by Lola White
Offer strode up to the counter and nodded to the round little man behind it. “Morning, Marbury.”
“O’Neal.” The bank teller elevated his nose. “I assume you are here to withdraw monies for your water rights?”
Hyacinth bit her tongue as Offer’s spine snapped straight. She could feel the tension infusing him from across the tiny room, but it wasn’t her place to interfere.
Offer scratched his chin. “Town’s just full of gossips, huh?”
“Mr. Raines was in here this morning.” The teller sniffed. “He’s still about town somewhere, waiting on your payment.”
“How convenient. Well then, how much do I have available for withdrawal?”
Hyacinth wanted to smack the smirk off the teller’s face when he said, “Thirty dollars, O’Neal.”
Offer’s back became even tenser. “I should have about fifty dollars in that account.”
“Unfortunately, you were charged overdraft fees for last month, when your purchases credited at the General Store exceeded your account balance.” The teller’s smirk grew deeper. “Would you like to withdrawal the entire thirty dollars and close your account?”
“Yes I would,” Offer drawled with more patience than Hyacinth could fathom. “I do believe it would be best to take my business over to River’s Edge in future. The bank in that town doesn’t rob hard-working men who open accounts there.”
The teller’s lips thinned. “It’s a half day’s ride to River’s Edge, O’Neal, but I suppose you’ll go to the devil in your own way.”
“Give me my money, Marbury.”
It only took a few moments for the man to collect the thirty dollars, but still long enough that Hyacinth fidgeted in her uncomfortable chair. Marbury made quite a show of counting out every bill and rudely explained the process of closing the account. Hyacinth kept a sharp eye on Offer’s hard jaw, but his voice remained even when he turned to her.
“Give me another few minutes, darlin’. I’ll be right back.” After she nodded, Offer turned to the silent, gun-wielding man in the doorway. “Roy, I’d appreciate it if you kept an eye on her until I return.”
Roy nodded and Offer left. Hyacinth became extremely uncomfortable under the watchful gaze of both men and shifted awkwardly as the minutes stretched out. Interminably.
She was starting to feel short of breath and much too hot, when the thick silence was broken by the entry of a bank customer. Hyacinth jolted to her feet, expecting Offer, but another man stepped inside and ran cold, gray eyes over her.
“Ma’am.” The man took off his hat and dipped his head. “You Offer O’Neal’s woman?”
Hyacinths cheeks grew hot. “I take care of his house.”
“Uh-huh.” The man’s eyes slid down her body again. “I’m Joe Raines. I own the ranch to the north of the Double O.”
“Ah.” Hyacinth cleared her throat. “Well, Offer is probably looking for you, sir. He’ll be back any moment.”
“Closed out his account,” Marbury added. “Thirty dollars.”
Hyacinth spun on the man. “I’m certain that information should be confidential, Mr. Marbury.”
A shadow filled the doorway and Offer stepped through. “It’s all right, darlin’. I’m sure Raines already knew exactly how much I had in that account.”
“Not enough to cover your debt to me,” the man sneered.
“No, but enough to keep the stream open for a little while longer. Give me the time I need—the time you originally agreed to—and I’ll have everything I owe.” Offer held out a handful of bills.
Raines snatched it and counted out loud. “Twenty nine dollars?”
“And ninety cents.” Offer shook his fist, making the coins hidden within jingle. With his free hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small jar, which he gave to Hyacinth, much to her surprise. “That’s salve for your hands, darlin’.”
Raines’ offense was clearly stamped on his face. “You bought her hand cream?”
“She needed it.” Offer raised his eyebrows at Raines. “You hurting for a dime?”
“That’s not the point!”
Offer lifted a shoulder and beckoned for Hyacinth to come to him. “I had thirty dollars. I gave you almost all of it. There’s nothing else I can do about this situation except explain, once again, that I will have the full amount in a little more than a month.”
Raines waved the money. “This is not enough to keep the stream open.”
“Then dam it up,” Offer snapped. “I told you, you can wait for your money or you can go to hell. That’s all I have, Raines.”
Not giving the other man a chance to respond, Offer nearly dragged Hyacinth through the doorway. She didn’t fight to free her fingers from his brutal grip, but did rub his arm as she ran to keep up with his angry strides. He didn’t stop until they were halfway down the boardwalk to the saloon, in the opposite direction as their carriage.
“We’re going the wrong way.” She peeked up at him when he didn’t react. “Offer?”
“I can’t stand that man, Hyacinth.”
She glanced down at the jar she clutched in her hand and bit her lip as something warm moved in her chest. “Thank you for the salve. I appreciate it, though I didn’t expect it and I fear it will cause you more trouble. When will you have the money to pay Mr. Raines?”
“When my Army contact comes back through here.” Offer released her fingers, giving her the opportunity to shake feeling back into them. “The war took a big chunk out of the horse population and prices are at a peak with the western expansion. My friend is gathering a string of fillies for the Army, and he’s going to stop by Creek Bend in a little over a month so we can put Zeus to them.”
“And they’ll pay you for him?”
“Breeding fees.” Offer nodded. “A hundred dollars for every mare he gets a foal on.”
Hyacinth’s head spun. “That’s a lot of money.”
“Army needs horses.”
She opened her mouth, unsure of what she was even going to say, but the sound of her name echoing down the street had her lips snapping shut. She drew herself up and turned to look with wide eyes and a cold shiver of fear.
Ernest Horsham limped rapidly down the boardwalk in the company of another man. “You owe me money, and I aim to collect!” he shouted.
Offer cursed viciously and pushed Hyacinth behind him. “God almighty, what next?”
“Who is the man with him?” Hyacinth caught the back of Offer’s shirt and lifted to her toes to peer over his shoulder at the grim-faced man wearing a wide-brimmed hat set far back on his head.
“Sheriff Colton,” Offer said. “Hyacinth, I do believe you were correct when you suggested this trip to town was a bad idea.”
The two men reached them faster than Hyacinth would have supposed, given Ernest’s limp and the sheer amount of bandages wrapping his leg. The sheriff lifted his hat and smiled in her direction, his eyes a warm brown that seemed friendlier than Hyacinth had prepared herself for.
“I want my money,” Ernest spat.
“We don’t have a dime,” Offer told him. “Literally. I just gave every cent I had to Raines. Besides, I told you already, you were the one who rejected her. That’s your loss. Now take it like a man.”
Ernest clenched his jaw. “This is your last chance.”
Digging a folded piece of paper out of his breast pocket, Sheriff Colton sighed heavily. “Miss Woodley, Mr. Horsham has filed charges against you.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Offer took a step forward. “What in the hell could the charges be? He’s at fault.”
“I agree with you, Offer. Every man in Creek Bend witnessed his rejection of the lady.” The sheriff nodded and handed over the paper. “But, unfortunately, he took his case to Judge Wiggins, and the judge decided to bring the matter to trial.”
Offer unfolded the paper. After a quick scan of the document, he thrust it into Hyacinth’s hand, all while keeping her behind him. “That bastard came to my house and as
saulted her. She doesn’t even own those dogs, and he’s suing her for them biting him after he attacked her first?”
Hyacinth felt as if she were moving through a dream as she smoothed the crumpled paper and read it over. Then she read it again. The words started making sense on the third pass, but the ice in her veins seemed to clog her brain, making her comprehension of the situation tenuous, at best.
“He’s charging me with fraud?” She looked up at the sympathetic sheriff. “I don’t understand.”
Sheriff Colton’s lips turned down. “Apparently, there is a precedent concerning women who misconstrued their physical attributes in order to gain a man’s financial assistance in traveling west. Mr. Horsham claims you deceived him about your looks, your age and your moral character. He wants the money he spent in getting you out to Creek Bend returned, in addition to monies he feels he’s owed after suffering loss of face in front of the townsfolk, as well as his doctor’s bills after the dog attack.”
“You’re fucking kidding me!” Offer exploded. He shot forward two steps before the sheriff pushed him back. Hyacinth reached for his waistband and held tight in a meager attempt to hold Offer still.
“I don’t like it any better than you,” the sheriff confided, “but it’s out of my hands. Miss Woodley, because of Horsham’s statement to the regional judge, you’ve been deemed ineligible to return to the Double O with O’Neal. Wiggins fears you may instigate another dog attack on whoever comes to collect you, should you not appear for your court date.”
They all held their silence as that order sunk in. Ernest grinned, Offer’s shoulders went taut and the sheriff stared at Hyacinth with the saddest expression she’d ever seen on a man’s face. She was still struggling to understand when the sheriff clarified.
“Miss Woodley, I have orders to keep you in the jail at the sheriff’s office until your trial. Wiggins will be here in two days’ time.”
Hyacinth suddenly found it almost impossible to breathe. “No.”
“Damn right, that’s a no!” Offer whipped off his hat and slapped it against his thigh. “Have you lost your ever-loving mind, Colton?”
“I’ll stay with her, Offer. I’ll protect her like she was my own woman.”
“And who will protect her from you?”
“I’m not trying to get under your woman’s skirts, O’Neal!” The sheriff’s eyebrows lowered. “Fact is, I’d rather her not stay in the jail, but it’s out of my hands. Wiggins is a mean bastard, and we’ve all got to go through with this puffed-up nonsense in the way he demands, if you’re going to have a chance to plead your case.”
“She’s not staying in the jail.”
“It’s only two days, Offer.”
Ernest laughed bitterly. “You should have paid me my money. You should have controlled your dogs. Better yet, Miss Woodley, you should never have answered my hearts and hands advertisement with lies.”
“I want him charged with trespassing on my property,” Offer growled, stabbing a finger in Ernest’s direction. “I want him charged with assault on my woman and harassment.”
Colton nodded. “You can appeal that to the judge. If I arrest him now, he’ll just spend the night in jail with your lady.”
“I told you,” Offer’s voice turned dangerous, “she’s not staying in jail.”
The bubble of surrealism surrounding Hyacinth popped with a flood of nausea. She blinked hard to hold back her tears as she tried to focus on the consequences Offer refused to consider. There was too much currently piled atop him and, as terrified as she was, she couldn’t let the trouble she’d unintentionally brought to his door grow even bigger than it was. He had too many other things he had to concentrate on.
Besides, she was positive the judge would see reason, once he heard her side of the story.
Hyacinth wrapped her arms around Offer’s waist and held on tight. “It’s all right. It’s only two nights and the sheriff will be with me. Please don’t get yourself into trouble.”
Offer gripped her forearms where they crossed over his belly. “I am not leaving you.”
“You have to.” She felt her words heat his shirt as she spoke against his hard back. “The sheriff will keep me safe, Offer. I’ll be all right.”
Colton immediately nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Let’s go down to the sheriff’s office and see what we can do to make your stay as easy as possible.” He turned to Ernest. “Not you, Horsham. You come near my jailhouse any time before the trial and I’ll shoot you dead.”
“If I don’t get to him first,” Offer muttered.
Chapter Eleven
“I don’t know if you ain’t eating because you don’t like my cooking or because you’re missing Hyacinth.”
Offer looked up from his leathery meat, feeling a flash of irritation ignite a slow burn in his gut. “I don’t like your cooking, old man.”
Bill nodded and patted his belly. “I got used to her too. No sense in worrying yourself sick, though.”
“I’m not.”
“Really?” Bill’s bushy eyebrows rose. “You’ve been moping since you came back from town yesterday. You look like you haven’t slept a wink all night and Jack told me you were so distracted this morning that you nearly got gored by the bull.”
The kid flinched and stared hard at his meal. Offer worked his jaw. “You’re wrong.”
Bill grinned. “About what?”
“I don’t fucking mope!” Offer shot to his feet and pushed away his uneaten dinner so hard the plate skittered across the table and crashed to the floor. “Mind your goddamned business, old man.”
Bill raised his hands and nodded. Jack shuffled his chair away. Offer turned on his heel and stormed from the bunkhouse.
He made it as far as the porch of the main house before the wobble in his knees forced him to sit down. He arranged himself on the edge of the porch in a slouch he feared would appear hopeless to any who observed him and stretched his legs out. The skinny dog he’d rescued from town the same day he brought Hyacinth home crawled over to him in a submissive crouch.
She whined and he patted her head absently. “Hyacinth will be home tomorrow, girl. I know you sorry curs probably miss her, but you should really be appreciating the opportunity for some silence around here. I swear, that woman is always yammering on about something.”
“Yeah, it is awful quiet around here without her. She’s changed lots of things, huh?”
Bill’s voice, so unexpected after just leaving him behind in the bunkhouse, startled Offer so badly he nearly fell off the porch. In the dim light of nightfall, Offer glared up at the old man as he walked closer on silent feet.
Bill waved a tin can. “Hell, I’ve even taken to carrying this thing around so as not to offend her when I chew my tobacco. You know what it’s like to carry around a can of spit, boy? But I do it, because I like her, and I want her to stick around.”
“She’ll be back, Bill.”
“Will she?”
Offer spoke through gritted teeth. “Her trial is tomorrow, as soon as Judge Wiggins gets to town.”
Bill looked up at the stars for a long moment before he said, “I suggest you tie that woman to you permanently, Offer. Before she realizes she could do better.”
“That’s not how this arrangement works.” Offer took a deep breath, trying to control his anger before it turned to rage. He wasn’t even certain why he was angry, he only knew that life had somehow gotten out of his control and too many things were piling up on top of him too fast to dig out from under it all. Bill was only making it worse by harping on something Offer had tried to stop, but couldn’t.
“She’s been a real help around here.” Bill waved his can, indicating the homestead in general. “You’ve been a mite more relaxed since she came out, and even Jack has smiled, a time or two.”
Offer pressed his fists against his thighs until pain made his anger fade a notch. “You talk like I’m going to leave her in town after her trial. What do you want me to do? The judge only has Horsh
am’s side right now, and he ordered her to stay in the jail. I can’t break her out.”
“Guess I’m just worried you’ll wash your hands of her, thinking she’s just one more problem for you to deal with.” Bill spat in his can. “Just trying to point out that she pulls her weight around here.”
Offer jumped to his feet. “I should wash my hands of all of you. God knows, I’d be better off trying to build this damned ranch on my own, rather than breaking my back trying to feed all you fucking leeches. Better yet, maybe I’ll burn the Double O down and be done with it.”
He didn’t wait for any more of Bill’s senseless ponderings. Offer banged his way into the house, slamming the door behind him. He toed off his boots and threw himself into the chair before the cold hearth, but only sat there a moment before leaping up to light the fire.
With the flames crackling, Offer settled down again, but his thoughts were running through his mind too quickly to sit still for long. He got back up and moved through the house, rearranging things, swiping at the dust that had gotten thick again since Hyacinth’s absence. After a little while, Offer gave up on house cleaning and got into bed.
Hours passed while Offer tossed and turned. Nighttime closed thick around the Double O, all but silent with only the distant hooting of owls to keep Offer company during his sleepless vigil. He rolled over and pulled the covers higher, but the bed seemed too cold. He rolled the other way and realized how much empty space was beside him.
And still his gut churned with anger and irritation. Acid bubbled up and boiled his throat until Offer got out of bed, cursing Bill and his cooking. He pulled on his clothes and boots and went out to count the stars. When that didn’t give him peace, he went to check on Zeus.
Twenty minutes later, Offer was only vaguely surprised to find himself on the road to town. He wasn’t certain when he’d made the decision to travel by the weak light of the crescent moon, or what insanity had caught hold of him and prompted him into endangering his precious horse’s legs by traveling through the darkness, but he knew it had felt right when he picked up his saddle and threw it over Zeus’ back.