"Don't worry, son. I've dealt with my share of varmints over the years. Their smell usually gives them away."
Chapter 22
Ned dismounted at the horse trough and let his gelding's reins trail on the ground. He was getting too old for these nighttime forays. He probably should have taken the bed Idalee offered and waited to ride out with them later, but hell, he couldn't have slept anyway. And he darned sure wouldn't have been able to send his own messages from the telegraph office.
No, better to let Elias handle that and follow later with Idalee to pay their last respects to their friend. He hoped Elias didn't get caught sneaking into the telegraph office himself, but Ned had to agree with him that they couldn't trust the operator not to pass the messages on to the Bakers.
A multi-talented man, that Elias. Who would have thought Elias had such an interest in all the new-fangled gadgets today? Learned that code they use to send words across the wires from a book, he told Ned.
Oh, even Ned had heard of that there Mr. Bell, who Elias said he corresponded with. Ned had already ordered one of them gramophones for Mattie's birthday next month and he even talked on one of them telly phones one time at the fair in Cheyenne. Prudence would do well to listen to Elias's insistence that she travel to that Boston school Mr. Bell set up years ago, if her speech continued to elude her.
But Ned shook his head as he walked toward the barn, recalling one of his other conversations with Elias. If the Good Lord had meant men to fly, he would have given them wings. Mr. Bell didn't have a snowball's chance in the hot place of figuring out a way to get men up there with the birds!
Ned entered the barn and paused, his eyes adjusting to the dimmer light. The smoke smell lingered in here, too — he guessed it had already penetrated the bed clothes he and Storm managed to pull from the burning cabin. They wouldn't be able to save anything else from the charred logs now littering the cabin site. Only the stark outline of a large, cast iron stove stood out amid the rubble, the lone object that had withstood the white hot heat.
Ned peered at the three figures on the pile of hay. Jessica sat with her blanket around her shoulders, her own gaze on Prudence and Storm. Prudence lay with her head on Storm's shoulder, her small hand clasped in Storm's larger one.
Sensing Ned's presence, Jessica glanced up. "She wouldn't stop crying," she said softly. "And her hysterics were making her sick. Storm has been holding her all night."
"She needed to cry it out, Jes. Sometimes that helps a bit, even for us men. And Idalee will be here in a while to help with her. She and Elias are both riding out."
Storm opened his eyes and slowly tried to draw his arm from beneath Prudence. A frown crossed Prudence's tear-ravaged face, but she settled back into the hay when Storm tenderly brushed her hair back and dropped a kiss on her forehead. He pulled the blanket up around her neck and rose to his feet, silently motioning for Jessica and Ned to follow him out of the barn.
"I didn't get the graves dug last night, Ned," Storm said as he stretched a few kinks from his muscle in the sunlight. "I'll start on them now. How soon will Elias be here?"
"Said they'd leave at dawn," Ned informed him. "They're probably only a couple hours or so behind me. Idalee sent out some food with me. It's in the pack on my horse, Jes. Think you can fix it for us while I help Storm?"
"I'll take care of it, Ned. But don't you think you should rest for a while? You've been up all night."
"I'll rest in a while."
Storm moved over to Jessica and reached an arm toward her waist. "Are you all right this morning, honey?"
Evading his arm, Jessica nodded her head and moved out of his reach. "I'm fine. You need to worry about Prudence now. If she wakes...."
"I'll be close by. Call if you need me."
Jessica walked away from them, over to Ned's horse. She stood for a moment until she heard their receding footsteps behind her before she allowed herself to bow her head. Yes, she would call him, but not for her own needs. Only Prudence mattered now. She had to remember that. She had to.
"Those sons a bitches! If I ever get my hands on them again, they'll damned sure wish they'd never double-crossed me!"
"For God's sake, David, shut up! Do you want everyone outside this office to hear you?" Harlin leaned across his desk and glared at David. "What do you expect out of the scum you hire out on that ranch? They sure as hell didn't help you keep your herd of cattle together."
"Don't tell me my business, big brother," David growled warningly.
"Someone should, David. I've been telling you for over a year that this town won't continue to support us the way you spend money on your trips to San Francisco and all the other places you go."
"There's sure as hell nothing around here to do. Besides, we won't have to worry about money once we get that gold mine going."
"You'll never get Tobias to sell. Hell, for all you know, he killed your men rather than them just hightailing it for parts unknown."
"Something's going on out there," David said. "I saw that illegitimate spawn of our old man heading out that way with Gant a while ago. And if Red's dead, it's no big loss. I'd have had to get rid of him anyway sooner or later, after he told me exactly where that vein he stumbled across was. I'll find it on my own as soon as we get that land."
"You better do something pretty quick. I knew someone would come after Storm. We should've concentrated on getting rid of him before that federal marshal got wind of where he'd been seen. We don't need a marshal nosing into our business around here. I wish I knew who sent that wire."
"You can bet your ass it didn't come from here. Old Fred's got orders to give you copies of every wire that goes out or comes in. Someone must've ridden over to Hardin to send it. Besides, he's after Storm, not us."
"Jesus Christ, David! Use your damned head! If even one person talks to that marshal while he's here and files a complaint, the marshal can call in bank examiners. And those examiners can look at every scrap of paper connected to that bank, even how I ended up with the bank's ownership. You sure as hell better hope that Will you had forged in San Francisco can stand up to a handwriting analysis."
"That forger was the best money could buy, Brother. You ought to know — you paid for it."
"I'd feel a hell of a lot better if I knew you'd destroyed that other Will."
"That's my collateral, Harlin, old boy. How'd you like to split all you own with Storm and Idalee? Isn't it better just to give me a little money now and then?"
"A little?"
"Look," David interrupted. "We're going out there right now and see what's going on. I want to know what happened to those men."
"Out where?"
"Out to Tobias's ranch."
Jessica eased her aching body down beside Idalee and Prudence and, for the first time that day, allowed herself to relax somewhat. She had spent the entire afternoon scrubbing blankets and clothing to remove the smoke smell from them, shrugging off the other two women's attempts to help her. At last she had dumped out a final kettle of murky water and rinsed the last few items in cold water drawn from the well.
Flames from the cooking fire curled around the new log Idalee had tossed on it, crackling and spitting in the still evening air. The aroma from the pot hanging over the fire stirred a pang of hunger in Jessica's stomach.
"It's going to be a beautiful sunset," Idalee mused.
Jessica nodded a silent agreement. For the rest of her life, sunsets would remind her of the first glimpse she'd ever had of Storm. So would just about everything else in her life bring thoughts of the man she loved, she realized. The warmth of the fire reminded her of their time together in the cave. Even the people beside her had come into her life after she met the man the law called an outlaw.
She would never again hear a coyote howl without recalling that first night — or see a wild mustang herd without the ghost of a paint stallion rising up in front of her eyes. And how would she ever be able to enjoy slipping off on a hot day to bathe and wash her hair in
the little stream running through her ranch back in Wyoming? Maybe her cowhands had been right that first night about ghosts. She would definitely carry Storm's ghost with her always.
Idalee shifted slightly and closed the book she held in her lap. "That's enough for now, Prudence," she said. "You can't learn it all in one day."
Jessica glanced curiously over at Prudence to see her nod her head and rub her hand across the child's slate on her knees.
"You two have been working together for over two hours," Jessica said. "What on earth's kept you so busy?"
"Prudence wants to learn to read and write," Idalee said with a smile. "It was Elias's idea for us to bring these things out with us. He figured they'd...." She slipped a comforting arm around Prudence's waist. "They'd help her to have a new focus for her mind right now."
Prudence looked over her shoulder toward the new grave on the hillside behind her, only allowing her gaze to linger on it for a second. She turned back to Idalee and lifted her hands in front of her.
"Whoa, Prudence," Idalee said with a small laugh. "It's going to take me some time, too, to learn your new language. Go slower."
Prudence slowed her motions with her fingers and after a moment, Idalee nodded in understanding.
"While I've been teaching Prudence," she explained to Jessica, "she's been teaching me. But I'm afraid it's taking me a lot longer to learn than her. Prudence already had a basic grasp of her letters from the sign language book Storm gave her."
Prudence moved her fingers again, but Idalee frowned at her.
"I'm sorry, Prudence. What...?"
Prudence picked up the slate and drew a few quick lines on it before she held it out to Idalee.
"You know, Prudence," Idalee said, "you could be a pretty good artist if you put your mind to it."
When Prudence nudged Idalee on the arm and nodded in Jessica's direction, Idalee blushed prettily.
"Of course I want Jessica to know," she said. She held the slate out so Jessica could see the ring Prudence had drawn on it. "Elias and I...well, we're going to be married. Can you believe it? That crazy fool was afraid to ask me. He thought I wouldn't say yes."
Jessica gave the smaller woman a quick hug. "I'm so happy for you, Idalee. I can't think of two people meant for each other more than you and Elias."
"Ah ha!" Elias said from behind them. He reached down and pulled Idalee to her feet, the slate falling unnoticed from her hands. "I've got witnesses now. If you try to back out, I'll sue you for breach of promise."
"You'll sue me?" Idalee said saucily. "If I remember right, I'm the one who did the asking and you're the one who said yes. If anyone breaches a promise, it'll be you."
"Never," Elias said with a shake of his head. "I've got you now and you'll never get rid of me. Come on. Let's go watch the sunset."
Jessica watched them walk away, then turned to Prudence when she felt her hand on her arm. She accepted the slate Prudence held out to her and glanced down at the ring. When Prudence lifted her hand and pointed to the side, Jessica saw Storm standing at the corral, his back to them as he watched the horses inside the fence.
Jessica dropped the slate and scrambled to her feet. She didn't need Prudence to remind her that Prudence and Storm had plans for their own impending marriage. But when she caught the puzzled look on Prudence's face, Jessica rigidly took hold of herself. Her promise to Tobias rang in her mind.
Jessica's words only sent a more bewildered look across Prudence's face. "You'll be happy, too, Prudence," she said sternly. "I promised your brother and I meant what I said."
Prudence continued to stare at her and Jessica turned her back to stir the pot on the fire. She had to live with her decision, but she couldn't bring herself to discuss it openly with Prudence. Prudence need never know how much her own happiness would cost Jessica.
Or what had happened between Jessica and Storm. Try as she might, though, Jessica couldn't bring herself to feel guilty over the time she and Storm had spent in glorious lovemaking. She guessed it must be some terrible character flaw in herself.
At least, that was the decision she had come to during the long, dark hours of the night, after the whiskey fumes cleared from her mind. Lord knew, she had discussed the exact same thing with Mattie often enough, when one of her friends had sobbed out a broken heart on Jessica's shoulder after learning of a boyfriend's unfaithfulness. Though Mattie always insisted there must be two sides to each story, Jessica knew she could never bring herself to add that kind of pain to Prudence's recent losses.
She couldn't completely blame Storm — she had been a very willing participant in the rapture they found with each other. In fact, she had begged him for the time they had together, promising to be happy with only that and make no demands for the future.
Was it possible for a man to love two women at the same time? It must be, because Jessica had no doubt in her mind that Storm loved her. The tone of his words had been too sincere — the dark eyes too filled with love for her to be reflecting a lie. She had come to know him so well. He was too honorable to walk out on his commitment to Prudence.
At least he and Prudence hadn't been already married, Jessica had tried in vain to rationalize during the night. At least she and Storm hadn't broken the commandment against adultery, though they had given in to their passion without the sanctity of marriage vows.
She had scrubbed harder on the smoke-saturated blankets that afternoon each time the word "adultery" crept into her mind. Hers and Storm's love had to end now — she had to get far away from him before he married Prudence. It would be horrible if she found herself tempted after they were married — much more horrible than what had already happened, which was bad enough.
"Is that food ready yet? I'm starving to death."
Jessica gripped the ladle tighter and concentrated on stirring the contents of the pot to keep herself from whirling around at the sound of Storm's voice behind her.
"I think it's probably ready," she said as she heard him settle himself down beside Prudence. "I'll go wake Ned up in the barn."
Without glancing at the couple on the blanket, she hung the ladle on the side of the pot and walked away. Just inside the barn door, she turned back to look toward the fire.
The firelight outlined the profile of Prudence's face as she stared up at Storm, who sat close by her side. As Jessica watched, Storm nodded his head and slipped an arm around Prudence's small shoulders to give her a hug. Jessica determinedly blinked her eyes to still the tears trying to creep down her cheeks and forced herself to turn away.
An hour later, Ned set his plate aside and fixed Jessica with a penetrating look. "You're just pushin' that stew around on your plate, Jes. How 'bout putting some of it in your stomach, where it belongs?"
Jessica gave a guilty start and speared a piece of meat with her fork. She slowly raised it to her mouth and took a small nibble.
"Huh," Elias said with a laugh. "I told you it needed a little more salt, Idalee."
Idalee swatted his arm. "I was cooking long before you decided you wanted to learn, Elias Gant! And I didn't learn my cooking skills from any book. I'll have you know, my mother was the finest cook in the territory."
"I give up," Elias said as he held his hands up to ward off another swat from Idalee. "I promise, I'll never try to tell you how to cook again."
Idalee dropped her hand and turned a worried gaze on Jessica. "Jessica, are you feeling all right? You've been awfully quiet this evening."
"I...I'm just tired," Jessica replied with a small sigh.
"You should have let us help you this afternoon. There was no need for you to wash all those bedclothes by yourself."
Jessica looked up to see the faces around the fire turned toward her and shrugged irritably. She forced herself to take another bite of the stew and maintain her own silence until the conversation began to flow again. Then she surreptitiously set the plate down and edged her leg a few more inches away from Storm's thigh beside her.
"Well," Jess
ica heard Ned say when she again began paying attention to the conversation, "I think we might as well, since we're here anyway. How about you, Jes?"
"Uh...I'm sorry, Ned. What did you say?"
"Just that we might as well follow that map Pete drew, since we're so close anyway. It's up to you, Jes. Pete left that map to you."
"But the land belongs to Prudence," Jessica insisted. "Whatever gold is on it will belong to her."
Prudence leaned forward past Storm and shook her head at Jessica. She moved her fingers rapidly, then looked up at Storm.
"She wants me to tell you what she and I discussed this afternoon, Jessica," Storm said. "She won't touch a penny of the gold from that mine unless you agree to take your share. After all, your uncle found it first and she wouldn't even have known about it without the map Pete left you. She wants the two of you to share it equally."
"No!" Jessica gasped as she rose to her feet. The last thing she wanted was to be tied in any way to Prudence once she left Montana. She dug into her riding skirt pocket and pulled out the map.
"Here." Jessica tossed the map into Prudence's lap. "It's yours now. I don't want anything to do with it."
Prudence picked up the map and looked over at the fire. Quirking an eyebrow at Jessica, she casually flicked her wrist toward the fire. When Jessica couldn't quite stifle a gasp of dismay, Prudence stood and handed the map back to her. She held her other hand out to Elias and took the piece of paper he handed to her, then motioned for Storm to stand.
Storm watched Prudence for a moment before he turned to Jessica. "She says you called her your sister last night and she wants to know why you dislike her today."
"Oh, Prudence, I'm sorry you think that," Jessica quickly replied. "It's just that...I'm going back to Wyoming in a few days." Jessica blurted out the first excuse that came into her mind, failing to notice Storm stiffen beside her. "I've got my ranch back there to take care of and I don't want any ties here in Montana to distract me."
Montana Surrender Page 25
