Chapter Thirty-Two
“Thank you, Simon,” Jackson said, standing up to shake the old man’s hand.
“You really think that piece of paper will do anything?” Simon asked, eyeing the paper in Hope’s hands.
“I recorded everything you said,” Hope assured him. “It’ll help District Judge Harlow better understand our case.”
“And how many of those have you got now?” Simon asked, his bushy eyebrows practically blocking his view with the way they knit together over his eyes.
“Eleven,” Jackson answered, hearing the old man’s doubt. “That’s every rancher in the valley who won’t side with Victor.”
Suddenly, Simon’s face split into a gap-toothed smile, and he slapped Jackson on the back.
“It’s good to have you back in charge, son,” Simon said, laughing as he walked out of the church.
With Pastor Mark’s permission, everyone willing to help had entered the church through the back so that their testimonies could be given in secret. His ma maintained the pretense that the ranchers were donating old clothes to the poor to anyone who asked as she kept watch outside.
She entered next. “That’s all of them,” she said, excitement in her green eyes as she rubbed her hands together. “Well done, son.”
“Thanks, Ma,” he said, relishing the warmth of her approval.
Jackson hadn’t expected the word to spread so quickly. With Daniel able to identify everyone on Victor’s payroll, they were able to avoid approaching certain men in the town. This meant people felt safer coming forward, and finally they were seeing some progress.
“Howard is also here to see you,” she announced.
“It’s probably about the orders I made at the general store,” Jackson realized.
Howard shuffled in, taking off his hat to greet Margaret and Hope.
“Jackson,” he said, giving him a lopsided smile. “The extra animal feed, ammunition, and medicinal and fencing supplies you ordered have arrived. Would you like me to deliver them to your ranch? It won’t all fit on your wagon.”
Jackson shook his head. “No, Howard, those supplies are to remain at your store. I’ll put out word that they’re available for any rancher in trouble. I’ll settle the account right after we’re done here.”
Howard’s eyes widened in surprise, and he eyed Jackson with disbelief, rubbing his chin in thought. “You mean to tell me you’re paying for the lot just to help the others?”
Jackson placed his hand on Howard’s shoulder. “Right now, we need to do what we can to stick together. Some ranches have taken a worse hit than I have.”
Howard nodded slowly. “You know, you remind me of your pa when you speak like that.”
His ma sniffed behind them and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Jackson nodded with appreciation at Howard’s kind words.
“In that case, I’ll cover half the bill,” Howard informed him. “And-” He raised a hand as Jackson was about to protest. “I won’t hear another word on it. You keep fighting, Jackson.”
Howard lumbered out of the church, and Jackson, his ma, and Hope grinned at each other. He could feel the excitement of being part of something bigger than himself growing. He had to admit, there was a part of him that had truly missed helping other people.
“There’s been some physical evidence handed over too,” Hope said.
“That’ll help,” Jackson said, turning to her. “What do we have?”
“Bullet casings from David’s ranch,” Hope said.
“A sketch of one of Victor’s workers sighted around Old Simon’s water source right before the cows were poisoned, and the casings bullets from the dead dogs that match the casings from David’s ranch.
Sketches of the boot prints you took from your barn, and several other sketches as well. None of Victor, though.”
It wasn’t enough, but it was something. Jackson had to believe that Silas Harlow would listen to them and at least open a case. Victor was powerful, but not untouchable.
“We have one more statement,” Margaret said, walking in with Daniel behind her.
Jackson frowned. He’d ordered Daniel not to be anywhere near the church in case Victor suspected anything.
“What better witness than me?” Daniel asked, pointing his thumbs to his chest. “I helped with some of Victor’s petty crimes. I can give you names, dates, and what I was asked to do.”
“But you’ll face charges,” Hope said, her frown indicating she didn’t agree with this.
Jackson nodded with approval. He could understand what Daniel was doing. It was a small step to redemption, Daniel’s way of showing that he was truly on their side. He was even signing his name to it.
“Let him, Hope,” Jackson said, giving her a reassuring smile. “He wants to do what’s right.”
Hope pursed her lips for a few seconds before conceding with a nod. Daniel took a seat opposite her. She wrote as he spoke in a low, steady voice.
Jackson admired Daniel for taking full responsibility. He knew how hard that was to do. After Daniel left, Jackson watched Hope stand up from the hard wooden bench and rub her back. He was immediately at her side to support her.
“You’re working too hard,” he said, a hand finding her waist.
“I’m fine,” she said with a tired smile. “It’s worth it. I knew everyone would support you.”
It felt good to be doing something productive at last, and to have a team at his side. As a lawman, he’d been used to taking charge alone or with just one deputy, but now he was part of a group, and the whole community was behind them.
“Thank you,” he whispered to her, raising her ink-stained fingers to his lips and kissing them.
“You’re the reason people are standing up to Victor,” Hope said, smiling at him. “You inspire people, Jackson. Look what you’ve done for Daniel.”
“Well, you inspired me, Hope,” he said. “You’ve changed me. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“And unless the two of you get into that wagon now,” Margaret said, interrupting them, “there won’t be much inspiration for supper this evening.”
“Right. Coming, Ma,” Jackson said, suddenly growing serious.
They needed to be home before dark, since that’s when Victor’s men were most likely to attack. Jackson couldn’t remember the last time they’d all had a decent night’s sleep, even though he and Daniel took shifts on watch.
He found Hope looking up at him, and she smiled. “Just a few more days and the judge will be here.”
Jackson nodded, slinging his arm around her shoulders as he walked her out of the church.
“Just a few more days,” he repeated, reminding himself that the end was hopefully in sight.
***
“Jackson!” Hope’s voice screamed.
Jackson rolled over and groaned, rubbing his aching temples with his fingers. His head throbbed with real pain, the effect of nightmares filled with Hope’s screams plaguing him all night.
“Jackson, help!” he heard her call again.
Jackson shot upright, his nose burning from the acrid prick of smoke.
He realized with horror that he wasn’t dreaming this time.
He shoved his feet into his shoes and grabbed a thick coat and a bandana to protect him before blindly pushing out of his room into the darkness.
The air was thick with smoke, and his eyes began to water.
“Hope!” he called, desperate to find her. He couldn’t allow panic to disable him. He had to stay calm.
He pulled the bandana across his mouth and nose and navigated his way through the hall by touch. His fingers soon bumped into flesh, and Hope was in his arms.
“Jackson!” she gasped, and the sound of her voice brought him a measure of relief. “There’s a fire. We need to get your ma out! She can’t breathe.”
His ma coughed somewhere close to him, and Jackson felt her clasp his hands.
“Stay with me, Hope!” he ordered as he picked up his ma and felt his way towards the staircase.
He felt Hope’s hand grip the back of his jacket, and he focused on leading her to safety.
As they neared the entrance, he could hear the roar of fire from outside, and frantic shouts around the ranch.
He pushed through the front door first, bracing for any flames to lick at him.
Once he saw the porch was safe, he helped his ma and Hope out onto the porch.
They coughed and sputtered as cleaner air hit their lungs. Jackson wiped his eyes on his sleeve while squinting at the blackened faces around him.
“Clara, the Blakes?” Jackson asked, failing to count correctly.
“We’re all here,” Clara’s voice assured him. “Daniel got us all out.”
“I’m sorry, Jackson,” Daniel rasped as he grabbed at Jackson’s forearm. “I stayed up all night, but I still didn’t hear a thing until it was too late.”
Jackson didn’t wait to hear more. He ran towards the crimson flames that had enveloped the barn. Some of the ranch hands were already spraying water at the towering inferno.
“It’s useless!” Jackson shouted at his foreman. “Clear the area!”
The men dropped their buckets and hoses and started moving anything that could burn. Jackson grabbed another man and ordered, “Take your team and start drenching the house and porch in water. We don’t want this spreading.”
Satisfied that they were doing all they could, Jackson turned to Daniel to find him waiting and ready at his side. “Where are the animals?” he demanded, assuming that was the first thing the ranch hands had done.
Daniel shook his head, his eyes wild. Panic filled Jackson, and he ran towards the blaze. Over the roar of fire, Jackson thought he heard horses shrieking in terror.
“The horses!” Jackson shouted, realizing that they wouldn’t have been able to break out of their newly reinforced pen.
Victor had planned everything so meticulously, as if he still somehow knew Jackson’s every move and how to best use it against him.
Jackson refused to let anyone or any living thing under his protection suffer further at the hands of Victor.
He grabbed a bucket of water from a passing hand and dumped it over himself. Daniel followed suit.
“No!” Jackson shoved him back. “Stay with Hope!”
Daniel ignored him, pouring another bucket of water over himself and running towards the barn. Jackson charged after him, pulling his heavy, wet coat tightly around himself. The barn doors gaped open and thick, pungent smoke billowed out.
Daniel charged in blindly and Jackson grabbed his shirt, tugging him backwards as a section of the roof he'd had an eye on caved inwards and crashed onto the floor where Daniel had been standing seconds before.
Jackson threw Daniel out of the barn, determined not to lose a single life, no matter how reckless Daniel was in trying to prove himself.
“Go from the outside!” Jackson urged him, leading the way.
They located the patch they’d boarded up on the side of the barn that Victor’s men had damaged. Jackson and Daniel could hear the horses screaming on the other side of the wall.
Jackson summoned a strength he didn’t know he had and tore at the planks with his bare hands.
Daniel kicked at them with all his might, the wood cracking under the force.
Jackson could see their bodies writhing inside as they tried to break free from the pen, their fear of the roaring fire driving the animals mad.
“They’ll trample us when they break free!” Jackson warned Daniel, “so make sure you get out the way!”
Daniel nodded. They counted down together before tearing away the last of the boards, then dove away from the hole.
Jackson rolled over at the sound of hooves thudding against the ground, and laughed with sheer joy when he saw the horses break free from the barn.
He didn’t care that they jumped the fence and kept running, they could be tracked down later. At least they were alive.
“The roof!” Daniel shouted at him, dragging Jackson to his feet.
They allowed themselves a brief moment of celebration, slapping each other on the back before running from the barn. The groan of wooden trusses breaking above sent a shiver down Jackson’s spine, and he knew they had to get as far away from the barn as possible
As the roof collapsed, the barn shuddered, and heat and flames exploded outwards in a roaring firestorm that threatened to swallow them up. Somehow between him and Daniel, they kept each other upright as they ran, their knees threatening to give out under them.
“Jackson!” he heard Hope’s voice call. “You’re safe!”
Relief flooded through his heart as he and Daniel slowed. His lungs burned from overexertion, combined with breathing in far too much smoke, and he felt lightheaded. He collapsed to the ground, his legs sprawled out in front of him, and Daniel did the same.
“Haha!” Daniel shouted excitedly into the air. “We saved them, Jackson!”
Jackson chuckled, tiredly ruffling Daniel’s coarse curls.
They helped each other up and walked towards the rest of the group.
Jackson’s men had resumed throwing water at the barn, which was now in a heap of flaming ruins.
The water would stop any tongues of flame from spreading in search of new fuel.
Jackson scanned the soot-blackened faces in search of Hope, breathing easier once he found her.
He smiled at her, waving an arm that felt like lead, but as he drew closer, there was something in her eyes that made the hairs on his arm rise.
The rigidity of her frame told him danger was still present.
The relief drained from him, and dread took its place.
Jackson looked around and saw riders appearing from the back of the house, heading straight towards Hope.
Daniel ducked behind a shed, leaving Jackson alone, and he could only hope Daniel would stay true to his word.
His eyes still burned and blurred from the smoke as he peered at the riders galloping into view.
“Victor!” Jackson hissed in disbelief as he sprinted towards Hope.