Liam
CYNTHIA WOOLF
Liam
originally released under the title
Healed by a Heart
Copyright © 2014 Cynthia Woolf
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-1-938887-47-5
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Liam is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Published by Firehouse Publishing
Books written by Cynthia Woolf can be obtained either through the author’s official website:
www.cynthiawoolf.com
or through select, online book retailers.
DEDICATION
For Jim. My husband, best friend, lover, life. I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for always supporting me.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to my editor Kally Jo Surbeck. Many thanks for my critique partners Michele Callahan, Karen Docter and Jennifer Zane. The help you ladies give me is invaluable.
I love you all.
PROLOGUE
April 2, 1876
St. Louis, Missouri
Liam Anderson sat in front of a blazing fire, in his pajamas and robe, puffing on his pipe, reading, for the last time in this house—the place he’d called home for so many years. The kids were asleep upstairs. Sleep had eluded him and he’d arisen from his bed to read until he grew tired.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
He looked up from the book he read and glanced at the mantel clock. One of the few things he hadn’t packed away. “What in the world? Who would dare be out in this weather and at this hour?”
“What the hell?” said Liam, when he opened the door to his two younger brothers. “Jake? Zach? What are you two doing here? It’s the middle of the night!”
Zach growled from behind Jake. “Are you going to let us in or make us stand in this rain all night?”
“Come in. Zach put that gun away,” ordered Liam.
“Can’t until the kid here,” he poked Jake in the back with his gun, “is inside and we’ve talked to you.”
Jake, the youngest of his brothers, walked into the foyer of the house, followed closely by Zach. He stared down the hallway, packed with luggage and boxes down to the parlor, but didn’t question it. Didn’t even seem to notice that the house was packed up ready to move.
Both of them were haggard, completely worn out. Their coats were soaked through and they couldn’t have been comfortable. He’d never seen them looking so exhausted or…desperate.
“Sorry to do this to you, Liam. I know you’re leaving tomorrow,” Zach apologized as he holstered his gun as he dripped water onto the foyer floor. He threw his hat onto one of the steamer trunks. Jake followed suit.
It was times like these that the difference between his brothers was most striking. Zach, the middle brother, had nearly black hair and dark blue eyes. There was one in every generation with the coloring of their gypsy great grandmother. Zach was theirs and their father had been the one in his generation. It was rare to have two gypsies in the same family, father and son in this case.
Jake, the youngest of them, with dark blond, overly long hair and light blue eyes, most resembled their dear mother.
Liam was the eldest and his coloring was somewhere between the other two, with light brown hair and gray eyes. His children were different as night and day, too. Ten year old David resembled Liam, not only physically, but mentally too. David always seemed to weigh his words before he spoke them. Whereas Hannah, the gypsy of her generation, said whatever came into her little head. She was only five, but even at her age, David had been as contemplative as he was now.
He smiled thinking of his children. They were his joy, his reason for living. He closed his eyes and grounded himself in the present and answered Jake.
“Yes. At first light. Now, tell me what’s going on and why you brought Jake here at gun point.”
“Only way I could get him to come,” growled Zach.
Exasperated, Liam said, “Don’t make me beat the story out of you word by word, little brother. Just tell me the problem.”
Liam pointed at the two chairs in front of the fire and then went to the fireplace and stoked the banked coals back to a roaring blaze. He really didn’t need this now, not when he was so close to putting the old, hurtful memories behind him.
He added a piece of wood to the flames before he turned once again to face his brothers. “Jake. You first,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
“I killed an army captain,” Jake said, refusing to sit.
“Why’d you do a damn fool thing like that?” asked Liam, shoving both his hands through his hair. This couldn’t be happening. Not now when he was leaving and couldn’t help.
Jake shrugged. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” countered Liam.
“No, there’s not,” said Zach. “There was reason for it, but he did kill the man. I use the word ‘man’ loosely.”
“Damn it, Jake. They’ll hunt you down and hang you for this.” As a colonel with seventeen years service in the army, he’d seen men hanged for less. He knew all about military justice. But Jake wasn’t a hothead; there must have been a good reason. If he could just get more than a couple of words in answer, he might be able to figure something out.
“The son of a bitch deserved to die. And as soon as I can, I’m going to kill the other bastard, too.”
“No, that ones mine,” snarled Zach.
“Who?” asked Liam, he was totally lost in this conversation. Some explaining had to be done, and better be forthcoming, or he was going to beat the living daylights out of his brothers.
“The colonel,” snapped Zach.
“Jesus!” Now both of them are involved. What next? “You two had better tell me what’s going on. Start at the beginning.” Liam leaned on the fireplace mantel, doing his best to remain calm.
Jake refused to sit and now began to pace The hardwood creaked under his weight and small droplets of water followed in his wake. He took a deep breath and began in a steady, even tone that Liam had never heard from him before. “I went to see Elizabeth just like I did every day, just to snatch a few minutes together.” His voice broke and he paused and then having gathered himself together he continued. “Her mother and aunt kept her pretty busy with wedding plans, so we didn’t get to see each other much.
“When I got there I heard a gunshot come from the house. I ran to the door but the dang thing was locked and I had to break it down. I lost precious moments doing that. When I got to the parlor, there were two men standing over Elizabeth. Her face was bloodied and her dress ripped, the skirt bunched around her waist. The one holding the gun was a colonel and the other was Longworth, a captain. Both in full uniform. The bastard captain was buttoning his pants when I walked in. I shot him on the spot.
“As soon as the colonel saw me he ran out the other door toward the kitchen and out the back. I followed but he was on his horse and riding away by the time I reached the back door.”
Jake stopped. His body shook; hands were fisted and white knuckled. He took several deep breaths before he could continue, and when he did, it was as though he was reciting a story. Apparently, that was the only way he could get
through the whole thing. “When I got back to the parlor, I went immediately to Elizabeth and got down on my knees beside her. The bastard colonel shot her in the chest, but she was still breathing, labored and terrible. She opened her eyes. They were filled with terror until she realized who I was.” His voice cracked.
‘Jake,’ she said to me. ‘I tried to stop them, I tried…tried to stop them…stop John but,’
“‘Shhh,’ I told her. ‘You’re going to be fine. It’s all right.’
“‘I love you, Jake.’ she whispered
“She closed her eyes and took her last breath in my arms. I held her for I don’t know how long. Finally, I picked her up and laid her on the sofa. I went back to the captain, made sure he was dead and then looked through his pockets to find out anything I could about the colonel.”
“After he’d kicked the shit out of him,” interjected Zach.
Jake paid no attention to Zach, just talked slowly, precisely. “The captain was John Longworth. His papers said he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth. Elizabeth was engaged to him before we fell in love and she left him to marry me.”
Liam turned to Zach. “Isn’t that where you’re assigned?”
Zach nodded. “It was.”
“Was?” Liam cocked his eyebrow. He didn’t like this story, but as much as it disturbed him, he could tell it was killing Jake to have to relive it.
“Let the kid finish his story. Then I’ll get to mine,” said Zach
Liam nodded. “Continue, Jake.”
“I didn’t know what to do, but I thought I was doing the right thing, and got the sheriff. I explained what I saw and what I did. Then I went to Mayor Green’s office and told him. He sent someone to Aunt May’s to fetch Elizabeth’s mother. I didn’t want Mrs. Green to come home and find the mess and Elizabeth…”
“Of course, completely understandable,” said Liam.
“After that,” continued Jake, “I went back to her house. The sheriff had already gotten the undertaker to take the bodies. With Elizabeth gone, there wasn’t any reason to stay, so I walked and walked. I walked all night and somehow ended up at home.
He ran a hand through his hair sending water droplets into the air behind him. “The sheriff came out to my house this morning, brought my horse with him and took my statement again. That’s when I found out there was another version of what happened. The bastard that got away was Richard Jordan. Colonel Richard Jordan. The bastard told Elizabeth’s father that I’d raped and killed her in a fit of drunken rage and then shot his captain when he tried to stop me. Luckily for me, the sheriff didn’t believe him, because I’d gone to him straight away and he knew I wasn’t drunk and raging against anyone but the bastards that did it.”
Jake slumped into a chair and stared into the fire. Liam wanted to take the little boy he still saw into his arms and tell him everything would be all right, just as he’d done when Jake was a little boy. But this was different. A hug wasn’t going to fix this problem.
Zach took over the tale “That’s where I come in. The colonel was visiting the fort. Longworth was an old friend of his. Colonel Jordan ordered me and my unit to go with him to arrest Jake. He didn’t know Jake was my brother. And I didn’t know the person he wanted arrested was Jake until we got to his house.
“Colonel Jordan is determined to see Jake hang to protect his career and his own neck. He wants Jake to be tried for murder in an army court. The long and short of it is, I coldcocked the colonel. My men looked the other way. And I grabbed Jake and ran.”
Zach leaned forward in his chair and rested his elbows on his knees leaving his hands to hang between them. He looked up at Liam. “Now we’re both here and on the run from the law. If they catch us I’ll be court-martialed for attacking a superior officer and for desertion. Jake here will be tried for the murder of the captain.”
“Shit!” Liam turned his back on his brothers and stared into the flames now crackling merrily. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. Not when he was leaving town the next day. “Why’d you come here? I have the kids to think of.”
“We’re not trying to involve you and the kids. I knew you were leaving tomorrow. I wanted to see you before we disappear completely,” said Zach.
“What about the sheriff and Mayor Green? Don’t they believe you?” Liam stared at Jake.
Jake sat back in the chair. He didn’t look like he’d slept since the murder happened. Finally, as though from far away, he said, “The sheriff believes me and didn’t arrest me. Mayor Green trusts the colonel because he is a colonel and a friend of her ex-fiancé. Jordan has the mayor convinced he and the captain came upon me and I shot the captain. Mayor Green never did cotton to Elizabeth marrying me, a simple farmer, when she could have been a captain’s wife.”
Liam looked at them both. It was a long time before he spoke. He calculated everything in his mind, weighed each word before he made a decision. Finally, he said, “I know you’d like nothing better than to rest, but we can’t. We leave now. Start packing the wagon. We need to make as much distance as we can before we stop tomorrow. It’s going to be a long journey.” He went into the hall, grabbed a bag and threw it at Jake. “Start loading.”
Jake caught the carpet bag and asked, “Where are we going?”
“Deadwood. In the Dakota territory,” said Liam. “I bought a claim.”
CHAPTER 1
November 1876
From his perch on a camp stool Liam looked over at his baby brother, Jake, and his new wife, Becky, sitting next to each other on the downed log by the fire. Surprisingly the day had turned out to be warm, so they weren’t all shivering while they ate their dinner.
He could see they were perfect for each other, though that wasn’t what he thought when they’d originally married. Jake was still wanted for murder, that was true, and he knew Jake hated bringing that to their marriage. Their married life had had a rocky enough start. They wouldn’t have wed at all, or at least as soon, if Becky’s father hadn’t sold her to that bastard Edgar Winters. Jake and Becky tied the knot that same day to save her from Winters, the miner she’d been sold to.
Winters was a man like Becky’s father. He liked to use his fists on anyone weaker than himself. Liam figured Jake very well saved Becky’s life. Though the same could be said of Becky. She’d saved that boy from himself.
Jake had decided he couldn’t marry or have a family while the murder charge hung over his head. Liam understood his brother’s reasoning, but because Deadwood was outside the law, Jake was safe for the time being and he and Becky could live their lives fully. Together.
As to the murder charge, that was something Liam was going to try to take care of. He was leaving in the morning to talk to the Governor of Missouri, Charles H. Hardin, who was a friend and could perhaps intercede with Mayor Green. The fact that the sheriff of Blackwater believed Jake was innocent, would carry a lot of weight with Charles.
After that, Liam was going to talk to the commanding general at Fort Leavenworth and find out what could be done about Colonel Jordan. Once the charges of murder against Jake were dropped, the general might see the colonel’s story in a different light. It was what Liam hoped for anyway.
“I need to talk to you all,” said Liam to his family. “David, you and Hannah, as well.”
David and Hannah were his joy. He didn’t know what he would have done without them when he lost Mary. He probably would have died, too. Admittedly, he only lived for his children. He had no use for women now, maybe not ever again. If he needed a woman, there was always The Gem. There were plenty of women in the whorehouses he could slake his lust with if he needed to, though the thought of it disgusted him. He did worry that David and Hannah needed a mother but he hadn’t been able to make himself do anything about it.
Hannah sat on his lap and David stood next to him. He gazed at the rest of his family who sat around the fire—his brothers and new sister-in-law, Becky. He was going to miss them all while he was gone, but especially his children.
“At first light I’m leaving for Missouri,” he said without preamble.
“What? Why?” asked Jake.
“We need to get this situation with you and Mayor Green settled. I think I can get the governor to intercede on your behalf as long as the sheriff is still willing to vouch for you.”
“As far as I know he is,” said Jake, as he squeezed Becky’s hand. “Why do you think the governor will help me?”
“Because he’s an honest man and a friend,” Liam smiled. “Charles is a big proponent of the justice system and law enforcement. When he sees that the sheriff doesn’t have charges against you, that it’s the Mayor in his quest for vengeance for his little girl, he’ll be happy to pardon you and have all charges dropped.
“He’s leaving office after this term and owes me a favor. This is one he won’t have to feel bad about doing. I should have thought of it before, but there was no time. With you both safe for the moment, I can take care of this. But I have to do it now. The next Governor might not be so reasonable.”
“Good,” said Zach. “The kid needs to start his family with a clean slate.”
“Then,” continued Liam, with a look in Zach’s direction. “I’m going to Fort Leavenworth to talk to the General. I intend to tell him the truth about Jordan and I’ll have the fact the murder charges have been dropped against Jake to convince him of Jordan’s perfidy.”
“Thanks for doing this, brother,” said Jake. He brought Becky’s hand up and kissed it. “We don’t know what to say. How will we ever repay you?”
“You’ll take care of my kids while I’m gone.” He hugged both his children to him. “I can’t take David and Hannah with me. I want to make it to Missouri before the really cold weather sets in. It’s already the first week of November and we’ve had several small snowstorms. If I’m lucky and ride hard, I’ll make it to Jefferson City by February maybe before. I’d like to be headed back this way no later than the first of March. It’s all going to depend on how well I do with the governor and the general.”
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