A Constant Love (The Hope of Cheyenne #1)

Chapter 21

21

Micah stared at Lewis for a long moment. The man was certain he knew the truth, but Micah was equally certain he and Charlotte had never said a word about his father’s suicide. They would never have used that word in public. They knew the dangers of being overheard.

“You’re an evil man, Bradley, and you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I know enough that you’ll soon be on your way to jail and perhaps even execution if I work things just right.” Bradley laughed and went to where he kept his whiskey. “Would you like one last drink?”

“I don’t drink anymore.”

“Pity. It could give you the courage you’re going to need.” He poured himself a drink. He turned to face Micah once again and lifted his glass. “Here’s to the truth.”

“You wouldn’t know the truth if it punched you in the face. Look, I don’t much care what you do to try and hurt me, but the Aldrich women deserve better. If you hurt Mrs. Aldrich, you’ll hurt Charlotte as well and ruin their good name. That won’t bode well for you.”

“Since Charlotte’s done nothing but keep the secret, folks will overlook her part. It’s not like she was the one to pull the trigger.”

Micah frowned. “What do you mean, exactly?”

“Oh, let’s not play games, Micah. We both know exactly what we’re talking about. Your father didn’t freeze to death with the Aldrich men. You put him in the ground before the truth could be known. Of course, the body could be dug back up to prove the wound that ended his life.”

Micah was on his guard. Lewis Bradley knew something, but he couldn’t possibly know everything. There was just something about the situation that suggested Bradley was making this up as he went.

“I’m sure you thought you could keep things buried along with the body, but lies have a way of being exposed over time.”

“I’m sure you’re an authority on that.” Micah could see his words had little effect on Lewis Bradley. The man was absolutely delighted by the situation. He knew he was making Micah uncomfortable. Micah just wished he could make Bradley reveal what he knew.

“Well, rather than me going into the details of my father’s death, why don’t you tell me what it is you think you know.”

Bradley laughed. “I know plenty, and soon the entire town will know it as well.”

“If everyone knows, then how is it that you plan to control Charlotte with it and force her to marry you?”

“Well, there are several aspects to this matter, as you well know. There’s your part in the situation, and then of course her mother’s actions.”

Micah had had more than enough and was just about to speak when there was a loud knock on the door.

Lewis Bradley smiled and then tossed back his whiskey. “Ah, that will be the law.”

Micah turned toward the library door as the butler ush ered in not just any lawman, but the chief of police himself, Edward Vogel.

“Chief Vogel, I’m so glad you could come.”

Micah extended his hand to Chief Vogel. “Good to see you again.”

“Micah.” Vogel shook his hand, then glared at Bradley. “What’s this all about, Mr. Bradley? Your boy came creating such a scene at the jail that I felt I had to get involved.”

“And I’m glad you did, Chief. This is a dire situation. I want you to arrest Micah for the murder of his father.”

“Wayman Hamilton died over a year ago when he froze to death.”

Lewis Bradley shook his head. “That’s only what Micah wanted us to believe. He killed his father, plain and simple. Shot him to death, and I have a witness who can lend credibility to my accusations.”

“I did not kill my father.” Micah’s statement was matter-of-fact, but rage was building within. He couldn’t very well reveal what had happened without letting Bradley know the truth. If he could just speak to Vogel in private, then maybe he could explain. Even so, there would no doubt be consequences.

Bradley rang for the butler, and in a moment the man stood beside Vogel in the doorway. “Please ask Mr. Hendricks to join us. You should find him in the carriage house.”

“Yes, sir.” The butler left as quickly as he’d come.

Lewis Bradley gave an ominous smile. “I don’t suppose you counted on Kit Hendricks being around. Once you saw to him being fired from the Aldrich ranch, I found him and hired him to work for me.”

Micah held his temper in check. “It doesn’t surprise me. You two deserve each other.”

It didn’t take long for Kit Hendricks to appear. He strode past Vogel and Micah and went to stand close to Bradley.

“You wanted to see me, Boss?”

“Yes, I want you to explain to Chief Vogel what you know about Micah killing his father.”

Kit nodded and looked at Vogel, ignoring Micah. “Well, it was a bad day with the blizzards and winds. Mr. Aldrich and his son had gone out to try and save some of their herd. They were gone for hours, and Mrs. Aldrich got worried. She sent me and some of the boys to the Hamilton ranch to let them know the men were missing and get their help for a search.

“We got there and heard Mr. Hamilton and his son fighting. It was a terrible fight with the sound of broken glass coming from inside the house. I heard Mr. Hamilton yell for Micah to calm down. Then there was the sound of scuffling and more yelling.”

“And what makes you think that Micah killed his father?” Vogel asked.

“He said he was going to. That was one of the things he yelled as they fought. He said, ‘I’m gonna kill you, Pa!’ Micah didn’t know we were just outside the house.”

“We were in the barn when your bunch showed up, Hendricks,” Micah said, his hands balling into fists. “And I never once called my father pa .”

“Better watch him, Chief Vogel. He looks ready to take a swing at Hendricks,” Bradley pointed out. Kit took several steps back.

“If I were going to hit anyone, it’d be you, Bradley, for all the misery you’ve caused Charlotte and her mother.”

Bradley looked at Edward Vogel. “See there. What did I tell you? He’s violent and intends to do me harm.”

Vogel turned to Micah. “What’s your version of this?”

“My dad and I were in the barn. Between storms we’d ridden out to see if we could find any of the herd. There were so many dead that it upset my father a great deal. He was angry at the loss and angry that he hadn’t listened to advice regarding the winter. The sound of broken glass wasn’t glass at all. My dad threw a clay pot against the barn wall in frustration. We weren’t fighting. Dad was just raging against all that had happened.

“When the Aldrich hands showed up to announce the men were missing, Dad put aside his frustration, and we went out to search for Mr. Aldrich and Frank Jr. The Aldrich ranch hands were too worried about their own safety, and most resigned their positions and left without helping. Hendricks stayed at the ranch rather than help us locate his boss.”

“I was told to remain at the ranch,” Hendricks countered. “Mrs. Aldrich didn’t release me to go, and I don’t take orders from the likes of you.”

Micah nodded. “I’d be surprised if you’re capable of following orders from anyone for very long.” He looked back at Chief Vogel. “Dad and I found Mr. Aldrich and Frank Jr. They’d frozen to death. Dad told me to go get a wagon to bring them back. When Lucille Aldrich and I returned, Dad was dead as well.” His gaze never left Vogel’s face. “We took Dad back to our place, and I buried him.”

“Of course, he would say something like that,” Bradley declared. “He’s hardly going to admit to killing his father, but Mr. Hendricks overheard the threat. Not only that, but I overheard Micah speaking with my fiancée about the truth of what had happened. He said it was all his fault that his father was dead. Charlotte offered him comfort. You need only confront Charlotte and her mother to get the truth.”

“Bradley has been threatening Charlotte to force their marriage,” Micah told Vogel.

“He would like that to be the truth because he wants the Aldrich money and my soon-to-be wife. However, I believe you have ample grounds to make an arrest. Then I suggest you dig up the body of Wayman Hamilton. I believe you’ll find he didn’t freeze to death at all. He was shot.”

Time seemed to stand still. Micah met Vogel’s stern expression but said nothing. What could he say?

When Micah didn’t turn up at supper, Lucille had her concerns. He had gone to pay Lewis Bradley a visit, and she knew very well that things could have gone badly. Mr. Bradley wasn’t the sort to take kindly to someone interfering in his plans.

Charlotte had refused to come down to dinner, and so Lucille and Nora shared the table with Barnabus and Simon, discussing the area around them and the potential for a successful farm.

“Water is going to be the hardest part of it,” Barnabus was telling her. “It’s easy to see why farming is difficult out here. Those university people who’ve been studying the area say you folks have a very limited amount of rain. Sometimes not even fifteen inches a year. You’re only going to be successful by doing something called dry farming.”

“Dry farming? It sounds like a contradiction.” Lucille took a bowl of succotash offered to her by Nora and scooped some onto her plate. She hadn’t been hungry since the change of the wedding date, but she had to at least try to keep up her strength.

“It’s becoming more and more necessary as the nation settles in a variety of areas that no one thought was much good for anything. The idea is that the farmer can use what little rain has been given and store it in the ground. The key is deep plowing and planting, or what’s being called drilling.”

Barnabus continued talking about the techniques, with Simon joining in with a comment from time to time. Lucille was glad to hear what they had to offer, but her mind was on Micah. Where was he?

By the time supper finished, there was still no sign of him. Lucille wondered if maybe he’d just ridden in and gone straight to his cabin. She helped Nora clear the table, then made her way outside and headed straight to the foreman’s cabin. She knocked several times and finally just opened the door.

It was dark inside and clearly void of life. She knew from having checked the time in the house before heading out that it was nearly eight. They’d been late to the table that night because of a variety of things, including waiting on Micah’s return. But now here it was nearly time for bed, and Micah was still missing.

Lucille stepped outside, pulling the door closed behind her. The last of the light was fading from the sky. Soon it would be dark. Maybe he had decided to stay in town. Maybe he learned there was a stock growers meeting, and he wanted to stick around for it.

She tried to calm her nerves, so she prayed.

“Lord, nothing is going as it should just now. You know I’ve been praying without ceasing. Please show me what I’m to do. I know I lied about Micah’s father, and I pray You forgive me. It was done only with the best intentions. I wanted to save Micah from further grief. I knew people would look down on him if they knew the truth.

“I don’t know what’s happened in town, but I pray that You keep Micah safe and that I’m not waiting too long to act.”

The last time she’d done that it had resulted in the loss of her husband and son. Would waiting bring about tragedy once again? She sighed. It was so hard to just let go of her fears and give it all over to God. After forty some years of following Jesus, Lucille had expected to be better at trusting Him in all things. She drew a deep breath and pushed the bad thoughts aside to continue her prayers.

“And, please, Lord, let Charlotte know that she can talk to me and explain her decision. Let her tell me what’s wrong so that we can figure out a way to make things better. Amen.”

A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she glanced heavenward. “Frank, I wish you’d never started the arrangement with Lewis Bradley. I wish Charlotte had never captured his attention. But things are as they are, and now we’re left to pick up the pieces and figure out what to do next.”

She hugged her arms to her body and looked back down the road.

“Please come back to us, Micah.”

Charlotte awoke with the sunrise, and for a moment she didn’t remember any of the problems in her life. Still groggy, she sat up and stretched, smiling at the memory of Micah’s kiss. But then the truth filled in the missing details, and she remembered why that kiss had been given. It wasn’t the romantic kiss she’d dreamed of, with Micah pledging his love and Charlotte countering with her own promise to always be his. It had come to prove to her that she was a fool ... and liar.

She got up and dressed quickly. It was almost impossible to make sense of her life. She prayed but knew that God wanted her to speak to her mother. To be honest with her and tell her why she had agreed to marry Lewis Bradley. She knew, however, what her mother’s response to that would be. Mama would want the truth to be told rather than have Charlotte marry a horrible man like Lewis Bradley. Mama would rather be ostracized for her part in the lie than to make Charlotte pay the price.

Her hair was an unruly mess, and after trying several times to braid it, Charlotte finally just twisted it and pinned it in place atop her head. She wished she could just as easily pin her messy life into place.

For several long moments she stared into the mirror. The woman who stared back was full of fear and doubt. She was trapped. Lies had backed her into an impossible corner. How could she even entertain the idea of marrying Lewis Bradley? How could she betray Micah that way—betray herself?

“God, please help me. Show me what to do—right away.”

She headed downstairs and could hear men’s voices as she approached the dining room. She knew Micah would be there and stiffened her resolve.

I must be strong. I must be brave.

Charlotte entered the room and gazed at the people around the table. Micah was strangely absent. She took her seat and nodded to her mother.

“Morning, Mama.”

“Are you feeling better?” her mother asked.

“I suppose so. I am hungry.” She glanced at Micah’s empty seat, wanting so much to ask where he was.

“He didn’t come back last night.”

Charlotte looked at her mother. “Where had he gone?”

“To speak to Lewis Bradley.”

A chill rushed over her body, and Charlotte shook her head. “Why? Why would he do that?”

“Here we are, just as you requested,” Nora said, bringing in a platter piled high with flapjacks. “I hope they’re as light as you’re used to. The boys in the bunkhouse downed them faster than anything I’ve ever seen.”

She added the platter to the table to join one with bacon and another with scrambled eggs. “I’ll fetch the coffee, and we can begin.”

Charlotte looked at her mother the minute Nora left the room. “Tell me what this is all about.”

“Barnabus, Simon, forgive me, but I need to speak to Charlotte alone. We’ll return as soon as we can, but in the meantime please eat your breakfast.” She got up and headed for the hall.

“Are you sure it can’t wait?” Barnabus called. “Your breakfast will get cold.”

“It’s very important,” Mama replied, not even turning to face him.

Charlotte followed her mother, not understanding the sudden need for secrecy. “Mama, what’s going on?”

“Step outside with me. We don’t want to be overheard.”

Once they were well away from the house, Mama turned to face Charlotte. The look on her face reminded Charlotte of when she’d come to tell her that Papa and Frank were dead.

“What is it? Please just tell me.”

“Micah had asked Mr. Bradley what he was threatening you with, and he made some comment about Micah’s past and secrets. I don’t know what exactly was said, but—”

Before she could finish the sound of a lone rider coming up the drive drew their attention.

“Micah,” Charlotte said and then shook her head as the rider drew near. “No, it’s Lewis.”

“Oh dear. This is not good.”

Charlotte grabbed her mother’s hand. “Mama, go inside. I’ll speak to him alone.”

“No, I won’t leave you alone with him. He’s obviously up to no good.”

“Please, Mama. Just do as I ask. I have a feeling it won’t take long, and then hopefully I can tell you what’s going on with Micah. If Lewis is behind it, he’ll no doubt want to gloat.”

Her mother didn’t argue, and Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief as she went back into the house. Charlotte’s hunger faded as Lewis climbed down from his horse and drew near.

“You look as if you were anticipating my arrival.”

She stalked toward him, hands on hips. “Where’s Micah? What have you done to him?”

Lewis laughed. “What, no hello or kiss for your betrothed?”

“I want the truth.” Charlotte cocked her head to one side as she studied him. “What did you do?”

“It came to mind that your cooperation would be better assured if there were an immediate threat to the welfare of this man you love. I could tell by your paltry attempt to threaten me with the assurance of signing over your inheritance to your mother prior to our wedding that you weren’t going to do as I asked. At least not without incentive.”

“Micah came to talk to you.”

“He did, and I told him that I knew everything and I even had a witness who could see him put in jail for his misdeeds.”

“That’s a lie. Micah did nothing wrong.”

“Oh, but he did. None of you would be acting the way you are had his father died a simple death in the blizzard.”

“There was no one to witness Micah’s father’s death save Micah and my mother. You know nothing. Micah bears no responsibility in what happened.”

“Then why all the secrecy, my love?” Lewis drew closer and took hold of her arms. “You see, as a man who has perfected the art of lying for a living, I know when someone isn’t telling the truth. But all of that is soon to be behind us. You will marry me Sunday, and Micah will hang for his father’s murder.”

“But that’s not what happened! You can’t do this.”

He smiled and tightened his hold. “I can and have. Micah is in jail as we speak, and once his trial takes place and the guilty verdict rendered ... he’ll hang.”

“Then I won’t marry you. I’ll never marry you!” She drew her booted foot back and kicked him hard in the shin.

Lewis released her and jumped back with a cry. “You’ll pay for that.”

“I’m finished with you, Lewis. Get off my land.”

He stopped rubbing his leg and looked up at her. “You do this, and your mother isn’t long for this world.”

Charlotte felt as if she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t let him see how he’d affected her, however. She fixed him with what she hoped was a hard, unwelcoming look. “Go!”

He stood looking as if he couldn’t figure out whether to fight or leave. Charlotte pointed her finger at him. “Go now, and Lewis...” She paused, making sure she had his utmost attention. “If anything happens to my mother, anything to cause her harm, I will give everything on this ranch and in the bank to the church. You aren’t ever going to get the Aldrich money.”