Brides of the West-Part One

by Hestand, Rita

  "You are right about that. Where's the old man's body?"

  "In the mine, in a dark corner. We were in too big a hurry to do a burial. I just shoved him in a dark corner, hoping they might not find him right away."

  "We'll ride out to the Dugan place tonight. I hadn't thought of him in a while, but he does own the mine. They might come to the conclusion that he ran into old man Boggs right off. If so, he could be in a lot of danger too. Maybe we should ride out there first. We got a couple of errands to run, but we could ride out and warn him, then head to town tomorrow."

  "You know, I didn't want to scare Callie, but this could get pretty bad before it's over. I don't think she realizes how much danger she's in. Especially since the money is gone and they don't have any access to it."

  "You think Joe will figure it out and come after her, huh?"

  "I'm pretty sure of that, yeah. It might take him some time. But the minute he stops off at their place and can't find hide nor hair of either of them, that's when he's going to start putting it all together. She's been over there, heard things, and seen things. He'll have to try to stop her, and he'll probably think she run off with the money."

  "We'll all keep an eye on Sam, she don't have to worry about him. He's a good kid." Saul smiled. "In fact, if need be he can stay with us at my place. If anybody asks I can say I am paying him to do some chores for me around the ranch."

  "Sounds like a good idea. Whatever you do, keep us posted on what's going on, and watch out for Sam. They'll naturally think he knows something and they might try to get it out of him if they find him, so keep him under cover at all times. Keeping them in different places, will confuse Joe if nothing else. Yeah, he is a good kid. And Callie's the reason for that too."

  David looked at the ground, stirred his boot into the ground. "You know this won't do Callie's reputation much good. Folks will naturally talk when they find out about you and her."

  "Don't worry about that, I got that figured out too."

  "Care to let us in on it?" Saul smiled.

  "Not yet, big brother, not yet."

  Both of his brothers chuckled.

  "Check on us, if you can, keep me posted." Gil looked at them both. "When either Lou catches him, or he's out of the country, I'll bring Callie home."

  They nodded. "You two be careful."

  "We plan on it." Gil waved at them as they headed back to their place. Gil shook his head, with the two of them helping him; he could stay in contact with Lou and what was going on. David even thought to bring Callie some clothes. He smiled and shook his head and went back inside.

  "I hadn't seen Saul and David in a long time." She put some coffee on when he sat down.

  "Yeah, they are gonna bring us what we need." He assured her.

  "I heard. How long you figure we are gonna have to hide out?"

  "I don't know for sure. When they realize old man Boggs is dead and they can't find the money, that's when it's going to get rough. I'm a little concerned right now about Mr. Dugan. I hadn't given him a thought until just now. He owns that mine. They might think he stumbled onto Mr. Boggs, and decided to take the money himself."

  "I hadn't even thought of that until I heard you talking. Surely….Joe wouldn't….hurt them. Would he?"

  "I don't know. Money does funny things to people, Callie. Look at old man Boggs. He got greedy. If he hadn't he might still be alive. I'm not worried about him dying, he stole the money, then tried to steal from his own kid, and run out on his sick wife, so he was pretty much scum of the earth. If I hadn't killed him, Joe would have."

  "I'll pray for Mr. Dugan…and Sally, oh my word. I forgot about her. Surely they wouldn't hurt her?" Callie's face went white. "I mean Joe's a lot of things, but killing a woman…I don't know if he's that low or not. I hope not."

  Gil moved closer and put his arm around Callie. "David and Saul will check on them. David was kind of sweet on Sally a while back. He'll be concerned."

  "Really, I never knew that. But I don't get to town enough to keep up with what is going on. You know, I never thought this was going to turn out like this." Callie shook her head. "I guess I was kidding myself thinking that it would all turn out okay, somehow."

  He pulled her into an embrace and cradled her head just below his chin. "It's all going to work out."

  Realizing she was in his arms, she pulled away.

  Gil watched her retreat and smiled to himself, he sat down at the table. Callie still didn't trust him yet, but he understood it. "Joe won't take kindly to someone else taking his money. 'Course he won't have any idea that it's been returned to the bank, safe and sound. Lou will see to that." Gil said, watching her move around in the kitchen as though she were familiar with it. He liked that. What he'd never seen from Callie was her true homemaking skills. He'd never seen this side of her, but she did things so automatically and not once thought a thing about having to wait on anyone or that she was doing it. Yes, Callie had turned into not only a good person, but also a thoughtful one. He liked that. In fact, he was finding more and more to like about her every day.

  Something flew through his head then. Callie fit right in here. As though she belonged here all along. He wondered. Up until now, it'd been a joke that she was his girl, but now he saw her differently. He saw the potential there and he liked what he saw. The puzzle got a lot clearer in his head.

  A plan began to build in his mind, but he'd let it fester for a while before he said anything. Callie was a skittish female and she needed to be handled with gentle trust and honesty. He needed to get to know Callie all over again. He wanted to.

  He watched her for a while. She was well built, had beautiful blonde hair, and eyes that searched a man's soul. He thought about how capable she was, how strong. Then he thought about their shared kisses and that thought made him really stare at her. He wasn't one to kiss a girl unless he cared about her, even though Callie might not know it. Maybe this was a good time for her to get to know him too.

  When she set a cup of coffee in front of him, he stayed her arm and looked up at her. "I don't want you to be scared, Callie. I'll protect you, you know that don't you?"

  Callie looked into his eyes for a moment. "I know you'll try."

  "I'll do more than try Callie."

  "Joe can be mean, when he wants to be. I'm just beginning to see how that." Callie sat down, and then glanced at him. Not looking directly at him she murmured. "Thanks for thinking of Sam. All of you. He likes you a lot."

  "I knew you'd be worried about him. I'm a little worried myself about him." Gil sipped his coffee. Then looked at the cup and up at her. "You make a fine cup of coffee."

  "I've had a lot of experience. I made it for Pa when Ma was killed. 'Course by that time, he was in to drinking, coffee never impressed him much." Callie shook off those depressing times in her mind. "Does Joe know about this place? I mean, does he know where you live?"

  "I don't think so, but it won't take him long to find out about it, once he gets to snooping." Gil replied. "I'm sure he hasn't put you and me together yet. That will come later." He paused to think about it. "You know, I still can't get over Mr. Boggs being involved in all this. I'd have never thought it of him. Not that he has ever been a pillar of respectability, but when a man gets older, he should have learned a few things, obviously he never did."

  "Why not, he's meaner than Joe. He ignores his wife, has no use at all for Joe. That's why I used to feel sorry for him. I felt he was cheated of a father." Callie insisted her brow rising as she talked. "Mr. Boggs used to cuss and drink all the time, and holler at the boys. He would look in on his wife, but I never saw a flicker of emotion cross his face. I never heard him utter a kind word to her. I despised him. I even prayed for him a time or two, hoping he'd change for her…She's led such a lonely life."

  Gil looked at her with surprise. "I didn't know. You'd think a man his age, wouldn't get involved with robbing a bank."

  "They were late on the rent money. At least that is what Joe said. Now that
I think of it, I don't think the robbery was about rent money. But his father had no intention of paying the rent with the money. He was leaving them all. He was running out on Joe and the rest of them, without one thought to them. Like someone I used to know…"

  She looked down and avoided Gil's glance.

  "I don't care what happens to Joe and his bunch, but poor Mrs. Boggs. I pray for her every day." Callie murmured. "She'd didn't belong to that family. She wasn't like any of them. She was so sweet. Before she got sick, we'd talk for hours sometimes, she'd give me a recipe, or show me how to stitch something up, we'd walk all over the place, just to be away from them. I know it hurt her. But there was nothing I could do for her. She was so out of place. She didn't belong there."

  "You were a good friend to her. That's about all anyone can do for another, be a friend."

  "I tried to be. I mean, my Ma died before she could teach me much. But Mrs. Boggs took pleasure in teaching. Things I couldn't have learned from anyone else." Callie recalled. "She wanted me to see that money returned, so she could die happier. I promised her I would."

  "Well, you got that done for her. Just sorry she had such a rough life." Gil said bowing his head.

  "Are you hungry?" She asked out of the blue.

  Gil knew she changed the subject because she was choking up over Mrs. Boggs. He wished he could comfort her.

  "Yeah…" He looked around. "I guess I could go collect some eggs for us."

  "Want me to?" She asked.

  "No, I don't want anyone seeing you here. Once they find out this is my place, they will expect me to be around, but they won't expect you to. You stay inside until we are ready to ride." He insisted. "Someone comes along and spots you here, word might get around in town and then they'd be here lickety split."

  "Whatever you say…" She shrugged. "Can I ask you something?"

  He looked at her. "Sure."

  She fiddled with the cup in her hands, touching the rim with a finger.

  "Why are you doing this?"

  He stood up and went toward the door, then glanced over his shoulder at her. "You're in danger. It's my job."

  "Oh."

  He saw her face, how disappointed she was in his answer. He walked out the door. As he walked out toward the barn, he thought about that answer. Why had he been so impersonal, as though he didn't care? She had every reason to be disappointed. However, they might have to spend some time together. It would give him time to get to know Callie. Really know her, and he wanted that time. Because the one thing he knew now was that…he did care!

  He gathered the eggs and came back inside.

  Callie made breakfast for them and she was just cleaning up when David walked in.

  "Hey Callie. I got some clothes for you," He glanced up at her, and she nodded, "and some food that should last you a while. Are you taking the wagon, or do you want me to hide it?"

  Gil came inside and heard him. "If we should need to ride out of here, we sure don't want to be stuck with a wagon that they could track real easy. I'd like to hide it, somewhere. Maybe you should take it out somewhere in the country and leave it, under a tree or something, so it doesn't get ruined. If you take it home with you, they might track you down. If we leave it here, they will know who is behind all of this. They haven't been out here to my knowledge but if they were interested, they could find it easy enough. So it's best to ditch it somewhere. If you do, try to cover your tracks so they don't come riding up in your yard. We'll take a couple of horses, and get Saul to take my stock to his place for a while. Either that or he can come feed them every day. Have you seen Precious?"

  "Yeah, Lou said he'd see about him. You don't know how long you'll have to hide out?"

  "Nope…but I'm not bringing her back here to danger. Oh, and we'll need some excuse as to why I'm not on the job or at my place," Gil said as he followed his brother out the door.

  "Don't worry about that, I'm sure Lou can find some reasons you aren't around, like maybe he sent you to another town to pick up a prisoner or something."

  "That's good. That's real good. You might spread that around town."

  Callie watched them from the window.

  When he came back inside, he poured himself another cup of her coffee. "We're gonna have to ride pretty soon. They'll be after us. You feel up to it?"

  She nodded.

  He glanced at her clothes. "Sure wish we could disguise you like a boy for a while…"

  "Why?" She twisted her head in question.

  "Well, if anyone saw us together, they wouldn't know it was you unless they got real close. It would throw Joe off some. He's not going to know right away that you aren’t home anymore. Unless he goes there for a visit. Does he visit often?"

  "He doesn't come there. I've told him not to. Didn't want Sam involved in his shenanigans. Last time I went over to check on his mother, I took Sam with me and left him in the wagon. I overheard Joe trying to talk Sam into joining up with his gang. He was testing him then. Like I knew he would eventually. Sam isn't inclined toward breaking the law. In fact, just the opposite. I knew I didn't have to worry about him, but of course I do."

  "Sam is a good kid, thanks to you."

  "He's no kid anymore Gil. He's growing up…" Callie almost cried. "He works hard every day, without complaint too."

  "Hey now…that's a good thing."

  "I know, but it's hard for us females to accept some time."

  Gil chuckled. "That was clever of you not to have Joe come over. At least he may think twice about it. You're probably last on his list though as suspects." Gil smiled. "Look, I tell you what. While we are travelin', you can wear some of my clothes. We'll roll the legs up and get you a belt or a rope to hold the pants up, and throw a hat on your head so you can hide that hair, and nobody will know it's you. When we get there, you can wear something more comfortable."

  He went to the bedroom and laid out some clothes for her. "Change into those things." He said and left the room.

  She did as he said. The pants were too long, and too big, and the shirt was even too long. When he came in, he chuckled.

  "Okay, let's see here. Let's roll these up." He bent down to roll the pants leg. Then he used his Pa's belt to keep her pants up. But the shirt was a problem.

  Without thinking about it, he shoved the shirt into her pants and then pulled it loose a bit so it hung over her pants a little. He didn't even think about the fact that she was a girl until his hand was inside the pants. His hands warmed and began to sweat. Slowly he removed them, "Sorry…" he murmured.

  She gave him an evil eyed look.

  He reached into his closet, took out an old jacket, and put that on her. "There, that's better." He smiled and showed her in the old stand-up mirror.

  "I don't even know me…" She chuckled. Her hands reached to touch the mirror, she admired it. "Was this…your mother's too?"

  "Yeah…actually my dad made it for her when they saw one in St. Louis. They had a honeymoon in St. Louis, to see some of her relatives. Dad took his time making it, a few years actually, and then he gave it to her for an anniversary present. Ma loved that mirror. When she died dad gave us a choice of different things of hers that we wanted to keep. I chose the mirror. I know how many months he worked on that thing for her, and how much she loved him for remembering. After all, it had been ten years since he'd even seen a mirror like that." Gil chuckled.

  "That's a lovely love story. They must have loved each other very much." Callie reflected, still staring in the mirror.

  Gil came to stand behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "They did."

  "How'd they ever meet?" She asked not bothering to reprimand him for the touch.

  "Ma was from St. Louis, she came here on a stage. Actually, the stage was broke down, and the stage pulled in Hard Knocks to be repaired. It was raining, and Ma was dressed like some goddess out of a book or something in this frilly white dress, complete with hat, gloves and a parasol. She looked like an angel, he said. He took one l
ook and knew she had to be for him. When she splattered mud all over the hem of that beautiful dress, he went and picked her up and carried her to the boardwalk. Of course, Ma was furious because she didn't even know him. His first words were, "A beautiful woman like you should never walk in the mud." And he put her down, introduced himself and walked away."

  "My…that's…romantic." Callie murmured.

  "Yeah, it seemed every time he saw her afterwards she was getting into some kind of predicament and he was rescuing her. Finally, she looked at him and said, "Are you my knight in shining armor?"

  Callie blushed, "What did he say?"

  "He said…I hope so…and bent and kissed her in front of everyone on the street."

  "Oh my, what did she do then?" Callie nearly laughed.

  "You might not believe this, but she threw her arms around him and kissed him back. They were married two weeks later."

  "So he really loved her."

  "Oh yeah…he did. But you see it all grew from trust and friendship. It didn't happen overnight or anything. He had his eye on Ma a long time before he finally decided he had to have her."

  Callie got a whimsical look in her eye, and then looked up at him in the mirror. "I wonder how you know…I mean really know when it's right."

  Gil turned away and stared out the window at first. "Love isn't just kisses and holding hands and smiling at each other all google-eyed. It's a feeling of rightness, a feeling of trust that grows and festers inside of you…" He turned around to see her staring at him with her mouth open. "It's a feeling of when you look at her…she's the only one in the whole world that fits in yours. I think when the right man comes for you…you'll know it Callie…" He murmured.

  She nodded woodenly.

  "Good. Now, let me find you a hat." He cleared his throat, went to the closet again and found a hat for her. He was tucking her hair up under it, when he suddenly looked into her eyes.