Ralph Compton Brother's Keeper

by Ralph Compton

  Trevor Galt was treating her like his queen. He insisted she sit near him at the head of the tables so they could talk. Ursula gave in, but Thal knew his sister well enough to know that she wasn’t happy about the attention Galt was heaping on her.

  Someone else was unhappy too, and it showed.

  Jesse Lee looked downright mad. Thal had never seen him scowl so much. Jesse kept giving Galt dark looks, and Thal wasn’t the only one who noticed. At one point, he saw Mateo nudge Tiny, flick a finger at Jesse Lee, and say something into Tiny’s ear that caused the diminutive gunman’s dark eyes to narrow and glitter.

  Myles was up at the head of the table too. Ursula kept trying to hold a conversation with him, and Galt kept inserting himself.

  The mystery of Jesse Lee was cleared up when Ned poked Thal with an elbow and leaned toward him.

  “Pard?” he whispered.

  “What?” Thal said, watching Galt contrive to place his hand on Ursula’s wrist.

  “There’s somethin’ you should know,” Ned whispered. “I found out about it on the way here.”

  “I’m listenin’,” Thal said. He refused to be distracted from his sister. She was in a pickle.

  “It’s about your sis.”

  “Can you get to it or will this take a month of Sundays?”

  “Why are you snappin’ at me?” Ned said. “I’m doin’ you a favor by lettin’ you know. It surpised me considerably and it will surprise you too.”

  “Ned, consarn it,” Thal said.

  Ned bent farther and looked around as if afraid he’d be overheard. “It’s about Ursula.”

  “You already said that.”

  “She’s hitched herself.”

  “My sister is a horse now?” Thal said impatiently.

  “What? No. That’s plumb ridiculous. How can a horse hitch itself? Some horses are smart, sure, but I never yet met one that can loop a rein around a hitch rail.”

  “My sister, Ned.”

  “What about her?”

  “I’m fixin’ to hit you.”

  “Oh. She’s hitched herself to the man she wants to spend the rest of her days with.”

  Thal forgot all about the shenanigans at the head of the table, and turned. “Who are you talkin’ about?”

  Ned chuckled. “Are you blind as well as silly? Who else but Jesse Lee Hardesty, yonder?”

  Thal stared across at the Southerner, who was at the next table, close to Ursula. Thal had wondered why Crawford and Jesse Lee didn’t sit across from him and Ned, and now he knew. It explained the dark looks Jesse Lee was giving Trevor Galt. “No.”

  “Yes,” Ned said. “And it’s partly your own doin’. You’re the one who left him to look after her. That was sort of like leavin’ a wolf to guard a lamb. Now, if I had stayed with her, this wouldn’t have happened. Well, unless she fell in love with me like she fell in love with him.”

  Thal was hardly listening. All he could think of was Ursula and Jesse Lee. He knew his sister. He knew that once she made up her mind about something, it took an act of the Almighty to change it. If she had set her feather on Jesse Lee, then he was the one, and every other man be hanged.

  Ned poked him again.

  “Eh?” Thal said, wishing his pard would fill his mouth with food.

  “What will you do?”

  “What can I do?” Thal said. His sister wouldn’t stand for any meddling on his part.

  “You’re her brother. You ought to do somethin’. Because if things keep on like they are, Jesse Lee is liable to throw down on Galt, and Galt’s gunnies ain’t about to take that kindly.”

  “Damnation,” Thal said.

  Ned wasn’t done. “Jesse Lee is quick. Maybe the quickest I’ve ever seen. I’ll give him that. But quick won’t help a lot against eight hired guns, if we include your brother.” He paused. “Where do you reckon your brother will stand if lead starts to fly? With Galt or with us?”

  Thal couldn’t begin to guess. Myles had changed so much he was unpredictable.

  “You’re closer to Crawford than me,” Ned whispered. “Why don’t you lean over and tell him what’s goin’ on and have him rein in Jesse Lee if it looks like his pard is about to do somethin’?”

  It was a good idea, but Thal would have to lean so far it would be obvious to everyone else, and Trevor Galt might wonder what he was up to.

  “Well? What are you waitin’ for?”

  “Not yet,” Thal said. “We’ll talk to them both, later.”

  “It might be too late by then,” Ned said. “Jesse Lee has steam comin’ out of his ears.”

  Just then Ursula happened to glance down the row of tables. Thal caught her eye and gave a barely perceptible nod at Jesse Lee to warn her.

  * * *

  Ursula was worried sick. She’d already seen that the man she loved was fuming, and she wanted him to know things were fine, that she couldn’t care less about Trevor Galt. But Galt was taking liberties, touching her when she didn’t care to be touched. Only her wrist and her arm, but that was more than enough.

  The man presumed too much, and she was tempted to slap him. But she was worried about what Jesse might do. Or Thalis and the other cowboys, for that matter. Myles, she was uncertain about. He might take her side, he might not. Then there were all those gun sharks at the other end of the tables. The so-called special deputies. A pack of killers was more like it, to her way of thinking.

  The cowboys wouldn’t stand a chance.

  In a quandary, Ursula wasn’t listening to what Trevor Galt was saying, and it annoyed her when he squeezed her wrist to get her attention. “What was that?” she said.

  “Aren’t you paying attention, my dear?”

  Ursula made excuses. “It’s been a long day. I did mention I’m very tired, didn’t I?”

  “Yes, you did,” Galt said. “I was merely saying that it would please me greatly if you would agree to attend the theater with me tomorrow night. It’s not as grand as the Gem, over in Deadwood, but the acts are entertaining.”

  “I don’t know,” Ursula hedged.

  “Why would you refuse?” Galt asked, a slight edge to his tone. “It’s only for fun, I assure you.”

  “If my brother and his friends come along, I suppose.”

  “If you insist,” Galt said, not sounding happy at the prospect.

  Ursula smiled sweetly. “My ma always says that a young lady should never go anywhere without a chaperone.”

  “Does she, now?”

  “Otherwise a girl can get a reputation as being loose and free, and I wouldn’t want that. I am anything but loose.”

  Galt was scowling. “Of course you’re not.”

  “So, yes, my brother and his friends will be my chaperones, and we’d be happy to go anywhere you like.” Especially since, Ursula reflected, tomorrow night would be their last in American City. They would leave the morning after, and good riddance to the Black Hills.

  “You Americans and your quaint customs,” Galt said.

  “Where are you from?” Ursula was curious.

  “Bristol, England,” Galt said. “I was born and raised there. I suppose my accent gives me away. Try as I might, I can’t seem to lose it.”

  “Tell me about it,” Ursula said, moving her arm so his hand no longer touched her.

  “Bristol is a port,” Galt said distractedly. “One of the busiest. There are, oh, I don’t know, about a hundred thousand people by now.”

  “Goodness, that’s a lot. What else?”

  “My time there was unremarkable. It’s dull compared to here. My countrymen are very set in their ways. Stodgy, you might say. You can’t carry firearms. And you certainly can’t shoot anyone and get away with it.”

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  “I didn’t mean myself, personally,” Galt said. “I was
talking about America in general. Or the West, at any rate. Shootings take place all the time. In Kansas, I understand, the cow towns all have their very own boot hills where the dear departed are laid to rest.”

  “Sad to say,” Ursula said.

  “You don’t approve?”

  “Of all the shooting affrays?” Ursula realized Jesse Lee must be listening, and remembered his defense of her in Deadwood. “There are times when it’s justified. But there are just as many, if not more, when it’s not.”

  “I wouldn’t argue with that,” Galt said. “But I must confess, I find the whole concept invigorating.”

  “Concept?”

  “Of a man being able to mold his own destiny by dint of his intelligence and will, and a loaded six-gun.”

  Ursula gazed down the tables. “Or eight of them? Isn’t that how many special deputies you have?”

  “Surely you don’t hold that against me?” Galt said. “Every town needs law and order.”

  “Even a town where anything goes?”

  Galt laughed. “You’re sharp, my dear. That’s the lure to bring people here. Why else would they come? The other towns in the hills have as much gold and as many attractions. American City needed something to set it apart. Something special. So I hit on the idea of letting everyone think it was wide-open. That every heart’s desire could be fulfilled. But that, as I say, was a lure, and nothing more.”

  “American City seems pretty wide-open to me,” Ursula said.

  “Indeed,” Galt said. “But within certain limits. Hence, my special deputies. They instill a degree of law and order while giving the impression there isn’t any.”

  “There’s still too much violence for my taste.” Ursula much preferred the peace and serenity of a place like Salina. “I’ve heard a lot of shooting since we arrived.”

  “That’s normal. Don’t let it sway your opinion,” Galt said. “I’m hoping you might be induced to stay around awhile. Spend time with your brother Myles. And in my company as well.”

  Ursula figured the time had come to tell him that she was spoken for, but as luck would have it, two hard-looking men came hurrying into the restaurant and over to their table.

  “Mr. Galt,” the taller said. “Sorry to bother you but it’s important.”

  Galt sat back. “Miss Christie, you must pardon me. These are more of my special deputies.” He indicated the tall one, who had a hooked nose and a sallow complexion. “This is Mr. Dyson. The other is Mr. Carnes.” The latter wore a fur coat, of all things, even though it was summer. Rising, the three moved off a short way.

  Ursula looked over at Jesse Lee. “Thank you,” she said.

  “For what?”

  “For not doing what you hankered to do.”

  Myles, who had hardly uttered a word since they got there, perked up. “What was that?”

  “Nothing,” Ursula said.

  Fortunately Trevor Galt returned to the table. “I have bad news, my dear. I am afraid I must go deal with an issue that has arisen. And my deputies must go with me.”

  “All of them?”

  “I’ll leave Bull with the rest of you. But I need Myles to come. I might have need of that shotgun of his.”

  At the other end of the tables, Bull let out a bellow. “Mr. Galt, there’s somethin’ I’ve been meanin’ to tell you. Somethin’ you should know about—”

  Galt gestured sharply. “Not now. You can tell me whatever it is later.” He smiled at Ursula, wheeled, and departed with his other special deputies in tow.

  Thank goodness, Ursula thought. She went to take a sip of water and caught Thalis giving her the look he did when he was upset with her. “What?”

  “We need to talk,” her brother said, “and I don’t mean tomorrow.”

  Chapter 30

  Ursula hardly ever paced. She didn’t have a nervous disposition, as some did. A cousin of hers couldn’t still if her life depended on it, but now her. Ursula was usually calm about things. Even when life threw a crisis at her, she kept her wits, and her nerves, about her.

  Not now. She was waiting for her brother and Jesse Lee to come to her room. They had gone to their own rooms to give Bull the impression that they were turning in for the night. Once Bull left, they’d be right over. Their rooms were just down the hall.

  She could guess what Thal wanted to talk about. On the ride from Deadwood she had worked out how she would put it to him, and she was all set.

  A commotion out in the street drew her to the window. Parting the curtains, she peered down. She was worried Trevor Galt had returned, but no, a couple of men, their anger fueled by too much liquor, were quarreling. She closed the curtains and continued to pace.

  A light knock on her door caused her to jump. Scooting over, Ursula unlocked it and peeked out.

  “What are you waitin’ for?” Thal asked.

  Ursula opened the door wide and he slipped inside.

  “Bull went downstairs,” Thal let her know.

  “Where’s Jesse Lee?”

  “In his room with Crawford,” Thal said, moving to a chair. “Which gives us time to talk before he gets here.”

  “No.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Whatever you have to say, you can say to the two of us.” Ursula informed him.

  “It’s gone that far?”

  Before Ursula could answer, there was another, firmer, knock. She yanked on the door handle and threw herself at Jesse Lee, who acted surprised but embraced her. Rubbing his neck with her nose, she breathed, “Together again at last.”

  Jesse Lee coughed, glanced over his shoulder, and quickly drew her in and closed the door behind them. Only then did he see her brother. “Thal,” he said.

  “So Ned was right,” Thal said. “I shouldn’t have left you alone with her.”

  Ursula whirled on him. “Don’t you dare. This is as much my doing as his. We fell in love, plain and simple. I was going to break it to you easy, but now easy can be hanged.” She gripped Jesse Lee’s left hand. Not his right. He’d cautioned her about that in Deadwood.

  “Sis!” Thal exclaimed.

  “Don’t sound so shocked. A woman can cuss as well as a man.” Ursula paused. “Jesse and I are getting married. We haven’t set a date yet, but he’s asked me and I’ve accepted.”

  “You’ve made your choice, then.”

  Ursula saw no reason to belabor the obvious.

  “What about Ma and Pa?”

  “What about them?” Ursula rejoined. “They’re not marrying him. I am. They can give us their blessing or they can have nothing to do with us. That’s entirely up to them.”

  “You’d turn your back on Ma if she was against it?”

  “No, she’d be turning her back on me,” Ursula said. “A person has a right to marry who she wants, and I will not let anyone stand in our way. Not her. Not Pa. Not you.”

  Thal sighed. “Where did this ferocity come from?”

  “It’s always been there. Maybe you just didn’t notice.” Ursula led Jesse Lee to the bed and they perched on the edge. She sat so that their shoulders and legs touched.

  “I wish I had known sooner,” Thal said.

  “What difference would it make?”

  “I might have insisted that if Myles wanted to see you, he should go to Deadwood instead of having you brought here.”

  “I don’t care where I see him.”

  “Do you care if Trevor Galt takes a dislike to your fiancée?”

  “Let him,” Jesse Lee said.

  “Why would he?” Ursula said. “What I do is nothing to him.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” Thal said. “I might not be the sharpest knife in the toolshed, but I can see that Galt has taken a shine to you. It sounded to me as if he wants to wine and dine you, as the fancy folks say.”

 
; “He can wine and dine Bull.”

  Thal laughed, without much mirth. “This is serious. There’s no tellin’ how Galt will take the news. He might set some of his special deputies on Jesse Lee.”

  “Let him,” Jesse Lee said again.

  “No,” Ursula said. She was unwilling to put him at risk. “We’ll keep it a secret a little longer. I’d rather not, but what can one more day hurt? Then we’ll light a shuck for Deadwood.” She caressed Jesse’s hand. “Does that sit all right with you? Can you control your temper that long?”

  “I won’t have to.”

  “You’re not fixin’ to brace Galt, are you?” Thal said in alarm. “That’d put all of us in danger.”

  “If it comes to that, I will,” Jesse Lee said. “But I won’t have to control my temper because the cat will be out of the bag.”

  “You’re going to tell Galt about us?” Ursula said in dismay. Twenty-four hours. That was all they needed, plus a little more, and they’d be shed of American City.

  “You’re not usin’ that noggin of yours,” Jesse Lee said. “Who else knows about you and me besides Thalis?”

  “Ned does,” Ursula said. “He figured it out on the ride from Deadwood.”

  “He wasn’t the only one. Or have you forgotten?”

  Ursula sat bolt upright. “Bull and that Mateo and Rafer. They were along too.”

  “And what was Bull saying to Galt at the restaurant right before Galt went hurryin’ off?”

  “Oh no,” Ursula said. The remembrance brought a rush of fear. “Bull said he had something to tell Galt.”

  “Guess what it will be.”

  Thal came out of his chair and began doing what Ursula had done a short while ago: pacing. “This can turn ugly. I’ve seen how Galt can be when he’s mad, and I suspect I haven’t seen the worst. The man doesn’t like to be bucked. Not by anyone.”

  “It’s not as if I set out to deceive him,” Ursula said.

  “He might think different,” Thal said. “You had all night to tell him you were engaged, but did you? You did not. You let Galt treat you to a meal, and you didn’t slap his hand when he fondled your arm.”