Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ace sat down on a dry chair on a sleepy veranda attached to the local hotel. The late-afternoon air was warm, but not hot. Maybe that was because lightning was flickering in the east. Judging by the strong wind pouring over the area, a storm was heading toward town.
He’d seen Roscoe go into the saloon some time ago. Now, the sky was starting to dim in the east. Soon, the front street would be dark, and lanterns would fill all the windows.
He’s up to no good. Sheriff Winston told me he’s had some trouble with a few miners in the saloon. Not much going on tonight, with it being a Tuesday. But he assured me those miners are bad news. I better keep a sharp eye out.
The door to the hotel opened. Bonnie walked out wearing a decent blue dress instead of dirty trail clothes. Her hair was free, and her face was clean and washed.
When Ace saw her, he nearly lost his breath. She’s more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever seen.
“I thought you might be out here.”
“I told you to stay inside,” Ace grumbled.
“I know.” Bonnie looked up and down the street. “Where’s Roscoe?”
“Inside the saloon.”
Bonnie stared in the direction of the saloon. “You sure he rode into town alone?”
“Yeah.” He pointed to a horse tethered in front of the jail. “That’s the horse he rode in on.”
“No… That’s Lucien’s horse,” Bonnie told Ace in a worried voice.
“Reckon it’s stolen, anyhow.” Ace stood up. As he did, he bumped into Bonnie, knocking her off balance. He quickly caught her shoulders with careful hands. “I’m sorry, I…”
For a tense moment, Ace and Bonnie’s eyes locked. They looked into each other’s hearts in a way that Ace couldn’t even begin to put into words. All he knew was that, as he looked into Bonnie’s eyes, he saw forever appear before him. “Bonnie—”
“Don’t, Ace. I’m not worth—”
“You are to me.” Gently, Ace pulled Bonnie into his arms. “I want you to become my wife,” he whispered into her ear. “The time is gonna come when I’ll have to kill Roscoe. You know that.”
“I know,” Bonnie whispered back.
Then, her arms, tender and trembling, wrapped around his shoulders and held on for dear life. “Just hold me, Ace. Please.”
Ace pulled her closer and held her for a long time.
He felt her heartbeat, pounding just as wildly as his own, against his chest. Never before in his life had he ever felt such love for a woman.
Inside his very soul, he knew that Bonnie would be his forever.
Even though he’d only known her for a short time, he saw his entire future in her eyes.
Dear Lord, please let me have this woman’s love. I know the trail has been rough on her, but You can make it better for the both of us.
He didn’t let go of Bonnie until Dallas walked up, his wounded arm in a sling. “Oh—excuse me. Don’t mean to disturb you, but Clyde and Finn just arrived a mile south of town with the herd.”
“You’re supposed to be resting,” Ace snapped at Dallas.
“Well, I figured our boys would be along shortly, so I been keeping an eye out while you were busy watching for Roscoe.” Dallas smiled at Bonnie. “Now, don’t you look mighty pretty wearing a dress for change!”
“You’d look a mighty better in a bed,” Bonnie shot back.
“Just had a feeling Finn and Clyde would make good time, is all. Reckon I’ve been worried about them.” Dallas tossed a thumb south. “Might want to ride out and meet ’em, Ace.”
“Reckon so. Bonnie, best if you get back inside.”
“I don’t?—?”
“Bonnie, please,” Ace begged. “Sheriff Winston is watching the hotel. I need to check the herd and make sure Finn and Clyde get settled down before this storm arrives.”
“I’ll be here with you,” Dallas promised. “I ain’t riding nowhere.”
“Well… okay—but please hurry,” Bonnie urged Ace.
“I will.” Ace squeezed Bonnie’s hand. “Everything is gonna be okay. Wait and see. In the end, we just gotta believe God is with us. A fella told me that in the war just before he… Well, I didn’t understand what he meant at the time—too blinded by grief—but now, I get it.
Live or die, Bonnie, all that matters is this. ”
“Even if our hearts are broken?” A tear slipped from Bonnie’s eye and rolled down her face.
Ace gently pressed Bonnie’s hand against his heart. “Sometimes, we hide behind our hearts instead of standing out front, the way we need to. The only way to fix what’s broken is to come out into the open.”
“I guess so,” Bonnie whispered.
Ace offered a warm smile and then walked down to the street to get his horse.
He mounted up just as a bolt of bright lightning lit up the distant sky—illuminating three shadowy figures as they stepped out of the saloon.
He caught sight of the men, but decided not to let on.
“I’ll be back shortly unless I have to stay with the herd. Now go on inside.”
“Let’s go.” Dallas walked Bonnie back into the hotel.
Ace eyed the trio of men who’d emerged from the saloon. Looks like trouble. I better get out of town for Bonnie’s sake. Dallas has his gun. If anyone tries to get at Bonnie, he won’t hesitate to draw blood. In fact, Bonnie has her own gun. She won’t let Carver take her… at least, not alive.
Shaking off the chill caused by the last thought, he rode out of town and headed south. The storm loomed closer with each passing moment. The winds grew so strong, he had to hold his hat down.
Finally, he reached the herd resting in a dry grazing field. It looked like Finn and Clyde were doing a good job keeping each head in check.
Look at ’em, working the herd like that, just the two of ’em. Not easy work. Bet they could use a break. This storm is gonna be rough. Might spook the herd. I best stay the night out here.
Finn and Clyde rode up. Finn had a lit lantern attached to his saddle. “How do you like my invention?” he asked, shaking Ace’s hand.
“Clever.”
“Gives off good light.” Clyde shook hands with Ace. “How’s things?”
“Roscoe Carver is in town, stirring up trouble,” Ace answered. “Three riders followed me out of town. Might be a good idea to douse the lantern.”
“Right.” Finn put the lantern out. “Herd is tight, Ace, but this storm might spook them. Was hoping you’d ride out. Gonna need more than just me and Clyde out here tonight.”
“I’ll stay with you. Tomorrow, you two can ride into town while I keep an eye on the herd. Henry should be riding in tomorrow, too. Herd should be sold off by evening,” Ace said, raising his voice to be heard over the wind.
Just then, three riders galloped up.
Ace drew his gun. “Easy, boys!” he warned.
“We ain’t wanting no trouble,” one of the riders called out. “Name’s Randy, and this here’s Tom and Jones.” He gestured to his companions in turn. “Fella in town said he would pay us to make you bleed, then swindled our own money out of our pockets. The name Roscoe Carver mean anything to you?”
“Sure does. He’s after a woman,” Ace called back, keeping his gun at the kill point.
“Listen, fella, we ain’t lookin’ to cause you no trouble,” Randy promised. “Just know we heard Carver ask the barkeep if he knew of any guns for hire. That barkeep is a sorry excuse for a soul, so you best believe he can scrounge up some mean ’uns.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Ace asked.
“We ain’t much, just miners,” Tom answered, holding his hat down on his head, “but we know trouble when we see it, and we don’t want no part of it! You can tell the sheriff that we rode out here to warn?—?”
“Why not ride in and tell him yourself?” Ace demanded.
“Nah, we’re riding on east. Sheriff can’t do nothing about a man just asking around. Just watch your back,” Randy warned Ace. “Carver thinks we rode out here to bloody you up. You got a step up tonight, mister, so be smart about it. Come on, boys!”
Ace pulled his horse back and watched the miners take off into the dark.
“What do you make of that?” Finn asked.
“You two okay watching the herd while I ride back into town?” Ace asked.
“Now, Ace, don’t go doing anything that’s gonna get you hanged,” Clyde said nervously.
“Don’t intend to—just stay with the herd!”
With that, Ace tore back toward town. When he arrived, he circled around to come in through the far end and silently rode down the alley behind the saloon just as heavy rain started to blast the town.
Without making a sound, he dismounted and eased up to the back door of the saloon.
The rain made it hard to hear, but voices came through.
“This them?”
Roscoe’s voice. Mean. Slithery.
“Yeah. This is Vance Charleston and Chris Juniper,” a second voice answered.
“What’s the deal?” a bloody voice asked.
“I sent three men out of town to put the hurt on Ace Carter. I want you to ride out tomorrow and finish him off.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I mean it,” Roscoe growled. “While you’re taking care of him, I’m going to get my wife. Word is, Henry Ashford will be selling off his herd tomorrow. No matter how bad he’s beat, I’m sure Ace will be with Ashford tomorrow.”
“Herds are sold a mile south of town in the old Brandon Field. The forks run through that field.”
“Four roads,” Roscoe said. “You can shoot Carter down while he’s riding out—plenty of trees out that way.”
“There’s a good shooting spot from Brown Spider Rock,” the second voice said. “The rock is on a rise behind some trees. You can kill Ace Carter from there, then follow the east road. When you reach the low rocks, turn north and ride hard.”
Ace listened. The deal they were setting up sounded pretty steady.
“The sheriff told me my wife has to stay at the hotel until Judge Tisdale arrives. While you’re taking care of Carter, I’ll take care of her.”
“And the sheriff?”
“I’ll deal with him,” Roscoe promised.
“We want the money up front. We ain’t doing nothing until we get paid!”
“What, so you can ride off? No deal! You two owe me,” the second voice snapped angrily. “You do this for Mr. Carver, or I’m gonna tell Reeves how you betrayed him. I’m sure he’d be interested in hearing how you hit that stagecoach last month and?—?”
“Now, that ain’t right, Frank. You’re just a barkeep, for crying out loud!”
“Chris, you owe me. How many times have I hid you and Vance from the law, huh?”
A lousy barkeep. Figures. Ace shook his head as rain poured down his face. Roscoe’s taking some dangerous chances. Shows how desperate he is to get after me—and Bonnie. If Judge Tisdale gets here, he’s done for.
“Frank, if we do this, we could hang.”
“Better than Reeves finding out the truth.”
“Just kill Ace Carter and ride,” Roscoe urged. “When you’re in the clear, head down to Texas and meet me at my ranch. I’ll make it right with you boys.”
“How much?”
“Five hundred apiece,” Roscoe promised.
Ace almost laughed before he caught himself. Yeah right. All those two will get is a shallow grave if they ride down to Carver’s ranch.
“Do it… or else,” the barkeep—Frank—warned.
“What’s in it for you, Frank? Huh?”
“I’m leaving town. Mr. Carver is gonna set me up in his part of the land. I’ve got too much trouble here.”
“You mean you’ve been cheating the deck!”
“Shut your mouth, Chris!”
Ace heard the sound of guns clearing holsters. “Mister,” Chris drawled, “your trouble ain’t our problem. And Frank, if you want to run your mouth to Reeves, so be it! We ain’t gonna hang for no murder. Now back off!”
Ace heard boots stomping across a wooden floor. When the sound gradually faded, he guessed the two guns Roscoe had been attempting to hire had left the room.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Carter, I thought I could make them two boys obey.”
The sound of an angry boot kicking the floor followed. “I’ll kill Carver myself, then! Are you sure Ashford’s herd will be sold where you said?”
“Yeah. All the beef in these parts is sold in Brandon Field.”
“Fine. I’ll do it myself, since there’s nothing in this town but spineless cowards! In the meantime, I’ll be at the hotel. You just worry about getting packed up. I can use you back in Texas.”
“Listen, Mr. Carver, it’s only a matter of time before I end up dead. I need to leave now. I ain’t got time to wait around for you.”
“So now you’re turning yellow?”
“Just don’t wanna dig up more snakes than I can kill.”
“Yeah, right. Coward!”
Ace heard another pair of boots stomp off—likely Roscoe tearing out of the back room.
He wasn’t sure what the deal with the barkeep was, and he didn’t care.
It wasn’t unusual for a barkeep to end up on the wrong side of a gun for stacking the deck from time to time.
What mattered was Roscoe’s obvious desperation.
The snake was trying to squeeze unwilling men into hard situations. Not every man was a killer.
The West was changing. The arm of the law was growing longer and stronger, and many outlaws feared the end of a rope.
Sure, there would always be outlaws—not every man feared the end of a rope, but most did.
Killing a man was far different from rustling a few cattle or making off with a horse or two.
Law didn’t stand for any sort of offense, of course, and a man could hang for stealing, but murder was different.
Cold-blooded guns belonged to soulless killers.
Roscoe Carver was a soulless killer—Ace knew that—but he could also tell that Roscoe was scared.
The snake was out of his hole in a town he had no control over, fighting a man who wasn’t afraid to fight back.
On top of that, the law was aware of the situation.
And maybe more than that, even Ace couldn’t be sure, his own men had planned to turn against him.
It had only been a matter of time, and it seemed that time had arrived. And now, he knew just where he’d find Roscoe: Brown Spider Rock.
Tomorrow, I’ll end this, once and for all.
Ace slipped off into the darkness and led his horse to the back of the hotel. He waited in the rain for about an hour and then went out front. The street was dark and empty.
Except for Roscoe’s horse, which was tied up out front.