Chapter 25
The judge didn’t rush through the trial.
He heard from everyone, including the woman who’d been absent from Clive’s first trial and the men who’d heard Calan Finlay brag about getting revenge against the man who’d killed his cousin.
Calan Finlay was no longer posted there and so couldn’t tell his version of events.
The woman’s testimony settled things for the judge and jury.
The Duncan family talked about Leland breaking Clive out of jail, and Leland killing Marshal Stan Ross. No one took that lightly. The family blamed everything on Leland and took no responsibility for themselves. Like innocent little lambs, they were.
Owen didn’t like it.
In the end, the jury accepted the testimony of men who benefited greatly from their version of what happened. But the woman accusing the Finlay cousins of assaulting her did ring true. And since all the madness had descended from that, Owen didn’t protest—not out loud anyway.
The Duncans were set free.
While Owen didn’t like it, he figured it was probably the right thing to do.
The instant the trial was over, the Duncans all hurried toward the courthouse door, likely hoping to leave town before the judge changed his mind.
All of them but Gordon ran off, who approached Morgan and said, “I want to help you hunt for Stella.”
Morgan shook his head. “Nope. We’re ready to be shut of you Duncans.
We’ll find her and then reunite her with you, if that is her wish.
She said a few things that made me wonder if your rugged life agreed with her.
We’ll make sure she’s safe whatever she chooses.
We’ll leave word for you here at the fort, so you can stop in and see if she wants to join up with you again. ”
Gordon stared at Morgan for a long moment. He must’ve decided that talking to Morgan was hopeless because he then turned and grabbed Owen by the upper arm. “I love that girl. She’s more my daughter than Sly’s. You’ll note he’s left without even asking about her. Clive and Johnny, too.”
Owen met Gordon’s eyes. He read sincerity there. “I believe you want to help, that you care about Stella like we care about Tex. But you can’t come with us.”
“I can help. I promise I—”
“Your promises are worthless,” Owen said, cutting Gordon off.
“Simple truth is we don’t trust you. I’m not going to spend this whole journey looking over my shoulder.
Wondering if I dare to sleep at night. Wondering if you lied your way through the trial when really you were all for Leland unloading that gun on us.
If you always stay together, your ‘tribe’ as you call it, then what was Leland doing alone in Fort Russell?
He may have gone in alone, but where were you at the time? Just out of town, holding his horse?”
“Hold on. That’s not—”
“And if you try to come with us, Gordon, I’ll get my father-in-law, the fort commander, to lock you up for a week or so. That way we can ride far ahead of you. You’ll be on your own then. Go hunt for Stella if you want to, but it won’t be with us.”
Gordon’s shoulders sagged more and more with each word. Owen saw genuine concern in his eyes, yet that didn’t change his decision. Finally, Gordon turned away and left the courthouse.
Owen glanced through a window and saw him talking with his brother and nephews. They all mounted up. They took their horses, as no one could prove they’d been stolen by anyone but Morgan and Tex, and then rode off.
Owen and Morgan might accept that the Duncans weren’t all criminals, but they still had a bur under their saddle about Leland shooting Stan, and they weren’t ready to trust the men in a clan like that.
Gordon had chosen his wild life and had left the niece he loved like a daughter behind.
He’d also neglected to tell Owen to make sure and leave word for him about Stella.
Owen looked at Morgan and saw disgust, which had to match his own. “Nothing wrong with having a wild life. Nothing wrong with choosing to live with no ties to the world outside those mountains. But Gordon and the rest of the Duncans, when they had to choose . . . they chose wrong.”
Morgan nodded. “You chose ties too, Owen, when you took on a wife. I’m going after Tex on my own.”
Owen snorted. “Don’t think of it as us coming with you, Morg. Think of it as you coming with us. Try and keep up.”
It was midafternoon. Plenty of time still to gather up his wife and some supplies, then hit the trail to go find Tex.