Cal thrust his hands into the pockets of his jeans and tilted his head. "You ladies been somewhere nice?" he asked.
He saw them glance at one another. Then Prudence spoke up. "We paid a visit to Rafael Largo."
Cal nodded. "Uh huh." He schooled his features, not wanting to reveal even a hint of his disapproval at that discovery.
There was a long awkward silence. Then Cal asked: "What did you think of him?"
Grace lifted a brow. "Well, he wasn't exactly rude, but I could tell he didn't approve of us paying a visit."
"Yeah? What did he say about last night?" Cal asked, getting straight to the point.
"We made our views known quite plainly," Hope announced. "We told him to leave us alone."
Cal tipped the front of his hat up. He'd been right about the three women. He was sure they had put Largo well and truly in his place. Maybe that was a good thing. Then again, it might cause new problems in the near future.
"How did he take that?" Cal asked. He smiled, admiring the spirit shown by his employers.
Prudence frowned. "Can I have a word with you, Cal?" she asked and hooked a thumb in the direction of the corral.
Hope and Grace exchanged a look and then headed to the house. Cal followed Prudence across the yard. Prudence rested her arms against the wooden corral fence. Cal leaned against the fence and glanced hesitantly at Prudence. Her delicately-shaped, furrowed brows and full, pursed lips told him she had something on her mind.
Before she had a chance to say anything, Cal spoke: "I thought I warned you about Largo."
Prudence turned her head quickly. Her eyes flashed. "But you didn't tell me the whole story."
"What do you mean?"
Prudence faced him, leaning her elbow against the fence. "Seems like Largo and Silas were having a feud."
"Is that what Largo told you?"|
"He said that he and Silas had some disagreements over the property. I got the impression he was trying to run Silas off his own land," Prudence said. "Is that right?"
Cal thought about all the trouble they'd been having on the Circle T ever since Largo had moved onto his own land and built the hacienda there. From the moment Largo had arrived a year ago it had been clear there was going to be trouble. Silas had established the Circle T and had built his own ranch house on his favored location, clearing the southern half of the circular grove of trees.
Largo had paid a few visits, just as a matter of courtesy. But when he'd found out the location of Silas's ranch house things had soured between Silas and Largo. From that moment on Cal had been dealing with what he could only describe as a range war. But not one fought out in the open. Nor one that claimed lives and was fought with violence. It was more like one which had been fought by stealth and deception. With Largo being the kind of man he was, that hadn't surprised Cal one bit.
Cal sighed. "Largo harassed Silas something terrible," he admitted.
Prudence's mouth opened. "What kind of things did he do?"
Cal told her about the constant harassment, the night raids, the cattle going missing. He told her about the many times that Silas had paid a visit to Largo demanding justice. How the local law had let Silas down and ignored what was going on at the Circle T. As she listened, Prudence's face became pale. Her eyes filled with sympathy as Cal told her about some of the things which had happened to Silas. How Silas's life had been made miserable.
As he concluded, Cal saw Prudence's expression change from sympathy to rage. She clutched the top bar of the fence. "Largo is a snake. I knew it. I can tell a liar when I see one." Her voice shook with indignation. She peered up into Cal's eyes. "You don't think Largo had anything to do with Silas's accident, do you?"
Cal shook his head and sighed. "I guess it would be easy to assume he had something to do with it. But we looked into it in detail. I think Silas was just unlucky that day. The horse broke its leg and Silas got caught underneath it. I don't think there was anything he could have done."
"You're sure about that?" she asked urgently. "Because if Largo had anything to do with Silas dying, I'll make it my mission to bring him to justice."
Cal gazed in wonder at Prudence. He'd never known a woman like her. There was a fire in her soul.
Suddenly he was seized by an impulse he couldn't control. Cal reached across and laid his hand gently on Prudence's arm. She glanced at his hand and then up into his eyes. He'd caught her off guard. "Don't go doing anything foolish, now, Prudence. You have to promise me you'll stay away from Largo."
Her gaze was fierce and direct. He could see her weighing up her next words. For a moment, she looked like she was about to give in to another outburst.
Then she sighed and nodded. "There are other ways to deal with men like him," she said.
That didn't exactly reassure Cal. "Like what?"
She took a step away from the corral, loosening his hand from her arm. He wondered if she'd disapproved of him being so familiar with her. Maybe he'd made a mistake, he told himself.
"We'll think of something," she stated.
"I don't want any of you going over to the Largo place, do you hear?" Cal declared.
Prudence lifted a brow. "Don't worry. We won't be paying any more visits. My friends and I will find a way to get justice for the Circle T. And we'll find out why Largo is so interested in this place."
"That's easy," Cal said. "He's greedy."
Prudence shook her head. "No. There's more to it than that. Señor Largo has something in mind. And we're going to find out what it is."
Cal didn't like the sound of that. It spelled trouble for the Circle T.
And then, with her chin held high, Prudence started back toward the big house. Cal scratched the back of his head and asked himself what he was getting himself into.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The following morning Grace suggested they all go into town. Prudence and Hope agreed. Prudence knew that Grace wasn't interested in doing shopping. She had other things on her mind.
In Grace's room last night, Prudence had listened to Grace as she'd spoken about how to deal with Largo using the law. Prudence told Grace what Cal had said about the sheriff of Testament Creek possibly being influenced by Rafael Largo. That had just seemed to rile Grace up. She'd said there were plenty of other ways to involve the law in the trouble being caused by Largo. Grace said that, even in a small community of less than a thousand folks, the law could still be enforced. Even if the sheriff didn't want to do what he was being paid to do by the good people of the town.
The women were all dressed in their gowns and ready to leave on the buckboard when two riders arrived at the house. One of them was Cal.
Prudence saw that the other rider was sitting awkwardly on his horse. He looked injured. That was confirmed when Cal dismounted and went to the man's horse.
Cal glanced at the three women. "Might need some help here with Lucas."
Hope gasped, her nurse training kicking in. She leaped down from the buckboard and went to the injured man. Prudence and Grace stepped down and helped all they could to get Lucas down from the horse. Then between them all, they carried the ranch hand into the house. They laid Lucas down on the long sofa. He moaned and gripped his shoulder.
"What happened?" Hope asked urgently as she attended to the man.
"A steer ran into his horse," Cal explained. "Threw him. Lucas landed hard and awkward."
Hope looked at Lucas. She smiled gently at him. "I'm going to open your shirt."
Lucas's eyes widened and he looked up at Cal, who smiled down at the ranch hand. "She's a nurse. Let her do what she's good at."
Hope smiled up at Cal. "Why thank you, Cal. That's mighty nice of you to say so."
"Your welcome, Hope," Cal replied.
Prudence saw how much Lucas trusted Cal's advice. The young man nodded. Prudence glanced at Cal. It was clear that the ranch hands had a lot of respect for Cal. That kind of thing could only come after a long time of working together. Of sharing trials and difficu
lties.
Lucas relaxed and Hope unbuttoned the shirt. She examined the damaged shoulder. There was a cut there too. Prudence saw blood staining the inside of Lucas's shirt. Alongside her, she heard Grace sigh heavily. Grace seemed to sway for a long moment. Grace lifted a hand to her forehead and took a step away from Lucas.
"Are you okay, Grace?" Prudence asked, taking Grace by the elbow and leading her to a nearby chair.
Grace sat down. "I'm not used to the sight of blood," she explained. Her face was a shade paler than it had been moments before. She stood quickly. "Maybe I should take some fresh air."
Lucia came running into the parlor. Hope gave Lucia some instructions about what she needed and the woman went running off.
Hope turned to Prudence and Grace. "I'm going to stay here and help Lucas," she said.
"Of course," Prudence agreed. "Grace and I will go into town."
Cal peered at Prudence. "Any particular reason?"
Prudence glanced at Grace and then shook her head. It would be best if Cal didn't know what Grace had planned. "Not really," Prudence said to Cal. He didn't look convinced. In fact, he looked downright suspicious. It was clear he had no intention of leaving the ranch. He'd probably want to make sure Lucas was fine.
Before Cal had a chance to say anything else, Prudence and Grace bid Hope farewell and headed out to the buckboard. Soon they were riding down the trail. It was a sunny day. Grace regained her usual healthy color soon after they departed.
By the time they arrived in Testament Creek, Grace was fully recovered and chatting with Prudence about how she planned to deal with the law and order problem in town.
Main Street was bustling with activity. The boardwalks on either side were busy with Testament Creek's folks going about their business. All the stores were open. As they drove past the saloon, Prudence heard the sound of a fight inside there. Men's voices were raised and she heard the tumbling of what sounded like chairs being thrown around. She flicked the reins of the horse, eager to get away from the saloon.
The sheriff's office was halfway up the street on the left. Prudence parked the buckboard outside the sheriff's office. She and Grace made their way to the front door. As she was about to knock on the door, it was pulled open. A white-haired, portly man stared at her from beneath equally white bushy eyebrows. He wore jeans, black boots, a white shirt and a waistcoat upon which was pinned a silvery, metallic star. He was currently tying a belt into place. From it hung a holstered pistol.
It was the first time Prudence had been so close to a real-life sheriff. She drew in a sharp breath. "Sheriff Brady?" Prudence asked abruptly.
Brady's brows furrowed. He looked from Prudence to Grace. "Who wants to know?"
Prudence introduced herself and Grace. As she did so, she saw the sheriff's attention being caught by the ruckus going on over at the saloon. Brady twisted his head and called out. "Tyler. Get over to the saloon, right now. See what's going on."
A tall, dark-haired young man, probably in his mid-twenties Prudence guessed, appeared behind the sheriff. He was similarly dressed to Brady, only he didn't wear a star. Prudence figured Tyler must be some kind of deputy. The young man, who was extremely handsome, seemed surprised to see Prudence and Grace. He hesitated a moment as he pushed past the sheriff. Prudence thought the young man had kindly eyes.
He smiled as he strode out onto the boardwalk. Thrusting his Stetson on his head he said: "Ladies. Nice to meet you." And then he went off running across the street toward the saloon. Prudence saw Grace watch Tyler carefully as he raced across the dusty street. When Grace turned to look at Prudence, her face seemed flushed. She met Prudence's curious gaze. For a moment, Prudence thought that Grace had been taken aback by the sight of the handsome deputy. Grace quickly composed herself and peered at the sheriff.
"If you've got something to say, I suppose you better come on inside," Sheriff Brady said.
Prudence and Grace followed the sheriff into the cool interior of the office. There was a desk off to one side, with a leather-backed chair behind it. A rack of rifles hung inside a cabinet on the wall. Opposite the front door a corridor led to two jail cells. Inhaling quietly, Prudence thought she could detect the scent of alcohol in the air.
Brady sat down, propped his booted feet up on the corner of the desk and leaned back. "What can I do for you ladies?"
"Do you know who we are?" Grace asked.
Brady's brows shot up. "Sure I do. You're the new owners of the Circle T."
"How do you know that?" Prudence asked.
This time Brady frowned. "I'm the sheriff. Not much happens in this town without me knowing about it."
Prudence wanted to add that perhaps the sheriff had found out about them from Rafael Largo. But she managed to bite her tongue.
Grace took a step closer to the desk. "Sheriff. I'll get right to it. We've come to register a complaint."
"What about?"
"About an invasion of our privacy," Grace said.
Brady frowned. "What in tarnation does that mean?"
"An unnecessary and unwanted intrusion on our private property," Grace added.
The sheriff looked even more confused. He ran a hand through his white hair and scowled at Grace.
Prudence stepped forward. Grace was still talking like she was in a city law office. "I think what my friend is trying to tell you, sheriff, is that we caught an intruder on our property."
"You did?" Brady said and sat forward. He rested his elbows on the desk. "Who was he?"
"We don't know," Grace said.
Brady frowned. "But I thought you said you caught the man."
"We did," Prudence said. "Or at least Cal Logan did."
At the mention of Cal's name, the sheriff leaned back in his chair. His eyes shadowed slightly as if even thinking about Cal put Brady on the defensive.
"So why didn't Logan bring the man to me?"
"He took him to Señor Rafael Largo instead." Prudence waited a moment, judging Brady's reaction. The sheriff tried to mask the effect of Largo's name, but Prudence could see it worried the man.
"Why did he do that?"
"Because he assumed, rightly it turned out, that the man was one of Largo's employees," Grace said. "He has since been let go and no longer works for Largo. At least that was what Largo told us when we went to see him."
The fact that they had visited Largo didn't seem to come as a surprise to Brady. That told Prudence that the man had had conversations with Largo after their visit.
"So if he's gone why are you telling me all this?" the sheriff asked. "He didn't steal anything. Or assault anyone, did he?"
Grace leaned her fists on the table and fixed the sheriff with a stern look. "He was trespassing, sheriff. Isn't that a crime around these parts?"
"Well, I suppose it is," Brady said slowly.
Grace's face turned beetroot red. "You suppose so! What kind of law and order do you have in this town?"
Now it was Brady's turn to defend himself. He stood and faced Grace. "Now there's no need to get like that, young lady," Brady said.
"Don't call me a young lady," Grace exclaimed.
Prudence sensed the time had come to calm things down. Since meeting Grace, she'd seen plenty of instances of her temper.
Prudence smiled at the sheriff. "We've reported the crime to you, Sheriff Brady. Now its up to you. I guess you could try and find the man."
Brady scowled at Prudence. "You saying you want to press charges?"
"Against Largo? Yes." Grace exclaimed. "For sending the man in the first place."
"You don't have any proof of that."
"We don't believe Largo's explanation that the man was drunk and lost his way," Prudence said.
"If he prompted the man to intrude on our property, that makes Largo an accessory. We want proceedings brought against him," Grace declared emphatically.
Brady gasped and then cleared his throat. "I don't see how you can do that. He's the most upstanding member of our community."
"Is he?" Grace asked sharply. "That doesn't mean he is above the law." She lifted a brow. "Or does it?"
The sheriff hurried around the desk. Raising his hands, he smiled nervously. "Maybe you need to take some time to think this over."
Grace shook her head. "We've thought it over. At the very least, we want an investigation carried out."
Sensing a compromise, Brady seized upon it. "Leave it with me," he said and then gestured Prudence and Grace toward the door.
At that very moment, the door flew open and Tyler the young deputy came striding in. "Sheriff! You better come. Bob Gannon is causing a whole lot of trouble over at the saloon."
Instantly, Brady looked relieved. They all stepped out onto the boardwalk. The sheriff said a hasty farewell and then ran across Main Street with his deputy trailing behind.
Prudence glanced at Grace. Her friend didn't look at all happy.
"That didn't go well," Grace said.
"He's in Largo's pocket. No doubt about it," Prudence said.
Grace nodded. "I have an idea."
"What are you going to do?" Prudence asked Grace.
Grace hooked a hand inside Prudence's arm and started to lead her in the direction of the southern end of Main Street. "I'm going to send a telegram," Grace said. And, for the first time since they'd arrived at the sheriff's office, Grace looked pleased.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Hope had finished tending to Lucas's wound when Cal decided to head into town to try and find out what Prudence and Grace had been getting up to. Cal got Lucas settled on a bed in one of the downstairs rooms. Hope insisted on staying with Lucas for a while. Lucia was in attendance to lend a hand whenever needed. Since it looked like he didn't have to be around any longer, Cal got on his horse and rode down the trail.
It was the middle of the afternoon as he rode out across the grassland, heading southward to town. The sun was bright and hot. Cal reflected on the great work Hope had done with Lucas. It seemed the skills each woman possessed would be put to good use out here in Texas.
The Texas Cowboy’s Courtship (Testament Creek Book 1) Page 6