Chapter Twenty-Five
“That one,” Arthur said with some authority.
“Are you sure?” Cody asked dubiously.
“Absolutely. It’s more elegant—I think she’d appreciate that,” he said confidently. “Besides, what lady doesn’t like pearl?”
“It’s too small,” Cody argued. “She’s not some dainty flower. I think her hand could handle a more substantial piece.”
Arthur considered for a moment. “Yes, but she’s also not a flashy person, is she? She’s a woman of simple tastes.”
Cody absorbed this. They were crowded around a workbench in the barn. An array of guns was laid out before them. Cody didn’t know what the immediate future would bring, but he was going to make sure his family was protected.
Taking Arthur’s advice, Cody lifted a small rimfire revolver from the table.
It was light in his hand and small enough to fit in a reticule or pocket.
The grip had pearl worked into it, which lent it a deceptively dainty, feminine air.
He tried to imagine Amelia holding it, even firing it, but the image made worry curl into his stomach like a snake.
He didn’t want her to even be in a situation where that would be necessary.
“Boss?” Arthur asked.
Cody shook himself slightly and put the gun back down. “We have ammunition for it?”
Arthur nodded and pulled a box of bullets down from a shelf and laid it next to the gun. “You think one box will do it?” he asked lightly.
Cody was in no mood for levity, and he gave Arthur a nonplussed look. “Make sure the hands know that we’re not entertaining strangers for the foreseeable future. I don’t want anyone getting drunk or sloppy in town, either.”
All seriousness now, Arthur nodded. “I’ll make sure they know. I’m also keeping a weather eye on the town. It would help if Amelia could give a more specific description of the man in question.”
“I’ll see to it,” Cody answered brusquely. He knew that Arthur was right, of course, but he didn’t like to spend any amount of time thinking about Dean Chase. It was bad enough that the foul man was intruding on his sense of safety; he didn’t need him taking up any extra space in his life.
“I know that things aren’t exactly ideal right now,” Arthur said, picking up some of the smaller guns and putting them back in a trunk under the workbench. “But Miss Monroe has accepted an invitation to dinner tonight.” He paused, a silent question hanging in the air.
“She’s always welcome here,” Cody said. “Amelia doesn’t have many friends here. Besides, it would be a good opportunity to give her the particulars about the situation.”
Arthur merely nodded, but Cody could see by his expression that he was pleased. He continued to put the guns away, leaving the little rimfire revolver out on the workbench for Cody to take to Amelia. Arthur whistled a jaunty tune as he did so, his spirits undampened by their grim purpose.
Cody watched him for a moment, and, not for the first time in their long acquaintance, he found himself wishing he could be as light and unbothered as Arthur.
***
The dining table was crowded with the addition of Arthur and Miss Monroe.
Amelia had done the strategic thing and placed them sitting next to one another, with the children facing them across the table.
Cody, seated at the head of the table, couldn’t help but be secretly pleased; though the house was noisier than he was used to, it was an unexpectedly nice feeling to have the house full of laughter.
Arthur was in his element, animatedly telling stories of their misspent youth to the delight of Ruby and Logan.
“Then what happened?” Logan breathed, his eyes large and round.
“Well, it wasn’t exactly like we could just ask the bull to return home,” Arthur said, drawing out the suspense. “Mind you, there was only the two of us, and this was a proper beast of a bull.”
“He was the pride of Pa’s herd,” Cody interjected.
“So, there we were, without even a horse to help. The bull was having a fine time of it, eating out of everyone’s gardens and flower beds, so he wasn’t particularly in a mood to be leaving, either.
” Arthur leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table as he looked across at Logan.
“Your Pa had the great idea to cut a switch. ‘This’ll get him going,’ he said. ”
Arthur rolled his eyes for effect. Cody shifted in his chair, glancing down the table at Amelia, unsure of what she’d think of all this. To his relief, she had a bemused expression on her face. Her plate, however, was largely untouched.
“It got the bull going all right,” Arthur continued. “Made him angrier than a hornet, it did. He decided that we’d given him enough trouble, and with a bellow like a steam whistle, he charged after us!”
“What did you do?” Ruby asked, her eyes fixed on Arthur.
“Ran like hell,” Arthur said with a laugh.
Cody cleared his throat significantly. Arthur glanced at him and then at the ladies around the table. “Begging your pardon,” he murmured, giving as elaborate a bow as he could while seated.
Amelia waved him off. “I’ve heard worse, and I imagine Miss Monroe has as well from the boys in school.”
Miss Monroe sat back with a sigh and a nod. “Too true, sadly. You wouldn’t believe the things I hear. Why, just last week, old Carter’s grandson, do you know what he said to me? He said—”
“I want to hear about the bull,” Logan interrupted.
“Manners,” Cody said automatically.
Miss Monroe good-naturedly gestured for Arthur to continue.
With great relish, Arthur leaned back in his chair, tipping it backward slightly.
Cody pursed his lips, unsure of how good an example his foreman was setting just now.
Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to curtail the story—it had been a tense week, and it was nice to have laughter in the house again.
“Well, we took off running like a pair of thoroughbreds,” Arthur said.
“Now, remember that Gunnison was a fair sight smaller then. We made for the church—it was just a wooden building at the time—and ran right up the aisle. I still don’t know why we went there, to tell the truth. ” He looked to Cody for an answer.
“Child logic,” Cody supplied. “I suppose we figured that a bull wouldn’t dare to defile a church.”
Amelia chuckled, which warmed Cody’s cheeks. She smiled at him, and he looked down, fiddling with his fork.
“Well, whatever the case, that bull followed us in. He came up the aisle right at us, snorting and slipping all over the place. I don’t know how, but we managed to scramble past him.
We got outside and slammed the doors shut behind us,” Arthur said.
“We just looked at one another, and without a word, we bolted for home. My father was foreman at the time, y’see, so we lived on the property too. ”
“You just left it in there?” Miss Monroe asked, slightly agog.
“Sure did,” Arthur confirmed with a nod.
“We ran the whole way home and crept back into our beds, all covered with sweat and grass stains, it being the dead of night. Did I mention that? It was well after midnight when we began our escapade.” He reached forward and took a drink.
“If anyone had bothered to check our beds, we’d have been done for. ”
“What happened when it was found?” Logan asked, his eyes shining.
Cody frowned slightly. I really hope he doesn’t get any ideas, he thought.
“We just acted as shocked and surprised as the rest of the town,” Arthur said. “I seem to remember a lot of wide-eyed looks and saying, ‘Golly, how could he even get in there?’ As far as I know, no one ever suspected us.”
“But what even was the actual goal?” Miss Monroe asked, a forkful of skillet hash halfway to her mouth. “What did you hope to do by bringing the bull into town in the first place?”
“Well,” Arthur drawled, giving Cody a sly look. “A girl that someone was sweet on had insinuated that Cody wasn’t any fun at all. We originally were hoping to put it in the saloon, but, well, the bull had other plans.”
Cody chanced a quick glance at Amelia to see how she would take the casual mention of his late wife.
“Boys,” Amelia sighed. “The things they do to try to impress girls.”
“Can’t really argue with you,” Arthur agreed.
The evening continued in companionable ease, with rhubarb pie and coffee to round the evening out.
Cody felt like he might burst from eating too much dessert.
He didn’t like to own to it, but he had a fearsome sweet tooth that he indulged only rarely.
He was certain that Amelia had noted that he’d eaten two whole slices, though, as she looked at him with a degree of satisfaction.
The hour grew late, and at last, Miss Monroe stood from the table. “Thank you all for a lovely evening,” she said with great sincerity. “I can’t remember when I’ve had more fun around a table.”
“I’m sorry to hear it,” Arthur quipped. “Your life is sorely lacking in amusement.”
Miss Monroe playfully swatted him on the arm. Arthur beamed as if it were the finest thing that had ever happened. “I’ll see you home,” he said.
There was no arguing the point from any quarter.
Farewells were made, hats collected, and the entire Walker clan stood on the porch and waved them off as they drove away in a small horse and trap.
It was all perfectly serene and neighborly, just a collection of friends enjoying the evening.
Amelia stood close to Cody, her shoulder almost touching his.
There was only one thing to mar it. As Arthur had climbed into the trap after helping Miss Monroe up, he’d surreptitiously slid a rifle under the seat. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t have been remotely necessary, not for just a quick jaunt into town.
It was a harsh reminder of the larger situation at hand. Whatever niceties they were enjoying, it could all come crashing down at a moment’s notice. They were living in a house of twigs, held together with nothing more than the insistence that things weren’t dire.