by Chloe Carley
“Don’t sound so confident, John,” Thomas said out loud, sighing and going back to his paperwork.
The morning was hot, and already he could feel his starched collar wilting in the heat. His report listed the number of drunkards he’d locked up and the cattle licenses he’d renewed, but he kept his description of the events surrounding the cattle rustling to the end. A man had lost his life, and it fell to Thomas to find out who was responsible. But he was at a loss. There were no leads, no indications of who was responsible, and the chance of it happening again seemed highly likely. In fact, Thomas had only one possibility in mind as to who was behind it and the thought nigh on turned his stomach.
But if it is him, the mayor’ll have my badge—that’s for certain, Thomas thought, laying aside his pen and putting his head in his hands.
There was no hard evidence that his half-brother Harrison was behind the cattle rustling. But over the years, Thomas had learned to trust his instinct, for usually it was right. The crimes bore all the hallmarks of Thomas and Harrison’s former life as members of their father’s rustling gang. It was a memory which Thomas had little desire to entertain, but try as he might, he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that Harrison was behind the whole sorry business.
And I can’t stand by and let him get away with it, Thomas told himself, casting aside the report and standing to pace up and down the sheriff’s office.
One of the locked-up drunkards had woken up and was calling out from the cells. Thomas sighed, striding through the office to the jailhouse and shouting for the man to keep quiet.
“Let me out, Sheriff. I’ve got work, Mr. McCauley won’t like it if I’m late,” the man shouted, rattling the bars.
“Mr. McCauley won’t like it if you’re drunk either, Larry. Now, lie back down and sleep it off, otherwise you’ll be here another night too,” Thomas shouted back and the man began to shout once more, cursing the sheriff and kicking at the wall of his cell.
“Ain’t no point in doing that,” Thomas said, smiling and shaking his head.
But, as he turned back into the sheriff’s office, he was surprised to find a familiar, yet unwelcome figure standing in the doorway.
“Sounds like you’ve got yourself a full house, Sheriff,” Harrison Knox said, an unpleasant smile playing across his face.
“And what is it you want?” Thomas said, eyeing his half-brother with suspicion.
“Can’t a man call in on his little brother occasionally? We hardly see one another, I was just passing by and—” Harrison replied, but Thomas laughed, seating himself behind his desk and going back to his report writing.
“Just passing—since when have you been ‘just passing,’ Harrison? You only come see me when you want something or you’re in trouble and you think I can fix it,” Thomas replied.
Harrison took a seat without being invited to do so, looking at Thomas and smiling. His tongue was playing over his teeth, an unpleasant habit which Thomas detested, and he made a clicking noise. Folding his legs and uncrossing them, restless, he tapped his fingers on the desk.
“And you always do,” Harrison replied, “my little brother.”
“Half-brother,” Thomas corrected, and Harrison laughed.
“Half-brother, brother, whatever. We’ll always be connected, you and I,” he said.
“What is it you want, Harrison? I hardly think you’ve come by just to pass the time of day,” Thomas said, not wishing John Hoskins to return whilst he was in conversation with a man of such questionable reputation.
“Well, that business yesterday with the widow, Mrs. Hale. I felt mighty sorry for her—” Harrison began, but Thomas shook his head.
“You felt sorry for her? Now, there’s a first, I’ve never known you feel sorry for anyone,” Thomas replied, laughing at his brother, who smiled and shook his head.
“A man is allowed to feel sorry for a pretty lady—in fact, I told her just as much this morning,” Harrison told him, letting his words hang in the air.
“You… you spoke with her?” Thomas asked and Harrison nodded, his tongue still playing across his teeth.
“Just now, over at the boarding house. I made her an offer she’ll find hard to refuse,” Harrison replied, an air of smugness in his voice.
“What do you mean, an offer? She’ll be heading back to Massachusetts today, you watch her. That farm is yours—surprisingly, it’s all above board. You bought it, it’s her late husband who’s in the wrong,” Thomas replied, but Harrison shook his head.
“It’s a sad thing when a brother can’t trust his own brother. I’m telling you, I felt sorry for her and I’ve offered her the position of housekeeper at the ranch. I won’t be living there permanently, and that way she’ll get to stay in Lakestone and follow her father’s dream. Can’t a man make a kind offer to a pretty lady anymore?” Harrison asked.
Thomas sighed. There was always something more to Harrison’s stories than first met the eye. He never did anything for anyone without due motive or benefit to himself.
“Half-brother. And what business is it of yours whether Mrs. Hale stays in Lakestone or returns to Massachusetts? I’ve never known you do a favor for anyone unless it benefitted you. She’s a perfect stranger to you and here you are helping her, as though she’s your own sister,” Thomas replied, eyeing his brother suspiciously.
Harrison narrowed his eyes, as though choosing his words carefully before making his reply. There was no love lost between the two brothers and Thomas would gladly have seen Harrison leave Lakestone for good, or else leave him well alone. But his half-brother was going nowhere, and it seemed to Thomas that he’d taken a strange liking to the widow from the east—a very strange liking indeed. He didn’t trust him one bit, and his suspicions of Harrisons were growing by the moment.
“So, it’s all right for the high and mighty sheriff to do this ‘perfect stranger’ a favor. But when I do, there’s a suspicion raised in an instant. She’s a strikingly beautiful woman, and you don’t get many of those in Lakestone County,” Harrison told him.
“Come on, Harrison. Let her be. She’s been through enough; her husband has died and she’s discovered he squandered away her fortune. All she’s got now is her cat and a few dollars. You’ll hurt her if you chase after her like that.” Thomas was growing more irritable with his brother and wishing he’d leave the situation well alone.
“Oh, I see,” Harrison said, shaking his head and rising from his chair, his tongue playing across his teeth. “I see well enough.”
“What is it that you see, Harrison? You always did see too much,” Thomas said.
“You want her for yourself, Mr. High and Mighty, Sheriff Redmond. Always there to help those in need. Your virtues are impeccable and you’re front row center at church on a Sunday, aren’t you, Thomas? Well, I know your past, I know every little detail. You’re no different to me, no different at all,” Harrison said.
“Oh, I’m very different to you, Harrison. I’m very different, indeed,” Thomas replied.
There’d been a time when Thomas had feared his brother. The things he’d seen him do, the threats he’d made which had come true, the way he’d talked and acted. But no longer. Thomas wasn’t afraid of Harrison and he’d gladly see him run out of town, if only for a life of peace and quiet without the worry of what his half-brother would do next hanging over him. He rose from his desk, facing his brother, his hands laid flat out before him. Harrison smiled.
“Look at you, Thomas. Stood there with your shiny sheriff’s badge and that smug look of self-importance upon your face. Do you think you can earn your redemption just by chasing down a few outlaws and saving a few damsels in distress? I know the things you’ve done. I’ve a long memory. You’re a fool, brother. Eking out a living on a $100 a month, living in that boarding house, your only excitement being the choral at the Anaconda Hotel once a month. It’s no life, Thomas,” Harrison replied.
“It’s an honest life, which is more than can be said for you, Harrison
. And let me tell you now, if I find one shred of evidence that you’re behind this cattle rustling, then I’ll mail the hanging judge myself. Jeremiah Banks was a good man—he didn’t deserve to die, he didn’t deserve it at all, he—” Thomas began, but Harrison held up his hand and laughed.
“The higher the horse, the greater the fall, Thomas. You’re still an outlaw at heart. You always will be, but do you really think I’d tell you anything? I’m a law-abiding citizen and you’d best get used to me still being around, because I ain’t going nowhere,” Harrison replied.
“You’ve gone too far this time, Harrison. I’m watching you, and if you lay one finger on Aline Hale, then I’ll…” Thomas said.
He was ready to set to upon his half-brother. Thomas would love to see him locked up in the cells or, better still, run out of town. But Harrison was clever—he always had been—and right now, Thomas had not one shred of evidence against him.
“Mrs. Hale will be quite safe with me, quite safe. I’m sure you’ll keep an eye on her, but I think she’ll be very grateful to me. Very grateful indeed,” Harrison said, and he doffed his hat to Thomas before turning to leave.
“I’m watching you, Harrison. I’m watching you very carefully,” Thomas called after him, but his half-brother only laughed as he slammed the door behind him.
Thomas was left alone in the sheriff’s office. Encounters with Harrison always unnerved him. It was as though his half-brother was forever holding something over him, dangling it like bait to a fish.
He’s just playing with you, Thomas reminded himself, sighing and scratching his head.
If Aline Hale did decide to remain in Lakestone, that wouldn’t be so bad—Thomas had already come to enjoy her company. But if she fell in with Harrison, she’d regret it. He had a way of drawing others in, of making them feel important and then demanding more of them than was right. Aline Hale was vulnerable, a woman who could easily find herself out of her depth.
I’d best keep an eye on her, Thomas said to himself, from a purely professional perspective, of course.
The door to the sheriff’s office opened and Thomas turned to find John Hoskins with a worried look on his face.
“Did I just see Harrison Knox coming out of here? What did he want, Sheriff?” the deputy asked.
“Oh, nothing much. Just offering his opinions on the cattle rustling,” Thomas replied, for not even John Hoskins knew that Harrison was Thomas’ brother.
“Well, we don’t need his opinion on the matter,” the deputy replied, settling himself down at his desk.
Thomas nodded. It was true, they didn’t, and neither did Aline Hale need Harrison drawing her into his web.
I’ll put a stop to him, Thomas thought to himself. No more protection, no more turning a blind eye.
“I’m going out, John. Keep an eye on things here,” Thomas said, taking up his hat. “I’ve got business to attend to.”
And with that, he stepped out onto the veranda of the sheriff’s office. Determined that this time, Harrison wouldn’t get his way.
Chapter Nine
Aline was stopped by the fence of the schoolhouse. She’d been watching the children at play, smiling at the sight of them running and jumping about in the sun. She was about to turn and continue her walk when a friendly voice caused her to turn.
“They sure do play nicely together,” a woman said, stepping forward with a smile on her face.
She was about the same age as Aline, with long blonde hair tied up in a red ribbon and the kind of smile that suggested she used it a lot.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I was just so captivated by their happy faces,” Aline replied and the woman nodded.
“It’s quite all right, stand as long as you like. Though I’ll be ringing the bell in a moment. I’m Marie, Marie Fisher, the school mistress here. And you must be the lady with the cat,” the woman said, holding out her hand.
Aline blushed, for it was the second time that morning that she’d been identified by deduction rather than introduction.
“That’s right, Aline Hale. Mrs. Aline Hale,” she said, extending her hand to the woman, who nodded.
“You chose the best place in town to stay if you want everyone to know who you are. Mrs. Morrell loves to talk—little Bobby Naylor came running up to me today to say that a lady from the east has arrived bearing a cat,” the school mistress said, laughing again.
“You make me sound so terribly exotic,” Aline replied.
“Well, you’re very welcome, and I’d be pleased if sometime you came to tell the children a little about Massachusetts. To them, it’s as good as a far-off land, and they’d love to hear about it,” Marie Fisher said.
“I think I’ll be here a while. I’d love to sometime,” Aline replied, and the school mistress rang her bell.
“Good, well, welcome to Lakestone, Mrs. Hale, and I hope we see you again very soon,” she said. “Come on now, children, back inside, you hear me? We have our arithmetic to practice.”
Aline watched, smiling to herself, as the children formed two neat rows and followed Marie Fisher back into the schoolhouse. It was a pretty little building, simple, just like so many others in Lakestone, and once again Aline couldn’t help but feel at home there.
My father chose well, she thought to herself, as the last of the children trooped inside.
Aline turned and began to wander back into the town. It seemed entirely the right place to be, as though something were drawing her to remain there, little signs here and there of the rightness of her situation.
You want me here, don’t you? She looked up at the little cross on top of the church.
Her father had been a God-fearing man, and her mother as devout as they came. On Aline’s part, she’d always been raised to recognize providence in her life and to see God working in what the pastor back home always termed ‘mysterious ways.’
Mr. Knox’s generous offer, the kindness of the sheriff, Pastor Warren’s words, the passage in Isaiah, and the feeling of being at home. It all pointed to the notion that here, in Lakestone, was where she was meant to be.
And Sammy likes it, too, she reminded herself, as though it were that which sealed the deal.
She was about to return to the boarding house when she almost bumped into Sheriff Redmond hurrying around the corner by the grocer’s store. He looked surprised to see her, though his look soon turned to one of delight and he smiled, taking off his hat, as the two stood in the shade of the veranda.
“Mrs. Hale, how pleased I am to see you on this fine morning. I trust you passed a pleasant night,” the sheriff said, and Aline nodded.
She was pleased to see him, for she’d missed him at breakfast. He seemed a little embarrassed in her presence, his face with just a touch of a blush to it and she smiled, too, as he stood somewhat awkwardly before her.
“Sheriff Redmond, how nice to see you. I was… hoping I’d bump into you today. I passed a very tolerable night in the boarding house. It was an excellent suggestion, thank you. Mrs. Morrell is a fine hostess, her breakfast was one of the finest I have tasted,” Aline replied.
“Please… Mrs. Hale, do call me Thomas. I sit pretty lightly to my title… amongst those… those I count as friends,” he replied, blushing even more as he said it.
“It’s such a nice name, Thomas. Do you know, I thought about calling my Sammy, Thomas. He looks like a Thomas, don’t you think?” she replied, and then it was her turn to blush as she realized what she’d said.
“Well…” he began.
“Oh, I don’t mean to suggest you look like a cat, Sher… Thomas, Mr. Redmond…” she began, but he laughed.
“Sammy’s a handsome cat, I don’t mind being associated with him one bit,” Thomas replied, and Aline laughed.
“He sure likes you—and he doesn’t just like anyone, you know,” Aline said, thinking back to Sammy’s strange behavior toward Mr. Knox.
“He’s a sweet thing. Like I said, he reminds me of my old dog, Tobias,” Thomas told her.
“Why don’t you’ve a dog now? Surely a dog is a useful companion for an officer of the law,” she said.
“Mrs. Morrell wouldn’t like paw prints on her eiderdowns,” Thomas replied, laughing.
“I could have a word with her. I’m sure she’d come around to the idea eventually. You’ve just got to word it right, make her see the sense in it,” Aline replied, warming to her subject. “Just think, a dog would be a perfect companion for you.”
“My old Tobias certainly was. I doted on him. Say, would you like to have some lunch with me? The Anaconda Hotel is open and they do a nice mutton stew with a big hunk of cornbread on the side,” Thomas said, and Aline nodded.
