Silver Creek (The Parker Family Saga)

by G. L. Snodgrass

  Braum nodded as he finished reading. “Can your deputy take me to the people on this list?”

  Luke indicated that Jake should do as Mr. Braum requested. “Start with Scarlet over at the Red House,” he told his brother.

  Rebecca stepped forward. “She isn’t there anymore. She left two nights ago and moved in with Reverend Prescott and his wife.”

  Jake laughed. “I bet Frost is as angry as a scorched snake at losing her.”

  Luke felt a warmth fill him, he hoped she made it. Had Carver talked to her? Was that why she’d left the Red House?

  Once everyone was off on their tasks he turned to Becky and sighed, ready to restart their argument. And yes, he was perfectly aware that she’d been provided with more ammunition.

  “Never mind,” she said as she smiled at him. “I couldn’t change your mind if the moon crashed into the earth. You’d just put your head down and keep swinging.”

  “I don’t know no other way,” he said to her as he pulled her into a hug.

  “That is why I love you,” she mumbled into his chest as her arms wrapped around him and held on as if he were a rock in a raging storm. “Just you don’t go getting yourself killed. You hear me?”

  He started to laugh then thought better of it. Instead, he kissed the top of her head and said, “Yes Ma’am.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Rebecca’s stomach churned with worry as she stepped into the church now courtroom. Would they ever get out of this mess? she wondered. When could she have Luke all to herself? When could they rest and stop fearing every second of the day?

  Sighing to herself, she slipped into a pew in the back and checked the bonnet’s knot under her chin. Seeing Helen and Chester come in, she slid over to make room. Helen had closed the restaurant for the day. It seemed only smart. More than half the town was going to be here to watch the show.

  Her heart jumped when she saw Luke and Jake in the front of the church. Both men, tall and strong. Luke looked out over the crowd.

  The pulpit had been removed to be replaced by a heavy desk and chair facing the crowd. Across from it, a long table had been created by someone laying planks across sawhorses. Mark Felton sat behind the makeshift tables with his hands in shackles. Next to him, Mr. Braum was reading through a set of papers.

  Twelve chairs had been set to the side, obviously for the jury. Rebecca’s stomach clenched with nervousness. What would the Feltons do when their brother was convicted?

  Mr. Chambers sat on the other side of Felton, looking off into the distance. Rebecca wondered if the man was going over his opening arguments. Though really, there wasn’t much he could say. Mark Felton was guilty of attempted murder and everyone knew it.

  Sheriff Reed and another man stepped into the church and made their way down the aisle to sit in the front right pew. The miner, Rebecca realized, the one Felton had beaten. He still carried a nasty cut above his left eye.

  Luke ignored them as he scanned the crowd for any trouble when he stopped and stared into her eyes all the way from the front. Just the slightest smile creased his lips which made her heart jump with happiness. Even here, the man knew just the right thing to do to make her love him even more.

  As she looked around, she naturally began to wonder about her wedding. Would it be here, in this very church? Yes, she wanted that, she realized. The people here, her friends could attend. It felt good to know that she had friends. People she could trust. Besides, it would kill her to wait until they reached Oregon.

  Would she be able to convince Luke not to wear his gun for his own wedding? Her mind drifted off to fantasizing about that day. What would her dress look like? It was easy to imagine Jake standing up with his brother. Should she ask Helen to stand with her?

  What would their life in Oregon be like? Her insides bubbled with anticipation and hope. It would be a good life, she knew it. Oh, surely there would be problems. But as long as she had Luke, things would be tolerable.

  No, if she had Luke, life would be better than she could ever hope for.

  Helen nudged her in the ribs and nodded to the left. Rebecca almost gasped, Scarlet Perkins was sitting next to Bill Carver. Instead of her normal brightly colored silks, she was dressed in a conservative gingham dress, her hair up in a tight bun, with her hands folded in her lap. What was that all about? she wondered.

  She looks nervous, Rebecca thought. As if she was afraid someone was going to ask her to leave. She must make an effort to talk to the woman after the trial. A subtle welcome back to polite society, if you were, Helen and the other women in town might turn their noses up, but Rebecca didn’t care. It seemed the right thing to do.

  Rebecca was trying to work out the dynamic between Scarlet and Bill Carver. She had seen them in the crowd together just yesterday. When did they become a couple? How had that even happened? It shook some of her presuppositions about life.

  She laughed to herself, a lot of her assumptions about life had been shaken these last few weeks.

  A murmur through the crowd drew her attention, she shifted to watch as Joshua and Sarah Felton stepped into the church followed by that Mr. Dawson character. Rebecca’s heart raced as she saw him stare off at Luke. A cold, calculated stare that made her blood run cold.

  The three of them sat in the front left pew. Joshua Felton reached forward to pat his brother on the back. Mark Felton looked back then hung his head in shame. He’d brought discredit to the Felton family, never a good thing.

  Her mind was yanked back to the present when Luke stepped forward and said with a loud, confident voice, “Come to Order. The Circuit Court of Nevada is in session. All rise for Judge Simmons.”

  A door at the rear of the church opened and Judge Simmons stepped in to sit behind the big desk. No robes, just the same suit he’d worn when he arrived in town.

  Luke did that so well, she thought to herself, as she and the rest of the crowd waited for the judge to sit down before sitting themselves. Calm, confident. But no one would ever know that he’d practiced in front of her last night. It tickled her deep inside to know that Luke Parker didn’t like speaking in front of crowds. He could do it. But he would never enjoy it. It was nice knowing the man wasn’t perfect.

  The Judge pounded the desk with his gavel three times then nodded to Luke.

  Luke gave a signal and the main door opened to admit the jury. Twelve men. All of them townsmen, Rebecca realized. No cowboys, no miners. Mr. Strumph and the banker Tuthill led the group to their chairs and sat down.

  Everything was so formal. So … serious. As well it should be, she thought.

  A quiet fell over the room as the judge glanced down and perused a file of papers. During this entire time, she watched Luke as he continually ran his eyes over the players. First the Feltons, then lingering on Dawson for a moment. Then out over the crowd. A sheepdog, she thought, always vigilant, always prepared for trouble.

  “Come to Order,” the judge said as he pounded the desk again with his gavel. “Let’s get this over with. I hope to be on the road before dinner.”

  A chuckle washed across the room. These might be serious moments with serious people. But the crowd were westerners and they loved a good show.

  The judge read the charges of assault and attempted murder of a peace officer and asked the defendant how he pled.

  “Not Guilty,” Mr. Chambers said for his client.

  The judge shook his head, made a note on the paper in front of him then nodded for Mr. Braum to begin.

  The prosecuting attorney stood up and began laying out the evidence.

  Rebecca’s mind drifted at the long list of statements and witness testimony he hoped to introduce. Instead, she watched Luke. Really, was there any better way to spend her time? The man was so handsome. So strong. A wall against hurt. He had always been that to her.

  She thought back to the Oregon Trail. To the times he had simply put an arm around her shoulders to let her know everything would be all right. The night she had woken up screa
ming. Hanna had tried to calm her down. But it had been the face of Luke Parker peaking over the end of the wagon that had pulled her back to reality.

  When they had been attacked by outlaws, it was Luke who had stepped in front of her, putting himself between her and danger.

  Rebecca’s heart softened as she thought about the hours and hours she had walked next to him as he led their brindle ox and the team pulling the wagon over the trail. The open prairie stretching out in every direction. A thousand dangers all around them. Or, when her uncle had been hurt. It had been Luke, a boy of thirteen, who had taken over the responsibility of getting her family up the trail.

  He had done all of this without ever being short with her. Never a cross word. He was five years older than her, but never treated her as a child. Never teased, nor ignored her. It was as if he had known exactly what she needed without having to ask.

  Sighing to herself, she focused on the trial. It surprised her how quickly things progressed. Mr. Braum called both Sheriff Reed and then the miner who gave their stories. Nothing she hadn’t already heard. Then, the lawyer called witnesses to corroborate the stories.

  The final witness was Scarlet Perkins. She kept wringing her hands as if she wished she could be anywhere but there. But she pulled herself together, placed her hand on the bible, and swore the oath.

  No one laughed, no one made a rude comment about trusting the word of a harlot. The look in Luke’s eyes told them to mind their manners. If that wasn’t enough, knowing that Bill Carver would shoot any man who said the wrong thing, had a dampening effect.

  Scarlet sat up straight and confirmed both that Mark Felton had attacked the miner from behind. And the next day, drawn and shot the sheriff without provocation.

  Mr. Braum thanked her, then nodded to Mr. Chambers. Rebecca held her breath, terrified the man would attack Scarlet’s character. Heaven knew there were more than enough … issues that might be brought up. But instead, he studied her for a long moment then glanced over at the Jury.

  Rebecca watched the twelve men closely. She wondered how many of them had been customers of Scarlet’s over the years. Several were staring daggers at the attorney, silently telling him to go easy. She might be a bar girl. But she was still a woman, and they were rare enough in these parts that they couldn’t be abused.

  Mr. Chambers took a deep breath then simply thanked the witness and returned to his chair.

  Once the prosecution rested its case. Mr. Chambers called several witnesses to testify to Mark Felton’s character. All Circle B riders of course. But none of them were willing to dispute what the witnesses had seen.

  And with that, the case was complete. The jury stepped out of the room and within a minute was back in. Mr. Strumph, as the foreman, rose and pronounced the defendant guilty on both counts.

  The crowd erupted with cheers. She wondered if they were more pleased to see justice served or at seeing the Feltons brought down a bit.

  Joshua Felton slumped in defeat. She wondered if he was surprised. Maybe thinking that his family’s reputation and standing would protect his brother. Mark Felton’s head fell to let his chin rest on his chest. Sarah Felton twisted in her chair and shot Rebecca a look that would have melted pig iron. Why? Was it because she blamed Luke for all of this and therefore his girlfriend? Surely, she wasn’t so stupid. But then, maybe she was.

  The judge banged his gavel to get the crowd under control. Stated that he was ready to pronounce sentence. He looked at Mark Felton for a long moment then said, “Three years, penitentiary.” He then looked out over the crowd, found Chester Polk, and said, “Prepare the stage, I want to leave within ten minutes.”

  And with that, he banged his gavel one last time.

  Rebecca noticed that both Sheriff Reed and the miner nodded to each other, obviously pleased with the result.

  The Feltons left first, pushing their way through the crowd to be the first to exit the church. They don’t want to be gawked at, Rebecca realized. Twisting around, she saw Jake leading the prisoner out the back of the church.

  Rebecca took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Turning she watched Scarlet step outside. She excused herself from Helen and hurried after the woman.

  “Hello Scarlet,” she said as she approached.

  The woman’s eyes grew very big as she looked around to see if anyone heard, obviously not wanting Rebecca to be ostracized for talking to her.

  “That was very brave of you,” Rebecca said, “testifying like that. The Feltons will not be pleased.”

  Scarlet shrugged then gave her a secret smile. “I won’t be here long enough to care. Bill Carver and I are getting married. We are moving to the Ruby Mountains.”

  “Congratulations,” Rebecca said, dying of curiosity wondering how such a match had come about.

  Scarlet smiled as her cheeks grew pink. “Bill and I would be pleased if you and Luke could attend the wedding. It won’t be many,” she added with a laugh.

  “Of course, we would love to,” Rebecca replied, surprised at the invitation.

  Scarlet saw the confusion in her eyes and leaned forward. “It was your Luke that done it. He told me I could get out if I tried. Even offered to help. I got to tell you. It was the first time I ever knew anyone who believed in me. Then, before I can even think it through. He sent Bill Carver after me.”

  Rebecca’s eyes opened wide. He hadn’t told her any of this. What more secrets was the man carrying?

  “Speaking of the devil,” Scarlet said as she nodded over Rebecca’s shoulder.

  Rebecca twisted to see Bill Carver and Luke walking towards them. Her heart melted as it did every time she saw him. Without thinking she reached out to touch his arm. He smiled down at her then nodded across the street.

  Chester Polk whistled loudly as Slim Winters flicked the reigns to get his team going. The stage rocked back then was off. Judge Simmons leaned out the window and waved.

  “I can’t believe how fast that was,” Rebecca said as she shook her head. “It was as if they couldn’t get out of here fast enough.”

  Bill Carver laughed. “I imagine they got experience with upset kith and kin of men they just sentenced to prison or the hangman’s noose. I’d be moving on if’n I was them. Can’t say that I blame them.”

  “Now all we got to do is get him to the penitentiary,” Luke said as he shook his head. “It means I’ll be gone a good week,” he told Rebecca. “Jake will stay behind and keep an eye on things.”

  Her heart fell at the thought of losing him for a week. He would be alone with a desperate outlaw and a family out there that wanted him dead.

  She was just about to start arguing with him about it when a distant voice called out, “Parker!”

  A cold shiver ran down her spine as she turned to see Dawson, Sarah Felton’s gunman, a hundred yards down the street, his feet set wide, waiting for Luke to respond.

  “No,” Rebecca cried as she grabbed Luke’s arm, desperate to stop him.

  “Keep her out of this,” Luke said to Bill as he pried her fingers from around his arm and started down the street.

  No, No, this was wrong, was all she could think. Once again, her man was walking into danger. And this time he hadn’t said I love you before he left her there all alone. No. Please God, she begged. Please help him.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Luke’s gut tightened into a hard stone as he started up the street. He’d been expecting this, but not this quickly and not this public. Obviously, Joshua Felton wanted to make a statement. Something to let everyone know they needed to fear him.

  Dawson stood in the middle of the street, a hundred yards down, feet spread, hand inches from his gun,

  A cold anger began to build deep in Luke’s gut. The trial had been fair and above board. He’d followed society’s rules to the letter. Yet, Felton couldn’t accept the town’s judgment. No. He thought he and his family was above it all. That they deserved to be treated special like.

  As he marched up the street pe
ople rushed to get away from the fight they knew was coming. From the corner of his eye, he saw Seaver closing the shutters over his new plate glass windows. The man had to send all the way to San Francisco for them and was terrified of a stray bullet shattering them.

  Further up the street, behind Dawson, cowboys were untying their horses from the hitching post and pulling them around back of the saloon.

  Dawson seemed oblivious of all the chaos. Standing there straight and steady, in the center of the street, his fingers twitching, ready to draw.

  Luke bit back an angry snarl as the fury overtook him. This man didn’t care about the ruin he was about to create. To him, it was but a job. A job he’d been paid well for. After, he would take his money and disappear into the west. One more man hiding from the law only to reappear again when someone desperate and with too much gold was willing to hire him.

  “That’s enough Parker,” the man yelled as he hunched his shoulders, ready for his opponent.

  Luke ignored him and continued to march forward. The anger had taken over. He wanted to get his hands around this man’s throat and squeeze the life out of him.

  “Stop,” Dawson yelled as his eyes began to grow. Luke could see it in the man’s face. He was used to a good distance between his enemy. He knew that at a healthy range the first shot usually missed. He counted on that fact. It was his advantage. He knew he was more accurate out at a far distance. His experience kept him calm enough to kill before he was taken down. But with each step, Luke eliminated that possibility. Getting so close he couldn’t miss.

  Dawson took a step back and held up his hand. “You come any closer and I’ll draw.”

  A calmness replaced Luke’s anger as he realized he had been training for this moment his entire life. Ever since he had strapped that gun on when he was thirteen. The days of practice. The lessons from Zion. The war had only honed it to a sharp edge.

  No, he had been built for this moment.

  The gunman’s eyes grew even bigger as Luke stepped to within a dozen feet. Then, without warning the man’s hand dropped to his gun.