Rena's Cowboy

by Agnes Alexander

  “Do they still use laudanum in your…um…in Atlanta?” Silas asked when Adela went to get the medicine.

  “No. It’s opium based and very addictive, but I don’t think a little will hurt him and it might ease him. I don’t want him to suffer.” She wiped her eyes. “They use morphine now, though it’s addictive too.”

  “Here you go.” Adela handed the bottle to Rena.

  “How much should I give him?”

  “The doctor said to give him a teaspoon.”

  Rena nodded and Adela gave her the spoon she’d brought. Silas held his head up and Rena gave Jake the laudanum.

  “What did she mean, they don’t use it anymore?” Finn, who had followed them into the room, asked.

  Before Rena could answer, Silas said, “They do things differently in Atlanta than we do out here. I guess they’re closer to new information.”

  “Probably so.” Finn nodded as if he understood.

  In a little while Jake quieted and slept more peacefully. Finn was standing near the door and finally said, “I guess I better get back. Belle might wake up and miss me.”

  “We’ll keep you informed about Jake.” Rena smiled at him, though her eyes were still full of tears. “Somebody will be with him all the time. I don’t want him left alone until he wakes up.”

  “I can sit with him so you can get some sleep, Rena.”

  “No thank you, Finn. I’m not leaving Jake tonight.”

  “Rena, why don’t you go lay down with Adela and let me sit with Jake? You’ve been through a rough time, too, and you need your rest.”

  “Thank you, Silas, but I couldn’t sleep. You and Adela go ahead to bed. You know I’ll call if I need you.”

  “I know you would, but I’m not ready to sleep either. I’ve got to do something about Wigham.”

  “There’s nothing you can do tonight.”

  “I’ll be damned.”

  “She’s right, Silas,” Finn said. “We’ll take care of him tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. I’ll get the men and we’ll burn him out.”

  “I don’t think you’re going to want to do that after you read that paper I gave you.”

  He glanced at the folded paper still in his hand. “Say you got this out of his desk?”

  “Yes.” She turned to Adela. “Would you sit here with Jake for a minute and let me go into the hall while Silas reads the paper?”

  “Of course.”

  “You know if…”

  “I know, Rena. If he moves or makes a sound, I’ll call you.”

  She gave Adela a smile and moved into the hall with Silas. “Finn, I think you might want to see this, too. It happened some time ago and maybe you can shed some light on it.”

  They stood in the hall and Silas unfolded the paper. A frown crossed his face. “Does this mean…” he almost shouted.

  “Shh. I don’t want you to disturb Jake.”

  “Sorry.” He lowered his voice. “Did you read this?”

  “Not well, but I did glance over it.”

  He handed the paper to Finn. “Did you know about this?”

  Finn looked at it. “Sure. Your Pa leased him the land when he decided to move to St. Louis. He put it in your and Jake’s name and had Jefferson be the guardian of it until you both reached eighteen.”

  “Why did we never know about it?”

  “When you was in the war, Wigham came and told me that your Pa needed the money and had sold him the land. There was nothing I could do. Jake didn’t know anything about it and I didn’t want him to think his pa was selling his birthright so I didn’t tell him. By the time you come back it was a done deal.”

  “Did you see a bill of sale, Rena?” Silas looked at her.

  “No. I looked at some other papers, but I didn’t have a lot of time.” She took a breath. “I don’t think Jasper ever bought the land. Those men I told you about in Dunnel’s Café said something about if you and Jake knew you still owned the place…”

  “I’ll be damned! I’ll kill the bastard!”

  Rena put her hand on Silas’s arm. “Calm down. You’re not going to kill anyone. You’re going to go see a lawyer. Then you’re going to have Jasper Wigham thrown off the land he’s tried to steal from you.” She relaxed the grip on his arm. “You’re also going to have him arrested for shooting Jake in the back. If there’s any question, you tell the sheriff to see me.”

  Silas balled up his fist. “I want to beat the bastard to death. To think of the years Jake and I have struggled…”

  “Try to be calm. They’ll all get theirs. We’ve just got to play it smart.”

  “But, Rena…”

  “I think she’s right, Silas. Look how following her instincts got her away from Wigham. I bet he planned all sorts of bad things for her and here she is without a scratch.”

  “That’s right, Finn.” She looked at Silas. “Will you please try it my way? If it doesn’t work, then I’ll let you go after him.”

  Silas took a deep breath. “I’ll try, but only because Jake has so much faith in you. I’m trying to remember you’re smarter than the women from…around here.”

  “Rena sure is. I didn’t know there was such smart gals in Atlanta.”

  Rena smiled at Finn. “There’s something else, Silas.”

  “What now?”

  “We have to see to it that Wadell Jefferson gets what’s coming to him, too. As the guardian of your property, he’s in this as deeply as Wigham. Jasper must be paying him a lot to keep quiet.”

  “Lord, I wish Jake would wake up. He’s going to miss all the fun.” Finn was almost dancing.

  * * * *

  The next morning Jasper Wigham ambled toward the corral. Newt was getting off his horse.

  “You just get back?” Jasper asked.

  “Yep. Spent the night at the Silver Slipper, just like you said. Got me one of them gals.” He laughed an evil laugh. “I bet she won’t be able to entertain another man for a week.”

  “That right?”

  “Yep.” He looked up at his boss. “You have a good night with Jake Haywood’s woman?”

  “Things have changed.”

  Newt squinted at him. “What do you mean? We’re still going after Silas Haywood, ain’t we?”

  “Not today.”

  “Why not? I want his woman.”

  “You’ll have to wait. It’s going to be a while, Newt. I have to go to town this morning.”

  Newt grinned. “Can I entertain Jake’s woman while you’re gone?”

  “No!”

  “Why not?”

  “Are you questioning me, Newt Gainer?”

  The grizzly man looked at Jasper. “Maybe I am. What’d you do with that woman?”

  “It’s none of your business, but I sent her back to the ranch.”

  “What the hell did you do that for?” Newt demanded.

  “I said things have changed.”

  “I’m still going to get Silas Haywood’s woman, ain’t I?”

  Jasper took a deep breath. “Probably not.”

  “The hell you say.” Newt glared at him. “You promised her to me and I aim to have her. I’ll go get her myself if you’re too much of a coward.”

  “You’ll do no such thing.”

  “Damn you, Jasper Wigham. Do you think you’re God? I’ve had about all of your stupid plans I can take.”

  “What are you going to do about it?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Jasper grew furious. “Get that horse saddled back up and get out of here.”

  “I’ll be damned if you’ll fire me.” He reached for his rifle, but he was too late.

  Jasper pulled his gun from the holster and shot Newt in the heart. “That’ll teach you to question me, you bastard.”

  Ralph came running from the bunkhouse. “What happened, Boss?”

  “The fool went for his rifle. He was going to kill me.”

  “What in the world for?”

  “I have no idea. The son-of-a-bitch has always
been crazy.” He started into the barn. “Get his body off my property.”

  “Want me to plant him so the Haywoods will be blamed?”

  “Not this time. Just throw him in the middle of the herd. He’ll get so trampled nobody will ever know how he died.”

  “I’ll make it look like he fell off his horse.”

  “I can always depend on you, Ralph. Now, I’m going into town. When the men get back, make sure they stay away from the Haywood property today. I have a plan to get their land and nobody will get killed doing it.”

  “That sounds great.”

  “After the men get a little rest, have them gather up the cows we’ve stashed in North Canyon. I want them driven to market and sold as soon as possible.”

  “I thought you wanted it to look like the Haywoods was stealing the cows.”

  “Plans have changed. I’ve found a better way to get rid of the Haywoods.”

  “You always know how to work things out, don’t you, Mr. Wigham?”

  “I sure do. Now, how about saddling that gray gelding for me? I cut a fine figure on that horse and all the women take notice.”

  “They sure do, Boss.” He started for the corral. “Do you need me to send a wagon to get what you buy, like I usually do?”

  “Not this time, Ralph. I’m going to mail a very important letter.” Jasper began to whistle as he headed inside to get his saddle.

  Chapter 26

  As Jasper headed into the bank, he noticed Silas Haywood going into the lawyer’s office four doors down the street. He’s not wasting any time claiming his brother’s share of the ranch, he thought. Can’t say as I blame him, but when Lady Rena’s uncle Albert gets that letter, he won’t be enjoying his place much longer.

  Jasper stepped into the bank and saw Wadell Jefferson at his desk behind the waist-high partition. He didn’t bother to tell Smiley he wanted to talk with the man. He pushed open the small gate and walked up to the desk.

  “Good morning, Jasper.” Wadell put his paper down. “What brings you to town today?”

  “I have some private business to talk with you about. Let’s go into the back office.”

  “Of course.” Wadell forced his bulky frame out of the wooden swivel chair and lead the way through the door located behind where he’d been sitting. “I guess you heard the Haywoods paid off the mortgage.”

  “I did. That’s not why I’m here.”

  They entered the room and closed the door behind them. “I thought you’d be furious about that.”

  “Nah. Things are going to work out anyway.” Jasper chuckled. “I heard Jake’s wife called you by your first name while they were here. Bet that pissed you off.”

  “That little hussy did call me Wadell. I almost slapped her. If Jake Haywood wasn’t such a huge man, I might’ve done it. His size intimidates me.” He shook his head. “And now Mirabel has got some fool notion about her being kin to the royal family in England. Ever heard anything so stupid?”

  “Maybe you ought to listen to Mirabel.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jasper didn’t explain. “I have something important to tell you.”

  “I’m listening.” Wadell Jefferson looked intrigued.

  “Jake Haywood is dead.”

  Wadell shot him a look of disbelief. “When did that happen?”

  “Yesterday, but I don’t think the news has gotten around yet. I expect it will soon enough. I saw Silas going into old Bertram Eller’s office. I figure he’s there to claim his inheritance. You know these greedy cowboys.”

  “How do you know Jake’s dead?”

  “Never mind how I know.” Jasper shifted in his chair. “This is what I have to tell you: Your wife is right. Rena Haywood is kin to the royal family in England.”

  “Don’t tell me you swallow that hogwash.”

  “It’s not hogwash, Wadell. I just mailed a letter to Sir Albert of some royal house in England I can’t even pronounce. He accompanied Lady Rena to America to find some Spanish royal she was supposed to marry. Their investigator told them it was the Haywoods, but that’s hard for me to believe.”

  “I don’t believe it.”

  “Rena’s uncle did. That’s why he sent her out here to marry Jake Haywood.”

  “Why, the woman had no breeding. She called me by my first name. How could she be royalty?”

  “Wadell, think about it. She is used to people kowtowing to her every whim. I’m sure you weren’t on your best behavior and she considered you an underling.” He chuckled. “Sometimes her breeding comes out even if she’s trying to pass herself off as Adela’s cousin from Atlanta.”

  Wadell sighed. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t slap her.”

  “In more ways than one. Jake Haywood would’ve killed you. Even if he doesn’t think much about her background, I know those Haywoods. She’s now his property and he wouldn’t let you or anyone else mistreat her. He probably felt he was the only one who had the right to do that.”

  “I may accept the idea that Jake’s wife is royal, but how’s that going to help you get that ranch now that it’s paid for?”

  “Lady Rena tells me her uncle will handle it for me.”

  “How do you know you can trust her?”

  “Because she let me read the letter she wrote and then she asked me to mail it. If she wasn’t telling me the truth, she would’ve said she was going to send it, then when she had the chance she would’ve destroyed it.”

  “You did mail it?”

  “Ten minutes ago.”

  “What if she didn’t give you the letter, but only made you think she did?”

  “Wadell, you’re a cynic. I watched her write the letter. I read the letter. I watched her address the envelope. I watched her fold the letter and put it inside the envelope. She then handed it to me and asked me to mail it.”

  He shrugged. “What are you going to do next?”

  “I might go to Jake Haywood’s funeral, if they have one. Of course, I think Lady Rena will insist on it. She’s a stickler for propriety.”

  “I guess that’s why she called me Wadell.”

  “Will you get over that? You should feel honored she called you anything. That wife of yours never lets this town forget how important you are. I guess Rena saw through you right away. She’s good at reading people and probably knows you’re nothing more than a lowdown thief who’s robbing your clients blind because they’re too stupid to see it.”

  Wadell frowned. “She did ask for a copy of the bill-of-sale. I don’t think she trusted me.”

  “That proves my point.”

  “Are you still going to get the Haywoods charged with rustling?”

  “No. I’m going to sell the cows we’ve stolen.” When Wadell started to interrupt, Jasper went on. “Don’t worry. You’ll get your share.”

  “Why sell them? We could get the Haywoods hanged for rustling, just like we planned.”

  “I’d rather see Silas and his woman pack up and leave that ranch with nothing but the clothes on their backs and what few things they can get in the wagon. That’ll hurt him more than hanging.”

  “Won’t he be the one to go to Spain and sit on the throne now that Jake is dead?”

  Jasper shook his head. “Rena said he could never become the ruler because he’s married to a commoner.”

  “What’s going to happen to Rena, now that she doesn’t have a husband?”

  Jasper grinned. “Don’t worry about that. I have plans for that little lady. I’m going to convince her to marry me and then I’ll set her up as the queen of this territory. She already likes me, so it won’t be hard.” He stood.

  “Then Mirabel would have somebody she thinks is good enough to be her friend. I like that idea.”

  “I thought you would.” Jasper looked across the desk at his companion. “How in the world do you stand that woman, anyway?”

  “She ain’t so bad. If it wasn’t for her pa’s money, I’d never been able to get into the banking busines
s. He wanted to see his little girl comfortable.”

  Jasper laughed. “Last time I looked, she wasn’t so little.”

  Wadell sniggered. “Well, I have to admit, she’s faded a little, but the girls at the Silver Slipper make up for it. They give me lots of sympathy and I don’t have to do my duty to Mirabel as often as I used to.”

  “If they only knew what you were really like.” Jasper pulled his hat down and strode out of the office. As he went out the front door of the bank, he saw Silas Haywood headed to the sheriff’s office.

  Going to report his brother’s death, Jasper thought. Just like the son-of-a-bitch to take care of his inheritance first. He got on his horse. Maybe I better get out of town. I’m sure he’ll accuse me of the killing and I don’t want to be bothered with questions this morning. I’ve got things to do at the ranch. I want to make sure it’s perfect for the little lady who is going to be living there and sleeping in my bed soon.

  * * * *

  “Silas, are you telling me that Jasper Wigham actually shot your brother in the back?” Sheriff Dusty Allison asked.

  “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. He attacked Jake and his wife when they were on the way home from town yesterday. Shot Jake and took Rena with him. She’ll tell you what happened. Come out and talk to her.”

  “You think Jake’s going to make it?”

  “Hope so. His wife is doing all she can to see to it.”

  “Got a glimpse of her in town yesterday. She sure is a tiny little thing. Don’t see how she was able to help bring down that gang who came to your ranch.” Dusty leaned back in his chair.

  “She’s handy with the gun. Said her pa taught her when she was a kid.” Silas stood. “I better get to McGregor’s. The women always need something when a man comes to town.”

  “They must not want much this time. I see you’re riding your horse.”

  “Honey.”

  “What?” Dusty looked puzzled.

  “They wanted honey. Don’t know why. I just as soon eat the jam Adela made, but they insisted on honey. I figured I could put a few jars in my saddlebag.”

  “Women are funny like that.” He came to his feet. “I’ll get out to your place and talk to Jake’s wife when I can. Old man Wilson says he had some more cows stolen and he wants me to come out there this morning.”