Chapter 11
Their horses galloped side-by-side at a furious pace. The trip between Rattlesnake Ridge and the Circle A ranch couldn’t be traversed in two hours unless the horses were fresh and ready to race, but they’d do their best. They topped a hill, and Gieselle tugged on her mare’s leathers to slow the sweating animal down. Only then did she dare a glance at Aaron.
She filled her lungs with the sweet mountain air. It was going to be hard leaving this place. Leaving him. “I’m sorry I doubted you.” The words were blown away by the wind but he heard her.
“I didn’t know you doubted me.” He turned that heart-melting smile on her and her chest constricted. “What had you doubting me?”
“I knew you were deliberately hiding something from me and I feared the worst…that you had a wife tucked away somewhere, with a toddler playing with his dog and a baby sleeping in its crib.”
Aaron threw his head back and laughed. “You have an amazing imagination, Gieselle.”
“Yes, and the wife would be standing at the window, ever watching for your return.” As she would be if she were married to him and he went on long business trips like Papa did. He could tell by her pensive look she was serious, and she was serious. She always tried to say what she meant. Mama had taught her that.
“Let’s give the horses a rest.” He threw his leg over the saddle and dismounted. Gieselle was already on the ground. She’d gotten too independent. He might like to help her dismount? She should’ve given him a chance to touch her?
Did he remember their kiss? It was never far from her thoughts. The memory of his lips on hers had haunted her all the time he’d been away. The need to be kissed again gripped her like a lasso caught around her middle and he was pulling the rope. Even if he didn’t realize it, that’s what this attraction to him did to her.
They sauntered over to a clump of sagebrush hugging a head tall cottonwood sapling. Hitching the horses to the strongest branches, they turned and strode to look out over the lush valley of grass and clover-filled meadows. The vista was breathtaking.
“Are we on Aunt Liddy’s land yet?”
“Yes, we’re about a mile in.” He pointed and swept his arm in a wide arc. “I’m going to have those meadows fenced for the next shipment of beef cattle; steers that will be ready for market in a year or two. That will replenish your aunt and new uncle’s bank account sufficient for me to move on.” He didn’t add that he wanted to take her with him, but she wished he did. Desperately. Nor did she want to wait one or two years for him to court her.
“The cattle that are coming in this week, are they all steers, too?” She didn’t really care about the cows. Making small talk was a way to extend their time together. Give him more time to think of kissing her.
He turned his head to her, but his hat shaded his eyes. “No, I’ve purchased a number of heifers, ready to breed, and three bulls with good bloodlines.”
“Breeding makes all the difference to a successful cattle ranch, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, that and finding a market for the best price. Also, hiring good cowhands can make a big difference.”
“Aunt Liddy trusted too much. The Coleys took advantage of her.”
“We can’t blame her. She was pushed into a corner when her husband died. If she’d sought advice from her neighbors…” He let the thought hang.
“She didn’t trust any of her neighbors when she realized everyone was talking about her and Wally carrying on a clandestine affair. Pride she now calls it.”
“Yes, pride can get in the way of a lot of things.” He pushed his hat back, his dark gaze drilling deep in her. Just looking at him made her heart speed up. “My pride is what killed my brother.”
The shock of his words had her gaping. She waited, letting him take time to explain. “I couldn’t wait to get away from my stepfather’s house and I took Anthony with me. He was just a boy of fifteen, and like all boys, he needed the protection of his family. I was too young to take care of him. Besides, I signed up with the Pinkerton Agency and, though our pastor offered to give him a home, I boasted that we didn’t need anyone and I could take care of him.”
He released a heavy sigh. “Only I couldn’t take care of him. I couldn’t take him on assignments, so I left him to fend for himself in the wild western towns we traveled. He began frequenting saloons and gambling with hardened gamblers at the age of nineteen. You’re right, Gieselle. I don’t seek revenge, only justice, because no one should be able to kill a man in cold blood and get away with it.”
No, they shouldn’t, but the law should have carried out the justice, not Aaron. His words broke through before she could voice her concerns. “Tonight, I hope to reveal Anthony’s killer and justice would be secured. My brother can finally rest in peace.” He smiled and took a step toward her. “After that, I hope to pursue a courtship with the lovely lady in front of me.”
Surprise had her tongue-tied for a moment. “You’re…asking…to court me?”
“Not at the moment, but after I’ve done my duty to my brother. I hope you understand.”
The air swooshed out of her. Change the subject. She’d have to think about courting later. “There’s a lot of pride in my family. They are the blue-bloods of New Orleans. They are much like Aunt Liddy’s cattle. To them, a lot of our value depends on our bloodlines—or so many in my family think.” She turned her gaze from the valley. It was beautiful and peaceful here. If she married him, where would they live next? Stay on subject. You can talk about that later. “My family don’t mix with the Cajuns, maybe because they’re different, or maybe they think they’re better.”
He crossed his arms across his broad chest. “That’s the way old moneyed society thinks. My family are from new money. They aren’t as snooty as the old moneyed families, but they have their own demons like greed. My stepfather was consumed with making more and more money, and it’s only been since Anthony died that I realized I was doing the same thing. And trying to make more money than my stepfather and stepbrother since they shut me out. I have turned to God and repented. That’s the only way to handle pride.”
Gieselle’s heart swelled that he would reveal his soul to her. She smiled and laid her hand on his folded arms. “I’m really glad you weren’t seeking revenge at all. I’m sorry I misjudged you.”
He rested his hand over hers. “I was enraged at first, but God calmed me, and I knew I had to bring Anthony’s killer to justice, not hunt him down and shoot him.”
She got lost in his gaze and focused on his handsome, smiling face. A spark of desire showed in his eyes. Her hesitation to wait and think about his offer of courtship seemed silly now. What did she have to think about? Why should she wait?
Papa had a watch with the inscription, seize the moment. She’d asked him what it meant and he’d told her it meant if a thing seemed right with God, go ahead and do it.
“You’re a good man, Aaron. I’m blessed to have met you.” She lowered her gaze. “And I’d be pleased to have you court me.”
His silence had her lifting her head, fearing she’d spoken too soon—been too bold. But she found a look of longing in his sultry eyes. He took her into his arms and she went willingly. They clung to each other and kissed. Not light and gentle as before. Deeply. Hungrily. Thoroughly.
She didn’t want this moment to end. He acted like he couldn’t get enough of her and she didn’t want to stop. Then he broke the kiss and stroked her cheek, making her feel as if he’d always treat her like a precious pearl. With a sigh that shook them both, he pulled back, kissing her forehead.
“I don’t know how this happened so fast. I wanted to wait until I’d finished with the Coley cousins.”
Her eyes searched his face. “But you have. After your experiment tonight, Sheriff McCullough will arrest the one guilty and the other two will slink back into their holes like the snakes they are.”
He snatched a breath like the kiss had drained him. “If only that’s the way it would happen. All three of them are involved in the disappearance of your aunt’s cattle, I’m sure of it. They found some way to rustle them and sell them. They all belong in jail.”
“What are you going to do?” She couldn’t keep the worry out of her voice.
“I’ve sent out telegrams to the stock yards at Reno and San Francisco. Those are the most likely places they’d have driven the cattle. Reno for certain. They’d probably have had to have help to get them to San Francisco, but there are plenty of unscrupulous men who wouldn’t ask questions.” He still had his hands on her shoulders, holding her close.
After long moments with neither of them making a move, he dropped his hands to his sides. “I’ve asked a boy to bring me the answering telegrams as soon as they come in…hopefully, tomorrow.”
“I’ll be praying you catch them.” She looked past him to the horses. “I suppose there’s nothing left for us to do except go home.”
“I guess not. I’ll just have enough time to eat and change horses before returning to town and confronting the Coleys.”
He slipped his arm around her shoulders and she held him by the waist as they walked in unison to the horses.
“I’ll be praying for you tonight, Aaron. You be careful. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.” She kept a smile on her lips as she let him help her into the saddle. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”
***
Probably for the first time ever, the Coley cousins put up a fuss about going to the saloon. “Whatcha got in mind, Sheriff?” Boney whined. “It was Dack who insulted that woman. Me and Marsh aint done nothing.”
“We didn’t say you’d done anything wrong, Boney,” Deputy Jack Hollis said, giving the unruly man a shove through the batwing doors. “We just need you for an investigation. Every good citizen should want to identify crooks.” Aaron was pretty sure none of the Coleys wanted to help with an investigation to reveal crooks.
Phillip Dobson, the barkeep, glanced their way. Sheriff McCullough had filled him in on what they’d be doing, so he’d keep a low profile, keeping the paying customers satisfied.
“All right, Aaron, the floor is yours,” the sheriff said.
Aaron led them over to the table in the corner. One that had no windows, the only illumination being a lantern hanging overhead. “Dack, you sit in back, Boney on the right, Marsh, the left. I’ll sit in front.”
“This is the exact seating at the card table over in Carson City where your brother, Anthony, was shot?” Deputy Hollis asked.
Every man had a double holster gun belt. The sheriff had taken their guns and emptied the cylinders. He gave each of the Coleys his empty gun back. “Put your pistol in your holsters,” McCullough said. Turning to Aaron, he added, “They’re ready.”
“Good. Deputy, will you shuffle and deal the cards? Dack will cut, and we’ll all hold our cards close to our chests.”
After they followed his instructions, Aaron brought out two slender sticks.
“You gonna switch us, Bainbridge?” Boney asked and the whole room roared. Despite Dobson’s efforts, everyone in the saloon had gathered to watch.
“I might if you don’t take this seriously enough.” He addressed the crowd. “The sheriff, deputy, and I have examined a drawing sent by the doctor attending Anthony Bainbridge on July the twenty-fifth of last year. The sketch showed the trajectory of the bullet that hit Anthony in his middle chest and was lodged in his right lung.” He pointed to that position on his chest. “It hit the main artery to the heart and that’s how Anthony died.
“I hope to show that only one gun could have been fired that would have sent a bullet in the fatal direction.” He sent a searching gaze to the three seated men. Each one showed fear, so that wasn’t a reliable sign.
“I have two sticks here. The longer one reaches from Dack, across the table to my chest. The shorter ones reach from Boney and Marsh to my chest. Now, the witnesses at the scene say no one showed his gun, which meant the pistol was held under the table.” He turned to the sheriff and deputy. “If you men will help me lift the table off so everyone can see what happened under the table.”
“Now wait a minute, Sheriff. Is he trying to set us up?”
“We are not a judge or jury, Marsh. Just trying to get to the truth,” McCullough said as he and Hollis lifted the table over the heads of the men and set it out of the way.
Aaron sat at the chair positioned where his brother would have sat. According to witnesses, Anthony had just won the game and was elated, with no notion that he’d soon be breathing his last. That was the thought that had tormented Aaron ever since hearing of his brother’s death. He’d never have peace until the murderer was brought to justice.
An ominous quiet fell over the whole saloon as Sheriff McCullough took the long stick. He sidled up to Dack and squatted beside him. “All right, Dack, hold your gun in your lap and try to find a position where you can slip the end of the stick in the gun barrel.”
Dack took his gun in hand. “I’m right-handed, you know.”
“That’s fine. You can use either hand,” the sheriff instructed, “and you have to keep upright, no bending forward.”
Aaron watched, not Dack, but the other two men. He already knew Dack couldn’t be the killer, even though he had no doubt the man was as much a polecat as his cousins. Beads of sweat began to form on Boney’s and Marsh’s foreheads.
Over a minute passed with Dack moving his pistol this way and that, but he couldn’t position the gun so the stick would go into the barrel. Dack slid a desperate glance at the sheriff. “You see I’m trying, Sheriff. I can’t do it.”
“Keep trying,” the sheriff snapped. “Use both hands.”
Dack did his best, but in the end, was unable to aim in a way that would’ve shot Anthony. Sheriff McCullough moved on to Boney and put him through the same paces.
It was soon evident that Boney couldn’t aim his pistol in line with the stick. Aaron kept his gaze on Marsh, who was visibly shaking as the seconds ticked off. When the sheriff got up from beside Boney, Marsh looked for all the world like a trapped animal.
He suddenly bounded from his chair, dropping his gun to the floor. “It was an accident.” His voice shook. “I didn’t mean to shoot him. The gun went off somehow. I swear.”
Deputy Hollis moved behind the distraught man. Pulling his hands behind his back, he snapped the cuffs on Marsh. “Why didn’t you confess when it happened, Marsh?” Boney asked. “You let people think it might’ve been me or Dack.”
“Why would I when the sheriff over at Carson City couldn’t charge any of us? But I’ll tell all of you this. I won’t ever hang.”
“Let’s go,” Hollis said, nudging Marsh.
Aaron could almost feel sorry for Marsh. It might have happened like he said—an accident. “You might be able to convince a jury the gun went off by accident, Marsh, but your mistake was hiding the truth. As Jesus told His disciples about their accusers, “’Fear them not therefore; for there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.’”
McCullough slapped him on the back. “That’s mighty fine preaching. I doubt Reverend Brown could’ve done better.”
Aaron laughed. “I’m sure he could. Are you holding the other two?” He wasn’t through with them yet. There was still the matter of rustling to be finished.
“Yep, let’s go fellows. Dack, you still have a week to finish for accosting that young lady, and I’ll hold both of you for suspicion of rustling. Aaron, you let me know as soon as you get the wires from the stockyards.”
Dack and Boney were still grumbling as the sheriff ushered them from the saloon.