Chapter 8
She wasn’t engaged to another man. Aaron steeled himself to keep from taking her in his arms and tasting her rosy lips. He wouldn’t, though. Something else was on her mind besides romance, but whatever it was, she was keeping it hidden. He’d bide his time, but as sure as Canadian geese flew north for the summer, he was going to court that woman before she left the ranch.
The sun had set the western mountains ablaze by the time Aaron and Gieselle got home from church. Thankfully, Wally had cooked supper. He brought in a savory ham and cabbage stew with cornbread on the side as soon as they entered the house. “The men have already eaten but Miss Liddy and I waited.”
Liddy was still in her wheelchair and Wally wheeled her in place at the table. “Did you two enjoy church?” Her voice sounded strained.
“Yes. Reverend Brown preached a wonderful sermon about loving your neighbor.”
Aaron seated Gieselle and took his place opposite, beside Wally. He gave the grace and noticed that Liddy didn’t look up after the amen, but continued staring at her bowl. He wasn’t sure what was going on. Maybe she’d stayed up too long and was simply fatigued.
Gieselle related everything that happened before and right after church, speaking in detail, as she usually did, but she didn’t mention her visit with the reverend. Not that she should have, since people didn’t usually discuss such matters.
“Did the new men get here all right?” Aaron asked during a lull in Gieselle’s one-way conversation.
“They seemed glad to be back. Said they preferred wide open spaces better than the forests that kept them busy in the lumberjack business.”
“I think I’d prefer the cattle business better myself,” Aaron said.
“Really? You’d stay on the ranch?” Gieselle’s tone held a touch of excitement.
“I might. My headquarters is in St. Louis, but it runs smoothly without me.”
“Papa has offices in St. Louis, too,” Gieselle said.
“I know. I’ve traveled on his boats a time or two. Much more pleasant travel than on a train.”
They finished the meal in near silence. Miss Liddy’s mood had soured and Aaron sorely missed the cheerful banter tossed between her and her niece.
Gieselle stood and began gathering her dishes. As if on cue, Aaron and Wally rose and Miss Liddy pushed her chair away from the table. Wally came to her assistance before Aaron could offer.
“I’ll help you with the dishes.” Aaron brought his dishes to the sink.
Gieselle glanced over her shoulder, her hands in the dishwater. “No, I won’t hear of it. Just set those dishes on the counter. I know you want to talk to those new men before bedtime.” She sidestepped, pushing him aside. A jolt of electricity shot up his arm where they touched. She gazed into his eyes, then lowered those thick lashes that seemed to go on forever. Her cheeks pinked and she quickly averted her head. Could be she also felt what had his pulse racing.
But she was right. He had to talk to the former employees of the Circle A.
Wally and the new men were standing just inside the newly refurbished bunkhouse as if waiting for Aaron. “This here is Larry Crocker and Dave Linder. They used to work here and I reckon they know more about how it used to be run than I do,” Wally introduced them.
Aaron shook hands, first with Larry, a greasy-haired, lanky cowboy, then Dave, a shorter and younger man. “Glad you fellows could hire on. We’ll be getting in seven hundred head of prime Angus beef cattle sometime this week.”
“Happy to be back for my part,” Dave said. “That’s about the same number of cows we lost in that avalanche last year.”
“That’s what I heard. Let’s get some coffee and talk about it.” Aaron gestured for them to follow him to the kitchen. This was where Wally would be cooking for the hands from now on. Gieselle would prepare meals for those residing in the ranch house.
Larry swept the long room with a searching glance. “This is a lot nicer than before. Don’t you think so, Dave?”
“Yep, somebody spent some money in here, and I saw new fences on the way in. Miss Liddy must be doing a lot better.” Aaron knew he meant financially.
“She is,” Aaron said. He had no intention of explaining his and Liddy’s deal. Not that it was a secret. It just wasn’t their business.
Wally set mugs on the long table that seated sixteen, one he and Aaron had built just last week. Neither one of them could boast carpentry skills, but the table would serve the purpose.
The ladderback chairs Aaron had purchased arrived by rail and he’d brought them from Rattlesnake Ridge the day before Gieselle arrived. The four men pulled out the new chairs and sat.
Aaron ran his finger around the rim of his cup. “As I understand it, you, Dave, along with the Coley cousins drove seventy-five hundred head from the Circle A on the way to the stockyards at Reno, but for some unknown reason, they disappeared.”
Dave shoved back a little as his gaze shifted from one to the other men, avoiding Aaron’s eyes. “Yeah. We lost them.”
Larry jumped in. “Weren’t enough men to drive seventy-five hundred beeves even if it was a short way. I told Wally that.”
“You were needed at the ranch. Liddy thought the men were capable,” Wally said, his back up. “Besides, the Saunders ranch was going to send three more men with his herd. They were going to join them at the bottom of our property.”
“Where were you, Larry?” Aaron asked.
“I was in Virginia City, helping my sick ma move to my sisters place in Carson City.”
“The Saunders men never showed up,” Dave said. “Or so the Coleys said. I was scout for the drive so I was a piece on down the trail.”
While the others were talking, Aaron had emptied his cup. He pushed it back on the table and propped his elbows on table top. “There was a landslide and a rumor that the cattle were all buried under the slide.”
All of the men knew about the landslide, but Aaron glared at Dave since he was the only eyewitness. “We were on the ridge, not far from the mountains. I was at the pass on the way to Reno when I heard a boom, like dynamite going off. That wasn’t too unusual since prospectors come in ever so often, trying to find a new vein.”
“And what happened then and how far were you from the herd?”
“I don’t know exactly, but I must have been about a mile away. Right after the boom, the whole ground shook, like an earthquake, and that was followed by rumbling like a dozen trains coming down the track.”
A nerve jerked in Dave’s neck. “I hightailed it back but I was blocked by the landslide. I’d say it was at least a hundred yards wide. Naturally, I was concerned about the Coleys, cause I couldn’t see them anywhere.”
“Could you see the cows?”
Dave turned his head from left to right back to left. “Not hide nor hoof. I scouted around the slide and hollered for the fellows till I was hoarse, but couldn’t find nobody. It started getting dark so I went back to the ranch.”
“What about the Coleys?”
“They sent a message by one of the Saunders’ hands that they were still trying to find the missing cattle.”
“I thought you said the Saunders didn’t show up?”
“Apparently, they did after awhile.”
Aaron made a mental note to go see John Saunders and find out what he knew. “Go on.”
“The Coleys came back to the ranch after about a week, I reckon, and said they couldn’t find even one cow, so they must all have been buried in that landslide.”
Aaron slid a gaze to Wally. “Does that fit with your understanding?”
“That was about it. Without the money from the sale of those cows, Miss Liddy couldn’t afford to pay the Coleys or the other hands, including Larry and Dave, and had to let them go.”
“I was sorry to go,” Dave said.
“Me too,” Larry echoed.
Aaron was sure neither man was guilty of any shenanigans. Maybe a little dense to believe seventy-five hundred cows could be all buried under a landslide. “Did anyone except the Coleys inspect the landslide?”
“No,” Wally said. “Do you think they were lying? Or maybe you’re thinking they rustled the cows and used the landslide to explain their disappearance.“ Wally shoved his chair out from under the table and slapped his leg. “Sure, that could’ve happened, but where would they have taken the beeves?”
“Maybe they hooked up with the Saunders and drove them to Reno.”
Larry jumped up. “What? You’re saying they just left Dave behind? You think the Saunders were in on it since they sent us a message about the Coleys out looking for our missing cows?”
“I don’t know what to think yet, but I doubt those cows are buried under the landslide—not all of them.” He glanced at the men’s astonished faces. “I want all of you, except Wally, to go with me to that landslide. We’ll take picks and shovels.”
“So, we’re going to be digging up dead cows?” Dave asked. Everyone chuckled, some trying to hold it under his breath. Larry didn’t try to hide it.
“Assuming there are any dead cows,” Aaron said. “Might be they were sold at the stockyard and the Coleys pocketed the money instead of bringing it back to Miss Liddy.”
Silence fell as each man looked at the other. “That would take some nerve, don’t you think?” Larry asked. “Sheriff McCullough investigated and he affirmed what the Coleys reported. Have you talked to him?”
Aaron hadn’t yet presented his theory to the sheriff, and he wasn’t prepared to share any of that with the cowhands. For all he knew, any one of them might be in cahoots with the Coleys. “I’ll check with the sheriff after we find out if the cows were buried under that landslide—or not.”
Everyone scattered after the meeting and Aaron made his way to the corral. Having satisfied himself the horses were cared for so they’d be up to the long trip tomorrow, he turned toward the house.
Gieselle was in the yard, coming straight to him. His gaze held hers as he continued rolling up the rope he’d found lying on the ground. She didn’t move her stare so it was evident she wanted to talk to him, and if it couldn’t wait until supper, it had to be something important.
Something outside his line of sight made him glimpse to the right. Skipper Logan rounded the house from the back. Aaron ground his teeth. What was Skipper doing in the house? Aaron admitted he was the least bit jealous of Skipper.
Gieselle was almost upon Aaron so he closed the distance. “Is something wrong?” Worry lines etched her forehead.
“Skipper said all of you are going on a long trip in the morning.”
Why hadn’t he told the men not to mention the trip to the landslide? He didn’t want the women worrying. Leave it to Skipper to tell them all about why they were going, too.
“The reverend and his wife are coming to supper tomorrow. Have you forgotten we stopped at the butcher shop so I could buy that big roast and told you why I was getting it?” she accused.
“The reverend and his wife are coming to see you and Miss Liddy. They won’t miss me. Besides, Wally will be here.”
“That’s the whole point. Wally will be the only man around. It will look like what the gossips are alleging is true. Besides, you need to be here to…help me.”
“Help you what?” He reached out and took her hand. Just couldn’t resist. “I would only add fuel to the fire since the gossips think I’m involved with you, remember?”
She pouted in that cute way, making him want to kiss her. If they weren’t in full view of everyone, he would have.
Staring at the ground, she raised her sweeping lashes. “I’m worried about you.”
He took her other hand. “Worried? Why?”
“What if you find the Coley men stole Aunt Liddy’s cattle? They’ll be after you and from what I hear, they’re mean.”
That much was abundantly clear to him. One of them had murdered his brother, but no need giving her something else to worry about. “If that’s the case, they should be made to pay for their crimes, shouldn’t they?”
“Why don’t you let Sheriff McCullough take care of the investigation?”
“The sheriff investigated the missing cows back when they disappeared. He isn’t going to reopen the investigation without new evidence. That’s what I hope to do. Bring him more evidence.”
He swung her hands wide. “Look, we might not find anything and that will be that, but I owe it to Miss Liddy to check out my hunch.”
“I can’t get rid of this feeling there’s danger looking for you, Aaron. I’m afraid something will happen to you.”
He could see the sweet concern in her eyes, and he squeezed her hands. Nothing felt so right in the world, but the men were now staring at them. “I won’t be alone, honey. All the men are going with me except Wally, and they’re all known to be a good shot.” He gave her a tug. “Come with me so I can show you something in the barn.”
The inside of the barn was cool and dusky, the familiar odor of sweet hay and manure riding on the still air.
“What did you want to show me?” she asked.
“Nothing. I just wanted to get away from prying eyes.” The desire to touch her made him reach out to run his knuckles along her cheek. “As I said, there’s nothing to worry about. All we’re doing is inspecting the landslide.”
She stared at the empty horse stall in back of him. “I know, but still I worry.” The words fell in a whisper. “There are so many places for a shooter to hide and ambush you.” She lifted her head and her gaze clashed into his.
A quiet covered them like a thick cloud, shutting out everything but the two of them. For a long time, the only sounds came from the occasional horse’s whinny. He couldn’t pull his eyes away from her, nor utter a word. Then he flickered a glance over her. A shaft of sunlight came through a crack in the boards, turning her hair into shimmering gold.
She was so beautiful. He could keep staring at her forever. Only God could have sculpted something so lovely. His attention rested on her ruddy, full lips, and the desire to kiss them consumed him. He lowered his head and touched her trembling lips with his. When her arms circled his waist, he deepened the kiss like a drowning man tasting water.
Hearing her soft moan, he came to his senses. He was taking advantage of her, something he’d sworn never to do—to any woman. For several seconds his desire to kiss her warred with his desire to protect her.
Pulling back, he grabbed a breath. Reluctantly he gave her arms a squeeze before dropping them to her sides. “We’ll be all right, and I promise to come back unscathed.”
He hoped he could keep that promise.