“Why don’t she just give the baby to somebody, or leave it at a church, or somethin’ like that?” Henry asked.
“Because she loves the baby and says she’ll always be its mother.” Ty looked at Wilt.
Wilt nodded. “I might as well tell you right now. The baby’s name is Johnny and the woman’s name is Mea Ann Poindexter, but it won’t be that for long. Miss Poindexter and I are planning to get married in the next few weeks. Then Johnny will become my son.”
“Well, how about that. We’re going to have a baby on the ranch.” Kerry grinned a toothless grin.
The others offered their congratulations.
“Thank you fellows.”
Ty spoke. “So now you see why it’s important that we not let anything happen to these women.”
“Are you planning on marrying the other one, Boss?” Tony looked at Ty.
“I’m not marrying anybody.” He turned around. “I’m going to check out the yard under the window where that sonofabitch tried to get in. Why don’t you fellows get the work done around here while Kerry cooks you up a good meal? Tony, will you take care of my horse?”
“Sure will.”
“Need any help looking around?” Vester asked.
“Sure. You’re a good tracker. Come along. I’m sure one of the men will take care of your horse for you.”
“I’ll do it.” Newt took the reins and headed toward the barn. The others followed.
Ty moved to the window and looked at the box beneath it. “I’m sure he used this to hoist himself in. Can you make out any tracks around it?”
Vester hunkered down. In a minute he glanced up. “Here’s a good print. The man wore spurs.”
Ty raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
“Yep. See how the grass is cut in this area. That’s a spur cut.”
“Anything else?”
Vester stood and started walking toward the woods. “He went this way. By the length of the tracks he was running.”
“Chapa said he ran when Xenia screamed.”
They walked into the woods for several feet. Vester stopped. “See this broken limb? This is where he left his horse.” He bent down. “Nothing unusual about the horse’s shoes. Could be anybody’s.”
“Over here.” When Vester joined him, Ty went on. “There were a couple of more horses tied here. That makes sense, because even if he’d been able to get the woman out of the house, there’s no way he could have done it alone. Did you only see one person’s footprints at the window?”
“I’ll look again. There could’ve been more.”
Back at the window, Vester said there were two different sets of prints. “But I can’t tell you if there are any more. Only one was wearing spurs, though.”
“I’m glad you noticed that, but I’m not sure how much it helps. Probably more than fifty percent of the men around here wear spurs. I wear them sometimes myself.”
“You know, Boss, it’d take a brave man to try to get that woman in the broad daylight.”
“Or a hungry one.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you offer a greedy man enough money, he’s likely to try anything.”
Vester nodded. “I suppose you’re right, but who’d want to pay money to get that woman away from here?”
“I’d bet my last dollar it was her uncle. He stands to lose a lot of money if he doesn’t come up with his virginal nieces soon.”
“That don’t make no sense.”
“I guess it does to him.” Ty started walking toward the side of the house. “Thank you, Vester. You’ve been a big help. Why don’t you go join the others now?”
“Shore will, Boss. I’m a little hungry, but if you need anything else, let me know. I’ve always been good at tracking.”
“I’ll remember that.” Ty stepped on the back porch as Vester went into the bunkhouse. Then a thought crossed his mind and he turned and went to the bunkhouse himself.
“Hello, Boss,” Newt said when he entered.
“There’s one thing I forgot to mention to you, and I don’t know whether Wilt did or not. I want you to keep a close eye on Aunt Chapa, but don’t let her know you’re watching. You know how proud she is.”
Some nodded and others chuckled.
“It occurred to me that whoever is trying to kidnap the women might go after her to get to them.”
“You’re right, Boss. We’ll watch her,” Tony said. “We’ll be extra careful she don’t find out what we’re doing. We’ll also be right there if one of the other women gathers eggs or something.”
They all nodded in agreement.
“Thanks again.” Ty turned, and this time, he did go into the house.
The aroma of coffee and the smell of frying chicken greeted him inside. Chapa was bustling around the stove. “Smells good, Aunt Chapa.”
“I figured you boys were getting hungry. You worked all morning and it’s way past time for dinner.”
“I could eat a little.”
“Ty Eldridge, when did you ever eat a little?”
“Fine. I can eat half that chicken in the pan.”
“That sounds more like you.”
He became serious. “How’s Xenia now?”
“She’s settled down some, but she says she’s afraid to go to bed.”
“I said she could—”
“I know. I put clean sheets on your bed, but she said she wanted to stay in the parlor with Mea Ann.”
“I suppose that’s normal after what happened.”
“I guess so, but she took a hard fall when she got out of bed. I think she should probably see a doctor.”
“I don’t think it’d be wise to take her into town, Aunt Chapa.”
“I was thinking maybe one of the men could go get him to come out here.”
“Let me see if I can coax her to bed, then I’ll send one of them for him.”
Chapa raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, coax her to bed?”
Ty chuckled and kissed his aunt’s cheek. “I mean exactly that and nothing else. You know good and well I’d never get away with saying or doing anything inappropriate with you in this house.”
She grinned and shook her turning fork at him. “And don’t you forget that.”
In the parlor, he found Mea Ann and Wilt sitting on the settee playing with Johnny. Xenia sat in one of the rocking chairs, staring at the fireplace. He moved across the room and sat in the one opposite her. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, Xenia. You’re trembling, and every once in a while, you frown. That tells me you’re in pain.”
“Maybe a little.”
“I think you should lie down for a while.”
“I don’t want to be by myself. I get scared all over again.”
He leaned forward. “Tell you what, I’ll stay with you. You won’t be alone.”
“What if I go to sleep?”
“I won’t leave you even if you go to sleep.”
She looked intently at him as if she was trying to decide if he was telling the truth. Finally, she said, “Alright.”
But when she stood, she almost fell. Ty was quick. He swooped her up in his arms. “I’ll carry you.”
“I can walk.”
“Sure you can, but this way is quicker.” He nodded to Wilt and Mea Ann who were watching him.
As they went through the hall that connected his half of the house to Wilt’s half, he heard Mea Ann say, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Xenia and Ty fell in love and got married? Then we could raise our families together just like your parents raised the two of you.”
Ty swallowed and hoped Xenia hadn’t heard what Mea Ann said. He also hoped he could quash the idea that raising his children along with his cousin made him feel good inside. But he knew he would never be able do that. Xenia was a white woman, and there was no way he was going to fall in love with her. No matter how good she felt in his arms. They went out of earshot before he could hear if Wilt s
aid anything in reply to Mea Ann’s statement.
Chapter 14
A few days later, Hiram Albright left the saloon and headed down the street. He not only wondered what was going on, but he knew he had to get to the bank as quickly as possible. Was something wrong with his account? It couldn’t have anything to do with the saloon’s business. Longstreet had yelled at him, but that didn’t matter. There was no way the saloon owner could do business tonight without his barkeep. The bank manager had sent for him and said his business with him was urgent. He didn’t intend to put it off. Some of his mother’s creditors could be jumping down his neck.
Besides, he’d always had little respect for his boss—and when he found out about Seymour’s insane plan to auction off his two virginal nieces, even that had vanished. He’d told Longstreet he thought the whole scheme would blow up in his face if he didn’t give it up. But would the man listen? Not at all. Then, when one of the women was spotted in town with Ty Eldridge, he’d got a glimpse of her. So had several other people, and Longstreet took full advantage of that. He’d gone right ahead and convinced some of the more wealthy bidders that the stakes had gotten higher, and they better up their bets since many of the men who had glimpsed the pretty woman were adding to their monies. He knew from the few things he’d overheard in the saloon that the Eldridge men had decided to protect the women. He was glad, because if anybody could protect them from Longstreet’s vile intentions, the Eldridge men could.
The barkeep thought the whole affair sickening. If he could find any other job in Deer Meadow that would allow him enough money to save a little and to keep paying off the medical bills his mother’s illness had accumulated before she died, he’d leave the Golden Door in a heartbeat. But that wasn’t going to happen. Work was scarce in town, and he didn’t know a thing about being a cowboy. Oh, he had a passing knowledge of working on a ranch, but from what he’d heard when the cowboys discussed such things, they didn’t make a lot of money. Just enough to survive and to have a little for drinks and a little fun in the saloon on a Saturday night.
That wasn’t for him. At thirty-two, all he wanted was to get his mother’s debts paid and have enough money to set up a nice little saloon somewhere. Maybe even find some woman who wouldn’t be ashamed to marry a saloon owner and have a couple of kids. Of course, he knew that was never going to happen. He’d probably be working at the Golden Door until he was an old man. If he managed to make it to old age.
Now that he’d been summoned to meet Robert Rathbone at his bank, he figured keeping the lousy job he had wasn’t the best of possibilities if he was in trouble over something out of his control. Shaking his head, he climbed the steps to the bank and went into the lobby.
Inside, he nodded to Mosley Peoples, who had been a teller there as long as the bank had existed.
“I’m surprised to see you, Hiram,” Mosley said from behind his cage. “Ain’t it about time for the saloon to open?”
“It is, but I’m supposed to meet Mr. Rathbone here.”
“He’s in his office. Come this way.” He knocked on the door leading to the bank president’s office.
“Yes?” came from the other side of the door.
Morley Peoples opened the door and stuck his head inside. “Hiram Albright is here. He said he was supposed to meet you in your office.”
Robert nodded. “Yes. I was expecting him. Come on in, Hiram and take a seat.”
Hiram didn’t know what to say when he entered. Robert Rathbone sat behind a sizable mahogany desk. Ty and Wilt Eldridge sat in two comfortable looking chairs in front of him. There was a third chair. It looked as if they were expecting him. He sat in the third chair and waited for somebody to speak.
His mind went in a thousand directions. Why were the Eldridge men here? Did they suspect he was involved with Longstreet in his scheme to defraud his nieces? Were they here for restitution? Would they cost him the job he had, even if it was a lousy one?
Ty started the discussion. “Sorry we had to send a messenger boy to tell you to meet Robert here, Hiram. As you probably know, my cousin and everyone else in and around Deer Meadow with an ounce of Indian blood is banned from entering Seymour Longstreet’s establishment.”
“I know. I think it’s a shame.”
“Wilt and I figured you’d feel that way, but that’s not the reason we’re here. What do you think about this little auction of his nieces that Seymour is putting on?”
Well, here it comes. Hiram braced himself for whatever was his fate in the matter and said, “I think the man is crazy. It takes a sick bastard to try something like that with two unsuspecting nice women.”
“Have you said anything to him about it?” Wilt asked.
“I told him I thought it was wrong and he shouldn’t try such a stunt. He told me to get behind the bar and keep my mouth shut, or I’d be out on the street.”
Ty nodded and went on. “Then I guess it was true when I heard somewhere that you hated working for Longstreet.”
“It gets pretty bad at times, but I’m a barkeep and I need the job. There’s nothing else in Deer Meadow for me to do.”
“Have you ever thought of opening your own place?” Wilt asked.
“Sure. Lots of times, but it’s only a dream. My mama died and left her debts to me, and by the time I get them paid off and save enough money to open a place, I’ll be an old man.”
“What if I told you there was a way you could open your own place in the next few weeks?”
Hiram stared at Ty. Had the man gone daft? There was no way it would be possible for him to open his own saloon in a few weeks. “Excuse me, Mr. Eldridge, but if you told me a tale like that I’d say you’re crazy as hell.”
Ty laughed. “Then I guess you’re looking at a crazy man.”
Wilt laughed, too. “He’s not crazy, Hiram, but let me ask you one thing. If you had the money at your disposal to open a place, when would you be willing to leave the Golden Door?”
“If I had that kind of money, I’d never set foot in that place again.”
“Then, Ty, I think we’ve found our man.”
Ty nodded. “How about you taking it from here, Robert?”
“I’ll be glad to.” He faced Hiram. “As you may or may not know, the Eldridge family has invested in several different businesses in town. When they see a need, they’ll back a proprietor who wants to set up a legitimate commercial trade. This started back when their fathers were living. Ty and Wilt have elected to continue the tradition. As most people know, they hold mortgages on half the properties in Deer Meadow. Nobody knows the amount of money these men have put out to better our town. Of course, since most of their finances come through this bank, I have a pretty good idea.”
Hiram knew the Eldridge family was wealthy, but he had no idea what this had to do with him or why Robert Rathbone had sent for him. He decided to ask. “I understand what you’re saying, Mr. Rathbone, but can I ask what this has to do with me?”
He heard both Ty and Wilt chuckle.
Rathbone said, “It has everything to do with you, Mr. Albright. The Eldridge men want to set you up in your own saloon.”
Hiram was stunned. He knew if he’d been a woman, he’d have fainted; but since he was a man, he could only stare at Robert Rathbone as if the man had two heads. Had he heard the banker right? Was he having a dream instead of really being here in this office with Ty and Wilt and the banker? Was this some kind of sick joke? Finally, he was able to mutter, “I don’t know what to say. I’m afraid to believe what you’re telling me.”
“Believe it.” Robert nodded toward the cousins. “If you don’t think I’m telling the truth, ask them.”
“He’s right, Hiram,” Wilt said. “It was actually Ty’s idea, but I agreed with him. We have a third party who always wants to remain anonymous and we had to run the idea by them. We gave this person time to think it over, as we always do. The investments we make have to have the blessing of all three of us, or we don’t go ahead with them. When t
he third party told us they wanted to go along with financing the saloon, we came in to tell Robert, and to discuss it with you.”
“He’s right. When they came in here and told me what they wanted to do, I almost fell out of my chair. I’m one of the few people who knows who the third person is, and I was shocked to learn that person had agreed to do it. But they did, and if it’s what you’re sure you want to do, we can start working out the details today.”
“Of course it’s something I want to do… I’ve been thinking about for a long time.” He looked at Ty and Wilt and added, “How will I ever be able to thank you?”
“You don’t have to thank us, but there are a few conditions,” Ty said. “First, you must guarantee you will never run the place underhandedly like Seymour Longstreet has done at the Golden Door. We’re out to show him that a business can be managed in an honest manner. After all, a saloon is a business as well as a place for card playing and drinking.”
“I agree. I’ve never thought he was very good at running the Golden Door and I know he’s not honest. I’ve seen several examples of that.”
Ty nodded. “Second, if you decide to have women in this saloon, you will always see they are treated well. I know Longstreet doesn’t care how his girls are used and abused by him or their customers, but even a whore has feelings—and no man should abuse her with words or mistreat her physically.”
“I agree. It’s always angered me how he treats them. Especially Little Lil. She was just a pure innocent country girl when he got her a few months ago, but he didn’t care. He lets anyone abuse her if they want to. I’ve tried to kind of protect her, but I've not done a very good job at it. Longstreet won’t let anybody tell him what to do in his little kingdom of the Golden Door.”
Ty nodded his agreement and went on, “Third, I don’t care how or when you start talking about your place, but you must keep the Eldridge name out of it. I can’t stress this enough. We don’t want anyone to know we’ve backed you financially. You can’t tell anyone where the money came from.”
Xenia’s Renegade Page 17
