The girl had a good hold on James. Thomas could see that, physically and otherwise. As they started walking, he remained on his side of the street and kept pace. It soon became obvious that James was simply walking her home. Thomas decided to stay with them anyway, since James had been foolish enough to allow the girl to hang on to his gun arm.
“What will your father and brother think?” she asked as they walked.
“About what?”
She held his arm tightly, pressed herself against him so he could feel her firm young breast against him.
“About you becoming my protector?”
“I don’t rightly know,” he said. “I guess I’ll find out, though.”
“What if your pa tells you that you can’t?”
“He’s my pa,” James said, “but I’m a full-grown man. He can’t tell me what to do.”
“I knew that would be your answer,” she said. “I’m so glad we had this talk, James. I feel so much better.”
“I’m glad too…”
Soon it became obvious to Thomas that he wasn’t the only one trailing James and the girl. On their side of the street, about half a block back, he saw a shadowy figure following them as well. There was a full moon out, so when the figure crossed a street and moved away from the shelter of the buildings, Thomas was able to make out that it was a man and that he appeared to be unarmed. For that reason he did not move to intercept him…not yet anyway.
When they reached the house, Belinda released James’s arm and said, “Don’t come up to the porch. I don’t want to get you into trouble before you’re ready to tell everyone.”
“I’ll wait here until you get inside.”
“James,” she said warningly, “before he went to prison Jeb Collier was a hard man. I don’t know what two years in Yuma Prison have done to him.”
“Probably made him harder,” James said. “Don’t worry, Belinda. He’s not gonna hurt you or your son. I promise.”
“I believe you.”
Impulsively, she kissed him quickly, right at the corner of the mouth, then turned and ran up the walk to the house and let herself in. James turned away, his hand to his face where she’d kissed him. Her sweet perfume was still in his nostrils and he thought he could taste her mouth on his. He was so enthralled that he was taken completely by surprise when he was grabbed from behind.
53
An arm snaked around James’s neck from behind and was tightened with such strength that James could not breathe.
“You stay away from her!” a voice said urgently into his ear.
James couldn’t make a sound and suddenly his feet were not touching the ground and it was as if he were hanging from a gallows. He grabbed at the arm that was strangling him, but it was too large and strong for him to dislodge. Finally, he started to reach for his gun when the man abruptly released him, letting him drop to the ground, and he became aware that someone was talking to him…
Thomas knew he should have stepped in sooner, but there was still no weapon being used. However, he eventually closed the distance between himself and the man who was strangling his brother and jammed his gun into the man’s back.
“Let him go or I’ll blow out your spine!” he hissed.
The man released James, who fell to the ground.
“Just stand still,” he told the man. “James, you okay?”
“Jesus—” James said, getting to his knees. “I couldn’t breathe.”
“I saw that,” Thomas said. “Get to your feet.”
The other man was not making a sound, just standing there. He was a big man, as tall as Thomas, but with more girth. Not as big as their brother Matthew had been, though.
James staggered to his feet and turned to look at his brother and his attacker.
“What the hell—” he said to the man.
“You stay away from Belinda,” the man said, again.
“Let’s take this somewhere else so we don’t attract attention from the house,” Thomas said. “You live in town?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, you’re gonna take us home with you.”
“I ain’t gonna—” the man started, but Thomas jabbed him in the back with his gun even harder.
“I’ll take you to my shop.”
“Okay,” Thomas said, “get to walkin’ then. James?”
“Right.” James took one last look at the sheriff’s house and fell into step behind his brother and the other man.
They had to walk all the way through town, almost to the livery, before they reached the man’s hardware store. He used a key to open the front door and they all went in. James found a lamp and lit it.
“Let’s find a seat for that gent that ain’t near any hammers or pry bars,” Thomas said.
James looked around and found a chair. He set it in the center of the floor and they made the man sit there, out of reach of any potential weapons.
“Now what’s your name?” Thomas asked, still holding his gun.
“Alvin Simon,” the man muttered.
Simon was in his late twenties, it looked, about Thomas’s age. He had dirty blond hair and was powerful through the chest and shoulders. He also had very large hands. The size of his torso made his legs look too short for him.
“And you own this store?”
“Yes.”
“Why were you tryin’ to kill me?” James demanded.
“Wasn’t tryin’ to kill you.”
“It sure felt like it.”
“I was…mad,” Simon said. “I lost my head.”
“Why?”
“You were with Belinda.”
“So?”
The man stuck out his jaw and said, “She’s my woman.”
“Is that right?” Thomas asked. “Does she know that?”
“Of course she does!” the man said. “We’re in love.”
Thomas and James exchanged a look.
“How long has this been goin’ on?” Thomas asked.
“About six months.”
So it wasn’t possible that this man was the father of her baby.
“So you were followin’ her tonight?”
“Yeah.”
“And you saw her with my brother and got mad.”
“Yeah.”
“Why?” James asked. “We were only talkin’. We had supper and we talked.”
“She kissed you!” the man accused.
“That was just…that was nothin’,” James said angrily. “Sure wasn’t enough for you to try to strangle me to death!”
“Settle down,” Thomas said.
“‘Settle down’?” James repeated. “He damn near killed me. He woulda killed me if you hadn’t…what were you doin’ there?”
“I happened to see you two leavin’ the café and him followin’ behind you, so I followed too.”
“So you were there the whole time, outside the house?”
“Yes.”
“And it took you that long to get him to let me go?”
“He never woulda sneaked up on you if you didn’t have your head in the clouds, James,” Thomas said. He hadn’t planned on berating his brother in front of Simon, but James opened the door. “And another thing. You let that gal hang on to your gun arm the whole time. You’re double lucky you ain’t dead right now!”
James glared at his brother, then switched his glare to the man that deserved it and kept quiet…because Thomas was right, damn him.
54
Thomas and James decided not to bicker in front of Alvin Simon. They told him not to move and went to the other end of the room, where they could still cover him.
“Okay, so he claims to be in love with Belinda,” Thomas said. “I can believe that.”
“So can I.”
“Obviously.”
“Whataya mea—”
“But,” Thomas said, cutting James off, “is Belinda in love with him?”
“She could be.”
“I don’t think so,” Thomas said. “I think he’s just a
nother fella she’s tryin’ to use. He’s got his own business, so maybe he’s got some money.”
“Why do you have to think the worst of her?” James asked.
“Because,” Thomas said, “she’s tryin’ to convince us that her son is Matthew’s. Why do you think she’s doin’ that?”
“To get some help—”
“To use us, James,” Thomas said, “just to use us.”
“Thomas—” James started, but Thomas could see the argument coming and wanted to head it off.
“James, we could argue about this all night,” he said. “What do you want to do about this fella?”
James looked over at Alvin Simon, who was staring at the floor glumly.
“Leave him alone,” James said.
“He tried to choke you to death.”
“We’ve got enough to worry about without adding him,” James said. “Let’s get back to what we’re supposed to be doin’.”
They both turned and walked back to the center of the room, Thomas holstering his gun.
“Mr. Simon, we’re gonna leave now,” Thomas said. “We’re both deputies, as you can probably see, so if you should attack my brother again, we’ll have to throw you in jail. Do you understand?”
“I understand very little, I fear,” Simon said. He looked up at the two of them. “Why won’t she look to me for protection? Why does she have to look elsewhere? The sheriff? Now you and your father?”
Thomas looked around the shop. Plenty of hardware, but there were no guns in sight.
“Mr. Simon, can you handle a gun?”
“Not very well.”
“Well, that’s your answer,” Thomas said. “Against the likes of Jeb Collier you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“That’s what she said.”
“Well, then,” Thomas said, “for once I have to agree with her. Come on, James.”
They started for the door, but Thomas stopped and turned to look back at Simon, who was still sitting slumped in the chair.
“Is this a thriving business, Mr. Simon?” he asked.
The man looked at him and said, “Why, yes. I do very well here.”
“You’ve got money put away?”
“Quite a tidy sum, I think,” Simon said. “I’ve told Belinda that I can care for her and Little Matt—at least, financially.”
“Is that a fact?’ Thomas asked, looking at James.
“Oh, come on,” James said, opening the front door and barreling through.
Jeb Collier and his men were camped an hour outside of Pearl River Junction. He got them all situated around the fire with their beans and coffee and explained what was going to happen the next day.
“Clark, you and Dave will ride in first. Get yourselves a hotel room and then just hang around town. Don’t go near the bank. Do you understand?”
“Got it, Jeb,” Clark Wilson said and Dave Roberts nodded.
“Samms, you and Leslie will ride in next. Don’t check into a hotel. Find a rooming house and get rooms. Then get somethin’ to eat, walk around town, but stay away from the bank. Also, the four of you…stay out of the saloons. We’ll all meet in a saloon later on in the evening.”
“Which one?” Roy Leslie asked.
“I’ll tell you in a minute.” He looked across the fire at his brother. “Ben, you and Tanner will ride in next. Get rooms in a small hotel somewhere, have somethin’ to eat and stay out of trouble.”
“Sure, Jeb.”
Jeb looked pointedly at Lou Tanner, a look that said: Keep him out of trouble. Tanner nodded that he understood.
“Vic and I will ride in last,” Jeb said. “We’re all gonna meet at dusk in the biggest saloon in town. That’s so we won’t stand out. But look…when you get to that saloon don’t talk to each other until Vic and I get there. Don’t sit or stand at the bar in a group. Two of you sit, two stand, or play some poker, whatever, but stay away from each other, stay out of trouble. Everybody understand?”
They all nodded except for Ben.
“So I ride in with Tanner, but I’m not supposed to talk to him?” he asked, looking confused.
Jeb took a breath, then said, “You can talk to the man you ride in with, but not to the others. Okay?”
“Okay,” Ben said.
“Okay, then finish eating and get some shut-eye,” Jeb instructed. “We’re gettin’ up at first light so the first two can ride in early.”
Delay leaned over and asked Jeb, “We settin’ watches tonight?”
“We don’t need to be on watch,” Jeb said. “Nobody’s after us in Texas. Get some sleep.”
“I don’t sleep much anyway,” Delay said. ”I can keep an eye out.”
“If that’s what you wanna do, be my guest,” Jeb said. “I’m goin’ to sleep. Been a long time since I slept under the stars and I been enjoyin’ it since I got out.”
“Time enough to sleep when I die,” Delay said and poured himself some more coffee.
55
Shaye had arranged to have breakfast not only with his sons the next morning, but with the sheriff and Thad as well.
Thomas and James had agreed not to tell their father about James’s supper with Belinda the night before. For this reason James was hoping Connie the waitress would not say anything about it while she was serving them. Connie gave James a knowing smile, but did not say a word about him and Belinda being there the night before.
However, they did feel a need to tell him about Alvin Simon. At least, Thomas did. He went to his father’s room that morning before breakfast…
“So this fella is in love with Belinda?”
“Right.”
“And he says she’s in love with him?”
“Yes.”
“And the sheriff and his wife don’t know anything about it?”
“No, they don’t.”
His father fixed him with a hard stare and asked, “And tell me again how you know about it?”
“I was makin’ rounds and saw this fella outside of the sheriff’s house,” Thomas said, lying with as straight a face as he could. “I braced him and he told me the whole story.”
“And he’s got money?”
“Apparently.”
“So it makes sense that Belinda would not want Jeb Collier to kill her golden goose.”
“Right.”
“So,” Shaye said thoughtfully, “she sent for us to protect him from Jeb Collier, not her and the boy.”
Thomas stared at his father. “I never thought of it that way.”
Shaye stroked his jaw and said, “This probably means that the baby is not Matthew’s—but the question remains: Why and how did Belinda pick us…how did she pick Matthew to claim as the father?”
“Maybe we should just ask her,” Thomas said.
“That might not be a bad idea.”
But the matter was not discussed at breakfast; they would bring it up with Sheriff Cotton later. After all, whatever the answer was, they were now committed to standing with the sheriff against Jeb Collier, Vic Delay, and their gang.
“You three,” Shaye said to Thomas, James, and Thad, “go back on roof duty today.”
“Yes, sir,” Thad said as Thomas and James nodded. “We lookin’ for eight men?”
“No, Thad,” Cotton said, “Dan and I figure they’ll come into town in groups of twos or threes, so be on the lookout for any strangers riding in.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And don’t brace them,” Shaye said. “Under no circumstances are you to approach these men. Do you understand that?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“Good.”
“What do we do when we’re not on the roof, Pa?” Thomas asked.
“Patrol the streets,” Shaye said. “Keep an eye on the man on the roof because we don’t want to use shots as signals. So you boys take something up there with you, something white like a towel, so you can wave it.”
“I’ll get one from my room,” Thomas said.
“Now I have a question,�
�� Cotton said.
“What is it?”
“What do we do when Jeb Collier himself comes riding in?”
“I think we ought to make his acquaintance,” Shaye said, “and take him to see Belinda and the boy.”
“Pa,” James said, “I thought we was supposed to be protecting her from him.”
“James, I get the feeling Belinda can protect herself just fine from just about any man,” Shaye said. “Our concern is the town and the bank.”
“Why the bank?” Thomas asked. “They don’t want our protection. They’re happy with their own guards, ain’t they?”
“Well,” Shaye said, “the sheriff here has money in that bank and he refuses to take it out.”
They all looked at the man.
“It wouldn’t be fair,” he explained. “What if they rob the bank and get everybody’s money and the town finds out I took mine out?”
“You tell them you went to the bank and the town council and warned them,” Thomas said.
“I can’t do that to these people,” Cotton said. “They’re my neighbors.”
“Well, then, get some of your neighbors to strap on a gun and help out,” Thomas suggested.
“Thomas,” Cotton said, “I just might approach some of them, but they’re storekeepers, not lawmen and not gunmen.”
“Okay,” Shaye said, “are we clear on what we’re going to do?”
“What are you gonna do, Pa?” James asked.
“I’ll be on the street, James,” Shaye said, “where you can all see me.”
“And I’ll be in front of my office,” Cotton said.
Connie brought their breakfasts and they all started to eat, but Thad seemed to be real deep in thought and suddenly said, “I got fifty dollars in the bank…should I take it out?”
56
Jeb Collier had his brother Ben prepare breakfast for six of the eight men in camp.
“Not for you two,” he told Wilson and Roberts.
“Why not?” Dave Roberts asked. “I’m hungry.”
“You can get yourselves some breakfast after you get to town,” Jeb said. “Have your horses taken care of, get a room, and then go find a place to have breakfast—and do it in that order.”
“Why that order?” Roberts asked.
“Because I want you to follow my orders the way I give them to you,” Jeb said. “Is that easy to understand?”
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