by Chloe Carley
“No, John, these men are right. I can’t do my job anymore, I can’t be sheriff of Lakestone anymore,” he said.
“Then who’s going to find our cattle?” one of the men called out.
A murmur of agreement went round, but Thomas shook his head.
“It seems that’s no longer my problem. Good day to you, gentlemen,” he said, turning his back on them.
It was certainly not a decision Thomas took lightly. But his hands were tied. The rustlings were out of hand, because Harrison knew he could get away with them. He had Thomas over a barrel and with Aline in danger, what choice did Thomas have but to hand over his badge?
The men murmured amongst themselves but eventually trooped out of the sheriff’s office, leaving Thomas and the deputy alone.
“You didn’t mean that, did you, Sheriff?” John Hoskin asked, but Thomas nodded.
“I did, John. My time as sheriff is over. Mayor Gould can have my badge this afternoon,” Thomas said.
“Well, you picked a mighty fine time for this, Sheriff. What am I meant to do? I can’t deal with all this on my own, I need you,” the deputy said, but Thomas just shook his head.
“I’m sorry, John, you’re just going to have to,” Thomas said, taking off his badge and laying it on the desk.
It caught the sun which was streaming through the window, glinting with a thousand memories of what had been. That badge had been Thomas’ identity, his whole reason for living. It was that badge which had brought him out of his old life and into the new, and laying it aside was the hardest thing he’d ever done.
John Hoskins looked at him sadly. They’d always worked well together, the town of Lakestone owing them much gratitude for the work they’d done. But now, Thomas knew it was time to move on, he had just one more idea to try and make things better and taking up his hat he nodded to the deputy, who continued to stare at him in disbelief.
“You’re going now? Just because those men came and crossed you with a few angry words? That’s not the sheriff I know,” the deputy said, shaking his head.
“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” Thomas replied, and with that he stepped out onto the street.
“This town’s the poorer for it,” the deputy shouted after him, but Thomas ignored him.
He’d speak with the mayor later on but right now, he’d one last plan to try and stop the rustling. Though he knew it meant making a deal with the devil himself.
***
Thomas walked towards the Anaconda Hotel. Several ladies were taking early morning tea on the veranda and a cart was being unloaded outside. He was looking for his half-brother, and sure enough, he saw him sat inside at the window eating breakfast. His brother often frequented the Anaconda Hotel, always the model of respectability, despite what Thomas knew to be the opposite.
It was with a heavy heart that he entered the hotel, knowing there was no going back if his brother agreed to his plan. Harrison had always said that Thomas would come crawling back and now he was willing to sacrifice himself, if only to save the town and Aline.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t Sheriff Redmond,” Harrison said, looking up from his breakfast and smiling.
“May I join you?” Thomas said, and his half-brother nodded, pointing to the chair opposite.
“Waiter, bring the sheriff a pot of coffee, will you? Put it on my bill,” Harrison said, smiling his ugly smile at Thomas.
“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” Thomas said.
“I knew you’d come, you didn’t have a choice,” Harrison said, leaning back in his chair and wiping his mouth with his napkin. His smile was unwavering, but behind it there lurked a menacing threat, the same hold which Harrison had always had over Thomas and it seemed, always would.
“But first, I need to know that Aline is safe,” Thomas said, as the waiter brought the pot of coffee.
“Why wouldn’t Aline be safe? She’s quite happy out at the ranch, I’ve got her running up some curtains,” Harrison replied.
“You give me your word you haven’t harmed her?” Thomas pressed, leaning forward so that no one else could hear.
“I told you, Thomas, I’m a man of my word. You and I have an agreement and, until you break it, Aline is safe,” Harrison replied.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” Thomas replied, drawing in a deep breath.
“I’m listening,” his half-brother replied.
“These rustlings are getting out of hand. I’ve had a mob in my office this morning, folks are angry and I can’t say I blame them,” Thomas said, as Harrison began to laugh.
“Well, of course they’re angry. They’re counting on the sheriff to do his job and catch these men,” Harrison said, raising his voice a little, as he shook his head in mock concern.
“Keep your voice down,” Thomas hissed.
“Or what? You’ll arrest me?” Harrison replied, laughing.
“I’ve told them I’ll give in my badge, resign my position. I’ll do that and what’s more… I’ll come back, you and I, like it used to be,” Thomas said.
He’d said it now, there was no going back. Harrison’s smile was unwavering, turning into a wide grin, as he began to laugh.
“Oh… Sheriff, you’ve got me there… oh, for a moment I thought you were being serious,” he said, slapping his thigh, his laughter echoing around the room and causing others to look over.
“I’m serious, Harrison. Leave town, I’ll come with you, but just stop these rustlings and leave Aline alone. She doesn’t deserve this,” Thomas said.
Abruptly, Harrison stopped laughing and fixed Thomas with an unpleasant look. His mouth narrowed and he leant forward, his eyes filled with malice.
“You listen to me, little brother, there’ll be no deal. This isn’t like the old days. I don’t trust you and you don’t trust me. You think you can just come crawling back after everything that’s happened?” he said, pulling up his sleeve and holding out his arm. “It may be the same blood that flows in these veins as in yours, but you and I are like chalk and cheese.”
“So what happens now?” Thomas asked, “I’ve laid my cards out on the table, what more can I offer?”
“Nothing, Thomas. You don’t need to offer me anything, I’ve got everything I want,” Harrison said, leaning back again in his chair, his face returning to a grin.
“And Aline? Will you leave her alone?” Thomas said, “I’ll hand in my badge, I’ll leave town. Just promise me you’ll leave her alone.”
“I’ve grown very fond of Aline these past weeks, very fond indeed,” Harrison said, that ugly smile once more playing across his face.
Thomas’ anger was growing. He wanted to grab Harrison there and then, haul him down to the jailhouse and throw away the key. But he knew that if he did that, he’d have a riot on his hands and that in no time at all the town would be swarming with bandits baying for a lynching and what’s more, he’d never see Aline again.
“You harm one hair on her head…” he began, but Harrison began to laugh.
“And you’ll what, Thomas? Have me arrested and brought before the judge?” Harrison said, shaking his head. “No, I’ve made up my mind. Aline and I are going to get married. I’ve got used to having her around the ranch, she’s quite the little house wife.”
“You… you what?” Thomas said, shaking his head in disbelief.
“You heard me, Thomas. Aline and I are going to get married. She doesn’t know it yet but I’m sure she’ll happily agree. After all, if it weren’t for me, she’d have no home to call her own, no nothing,” Harrison said.
Thomas couldn’t believe his ears. Harrison had no love for Aline, all he wanted was a convenience. A pretty woman to put on his arm and polish his veneer of respectability. It made Thomas feel quite sick to his stomach at the thought and stared at his half-brother in disbelief.
“You… you can’t, she’ll never marry you,” Thomas said, shaking his head.
“She will if she know
s what’s good for her,” Harrison said, finishing his cup of coffee and rising from his place. “Now, I think this meeting is over, don’t you?”
Thomas scowled at his half-brother, getting up from his chair, as Harrison put on his coat.
“This isn’t the last of this, Harrison,” he said.
“Oh, I think it is, Thomas. You’ve lost. Now, go hand in your badge and skip town. Lakestone is mine now,” Harrison said, stepping past him and beginning to whistle.
Thomas watched him leave, shaking with anger as he did so. Of all the rank injustice, of all the wicked deeds, this was surely Harrison’s worst.
I’ll hand in my resignation right now, Thomas thought, striding through the lobby of the Anaconda and out into the street.
Lakestone was busy that morning, folks bustling to and fro. Thomas felt sad at the prospect of leaving, but what other choice did he have? He couldn’t protect the people he’d sworn to serve, and there was no doubt in his mind that the rustlings would only get worse. Harrison would be true to his word, there’d be no peace for the town, not for anyone.
He was just crossing over to the mayor’s office, steeling himself for his final encounter with Mayor Gould, when there came a shout from across the street. Turning, he saw Pastor Warren hurrying towards him, calling for him to stop.
“Sheriff Redmond, I’m glad I caught you,” he said, breathless, as he put his hand on Thomas’ shoulder.
“Is everything all right, pastor?” Thomas said, imagining that perhaps money from the church plate had gone missing again, as it had done last fall.
“God is good,” the pastor intoned, “but I just heard from John Hoskins that you intend to resign your badge, is that true?”
Thomas didn’t know whether to be angry or simply admit it. He knew the deputy was upset by his decision, why shouldn’t he be? Thomas was leaving him in the lurch, with no other help but the goodwill of those around him.
“I’m going to see the mayor now,” Thomas said, but the kindly pastor shook his head.
“I don’t think you’ve been reading your scriptures closely enough lately, sheriff. If you don’t mind me saying so,” he replied.
“I say my prayers every night,” Thomas assured him.
It was true, he did. He’d said his prayers ever since he was a little boy. It was something his mother had taught him and when he prayed he always felt close to her.
“And I commend you for that, but did the good Lord give up when everything seemed to be going badly?” the pastor said, fixing Thomas with a kindly eye.
“No… but,” Thomas began.
“Ah… that’s right, he didn’t. Even when all hope was lost, the Lord was true to his father’s will. In the garden of Gethsemane, what did he say?” the pastor asked.
“Let this cup pass …” Thomas replied, and Pastor Warren smiled.
“But not my will but yours be done. He could have fled, would anyone have thought worse of him? Perhaps not, but he didn’t. He suffered, he went through with, all the way to Calvary,” the pastor said, his hand resting on Thomas’ shoulder.
“So, you’re saying I should stay and see it through? That I’d be a coward not to?” Thomas asked.
“Not a coward, no. You’ve done your bit, I’ll warrant that. But look around you, don’t you think these people need you? I sure do. Who else but you? As much as you think yourself inept, unworthy, unable, whatever, only you can do this. Better to stay and suffer than flee and regret,” he said.
Thomas paused, the pastor’s words sinking into his very soul. He couldn’t change how things were, he couldn’t stop Harrison, but he could keep his pride and he could stay, if only to watch over Aline from afar. The pastor’s words set a new resolve in his heart and he nodded, looking up at the mayor’s office and back to Pastor Warren.
“I… I don’t know if I could live with myself if I left,” he said.
“We don’t want you to leave. For every man in this town who says you’re doing a bad job, there’s a dozen who say you’re a good man trying his best,” the pastor replied.
“And leaving would be…” Thomas began.
“A mistake, and I say that as a pastor and I hope as your friend, too,” he replied.
Thomas smiled. It was just what he needed to hear. He’d spent so long doubting himself in the knowledge that he could do nothing against Harrison. But now, he knew there was one thing he could do and that was to stay. Harrison wouldn’t drive him out of town and Thomas cursed himself for even thinking of joining his half-brother’s outfit.
I’m not like that anymore, he told himself, nodding to the pastor.
“All right, you’re right. I might not be able to fix things but if I run away I definitely won’t be able to,” Thomas replied.
“That’s the spirit and remember your scriptures, not my will but yours be done. God loves a faithful trier,” the pastor replied, “I’m glad I caught you just in time, that’s the spirit moving. Alleluia!”
Thomas watched, as Pastor Warren ambled off back toward the church. He smiled, turning towards the sheriff’s office.
Come on, let’s get back to work. John Hoskins will certainly be pleased, he said to himself, straightening his belt and hat.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Aline had just taken a steaming apple pie triumphantly out of the oven. She’d mastered almost every recipe in Louisa Acton’s Book of Practical Household Recipes and had amazed herself just how readily she’d taken to the role of housekeeper for Mr. Knox.
The curtains, which she’d worked on late into the night, were now hung at the windows and she’d already seen the first signs of growth in her new vegetable plot. Lampeter Ranch really did feel like home now, a place where she felt safe and secure, despite all the problems going on around them.
She’d seen no sign of any outlaws or bandits and she was grateful to Mr. Knox for keeping her and Sammy safe. He was lain out on the rug by the stove, rolling over and over, playing with a ball of yarn.
“You silly cat,” Aline said, laughing at Sammy, who had managed to wrap himself in the yarn and was now ever so confused.
She’d just set the pie down on the table when the sounds of horse’s hooves brought her to the window. Outside in the yard, Mr. Knox had just arrived and he was calling out for Clarence and Hector to come and see to the horse.
Aline was glad to see him, his visits were always a joy and she was beginning to enjoy his company more and more. She’d tried not to think about Thomas as the weeks had gone by. His strange attitude toward her was still puzzling, but there was no accounting for human nature and the ways of others would always remain a mystery. She was happy and content in her work, pleased to be where she felt she belonged, in the home her parents had always intended for her.
“Good morning, Mrs. Hale,” Mr. Knox said as he entered the ranch house a few moments later.
He’d taken to letting himself in as he chose, rather than knocking. But Aline didn’t mind. It was his house, after all. At the sight of Mr. Knox, Sammy rolled over, trying to get up. But he was so wrapped up in the yarn that he couldn’t move.
“Oh… Sammy, look at you,” Aline said, as the cat tried desperately to get away. “It’s only Mr. Knox. You know him.”
“Here, let me help,” Mr. Knox said, stooping down to pick Sammy up.
But, as he did so, the cat arched his back and bit him hard on the hand.
“Sammy, you naughty cat!” Aline cried, as Mr. Knox shook his head and held it to his mouth.
“Just a scratch, Mrs. Hale,” he said, forcing a smile onto his face.
Aline picked up Sammy and carried him through to the bedroom, before shutting the door on him.
“No sardines for you,” she scolded as Sammy let out an angry meow. “Honestly, I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
“There’s no accounting for animals, Mrs. Hale. By their nature, they’re wild,” Mr. Knox said, taking a seat at the table.
“Would you like some pie? It’s appl
e, fresh out of the oven,” Aline said, trying to make up for Sammy’s bad behavior.
“It smells delicious. Just a small piece, I’ve not long had breakfast,” he replied.
Aline cut into the pie. The pastry was perfectly cooked and the smell which filled the room was quite divine.
“I’ve been practicing,” she said, proudly, as she laid the plate before her guest.
“And succeeding, Mrs. Hale. I’m amazed at how you’ve taken to life on the ranch and just look at those curtains. You’ve done a wonderful job of making this a home,” Mr. Knox said, looking around at Aline’s handiwork.
