Stronger Than the Rest

by Shirleen Davies

  Frank returned the blanket, masking the sight and some of the smell. “Give me her information, Jeff, if you have it, and I’ll send the message.”

  “Yeah, I have it. He was a good kid. I was surprised when he just disappeared, but he was young, and those are the ones that move around more. I should’ve looked for him.” Jeff shook his head and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck as he walked to the bunkhouse to get the mother’s information.

  Niall turned at the sound of the front door being opened. A young woman walked out and made her way down the steps to Frank. “Sheriff. What brings you out here?” Eloise asked.

  “It’s not good, Mrs. Bierdan. We’ve been out, searching for any place the men who’ve threatened you might hide. We found one possible place, but also dug up the body of Hap Whidley.”

  “Oh, God,” she stepped back and placed her hand over her mouth. The men waited for her to digest the news. “He was such a young boy. Maybe seventeen. Why would someone do this to him?” Her voice had risen as the aching sensation in the pit of her stomach increased.

  “I don’t understand these kinds of men either. I just know that they exist and we have to learn to deal with them before the terror they create spreads.” Frank took the piece of paper Jeff brought him and slipped it into his pocket.

  For the first time Eloise Bierdan looked at the other man who’d accompanied Frank. “Hello, I’m Eloise Bierdan.”

  “Niall MacLaren, Mrs. Bierdan. I believe you’ve met my brothers.”

  Eloise felt the urge to step back. She knew there was nothing to fear from this man, but her instincts warred with her common sense. “Yes, Mr. MacLaren, I have met three of your brothers. I, uh, well, I’m sorry for the damage my late husband caused.”

  Niall watched her features as she spoke. She never broke eye contact and she sounded sincere. “I don’t blame you—no one does. It happened. That’s all there is to it.”

  She swallowed hard, and nodded, thankful for his gracious response.

  Frank stood silent during the exchange. Seems the woman continued to be confronted with the past actions of her husband and the threats to her future. Over the last few weeks he’d come to see her in a different light. She wasn’t the money-hungry, pampered woman that many assumed her to be. Eloise had impressed him with her determination, hard work, and commitment to her men. There were many who could learn a lesson from her.

  “We’ll take Hap into town, to Doc Wheaton’s, if that’s all right with you?” Frank asked Eloise. “I’ve suggested to Jeff that there be a meeting of all your men to let them know what we found. I know you’ve hired on extra men, and that’s good. But you’ve had two hands murdered, two others threatened, your home vandalized, cattle slaughtered, and an attempt to burn down the barn. These men will do anything to get you to sell out to whoever has hired them.”

  “I understand, Frank. I just wish I knew who these men worked for, who I can trust. I’ve come to a point where I realize I’ll most likely sell, but to who?” She looked toward the distant mountains as if reaching out to them for an answer. “What if I sell to the very man whose orders these men have carried out?”

  Her use of his first name surprised Frank, but he decided to respond in kind. “Eloise, you have two honorable men who have an interest in your land. I know and trust both. Neither of these men would ever order the types of actions that have been taken against you. Meet with them. Hear their offers. If you want to meet with the third man, go ahead. But from where I stand, he’s the one I’d be wary about.” What else could he say? His gut told him Ira Walsh had hired these men to terrorize the ranchers, but he had no firm proof, just as he had no proof of any of the other illegal activities Walsh was suspected of organizing.

  “All right. I appreciate you speaking your mind.” She looked at Niall. “Will you be seeing Grant Taylor, Mr. MacLaren?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Would you give him a message that I’d like to meet with him?”

  “I’d be happy to deliver that message.”

  Eloise looked sad, but her back was straight, and her voice was firm. She would make the right decision concerning her ranch and the men. After that, well, she just didn’t know.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Frank made a stop on his way to deliver Whidley’s body to the doctor. The outlaw who’d been shot at Bierdan’s had recovered enough to be moved to the jail. Deputy O’Dell was keeping a close watch on him, not wanting a repeat of what had happened to Vern Tyson. O’Dell was determined that no one was going to sneak in and murder this prisoner.

  The front door crashed open. Frank walked in with what looked like a body thrown over his shoulder. The sheriff nodded at his deputy but continued his trek to the back cells and dropped the bundle in front of their prisoner and pulled open the blanket. The man jumped back when he saw Hap’s wasted body.

  “This is what Luther does to men who get in his way,” Frank spat out. “Did you know he snuck in here and murdered Vern?” The look in the prisoner’s eyes told Frank that he did know and may have participated. “You know he’ll have no hesitation in coming after you. And since you’ve decided to not talk to us anyway, I’m thinking the deputy and I are going to head out to dinner, maybe stay for supper. Who knows? Maybe you’ll have visitors.” The sheriff knelt to roll Whidley’s body back into the blanket. He picked it up and started for the front door.

  “Wait,” the prisoner croaked out.

  “Yeah?”

  “Luther was involved.”

  “How involved?”

  “He didn’t give the order. He said the boss wanted something permanent to be done about Vern. Luther made the decision to come in and kill him.”

  By now Frank had lowered the body back to the floor and pulled up a chair. “And the boss’s name? And your name?”

  “Mine’s Dex Vixon. But I ain’t telling you the boss’s name. I don’t care what kind of promises you make. He’ll still find me and send someone to kill me.”

  “Uh huh. And who was the man killed at the barn?”

  “Carl. Never knew his last name.”

  “Where’s Luther now?”

  “They move around, stay at different places almost each night. I’ve only been to one cave that the new guy found.”

  “What new guy? You know his name?”

  “Mean sonofabitch. The boss sent him out from Denver. Luther gets orders from him now. He’s the one that ordered us to slaughter the Bierdan cattle and sent us to burn down her barn—same as we did the Langdon place. You don’t want to cross him, Sheriff. You’ll never walk away.” Dex had moved back to sit on the cot in his small cell. His shoulders began to shake and Frank realized Dex was truly frightened at the thought of this new man.

  “What’s his name?”

  “Drago. Sebastian Drago.”

  ******

  Niall walked into Grant’s office to find Drew, Will, Jamie, and Jericho sitting around, discussing what they’d found, or more accurately, what they hadn’t found. Neither group had seen anything indicating the band had stayed in either the line shack or the cave near the mine. At least Niall had some news.

  Grant poured Niall a drink. “Have a seat. Tinder told us some of what you found at the old cabin, but it’d be best to hear it from you.”

  Niall sipped a small amount before throwing back the rest of the contents. He let the warm, amber liquid slide down his throat. “Found a body at the cabin. Jeff Burnham identified it as Hap Whidley, a wrangler they thought had quit, left the area. He didn’t. He was murdered.”

  “That makes two,” Drew said.

  “That we know of,” Grant added.

  “We also found coffee, a blanket. Someone has stayed at the cabin recently. We can only guess it to be Luther since Frank’s certain he murdered Whidley.”

  Grant sat forward and leaned his arms on the desk. “Where’s Frank now?”

  “Took the body to town. He said he had to talk with the prisoner, scare him a little, get him to tal
k. He’s got his deputy guarding him. But hell, I’d just as soon use the prisoner as bait to lure Luther to the jail. Did you find anything?” He looked around the room.

  “Nothing at either the line shack or mine. Doesn’t appear that anyone’s been to them in years,” Grant spoke for the others in the room.

  “A gang that size doesn’t just disappear. They need food and a safe place to stay. Those men need rest like anyone else.” Jamie looked at Grant.” You don’t suppose another rancher is letting them hide at his place, do you?”

  “Hadn’t thought of that, but it’s a possibility. Don’t know of anyone around here who’d let those men stay, although he might if they’ve threatened him and his family. Other than the old cabin, we sure haven’t seen any sign of them.”

  “Besides Mrs. Bierdan, who’s most vulnerable to threats? Maybe having problems like Langdon and needs cash but hasn’t mentioned selling? Possibly a ranch further out, but close enough for the men to carry out their dirty work.” Jamie seemed to be sorting through options as he spoke. “It’d have to be someone with a family, people he cares about so that the threats would mean something.”

  “Grant, you mentioned a family not far outside of Cold Creek a few months ago that was having problems but wouldn’t consider help. As I recall, they have a boy Joey’s age and the two had become friends.” Will tried to remember the name but it was a passing comment Grant had made one day when Eleanor had left to take their son into town.

  “Millers. Ted and Myrna. Their son, Philip, and Joey are good friends. We’ve had Philip at the house many times. There’s also a daughter, younger than Philip, I believe. Eleanor would know her name.” Grant stopped and tried to recall the last time he’d seen the Millers. “You know, I don’t remember when I saw Philip last, or when Joey went for a visit. Problem is, I just don’t see the benefit of threatening them. Their land doesn’t have much value—poor grazing, little timber, average water access. He only has a couple of hundred acres. But his wife takes in sewing, and Ted also works for the smithy to make extra money.”

  “All right. I’ll write down the Millers. Who else?” Drew asked.

  “Manuel and Juanita Rosado have a small place not far from Langdon’s. Does some ranching, enough to sell a few head each year. They’re farmers and grow enough to sell to the mercantile and restaurants in Cold Creek. If I recall right, they have four or five kids, plus Juanita’s mother lives with them.” Grant thought about them. That one made more sense as their place was closer to where all the violence had occurred. “But their place is so small, I doubt there’d be any room for a gang to hide. Their horses would be noticeable to anyone. Manuel only has about five and he’s only got one or two men who help him.”

  “Anyone else?” Drew continued to jot down notes.

  “Well, Manuel’s brother-in-law, Alonzo Ibarra, lives a few miles from him. He has a good-sized spread with good water, and is more of a cattleman than Rosado. Real good people. Alonzo’s family came from Spain years ago. His sister, Juanita, married Manuel and they moved next to her brother. Alonzo may have been the one to sell them their land. They have several children, but I haven’t seen any of them in a long time.”

  “So far there are three—Millers, Rosados, and Ibarras.” Drew looked at the three names. His eyes kept going to the Ibarra family. Large spread, close to the ranchers who’ve been threatened, but remote enough that they wouldn’t be spotted. “My first choice would be the Ibarra ranch. Manuel Rosado’s place is close enough to check out at the same time. Let’s ask Eleanor and Joey if they’ve see any of the Millers recently.”

  They were all silent as they thought through Drew’s suggestion.

  “I agree with you, Drew,” Will said. “Let’s speak with Eleanor and Joey in the morning. If they haven’t seen or heard from the Millers, then we include them. But, we plan to ride to the Ibarra and Rosado homes tomorrow.”

  “Same groups?” Grant asked.

  “If neither Eleanor nor Joey have seen them, I think you should go to the Miller place, Grant. Take a couple of your men. Jamie, Will, Drew, Jericho, and I can go to the Ibarra and Rosado ranches. At least we can warn them of what’s been happening so they’re prepared.” Niall was still uncomfortable including Drew, but his brother made his own decisions.

  “Makes sense.” Grant took out his pocket watch. “It’s late. We’ll plan to start early tomorrow.”

  Everyone but Grant left before Niall remembered Mrs. Bierdan’s request. He walked back into the office.

  “Almost forgot. Eloise Bierdan asked if the two of you could meet. She’s working through a decision to sell her place. Not sure she’ll go through with it, but she’d like to at least speak with you.”

  “Not a problem, Niall. I’ll ride by there on the way back from the Miller place tomorrow. That should give us plenty of time to talk.”

  ******

  Tess couldn’t sleep. She’d tossed and turned for hours and was no closer to sleep than when she first lay down. Thoughts of Drew, their time in his room, and their possible future assailed her. She didn’t know what the men’s plans were for tomorrow, but knew that they’d decided to be aggressive and search out the outlaws—not wait for them to strike again.

  She threw off the covers and covered her sheer night gown with a wrapper. Jericho had his own room next to Drew’s. He would no doubt hear her when she knocked on Drew’s door, but that couldn’t be helped. Tess was also certain Jericho had an idea of what had transpired when he’d left them alone in Drew’s room. She’d passed him in the hall when she’d left. He wasn’t stupid. Her hair had been mussed and her dress still somewhat askew.

  Tess’s light tap on Drew’s door echoed down the short hall. Who would have thought such a light tap could sound so loud? There was no answer. She tried again, but still no response. A door opened and she looked to see Jericho walk out of his room and stop.

  He looked at her, deciding whether or not to comment. Making a decision, he took a slow breath. “He’s in the barn.” Jericho shut the door behind him.

  Tess didn’t hesitate but left the house and made her way to the barn. There was no lantern glow to suggest Drew was inside. The only hint was that the door stood ajar. He was either inside or someone had left it open. She stopped just inside to look around. She heard nothing. Tess took a few more steps, attempting to let her eyes adjust to the dark.

  “Hello, Tess.”

  She jumped but knew the soft, deep voice belonged to the man she sought. Tess turned to see him in a stall. But her body stilled when the reality of the image hit her. He was standing, holding a rope in one hand while making loops in it with the other.

  “You’re practicing roping?” she asked, still stunned at the sight.

  “Better than practicing my shooting at this time of night, don’t you think?”

  A smile lit her face, igniting a flame within Drew that halted him where he stood—without support or the security of his chair.

  Tess ran up to him, looped her arms around his neck, and lay her head against his chest. “I guess you’re right,” she whispered.

  Drew dropped the rope and let his arms wrap around her, holding her close, savoring the feel. He loosened his grip just enough to tilt her chin up and capture her mouth. He’d wanted to do this each minute of every hour since she’d left his room.

  Tess eased her hold around his neck, letting her hands wander across his broad shoulders, down his arms, feeling his muscles tighten. The kiss became more ardent, hungry, fueling the heat between them.

  His hands stroked up and down her back, following the curves of her body, and pulling her tight. He drew back from the kiss just enough to trace her lips with his tongue before plundering her mouth again.

  Then he was lifting her, moving backwards inside the stall, and lowering them to the ground. They stretched out beside each other, not once breaking the kiss that bound them.

  Drew rolled Tess to her back, keeping one strong hand behind her head as the knuckles of the o
ther caressed her face, then moved down the soft column of her neck to her chest. He continued to place feather-like kisses across her face, until his mouth settled once more on hers.

  He pulled the ribbon that held her wrapper in place and moved his hand down to cup a soft, lush breast. She gasped at the touch, but pushed into his hand, encouraging him. He continued to the other breast before easing down the top of her night dress to expose her to his view.

  “Tess,” he whispered. “You have no idea what you do to me, how beautiful you are.” Then he took one round globe in his mouth and drew her in.

  She squirmed against him, trying to get closer. The ache between her legs confused and excited her, but all she understood was that she didn’t want him to stop. Ever.

  He pulled the hem of her night gown up. She felt strong warmth as his hand moved upward along her calf, to her thigh, then higher, until he stopped and pulled away. He shifted his hand to her cheek and stroked the soft skin. “I want you, Tess.”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you understand what it will mean if I take you?” Drew wanted no confusion between them.

  Tess’s round, trusting, caramel-brown eyes gazed up at him, but she didn’t speak.

  “It will mean we belong to each other, forever. Is that what you want?”

  “Yes, Drew. You’re exactly who I want,” and she pulled him down for another long, passion-filled kiss.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ah, hell, Will thought as he walked into the barn early. It wasn’t even light out, but he couldn’t sleep, worried about Drew, and how he’d do if they encountered the outlaws. But then he saw the chair next to an open stall. Will moved closer. The edge of a woman’s wrapper and bare feet peeked out at him. He drew back. Shit. He didn’t want to be the one to find them, wake them up, but he sure as hell didn’t want anyone else doing it.

  Will turned his back to the stall and whispered, “Drew.” No one stirred. He tried again, this time louder. His brother’s legs moved. Moved! Was it just reflexes or had that been intentional, he wondered. This wasn’t working. He backed into the stall, keeping his head turned away from Tess, and crouched beside Drew so that he could shake him.