he’d eat, he ordered a heavy breakfast while she settled on a biscuit and ham.
“You don’t eat enough to keep a bird alive, Melanie.”
“I get all I want. My stomach can’t hold much. You shouldn’t worry about me.”
“I care about your well-being, and as your husband I feel I have the right.” Tait motioned to young Henry Truman, who entered the room with a coffeepot.
“Mornin’, Mr. Trinity. Fine day.” Henry refilled his cup.
“Henry, how’s the world treating you?”
“Well, I’m tired of sharing a bed with four of my brothers. Last night I finally just slept on the floor instead. It wasn’t even that hard.”
Tait laughed. “I remember those days myself.”
Another customer waved for Henry to bring the pot, and he moved on. Their breakfast arrived, and they ate. All too soon, Tait and Jack were saddling their horses while Melanie talked quietly with Nora, who’d come to see her husband off. Tait hoped they’d strike up a friendship. Despite what she’d said, Melanie seemed lonely and homesick for company.
“I guess we’re ready.” Tait swung around to Melanie. “I’ll try not to be gone long, but it depends on whether we find what we’re looking for. I have to set this right for those kids. My sister too. I owe her that.”
Melanie gripped her shawl, her sparkling gaze twisting something inside Tait. He saw no sign of her dimples. “I wouldn’t expect anything less. We’ll be fine. I’ll miss you.”
Tait put his arm around her and kissed her lightly, then stuck his foot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle.
“Be careful, Tait.” Melanie laid a hand on his leg. “Come back to us.”
With a nod, he galloped from the town with Jack. He swiveled for a last look at the woman who’d tied her lot to his. He hadn’t had anyone to say goodbye to in a long while. Certainly not someone who gave a damn about his welfare. Or anyone’s curves to fill his arms. Come hell or high water, he had to make it back in one piece.
Nine
While Melanie waited for the children to wake up after Tait left, she quietly searched the hotel suite for the stolen loot. Not that she expected to find it so near, but she wanted to leave no stone unturned. Once in the stillness, she thought she heard his slow, deliberate way of walking and whirled, expecting to see him standing there. First relief, then disappointment set in when he wasn’t.
She sat down to think of where that railroad loot might be. In his soddy? She hadn’t looked there. It seemed like a logical place.
After breakfast, she left the boys to their traps, took Becky’s hand, and marched toward the sod house where Tait had been living. She glanced around to see if anyone was watching. She felt like a thief—which she would be if she found the stolen money. But was it really stealing to take from a robber?
If she did find it, what then? Borrow a horse and ride out? How heavy was fifty thousand dollars, the amount the judge claimed Tait had stolen? Maybe a wagon would better suit her needs. Even if he spent a couple of thousand, that still left almost all of it.
With one last glance around to make sure she wasn’t being watched, she pushed through the door. The room was musty and rank. How could Tait stand to even sleep in such squalor? She was grateful he hadn’t made her and the children live here.
Becky wrinkled her nose. “Stink.”
“Yes, it does.” Melanie sat her on the bed and pulled out a doll she’d bought at the mercantile on the way over. “Here you go, honey.”
“Mine baby.”
Melanie dropped a kiss on Becky’s head and surveyed the room. Three crates stood stacked in the corner. She rolled up her sleeves and started there. The top box held things a typical man would stash like a few tools, a coil of rope, a few pieces of leather, old boots.
She let out an exasperated breath and glanced at Becky playing contentedly with her doll.
The second box contained a few ladies’ hats, women’s clothing, gloves, and shoes. She held up one of the dresses, a stylish Sunday outfit, and noted that the person it fit had been much smaller than she. Several other dresses were the everyday variety.
To whom did they belong? His sister? Why would he keep her things? Or maybe he had another sister he hadn’t mentioned?
Her mind jumped to a second thought, and she could barely swallow. These could belong to a first wife, one he’d failed to mention when they’d spoken of their pasts. But he’d have no reason to hide the information. It didn’t matter to her if he had been married before. The secret he kept was what concerned her. He was so big on telling the truth and then he’d hidden this.
Melanie moved to the last crate, this one nailed shut. She reached for a hammer from the first box and pried it open. A loud gasp flew from her mouth. Lying on the top was a shawl covered with dark stains—dried blood?
What the hell? She rocked back on her heels and gripped the crate with white knuckles. What had happened? What was she looking at?
What was Tait involved in besides robbery?
Her heart hammering, she picked up the shawl, blood-soaked and dried into stiffness. Had Tait killed a woman? No, there was no way she’d believe that. She was good at reading men, and Tait would never hurt a woman. No, these had to belong to another wife or sister. Had the woman who’d worn these met with a tragic accident? Or had she been murdered?
Sudden voices sounded outside the door, and Melanie gave a cry and almost leaped out of her skin. Some deep breaths let her settle somewhat, and she lifted out the blankets at the bottom of the crate.
The five blankets made of the softest lamb’s wool brought even more questions. What? Why? What had happened to the baby? The woman must’ve been in the family way.
That really was the only logical explanation. Tears burned the backs of her eyes.
His flat refusal to have children drifted into her mind. His reply to her question had burst out with no thought whatsoever, and he’d been a little sharp about it. If his baby had died, that might explain his reaction.
This was all too much. She stuffed everything back into the crates and nailed the lid shut on the bottom one.
Though he’d told her the day after their wedding t
hey’d only talk about their pasts that once, then never speak of them again, she was going to ask him about this. He’d probably refuse to say anything. Didn’t matter. She’d ask anyway and not let on that she’d seen these things.
After she put everything back like it had been, she turned the place upside down yet didn’t find a single bill or coin.
“Pot, Mellie. Pot,” Becky insisted, crawling off the bed.
“Okay, honey. I’m through here anyway.” She gave the sod house one last look. “Let’s go.”
Before leaving, she gathered up an armful of Tait’s dirty clothes. In case anyone saw her leaving, she could say she’d come to collect them to wash. Then she took Becky’s hand.
* * *
Tait and Jack rode into Flat Rock, Texas, under cover of the pitch-black night. Clouds obscured the moon, leaving nothing to guide them except for a dim light that shone in the window of the sheriff’s office. They tied their horses in the alley behind the building and moved quietly around to the door.
A dog’s bark drifted down the lonely street, but nothing moved. Businesses lined both sides of the street, with a bank on one corner. A lamp burned in that window too. If Tait was of a mind to rob it, this would be a perfect setup.
He shook himself, the noisy saloon further down the way drawing his attention. “A booming business tonight.”
“Looks like.” Jack turned the knob and opened the door to the sheriff’s office.
Hondo glanced up from his desk. “What took you so long? Good to see you, Tait.”
“Likewise. We came as soon as the wedding was over.” Tait watched a grin curve Hondo’s mouth and quickly set him straight. “Now, don’t go thinking I fell in love or the other way either. I only got married because I needed help with the kids. It’s nothing but business.”
“It’d take a hell of a woman to penetrate that thick skin of yours. Would you like some coffee?” Hondo picked up the pot on the small stove.
“Thought you’d never ask.” Tait warily eyed the two cells, recalling how it felt to be locked up. He forced himself to breathe easy. Both cages were empty, so they wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard.
Jack dropped into a chair and propped his feet on a crate. “I’ll take some too.”
“Where’s your deputy?” Tait took off his hat and hung it on a nail.
“Out of town. Won’t be back until next week.”
“That’s good.” Tait never knew who he could trust. He had to assume that everyone wanted the reward money.
Moments later they sat in a circle with cups of the strong, black brew. Hondo kicked off the conversation. “I’m glad you came, Tait. Have something for you.” He pitched him a silver badge.
Tait caught it, the air whistling through his teeth at the shock when he realized what he held. It was a railroad badge, belonging to someone from the Missouri River Railroad. “Where did you get this?”
“At your sister’s place.” Hondo lifted his cup to his mouth. “This all but confirms what I originally thought—they killed your sister either to draw you out or because they couldn’t get to you so killed her instead, knowing how much it would hurt you.”
“Dammit to hell!” Tait jumped up out of the chair, needing to move, needing to hit something, needing to put a bullet in the murdering devils.
His chest squeezed like a vise, blocking his ability to breathe. He gripped the odd-shaped piece of metal so tightly it cut into his palm. It burned in his hand like a hot poker. Now those kids really would have a reason to despise him.
They’d called him a no-account, and they’d pegged him to a tee.
“Whereabouts on their property did you find it, Hondo?” Jack took the badge from Tait.
“The bastards pinned it on Claire’s dress. This was deliberate.”
“What else?” Tait leaned over the desk, planting his arms wide. “I know there’s more. Don’t try to hide it.”
“John went down from a clean shot that killed him instantly.” Hondo paused a long moment as though wishing he didn’t have to tell Tait the rest. “They tortured Claire before they put her out of her misery. Her face was battered to hell, and they shot both knees, sliced one arm deep to the bone. She fought them. Put up a hell of a fight, from the looks of things.”
Bile rose in Tait’s mouth. He closed his eyes, but the gruesome images forced them back open. He set his cup down and flung open the door, gulping the fresh night air into his lungs, struggling to hold down the contents of his stomach.
Behind him he heard Jack ask, “Do you have any idea who the low-down bastards were?”
“Suspicions are all. Nothing concrete.”
Anger filled Tait. He whirled. “Why did you wait so God-blessed long to tell me this?”
Hondo gave him a level look. “The living are more important than the dead, Tait. You needed to take care of those kids and give them something solid to hold onto. Besides, I was trying to find out as much as possible about the killers’ identities before I drew you in.”
“You were right to hold it back, Hondo. Those kids were more important.” Jack rose and walked to the bulletin board where the wanted posters hung. “Who do you suspect?”
“I hate to say.”
“I’d hate to shoot you, but I will if you don’t start talking.” Tait knew threatening Hondo wasn’t a good idea with the cells so close, but he couldn’t help himself. “I want names.”
“All right. The Berringers. The Vinson Gang. Then there’s Walter Patrick and the sorry-assed men he’s got working for him. The list goes on. Hell, pick any of those wanted posters over there. Are you happy now?”
“I get your point.” Tait’s anger cooled.
“Well, hallelujah!”
Jack refilled his cup. “As remote as their ranch was, it could’ve been someone passing through who saw it as easy pickings. But still, that railroad badge means it was someone who knows Tait and his history. It’d be one hell of a coincidence otherwise.”
A knot formed in Tait’s chest. “My gut says this was not random.”
“Your gut and mine must be twins.” Hondo locked his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. “How are the kids?”
Tait sat down, restlessness still itching up his legs. “Doing as well as they can. Gonna take time for the boys to get that chip off their shoulders, but they’ll come around. Thanks for burying Claire and John and looking out for the kids. I owe you some money.”
Pain filled Hondo’s stare. “They were like my own flesh and blood. I gave them a good service with a preacher.”
Tait swallowed hard. “After John stopped me from visiting, I felt better knowing you were close by.”
“Those boys were a real mess at first while I was trying to find you and finally sent them to Jack. Didn’t sleep, wouldn’t eat for two days. Just stared into space. Kept asking why.” Hondo sighed. “I can’t wait to catch the bastards who did this. And I will sooner or later. You can bet your bottom dollar on that.”
Something the twins had said clicked in Tait’s brain. “One of the boys described the killers. Do you have any gray-haired men with protruding ears and deep bags under their eyes around here?”
“Not any that I can recall. The boys told me about that when they started talking again.”
“Does the description fit any of the Berringers?” Jack asked.
“Nope, but with the passel of uncles, cousins, and kids, I doubt I’ve seen them all. Every last one of that bunch can get fighting mad at the drop of a hat.” Hondo wagged his head. “I’ve never known anyone with a hair-trigger temper like they have. Took after Grandpa Berringer.”
“Didn’t Kern have some brothers?” Jack asked.
“It’s possible, but if he does, they don’t live around here.” Hondo straightened and grabbed his hat. “I need to make rounds and check the horses at the hitching
rail, see who’s in town. I’ll be back in a bit. Make yourself at home in the cells. They’re unlocked.”
Jack reached for his hat. “I’ll come with you. I need to see to the horses. Tait, best if you stay inside. We don’t need anyone to recognize you.”
“I’ll hold down the fort.” Tait stretched. “Got some thinking to do.”
The door closed behind them, and silence engulfed him. After a moment, Tait went to Hondo’s desk drawer, pulled out a half-empty bottle, filled his cup midway, and wandered over to a cot in one of the cells. Even though he’d told Melanie he’d quit whiskey, he needed this right now to numb the sharp pain.
His thoughts tumbled inside his skull. Who besides Kern Berringer had such a vendetta against him?
Who had tortured his beautiful, sensitive Claire? The woman had never hurt a flea. She would’ve screamed at the top of her lungs. But the boys hadn’t mentioned anything about that. Why? Unless someone had muffled the noise with either his hand or some cloth. Maybe.
Tait slid his Smith & Wesson from his holster and flipped the cylinder open. When he found the murdering bastards, he’d take his time. They’d pray to die, but he wouldn’t let them until he was ready.
An eye for an eye.
Ten
Over the next two days, Melanie discovered Tait was right about caring for the kids. The boys pretty much stayed busy, and she and Becky spent a lot of time with Nora and Clay’s red-haired wife, Tally.
They discussed the new house, the children, and their husbands. She liked the women in Hope’s Crossing and shared a good deal with them, which was something of a revelation. They all either had been or were running from something, yet no one was shunned or talked about. No one was judged to be better than anyone else.
Also, after noticing Dr. Mary playing cards at a back table in the café, she’d introduced herself and played poker. The familiar feel of the cards brought Ava closer. The doctor turned out to be quite a worthy opponent, and Melanie enjoyed their games immensely. In addition, she’d learned more about this fascinating woman who wore a necklace made of bullets.
