by Ember Pierce
* * *
Scott’s mind circled in this fashion, over and over again. He straightened up in an attempt to stop it and happened to look out across the fields. In the distance he saw a lone horse and rider. They appeared to be coming his way, so he waited, wondering who it could be and why were they racing across the fields to him. He leaned on his shovel and waited.
* * *
In a short time, Scott realized it was none other than Ephraim riding in his direction. A slight feeling of unease gripped him. Why wasn’t Ephraim working in his office? He was the mayor of Fable Springs. He shouldn’t be out riding in the fields, and at breakneck speed. Scott was worried, but he raised his hand in greeting. The horse and rider came closer.
* * *
“Scott.” Ephraim called as he rode right up alongside his friend and slid down from his mount.
* * *
“What’s going on, Ephraim? What can I do for you? I noticed your haste as you came across the field. Is something wrong?”
* * *
“Yeah, you could say that. I need you in town, Scott. It’s the rustlers. Well, first I need you to come over to my family’s ranch. As you know, since I was elected mayor I haven’t been staying out there. My father settled as far outside the town lines as he could. He wanted the option of being able to buy more land. You know that already so I’ll just get to the point.”
* * *
“What happened, Ephraim?”
* * *
“The rustlers. They came in the middle of the night and herded a lot of cattle off the place. They took the dogs too. That’s how they’ll keep the herd together, though I’m expecting some strays, dogs and cattle, will show up in the next week or so.
* * *
“They took about two thousand head. I don’t know where they drove them to. I was able to follow the trail for twenty miles north up into the pass through the hills. It looks like they went through then split up. But it was impossible to see where they went because of the rain in the early morning hours. It fell after they went through. All the tracks were ruined. They’re just muddy areas with no tell of which direction the rustlers went.”
* * *
“Ok, what do you need from me? You know I’ll do whatever I can. If they split up, then we can still trail them in the other direction.”
* * *
“Maybe. They set fire to the barn near the house. My brothers and some of the hands were able to put it out before there was any significant damage. Those outlaws are sending a message, Scott. A message to me. A message to Fable Springs. I’m afraid. I just can’t figure out what the message is. My mother is pretty shaken up. I’ve come to see if maybe you would ask Mae if she’ll go out to the ranch to stay with her. Carlotta is there already.”
* * *
“Okay. I’ll go back and I’ll hitch up the buggy. We’ll get Mae. I reckon she’ll be happy to help. Do you want to come with me, Ephraim?”
* * *
“No, I’ll see you at the ranch. I have a few things to do in town.”
* * *
“Okay, Mae and I won’t be long.”
* * *
Ephraim gripped Scott’s hand. “Thanks, Scott. I’m much obliged.”
* * *
They both mounted their horses and rode across the field until they got to the road and went their separate ways.
* * *
Scott urged his mount to move faster, but it seemed to take a long time to get back to the farmhouse. As he came up the road he could see that Mae was in the back vegetable garden, weeding. He’d noticed how easily she’d fit in around the farm.
* * *
In the mornings, she’d taken to feeding the animals, milking and collecting the eggs. He’d never said anything to her about doing those things. It was obvious to him that Mae had grown up on and lived on a farm before coming west. She didn’t seem to have any trouble with hard work.
* * *
He stopped and watched her for a moment and she happened to look up. She hesitated a moment, and then as if she realized it was him, she raised her hand and waved. He did the same and walked the horse up beside the garden.
* * *
“Is everything alright, Scott? I thought you were staying out in the fields today until supper time. I don’t have anything on for dinner, I thought you were eating in the saddle. If you have a little time, I can heat up some chicken for you.”
* * *
“No, I’m not hungry. I’m back because I’m taking you over to the Charloux ranch. I just saw and spoke to Ephraim. The place was rustled last night. Mrs. Charloux is very upset.”
* * *
Mae’s hand went to her mouth as she gasped. “Oh, dear. Of course I’ll go to her. Is Carlotta going, too?” Mae had met Ephraim’s entire family including his sister, Carlotta, at church where the mayor had introduced them.
* * *
“Carlotta is there but Ephraim came and asked me if you wouldn’t mind going over and staying with them. And to tell you the truth, I’d be more comfortable if you weren’t here all by yourself.”
* * *
“Oh, yes. Of course. Will you take me over to the Charloux place or I should go on my own?” Mae was already wiping her hands on the half apron she was wearing to protect her skirt.
* * *
“I’ll take you,” he said.
* * *
When she reached behind her waist to untie the apron, Scott was suddenly aware that he’d bought the apron for Annie. He thought she could wear it when in the garden. He’d put it in a drawer and forgotten it. Now Mae had found it and was wearing it. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
* * *
Without another word, Mae hurried into the house. Scott went to hitch up the buggy. He pulled up in front of the house and waited. Soon she came out.
* * *
“I’m ready to go.”
* * *
When they got out to the Charloux Ranch, Mae hurried into the house. A few minutes later, she came back out.
* * *
“What is it?” Scott wondered why Ephraim would ask Mae to come to the ranch if she wasn’t really necessary.
* * *
“Carlotta is with Mrs. Charloux and so is Doreen, the school teacher in town. I don’t know if you’re acquainted with her.”
* * *
“By sight. I know she and Carlotta are friends, though.”
* * *
“Well, both ladies are inside, Carlotta and Doreen. They’re taking good care of Mrs. Charloux. I thought I could help out here.”
* * *
“Okay. It’s not too dangerous. You can come with me if you want. First I’m going to have a look around. Ephraim is meeting with the sheriff and his deputies. They’ll probably come out later to see what they can find. I think that’s why Ephraim wanted me to come out here right away.” He looked up, squinting and gazed over the horizon. “Yep, if it rains any slight evidence that might be left there will be ruined. The trail will have disappeared completely. Ephraim told me the trail is already muddled once you get up into the hills.”
* * *
Mae nodded. Scott led her down to the barn that had been partially burned. Some of the roof was gone but all the horses were safe in the paddock and a roof could be mended. Scott planned to take the horses over to his farm and put them in the stables. There were ten animals. Scott’s barn held his own animals but the unused stable down the hill would do in a pinch.
* * *
After Scott bought his farm, he almost tore the stables down. He decided to keep them, though, and stored some things there. They would come in handy today.
* * *
He saddled two horses and helped Mae up on one. They rode the fences of the ranch and came to the place where the rustlers had driven the herd off the land. The fence was down and trampled about thirty feet across.
* * *
Scott got down and took tools from his saddle bags and unrolled a length of barbed wire he
had wrapped in a blanket and thrown across the back of the saddle. Thankfully, only one post had been pulled up.
* * *
“Well, where do you want to start. What can I do, Scott?”
* * *
He studied her for a moment. She wasn’t very big. In fact, the fencepost was as tall as she was. He could tell she wanted to be useful, though. Didn’t everyone want to be helpful when something like this happened? It was a coming together, a bonding of sorts between people helping each other.
* * *
But Scott knew there was more to it than that with Mae. He wanted to be closer to her but he didn’t know how. He wanted to know her better even as he tried to keep his distance from her. He thought of a way she could help him with the fence.
* * *
“You can hold this post steady while I hammer it in.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his work gloves. He tossed them to Mae. “Put those on. They’ll keep you from getting splinters.”
* * *
“I can do that.”
* * *
Scott thought she looked sweet in her pretty dress and her sunbonnet with his oversized gloves on. She’d rolled the cuffs over but the gloves were still huge on her small hands. Scott smiled in spite of himself.
* * *
For the next thirty minutes, the two worked side by side. Scott was able to see that Mae was no stranger to mending fences. The more he was around her, the more he discovered things about her that drew him to her.
* * *
It was more than her physical beauty. Mae was practical and smart. And she didn’t shy away from hard work. She hummed to herself as she stretched the wire and wrapped it around the post.
* * *
She was a hard worker. In only a few days, she’d begun to turn his house into a cozy home. She’d put up curtains, and had scrubbed the kitchen floor, the parlor and dining room floors. She’d cleaned out the fireplace in the parlor and the big cast iron cook stove. There was always a clean tablecloth on the table when they ate. And there was plenty of food.
* * *
Mae was fond of baking, something that Scott didn’t mind at all. Right now there was a yellow cake, a blueberry pie, and some sugar cookies that she had baked in the pantry of the kitchen. He’d seen them that morning, three plates resting under brown paper wrapping. Not to mention the bread she baked and the fluffy biscuits she made every day.
* * *
Mae’s presence in the house had become welcome to him. He realized that he’d been lonely. Until Mae came along he’d fallen so far away from other people. Ephraim was the only person he’d spoken to on a regular basis in the last year. He’d had nothing to do with women. He’d spent all of his time on the farm only venturing into town a handful of times.
* * *
He turned away abruptly from watching Mae work. It wouldn’t do to think about her that way. He had too much to do. The damage to the Charloux Ranch was pretty extensive. It was good that the rustlers wouldn’t be back. And Scott knew they wouldn’t be. They’d taken as much cattle as they wanted. As much as they could.
* * *
He reckoned they drove them to a train they must have stopped down the line. They loaded the cattle and were gone. Or maybe they had a train of their own. Either way, if they’d wanted more cattle, they’d have taken more right then. Since they hadn’t. They wouldn’t be back for a while. If or rather when they returned, they’d hit a different ranch.
* * *
He was concerned. Deeply concerned. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, every element of the rustlings looked and sounded like the work of Wayne Bixby. The man was a mastermind at getting others to do his dirty work for him.
* * *
Scott knew that the sheriff wouldn’t be able to pin this on Bixby as, being a long time criminal, he would have made sure he had a tight alibi. Scott removed his hat and ran his hand through his hair. He took care to keep the scarred side of his face away from Mae. She hadn’t seen him in the bright sunlight without his hat. He didn’t care to imagine the look that would come into her eyes when she did.
* * *
He knew he’d been lucky to survive the blast that had left him with his affliction. But he was still extremely self-conscious of the scarring on his face. He had so much guilt about all of it. His inability to save Annie. The fact that he’d been unable to see Bixby’s evil deed coming. There was no honor in the man. Anything, any action, lie, or manipulation was an ever-present element in Bixby’s dealings with others.
* * *
Mae continued on with her work. Scott couldn’t help but watch her a little longer. There was something quite special about her. It was something that ran very deep within her. A strong quality of courage and independence. She was a good person. She was compassionate and giving and kind. Scott looked all around them.
* * *
The smoke from the burned barn still wafted up over the ranch. Although Ephraim didn’t know who’d taken the cattle, Scott was willing to guess. If this was the handiwork of Wayne Bixby, Scott would have to get Mae out of Fable Springs. He wasn’t going to set her up for a similar fate to Annie.
* * *
Now Scott knew that Bixby’s game had no rules. Any action was fair. Scott had to beat the man at his own game and he was at a great disadvantage. That was, he was as unlike Wayne Bixby as oil was unlike water.
* * *
He was not naturally the kind of person to try and get something over on someone. But Bixby naturally was. If Scott really wanted to beat his nemesis, he’d need to think like him. He’d need to be able to assert himself the way Bixby did. He’d need to put his own sense of morals and ethics on the shelf.
* * *
The question was… could he do that?
14
The next morning, Scott woke to the delicious smells of coffee boiling and bacon frying. A smile came to him. He could get used to this.
* * *
Mae was an early riser, he’d learned. She would be up when it was still dark out and Scott didn’t hear a sound from the kitchen. No, it was the aromas of the tasty foods she prepared that would wake him. He thought it a very nice way to wake up.
* * *
He stretched and rose and got ready for the day. He opened his dresser to find all his clothing there, clean and neatly folded. He’d been working in the same denim pants everyday for a week before Mae came to the farm.
* * *
But on Sunday night, she’d gathered his dirty work clothes and put them to soak. She’d had the wash done by ten o’clock the next morning. Another commendation he had was that Mae was so organized and quick in her work.
* * *
He felt like her influence over the house had had a happy effect on him as he chose a pair of clean socks and went to the closet to retrieve a clean work shirt.
* * *
When he was dressed he bounded down the back stairs that led straight into the kitchen. The table was set and Mae hummed a church hymn as she bustled about the room getting breakfast.
* * *
“Good morning, Scott.” She smiled and pulled his chair away from the table.
* * *
Scott scratched his head and had a seat. Mae dished bacon, eggs, biscuits, and fried potatoes onto a plate and placed it in front of him along with a cup of black coffee. He stretched his arms above his head and waited for her to sit.
* * *
“Oh go ahead, Scott. I ate already.” She smiled again and went about packing a lunch for him to take out to the fields.
* * *
Scott noticed that she was in a particularly happy mood this morning. He wondered what was going on in her head, but reckoned she’d tell him if she wanted him to know. Being a private person himself, he didn’t pry. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder.
* * *
He did decide, though, to ask her if she’d want to help him in the garden. She’d done so well helping him with the fence at the Charloux
place. And she was pleasant to be around. So pleasant in fact that he found he wanted her around more and more. It made the work go faster. And it was nice to have some help.