by Barbara Goss
“So, do their steaks taste any better than our Longhorns?” Frank said with a laugh.
“I don’t suppose they do, but they sure are handsome animals.”
Frank put a hot towel on Dan’s face. “I wouldn’t know one from another.”
Dan had the same conversation everywhere he went that day. At lunchtime, Jack told him Leo was back. It was a bit of news that fit right into their plans.
Joe Austin walked into the saloon and sat down at the bar beside Leo. “How much did you get per head?”
“Forty dollars for them Longhorns!” Leo said. “The stockman gave us fifty per head for them fancy Angus.” He handed Joe a wad of money. “Here’s your third.”
Joe pocketed the money. “I’m done. This was my last job. I can’t do this anymore.”
“Why not?” Leo asked as he signaled to the barman for a beer.
“I’m getting married in a few days and I need to stay clean,” Joe said. Then he whispered, “My cattle rustling days are over.”
“Well, I ain’t done yet. We can’t do it with just the two of us. What are we supposed to do?” Leo asked.
“Get someone else. I’m finished,” Joe said. “I really want this marriage to work. I’ve wanted a wife for a few years now, and I finally got one, and she’s gorgeous. I aim to try and live honestly—you know, raise a family and all.”
Leo swore. “You think Mitch Randall would want to team up with me and Boggs?”
“I think he might. He used to hang around with my brother, and I know they were up to no good half the time,” Joe said. “Tell him how much is in it for him. That’ll wet his whistle.”
“I heard a rumor today that might change your mind,” Leo said.
“I doubt it. I really care for this woman, Leo.”
“Jeremy Walker has two dozen of those fancy cattle from Scotland, those Aberdeen Angus. Twenty-four times fifty dollars is a lot of money. It’d make a nice wedding present,” Leo said.
Joe sighed. “It’s tempting, Leo, but I couldn’t steal from the Walkers, especially. My bride’s living with them.”
“You sure?” Leo prodded him with his elbow.
“Positive.” Joe patted the pocket that held a third of the cattle money. “I have enough money to buy some new furniture and whatever my wife wants.”
Dan and Jack found a good place in the woods behind the Walkers’ where the cattle were grazing.
“They left, all dressed in black, the last time I saw them, and it was around nine. It’s nearly midnight,” Jack said. “How long do we need to stay here?”
Dan pulled out his pocket watch. “I think we’ll call it a night.” They rode back to town and to their hotel.
Jack pulled an envelope from his pocket while they were eating sandwiches at Rosie’s around noon.
“What’s that?” Dan asked.
“A letter from my cousin, Pearl. She’s coming to Hays.”
“Really?” Dan asked. “What for?”
“She’d applied for a school teacher position in Leavenworth, Dickenson, Ellsworth, and Ellis counties, and she got the one for Ellis County, right here in Hays. She’ll be living here,” Jack said.
“That’s great, since you’re here. At least she’ll know someone.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Jack said.
“I thought that, after the Founders’ Day celebration, you and Pearl might get together, at least I’d hoped you would,” Jack said. “She’s a really sweet gal.”
“Pearl's a very pleasant person and we’re friends,” Dan said. “When I met her, I was already smitten with a brown-eyed vixen.”
“Yeah,” Jack said, “and you’re still eating your heart out. Maybe you need a diversion like Pearl to get your mind off of her.”
“No, no, and no,” Dan said with finality. “Leila never should have happened. I’ve kept myself free of entanglements my whole life, and if it weren’t for Leila I’d probably have continued without them. I just need to get over her and get on with chasing bad guys.”
“Leila,” Kate called at her bedroom door.
Leila opened the door. “Good morning, Kate.”
“Good morning,” Kate answered. “You have an early morning visitor downstairs.”
Leila’s heart pounded. “Who?” Please be Dan, she prayed silently.
“Joe wants a word with you.”
Leila let her shoulders sag. “Oh. I’ll be down shortly.”
“I’ll give him some coffee, so you can take your time.”
Leila fixed her hair, but just couldn’t make herself act cheerful at the thought of seeing her future husband. She’d never make a good actress. She sighed, squared her shoulders, and went downstairs to greet her future husband.
Joe appeared all smiles again. “Hello, Leila.” He stood as she walked into the room. “I’ve brought you some flowers.”
Leila had to admit they were pretty flowers. “Thank you,” she said as she took the bouquet. “I’ll give them to Kate to put in some water.” She left and walked to the kitchen.
“Kate, can you put these into water?”
“Sure can. My, they are beautiful.”
Leila walked back to the sitting room and took a seat on the far side of the sofa.
“I thought I’d bring you up to date on what I’ve been doing. I’ve talked to the local reverend and booked our wedding. Our marriage license is in my pocket. You need to sign it. I bought the ring, bought new furniture, and well, I guess I’m ready. How about you?” he asked.
“The dress is coming along. It should be finished in time.”
“You don’t look happy about it, Leila. Can’t you forget the train robbery and pretend you’ve just arrived in Hays? We should’ve been married by now. I’ll be a good husband,” he said, “you’ll see.”
He sounded sincere, but Leila’s heart wasn’t in it at all. “I’m sure I just have the pre-wedding jitters, is all.”
“Of course,” Joe said. “We have loads of cattle, a comfortable home, and money in the bank. Love will come, Leila, I know it will. I’m already fond of you.”
“Fond of me? Is that why you’re forcing me into this marriage by threatening the life of the man who saved mine?”
Joe’s smiled faded and his eyes became dark again. “I had no choice. I couldn’t lose you. I’ve corresponded with you for eight months, and brought you out here, which means you’re mine. You promised to marry me. I have it in writing.”
“You can blame your brother and his friends for robbing our train.” Leila said.
“So, there you have it: it’s just been delayed a bit, but that shouldn’t change your mind,” he said. “Or has something happened between you and McCall that I should know about before our wedding night?”
“Nothing happened,” she said between her teeth, her fists clenched. “And nothing will happen on our wedding night, either. I can’t consummate the marriage until I’m in love.”
“So,” Joe said, his smile returning. “I have my work cut out for me then.”
Chapter 13
It was the second night of watching cattle on Walker’s property and Dan and Jack were soaked. It rained, and rained hard. They couldn’t have spotted anyone taking cattle if they were a foot away. They finally left and went back to the hotel to dry off.
The following day, Dan checked Walker’s property and none of the fences were down, but there were a lot of puddles and quite a bit of mud. He was relieved to discover the thieves hadn't hit the night before, when their vision had been impaired by the storm.
The town was all abuzz with news of the upcoming wedding between Joe Austin and his mail order bride. Dan felt sick every time he heard mention of it. He hoped to catch the cattle rustlers, since he was sure Joe would be one of them, which would put a halt to the marriage plans.
Once again, Dan and Jack hid in the woods and staked out the Walkers’ field where the cattle were grazing.
“They aren’t coming,” Jack said. “We’ve wasted another n
ight.”
“What?” Dan asked. “Did you have something better to do tonight?”
“No, but I’d rather be in my warm bed,” Jack said.
“Shh!” Dan warned. “Look!” Dan pointed and Jack’s eyes followed.
A belt buckle sparkled in the darkness from the light of the half moon. The shadowy silhouettes of three men slowly came into view. They didn’t seem to be in any hurry as they slowly took out their ropes and looped them over the necks of the cattle.
“Ready?” Dan whispered. “Let’s go!”
Dan and Jack trotted out from the woods, guns drawn. The thieves hadn’t yet spotted Dan or Jack, and Jack circled around so that when Dan made his presence known, they’d already be surrounded.
Jack lit the torch they’d brought so they could see the thieves. At the same time the torch was lit, Dan yelled, “Hands up! You’re under arrest!”
The men turned and tried to ride away in the opposite direction, but Jack had them covered.
“Get off your horses!” Dan yelled. When the men didn’t move, he trotted closer and said, “Or I’ll shoot. I can only hit one of you at a time, so who wants to die first?”
The men slid from their horses while Jack, who’d already dismounted, collected their guns.
Dan and Jack used the men’s own ropes to swiftly tie their hands behind their backs. He wondered how they’d get them all to jail, and he still hadn’t seen their faces.
“Let’s walk to the barn and borrow Walker’s flatbed wagon,” Dan said.
Dan and Jack rode their horses behind the three men, prodding them along to the barn. Once at the barn, Jeb came running out. His hair was mussed, his shirt wasn’t tucked in, and Dan thought they’d woken him.
“Jeb, we need your wagon. Can you hitch it up for us?”
Dan drove the wagon while Jack rode behind with his gun on the three men. Once they'd entered the well-lit town, Dan felt disappointment surge through him because Joe Austin wasn’t one of the cattle thieves.
He paraded them into the sheriff’s office where a deputy was on duty.
“Lock these men up," Dan ordered. "We caught them rustling cattle.”
The deputy looked at the men and his mouth fell open. “But I can’t lock up our sheriff!” he said.
“You can and you will. He’s a criminal. Caught them all red-handed, trying to steal from Walker. If you won’t lock them up, I will,” Dan said.
The deputy unlocked the cell and Dan pushed all three into the cramped quarters. “I’m shocked at you, Boggs!” Dan reached over and ripped the star from his vest. “You're a disgrace to the town and the badge.”
After they were locked up, Dan turned to the deputy and said. “We’re federal marshals, and we rank higher than either you or Boggs. If these three men aren’t still locked up when I return in the morning, you’ll answer to the United States Government. Got it?”
“Yes sir,” the man said.
“What’s your name?” Dan asked.
“E-Eustace Har-Hartman,” he said between trembling lips.
“Well, Eustace, make sure you’re here in the morning. I’m making you temporary sheriff.” He handed Boggs’s badge to Eustace.
Eustace’s face lit up and he smiled. “I’ll be here, and the prisoners will be here too.”
Dan and Jack found themselves on a train again, this time, escorting three criminals to Leavenworth for trial. Dan closed his eyes and thought about Leila, while Jack grumbled about having to leave Hays when his cousin was about due to arrive.
“Jack, stop. We’ll drop these vermin off and head right back to Hays.”
“I hope I don’t miss her. She doesn’t know a soul in town.”
“Stop worrying. I’m sure someone from the board of education will be there to greet her, Dan said a bit harshly, since he was annoyed at having had his romantic daydreams interrupted.
“All right,” Jack said. “What are you so cranky about?”
“I’m not cranky, I’m just…thinking.”
“Leila?”
“Maybe.”
“Why don’t you go and get her when we get back. Heck, you can find a job and house anywhere. Don’t let a once in a lifetime love get away,” Jack said.
“I wish I could,” Dan said. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It is easy. I wish I’d have had that chance, but the girl I loved preferred someone else.”
Dan looked over at Jack. “I’m sorry. You’re right, but what would I do for a living?”
“You could take Boggs’s job,” Jack said. “Be the sheriff of Hays. You’d still get to chase after criminals and you’d get steady pay. You could rent a house until you saved up enough money.”
“Again, you make it sound so simple. I’d have to be approved by the town council first. What if I propose to Leila and they turn me down?”
Jack threw his head back and laughed. “The town council turn down Big Dan McCall? A veteran lawman? I don’t think so. I’m sure they’d jump at the chance to have you take the job.”
Dan was quiet for several moments. “Thanks, Jack. You’ve given me hope.” Dan leaned back, closed his eyes and thought about proposing to Leila.
The first thing Dan did when he and Jack returned to Hays was to visit Town Council President Brady Conn to apply for the job of sheriff of Hays.
Leila sighed when Kate told her Joe was downstairs.
“Couldn’t you have told him I wasn’t in?”
“I’m fond of you Leila, but I won’t lie for you. Sorry,” Kate said, and she turned away from Leila’s bedroom.
“I’ll be right down,” Leila said with a disappointed voice. She put the book she’d been reading down, walked to the mirror, fixed her hair, straightened her dress, and then headed down the stairs with a sigh.
Joe stood as she entered the sitting room. “It’s a lovely day and I’d hoped we could go for a buggy ride. I’d like to show you our house.”
Riding with Joe was the last thing she wanted to do, but she was curious about the house, and thought it would be interesting to see his place. It was, after all, a lovely day.
“All right,” she said. “I’ll just let Kate know where I’m going.”
Joe didn’t drive a buggy, but a buckboard wagon. He helped her up onto the seat and then hopped up himself to grab the reins.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a ride in style,” Joe said, and he urged the horses forward. “I don’t own a buggy, so my vehicle has to be multi-purpose. I haul grain, hay, straw, supplies, and just about everything on the bed of my wagon, although, if you want a buggy, I now have the funds to buy one for you.”
“I’m not fussy about what I ride in,” she answered. “This is fine.”
After a short ride, he turned into a narrow lane with a thick forest on both sides. Once they'd rounded the curve in the lane, she was able to see a log cabin with smoke billowing up from the chimney, which she thought odd, since it was such a warm day. It was a cute home. She pictured flowerbeds along the side of the porch. She’d have to get a start on that as soon as she moved in.
Joe helped her from the wagon and walked her up to the front door.
“Why is there smoke coming from the chimney on such a warm day?” she asked.
“It was cold this morning, and I thought lighting a fire might add to the charm of the room, as well,” he said. “You’ll see.”
The front entrance led her right into the sitting room. The wall on the right consisted entirely of a stone fireplace. The furnishings were new, the walls were beige, and the room was stunning. The comfortable-looking sofa and armchair were a velvety purple with a wood trim, the hardwood floor was shiny and had a large area rug in the center of it. Kerosene lamps hung on the walls, and set the room off nicely. He was right, the flaming fireplace did add to the coziness of the room.
They walked into a small dining room, and then into a large country kitchen. It wasn’t as cozy as the sitting room, and she could see it needed a good scrubbing, but i
t was quaint. They went back down the hall toward the sitting room, where two bedroom doors opened to good- sized bedrooms.
“Which room will be mine?” she asked
Joe’s mouth hung open in surprise. When he recovered, he said firmly, “The one on the left will be our room.”
Leila walked into the room on the right. “This one will suit me fine.”
“Just for a while, right?” Joe asked.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Leila said, feeling ill at the thought of being intimate with him. It wasn't that he couldn't be charming when he wanted to be, but she remembered the evil look in his eyes when he'd talked about killing Dan. She just couldn’t forget that look; she didn’t trust Joe.
Suddenly, Joe grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. “How do you know you wouldn't like sleeping with me when we haven’t even kissed yet.” He grabbed her, covered her lips roughly with his, and kissed her passionately. She couldn’t return it—he wasn’t Dan.
He broke the kiss and stared down at her. “Are you going to be a cold fish of a wife, who doesn’t like making love? Return my kiss,” he said angrily with a mild oath.
“I can’t.” She turned and darted from the house.
Joe ran after her and caught her by the wagon. “You have to give it a chance, Leila. C’mon, return my kiss this time.” He tried grabbing her for another kiss, but she pulled away.
Leila shook her head. “Maybe after we’re married.”
Joe frowned at her, and his eyes turned malevolent again. Leila shivered.
“In a few days you’ll be my wife. How do I know you’ll respond to my kisses after the ceremony? I don’t want to be saddled with a stiff, unaffectionate wife.”
“It’s not like I chose this marriage, Joe. You forced me, so you get what you deserve.”
“Ohhh,” he said drawing out the word. “So that’s how it will be. I have news for you: Not only will you marry me to save Dan McCall’s life, you will respond to me and be a real wife!”