Epilogue
Love, relief, and happiness flowed through Garrett as he watched Hannah’s siblings come running out of Dean’s house.
He watched as Hannah, in her own excitement to see them, dropped down quickly from Athena and ran toward them, meeting them in the yard.
Tears stung at his eyes as he watched her go to her knees as her siblings threw their arms around her, hugging and sobbing and welcoming them home.
There was so much love between them; so much relief to see one another well.
He dropped down from his own saddle, patting Banjo on the neck for a journey well ridden, and went to Athena to remove her saddle bags.
He was barely able to set the bags on the ground before he felt something flying into the back of his legs, and he was able to let out a surprised laugh just before he was taken to the ground by three pairs of little hands.
“We missed you!” Louis exclaimed, looking down at Garrett with a wide smile directly above his head.
“Did you go into the desert?” Maria asked, tugging at his left arm as she sat on the ground beside him. “Like Moses?”
“Do we get to go back to the Abodee?” Rebecca asked, tugging at his right arm.
“It’s an adobe,” Maria corrected her.
Garrett chuckled and, with a quickness, sat up and wrapped his arms around the three children.
They giggled and squealed as he hugged them tightly, and let them all take their turns squeezing their little arms around his neck.
Except for Louis, who, with his left arm still in a sling, only used one.
“Soon,” Garrett answered, sending up a silent prayer that he was right.
“We helped Logan and the others move our things out, just in case,” Maria said. “It’s all in one of the barns.”
“And Grace and Amanda helped me move my chickens!” Rebecca excitedly added.
“My calf got stolen,” Louis said somberly, “But Logan and Dean found it and the others! Now they’re all here!”
Garrett went still for a moment, then he gently untangled the children from his neck and chest so he could stand up.
“What was that, Louis?” he asked.
“Louis,” Isaac called, walking over to them before the young boy could answer. “Why don’t you, Maria, and Rebecca take Garrett and Hannah’s saddle bags into the house?”
Garrett turned his head and saw Isaac, Jacob, Logan, and Dean had all walked up to him; their faces set in grim expressions. No one spoke as Maria and Rebecca gathered the saddle bags and headed back toward Dean’s house, Louis skipping behind them.
“My cattle got stolen?” Garrett asked, feeling his chest grow tight.
“We got them back,” Logan assured him, clapping one hand on Jacob’s shoulder and another on Isaac’s. “Thanks to these two.”
More questions popped into his head as he looked from Isaac to Jacob.
“Welcome home,” Isaac said sheepishly, “Sorry we’re not greeting you with better news.”
Garrett blew out a long breath as he felt the weight of his responsibilities come crashing down on him yet again. He had been excited to return home with good news. So excited that he’d completely ignored the possibility that he could come home to bad news.
“Well,” he sighed, “What’s the story?”
Logan’s smile was tired as he stepped up to Garrett.
“I know you just got home, and I know you’re tired. But you and I should head into town. I’ll tell you the story on the way there,” he said.
Garrett took another look around at the solemn faces of the men and boys in front of him, worried for what he was about to find out.
Still, he nodded. Isaac and Jacob offered to put the horses away for him and after saying goodbye to Hannah, Garrett climbed atop a fresh horse with Logan, and they began a slow-paced ride into town.
Garrett remained silent as Logan told him about Jacob and Isaac’s temper after he’d left with Hannah.
He wasn’t surprised by Jacob’s anger, but Isaac’s took him aback.
Then he remembered that the boy truly was only fifteen, and that fifteen-year-old boys were prone to fits of intense emotions, even ones that usually acted so calm and mature.
It made him wonder if, like Hannah, he knew his father’s secret, and it had driven him harder to become the man of his family.
Even if he didn’t, Garrett already forgave him for what he did, even if it had been dangerous.
Logan went on, telling him how the two boys had tried to make a new start for themselves, thinking that running away and starting their own life would be good for Hannah.
Garrett’s discomfort grew as he was told how that idea got them surrounded by a group of rustlers who’d been using the trail the boys had taken to smuggle cattle.
Logan assured Garrett that he and Dean and the others were able to get the boys away from the rustlers, but in the rescue revealed something else.
Garrett’s discomfort grew into tight knots in his stomach as Logan explained that the group of rustlers, the same group that had attempted to steal his cattle while he was away, had been using that hidden trail because it not only connected all of the ranches, but led out to Mexico.
Once cattle was on such territory, it became anyone’s property, and that was how the rustlers had been operating for the last few years.
It was why, Logan told him, there had been such drastic measures taken to get the property away from him.
At the Sheriff’s office, Logan walked Garrett past the cells full of the rustlers that Dean, Logan, and a few of Dean’s ranch hands had been able to catch.
He expected Logan to stop at one of them, and was surprised when they walked past them all and headed to the small storage closet in the back, guarded by two deputies.
Logan gave them a nod as he unlocked the door, and as it swung open, Garrett’s jaw dropped.
“Frank?” He asked, unable to believe his eyes.
Dean’s foreman scowled as he looked up from the small table in front of him. He was tied to a chair, looking more like a caged animal than a man.
“Tell him, Frank,” Logan commanded, crossing his arms.
Frank’s lips drew into a sneer as he pulled against his restraints.
“I already told you,” He spit out, “I’m not giving up my boss. You think you’re big and in charge? You never met this man. He’ll make me suffer in ways you never could.”
Garrett glanced at Logan.
“It’s the one thing he won’t tell me,” Logan explained, then turned back to Frank.
“That’s fine, Frank. We’ll find out who it is eventually. For now, tell Garrett how he’s been losing his cattle. How he’s been suffering because of you.”
Frank glared at Logan, but as his gaze drifted to Garrett, a glimmer of guilt passed through his eyes.
“It was nothing personal, Garrett,” he murmured, “You’ve always been a good man.”
“What’s not personal?” Garrett asked, trying to remain calm.
Frank drew in a deep breath, then expelled it as his shoulders drooped and he stopped straining against his cuffs.
“Stealing from you. Your cattle. Your land,” he muttered. He shook his head, as if that would somehow dissuade his guilt, and kept going.
“Me and a few other fellas have been stealing cattle for years,” Frank confessed, “Not much, just a little from everybody so they wouldn’t take much notice.
Then about three years ago we were approached by this man.
Said he had a much bigger operation going on, and that if we helped him, we could make four times as much from rustlin’ cattle as we were back then.
“He told us that there was a hidden trail on your property that we could sneak the cattle out of that led to Mexico. He was going to send someone else to make sure the property was bought when Mr. Dawson passed. I guess he thought it would go to sale and he’d just be sure to place the highest bid.
Only it didn’t go to sale. Mr. Dawson left it to you, and even though you had the original deed, that wasn’t going to stop him.
“So he pulled me aside, told me that if I became a messenger for him he would pay me more. He had me take those messages to Judge McCall, and my boss bought him off. McCall had me help him break into the courthouse, replace the copy of Mr. Dawson’s deed with the fake.”
Garrett felt his breath punch out of his lungs. Everything he heard was horrible, yet he couldn’t ignore the silver lining.
“You’re willing to swear to this?” Garrett asked. “In court?”
Frank grimaced as he shot a look to Logan.
“Only if the sheriff here gets me a reduced sentence. You might have my confession but if he doesn’t do me a favor, I’ll never own up to it.”
Garrett’s head snapped toward Logan, who looked ready to add a few more bruises to Frank’s already black and blue face.
“I’ll see to it that it’s done,” Logan bit out, “But you need to swear to me right here and now that even after you get out of jail, you stay far away from Grace and Twin Rivers. I never want you coming near her again, you understand?”
Garrett’s brows flew up, surprised that through all that had happened, it was Grace that Logan seemed worried about most of all.
“Yeah,” Frank bit out, “Yeah, I swear.”
Logan then turned to Garrett, still looking ready to fight even with the satisfied smirk on his face.
“You know what this means, right?” Logan asked. “With Frank’s confession we can get your verdict thrown out.”
Garrett couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face.
“That’s not the only evidence we have,” he replied, clapping Logan on the shoulder. “Howard was a big help in Austin. We have proof now that the lawyer from Southern Pacific Railroad lied and submitted forged paperwork. He said he has legal grounds to sue not just them, but this Mr. Blackwood.”
At that, Frank let out a loud, bitter bark of laughter, spearing through the relief Garrett was feeling.
“Something funny?” Logan snarled, slamming his hand down on the table.
Frank only laughed harder, nearly sending his chair toppling backward as he threw his head back and howled as if he’d been suddenly possessed.
“Mr. Blackwood?” Frank laughed, shaking his head. “Mr. Blackwood doesn’t exist.”
Logan and Garrett looked at one another, concerned and confused.
“What do you mean he doesn’t exist?” Logan demanded.
“He’s a phantom,” Frank said, still laughing as if he’d lost the last shred of his sanity. “You won’t find him. But trust me. When he’s ready. He’ll find you.”
THE END?
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