by Barbara Goss
He walked over to where she was sewing and put his hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, and he knew he’d surprised her. He squeezed her shoulder. “You’re doing a magnificent job on those gifts, Mrs. Stone.”
Vera and Wyatt were eating lunch the following day when they heard a pounding on their front door.
“I’ll get it,” Vera said.
“No, you sit down. I’ll get it,” Wyatt said. “It’s one o’clock. It might be Jack.”
“Oh,” Vera said. “I’m coming, too, then.”
Wyatt led Jack into the sitting room where Vera sat waiting for them. She greeted Jack, who took a seat by the fireplace and rubbed his hands in front of the fire. “Will I ever get used to this cold?”
“I must knit you a scarf,” Vera said.
Wyatt sat on the edge of the sofa beside Vera. “Did you meet her?”
“Yes. What a character! You won’t believe what she wants from me.” Jack continued to rub his hands to warm them.
“We’re all ears,” Wyatt said.
“She wants me to kill her husband.”
“What?” Vera and Wyatt said in unison.
Wyatt cocked his head. “Husband? Who’s her husband?”
“A man named Leland Baxter.”
Wyatt gasped. “Lee?”
“Do you know him?” Jack asked.
“He’s a friend.”
“Well, it seems she ran off with him, they married, and now she says he threw her out of his house and wants an annulment. If he succeeds, she’ll lose everything she married him for: his ranch and money.” Jack shrugged. “I guess she thinks that since I killed a man, I would do it again.”
“Dagnabbit!” Wyatt couldn’t believe his ears. “Does she know the other man drew his gun first?”
“She doesn’t care.”
Wyatt leaned back against the sofa cushions. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”
Vera seemed to get her wits back after her initial shock and asked, “What did you tell her?”
“Wyatt said I shouldn’t give her an answer, but I wanted to yell ‘no’ at her from the rooftops.”
“What did you tell her?” Wyatt asked.
“I told her I’d think it over, but I refuse to kill again. You don't understand how killing that man has haunted me. Killing someone is a serious matter. I lay awake nights, wondering what that man’s life would have been like if I hadn’t killed him. Would he have a family? Would he have become a sheriff one day like his father? I regret that I was so fast with my gun. I’d rather it was me who’d been me shot than carry this guilt around.”
Vera leaned over and patted his arm. “I’m so sorry, Jack.”
Jack stood and walked to the door. “It's a heavy burden to carry for the rest of my life.”
Wyatt leaped to his feet to meet Jack at the door. “When do you have to give her an answer?”
“I told her I’d get back to her in a few days, but I don’t know what to do, Wyatt.”
“We’ll think of something,” Wyatt said.
“I hate to tell you this, but I’m thinking of just moving on.”
“Not yet,” Wyatt said. “Let me think about this. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
After he’d gone, Vera asked, “What are you going to do?”
“Pray,” he said. “A friend’s life is in danger. When Jack refuses Lucy’s request, she’ll find someone else to do the job. I need to help Jack out of this mess.”
Chapter Six
After spending over an hour in prayer, Wyatt crawled into bed. The idea came to him before he fell asleep; he credited it as an answer to his prayer.
He worried Jack wouldn’t show up for work that morning. His plan had to work. He hoped Jack would follow his directions.
Vera greeted him and set a cup of coffee in front of him. “How’d you sleep?”
“After praying, I slept well. I think I know what we need to do.”
Vera sat across from him and whispered, “Tell me.”
“I think I’ll wait so we can all hear about it at the same time. I still have a few details to iron out.”
“I prayed, too,” she said. “How do you want your eggs this morning?”
“Thank you, Vera, but I think I’ll just have toast today. I’m too nervous to eat.”
“I think I will, too. Do you think Jack will come in today, or has he left town already?”
“I don’t know.”
Vera returned with their toast, and they ate in silence. “Wyatt, I think I hear a horse coming down the lane.”
Wyatt bolted up and ran to the sitting-room window. “It’s Jack!”
Vera made herself comfortable on the sofa with her knitting, and Wyatt calmly opened the door for Jack. After they exchanged greetings, Vera brought Jack a cup of coffee.
“I won’t refuse it today,” Jack said. “I’ll take the cup just to warm my hands.”
Wyatt laughed but said, “You need to drink it. My wife makes the best coffee, and it will warm your insides.”
Jack sipped his coffee and said, “This really is good coffee. Thank you, Vera.”
Jack set the cup down and turned to Wyatt. “I finished filling the silo yesterday. Today, I was planning on bailing hay.”
“I plan to help you with that,” Wyatt said. “My arm needs exercise.”
“Have you given my problem any thought?” Jack asked.
“I have a plan. I’ll run it by you, but don’t say a word until I finish. I’ve known Sheriff Hollister for years. He’s a good guy. You and I will meet with him and tell him the whole story.”
Jack shook his head. “He won’t believe me.”
“I’ll go myself and tell him the story, then. If he doesn’t believe in your innocence, I won’t tell him your name. We have to try.”
Jack shrugged. “I guess it can’t hurt none.”
“Then I’ll tell him about Lucy’s plot. I think he’ll be more interested in that, don’t you?”
“I suppose. I’ll run if he doesn’t believe me.”
“Can I say something?” Vera asked. Both men looked at her and nodded.
“Jack, the law here won’t be as hard on you as the men in El Paso. Truthfulness always wins in the end. I agree with Wyatt.” Vera rose and knelt by Jack, touching his arm. “Jack, you also need to get it right with God. You can’t continue to carry this guilt around.”
Jack shook his head. “But I killed a man. God can’t undo that.”
Vera squeezed Jack’s hand. “He can forgive you. If you’re sorry, and I know you are, God will forgive you and wipe your slate clean. You won’t have to carry the guilt around anymore. It will be like it never happened.”
Wyatt could see the hope appear in Jack’s eyes.
“Really?” Jack asked. “Where do I do this confessing and get forgiven?”
“You can do it anywhere, but just to make it feel more sanctified, Wyatt can take you to see our minister. He’d be happy to listen to you and explain about how God’s forgiveness works.”
“I am truly sorry. I’ll gladly unburden myself to your minister.” Tears rolled down Jack’s face. “I need this.”
Wyatt stood. “Let’s go, then. Finish your coffee. The hay can wait.”
By the time Wyatt and Jack had left the minister’s house, Wyatt could see that the prayer had relieved Jack of his burden, as he was walking straighter, and seemed more confident.
“What now, Wyatt?”
“Now, you can go home and start on the hay. I plan to see the sheriff.”
Jack stopped walking. “I feel confident enough now to go with you and tell him everything. If they decide to punish me, so be it. God has forgiven me, and that’s good enough for me.”
“Are you sure?” Wyatt asked.
“Yes.”
“C’mon. It’s just down the street.”
Sheriff Bart Hollister looked over his desk at Jack and Wyatt. “What can I do for you?”
Wyatt began, “There’s a bounty in El Paso on my
friend, Jack Haskell, for a trumped-up charge. He was playing cards with the sheriff’s son and Jack called him on his cheating. The man pulled out his gun, but Jack’s reflexes were faster, and he killed him. Bystanders put the gun back in the dead man’s holster, and the town tried to lynch Jack. He fled and has been in hiding ever since. That’s just part of the story.”
“Wait,” Hollister held up his hand. “The sheriff in El Paso was Brandon Masters. He’s no longer in office. The U.S. Marshals threw him in a federal prison for all sort of crimes. It’s a shame about his son, but the sheriff? Crooked as they come.”
“Does that mean Jack’s no longer wanted?”
Hollister shrugged. “I’ll check on that, but that’s not my biggest concern. He has another son, Beau, who's coming here to Hays, for Christmas week. He married a woman from Hays.” Hollister looked at Wyatt. “Do you remember Annabelle Lansing? He’s spending the holiday with her family. If he finds out Jack’s here, in Hays, there could be trouble. In the meantime, I’ll do some investigating.
“You said that was only part one of your story? I can’t wait to hear the rest.”
Wyatt cleared his throat. “Do you remember Lucy Ames?”
Hollister smiled. “Who could forget her?”
“She found out that Jack was in town, and she’s blackmailing him. She said she’d turn him in unless he killed her husband, Leland.”
“What? Are you serious?” Hollister asked.
“Yes, sir,” Jack spoke for the first time. “She asked me to meet her at the café, and that’s what she wants of me in exchange for her silence.”
Hollister swore and then rolled his eyes. “I need to think about this. Should we play along and see what Lucy plans for Lee, or do we ignore it and hope she changes her mind? I’m afraid that if you refuse to do it, Jack, she’ll just hire someone who will. This is mind-boggling.”
Wyatt said, “I think we should let Jack agree, hear her plan, and make sure someone’s there to overhear, so we have proof.”
Hollister shook his head slowly. “I knew Lucy was a character, but I never imagined her to be a killer. Do you think she’s serious?”
“She wasn’t laughing,” Jack said.
“I like your plan, Wyatt. We need to know what she’s planning and someone else needs to hear the plan.” Hollister turned to Jack. “When do you see her again?”
“She said a few days, so I imagine it will be tomorrow or the next day at the café at noon.”
“Does she just sit at a table and talk? I mean are there people within earshot?”
“It’s busy in the café at noon and loud. She didn’t whisper, but I don’t know if anyone could hear her.”
Hollister tapped his chin. “I have a new deputy who I just installed on Saturday. Few know him as my deputy yet. I’ll send him to the café if you tell me when, Jack. He’ll sit as close to you and Lucy as he can. If possible, tell her you can’t make it at noon, but you can meet her at one or two. The café will be less crowded then.”
“In the meantime, I’ll find out what’s what in El Paso and whether you’re still a wanted man. Even if you aren’t, I think you should leave town, at least for the holidays. I think Beau might recognize you and ... well, if he’s as nasty as his father and brother, it would be wise.”
“Jack can come away with me and my wife for the holidays, it’s not a problem,” Wyatt said. No sooner had he said it than he wished he’d waited to check with Vera. He’d learned from his father that a wife didn’t always appreciate surprises.
It surprised Wyatt when Vera was pleased that he’d invited Jack to go with them to Missouri. “What a good idea, Wyatt,” she said. “I’m not sure where Thea will put everyone, but we’ll manage, and Jack will stay out of danger until all this has been settled.”
Wyatt knew then that he’d found himself the perfect wife.
Chapter Seven
Jack sent a message through the post office for Lucy to meet him on Monday at two in the afternoon at the café to listen to her plan. That way, the deputy would be ready to listen. He hadn’t received a reply yet, and so he hoped she’d be there.
Lucy was sitting at a table as far away from the door as possible. Warm sweat seemed to pour down Jack’s back when he didn’t see the deputy. The plan had to work.
He sat down opposite her, trying hard not to let his eyes wander around the room to look for the deputy.
A different man than usual came to their table to take their lunch order. When Jack looked up at him, he caught the man’s slight wink. He must be the deputy!
“Just tea for me,” Lucy said.
“And for you, sir?” the waiter asked.
Jack hadn’t had lunch yet. “I’ll have the tongue sandwich and a coffee.”
“Excuse me, sir, could you speak up? I’m hard of hearing. If you look right at me, I can read your lips.”
Jack looked at him and said loudly, “I’ll have the tongue sandwich and a coffee.”
“Got it.”
After taking the order to the kitchen, the man came back out to the dining room to sweep the floor near them.
“So, what’s the plan?” Jack asked Lucy.
“I thought you’d have one, being an experienced killer and all.”
“It was self-defense.”
Lucy sighed. “Maybe you could shoot him while he’s out in the pasture with his beloved cattle.”
The deputy moved to the kitchen, brought out their order, and began to wipe the table across from them.
“How will I know when he’s out in the pasture? And what about his family and the other workers?”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Lucy sighed again. “Wait—he goes to the bank every Monday at around three, just before it closes. You could make it look like a robbery. In fact, you should grab his cash give it to me.”
“If I kill your husband, you’ll keep quiet about my past, right?”
“Yes. I won’t say a word.”
The waiter stepped up to the table and took hold of Lucy’s arm. “You’re under arrest, ma’am. Stand up, please.”
Lucy jerked around, her mouth gaping open. “Me? Whatever for?”
“I just overheard your plan to kill your husband.” The deputy pulled her to her feet.
“I was joking, wasn’t I, Jack?”
Jack shook his head. “No, you weren’t.”
The deputy tied her hands behind her back and led her off to the jailhouse.
Jack breathed a sigh of relief. That nasty business was finally over.
Wyatt began to slowly show Vera affection in small ways. When she sat down and sighed with tiredness after a hard day, he’d rub her neck and shoulders. When in the hall or a place he had to move past her, he’d touch her tenderly at the waist before squeezing by. She never balked or objected to the attention, which encouraged him to continue. It surprised him when he felt something pleasurable after touching her. He had the feeling that if they ever really got together, sparks would fly. The thought warmed him.
~~~***~~~
They packed for their trip to Oakville while watching the snowflakes swirling around their windows.
Vera felt Wyatt put his hands on her waist as he moved past her to get to his valise. Each time he touched her intimately like that she felt warm all over. If only she knew how to encourage him more. She’d had absolutely no experience with courting or men. How did a woman encourage a man without him thinking she was a hussy? She wanted to make their marriage a real one, but she didn’t know how to bring that about. She knew Wyatt was hinting at it each time he touched her, but how should she respond? Should she touch him, too? Oh, she just couldn’t.
The time from when they put Lucy into jail to the day they set off for Missouri went fast. There had been so much to do. Vera had written right away to inform Thea that they were bringing a friend in need with them. She’d wired back to say it was fine. She’d put him in with the boys, and Sam could sleep on the settee.
Vera wanted to send a wire back sugg
esting that Jack and Wyatt take their parents’ room and she’d sleep on the settee, but she didn’t want her sister to know that their marriage hadn’t been consummated yet.
When they arrived in Oakville, Wyatt asked Vera, “Does your family put up a Christmas tree?”
“Goodness, no. We use any trees on our property for firewood, but the children decorate the house after Thanksgiving, so it will look festive.”
Wyatt pointed at the general store. “Look—they still have three trees left. They’re scrawny, but let me buy one. It will be my gift to your family.”
Vera covered her mouth with her gloved hand. “Oh, that would be lovely! We’ve always wanted one.” Then, she frowned. “We don’t have any ornaments for it.”
“I’ll bet your siblings can decorate it in no time. They’re probably good at making things like that.”
Vera nodded and smiled. “They will love it.”
Jack pointed at the livery. “I’ll rent us a wagon or buggy. Bring the tree over after you buy it.”
Thea answered the door when they arrived, saw them and the tree, she burst into tears. She hugged Vera and even hugged Wyatt. When she saw Jack, she smiled shyly.
Once inside, Vera introduced Wyatt and Jack to the family. The children had gathered around in awe of the tree and hardly paid any attention to either Jack and Wyatt. Perry kept touching the tree. He pointed excitedly at the corner of the sitting room. “Can we put it there, sissy?”
Thea laughed. “It’s the perfect place for our very first Christmas tree. Everyone, thank Wyatt, your new brother.”
They all thanked him in unison.
Wyatt looked around the room. “Someone’s been decorating. The house looks great.”
Portia smiled up at him. “I made the popcorn chain.”
Wyatt bent down and said, “You can put one on the tree, too. And I hope you can make some decorations for it. It badly needs it.”
The children happily dispersed to other parts of the house to find the supplies they’d need to make decorations while Jack talked to Sam about his job at the mill.
