The silence became deafening. The hair on the back of Ellie’s neck bristled.
“All right, it’s true. I did take Ellie, but Pa, I only did it because I know how much you want this ranch. It’s all you’ve talked about for months. I did it for you, so you’d be happy. Now give Ben the money and the deed and let him sign it over so you can have what you want. Once he does, I’ll let Ellie go.”
Jeb’s voice sounded constricted with the anger of admission. Ellie waited to hear Dude tear into his son, the big liar. Jeb had even told her he wasn’t letting her go, ever.
“Good going, son.”
Ellie’s brows rose. She looked at Ty, her mouth agape in disbelief that a father wouldn’t be repulsed by such an evil plot. But then this was Dude Bryant. She trained her attention back on the ongoing conversation, not wanting to miss a single word.
“Well, Ben, it looks as though my son struck a deal you have to keep…that is if you want your daughter back. Do you have pen and ink?”
Ty yanked Ellie to her feet and out of the food closet. Cook stood silently by the back door, waiting for her cue. At Ty’s nod, she quietly slipped outside. Ellie followed Ty to the parlor doorway, where they stopped.
Ty cleared his throat.
The Bryants’ stares focused on the duo. Jeb’s eyes, especially, widened with shock.
“Ben won’t be signing anything,” Ty said forcefully. “It seems Jeb has lost his bargaining chip.” Ty gestured at Ellie.
Seeing Jeb’s face caused anger to simmer in Ellie’s blood. It surged through her veins, turning to fire. Clutching her fists so tightly that her nails bit into her palms, she moved toward Jeb.
“Ellie, get back here,” Ty called out, reaching for her arm.
She skirted his grasp and walked right up to Jeb, stopping dangerously close, and pointed an accusing finger in his face. “You’re such a liar. You make me sick to my stomach. I hope this teaches you that you aren’t smart enough to carry off a plan bigger than your brain. You’re never going to own this land, so forget it. And, if you ever come near me again, I promise you’ll be the one cowering in the dirt while I take potshots at you. You are—”
Jeb’s arm lashed out like a striking rattlesnake. He spun Ellie around and locked his forearm across her neck, at the same time pulling his revolver free of his holster and pressing it against her temple.
Her heart leapt into her throat, choking off any further insults. She looked pleadingly at Ty, whose transparent thoughts were displayed in the horror etched on his face. One again Ellie’s temper had bested her. Ty’s hand rested warily on the butt of his weapon, his eyes fixed on Jeb.
“Well, it looks like I’m in control again.” Jeb snickered, tightening his arm and making it hard for Ellie to breathe. “Don’t think I won’t use this gun if I have to. At this point, I have nothing to lose.”
Ellie’s gaze rested on the cowering bank clerk. Surely, this wasn’t what he expected to witness. The thin, bespectacled man had flattened himself against the wall, his eyes wide, and his white knuckles clutching at his lapels.
Ty dropped his hand to his side in apparent resignation. “Let her go, Bryant. There’s no way you can get out of here unless you do.”
“Oh, I think you’re wrong, Mr. Bishop. You’re all gonna clear a path to the backdoor and my horse. This time, I’ll be borrowing one for the lady. My plan to get Fountainhead for Pa might have fallen through, but nothing will spoil the fun I have planned for Ellie.” He nuzzled the side of her face. “Who knows, after a while, she might even start to like me.” His piercing gaze focused on Ty. “Now, move out of my way.”
His words brought a bitter taste to Ellie’s mouth. Even if God himself commanded it, Ellie would never develop anything but deeper repulsion for Jeb Bryant, but the cold steel of his gun reminded her not to make any quick moves. Her temple pulsed against its barrel.
She glanced at Pa. The color had drained from his face, making him almost as pale as his recent illness, but his eyes beaded with anger instead of pain. “Damn you, Jeb. I’ll sign the papers and let you have this Goddamn ranch. Just let my daughter go.”
Ben grabbed a piece of paper, one Ellie imagined was the deed transfer, from the sofa table, and turned toward the rollup desk behind him.
“Stop where you are, Ben. I have a mighty nervous finger on this trigger.”
“But…I need to get something to sign this with.” Pa waved the paper in the air.
“Let me get it for you. I wouldn’t want you to discover a gun hidden there and do something foolish.” Jeb side-stepped to the mahogany piece, dragging Ellie along with him. He took his eyes off the others just long enough to open a drawer. His strangulation hold on her neck released enough for her to see past his arm. “Reach in and get your Pa something to write with.”
She pulled out pen and ink and set them atop the desk. Jeb tightened his grasp again and waltzed her back over to where his brother and father stood. The gun never lost contact with her head.
“Jeb, this has gone far enough,” Dude said, his voice stern. “It was one thing when you already had Ellie stashed away. I figured since you had gone so far, I might as well try to make everything work in our favor, but the plan has failed. Let her go, son.”
Dude removed his hat and ran his fingers through his thinning grey hair, his gaunt face creased with defeat.
“C’mon, Jeb,” Ty said, “Listen to your Pa and let her go. We can stop all this right now. I’m sure Ben will be willing to forget any of this happened if you just release Ellie and leave.”
“Yeah? If you think I believe that, then you’re dumber than you look.” Jeb sniggered. “The ranch was just the icing on the cake. Ellie has always been the prize I had in mind. Pa may not have his land but I’ll have her.” He looked to his father. “I’ll be leaving, Pa, but I’m sure you and Josh will do fine without me.” Jeb turned his gaze back to Ben and Ty. “Don’t try to follow us or I will kill her. If I can’t have her, nobody can.”
Jeb’s arm choked off her air. Ellie fought the dizziness engulfing her while, struggling to stand on knees that sagged despite her feeling of weightlessness. Voices began to fade and lights dimmed as total blackness beckoned to her. She inhaled through her nose, trying to stay conscious.
“Enough!” Joshua yelled.
Ellie held her breath, hoping Jeb’s trigger finger didn’t react.
At Joshua’s outburst, Jeb’s arm relaxed against her throat. He looked questioningly at his brother. Ellie seized the moment and took a huge gasp of much-needed air. She opened her eyes, casting a sideways glance at Joshua. Angry veins bulged in his neck and his face flushed bright red. This was a Joshua she’d never seen before.
He thrust out his arm and smacked his brother’s gun hand, sending Jeb’s weapon bouncing off the braided rug onto the wooden floor. Ellie stiffened, feeling the hot breath of his surprised gasp brush her cheek and his muscles tense against her back. He didn’t make a move. Ellie wished she could see his face, appreciate his apparent shock. For a moment the room was so silent, she heard her own heart pounding in her ears.
Jeb kept his arm around Ellie’s neck, pulling her with him toward his sidearm, while warily looking from Joshua to Ty and back again.
Ty cast a helpless gaze at her, almost an apology. God, she didn’t want that to be the last look she ever saw on his face.
It wouldn’t be. With every ounce of strength she could muster, Ellie wrenched herself free and pitched away from Jeb. Her shin banged hard against the sofa table, and she fell to the floor. Cowering, she gazed up at her would-be-captor. His eyes were wide with the fright of a cornered animal as he reached to snare her back again. She wanted to scream, but fear clogged her throat. This couldn’t be happening, not again. She curled away from his grasp, her heart frozen mid-beat.
Ty lunged at Jeb, but a quick kick to the stomach doubled Ty over, making him cry out.
Joshua stepped into his brother’s path. With a smashing uppercut, he connected with his tw
in’s jaw, crumbling him to the floor. Jeb pushed himself into a sitting position and peered up, through dazed eyes. “What the—” He swiped at the corner of his mouth then looked at his blood-covered fingers.
Joshua stood straddling Jeb, and glared down at him, rubbing reddened knuckles. “It’s over. I’m sick of standin’ by and watchin’ you run roughshod over everyone. It’s enough that you treat me like dirt, but I’ll be roped and branded if I let you disrespect Miz Ellie any more.
“I’m shamed to be a Bryant. I went along with this harebrained scheme because, like you keep telling me, I didn’t have the guts to stop it, but you and Pa have bullied our neighbors enough. Everyone hates us, and I haven’t been party to any of this other than keeping my mouth shut for far too long. Well, no more. I finally grew a backbone.”
Joshua pulled Ellie to her feet and looked at her, his eyes glistening with welling tears. “I’m truly sorry for all the agony my family has caused. I can’t promise anything for the other two, but I won’t be a party to anything more. If I don’t go to prison, I aim to leave and start over somewhere else. I want nothing more to do with being a Bryant.”
Ellie’s eyes blurred. Here stood a man who had suffered such pain because of his rebellious brother and greedy father. How proud she was of him for finally taking charge. She’d known for months that Joshua had a good heart, and now he’d proven it. She reached out her hand and gave him a warm smile. His mouth curled into a crooked grin as he slapped his palm into hers, sealing their friendship with a shake.
Dude sagged down onto the sofa, holding his head in his hands. Jeb still lay on the floor and nursed his injured face, while Ty, holding his midsection, appeared to have recovered from the blow.
Sheriff Gamble appeared in the doorway with Curly and Pete behind him. “It looks like we have a problem in here.”
Ty crossed the room and pulled Ellie into his arms. “Nah, Sheriff, we had one but Joshua took care of it for us.”
She nestled against Ty, thankful no words were needed to calm the fears she felt earlier about having scared him away. It was clear when he gazed into her eyes, he shared her feelings. Her heart soared.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Curly and Pete pulled Jeb to his feet and held onto him while the sheriff cuffed him. Ellie sagged against Ty, still trying to gather her wits about her. Her heart had resumed its normal beat. The nightmare was finally over. Jeb’s plan had not only failed, it had torn his family apart.
With Joshua and Mr. Dibbrell as witnesses, there would be enough evidence to send Jeb away for a very long time.
Andrew Gamble pushed Jeb down on the couch next to his father. “You two sit tight while I have a little chat with Joshua. Do I need to cuff you too, Dude, or can I trust you aren’t going anywhere?”
With his mouth pulled into a frown that blended in with his sagging jowls, Dude shook his head.
The sheriff pulled Joshua into the kitchen.
Ellie took a deep breath and walked over to embrace her father. “Pa, thank God, we won’t have to worry anymore. Maybe things can get back to normal.”
He dangled the crumpled transfer deed in front of her. “I don’t think we’ll need this, do you?”
“Oh, my goodness,” she gasped. “That reminds me. I have something important to show you. I’ll be right back.”
Leaving her father with a puzzled look on his face, Ellie dashed to the cedar chest and rifled through the contents, pulling the mystery deed from its hiding place. She hurried back to the parlor. Her heart raced with apprehension. “Pa, I hope you don’t get angry, because I really wasn’t snooping, I was looking…”
“For heaven’s sake, Ellie, get to the point,” he said, raising an eyebrow.
“I found this in the cedar chest.” She apprehensively handed him the deed. “I planned to take it into town after the dance and find out what exactly it’s for, but, well, you know.”
Ben perused the piece of paper, and then raised inquisitive eyes. “I’ve never seen this before. Where did you say you got it?”
“It was in Ma’s things.” Ellie explained. “I questioned Cook about it, and she recalled Ma buying some piece of land for you as a gift, but evidently she…” Ellie’s voice cracked.
“May I have a look at that?” Mr. Dibbrell stopped cringing in the background and stepped forward. He took a deep breath and restored the color to his face. “I have knowledge of deeds and such. It’s a large part of what I do at the bank.”
He took the document from Ben and examined it. “This is indeed official. It’s signed by Chester Deacon, the previous bank president, and if I’m remembering my numbers correctly, this block of land is adjacent to the parcel you own.” He turned and glanced at Dude. “I thought it strange we couldn’t locate any record to indicate the owner of the land Mr. Bryant is leasing.”
“Leasing?” Ben’s voice raised an inquiring octave.
“Yes.” Mr. Dibbrell looked back to him. “The bank agreed to a long-term lease pending someone stepping forward with proof of ownership. We knew for certain the land had been purchased, but this deed was never recorded. There was no verifiable ledger entry. After Mr. Deacon’s passing, we discovered he wasn’t as diligent as he should have been in keeping records.”
“So are you telling me I’m the Bryants’ landlord?” Ben’s head turned in an inquisitive tilt.
“It seems you are.”
Ben slapped his knee and chuckled. He turned to glare at Dude. “Then how do I rid my land of vermin?”
Dude jumped to his feet, holding his hat in his hand, his face ashen. “There’s no need to worry yourself, Fountain. I don’t aim on stayin’ on the mountain. Give me a few days and I’ll be gone. You can have the land, lock, stock and barrel, seeing as it ain’t mine anyhow.”
Andrew and Joshua came back into the room. “Did I hear you say you plan on leaving, Dude?” Andrew asked.
“That’s what I said.”
“You’re leaving all right, but with me and Jeb.” Andrew said. “You have a few charges to answer for yourself.”
“That’s fine with me. I’d prefer spendin’ time in a cell with a devoted son over keepin’ company with a disloyal one.” His sneer conveyed his feelings.
Ellie’s heart broke for Joshua. Despite his proud stance, she imagined that his soul ached. It had to be painful to have such a heartless father. Propriety kept her from hugging him.
“So, what are you plannin’ to do with him?” Dude nodded toward Joshua.
Andrew slapped Joshua on the back. “Since Josh here saved the day, and by his own admission was too timid for his own good, I think his conscience will punish him enough.”
Ellie felt perplexed by her emotions as she stood on the porch with Ty, Pa and Joshua, watching the Sheriff and Mr. Dibbrell ride off with Jeb and Dude in tow. On one hand she wanted to dance with joy because Jeb finally got his comeuppance, and on the other, she wanted to cry for his brother. No matter how bad Joshua’s family had been, he now had no one.
His hand rested on the porch railing and she gave it an encouraging pat. “I’m so sorry, Joshua. I know this has to be very hard for you. What do you plan to do now?”
He shrugged. “I really don’t know. I guess I should have figured something bad would come from all Jeb’s scheming, but…”
Ben stepped over and put an arm around Joshua’s shoulders. “I have an offer for you, son, and I hope you’ll seriously consider it. How about coming to work for me?”
Joshua’s eyes widened. “Really? You want me?”
“I figure I owe you something for steppin’ in to save my daughter. You’d be doing me a favor. I can always use a good hand.”
“But—”
“No buts. Let’s just forget everything and start fresh.” He looked past Joshua. “What do you think, Ty?”
“It sounds like a mighty fine idea to me.” Ty looked Joshua straight in the eyes. “Ben’s a fair man to work for, and as a foreman, I’m not too heavy handed myself. We’d be pl
eased to have you join up with us.”
Tears welled in Joshua’s eyes and he hurriedly brushed them away with his coat sleeve. “I can’t think of a reason to say no. I’m just surprised you all don’t hate me.”
“I believe somewhere in the Bible it says, ‘as a man thinks in his heart, so he is’. We’ve all suspected that you are nothing like you’re brother—kind of like Cain and Abel.” Ellie lowered her head, feeling redness creeping into her cheeks. “Oh my goodness! Why am I quoting the Good Book all of a sudden?”
“Well, since you are,” Ben said with a smile, “who are we to question it? Just say yes, Joshua, and move your things into the bunkhouse.”
For the first time, Ellie saw real contentment on Joshua’s face. Her eyes clouded with happy tears when he sealed the deal by shaking hands with Ben and Ty.
“I’ll be back as soon as I get my stuff together,” Joshua said with a big grin as he mounted his horse and rode away.
Ben went to his chair, sat and as usual, removed his boots. The clicking of the rockers against the porch floor was a soothing sound. For the first time in a long while, Ellie sensed his peace of mind, and she shared the serenity. Jeb and Dude were gone from their lives. She had survived what could have been a horrible fate, and Ty was her hero.
Maybe amidst all Jeb’s devious plotting, she could at least thank him for that. Funny, after all he’d done, she didn’t wish him a unpleasant existence; she just wanted him to learn, as she had, that life didn’t revolve around just one person, or one family for that matter.
Her eyes scanned skyward as a smile tugged at her lips. Gosh, somehow, she had matured into a rational thinking adult.
She took a deep breath, her mind on Joshua, and wondered what he’d gained from all this. His true spirit had surfaced despite what he had to lose. Maybe there was a streak of that goodness in Jeb somewhere. Miracles happened every day. Perhaps he’d learn. She hoped so.
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