Train from Marietta

by Dorothy Garlock

  As the two men walked up to the back porch, movement to their left startled them. From his spot beneath the house, Old Bob charged. The dog’s teeth were bared as he ran toward Squirrelly.

  “Get back, you son of a bitch!” Squirrelly snarled. He yanked his gun from the belt of his pants and fired. The sound of the shot rang out like a thunderclap. Old Bob yelped loudly before he dropped to the ground, unmoving.

  “What the hell did you do that for?” Eddy demanded.

  “Damn barking dog,” Squirrelly muttered.

  “Idiot! That shot could bring the hired help back to the house!”

  “Then we’d better get our asses in there and get it over with.”

  Seconds later the two men entered the kitchen without as much as a knock. Both of them stopped in their tracks at the sight of Kate looking back at them down the barrel of the handgun.

  Chapter 29

  “WELL! IF IT AIN T THE SPLIT TAIL!”

  Squirrelly’s loose-lipped grin showed the gap between his two front teeth. He hadn’t shaved and looked even more despicable than when she last saw him. His shirt was stained, his hair, face, and hands dirty. He swung the pistol around wildly, not even bothering to level it on her. He looked like a wild man, ready to pounce and kill. “I owe you one, girlie,” he snarled.

  “And I owe you one, you low-down, slimy toad. It takes a real man to shoot a dog.” Hatred burned in her. The gun barrel shook slightly as she aimed at his chest.

  “Sister, you ain’t had a real man yet, but ya will! I was about to show you one when you hit me. I owe you one for that and another for takin’ off. Shit, Hayden was as mad as a goat with his pecker caught in the fence!”

  Kate ignored the reference to Hayden and instead looked at Eddy. He seemed a bit the worse for wear. Their eyes met.

  “I’ve already talked to my father, Eddy,” Kate said. “I told him everything. He’ll take care of your uncle, and the Texas Rangers will take care of the two of you.”

  “That’s if I let you live, bitch!” Squirrelly shouted.

  “Calm down, Squirrelly,” Eddy said.

  “To hell with that!” Even with her gun pointed at him, Squirrelly began to move around the kitchen. He craned his neck to look down the hallway behind Kate. “Where you hidin’ that son of a bitch you left with? You ain’t smart enough to get all the way out here by yourself. Someone helped ya! Is he hiding behind your skirt?”

  “He’s gone,” Kate answered calmly.

  “Gone?” Squirrelly laughed incredulously. “This is his ranch, ain’t it? The depot agent told us that he’d been to the doc and that you’d been with him.” Squirrelly kept looking around. “Who else is here?”

  “Nobody.”

  “Ain’t there no cowboys? All ranches have cowboys.”

  “Not this one.” Kate tried to look at Eddy again, but the moment that their eyes met, he looked away. “Are you here for the same reason that this pile of filth is, Eddy? Are you going to get rid of me so I can’t testify against you?”

  Still looking away, Eddy answered, “You know I wouldn’t harm a hair on your head.”

  “He wants to kill me, Eddy!” Kate shouted.

  Slowly Eddy’s eyes rose from the floor. But instead of settling on Kate, they bore a hole in Squirrelly. “He won’t. I promised he wouldn’t hurt you. I came to make sure of it.”

  “What the hell are you talking about, Jacobs? That’s what we’re here for.” Squirrelly moved toward the far side of the kitchen. He was only a couple of feet from where Kate stood. Cocking his ear toward the open door, he asked, “Who’s in there? I heard something.”

  “The dog you killed had puppies. Are you going to shoot them too?”

  What happened next only took an instant. Kate’s eyes darted from Squirrelly to Eddy, but in that split second, Squirrelly covered the distance between them to stand behind her. She could feel the barrel of his gun in her back.

  “Drop the gun, slut!” he ordered.

  To emphasize his words, he gave her a hard poke in the back. She thought about trying to turn around quickly or to point the gun at Eddy, but she knew that either would be useless. He’d simply kill her. Defeated, Kate let the gun slip out of her hand, and it clattered on the kitchen floor.

  “Gonna have me some fun with ya before ya die,” Squirrelly whooped.

  Kate spun around to spit in his face, but what she saw over Squirrelly’s shoulder nearly caused her heart to stop. Tate was leaning against the doorjamb, his feet unsteady beneath him. The rifle was in his hand.

  “Get away from her,” Tate growled.

  Squirrelly turned quickly at the sound of Tate’s voice. “Thought you said no one was here,” he barked at Kate. “Who the hell’s that? Santa Claus?”

  “If you don’t get away from her, I swear I’ll blow your head off!” Tate lifted the rifle and attempted to hold it steady. The barrel made lazy circles in the air. Roughly Squirrelly jerked Kate in front of him.

  “Go ahead and shoot, cowboy! It’ll save me the trouble.”

  Kate watched in horror as Tate tried to steady the rifle. Sweat covered his face. Simply trying to stand was taking what little strength he had left after having made the trip down the hallway. It would only be a matter of moments before Squirrelly tired of playing with him and shot him. But before she could act, she caught a sudden movement to her side as Eddy rushed toward Tate.

  “Eddy! Don’t!” she shouted.

  But Eddy yanked the rifle from Tate’s grasp. The cowboy offered no resistance. All that he could do was glare at the man as he struggled to maintain his balance. “Goddamn it!” His legs buckled beneath him, and he slumped to the floor. From where she stood, Kate could see a fresh red stain on Tate’s bandage.

  A crazy, unnatural laugh came from Squirrelly. For once, he was the one in charge. He had the upper hand and he knew it. What was more, he liked it. “You don’t look so tough now, Santa!” he chortled.

  Yanking Kate by the arm, his fingers digging deeply into her flesh, he started across the room toward Tate. When he was near the prone man, he flung Kate toward Eddy. She crashed into the other man hard, but stayed standing. “Hold on to the bitch while I take care of the cowboy,” he snarled. With that, he swung his leg and kicked Tate in the side.

  A scream of pain poured out of Tate’s mouth and echoed around the room. Instinctively he rolled over on his side to protect the wound. His face instantly drained of color. Blood appeared and spread rapidly in the binding that was wrapped around his waist. Through clenched teeth, Tate threatened, “I’m going to kill you!”

  “Leave him alone!” Kate screamed. Watching Squirrelly attack Tate was horrifying! But there was nothing that she could do, no way to protect the man that she loved. She turned frantically to Eddy, her eyes wet and pleading. “Make him stop!”

  Eddy was nearly as disgusted by what he was seeing as Kate. Mother of Christ! The man is a lunatic!

  Squirrelly was still laughing hysterically, his breath coming in fits. From the look in his pinched, dark face, he was enjoying himself immensely. His eyes had an unnatural glitter, and his mouth was slick with saliva. He readied himself to deliver another kick but stopped when Eddy prodded him in the back with the rifle he’d taken from Tate.

  “Stop it, you stupid fool!” Eddy warned. “If you kill him, the Texas Rangers will never give up until they’ve tracked us down.”

  “Who the hell’s gonna tell ’em?! Her?” Squirrelly jerked his head toward Kate while simultaneously stomping on Tate’s hand. Another yell came from Tate. Squirrelly just giggled and lifted his revolver. “That bitch ain’t gonna be around to tell anyone nothin’! We’re gonna do what we came here to do!”

  Ignoring the gun in Squirrelly’s hand, Kate broke free of Eddy’s grip and ran to kneel over Tate. His head leaned against the doorjamb, and blood ran down his sleeve to the hand that Squirrelly had stomped. Pain covered his face, and his eyelids fluttered in their struggle to stay open. She leaned down to whisper in his e
ar. “Hold on, sweetheart. Jorge will come.” Tate turned his head, and his lips brushed her cheek. “I love you,” he whispered.

  “And I love you.” It tore her apart to see him in such a state. She was afraid he would lose consciousness. No matter what happened to her, she was determined to protect him. She stood and turned on the two men. “Kill me. It’s what you came to do!”

  Quick as a snake, Squirrelly reached out and grabbed a fistful of Kate’s hair. With a yank, he jerked her toward him until their faces were only inches apart. “Gladly, sweetheart.”

  “Let her go,” Eddy said calmly.

  Squirrelly’s eyes latched onto Eddy’s angry face. With a grunt, he tossed Kate to the floor next to Tate and turned to face him. “What the hell’s the matter with you, Jacobs? You ain’t goin’ soft on me, are ya? I told you that I planned on screwin’ this bitch’s eyeballs out before I killed her, and I aim to do it!”

  “I don’t think so. I told you before that I wouldn’t let you hurt her, Squirrelly,” Eddy sneered. “Or should I call you ‘Bartholomew’?”

  Squirrelly’s eyes went wide as he shouted, “Don’t call me that!”

  “What’s wrong?” Eddy said sarcastically. “That’s your name, isn’t it?”

  “ ‘Squirrelly’ suits him better,” Kate said.

  “Shut your mouths!” Squirrelly yelled. “Shut your fuckin’ mouths!” Spittle formed on his lips as he whipped the gun back and forth. He was becoming more agitated. Kate was sure that he would kill them all, Eddy included. Kate glanced at Eddy. He was watching Squirrelly.

  Squirrelly grabbed her by the elbow and yanked her back to her feet. “Which way to the bedroom?” he asked. After another laugh, he shoved her toward the kitchen table. Her ribs bounced off the edge, and she crumpled to the floor, trying to regain her breath. “To hell with it! I’ll just screw her here. This way, her hero can watch a real man at work!” With that, Squirrelly started to fumble with his belt.

  “Touch her, and I’ll stomp out your guts,” Tate said, his voice faint.

  “You don’t look like you could stomp a fly!” Squirrelly bent down until his face was inches from Tate’s, and then slapped the man hard across the face. Tate struggled to keep from sliding into the black void.

  “Stop it,” Eddy shouted.

  “Screw you!”

  Squirrelly strode over to Kate and started to lift her from the floor. She raised her foot and kicked backward, hitting him squarely on the shin. At the same time, her elbow struck a blow to his stomach.

  “Bitch!” he snarled.

  He dropped his hold on her, and she fell to the floor again. “Damn it, you slut! We coulda done this the easy way, but you ruined that chance. I told you that I’d screw you whether you were dead or alive, and I meant it! But first I’m gonna kill your man to teach you some manners.”

  As he turned, Kate came up off the floor, fighting like a wildcat. She kicked and scratched at the man with all of the strength she had left. Her fingers dug into his skin and grasped at his hair, but it wasn’t enough. With a shove, Squirrelly drove her to the floor again and leveled the gun.

  A thunderous blast filled the kitchen. The noise was so deafening that Kate’s head throbbed with pain. Reacting instinctively, her hands went out to ward off the shot. Confused, she turned her head to see Squirrelly falling on top of her.

  With a scream, she shoved him away. He was too heavy to roll, so his body merely slid across hers until he lay facedown on the floor. His blood was on her arm and chest.

  What happened?

  “Get up, Kate. It’s over.”

  Looking up, she saw Eddy standing over her, the rifle in his hand. He reached down and turned Squirrelly over onto his back. His eyes were open and staring.

  Quickly Kate crawled across the room to where Tate lay, and hovered over him protectively. “You’ll have to kill me first!” she yelled.

  “I’m not going to kill you.” To demonstrate his intentions, Eddy placed the rifle on the kitchen table. “I never wanted it to come to this. All I wanted was to keep them from hurting you.”

  Their eyes met, and in that moment, Kate understood that Eddy was telling the truth. She lifted Tate’s head and held it in her lap. She kissed his forehead lightly. “He needs to be in bed. Help me, Eddy. Help me get him back in bed.”

  “I think it would be better not to move him.”

  “Then get me a pillow, some blankets, and whatever cloth you can find. I need to stop the bleeding before he bleeds to death.” For the next ten minutes, the two of them worked to stop the bleeding in Tate’s side. He moved in and out of consciousness; the only sound he made was a low moaning. Eddy worked right alongside her, fetching anything that she needed.

  Eddy’s hand touched her lightly on the shoulder. “I need to go, Kate.”

  “Why did you do this, Eddy? Why did you go along with your uncle?”

  “There are lots of reasons, one of which is that I’m a fool.” He flashed the easy smile she had seen him use many times before. He’d dazzled rooms full of New York society with that smile.

  “You’re no fool, Edwin Jacobs.”

  “If only you were right, Kate.” He got up and went to the window. With his back to her, he continued. “The main reason I came was that I wanted to be able to protect you. Uncle William had given orders to kill you after your father had paid the ransom. Men like Hayden and Squirrelly are the type who kill without asking why. I couldn’t let them do that to you.”

  “But why go along with it at all?” Kate asked. “Why not turn your uncle in to the police?”

  Eddy turned from the window and stared at her intently. “Because Uncle would have managed to throw all the blame on me, and this was my chance to escape.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I’ve wanted to get away from my uncle for years. He’s a conniving bastard who would burn an orphanage to the ground if he thought he could profit from it. When he told me of his scheme, I realized it was my chance to get out from under his thumb. We’re close to Mexico. I could lose myself down there, live off what I’ve stashed away. I can be my own man.”

  Listening to what Eddy was saying, Kate felt a close affinity for the man. What had happened to her wasn’t all that different from his experiences. She, too, had “escaped” from the life she had known. What she had found with Tate was a chance to start anew.

  “I think I understand,” Kate said.

  “I want you to know I am sincerely sorry for all you had to endure. I wish I could have …” A sound from outside startled them. Eddy listened closely for a moment before adding, “I’ve got to leave, Kate.”

  “What about Susan?”

  “Your sister doesn’t love me. She cares far more for the parties I take her to and the people I can introduce her to. Your father will be thrilled to have me out of the picture, I suppose. Speaking of John, be sure to warn him that his partner is a dangerous man. He’s the type who will do away with whoever gets in his way.”

  “I’ve already told my father about William. He’ll know how to handle it.”

  Eddy came over and stood next to her. His gaze moved from her to Tate. “Are you in love with him?” he asked.

  “Yes. I am. I want to spend my life with him.”

  “Then be sure to tell him that Hayden is still out there looking for you.”

  “No, he’s not,” Kate said as she shook her head. “I killed him.”

  “You what?!” Eddy said, a look of genuine surprise on his face.

  “I’m not proud of it, but it was something that had to be done. He would have killed us if I hadn’t. This way, you won’t have to worry about him popping up to implicate you in your uncle’s scheme.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Will I ever see you again?” Kate asked.

  “No.” Eddy turned to her and slowly shook his head. His eyes looked wet as he said, “Good-bye, Kate.”

  “Good-bye, Eddy.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek
. “I hope you find someone to love and you can be as happy as I am.”

  The car left the ranch and was swallowed up by the vast Texas prairie.

  Kate was sitting on the floor beside Tate when the pickup truck drove in and Jorge and Luke rushed into the house. They had been in the south pasture when they heard the shot.

  “Señor!” Jorge exclaimed. “ Madre de Dios! What has happened?” He looked from Kate to Squirrelly’s motionless body and back again. “Are you all right, señorita?”

  “I am now, Jorge.” Kate got to her feet, the realization of what had happened now pressing down on her. Her legs trembled. She kept one hand on the doorjamb to help steady herself.

  Luke was peering down at Squirrelly “He dead. Who shoot?”

  Ignoring the question, Kate said, “Help me get Tate back to the bedroom.”

  Luke grunted, stepped over Squirrelly’s body, and helped Jorge lift Tate from the floor. Gently they carried him down the hall. Tate never regained consciousness as they placed him in his bed. Despite what she and Eddy had done, the wound in his side had reopened. Jorge came in with a basin of water and a stack of clean cloths. He moved Tate so that Kate could rebind the cut. Finally, after they had done all that they could for him, they left him to rest.

  “What we do with this one?” Jorge asked as they once again stood over Squirrelly’s body.

  “Before you go to fetch the doctor, we should move him out of kitchen,” Kate answered. “I don’t want Emily to see him.”

  “Sí, señorita.”

  Jorge and Luke lifted Squirrelly’s lifeless body and carried it out of the kitchen, across the porch, and into the barn. When Jorge returned to the truck to go after the doctor, Kate ran out to him.

  “Tell the doctor he’ll need to put in more stitches. He’ll know what to bring.” Jorge nodded solemnly, jumped into the vehicle, and sped down the lane.

  For the next hour, Yelena kept Emily away from the house. Kate went to Tate’s room and sat down in the rocking chair. The long days of uncertainty and fear had finally caught up with her. As she held her head in her hands, tears ran from her closed eyes. A small sob escaped from her lips at the thought of what Tate had endured. She was thankful they were both still alive, but she still couldn’t stop crying. Suddenly Kate heard a child’s shout from outside. “Old Bob!”