by A. T. Butler
Death By Grit
A Western Adventure
A.T. Butler
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Many Thanks!
Also by A.T. Butler
About the Author
Chapter One
Jacob Payne peered at himself in the warped mirror and reached up to smooth down the back of his dark hair. That cowlick was the most unmanageable thing. He frowned, licking his hand and reaching up again.
He was supposed to be meeting Bonnie Loft in less than ten minutes to escort her to church and he wanted to look his best. This would be their first time attending church together; in fact, it would be their first actual outing together since he had met her nearly a year ago. He was afraid she might think he was dragging his feet with his courting, but his jobs and bounties had taken him all over the territory. This Sunday he had finally managed to catch a break.
He tilted his head first to one side, and then the other, trying to see what she might see when she saw him. He had washed his face, his neck and behind his ears. His collar and tie seemed straight. His coat was free of dust. It was just the back of his hair that refused to cooperate.
Jacob had done his best, and if he fussed at it any longer he was going to be late picking her up. The small, pocket-sized copy of the Bible he had brought with him from Virginia sat on the edge of his washstand. He scooped it up, tucked it away, and headed out the door toward his date.
When Jacob had left Virginia nearly nine months ago to come west, he had left most of his life behind. With his wife and infant son dead, and his brothers doing everything they could to drive him away from the family estate, there wasn’t much he wanted to remember about his old life. His Bible was an exception. This was the book that he had carried with him into battle, at Manassas and Antietam. It had somehow, miraculously, avoided blood, gun shot, or any other damage. When Jacob filled his saddle bags for the trip west, this good book was one of the first things he had packed.
But now that he was more or less settled in the Arizona Territory, he had found opportunities to make time for his Bible few and far between. Instead, in his work as a bounty hunter, Jacob found himself on the road most Sundays, away from a church or place of worship. He prayed, of course, on his own no matter where he was, but it wasn’t the same as the community of a church body. He had taken to leaving his Bible in his boarding house in Tucson. He told himself he was keeping it safe, rather that carting it around the desert.
It wasn’t until he had made plans to attend a service with Bonnie Loft that Jacob realized how much he had missed it.
From his boarding house to hers, the walk was only about five minutes. The streets of Tucson were all but empty at this time of morning. Jacob remembered back to the previous weekend; with all the drinking and whoring that goes on every Saturday night in this town, it’s no surprise that Sunday mornings were quiet as the dead.
On his walk, Jacob passed the coroner’s office. Mr. Sylvester had had a busy week. A couple of drunk gamblers had lost their temper and had a shoot-out in the middle of the town. It was a waste of potential and two good men because one had called the other a name. The last Jacob had heard, one of the men was dead and the other suffering from a likely infection. He might have to lose an arm. It was a damned shame. There were a thousand ways one could die on the frontier; killing each other shouldn’t be one of them.
At that thought, Jacob walked up the front steps to Bonnie’s boarding house. The front porch held several wooden chairs, welcoming visitors and giving the landlady a throne from which to hold court on her weekdays. Jacob wondered if he would be invited to sit on this porch with Bonnie one evening. Maybe if he started courting her properly.
His knock on the door was answered almost immediately by Mrs. Withers, Bonnie’s landlady. Her scowl told Jacob all he needed to know.
“Mr. Payne,” she said coldly. She wore a floral apron over a fine Sunday gown, and her ashy brown hair was pulled back in a tight bun. Whatever he had interrupted her in the middle of, she wanted to get back to.
“Good morning, Mrs. Withers,” he said, removing his hat. “I’ve come to collect Miss Loft for church.”
“Oh, now you decide to go to church, do ya? Now that a pretty girl will go with ya?”
“What—? No, I—”
“Save it,” she said, holding up her hand to stop him. “You men are all alike, all guns blazing, looking to hook any pretty face you can.”
Jacob kept his mouth shut; interrupting her would just make it worse. He had withstood worse insults.
“You think you can kill men for money and then just absolve all your sins by going to church once?”
“No, ma’am, I—”
“Thank you, Mrs. Withers,” a voice nearly shouted from deeper inside the house, interrupting the older woman’s tirade. The door opened wider and Bonnie smiled apologetically at Jacob. “Thank you. We’ll be going now. I’ll be home later.”
“You best come right home, Miss Loft. Don’t let this vagabond talk you into a Sunday afternoon drive or canoodling.”
“Thank you!” Bonnie waved at her landlady over her shoulder as she practically dragged Jacob back down the porch steps, away from the house. “I’m so sorry,” she said in a lower voice as they reached the road.
“So, she doesn’t much like me, does she?” Jacob teased.
As they continued down the street, and Jacob offered her his arm as they continued their walk to the small, nondenominational church Bonnie had been attending since she got to town. Their path took them past the Mission San Xavier del Bac. They walked through the shadow of that Catholic church, where most of the Latino and Irish citizens of Tucson were pouring in.
“Thank you for coming to church with me this morning, Jacob,” Bonnie said. “I’m so sorry Mrs. Withers was so rude to you.”
“She’s not that much different from most folks,” he said with a shrug. “She thinks I kill men for money.”
“Well.” Bonnie blushed. “I did tell her you’re a bounty hunter. So many of those posters say ‘dead or alive.’ I guess she just assumed.”
“Bonnie,” he said quietly, “you know I don’t do that, right?”
“I know.”
“I’ve never yet had to kill a man. Every single bounty I’ve collected has been after capturing the wanted outlaw. Every one.”
“I know,” she said again, more gently this time. “But you have to know how rare that is, Jacob. Mrs. Withers believes what she does because of all the other bounty hunters she has heard of, setting the example.”
Jacob sighed. They had reached the door of the Everlasting Hope Church, a small, white wooden structure built where empty streets stretched into the desert. Men who claimed to know said that neighborhoods would be built out this way, as the town grew, but Jacob didn’t see any evidence of that yet.
The man Jacob knew must be Pastor Ambrose was at the door, shaking hands and greeting each member of his flock who came to worship that day. Bonnie only had positive things to say about her pastor, and Jacob had heard all of them. About how this young Pennsylvanian had built church communities all through the states and now into the territories. About how he forswore a salary beyond his bare necessities. About how his wife and small children waited in St. Louis for him to bring them out. From all Jacob had heard, Pastor Ambrose was a man to admire.
“Miss Loft,” he said warmly,
taking her small hand in his. “How lovely to see you, my dear. Your presence at Everlasting Hope is always treasured. And who is your friend?”
“Jacob Payne, sir.” The two men shook hands. “Thank you for having me.”
“Of course, Mr. Payne.” The pastor’s eyes twinkled as he took in the other man. “Everyone is welcome here. Thank you for coming.”
As he turned to greet the next congregant walking up the path, Bonnie touched Jacob’s arm lightly, getting his attention.
“Let’s find seats.”
The chapel was already more than half full; Jacob followed Bonnie’s lead to take seats in the middle of a row near the back. As they got settled, Jacob looked around at the church. Two large windows on either side of the altar let light stream in throughout the chapel. One small floral arrangement sat on the pulpit, adding a splash of color in the otherwise modest white room. All around them, Tucson locals were greeting each other, wishing each other good morning and inquiring about each other’s weeks.
Jacob sighed contentedly. He had missed the welcoming comfort of being part of a congregation. He spent the whole of the prayers, songs and sermon with a slight smile on his face, wondering why he hadn’t made time for this before now.
After church, Bonnie took his arm again and they strolled slowly together through the town.
“What did you think?” Bonnie asked. “I just love Pastor Ambrose. His sermons always seem to be exactly what I need to hear.”
“I enjoyed it. Thank you for inviting me. I needed that more than I realized.”
Bonnie smiled up at him and squeezed his arm affectionately. “You’re invited to join me at church any time, Jacob. I’d love to be able to share this with you.”
Jacob heard the intimate tone in her voice and his heart skipped a beat. This wholesome beautiful woman was always making him feel wanted and better than he deserved. Being with Bonnie was such a contrast to chasing after cruel, dirty, conniving outlaws all the time. He could so easily get used to this. Maybe even enough to make him want to stop hitting the road.
“We told Mrs. Withers that I would bring you straight home after church,” Jacob said softly.
“Yes, that’s true.”
Jacob thought he heard a note of disappointment in her voice.
“But,” he continued, “I would love to see you tomorrow, if that’s acceptable. Either before or after you go to work at the cafe?”
They had reached the path leading to her boarding house. Bonnie turned to face him and beamed. “I would love that.”
“Good.” Jacob grinned. “Great. Good. I’ll, um … I’ll come back here for you tomorrow morning, then?”
“Yes, please. Thank you.” The enormous smile on her face mirrored his own.
“My pleasure.”
He leaned down, kissed her cheek, and watched as she walked up the steps and into her boarding house. Jacob couldn’t wait for tomorrow.
Chapter Two
“You again?” Mrs. Withers asked when she opened the door to Jacob on Monday, not long before lunch time. “What do you want?”
“Good morning, ma’am.” Jacob removed his hat. “Is Miss Loft at home?”
The harsh smell of vinegar met Jacob’s nose. Monday must be a cleaning day for Mrs. Withers, which meant there was no way he was going to be invited inside. Jacob was glad he had already made plans to take Bonnie out. Out of the house and away from her landlady’s disapproving eye.
“Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know that she’ll want to see you. She’s a good girl; she doesn’t need to be spending time with a man like you.”
Jacob bit back a retort and looked at his feet before answering. “I believe Miss Loft is expecting me, ma’am. Could you tell her I’m here please?”
She shot him one more scowl before closing the door in his face. Jacob was at a loss. Was Mrs. Withers going to fetch Bonnie or was she simply shutting him out? Should he wait? He replaced his hat on his head and turned to look out at the street. Without spending the day with Bonnie as he had been looking forward to, Jacob didn’t know how he would fill his day.
While he was still considering his options, the door behind him opened again and Bonnie exited onto the porch. Although the details and intricacies of women’s fashion were beyond him, Jacob couldn’t help but appreciate how her alabaster skin looked against the dark purple of her gown. He almost couldn’t take his eyes off of the way her tiny waist was set against the wide bell of her skirt.
Bonnie Loft simply took his breath away.
Though she seemed happy to see him, her tight smile hinted at how she had had to deal with Mrs. Withers. The older woman was protective, there was no doubt about that. At least Jacob could relax in knowing Bonnie would be safe whenever he had to leave town for a job.
“She let you out?” he teased. “Unchained your bonds?”
“Barely.” She relaxed into a relieved smile. “Let’s hurry, though. Before she tries again to stop me.”
He offered his arm and led her down to the road and towards the center of town.
“I thought we could take in a picnic lunch,” he suggested cautiously.
“A picnic? As in … eating outside?” She looked confused and startled at the very suggestion.
He couldn’t read her expression, so just plowed ahead with his explanation. “I know if we were somewhere other than the lawless territories we wouldn’t be able to see each other without a chaperone and formal calling. So, I was thinking that instead we could enjoy the gorgeous day. I know that eating outside might seem strange or even uncouth to you, but it’s something I do all the time. It’s not as bad as it sounds. One of the perks of the job, sometimes.”
“That sounds … nice,” she said, slowly. “I don’t know how to do that. You’ll show me?”
“Of course. Trust me.”
He led the way to San Xavier Cafe. Earlier that morning, he had already talked to Mickey and Mrs. Everill about his plan. Everything should be ready and waiting for them, all the supplies they would need for their lunch outside.
Jacob hadn’t had a chance yet to really talk to Bonnie about her past, about where she came from before the territory. But the idea of a picnic in the middle of the day was something he missed from his life in Virginia. It had been too hot in Tucson most of his time there so far, but now as the fall season started, he could better enjoy it. And couldn’t wait to share it with her.
It was a bit of a walk, but at the foot of the small peak near town, Jacob found a lovely green area for them to sit and relax. He spread out the blanket on the ground, laughed at Bonnie’s confused expression, and helped her to sitting. It was a bit of a balancing act in that gown, but she was eager to try. Jacob withdrew their meal from the basket Mrs. Everill had packed and proudly served Bonnie lunch, after so many times of her doing the same for him.
Not long after they had begun, Jacob was distracted by movement. He never could relax. Given the demands of his job, he always felt as though he were on guard for something. Out of the corner of his eye, Jacob saw Tucson’s U.S. Marshal, Owen Santos, approaching. As soon as he realized the marshal was coming to him, Jacob stood to greet him.
“Mr. Santos.” He shook the man’s hand. “What can I do for you?”
Santos glanced at Bonnie, tipping his hat in greeting. “Payne. There’s not much time. I need you on the trail. Now. As soon as possible.”
Jacob’s stomach dropped. After all the effort he had put in for this one small window of time with Bonnie, and now the law was asking him to abandon it. But, Jacob knew his job. He knew Santos wouldn’t be asking it of him unless the situation was dire. He had plenty of his own deputies to boss around.
“What is it?”
Bonnie stayed quiet, watching the conversation between the men. Santos caught her eye and his face flushed slightly. Jacob didn’t miss a thing.
“Should we head to your office?” he suggested.
“Yeah.” Santos looked at Jacob again, nodding vigorously. “Yes. My office. I
can fill you in there.”
“Alright. Give me a few minutes to walk Miss Loft home, and I’ll be right there.”
Santos gave one last curt nod and strode away quickly. Whatever this pressing bounty was, it had the lawman worried; Jacob could read the anxiety in every twitch of the man’s muscles. Jacob began to mentally catalog what he would need to pack depending on how far Santos was sending him.
“I’m sorry,” Jacob said, turning to his companion. “I had hoped we would at least have been able to finish lunch.”
“I know. Me too.” She smiled sadly. “Maybe when you get back?”
They had packed up the remains of the lunch, and Bonnie had the blanket folded and tucked under her arm.
“I’d better walk you home.” Jacob offered his arm to her once again, and wondered when the next time he would get to would be.
After walking in silence for a couple blocks, Bonnie spoke up. “Do you enjoy being a bounty hunter?”
He answered immediately. There was no question. “I do. It’s rarely easy, but it’s work that needs to be done.”
“And you’re good at it,” she prompted.
“I am.” Jacob was not one to boast, but he knew his strengths. “There are not many men that can bring in an outlaw without resorting to killing them. I know the reputation bounty hunters have. I know what most people expect of us. But if I can make a difference in just a few lives by doing this job efficiently and safely, I can be proud of my work.”
“I’m proud of you too, Jacob.”
They had reached her front porch, and Jacob was loathe to leave her. This new bounty could take him away from Tucson for days, if not weeks. He’d likely have to miss church next Sunday with her at the very least.
But when he looked into her eyes, he knew she’d wait for him. Without saying a word, with just her expression of faith and pride, she beamed at him. Her contented smile communicated her loyalty and steadfastness to the man standing before her. It didn’t matter how long he had to be gone, doing his duty and ridding the Arizona Territory of dangerous men. She would look for him every day until he came home.