He frowned at Lance and his voice came out in a growl. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Stand up, Parnell.”
“I’ll be damned if I will.” He started to turn away from Lance, but his eyes got big when he saw Shawn. “What kind of lies have you been telling, you no good bastard?”
“I—”
“Don’t answer him, Shawn.” Lance turned back to Nelson and placed his right hand on the butt of his gun. “Are you going to come along peacefully, or do I have to get rough?”
“You don’t have to get rough. I ain’t done nothing. If McCormick is dead, Rocky or this fool kid did it. Not me.”
“Stand up.”
As Nelson began to stand, a derringer slid from his shirt sleeve and he fired it without aiming. The bullet missed Lance, but hit Shawn.
In an instant, Lance fired. His bullet hit where he aimed it. Holding his gut, Nelson Parnell fell to the floor shaking the table and chairs. The glasses slid together sloshing whisky all over.
Virgil leaped to his feet as Lance shouted, “Get the doctor.”
As Virgil knelt on the floor he cradled Shawn’s head in his arm. “Hang in there, Brother. The doctor’s coming.”
Shawn looked puzzled. “Virgil?”
“Yes, Shawn. Hang in there.”
“I can’t believe my pa shot me.”
“I know, but—”
“Why? He don’t…Damn, it hurts…” Shawn’s voice was going weak and his eyes rolled back.
“Don’t you dare die on me, Shawn Parnell.”
After checking Nelson Parnell, Lance turned to Virgil. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s bleeding profusely and he just passed out.” Virgil pressed his hand where blood was spouting from Shawn’s side. “What about Parnell?”
“Dead.”
He nodded. If Shawn lived, Virgil knew it would be easier to turn Shawn around if he’d been corrupted by Parnell since the man wouldn’t be there to undermine him.
Chapter 18
The town fathers, under the direction of Luella Baldwin, planned to block off the end of the main street then construct a dance floor at the edge of town with a stage for the band. Picnic tables would be set up as well as several small tables with chairs. There were benches built around the few trees and a roped off area for the horses many of the cowboys would ride in on from the ranches and surrounding areas. There’d be a different section for the buggies and wagons.
The women of town would start cooking and baking ahead of time for the event, and all the young women would busy themselves deciding on which dresses they’d wear. They all wanted a garment that would attract some young man’s eye and one the other women would envy.
Grace was no different. She dipped into her small savings and made a visit to Miss Purdy’s Dress Shop. For the first time in her life, she was having a dress designed and made for the occasion. She knew it was foolish, but she wanted to look pretty, because she couldn’t help hoping against hope that Lance would ask her to go with him.
So far he hadn’t. In fact, he’d been more than a little standoffish since their picnic and trip to the Circle 2 to visit the Wainwrights and especially since Nelson Parnell’s death. This wasn’t unexpected. Nobody she knew liked to kill another man. Especially someone as thoughtful and gentle as Lance.
Of course, the two of them had had a few meals together in the jail when she took food for any prisoners that happened to be there and they’d even flirted with each other a little when he came to the hotel. But there had been no touching or holding each other and certainly no kisses.
Grace had no doubt Lance had decided things had gone too far between them and was telling her with his actions they were friends like they’d always been. Nothing more.
As the festival grew closer and Lance still hadn’t said anything to her about the party, Grace finally accepted the fact that if she went, she’d be going alone. Though she wasn’t excited about it, she’d promised Amelia and Wilma she’d be there. Even if she had to see Lance there with Juliette.
And this was who she was sure he’d take with him. Though he still said he had no feelings for the woman, she’d seen Juliette go in and out of his office several times. One time when he’d rushed Grace away, she’d not been upset until she saw Juliette enter the office before she got back to the hotel.
The festival might be fun for most people, but she was sure it would be agony for her if she had to watch Lance holding another woman.
“What you daydreaming about now, Grace? That handsome sheriff?”
Grace snapped to attention. “Of course not, Effie.”
Effie turned back to the stove and muttered, “Uh-huh. I shore believe that. Ain’t that right, Miss Henrietta?”
Henrietta grinned. “Well, Effie, if we were her age and single, we might be daydreaming about him, too.”
“You’re right about yourself ’cause you got a man. Me, I ain’t never been married, as you know. So, I might be having a daydream or two myself.”
They all laughed and Grace said, “All right, you two. Cut it out. I’ve got to get out there and take some orders. The dining room is getting too full for Sophie to handle on her own.”
* * * *
Virgil opened the door to the hotel dining room and ushered Shawn inside. “Lance said to get a table in the back so we can have some privacy.”
Sophie must have overheard him because she said, “Lance usually sits at that table back in the corner.”
“There’ll be four of us. I don’t think that table would do, but we could use the one beside it.”
“Sure. Come this way.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, but Virgil thought it was more for Shawn than for him.
“Could I get you something to drink while you’re waiting for the others?”
“I’ll have coffee.” When Shawn said nothing. Virgil asked, “What about you, Shawn?”
Shawn dropped his head and said, “Coffee for me, too.”
“I’ll be right back.” Sophie turned and walked toward the kitchen.
Virgil chuckled. “Cute, isn’t she?”
Shawn blushed. “I didn’t notice.”
“The hell you didn’t.”
“Well, I might just have not noticed.”
“Why’s that?”
“Pa always said I wasn’t fit for a decent girl, and I needed to stick with whores.”
“Shawn, when are you going to forget about the things Nelson Parnell told you? Didn’t he say Mama and I didn’t care about you?”
Shawn nodded. “It’s still hard for me to believe you came to find me.”
“I told you, after Parnell didn’t bring you back home, Mama tried her best to find you. She even hired a detective, but he didn’t do anything except take her money. It was only after I came home from school and found out how sick she was that I realized your absence was what was pulling her down. No matter what your pa told you, she loved you, Shawn. So did I and I still do. You’re the only brother I have, you know.”
“I’m glad to know that. I loved both of you, too.” He shook his head. “Pa was really convincing sometimes. At least I had Rocky.”
“You miss him, don’t you?”
“Yeah. He was the only friend I had at times.” Shawn sneered. “In fact, I guess he was the only friend I had for all the years I was with them.”
Virgil didn’t comment because he saw the dining room door open and Charles Fielding walked in. “Here comes the banker.”
“I wonder why he wanted to talk to us.”
“I don’t know, but I guess we’ll soon find out.”
Virgil had no more than waved Charles over when Lance came through the door. He followed Charles to the table.
Sophie came back with a pot of coffee and four cups. “Mr. Danforth said there’d be four, so I took the liberty of bring coffee for all of you.”
Charles nodded and Lance said, “You’re a good waitress, Sophie.”
“Thanks. Would you
like to order now?”
“If it’s all right with everyone, why don’t you bring us four specials?”
Everyone nodded and she smiled. Though she was speaking to Lance, she was looking at Shawn. “I’ll be right back with it.”
After she moved away Charles said, “I suppose you all wonder why I asked you to come meet me here.” They nodded and he went on. “I have some business with young Mr. Parnell. Of course we had to wait until he recovered from that bullet wound.”
“I’m feeling fine now. Virgil has been taking good care of me.”
“I know. That’s why I felt Mr. Danforth should be here to hear what I have to say to his brother. I asked you to be here as a witness, Lance.”
Nobody spoke and Charles pulled a paper from his coat pocket. “A couple of weeks ago Rocky Parnell came by to see me on his way out of town. He signed some papers and made it clear to me what I was to do in case Nelson Parnell objected to his signing these papers. Since Parnell is no longer with us that is no longer a problem.”
“I don’t understand this?” Shawn said. “Rocky didn’t come to town. I did.”
“You’ll understand in a minute.” Charles turned to Virgil. “Rocky told me he was leaving, but he said there were some papers that needed signing first. He said he’d sent Shawn to the sheriff to report a murder and he felt the best thing he could do was disappear. He explained that Sam McCormick had bought his ranch with Parnell money and that was the reason McCormick signed it over to Rocky. He said Nelson didn’t want his name on it because if something happened to him Shawn would get it and he didn’t want that.”
“He really hated me, didn’t he?”
“He did, Shawn and Rocky told me why. It seems your mother fell in love with one of the Parnell twins and he with her, but it wasn’t Nelson. It was Nathaniel. Nathaniel promised her that after one last job he’d come back to St. Louis and you’d all be a real family. Rocky said Nathaniel really cared for Virgil as well as he did his son. Nathaniel was killed in that last job. Because the twins’ father always favored Nathaniel over Nelson, Nelson decided he’d take his brother’s place with your mother. She went along with the ruse because Nelson threatened not only to kill Shawn, but he said he’d kill Virgil, too. After some years, Nelson tired of the game and because he could never make your mother love him, he decided to punish her by taking you away.”
“Are you telling me that Pa wasn’t my Pa?”
“Yes, Shawn. That’s what Rocky told me.”
Shawn sat back. “I have to say I think I’m glad, because I never liked him much and there were other times when I actually hated him.”
Sophie and Grace interrupted them by bringing their dinner. Each of them had two plates in their hands.
When they finished serving, Charles went on. “Rocky said he didn’t want to leave Shawn with nothing. He took a couple of hundred dollars out and then he signed the ranch and all the money that was left in the bank over to his nephew, Shawn and Shawn’s half-brother, Virgil.”
They all stared at him. Virgil and Shawn blurted at the same time, “You’re kidding.”
“No, fellows. I’m not.
“Why in the world would he include me?” Virgil asked.
“I think because he knew you’d do right by Shawn. Rocky said Nelson was afraid of you because he thought you might eventually catch up to them and convince Shawn to leave with you.”
Virgil frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I,” Shawn said.
“It seems they knew you’d been searching for Shawn. That’s why they stayed on the move. Nelson was firm that Shawn not find out you wanted to find your brother.” He turned to Shawn. “He was determined you never reunite with your family. He hated your mother that much.”
“Why did he hate Mama?”
“According to Rocky it was because he couldn’t make her love him. He could never get over the fact that her heart belonged to his twin brother, Nathaniel.”
When neither of them said anything else, Charles went on. There were only a couple of stipulations to the will.”
“What were they?” Virgil stammered.
“Rocky said Shawn was to get his half when he turned twenty-one. Rocky felt Virgil would be able to help you get your ranch on its feet and the two of you would be a family at last.”
Shawn looked at Virgil. “I like that idea. How about you?”
Virgil hesitated. “I studied the law, but only because Mama wanted me to. I kind of like the idea of ranching, but I’m not sure I should take any of Shawn’s inheritance.”
“You have no choice, Virgil. If you refuse, the ranch is to be sold and the money is to go to charity.”
Virgil shook his head and grinned. “Well, brother, it looks like we have a ranch.”
“I’m glad you’re going to own it with me, Virgil. I know a little about gambling, thanks to Nelson Parnell and I know a little about horses, from Rocky, but I don’t know a thing about running a ranch.” He then sobered. “I just wish Rocky hadn’t left. He hadn’t done nothing wrong and you wouldn’t have arrested him, would you, Sheriff?”
“No, Shawn. I wouldn’t have arrested him and that’s exactly what I told him this morning.”
Shawn frowned. “This morning?”
“Yep. Charles knew where he went and sent him a message that you were in trouble, and he came back to Settlers Ridge this morning. I explained to him what was going on and sent him out to your ranch. He’s waiting for you and Virgil there, so why don’t you finish your dinner and head out since the doc has said it’s all right for you to ride.”
“I ain’t much hungry now. Are you, Virgil?”
“I think we better eat. Ranch work is hard and you need your strength. Besides I have to go to my room and pack what little I own.”
“And there might not be anything to eat at the ranch,” Lance added.
Shawn looked nervous, but for the first time Virgil realized things were going to be good for them. Of course, he had to realize Shawn was no longer that little brother. He was now a man and the two of them had to work out their relationship as grown men. He took a bite of the roast beef and decided he looked forward to the process.
Chapter 19
The day of the festival arrived. Grace went to her room to dress after she helped Effie finish cleaning up the breakfast dishes. As she headed down the hall, she felt at peace with herself. At last she now accepted the fact that the beautiful Juliette had won. Lance had been seen with her a few times and Grace knew if Juliette was the woman Lance wanted, though she thought he could do better, she was ready to accept that. He still said he had no interest in the woman, but his actions said differently. That was the reason she dressed up in her beautiful new green gown and headed to the festivities alone. Mr. Drake, the man who worked part-time for the hotel was at the front desk and Effie had insisted on staying in the kitchen to serve some of the people who were staying in town for the event.
The Olsens had already left for the party and she knew the Wainwrights, who had come in and spent the night at the hotel, had set out much earlier.
Checking herself for the last time in the mirror above her dresser, she pinched her cheeks and bit her lips to make them pink. She nodded her approval and went out the door of her room. Smiling at Mr. Drake as she went by, she stepped out onto the deserted street and headed toward the party. Even if she was alone, she was looking forward to seeing her friends. She just hoped Lance wouldn’t completely snub her.
She reached Brown’s Mercantile, which like most of the businesses in town, had closed for the day when Kemp darted toward her. Dade Weber, a scruffy younger man, who had been arrested with Kemp for the robbery of Miss Purdy’s shop only a few months earlier followed him. Grace wondered what Weber was doing in town. She knew his time in the prison wasn’t over. Had he escaped?
Weber’s voice slurred as he said, “Well, if it ain’t that crippled waitress from the hotel and she’s all doodied up for the dance. You shore do lo
ok purty, little gal.”
Grace lifted her chin, moved down the street and tried to ignore him.
“Look at the woman trying to be fancy, Kemp. She thinks she’s too good to speak to us, when everybody in town knows a cripple can’t do no better than me, no matter how she tries to fix herself up.”
“Now, Dade, Miss Grace is a nice woman. I know she looks awful purty today, but you’ve no need to bother her. You’ve got to hurry and get out of town before somebody sees you.”
“Yeah, she looks all right, but I bet she’d look better out of that fancy dress.” Dade grabbed her arm.
She jerked her arm away. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to still be in prison?”
“I didn’t much like it there and managed to escape and look up my old friend, Kemp.” Dade reached for her arm again. “Now don’t act so hifalutin, Gracie? I’m sure you want to come with Kemp and me? We done stole a bottle and we still got some of it left and we’ll share it with you. That way we can all have a real good time afore I have to get out of town.”
“You’re drunk.” She tried to pull away from him. “Kemp, make him leave me alone.”
Kemp put this hand on his friend’s arm. “You shouldn’t bother her, Dade.”
The younger man ignored Kemp. He stumbled as he pulled Grace up next to him and leaned over to kiss her.
“Stop that!” She slapped him as hard as she could.
“Hear now, girl. That ain’t no way to treat a man who’s willing to show an old maid like you a good time.” He jerked her arm, pulled her around and crushed her against his smelly body. Before she could pull away, his mouth covered hers and he rammed his tongue in her mouth.
Angry, Grace almost gagged on the taste of whiskey, tobacco and probably rotten teeth. She couldn’t get out of his vice-like grip, so she did the only thing she could think of. She bit his tongue.
He yelled and shoved her away. She stumbled backward, but Kemp caught her before she hit the ground.
He started toward her again. “Let me alone,” she screamed again.
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