Matt grasped Jessie’s hand as they strolled. It felt wonderful to touch her, to be with her, and to feel her voice covering him like a warm blanket on a cold night. He halted and placed his hands on her shoulders. Moonlight reflected in her blue eyes as she returned his steady gaze. “I’ve been here long enough to speak my mind to you and Jed. Even if it hurts, you two expect me to be honest. We’re good friends, Jessie, so I’ll tell you what has me worried. Have you stopped to wonder what Fletcher and Mary Louise talk about whenever he comes over? She would have time to pass along a few hints if she had a mind to aid him. I’ve noticed he’s been coming around a lot lately.”
Jessie reflected on their neighbor’s many recent visits. Her sister was alone with the man on most of those occasions. On the few that privacy had been prevented, Mary Louise had spoken openly to their enemy in front of all. The redhead recalled what her sister had said after the robbery and window shooting when Fletcher rushed over, and realized there could have been hidden messages in her words. “I know how devious she can be, Matt, but surely we’re wrong to suspect her. If only she weren’t so desperate and determined to leave home, I wouldn’t have these doubts about her. I do know for certain that she framed Navarro to get rid of him. But did she do it to help Fletcher or to weaken us into giving up?”
“I don’t know. I hope we’re wrong, Jessie, but watch out for her.”
As she had done many times in the past, the redhead wrapped her arms around Matt’s waist and rested her head against his chest. Especially tonight, she needed the strength and comfort from her longtime friend. “I’m glad I have you to talk to, Matt. I can trust you with anything.”
Matt’s hands traveled to her back, then drifted into her hair. She smelled so enticing, and her mood was so mellow now. He enjoyed holding her and sharing anything with her. He wished she realized how much he loved and wanted her, and wished that she felt the same. He knew it was too soon to expose his feelings, that Navarro was still between them. His voice was strained with emotion as he replied, “You can, Jessie; I swear it on my life and honor.”
She heard the affection in his tone and felt the arousing effect of their contact. It warmed but worried her. Despite her longtime relationship with Matt and Navarro’s desertion, to enjoy Matt’s embrace made her feel traitorous to her missing lover. She knew she must pull away. “We’ll talk again tomorrow while we’re riding range. Good night, Matt.”
As the shifts were changing the next morning, gunfire from the northern pasture captured their attention. Matt assigned guards to the house while he and other hands rode to check out the peril. Anticipating more dead steers, Jed and Jessie went along. After a few miles, they saw and heard nothing.
Jessie yelled at them to halt. “It’s a trick, Papa! Let’s get back home!” She turned Ben and galloped for the house with the men strung out behind her.
Rapid shots told her she was right, and she prodded the paint to a faster pace. The guards at the house had been ordered not to be drawn away from their protective posts for any reason, and they had obeyed.
As Jessie and the others thundered into the yard, Davy shouted, “That way! Something’s up!” He pointed toward the eastern pasture closest to the settlement.
The riders headed in that direction. When they reached the villain’s targets, it was a horrid sight. The four prize bulls were lying dead on the ground. Jed hurriedly dismounted and approached the huge bodies. He dropped to his knees and stared at them. Tears slipped down his cheeks as his hand stroked the expensive Durham. He balled his fist and shook it in the air as he cursed Wilbur Fletcher.
Jessie took command. “Rusty, see to Papa. Matt, Carlos, Miguel, Jimmy Joe, ride with me. We’re going to catch those bastards and kill them.” The angle of the bullets revealed the direction from which the shots had come. The five took off southward.
They rode for hours on the fresh trail, but couldn’t sight the culprits.
“We’ll never catch them!” Matt finally yelled. “They’ll keep running as long as we’re chasing them!” After the group halted, he suggested, “We better head back before dark.”
Jessie glanced southward once more. She knew the foreman was right; those men would continue on into Mexico if necessary to keep from exposing their boss. She lifted her face skyward, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she lowered it and looked at Matt. “I’ve never been one to believe in violence, but we have no choice now. I don’t know if Fletcher was robbed of his stock payment or if it was a lie to frame us, but he hinted about bulls, then murdered ours. If it’s dead bulls he wants, then he’ll get them.”
“That is dangerous, chica,” Carlos told her. “He will be expecting you.”
“I’m learning fast from him, Carlos. Some of you will lure his guards away while Matt and I return his foul deed.”
“What will your padre say, amiga?”
“I don’t know, Miguel, but it has to be done. We must meet every challenge Fletcher makes. If we don’t he’ll win.”
“She’s right, boys. We can’t let this go unpunished.”
“Thanks, Matt. We’ll make plans back home. I’ll come to the chuckhouse after supper,” she said, and knew the foreman caught the reason for her caution.
* * *
“What do you mean he’s gone to confront Fletcher?” Jessie asked Rusty.
“He took off right after you did. He ordered me to take care of the bulls. He has two of the boys with him. I’ve never seen Jed like that.”
It was nearing dusk and they were tired, but Jessie said, “I’m going after him. Papa’s in danger. Fletcher will kill him, then claim it was self-defense.”
The group hadn’t reached the boundary when they intercepted Jed, Walt, and Talbert. They all reined in to talk.
“Why didn’t you wait for us, Papa? That was reckless. Fletcher’s men could have cut you down and claimed you attacked them.”
The weary, dispirited man responded in a strained voice, “I told the bastard I would poison my water, burn my lands, and kill all the stock before I would let him take my life away. I told him I’m hiring as many gunslingers as he has and lining my borders with armed men. We’ll shoot any man or horse belonging to him that comes near my place.”
Jessie saw that he was too exhausted and depressed to keep his fury at full level. She hated seeing her father like this. But she had enough energy and fury to make up for what Jed had lost today. “What did he say?”
“Didn’t bother him at all, Jess. He claims he’ll outwait us. Said I would never harm my land. Said I can’t afford to keep that many men on payroll long.”
“It was easy because he knows it’s true, Papa. You could never cut the heart from this land, and we can’t afford the high price of gunslingers.” Jessie’s mind raced to Navarro. She wished he were there to lead them. They needed his wits and skills. Her father was losing hope and courage. Yet, as she had for weeks, she pushed him from her thoughts.
“Let’s go home, Papa. You need to rest.”
They reached the ranch after dark, a three-quarter moon lighting their way. The others came to greet them and to hear the news. Matt repeated it as Carlos and Miguel took Jed and Jessie’s horses to tend. The redhead led her father to the house and handed him a glass of whiskey to settle his nerves.
“What happened this time?” Mary Louise asked.
“I’m sure Wilbur will tell you the next time he sees you. Leave Papa alone tonight. It’s been a hard day. I’ll help Gran get supper on the table. You come, too,” Jessie ordered her sister, not wanting to leave her father to the girl’s lack of mercy while his spirits were low.
“Father looks terrible. Tell me what happened,” she persisted.
Jessie grasped the blonde’s arm and pulled her into the kitchen where she revealed the news, which didn’t seem to disturb her at all. “We’re lucky Fletcher didn’t use their visit as an excuse to kill Papa.”
“Don’t you think that’s odd since you claim he wants to be rid o
f all of us? It would have been a perfect solution…for a guilty man.”
Jessie glared at her sister. “He had a reason. A man like him doesn’t do anything without a selfish reason.” As the words left her lips, similar ones from Navarro the day they met sounded inside her head. She closed her eyes and prayed, Please come back to us, my love. Wherever you are, hear me and return.
“Jessica, are you all right?” Mary Louise asked. “You look pale and shaky.”
“I’m just tired and angry. Let’s eat and get to bed.” What she didn’t say was that she had a terrible feeling something worse was about to happen.
Big John put in the new panes on Wednesday, and Mary Louise washed them afterward. The hands did their chores in silence, as if some gloom hung over them and the ranch. The day was hot and oppressive, so most blamed the weather for their crazy moods.
While Jessie and Matt were checking on stock, a disheartened Jed rode to the family graveyard—located a little over a mile from the house on a lovely spot near a chapparel—to visit his wife. Alice, their two sons, and his father were buried there. The aging rancher was frightened for the survival of his remaining family. He didn’t know if he should risk their lives by holding on here. If he could get Fletcher alone without his many guards, he knew he would kill the man and end this madness. But other matters troubled him, too: Mary Louise’s hatred and defiance, Tom’s disabilities and his sullenness since Navarro’s departure, and the longing for the gunslinger’s return that Jessie was trying to hide. He felt guilty over separating her from Navarro. He sank to his knees beside his wife’s grave, buried his hands in his face, and prayed for the answers to his problems.
Late in the day, as Jessie was walking toward the house, Matt caught up with her and grasped her hand. Jessie halted and looked at him. Something in his expression told her there was trouble. “What is it, Matt?”
“I’ll go with you. I want…to see Jed.”
Jessie knew the men had told Matt to tag along for a reason, and she realized the hands had acted odd upon their return. Her heart pounded, as she knew something was wrong. She jerked her hand free and ran into the house. Jessie rushed to the kitchen, then glanced into the dining room. She paled and trembled. Her hand covered her mouth and moisture sprang to her eyes. “No,” she murmured in anguish, and the tears escaped rapidly down her cheeks.
Matt’s arm banded her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Jessie. The boys told me he was…dead. I didn’t want you to come in here and face this alone.”
Jessie left his embrace to walk to the long table where her father’s body lay. Her grandmother was lovingly bathing her son to prepare him for burial. Dazed, the white-haired woman sang a hymnal as she worked, as if oblivious to her granddaughter’s presence. Jessie’s eyes touched the wound in his chest. She knew from experience it was from a knife blade. “What happened?”
Martha Lane continued her chore as if she hadn’t heard the girl’s words. Jessie looked at her and knew it was best not to press her for answers at this time. “Tom! Mary Louise!” she shouted.
Both came to the kitchen from their rooms. Tom gaped at the sight and buried his face against Jessie’s chest and sobbed. Jessie clutched him to her and comforted him.
Mary Louise glanced at her father and remarked, “He killed himself.”
Jessie’s tears and soothing words halted, and she stared at her sister. Anger flooded her. “How dare you say such a thing, you wicked girl!”
Mary Louise backed away a few steps, looking as if she expected her sister to attack her. “I’m the one who found him, Jessica. I rode to the graveyard to speak with Father about my leaving here. I’m frightened, Jessica. He was lying across Mother’s grave. There was a knife in his heart, and he was holding the handle.”
“Only because he was trying to pull it out when he died, fool! He was murdered! Fletcher did it. I’ll kill him. I swear, I’ll kill him!”
“I didn’t see anyone there, Jessica. Father’s face was still wet with tears. He couldn’t have been dead long. If anyone else did it, I would have seen him.”
“If you did, you wouldn’t tattle! You’d do anything to get away!”
“I know you’re upset, Jessica, but don’t attack me like this. Even though we didn’t get along, he was my father, too.”
“I can see how your heart is bleeding over his loss,” Jessie scoffed, as the girl didn’t appear the least bothered by their parent’s death…his murder.
“We’ll get him buried quickly, then contact Mr. Fletcher about accepting his offer. The sooner we leave here, the better for all of us.”
Jessie’s light blue eyes enlarged with astonishment. Anger such as she had never felt before consumed her. “You’re crazy! I would never sell to that bastard.”
“You have no choice. Father is dead. We can’t stay here. Be reasonable. I’ve already started packing. We should move into town tomorrow after the funeral. From there, we can decide where to settle. If you don’t want to try it back East, Dallas or San Antonio would be nice.”
Jessie stiffened, and she clenched her jaw over and over. “This ranch is mine now, little sister. Go if you wish, but get out of my sight before I punish you as Papa should have!”
“You don’t inherit everything, Jessica! Tom and I get something. I want my part so I can leave this awful place. When can you give it to me?”
Matt grabbed the girl’s arm and almost shoved her into the parlor. He closed the door to the kitchen and said, “Leave them be! Let them mourn in peace.”
“You aren’t a member of this family!” she snapped. “Get out of our home!”
Matt had never been tempted to slap a woman until tonight. He had to struggle to control his temper. “I won’t let you torment them with your selfishness, girl. If you love your family, settle down.”
“So you can walk in and take over Father’s place?” Mary Louise sneered.
“I’m responsible for them. I won’t let you hurt them more than they’re hurting already. How can you be so cruel at a time like this?”
“This is Father’s fault. He knew he was going to lose, so he took his life.”
“Jed Lane didn’t kill himself.”
“It looks that way to me. If we don’t clear out, we’ll be killed, too.”
“You just said he killed himself.” He pointed out her contradiction.
“He did, but he let this trouble push him to it. Jessica can’t run this ranch.”
“Yes she can.”
“With your help, Mathew Cordell? I know you want her—and the ranch. I won’t allow you or anyone to steal what belongs to me.”
“Nothing belongs to you, Mary Louise. Jed left it to Jessie.”
“She’s not an only child, Matt. I have rights, too.”
“Do you?” he challenged.
“I’m sure a lawyer will see it my way,” she threatened.
“I doubt it. Jed made certain his will was legal. I was with him. He knew you would try to cause trouble when he died so he fixed it so you can’t. If I were you, Miss Lane, I would behave myself before Jessie kicks you out with nothing. According to the law, she can do just that.”
“You would be delighted to help her do it, wouldn’t you?”
“Yep, I would. You’ve been nothing but heartache to your family since you returned home. You lied about Navarro Jones, and we all know it.”
“I should think you would be glad I got rid of him. It opened the door for you to pursue my sister. With him around, you wouldn’t stand a chance of winning her.”
“Winning a woman through deceit and pain wouldn’t be worth much to a real man. If I were you, I’d be scared. Navarro Jones isn’t a man to double cross. You better hope he doesn’t return now that Jed is gone. Jessie would never make him leave again. A cold and hard gunslinger can find ways of punishing a person without killing him…or her. You did lie about him, didn’t you?”
Mary Louise looked frightened for a time. “Think what you will. I’m packing, because we’ll be leavi
ng soon. You’ll see,” she murmured, then went to her room.
Matt returned to the dining room, where Jessie was helping her grandmother prepare Jed’s body. He went to the grieving women and asked how he could help.
“We’re almost through here, Matt,” Jessie said softly. “Ask Big John to prepare a coffin. We’ll bury Papa tomorrow. After this, Fletcher should lay off a while. He’ll expect me to panic and sell, so he’ll bide his time for a week or so. Can you take care of the ranch for the next few days? I’ll have a lot to do.”
“Anything you need, Jessie, just ask me or the boys. Jed was a good friend and a good boss. We’ll all miss him.”
Jessie tried not to cry again, but her heart was aching. She told herself she had to be strong for her brother and grandmother. Death was no stranger to her; she had lost her mother in ’70 and her grandfather years before that agonizing day. It was difficult for those left behind to go on without their loved ones. She still missed them, and always would. She knew that time and love and hard work were balms for the heart, but even they didn’t help much during the first months. “I put Tom to bed. He’s so upset. He and Papa loved each other, but there was always a distance between them. I hope you can spend time with him over the coming weeks. You’re his best friend, and it will help him adjust.”
“I will, Jessie. What else do you need tonight?”
“You did the most important thing by getting my sister out of here. How can anyone be so cold?”
“I don’t know, Jessie. She has problems. If she troubles you again, just call me. I’ll take her into town to get her away from here if need be.”
“Thanks, Matt. I don’t know what we would do without you.”
The men had worked hard since receiving the grim news. The coffin was completed and brought to the house. Matt and Rusty helped place the body inside the box in the parlor. They closed but did not nail the coffin.
Follow The Wind Page 30
