Lawfully Played

by Annie Boone

  “Maybe,” Mr. Langdon said. “But I don’t know how deep her feelings for him go. They arrived in town together, and he got Old Jim to talk me into giving her a job. She took a bit to settle to it, but she’s the best worker I’ve ever had. I get the strangest feeling she hasn’t seen much of the real world—came from money, I suspect. Her hands were soft as silk when she started. She’s grown into the work, but it definitely didn’t come naturally to her.”

  “So, she’s a spoiled little rich girl, then. Must’ve run away with a bad man to make her daddy sit up and pay attention.” Sheriff Maitland speculated about Tess’s past life, though he had it terribly wrong.

  “That’s my guess, but there’s something sad about her. Still, Tommy Roper—the fella she blew into town with—well, he’s been busy sticking his nose into every high-stakes game in the house since they got here. I’ve seen his type before. They come to town and either lose real big, or they’re looking for their way in to set up some high-roller game and fleece everyone in it.”

  Tess stepped away from the door, leaning back against the wall. As soon as Mr. Langdon had spoken his suspicions about Tommy’s intentions out loud, Tess knew them to be true. She sighed heavily.

  Part of her knew she should warn Tommy that the sheriff and Mr. Langdon were both wise to his schemes. But she couldn’t help but hang on to the way Sheriff Maitland had said he and Mr. Langdon would keep her from harm. Tess didn’t know much about how her life might be in the future, but the one thing she knew for sure was that she didn’t want the kind of life that Tommy seemed to want to live. If they truly could help her to get away from him, then maybe she should just act as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

  Two

  Zach wandered along Main Street, his spurs clinking lightly with every step. He kept his right hand on his holster, gently caressing the barrel of his pistol. Something didn’t feel right. He’d been on edge all day. He’d tried to convince himself that Bill’s warning about Tommy Roper was what was playing on his mind, but he knew himself better.

  From the moment he had looked into Tess Bonner’s deep blue eyes, with their long sable lashes, he’d been utterly lost. He’d never seen a prettier girl in his young life. But, like Bill, he couldn’t work out why such a fine young lady should be with a reprobate like Roper. He’d seen a hundred men just like Roper come and go through Springville since he’d become sheriff, but their women were never so refined, so delicate, and so innocent as Miss Bonner.

  He wanted to rescue her, whisk her away to the manner of life she had clearly been born to. But she didn’t seem to show any signs of needing rescuing. She hadn’t given him the impression of a woman being forced to do something she didn’t want to do. Zach hadn’t seen her with Roper, of course, but he could only assume that there was some strong emotional pull for the young woman to have chosen to leave her parents and join a man who would most likely cause her nothing but heartache.

  “Sheriff?” a rough voice called from behind him. Zachery turned to see Albert Grayson hurrying after him. The portly baker was flushed and sweating, though he couldn’t have run more than the few steps from his bakery. Having caught up to Zach, Bert pulled out a clean handkerchief and wiped his brow, bending over slightly as he caught his breath.

  “Bert, how can I help you?” the sheriff said, trying to stifle a grin.

  “Oh, give me just a moment,” Bert gasped, still breathing heavily.

  “Maybe a few less of your delicious pies and pastries and you’d find running after me a little easier,” Zachery teased. Bert grinned.

  “If I could resist, I would, my friend. If only I wasn’t so good at my job, eh?”

  “Indeed. It can be such a curse to be good at your profession.”

  “And yours, too, my boy. That’s why I hurried out as soon as I saw you. Can you stop by Mae Ellison’s place? She said they’ve had some cattle go missing, and some flour and such. Might just be her misplacing things, but I assured her I’d send you up if I saw you. She has been a touch forgetful lately, but it’s probably worth checking into.” Bert looked genuinely concerned and shook his head in dismay. “I know she means the world to you.”

  “I’ll head up there right now. I’ve been worried about her, too. You’re right, she’s not been right since Nate died,” Zachery said, slapping Bert on the shoulder. “Thank you for letting me know about this.”

  “I know you have a special bond,” Bert said, nodding sagely.

  “She was like a mother to me when I first arrived here, a young boy with nobody. She and Nate took me in, gave me a home and work. I’ll never be able to repay them. I’d not be sheriff here now if they hadn’t taken me in and taught me all they did.”

  Bert nodded and turned to make his way back to his bakery at a more sedate pace. Zach picked up his own pace as he made his way to the sheriff’s office. A sleek chestnut stallion was hitched outside. Zachery patted the animal on the neck and untied the reins, throwing them up and over the horse’s muscular neck.

  “We’ve got work to do, Harry,” he said as he put a foot into his stirrup and threw himself into the saddle. The horse nickered and took a step to the side, then settled again when Zach sat down firmly, letting Harry feel his weight. With a very gentle tap of his heels, Harry set off at a trot. Zachery urged him up to a canter, and they were soon on the trail up to the Ellison farm.

  Mae was outside on the porch, dunking clothes into a large barrel and scrubbing them hard against an old washboard. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, but he could see they were rimmed with red. “Hey there, Mama Mae,” he said as he dismounted, rushing to give her a warm hug. She put her arms around him and squeezed tightly. He was surprised to notice she was shaking a little. He’d never seen Mae Ellison cry – not even on the wet and miserable day they’d buried her beloved husband, Nate. “Bert told me you’ve got things missing,” Zachery prompted her softly.

  She nodded, sniffing loudly as she wiped her tears on her sleeve. “Bessie and her new calves are gone, and someone’s took three sacks of flour and one of sugar from the pantry, too.”

  Keeping his arm around Mae’s shoulders, they walked round the back of the neat little farm house to the barn. Sure enough, the stall was empty. Mae showed him to the pantry, and he looked inside while she made them coffee.

  “Tell me what happened, as best you can, Mama Mae,” Zach said, as he noted the imprint of a hob-nailed boot in a patch of flour that must have spilled as it was taken.

  “Well, I went down to church Sunday, and everything was as it should be. Came back and fed Bessie and checked on the rest of the animals. Bert brought up my order in the cart, stacked it all inside for me like he always does. I went to bed early. I’ve been feeling so tired all the time, and it was quiet. I woke up, and everything just felt wrong.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t rightly know. It was just as though someone had been here. At first, I wondered if maybe you’d dropped by and were asleep in your old room. But when I checked, you weren’t there. And you’d never leave the kitchen door wide open like that,” she said.

  “The kitchen door was open when you came downstairs?” Zachery clarified.

  “It was. When I looked outside, the barn doors were thrown wide, too. I’d never leave things like that, and I hurried outside and found Bessie and her bairns were gone.”

  “They couldn’t just have got loose?” Zachery asked gently. “You’re sure you didn’t just slip up and leave them unbarred?”

  “So, a cow and her calves just ran off and decided to take a few sacks of flour and sugar on their backs?” Mae said, giving him a stern look.

  “I know. I have to ask, though,” Zach said, placating her. “It’s my job. There’s a footprint in there,” he said nodding toward the pantry. “And I am certain Bert doesn’t wear such heavy boots, nor Bessie for that matter,” he tried to joke.

  Mae gave him a look that said she wanted to be annoyed with him, but her lips twitched, as though she was holdin
g back a giggle.

  “This is no time for your jokes,” she scolded him. “What can I do? I’ll go hungry if I can’t sell those calves, and I need Bessie for her milk.” She stood there anxiously wringing her hands and then rubbed them down the front of her apron.

  “I’ll do what I can. You know I’ll always be glad to help you out. I’ll do whatever you need doing here, anytime,” Zachery said. “I promised Nate I’d make sure you were taken care of, and I don’t mean to break that promise to him.”

  “You’re a good boy,” Mae said, reaching up to caress his face. “Nate and I were blessed the day you walked into our yard looking for work.”

  “So was I. You gave me a home and a family,” Zachery said, feeling a little choked up at the love in her eyes and her voice.

  While Mae bustled around preparing them both a hasty meal, Zachery looked over the yard and barn again. He was about to give up hope, when he spotted another footprint. By the gate to the paddock, there was a patch of ground that no matter the weather was always a little boggy because the water trough set there was leaky. Zachery smiled. Whoever had taken Mae’s things clearly hadn’t thought of the mud on his boots and the hooves of the cows as he made his escape, but a clear path led directly toward the woodland down by the creek.

  “Mae, I’ll be back soon,” he called out. “I think I know where they’ve gone. If I go now, I might just catch them before they get too far away.”

  Mae appeared on the porch, her face full of hope. Zachery leapt onto Harry’s back, and they raced across the fields and into the woods. The path wasn’t so distinct now, but every now and again Zachery could see the larger hoof mark of Bessie and the smaller ones of the two calves.

  Zach knew these woods like the back of his hand. Years of exploring them meant he knew every hiding spot there was. He had a hunch that whoever had taken the chance to rob Mae would head for safety, to ensure that any hubbub had calmed down before they tried to move farther afield. There was one spot that would be ideal to hunker down and wait it out.

  He raced through the trees, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light. The trees grew close together here, their tall trunks seeking out the sunshine and the canopy of leaves making it dark as night, below on the woodland floor. He almost laughed when he saw a spiral of smoke up ahead. The glade by the creek was one of the few parts of the woodland where it was possible to see the sky, and an old trappers’ cabin still stood there, ramshackle and abandoned. But it was hidden from view and made a perfect spot to hide—as long as those hunting you didn’t know of its existence.

  He tied Harry to a tree and crept silently toward the cabin. He could hear voices. “We should get going,” a shrill woman’s voice whined.

  “And where are we going to go?” a bitter man’s voice said. “Springville’s a small town, and no doubt word will have spread that someone’s been robbed.”

  “For pity’s sake, Charlie,” the woman sneered. “Have you no backbone? Their sheriff is nothing more than a sniveling little boy. What do we have to be afraid of?”

  “Maybe you should have been worried about that sniveling little boy following your tracks?” Zachery spoke up, laughing at the looks of surprise on both their faces.

  “But who…” The man’s voice trailed off, and he stood with his mouth wide open.

  “There’s still two of us and only one of you,” the woman said, her hands defiantly on her hips.

  “You stole from the woman who raised me.” Zachery glared back at them, not caring that he was outnumbered. “You’d need to be an entire army to stop me when you steal from my family.”

  Suddenly the man made a run for the trees. Zachery crossed the glade swiftly, his long legs covering the distance between them. He tackled the man and brought him down to the ground. In no time, he had slapped handcuffs onto the man and left him writhing in the dust. The woman looked a little panicked, her eyes wide, but she made no move to bolt. Zach moved cautiously toward her. “You’ll be coming with me, then,” he said. She nodded and let him cuff her, too. “Now, I’ll just be checking that my mama’s property is safe and secure before I take you both into town and lock you in a cell.”

  Zachery made sure Bessie and the calves were all right and took them from where the couple had tied them up outside the cabin. He put them inside so they’d be safe until he returned.

  Inside the cabin, he found more than he could ever have expected. The couple had clearly been busy for some time procuring their hoard. There was all manner of provisions they’d stolen, from flour and sugar to silverware and jewels.

  He secured the cabin and pushed the pair in front of him to the clump of trees where he’d left Harry. He took some rope and tied the pair to each other, fastening the rope to Harry’s bridle. It would be a pleasure to put this pair in front of the magistrate.

  With his prisoners locked safely in the cells, Zachery made his way along Main Street to Martin Lindower’s grand home near the church. He banged on the door. Martin had recently retired from his position at the town’s small branch of the bank. His health had not been good in recent months, but Zachery had no choice but to disturb him.

  “I’m not in,” Martin’s voice said from somewhere within a large rosebush.

  “It would appear not. Your garden is looking wonderful.”

  “I have too much time to keep it that way,” Martin said, standing up and moving toward the porch where Zachery was standing, his hand outstretched. The two men shook hands firmly.

  “Want something to do?” Zachery asked.

  “Please,” Martin groaned. “Myra won’t let me return to the bank. She’s worried I’ll get sick again if I do too much.”

  “Well, I’m not sure she’ll be happy with me, then, but I need the town magistrate. And I may need you again before the week’s out.” Zachery took a deep breath and looked at the older man with a nod.

  “She’ll be furious, but she’ll accept that I have responsibilities.”

  “Did nobody put their name forward for election?” Zachery asked, knowing that Myra had called for a new election as soon as Dr. Baxter had insisted that Martin begin to take life more easily.

  “Who’d want to be magistrate in this town?” Martin said. “Nobody wants the responsibility for anything around here but you and me.”

  “That’s true enough,” Zach agreed. “Well, I have two thieves in the lockup who need to be sentenced as soon as possible.”

  “What did they do?”

  “Robbed Mae and some other folks I haven’t identified yet.”

  “Then we’d best get it done tomorrow, before they can get a lynch mob together,” Martin said, with a frown. “You know they’ll find out someone’s in lockup and they’ll fabricate all sorts of ill deeds done by them.”

  “Word’ll get out that fast? Even though it’s Sunday?”

  “Even though it’s Sunday,” Martin agreed. “We can do it right before church. You said you’d maybe need me again?”

  Zachery smiled. The older man sounded almost excited. “I want to break up the gambling outfits springing up.”

  “Phew, you’re a braver man than I,” Martin said, looking impressed.

  “I know it’s a tall bill. I’ve got my work cut out, but I figure if we can convince the town, they’ll be glad to see the back of some of the hucksters that think we’re fools because we don’t live in a big city.”

  “What’s your plan?”

  “Kick the criminals out of town, and let Bill run the games,” Zachery said simply.

  “He’s on hand at the saloon—that’s where everyone goes to gamble. Makes sense. You think you can do it?” Martin asked.

  “I can try. And I will.”

  Three

  Tess glanced over to the table where Tommy was dealing cards, being charming and betting heavily from the bar. He nodded to her. Knowing what he expected of her, Tess pulled out a bottle of whiskey from under the counter. She was about to add six glasses to the tray, ready to take it over to the poker
table. The bets had gotten more and more extravagant the more the men drank, and Tommy clearly believed he had his companions fooled with his heavy losses. She was about to make her way toward the table when the saloon doors swung open.

  Sheriff Maitland strode to the very center of the saloon, ensuring that everyone present saw him. He took off his Stetson and gazed around at the men and women drinking and playing cards. He saw Tess and smiled at her, giving her a gentle nod as he strode toward the bar.

  “That was quite an entrance,” Tess said, with a genuine smile. There was something about Sheriff Zachery Maitland that was very appealing. Whether it was his confidence, his smile, or his kindness, Tess did not know. “I know many a debutante who’d love the courage to announce their presence so boldly.”

  “Don’t know much about society girls, but round here I like everyone to know I’m about and keeping a close eye on them,” the sheriff said, his voice just slightly echoing her own flirtatious tone. He put his hat on the bar and leaned on his elbow as he talked to her.

  “You think they need reminding?”

  “Sometimes. There’s always some fool who thinks that because I’m young, I must also be blind and dumb.”

  Tess noted the more serious tone to his voice and wondered if he was trying to give her a warning to pass on to Tommy. She’d already decided that Tommy’s fate was his own business.

  Whatever happened, Tess knew she was on her own. She would keep her head down and earn as much as she could. When Tommy inevitably had to move on, or got himself into trouble he couldn’t wheedle his way out of, she’d be able to make a life for herself, here in Springville.

  “I pity anyone who thinks that way,” she said. From the corner of her eye she could see that Tommy was getting impatient for her arrival with the drinks and a distracting smile. “Now, if you can wait just a moment, I’ll get you a drink, but I must serve that table first.”

  “That one? The poker game?” Sheriff Maitland said, picking up his hat and putting it back on his head. “Add another glass, and I’ll take it over for you. I think I might see how my luck is holding this evening.”