He was about to turn back to the jail when a gloved hand settled on the stage door, followed by a flowing dark blue traveling skirt.
“I’ll help you down, ma’am.” The driver held out his hand. The woman grasped it in hers and, holding a parasol in the other, stepped onto the uneven street, her face turned away from Gabe.
He strained to get a look at her as she thanked the driver and tried to tip him. He waved off the money, looking a tad insulted, then turned to speak with Noah, who stared at the woman the way a man does when he’s spotted something beautiful. Gabe could see him touch a finger to his forehead in salute.
“Ma’am,” Noah said in a low drawl before turning his attention to the stage driver.
The woman bent to pick up her bag, looking over her shoulder before making a complete turn and walking toward Gabe. Thinking back, he’d realize his whole world shifted at that moment. She was tall with ample curves and an olive complexion enhanced by rich auburn hair. As she stepped closer, he could see her brilliant blue eyes. When he took a step forward, a familiar voice came from behind him.
“Lena, ma chére.” Nick Barnett pulled her into a warm embrace before grabbing the bag from her hand. “How was your trip?”
She slipped her hand through his arm. “Ah, mon cher. It is always the same,” she laughed. “Long, dusty, and bumpy.”
Nick started toward the saloon before spotting Gabe. “Sheriff Evans, may I present my business partner, Magdelena Campanel. Lena, our sheriff, Gabe Evans.”
“Miss Campanel, it’s a pleasure.” Gabe tipped his hat, finding it difficult to shift his gaze away.
“Thank you, Sheriff. I’ve been looking forward to this visit for quite some time.”
“Come, Lena. I’ll show you the saloon, then take you to your room at the boardinghouse.” Nick nodded at Gabe as they strode away, a knowing smile tilting his mouth upward.
Gabe tipped his hat as they left, letting a whoosh of air escape his lungs.
“Stunning. I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone quite like her.”
Gabe’s head swiveled to see Noah standing beside him. He’d been so absorbed in watching Miss Campanel, he hadn’t heard him walk up.
“Who is she?”
“Nick introduced her as his business partner.” Gabe stood in one spot, unable to move until the two disappeared into the Dixie.
“I’ll be darned. Never thought his partner would be a woman.”
“Neither did I.” Gabe’s words rasped out, as if something had caught in his throat.
Noah’s narrowed gaze took in his friend. He had more self-control around beautiful women than any man Noah had ever known. It was obvious Miss Campanel sparked something in Gabe he’d never felt before.
“Don’t you have someplace to go, someone to arrest?” Noah joked, slapping him on the back in open amusement.
“What? Uh…yeah. Guess I’d better get back to the jail.”
Gabe forced his feet to move until he tossed his hat on the desk and slumped into a chair. As soon as she’d turned toward him, it felt as if someone had landed a heavy blow to his gut, knocking the wind from his lungs. He couldn’t remember ever being this affected by one glance from a woman.
He scrubbed a hand over his face, deciding the edgy feeling had more to do with missing lunch than the beautiful Miss Campanel. It could also be due to the fact he hadn’t had a woman since he’d accepted the position as Splendor’s sheriff. He smiled at the thought of Dolly, the saloon girl in Big Pine, who’d taken care of him before he’d ridden to Splendor. He grabbed his hat and headed toward the new restaurant a few doors away, deciding a quick trip to Big Pine might be just what he needed.
“You gotta do something, Sheriff. We’re missing another twenty head.” Hiram Frey and his brother, Frank, had spotted Gabe as he’d left the restaurant and followed him into the jail. They and several ranchers east of them had already lost several head to rustlers over the last month, even though all posted extra men.
“Have you or your men seen anything to help figure out where they might be taking the cattle or how they’re getting to them?” Gabe knew there was little he could do as one man, but he’d be willing to deputize others if they had some idea where to start looking.
“They’d be foolish to head west and get caught in the mountains. North is the Pelletier ranch, and east the cattle would have to travel past Splendor. My guess is south, down past the smaller ranches.” Frank Frey leaned against a wall and pulled out one of his cheroots, twisting it between his fingers.
“Don’t know about that,” Hiram said. “The mountains might be the right place to hide cattle until you could get enough to herd them south to Denver. There are so many places to hide in those mountains, it would take a hundred men to ferret them out.”
Gabe scratched his chin as the brothers continued to debate where the rustlers might be keeping the stolen cattle. He required more men for this type of search and that meant approaching the local ranchers, such as the Pelletiers and King Tolbert. What he needed was someone like Cash Coulter, an expert tracker. A close friend of Dax and Luke Pelletier, the bounty hunter left Splendor almost a year before, chasing men he believed responsible for the deaths of family members. It might be time for Gabe to send out some telegrams, see if he could locate Coulter and convince him to return.
“I need more men for this. At first light tomorrow, I’ll speak with Dax and Luke, then Tolbert to see if they’ll provide some men. We need to get an idea where the rustlers are holding the cattle before gathering a large enough herd to drive to Denver. You two have any men you can spare?”
“Maybe two, but no more than that. We’re always short of men.” Hiram glanced at Frank, who nodded. “Frank and I’ve been discussing going to Big Pine, bringing back some men who’d be willing to work for room and board, maybe a little pay, and help us locate this gang. What do you think, Sheriff?”
He didn’t believe they’d get many interested in making the day’s ride to Splendor, but he’d be willing to try. “Keep your men posted. I’ll talk to Tolbert and the Pelletiers tomorrow, then ride to Big Pine. I need to speak with Sheriff Sterling about this and some other matters. Maybe I’ll be able to persuade a few men to ride back with me. Any chance you’d be able to keep any of them on afterwards?”
“Might be able to do that,” Frank answered. They lived further out than most ranchers and always had a hard time keeping good help.
“All right. I’ll let you know what I learn.”
Gabe spent the evening packing what he needed for the trip, speaking to Clausen and a couple others to let them know he’d be gone a few days, then had supper with Noah. Whenever Gabe left town, Noah became the official substitute sheriff, which kept the city leadership happy, even if Noah held no great love for the position. At least there’d be someone to go to if trouble started.
As the sun rose over the eastern mountains the following day, Gabe rode out of town, figuring how best to find the rustlers while looking forward to some personal time at a certain saloon in Big Pine.
Abby stashed her lunch under the work counter and counted the money in the drawer. Sally Phelps, Mr. Clausen’s longtime secretary, grabbed her keys and prepared to open the doors. She was an older widow, perhaps the age of Abby’s father, and had worked at the bank since Abby was little. Most days at least one customer stood outside, waiting to meet with Mr. Clausen or handle bank business. Today, a group of four men milled about outside, causing Sally to hesitate.
“Abby, would you mind coming over here a moment?”
She walked out from behind the teller counter to peek through the window where Sally stood, watching the group outside. Wiping dirt from the glass, she gasped at the sight of one man who looked familiar.
“Do you recognize any of those men?” she asked Abby.
“One looks like a man who used to work for my father. I can’t be certain until I get a better look, but I wouldn’t be comfortable letting him in the bank until Mr. Clausen returns.”
Sally hesitated. They’d never missed opening the bank on time. She glanced at the clock, then back at Abby.
“Why don’t you go get Mr. Brandt? Mr. Clausen told me he’s taking Sheriff Evan’s place while he goes to Big Pine for a few days. Perhaps he can be inside when we open, keep an eye on them.”
Abby had no desire to pull Noah into whatever this might be, but had little choice. They needed to open the bank, yet both women felt unsafe given Abby’s concerns about who might be standing outside.
“All right, Mrs. Phelps. Please, do not open the doors until we return.”
“Hurry, Abby,” she nodded, watching as Abby dashed out the back.
She turned toward the livery, knowing Noah would already be working. At least the men outside the bank wouldn’t be able to see her going for help. In some ways, she felt foolish. What if they were nothing more than newcomers wanting to open accounts? Except the one looked so similar to the man her father intended to fire and Sheriff Evans wanted to arrest before he and two of his men left the ranch. They’d never been spotted again around Splendor and, as far as Abby knew, had no reason to return.
She continued to run, kicking up dust, until she spotted Noah shoeing a horse. He dropped the foreleg and stood as she approached, noticing a look close to panic on her face.
“What is it?” he asked, reaching out to grip her shoulders.
She took a breath and looked up at him. “There are four men outside the bank. Mr. Clausen hasn’t arrived, and neither Mrs. Phelps nor I recognize them…except one. He might be…” Abby’s voice trailed off as she thought once more about the former ranch foreman, Parnell Drake.
“Might be who, Abby?” Noah prompted.
“Do you remember Parnell Drake?”
“You mean your father’s man who took off?”
“Yes.”
“I remember him. Why?”
“I think he may be one of the men waiting for the bank to open.”
Noah didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his gun belt and buckled it around his waist before reaching for his rifle. “Let’s go.”
“It’s best to go through the back.” Abby took off the way she came, Noah following.
Entering the bank, Noah took a position between Sally and Abby, his rifle cocked and resting in his arms. He’d forgotten how much a part of him this rifle had been for so many years. Even now, it felt like an extension of his body rather than a tool he used when needed. He nodded at Sally to go ahead and open the doors.
The men shuffled in, all four noticing Noah right away. The man Abby recognized as Parnell Drake walked up to her, no hint of recognition on his face. She glanced at Noah and nodded once, her signal it was the man she suspected.
Noah took a step closer, shifting his stance and readying his hands.
“I want to deposit some money,” he drawled, his eyes darting between hers and Noah’s.
“Of course. Do you have an account with us, Mr...?”
“Drake. Parnell Drake.”
Her heart slammed in her chest as her face stilled in an attempt not to show her reaction.
“Let me get your information, Mr. Drake,” she said, proud her voice didn’t betray how she felt. She checked through a file, pulling out his account information, then wrote out a receipt.
“Here you are, Mr. Drake.”
“Thank you.” He slipped the paper in his pocket, then shot another look at her. “Have we met?”
“No. I don’t believe we have.”
His eyes narrowed on her a moment before he motioned for his men to follow him out.
Noah paced to the door and looked out, noting the four gather their horses and ride south, away from town. As he turned, the door flew open. Clausen stopped at the sight of Noah holding a rifle and wearing a gun belt. He glanced at Sally, her face white as a sheet, and Abby, standing rigid behind the teller bars.
“What’s going on?”
“Just a customer who made the women uneasy,” Noah replied. “Let’s go into your office and I’ll explain.”
“I’m so glad you were able to get Mr. Brandt to come here. I didn’t like the look of any of those men, Abby.” Sally wrung her hands in front of her, looking toward the door as if she expected them to return at any moment.
“Parnell Drake, the man who made the deposit, has always frightened me. He worked as a foreman for my father for several months before strange activities began—accidents, injuries, cattle stampedes. All of it directed at Pelletier men. Thank goodness no one was killed. At first, the sheriff thought the actions were done on orders from my father.” Abby’s gaze darted to Mr. Clausen’s office, wondering when Noah would reappear. She wanted to thank him, let him know how much his presence meant to her and Mrs. Phelps. “It seems Mr. Drake may have been behind it all. He took off with two of his men before the sheriff had a chance to question him.”
“Well, it’s good you recognized him. I still have a bad feeling about this.”
“So do I, Mrs. Phelps.”
Abby’s head turned at the sound of Noah walking out of the office. His eyes locked with hers, his face devoid of expression as he strolled past her toward the door.
“Mr. Brandt.”
He turned, the corners of his mouth tilting upward. “Noah, remember?”
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes lighting up. “Thank you, Noah.”
He walked to within a foot of her, never breaking eye contact as he lifted her chin with a finger. “Anytime, Abby. If you ever need help, all you have to do is ask.” He continued to stare a moment longer before dropping his hand and walking out.
Noah lay awake, tossing and turning, unable to get images of Abby out of his mind. No matter how he tried, everything about her—her unique smell, the way she talked, her mannerisms—couldn’t be erased, as if they were branded on his skin. He threw off the covers and paced to the window, looking out on a clear sky lit with a partial moon.
It had taken every bit of willpower he possessed not to reach out and pull her to him before leaving the bank. Her lips trembled when she came to ask his help, and he knew it had taken courage to face him. When he’d left her with Suzanne, their parting had been awkward, strained, neither knowing what else to say. Two weeks later, after mulling over Gabe’s words, he knew precisely what he should have said.
“Damn fool,” he muttered to himself as he stoked the fire in his small stove and started coffee. Deciding he might as well work, Noah pulled on pants and slipped into a flannel shirt.
Noah heated the metal needed for a tool one of the ranchers ordered, then began to pound. With each downward thrust, he ticked off all the reasons he should ignore his doubts and go after Abby. Court her, do everything any man would do if he wanted a woman.
In the past, his hesitation in voicing his intentions had been due to several reasons, the main one being her wealth. Raised to believe the man supported his family, Noah’s pride had never allowed him to accept marrying a woman worth many times more than him. Nor someone used to social status and well-placed friends, neither of which he could offer.
Separating herself from her father changed everything. Abby had made it clear, more than once, she wanted a life independent of him and his wealth. She held no love for his manipulations or behavior toward those he believed to be beneath him. Her decision to make her own way altered Noah’s previous uncertainties about pursuing her. Over the past weeks, he’d thought of her declaration in Moosejaw and had come to the conclusion it didn’t make sense. He’d stake his life on the belief she still loved him.
This time he didn’t have to worry about Tolbert objecting. All that need concern him was Abby. If she agreed to let him court her, all her former protests would amount to nothing. If she didn’t, he’d be no worse off.
He set the hammer down and straightened. She wasn’t going anywhere, not with her job and room at the boardinghouse. He let out a breath, knowing he had time to decide the best approach, maybe even talk with Dax or Luke and get some ideas on how to do it
right. He chuckled at the thought. Neither would be considered a stellar example on how to court a woman, but at least they had more experience than him. He crossed his arms and stepped away from the anvil, feeling a reprieve from the depression plaguing him the past few weeks. A slow grin spread across his face. Perhaps his future wasn’t as bleak as he first believed.
Chapter Ten
Big Pine
“I’ve got two fellas in town looking into the cattle rustling around here.” Sheriff Parker Sterling sat forward, leaning his arms on his desk.
“Deputies? U.S. Marshals?” Gabe asked, rocking his chair back on two legs.
“Nope. Best I can tell, they’re bounty hunters looking for one man in particular—Parnell Drake.”
Gabe’s chair slammed forward. “Drake? You certain?”
“Yep. That’s the name Coulter gave me.”
“Cash Coulter is the bounty hunter?”
“Him and Beau Davis. Got here close to two weeks ago and have been talking to every rancher with missing cattle. They stopped in yesterday to see if I’ve had any more reports. Appears the rustling seems to have stopped—at least for now. Coulter thinks they may have moved on.” Sterling sat back and crossed his arms. “I believe he may be looking for Drake for more than rustling. You know anything about that?”
Gabe did know more about Cash and Drake’s history, but he wasn’t prepared to share it with the sheriff.
“You’ll have to ask him. Do you know where they’re staying?”
“Up the street at The Imperial Hotel. Best place in town.”
Gabe took off toward the hotel. He needed a place to stay, and where better than the same hotel as Cash and his partner. Besides, the hotel stood a block away from the saloon where Dolly worked. He’d leave a message for Cash, grab supper, then go for a few drinks and whatever else struck his fancy.
Sunrise Ridge (Redemption Mountain Historical Western Romance Book 3) Page 8
