Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
T he guilt pooling in Clara’s eyes had Miles’s gut clenching. He wanted to tell her she didn’t need to worry about him. But he couldn’t interrupt her story. The fact that Holloway put her in this position made his blood heat.
She pressed her lips together, rolling them in as she looked back at Jericho. “I tried to put him off, but he gave me two days to find it. I told him there wasn’t ever a time when the cabin was empty, so he said he would create a distraction. I didn’t know what he would do. I thought…another campfire. Or gunshots. That’s when Anna was taken.” Her voice hitched. “I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I didn’t know what to do. How to stop him.”
Emotion burned Miles’s eyes, clogging his throat.
How could he have not known Clara was suffering through this? Why hadn’t she confided in him? He could have helped.
They all could have helped, if only she’d trusted them enough.
Trusted him enough.
Dinah rested a hand on Clara’s arm through the blanket. “You were placed in an awful position. I’m so sorry.”
His sister-in-law’s gentleness seemed to increase Clara’s tears, for several more leaked down her face. Her shoulders jerked in a sob. But then she caught herself and let out an audible breath. “Anyway, I found the deed in your trunk.”
Jericho’s face hardened. He looked…furious.
Clara shifted her gaze to Dinah, maybe seeing what Miles was seeing. But surely his oldest brother knew she hadn’t betrayed them.
“I wasn’t going to let him take it.”
Dinah was nodding, her expression kind. “Of course you weren’t.”
“I thought maybe I could copy it and change some of the details so it was clear to a clerk that his was a forgery.”
“That’s smart.” Dinah had taken on the role of encourager. He’d never appreciated her so much as in this moment.
“I thought it was going to work.” The words squeaked out. “I sent the changed copy with the food yesterday. But then when Holloway showed up today and said we had to leave, he took me back to the camp and made me write another document.” Her pitch was high, as if she fought emotion to get the story out. “It said you were signing over the property to our boss at the railroad. A man named Marcus Winston.”
The name pricked at something in Miles’s memory.
And from the gasp nearby, he wasn’t the only one to recognize it.
“Winston?” Angela stepped closer, eyes wide and sparking. “Winston is part of this? He’s the man I worked for. The one who turned dirty and assigned me to follow Jude to find this ranch. I thought…”
Jude stepped beside her, and she turned her focus to him. “I thought he’d been sentenced by the Treasury Department.” Passion crept into her tone as she spoke. “It’s just like him to wheedle out of the charges. You said…if he’s Holloway’s boss, then that means he works for the railroad now.”
Clara nodded, her expression even more miserable, if that were possible. "Holloway said Winston was behind it all. The letter I wrote gives him ownership of the property on the Homestead deed. I changed the initials again, though, so as long as a clerk compares it to a log book, he’ll realize something is amiss."
Jericho straightened, his expression hardening. “You staked our whole ranch on two little letters and the competence of a clerk?” He shot a look at Miles, and it wasn’t hard to read his thoughts. You trusted this woman. We could have lost everything .
Confusion swirled inside him. Why hadn’t Clara said something? She could have told him what was happening. He could have helped. Did she not trust him?
She twisted to look at Miles, fresh tears gathering. "I didn't know what else to do. He said he would hurt all of you if I didn't write the letter. And Uncle Hiram, and I couldn’t let that happen. After what he did to Anna, I knew how far he’d go to get what he wants. I'm so sorry."
Her uncle. That blackguard threatened her uncle. And the rest of them, apparently. Clara must have been scared and torn between the two options. She did the best she could under the situation.
As he studied her watery gaze, he could see her heart. Her desperate desire to help—not hurt.
He cupped her face in his hands, using his thumbs to brush away the moisture on her cheeks. "You did the best you could in that position.” He tucked her closer. “And it’s all over. You’re safe. I’m so glad you’re safe.”
Once more, a shuddering breath left her body, and she rested against him.
Jericho’s tone didn’t sound quite as forgiving, but not as angry as before. “Where’s the real deed? Back in my trunk?”
Clara took in another deep inhale. “I didn’t get a chance to put it back before Holloway came for us.” She looked up at Miles again. “I made an excuse to leave them on the way back to the camp and tucked it between the crates in the storage shed where we took shelter. It was the only place I knew of where it’d be safe, and you would certainly find it.”
Miles met his older brother’s gaze and raised his brows. Would Jericho see Clara had done the best she thought she could in the midst of a miserable situation? She’d protected them in every way she could think of.
Jericho’s eyes softened a tiny bit more. He was acquiescing. Especially since they knew everything now.
Jericho’s gaze turned distant as his mind clearly moved on to another thought. "Sounds like we're dealing with a different enemy than we realized." He glanced around at their other brothers and Eric, who’d come in from the barn. “I wonder if Holloway and his men are responsible for the rest of what’s been happening around here? The butchered cow, the campfires, and the stranger who tried to get to the house.”
Miles played back through the events in his mind. It seemed possible. Maybe not the stranger. Had he looked like one of the surveyors?
Clara shifted. “I don’t know. I truly don’t. I wouldn’t have thought them that kind of people before he forced me to search for the deed. Now, I wouldn’t put it past them.”
Quiet settled over the group as they all worked through the question. Clara no longer trembled against him—a good sign. She needed sleep as much as her uncle. They all did.
Patsy approached from the cookstove, carrying a bowl. “You should eat. This soup will help warm you and bring back your strength.”
Clara took the bowl from Patsy with a weak smile.
Jericho stood and shifted back to stand with the others. Ready to make plans.
Miles needed to be part of those plans. But he also needed to stay here with Clara. He couldn’t imagine a time he’d be ready for her to leave his arms.
Thankfully, Jericho spoke loudly enough to include him. "We need to go after them at first light.” He glanced around his brothers.
Jude spoke up. “I’m going. We have to get to the bottom of this, especially with Winston involved.”
“Me too.” Jonah gave a solid nod.
“I’d like to come.” Clara’s voice beside him caught him off guard.
Miles shifted to see her face.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Dinah spoke up, then turned to her husband. “She ought to stay here where it’s safe. These men almost killed her once already.”
But Clara’s tone came stronger. “You might need me to confirm the documents are fake, assuming they’re going straight to a land office.”
That made sense, but he couldn’t stomach the thought of her heading back out in the cold. Nor of her going near any of those men who’d just tried to kill her.
Clara turned back to Jericho. “I need to go with you.”
Jericho studied her a heartbeat. Then he gave a slow nod. “It’s up to you. We’ll be there to protect you. It might not be an easy ride though.”
“I’ll be fine.” Clara was a fighter. Gentle, completely giving of herself, and strong.
If she intended to ride with his brothers, there was nothing in the world that could keep him from going along too.
He gave Jericho a nod. “I’m going too.”
T wo days later, the early morning sun hadn’t yet burned the fog from the snowy meadow as Clara mounted her horse alongside Miles and Jericho, Jude, and Jonah. Puffs of steam rose from the horses' nostrils in the icy air. Her own breath clouded too.
Last night had been frigid, though they’d kept the campfire stoked and all slept close to it. They’d brought furs for cover, but it felt like she’d never be warm again.
No one spoke as they started out, Jericho in the lead. The surveyors’ tracks weren’t hard to follow in daylight, thanks to the snow still covering the landscape. Their direction hadn’t been clear at first, but Jericho said they now seemed aimed toward Missoula Mills. And probably the land office there. The thought coiled in her gut.
Jericho pushed into a lope over the open land. Their quarry hadn’t stuck to the main road, but traveled nearby. Maybe trying not to be seen by travelers, but the route left their tracks mostly undisturbed.
More than an hour later, the town buildings appeared through the trees ahead.
She glanced at Miles, who rode beside her. He sat tall in the saddle. Confident and determined. Those broad shoulders, the set of his jaw. He looked like a man who could protect her. Yet those warm eyes, they were gentle. Especially the way they looked at her now.
He nudged his horse closer to hers and spoke quietly. "How are you holding up?"
She gave a tight smile. "I'm all right. Just cold."
“Hopefully we can stay in Missoula Mills tonight. The hotel will be warm.” That sounded like Heaven.
As they approached the outer edge of town, the surveyors’ tracks merged onto the road, becoming impossible to decipher among all the other wagon and horse prints.
Jericho motioned for them to ride alongside him. “We should probably head straight for the land office. See if they’ve tried to register the bill of sale yet. But stay sharp. They could be anywhere in town. If they’re watching, they might see us before we see them.”
They didn’t pass many people on their ride down the quiet street. Would the land office even be open yet? It must be about half past eight. Nine at the latest.
When they reached the squat clapboard building bearing a sign for the land office, Jericho swung from his saddle, and the rest of them followed suit.
They tied their horses to the rail in front of the door.
“Should we all come in?” Jude asked.
Jericho glanced back. “Probably a good idea. Strength in numbers.” His gaze landed on Clara and softened. “They might need your word too, Miss Pendleton.”
She nodded firmly. “I’ll tell everything I know.” She would do everything possible to make sure the Coulters didn’t lose their ranch.
When they entered, the man sitting at a desk behind the counter stood and peered at them over his spectacles. He didn’t speak, just waited with expectation.
Jericho stepped forward, his boots heavy on the wood floor. "Morning. I'm Jericho Coulter, and these are my brothers and a friend.” He paused, maybe letting the clerk register their names. “We’re wondering if a group of men, maybe four of them, stopped here in the last day to register a sale for our ranch.”
The clerk’s gaze narrowed on him. Was he thinking about the people who’d come here, or deciding how much to say?
As cold as she’d been two minutes ago, sweat dampened under her arms now. The thought that they might lose the ranch—or at least have to fight to prove ownership—was no small matter.
“There were some men.” The clerk’s gaze pinned on Jericho, his brow gathered. “You’re Jericho Coulter? You do look familiar.”
Jericho nodded down the line of them. “These are my brothers, Jonah, Jude, and Miles, and Miss Clara Pendleton.” He turned back to the clerk. “You say they came in here?”
The clerk pursed his lips, and something in his expression settled. "Yesterday, late afternoon. Four of them, like you said. Tried to register a bill of sale for the Coulter ranch."
Tried to?
Her heart stuttered. They’d been here. But the clerk's words held a note of uncertainty.
The man shook his head. "The names on the documents didn't match up with what’s in the ledger."
Relief washed through her, so strong it left her lightheaded.
Her changes had worked. She let out a slow breath. Maybe the first since she’d walked in this building.
Miles’s hand slipped around hers, gripping tight.
Jericho leaned forward, his voice low and urgent. "What happened? Did they leave the documents with you?"
The clerk stood taller. "I refused to accept them. They weren't too happy about that, but there wasn't much they could do. Last I saw, they headed over to the hotel." He pointed out the window toward a large, two-story building down the street.
"Thank you, sir." Jericho reached out and shook the man’s hand. "You may have just saved our ranch."
As they stepped back out onto the street, the cold wind biting their faces, Jude spoke up. "We headed to the hotel?"
“Yep.” Jericho untied his horse while the rest of them did the same. “We can walk there.”
Movement would help warm them.
Miles stayed at her side as they maneuvered the street, skirting frozen wheel ruts and animal droppings.
When they approached the hotel, two people stepped outside.
Another man jogged from the building across the street to enter where the first two had exited.
“Seems there’s a lot of activity.” Jonah murmured just loud enough for them all to hear.
Another group of people exited the building, this time a woman and man. The lady pulled her shawl tight around her, not nearly enough cover for the bitter cold.
Had something made them rush out without thinking through what they’d need?
The woman spoke loudly, going on about something, though they weren’t close enough for her to make out the words. The couple turned the other direction. Maybe headed to the café she’d seen down the block.
A few minutes later, Jericho held the door open, and they stepped into the foyer of the hotel. This one wasn’t nearly as big or fancy as the lodging in Fort Benton, but at least the place was warm.
At the moment, it seemed rather crowded too. The clerk behind the desk looked harried, his face pale as he spoke to a group of men gathered across from him.
It was impossible not to hear the conversation.
"I found him just like that." The clerk’s voice trembled. "Lying there in his room, a knife in his belly."
She exchanged a glance with Miles. A murder in the hotel?
“What’s his name?” The fellow who asked looked like he might have been the man running toward the hotel a few minutes ago. He asked the question with authority and was writing in a book as he spoke.
“He registered as Marcus Winston. Been here three days.”