He glanced at her and she must have seen something on his face because she smiled encouragement. “Let’s go in and eat something. We’ll all feel better after we get some food into us.”
He nodded and pushed the door open holding it wide for her, then followed her into the room and tossed his hat onto an end table. Sinking down wearily on the settee, he scrubbed his face with his hands. Mechanically, he ate the eggs and oatmeal Rachel placed before him, but no taste registered.
After a few moments Pa cleared his throat and looked over at him. “Cade, we need to talk about a few things now.”
Cade sighed. Yes. They did.
A loud banging on the kitchen door jolted Rocky awake the next morning. Who would be knocking on their door at this hour? He snatched up his pants and thrust his legs into them, then snagged his gun belt and swung it around his hips. Boots in one hand and socks in the other, he padded toward the kitchen in his bare feet, tossed them down in a pile on the kitchen floor, and stepped over to open the door.
The Cox boy stood on the other side. “Sorry to disturb you so early, Mr. Jordan. But Doc Martin said it was real important that I bring you this message right away.”
Rocky’s heart sank in his chest. “Come on in, Son.”
“Uh, I still need to go to your brother Sky’s place, Sir. So I won’t come in.”
“Alright.” Rocky gripped the frame on either side of the doorway and waited in silence.
The boy shuffled his feet for a moment, causing Rocky’s heart to sink even further.
“Uh, it’s Mrs. Bennett, Sir. She passed on early this morning. Just a bit ago, Doc said. He said it might be good for you to go out and see Mr. Cade.”
Rocky closed his eyes and tightened his grip on the door frame. He pulled in a deep breath and then turned to study the pale gray of the sky. After a moment he realized the boy was still there. “Was that everything he asked you to tell me?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Alright. Thank you. I appreciate you coming out to let us know.”
“Yes, Sir.” The boy started to turn away, then paused and looked back at him. “Do you believe in heaven, Sir?”
“Yes I do, Son. And if anyone is there, Mrs. Bennett surely is. I’ve known her since I was just a little boy and she definitely loved the Lord. She’s not in pain any longer. It’s us who will experience some pain now for awhile.”
Danny Cox swallowed. “Yes, Sir. She surely was a kind lady. Last spring when Ma was so sick after Ida was born, Mrs. Bennett, she came over once a week and helped us clean up the place and brought us food.”
Rocky smiled softly. “That sounds exactly like something she would have done.”
“Yes, Sir.” The boy shoved his hands into his pockets. “Well… best I be getting on to your brother’s place.”
Rocky nodded. He watched the boy for a few seconds, then closed the door, leaned his forehead into it and just stood there staring numbly at the floor. Brenda gone. It was just so hard to fathom.
He lifted his head and forced himself to move. He needed to tell Ria. They would want to go out and express their condolences. He rubbed the muscles at the base of his neck as he made his way back through the kitchen and living room and tapped softly on her door.
For a long moment there was no sound. He tapped again. “Ria?” He kept his voice low, hoping not to disturb the children just yet.
He heard movement inside then, and after a moment the door eased open a few inches. Her hair tangled in a mass of red curls about her face. Blue eyes rounded in sleepy confusion, and face flushed with the brush of sleep, she looked innocent and vulnerable.
And suddenly he ached to hold her. Smith had had so few years with the woman he loved.
He smiled instead, rested one arm against the lintel and reached out to wrap one of the curls around his finger. Lord, thank you for this wonderful, amazing woman.
A furrow formed on her brow and she angled her head in question.
The locket that she always wore lay skewed to one side and shimmered in bright contrast against the white fabric at her throat.
“Rocky? What is it?”
He couldn’t find his voice just yet. Carefully, though his hand trembled noticeably, he lifted the locket and studied the intricate pattern in the dim morning light, putting off his reply. It didn’t look like a cheap trinket. Baxter Cane had said something about this locket. He’d also mentioned the doll. Maybe the man was Victoria’s real father, after all. How else would he know about the locket and the doll? Unease pricked at the back of his mind and he stilled. What? A fleeting impression he couldn’t pin down discomfited him.
The locket and the doll. Victoria’s only possessions from her birth parents.
Victoria’s breathing grew shallow. “Something’s wrong. What’s happened?”
He turned to look at the doll where it still lay on the bedside table. Victoria had said somehow the head had been torn and someone had left a needle in it, as though they’d been trying to sew it back together.
Surely—
Victoria stirred and stepped closer, blocking his vision of the doll as she laid a hand on his cheek. “Just tell me.”
He didn’t know how to say it other than to just say it. “It’s Mrs. Bennett.” He swallowed. “She’s gone.”
“Oh, no! Why she was just… We just…” She gestured to the kitchen where Brenda’s empty pie tin still sat on the counter, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
“I know.” He felt a sting in his own eyes as he pulled her into his arms. “Cade’s going to need someone to talk to this morning. I have to go in to work later, but I’d like for us to swing by there. I imagine Sharyah will cancel classes. The service will probably be this afternoon.”
Victoria pulled back and swiped her face with the flats of her fingers. “Okay. I’ll get the children up and make a quick breakfast. Then we can head out there.”
He nodded, “I’ll get the wagon.” As Rocky walked toward the barn, his emotions ran the gamut. From love for Victoria, to sorrow for Cade and Smith’s loss, to worry for Cade, Smith, Ma, Sharyah and everyone who would be deeply affected by Brenda’s death.
And then his thoughts turned back to Baxter Cane, the locket, and the doll.
He needed to do some checking on that man today.
23
Cade looked terrible. There was no other way to describe it.
Rocky fiddled with his hat as he studied him across the yard, unsure how to talk to the man who’d been his best friend for as long as he could remember.
Ria had gone inside to help Ma prepare Brenda for burial. Sharyah had taken the children into town for a bit.
But Cade hadn’t moved from his spot at the corral since they’d pulled into the yard. Actually he’d barely glanced up when they drove in before he’d gone back to staring listlessly toward the horizon, his arms draped across the top rail.
Rocky dusted his hat against his jeans and then headed towards Cade.
He cleared his throat as he stepped up beside him and dropped his hat over the post to their right. He clapped a hand on Cade’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
Cade acknowledged the gesture with a dip of his chin, then quiet settled between them.
Rocky waited him out, knowing Cade would eventually start talking. He was never one to let silence stretch long unless it was absolutely necessary.
After several moments, Cade’s stallion trotted towards them, stopped a few paces off, stretched out its neck and gave a soft whicker. A light breeze lifted the animal’s dark mane and ruffled its tail. Rocky never ceased to be amazed by the beautiful creature with its intelligent brown eyes. When Cade made no response, it shook its great head, mane flopping, then backed up a few paces and blew a great gust of air through its nose. Lifting its head, it froze and studied them.
Sighing, Cade rubbed the back of his neck, then stretched his hand out toward the animal. “He knows something isn’t right.”
Rocky nodded silently as the horse tr
otted over to receive a good ear scratch from Cade’s hand. Cade attentively petted and rubbed, allowing the silence to linger. Finally, he gave the stallion a lump of sugar from his pocket and then slapped it on the neck, sending it loping across the paddock once more.
Angling Rocky a look, Cade rested his head against one hand. “I don’t know what we’re going to do without her.” His voice was low and husky.
“It’ll take time, but you’ll get it figured out.” Rocky watched him closely, willing him to believe the words.
Cade picked at a splinter on the corral rail. “Pa’s falling apart….” He swallowed. “He plans to sell the place.”
Rocky blinked in surprise. “Really?” Smith’s plan was obviously born of grief. The man had poured his life into the Bar B.
Giving a nod, Cade eased out a long breath. “He said he’d sell out to me. But for him to get a fair price, I’d have to take out a loan. I could do that, but I just,” he shrugged, “I don’t think he should be making these kinds of decisions right now.” Methodically, he broke the splinter he’d loosened from the pole into tiny bits. “But he went into town to have Reed write up the paperwork this morning. He says he won’t spend even one more night here without Ma.”
Rocky scuffed one toe in the soft dirt by his feet. That was rough.
“I’m torn.” Cade glanced up at him. “I don’t know whether to put my part up for sale, too, and go with Pa to… wherever he’s going, or stay here and just let Pa have some time to himself.”
“He didn’t say where he planned to go?”
He shook his head. “He said he just needed to drift for a while. Clear his head before he decided on the next phase of his life.”
Rocky worked his upper lip with his teeth. “When’s the service?”
Cade turned his back toward the corral and leaned against the rails, shoulders slumping at the heaviness of the decisions before him. “This afternoon. One o’clock. Pastor Hollybough was by just a bit ago. He tried to talk Pa into staying put and giving himself some time, but Pa wouldn’t hear of it.”
“Want my opinion?”
Lifting his hat, Cade scrubbed one hand through his hair, and then settled it firmly on his head once more. “Sure.” He rested his elbows on a rail and propped one heel on the bottom rung as he leaned back.
“Smith’s obviously not thinking straight, right now. It would be a shame for you to sell out, because I think he’s going to regret leaving one day. Maybe he does just need a little time to think. If you keep the place, at least he’ll have it to come back to when he’s ready.”
Methodically, Cade scanned each building on their spread. The silence stretched. Then finally, he sighed. “Yeah, I think you’re right. I should stay.” His throat worked. “Ma would have wanted me to stay. I’ll talk to Reed about a loan this afternoon.”
Rocky rubbed one hand over his cheek and considered…. He’d never find a better partner than Cade. Still, to offer partnership to him in this hour seemed so… crass. Yet… it would be helping him out. Finally, he said, “I’ve been saving up, hoping to get a place of my own. How about if I buy out your Dad’s half?”
The look of sheer relief that crossed Cade’s face set Rocky’s hesitation over the offer to rest. “Would you? Dad does so much around here. I’d have to hire someone to help with the work. But if you bought in, well… I know you’d carry your weight.”
“It would be an honor to partner with you, but I’d like to talk it over with Victoria before I give you a final decision.”
Cade nodded. “Sure. You’ve no idea how that eases my mind.” He held out one hand.
Rocky clasped it. “I’ll let you know as soon as I get a chance to talk it over with her.”
Victoria stepped out onto the back porch then. She looked their way, defeat cloaking her countenance and Rocky knew that Brenda must be ready for burial. Beside him Cade shifted.
Rocky squeezed his shoulder. “Why don’t you ride into town with us?”
Cade nodded. “I’ll just tie him,” he gestured over his shoulder toward his horse, “to your wagon so you don’t have to bring me back out.”
“Alright,” Rocky agreed, “why don’t you get him saddled and I’ll get… the wagon ready.” It would be better if Cade didn’t have to watch them carry Brenda out of the house.
Cade swallowed, blinked hard, and dipped his chin as he dropped one hand on Rocky’s shoulder. “Thanks,” he said, his voice barely audible. With one last glance at the house, he headed into the barn.
Sky had spent the morning fashioning a casket and Rocky helped him lift it into the back of the wagon and then lay Brenda inside. Smith nailed the lid down, himself, his hands trembling so badly that Rocky feared he would smash his thumb. But he got the task done without incident and then mounted up and reined his horse toward town after Sky.
Rocky’s tears nearly overflowed as Cade tied his horse to the tail gate and then crawled into the bed of the wagon and sat down right next to the coffin.
Quietly, he helped Victoria up to the seat and then climbed up to take the reins. The group was very silent as they drove toward the church.
Simon Saunders’ stomach growled as he lay on his bed at the boarding house and looked at the key he’d removed from the doll’s head. Holding the ends between thumb and forefinger, he studied both sides of it. The head of the key, quite ornate with intricate scroll work, had no distinctive markings of any kind. Nothing to tell him what the key unlocked.
With a disgusted grunt, he tossed it down on the table by the bed.
He should be thankful that he was here to look at the key at all, but he worried that he hadn’t had time to finish sewing the doll’s head back together. He’d almost been finished when he’d heard their buggy pull into the yard and he’d had to leave the doll lying there half-sewn.
He sighed. With any luck, they’d assume one of the children had gotten into it. He’d been careful other than that. He’d hidden behind the house until the husband had gone inside from the barn, then he’d rushed over to return the crow-bar to the tack room and nearly been caught when the man came back out to the stable with the boy to do chores. Thankfully, they hadn’t come into the tack room and he’d made his escape once darkness had completely fallen.
Simon tucked his hands behind his head and studied the water stain on the ceiling. He needed to know what this key was to. He had no doubt what he would find once he figured that out. There would be money, and lots of it. But he needed more information. What were his other options?
Mags wouldn’t have gone to all the trouble of stripping him of everything that was worth anything, only to throw it all away. No… He knew her. She’d hidden it away so that their daughter would find it one day. And she would have left clues. Clues she would assume he’d never find.
The locket. There had to be more information in the locket.
He needed to figure out a way to get his hands on it.
But first he needed some dinner. He lumbered to his feet. It had been a long time since the measly meal he’d eaten yesterday just before he’d walked out to their farm.
A little stop at the diner, and then he would decide what his next move ought to be.
Hannah squirmed restlessly on the pew, something she would have sharply rebuked one of her young charges for, were they here. Lawd Jesus… She hated funerals. The little church was full to overflowing with people from Shiloh and the surrounding community, most of them here because Brenda Bennett had meant so much to them.
Beside her Clarice reached out and gave her a one-armed hug, sniffing back tears.
Hannah sighed. How many quilting bees had they all been to together? How many church pot-lucks? None of them had thought that Brenda would beat them home to Glory.
Pastor Hollybough closed his encouraging message with prayer and announced that the burying would follow in a few moments outside in the church cemetery.
Her heart clinched as the images of other gaping holes in the ground, ones dug by her own
hands, paraded across her memory.
As they waited for Pastor to come back and let them know all was in readiness, everyone sat quietly visiting in the church.
But Hannah couldn’t suppress her worry over Cade. Word had spread quickly around town that his Daddy had gone off half-cocked, and she knew that boy would be trying to take on more than he could handle, right now. He needed to give himself some time to grieve.
She lifted her chin to see Cade and Smith over the heads of the crowd.
Just as she’d assumed, Smith was still sitting on the front pew, elbows planted on his knees and hands hanging limply between his legs, staring listlessly at the bouquet of flowers she’d brought from her garden, and Cade was on his feet, shaking people’s hands and thanking them for coming. He tried to smile, but she recognized the dazed look on his face. Knew that in the years to come he probably wouldn’t remember much of this day other than the numbness.
Pastor Hollybough stepped to the front and gestured the room to silence. “We’re ready outside now. I know there are so many of you here who want to pay your last respects to a woman you dearly loved, so I would ask that you all make room for each other out there. It will be a little crowded, but,” he smiled softly, “I know it means a lot to Smith and Cade that so many of you came today.”
Cade nodded. Smith didn’t seem to register the comment.
“After the ceremony outside, there will be some food and refreshments served across the street in the community hall. Smith and Cade have asked me to convey that all are welcome.” With that Pastor stepped down from the pulpit and preceded everyone outside.
As the crowd surged to their feet, Hannah leaned over to whisper in Clarice’s ear. “I’ll just head over to the hall and make sure all is ready.”
“Do you need some help?”
“No.” She shook her head. “You go on now, I’ll be jus’ fine. Won’t take me a minute to make sure things is all set over there.”
Rocky and Victoria moved down the aisle ahead of her, with the three orphan children just in front of them. Rocky and Victoria appeared to be deep in conversation, and by the way Rocky had one arm wrapped around her shoulders and the way Victoria gazed into his face as she gave her quiet reply, it looked like they may have worked a few things out.
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