Caleb nodded, but made no promises. Eli realized it was the best he was going to get. Despite his brother’s repeated attempts to get information as they traveled, Eli wouldn’t tell him anything. Eventually, the youngest Calhoun quit asking, but he made several comments about taking the high road, and doing the right thing. Eli yawned and closed his eyes.
After arriving in Fair Haven, it took less than an hour to locate the man who’d done Hollis Anderson’s dirty work. Tiny was leaving the barber shop, all freshly shaved and spiffed up.
As Eli stepped toward him, his brother motioned for him to stop. “Is that the man you’ve been calling Tiny?” Caleb whispered.
At Eli’s nod, Caleb said, “Well hold up a minute. I recognize him. I may need to talk to him, too.”
Eli eyed the man. Big, about a head taller than him, with a long face, deep-set eyes, thick dark brows, and a crooked nose that had been broken at least once. “He wanted for something?”
“Yep. A whole string of somethings. He’s got half-a-dozen aliases.”
Eli thought about asking for details, then decided it didn’t matter. As long as he had his chance to talk to the man first, he didn’t care what Caleb did.
While they stood there, talking, the guard kept walking. They were going to lose him. Without being obvious about it, Eli and Caleb followed along. The man’s pace increased. Although he hadn’t turned to look at them, Eli was sure he was aware of their presence.
“He’s spotted us,” Eli told Caleb, glancing over in time to see his brother move his jacket aside to uncover his badge.
Just then Tiny lunged through the swinging doors of a saloon.
“I’m going in after him,” Caleb said, “you go around to the alley.”
Eli took off before his brother even finished talking. He rounded the corner in time to see the man walk out the saloon’s back door with a smirk on his face.
Drawing his gun, Eli pointed it at him. “Hello, Tiny.”
Smirk gone, the man slowly raised his hands.
“That was easier than I thought it would be,” Caleb said, stepping through the same door into the alley. “Looking forward to telling my captain that you’re in custody.” He slipped handcuffs on the man.
Gun still in hand, Eli struggled to control his frustration as he drew closer.
The prisoner didn’t seem to notice. His attention had been captured by the cuffs. “You got the wrong man,” Tiny said. “You got me confused with somebody else.”
Caleb laughed. “Yeah, I’m sure there are a dozen others who look exactly like you. Besides, you don’t even know yet what I’m arresting you for. How can you be sure you didn’t do it?”
“Before you get too far along in this process,” Eli said to Caleb, “let me remind you that I’m the one who came here looking for the man. He and I have some unfinished business to tend to.”
Tiny stopped talking to Caleb and turned his attention to Eli.
“What business?”
“I want to talk to you about your time at the asylum.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Hey, I didn’t start that fire. One of them crazies did.” He jerked around to plead with Caleb. “Seriously. I had nothing to do with it.”
“I believe you,” Eli said, “but it’s not the fire I want to talk about.”
The man’s gaze swung back to Eli. “What then?”
“I want to talk about Maggie Radford.”
Tiny stilled, expression wary. “Never heard of her.”
“Eli, what are you wanting to do?” his brother asked.
Eli shrugged. He couldn’t kill the man. Could he? No. He knew what Pastor Wilkie Brown would say, and probably even Maggie, “Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord.”
But Eli’s finger itched on the trigger and the churning in his stomach wouldn’t allow for the man to just waltz off to jail.
Eli wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk to the man or stomp a hole in him. Whatever he did, he wasn’t doing it in front of Caleb.
Holstering his weapon, Eli saw the flash of relief and a moment’s triumph in the guard’s eyes.
“I need a word with the prisoner,” Eli told Caleb. “Alone.”
Caleb shook his head. “Afraid not.”
Eli glared at him. “I want you to leave. Now,” he added between clenched teeth.
“Sorry, not happening. This man’s in my custody.”
At Eli’s growl, Caleb tried to explain. “You stopped me from making a similar mistake a few months ago, and I intend to repay the favor.”
“That was all kinds of different,” Eli said. He held out his hand. “C’mon, give me the key to the cuffs.”
Caleb’s brows rose. “Well, that’s different. If you insist on talking to the man I’m a little more comfortable knowing it’s a fair talk.”
That stung. “Did you really think I’d have a talk with a handcuffed man?”
“No,” Caleb admitted.
“Then give me the key and make yourself scarce.”
The man in custody had been glancing back and forth between Eli and Caleb, brow furrowed. “Talk to me?” He looked at Caleb. “You’re not going to leave me here with him are you? He doesn’t plan on talking!”
Ignoring him, Caleb pitched Eli the key. Tiny let loose a string of cuss words that turned the air blue.
“Don’t let him get away, and don’t kill him,” Caleb said.
“Don’t worry.”
Then Caleb added, “As you know, I haven’t been a church-going man for long, but it seems to me that there’s a verse in the Bible that says something like, “Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord.”
Eli groaned. “Not you, too.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Eli grumbled. “As you well know, I’ve been a church-going man for even less time than you, but I reckon what you say is true. Yet I’m recalling another verse: “The Lord works in mysterious ways.”
Caleb grinned at him. “I don’t think that’s even in the Bible.”
Eli shrugged, but he didn’t back down. This man was going to think twice before he ever picked on anybody less than half his size again.
Caleb sighed. “I wish you’d reconsider.”
“And I wish you’d get outta here.”
“I’m going,” Caleb said.
As soon as his brother was out of sight Eli unlocked the cuffs and let them fall.
“You really mean to give me a fair fight?” Tiny asked.
“I meant what I—” A fist landing on Eli’s mouth interrupted his statement.
Eli stepped back, spit blood, and then grinned. “I deserve that, for being so stupid.” Before the other man could respond, Eli shoved him against the back of the saloon, then leaned in and whispered, “But Maggie didn’t deserve it. This is for her.” Eli hit him in the gut, then pulled the man up by the collar and slammed a fist into his face.
“And that’s also for Maggie,” he said, “and the times you left bruises where no one could see them. I want people to see what I’ve done to you.”
Despite his massive size Tiny was a surprisingly agile opponent, and his answering blow left Eli reeling. After that, everything was a blur of fists on flesh, grunts and groans coming from his own throat, the smell of blood, and a ringing in his ears. Eli didn’t know how many punches he’d landed, or even how many he’d thrown. But he knew he was losing.
Until the guard said, “I shoulda done what I really wanted to do to that girl. That might’ve made this all worthwhile.”
Maybe it was the blood dripping into his eyes from the cut on his brow, but a red haze was all Eli saw. With a renewed intensity fueled by rage, Eli deliberately set about stomping a hole in the man.
Tiny was on the ground when Eli heard his brother call his name, but it wasn’t until a gun was cocked that he stilled.
Glancing over the man’s prone figure, Eli eyed the Remington 44-40 that Caleb had leveled at him.
“I’m gonna need you to step away.”
Struggling to catc
h his breath, Eli opened his mouth to argue.
“Sure would hate to shoot my own brother,” Caleb drawled.
Eli froze. Not because he held any fear of the youngest Calhoun firing at him—he knew better. But because it was the same words he’d said to Caleb the first time they’d met.
Stepping back, Eli used the tail end of his shirt to wipe sweat and blood from his face, struggling to catch his breath.
“I thought I was supposed to be the reckless Calhoun,” Caleb said. “I’ve come to admire that steely resolve and reserved demeanor. What happened there, man?”
Eli shook his head. “I thought about what he’d done to Maggie and I lost it. I didn’t kill him, did I? I didn’t mean to.”
Caleb snorted. “Good to know. Fortunately for you, he’s still alive, if not exactly well.”
They both helped get the man on his feet, and then Caleb slipped the cuffs back on. “I’ll take him to the Fair Haven jail and send word to Captain Parnell where to find him.”
Eli picked his hat up from the ground and slapped it against his thigh to remove the dirt. “I’ll help you.”
“No, I think it’s better if you stay out of the way,” Caleb said. “See if you can’t clean yourself up a little, you’re a mess. I’ll meet you at the train station.”
As Eli waited at the depot, he found himself regretful for losing his temper. He’d fought many men in his life, but never had he lost control like that. That kind of thing was dangerous.
What was happening to him?
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Maggie’s steps slowed as she approached the front room. The door was open just enough for her to catch the sound of a low pitched voice. She stopped. She didn’t know who all was in there, but one of them was Elijah Calhoun. Were they talking about her?
Peg had been the only one at home when Maggie had gone out back to hang the laundry. She didn’t hear any sound from the woman now. Only Eli’s voice.
In case he was talking to the Pinkerton agent again, Maggie lingered in the hall, head tilted, trying to make out what was being said. After several moments, she was even more confused. Eli’s tone of voice sounded as it usually did, quiet and confident, but the words themselves weren’t making any sense.
Then she heard one sentence clearly. “You’re a fortunate little girl to have Maggie Radford on your side.”
She smiled. Eli was talking to the baby. Unlike most people, he was using his regular voice.
“A little girl needs a mother to watch over her,” he continued. “So does a little boy for that matter. Eventually, you’ll be all grown-up and running your own house. And as long as you’ve listened to Maggie, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised by what you manage to accomplish. You’ll be strong, that’s for sure.”
Since the door was partially open, Maggie peered through before announcing her presence. Eli was sitting in a chair by the fireplace, holding the baby. The infant’s hand was wrapped around one of his fingers. The contrast of the white, unblemished skin against the rough, darker skin, held her spellbound.
“I don’t know who your papa will be,” Eli said, again in a conversational tone, “but I imagine you’ll have one someday after y’all get back to Fair Haven. And if he doesn’t treat you right, I’ll come and kick his…” He paused. “Let’s just say he’ll straighten right up when I’m done with him.”
Maggie blinked against unexpected tears. There was so much more to this man than she’d first suspected. She’d placed her hand on the door, ready to push it open, when he spoke again. And this time, he did it in a soft, singsong voice, as he recited a nursery rhyme to Lucinda. The baby made a little sighing sound.
“Did you like that?” he asked. “I know more of them. My mama used to sing to me and my brother. And she told us stories. So many stories. She read the Bible to us every day, telling us about Daniel and the lion’s den, and Noah, and Jonah.”
He adjusted the blanket around the baby, pulling her a little closer. “And Mama also told us about the early days of Texas and the Alamo, Goliad and San Jacinto. It didn’t mean much then, but it does now. I don’t remember everything she said. Just bits and pieces. She would tell us to hold our heads up high, always, because we were sons of patriots and kings.” He laughed softly. “And I think there were some scalawags, rascals and outlaws in the family, too. Course, Mama liked to say they came from Daddy’s side.”
Maggie smiled. He was once again talking to the baby as he would Peg or her.
“And Mama was a good cook—even if sometimes all we had to eat was wind pudding and rabbit tracks.”
Maggie shook her head. Wind pudding and rabbit tracks. How odd. The second time she’d heard the words since she’d been here. She pushed through the door to mention it to him, and then stopped.
Her heart twisted as she got a look at his battered and bruised face. “Oh Eli,” she breathed.
He glanced away, not meeting her eyes. “Hello, Maggie. I brought a message for Peg. She was needed out at the Baker place. I told her I’d watch the baby until you came inside.”
Maggie couldn’t believe he was acting as if nothing was wrong. “Eli, what happened to you?”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” He laid the baby down in her cradle and tried to brush past Maggie, but she tugged on his sleeve.
“Elijah? Please?”
He stopped, but still wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I ran into something,” he mumbled.
“Must’ve been something pretty solid to do that kind of damage.”
He seemed to be struggling with what to tell her. Suddenly she knew.
“That guard, Tiny. Did he do this?”
Eli nodded.
Maggie let out a breath. “Let me guess. He’s in even worse shape than you.”
Eli grinned, or tried to. His lip was split, so the crooked smile he gave her made her cringe.
He looked away again. “Sorry sight, huh?”
“No, not at all.” Maggie placed her hand on his arm. “It’s still a very handsome face.”
Eli’s startled gaze flew to hers. “You’re not going to gripe at me for what happened?”
“No. Especially since I’m really not sure what did happen. I suspect you wanted to settle a score for me, so I’m going to say thank you.”
Mouth open, he stared at her.
“Thank you for caring, Eli. But please, don’t ever do anything like that again.” She dropped her hand and turned toward the door. He grabbed at her fingers, tugging her back.
“Maggie, no matter what I promise or how good my intentions, I’ll have more encounters like this. I went looking for this fight, and I probably shouldn’t have, but trouble finds me often enough. I’m the sheriff. For some people, that’s all it takes for them to want to fight me.”
She nodded. “I believe that.”
“As I mentioned to you before, I found out the hard way that there are bad people out there. I avoided trouble if at all possible then, and I’ll do that now. But other people—innocent folks—depend on me to step between them and the bad guys.”
“I know you’ll have to do what needs doing,” Maggie said. “But this didn’t need doing, that’s all I’m saying.”
“I considered walking away,” he admitted. “Pastor Wilkie said being good doesn’t get you to heaven, repenting of your sins and accepting Jesus as your Savior does. But he also said being saved should make you want to do better. Be better. Said something about being a new man in Christ. And I really do want that. Eventually, I think I might be able to turn the other cheek.”
His expression grew more sober. “But that’s only when it’s me involved. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stand around when someone else is being abused. Whether I’m wearing a badge, or not.”
“I know.” Maggie was trying to decide what else to say when they heard the back door fly open.
Eli grabbed for his gun, while Maggie scooped up the baby, each bracing for a confrontation. Then they looked at each other in confusion. It was little feet
headed their way.
A moment later Ruthie burst into the room, tears trickling down her face. “Come quick,” she said. “The mean lady is making my Daddy mad, and my Mama cry.”
* * *
Eli waited long enough for Maggie to throw another blanket around Lucinda. Peg Harmon walked up as they were leaving.
“Where’s everybody going?”
“Ruthie’s house,” Maggie said. “Something has her upset.”
“Poor thing. Here, let me have the baby while you go check on her,” Peg said.
Hurrying outside, they heard a commotion from next door, and entered to a scene just as Ruthie had described.
Dovie was crying, Walter looked ready to explode, and Mrs. Dunlop, obviously the “mean lady” in this instance, was standing with her hands on her hips.
“What’s going on?” Eli said.
Mrs. Dunlop gaped at him. “Goodness gracious. What’s happened to your face?”
“Nothing worth repeating. Now tell me what’s happening here.”
“Very well,” Mrs. Dunlop said. “I’ve asked these people, nicely, to please vacate these premises. They refuse to comply. Now do something about it.”
Maggie stared at the woman, brow furrowed. “Why are you asking them to leave?”
Mrs. Dunlop’s expression grew even frostier. “Who are you? I saw you in church, but I don’t believe I received an introduction.”
“My name is Maggie. I’m a friend of Peg Harmon, and I’m a guest in her home. Who are you?”
“I’m Myrtle Dunlop. I own the bakery in town. My husband George is a member of the board of education.” The woman sniffed. “He’s a very important man.”
“How nice for you,” Maggie murmured.
Eli lowered his head to hide a smile. He wasn’t sure how she’d done it, but Maggie had just insulted Mrs. Dunlop.
Maggie turned to Walter and Dovie. “Do you want to leave?”
“I’m not anxious to live in her house,” Walter said, “but I don’t have anything else lined up yet. We had an agreement, then she changed it. Doubled the rent. I’ve been trying to come up with the extra money, and I told her I almost have it—if she’d only give me a little more time.”
“Do you have the amount she originally asked for?” Eli asked.
A Texas Promise Page 19
