by Barbara Goss
“He’s hired. And I can’t thank you enough for the lessons on horse breeding. I can’t wait to put them to good use.”
“If I could only find a buyer for the livery, I’d help you even more.” Walter pointed to a buggy with a broken wheel. “I guess we better get busy fixing that wheel.”
At the dinner table that night, Max became a bit annoyed. Jake seemed to take all of Laura’s attention with his stories—mostly about himself.
“Jake,” Max said, “how long did you say you're staying in Silverpines?”
Jake pushed his plate aside and leaned back in his chair. “I’m rethinking my plans, little brother. I like it here. The air is so fresh and everything is green. I don’t even mind that it rains so much. I rather like the smell in the air after a shower. I’m thinking of staying.”
Max felt at a loss for words. He hadn't expected Jake to stay that long.
“What about Father? With Harley married and living in Brownsville, he’s all alone.”
“Didn’t I tell you?” Jake laughed. “Oh, my! I can see by your expression that I didn’t. Our father married three weeks after you left Laredo.
“He’d been seeing her for years, and he thought that with his sons going out on their own, he’d marry. He sold all the cattle and the ranch and split the money between the three of us. It allowed Harley to buy a nice spread in Brownsville, and the money sure helped you. I just haven’t figure out what I’ll do with mine.”
“Father moved into Mrs. Radloff’s house?”
“Yes, he did.”
“And you neglected to tell me all this?”
“Well, we were so busy…I meant to tell you when I handed you the money but you rushed me off in your wagon so fast, and then I met your family and…I just thought I’d told you. I really don’t see how the news will change your life at all, little brother.”
“It won’t, but it would have been nice to know about it. So, what will you do with your money?”
“Did you say the livery was for sale?”
“Yes, are you interested?”
“I might be. How about you take me there tomorrow to have a look around.”
Max nodded. He loved his brother, but he really wanted his little family all to himself. They were still newlyweds, after all. He was tired of Jake's stories, and he hated being called “little brother.”
Max took Jake to the livery, and to his surprise, he liked it. It happened to be a busy day and the place was bustling. He spoke at length with Walter and then said he wanted to buy it. Walter gave him the key to the flat upstairs, that came with the livery, so he could look it over.
“I’ll take it,” he told Walter and Max, “but what do I do with the other man’s things?”
“He had no family,” Walter said. “I guess it goes with the place.”
“What a deal, Jake,” Max said. “You don’t even have to buy furniture.”
Since Jake paid cash for the livery he was running it alongside Walter within the week.
Max stretched and yawned. Laura curled up under his arm. “Mornin’," he said groggily.
“Good morning. Are you sure you want to laze around in bed today?”
“Mmm.” Max yawned again and closed his eyes.
“Today’s the grand opening of the corral.”
Max’s eyes opened wide. “So it is.” He scrambled out of bed. “What time is it?”
“It’s eight. You have plenty of time. The rodeo crew won’t be here until eleven. I don’t suppose the guests will be here until noon.”
“Laura, what will we do with Caro while the show is going on?”
“She can watch it with me. It’ll be fine.”
After breakfast, Max disappeared into the stables. There was so much to do. He was glad to see Lucas, Henry, and Dexter all busy grooming horses. Max hoped to sell at least a dozen that day. He was busy polishing saddles when Jake and Walter came in.
“Are you nervous, Max?” Jake asked.
“I am. So, the rodeo will take over the arena until two and then I bring out the horses for sale. Do I bring them out one-by-one, or do—”
“Relax, Max,” Walter said. “You ride the first horse out, I’ll ride the second, Jake will ride the third, and then we’ll begin again until they’re all sold.”
“All right. That sounds good,” Max said. “What could go wrong?”
Caro stood up near the corral fence, watching the rodeo. “Mama, I can’t see. Can you pick me up?”
Laura picked her up and set her on the corral railing, but kept hold of her tightly. With horses trying to buck riders off, things could get pretty wild. People cheered for the rider only to have him fall to the ground just a few seconds later.
The man who’d always bought unbroken horses from Edwin put on the performance. He’d be sure to buy a few horses after the show. It was good entertainment, with clowns throwing candy out to the children alongside the corral and in between the horse riders.
Caro asked to get down from the corral rail so she could chase after the candy being thrown by the clowns. Laura set her down, and she managed to grab a piece of candy. She held it up triumphantly. When another piece of candy landed inside the corral, Caro crawled in to get it. Laura saw it too late. She made a grab in Caro’s direction, but she couldn’t reach her, and she began to panic.
“Caro, come back here!” Laura yelled. One of the wild horses had just bucked off its rider and was heading straight for Caro who’d just reached the candy. Laura screamed and tried to jump over the rail, but she stopped abruptly when she saw Max run out and grab her. He threw her into Laura’s arms before turning to run, but the horse knocked him over and trampled him.
Walter and Jake managed to somehow stop the show. Max was sitting up and telling them he was fine, though his pants were ripped, and his leg was bleeding. Walter and Jake helped him out of the arena by supporting him, one on each side of him.
Laura pressed Caro into Dawn’s arms. “Take her into the house!” She then ran into the stables where she found Max sitting on a bench. Walter was tying a strip of cloth around his leg.
“Max!” Laura cried as she ran to him and threw herself into his arms.
“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.” Max turned to Walter and Jake. “We have to go on with the sale.”
Walter finished tying up Max’s leg. “Jake and I will handle it. You stay right here.”
“Max, I’m so sorry. Caro just got away from me for a moment.”
“Is she all right?”
“She’s fine, but what about your leg?”
“It’s just a scratch. The hoof of the horse just grazed it.”
Laura looked down and saw that the cloth Walter had tied around his leg was already saturated with fresh blood.
“I’m going for a doctor.”
“Does Silverpines even have a doctor?”
“I don’t know.”
Lucas Carrigan was standing nearby, brushing a horse. “Excuse me, ma’am, but there’s a new doctor in town. Doctor Childs is his name.”
“Do you know how to reach him?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Please go and get him.” Laura ripped a strip from her petticoat, removed the cloth Walter had placed on Max's leg, and she wrapped his leg with the new piece. Soon that one had also filled with blood. She knew he’d bleed to death if it didn’t stop bleeding soon.
Dawn came running into the stables. “How is he?”
“Where’s Caro?” Laura asked.
“She’s asleep; it’s her nap time.”
Dawn ripped the cloth off and gasped when she saw the gash in Max’s leg. She ripped a strip from her clean, white apron and pressed it against the wound with all her might. Max groaned and fell into a lying position on the bench.
“I’m sorry, Max.” Dawn pressed harder. “It has to be done”
After the horse sale, Walter and Jake helped carry Max into the house and upstairs to the bed.
“Your nephew, Lucas, went for the new
doctor,” Laura told Walter.
Dawn resumed her pressure on Max’s leg. “I hope he comes soon.”
Laura gave Max a drink of water. “And it isn’t just a scratch, Max.”
Max looked up at Jake. “Did we sell any horses?”
“All twelve for the prices you were asking,” Jake told him. “So just relax.”
“I’ve heard about this new doctor,” Walter said. “He’s young and very matter-of-fact but knowledgeable. He’s from somewhere in the East.”
“Where’s Caro?” Max asked. “Is she all right?”
“She’s fine and sleeping. Thanks to you, Max.” Laura kissed his forehead. “You saved her life.”
Max simply smiled.
Chapter 13
Dr. Childs rushed into the room and swiftly removed the bandage from Max’s leg. He poked and prodded before saying, “The leg’s not broken, but he has a nasty and deep gash.”
“Can you fix it?” Laura asked wringing her hands.
“He’s fortunate. The gash isn’t too ragged. I can clean it and sew it up. The cuts to his arms and face are superficial. I’ll just clean them.”
“Will he be all right, Doctor?” Laura asked.
“He’ll be fine,” Dr. Childs said. “I’ll need to knock him out to stitch him, though.”
The doctor opened his medical bag, poured a liquid on a clean cloth, and then put it over Max’s face.
Laura held his hand until it went limp. She turned her head while the doctor sewed his leg.
The doctor washed the wound with another liquid from his bag, and then he bandaged the leg.
Max awakened slowly. “Do I still have a leg?”
“You do,” Dr. Childs said. “Don’t try to walk on it for a day. I’ll be back in a week to remove the stitches.”
Jake handed Laura a wad of bills. She looked at the money. “The profits from the horse sale.”
The men left, promising to return to check on his progress.
Laura sponged Max’s brow and washed his arms and face. He’d been soiled in the fall. It was all her fault. Why had she let go of Caro’s hand? It had happened so fast. Caro had handed her the candy she’d caught and asked her to open the wrapper. She'd let go of her hand to open the wrapper and suddenly Caro was inside the corral.
Max tried to sit up, but Laura pushed him down.
“Lie still for a while.” She gave him another drink of water.
“Caro?” he said hoarsely.
“She’s fine, Max, you pushed her out of the way.”
“I remember now. I thought I had enough time to save her and get out of the way myself. I calculated that wrong, didn’t I?”
“Oh, Max, I’m so sorry.”
Max lifted his hand and wiped the tears from Laura’s face. “Don’t cry. Caro is safe and I’m alive. I almost got out of the way.”
“But it was all my fault. I let go of her to open her candy, and she was gone.”
“It’s water over the bridge, now.” Max tried to move his leg again. “Ouch!
“Laura, I need to breed more horses so we can have another sale in the fall. I figure we can sell off another dozen if we have at least a dozen more due in late spring to early summer.”
“I’ll help. Don’t worry. Together we’ll get it done, and then we’ll travel to Astoria and see about you adopting Caro.”
“As soon as I get the stitches removed we’ll go.”
Laura patted his hand. “You certainly earned the right to be called Papa today.”
Laura took the money into town to deposit it in the bank. She’d never used a bank before, but Max had insisted. On her way to her horse, she stopped into the marshal’s office to ask about Otis and Bart. She wanted to be certain they wouldn’t be around to cause any more trouble.
Marshal Sewell pushed away from his desk and stood. “Mrs. Winters, what brings you in today?”
“I was wondering if Otis and Bart have been tried by the judge yet.”
“I’m sorry, there wasn’t enough evidence to keep them locked up. They denied setting fire to your stables. I had no proof and had to let them go.”
Laura’s shoulders drooped. “So, they’re out of jail. I was afraid of that.”
“When I freed them, I told them to get out of town.”
“Thank you,” Laura mumbled as she left the office and mounted her horse. The men had been freed. Had they left town?
Dr. Childs returned to remove Max’s stitches and pronounce him well. All Max wanted to do was to travel to Astoria to start adoption proceedings.
Laura had told him Otis and Bart had been freed and warned to stay out of town. For the past week, things had been quiet. Lucas and Henry were working out fine. Each morning they exercised the horses in the corral, fed them, and groomed them.
Max was pleased when he stepped into the stables for the first time in a week. He started the breeding with Dexter’s help. Things seemed to be falling into place nicely, and he knew he'd be able to leave for an overnight trip to Astoria and know the stables were in good hands.
The trip to Astoria by train would get them there in two hours. They planned to see the attorney, get a hotel room for the night, and return to Silverpines in the morning. Dawn would stay with Caro.
Early the next morning, Max and Laura left for Astoria.
Laura and Max were strolling along the wooden walkway in Astoria to the attorney’s office when Laura stopped dead in her tracks and stared at a wanted poster on the side of a building.
“Laura, what is it?” Max asked.
“Look!” She pointed to one of three wanted posters. “Do you recognize that bearded man?”
“He looks familiar but—”
“Max, that’s Ambrose Skinner—the man who married us!”
Max read the poster: "'Ambrose Skinner—wanted for impersonation of a minister and fraud.'"
“Does this mean what I think it means?” Max asked.
Laura nodded. “You can’t adopt Caro; we aren’t married.”
“Don’t worry. We can fix this.” Max scratched his head. “We’re not married?”
Laura shook her head.
“Why you wicked, wicked woman,” Max teased.
She punched his shoulder. “What should we do?”
“We’ll find a real minister and get married again. We’ll do it here, in Astoria.”
“All right,” Laura said, “let’s find us a church…any church.”
Max and Laura found a little white church a block from where they’d seen the wanted poster. They entered and found the minister in the sanctuary, stamping hymnals.
“Excuse me Reverend, can you marry us?”
The older man studied them. “Of course I can. Have you a license?”
Laura and Max looked at each other and both spoke at once. Max said, “Yes,” and Laura said, “No.”
“Well, which is it?” the reverend asked.
Laura put her hand on Max’s shoulder to silence him. “We had a license, but the minister turned out to be a fraud. Now we need to marry again. We gave him the license.”
“Well,” the reverend said, scratching his head. “you’re going to have to get another one.”
Max spoke up. “Where’s your courthouse?”
The reverend gave him directions, and Max and Laura sped to get the license.
“We’re going to be very late for our appointment with the lawyer,” Laura said.
“It can’t be helped.” Max opened the door of the courthouse for her. “If he wants to get paid, he’ll see us.”
After having quickly obtained the license, they ran back to the little white church. Max was starving by then, as they hadn’t eaten a big breakfast before boarding the train and it was already midafternoon.
The reverend scanned the license and said, “We need at least one witness.”
Max rolled his eyes. “Do you know anyone?”
“You’ll have to wait here until I find someone,” the reverend said. He sauntered out into the
street. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
“Are you hungry, Laura?”
“Starving.”
“Should we get something to eat before going to the attorney’s?”
“I think we should see the lawyer first and then relax over a nice steak dinner.”
Max nodded. “That’ll be worth waiting for.”
Finally, the reverend returned with a bearded man. “This is Harvey Goldsmith. He owns the saloon. He’s offered to witness the marriage.”
This time when the reverend said, “You may kiss the bride,” neither of them hesitated.
“Just sign here,” the reverend said.
After the papers had been signed, both men seemed to be waiting for something, and Max finally got the hint. He paid them both generously, and he and Laura scurried to the attorney’s office, carrying their marriage certificate.
When Max and Laura disembarked from the train, their first stop was the marshal’s office. Upon entering, they saw the same wanted poster for Ambrose Skinner.
“Are you aware that this man has fraudulently married people in Silverpines?” Max asked the marshal.
“We just became aware of it when I received the poster yesterday. We passed the word around, and now there's a mad dash for couples to remarry. Pastor James has been marrying one couple after another today,” the marshal said. “If you’re one of the unlucky couples, you'd best get over to the church.”
“No, we remarried in Astoria,” Laura said. “I hope they find him. It's an awful thing to do to people already grieving.”
The marshal held the door open for them. “He also took money from the church as well as grief-stricken families.”
“I hope you catch him,” Max said.
Laura and Max were both relieved to finally be home. Caro jumped on them, showering them with kisses and hugs.
Laura picked Caro up and swung her around. “Did you miss us?”
