by James, Terry
‘If you don’t want to die tonight, it’s your turn to trust me. There’s a man up on the balcony, and another lurking behind the piano. You don’t stand a chance. Just back up and let’s get out of here while we still can.’
Behind her, Swain nodded his agreement. ‘You said what you came here to say, Marshal, and you saved the girl. No reason to try your luck any more tonight.’
Jake’s arm stiffened, the gun in his hand rising slightly as he refreshed his aim. Swain was too cocky, but before he could bring him down a peg, Ros fainted against him. He had little choice other than to catch her.
Laughter pealed around the room. As he struggled to hold Ros and keep his weapon steady, Jake noticed even Radley had a gleam of amusement melting the ice behind his eyes.
Swain straightened his chair and picked up his cards. ‘Looks as if your responsibilities might just have changed, Marshal.’ He shuffled and dealt hands to Radley and Carson. ‘Anything else?’
Things hadn’t quite gone as Jake anticipated, but for now it looked as though his best decision would be to cut and run. Placing his trust in Matt, he slid his gun back in its holster and swung Ros up into his arms, then he backed out of the saloon and melted into the night.
CHAPTER 13
In a room at the back of the doc’s house, a lamp flickered on a dresser and a stove pressed into the corner had been banked and lit. Although it popped and cracked, its warmth was slow in penetrating the bitter cold. When they entered, Tom glanced up from slipping Jimmy into the narrow bed then made another check of the thick bandages around the boy’s head and arm.
‘How is he, Doc?’ Rudd asked softly.
Ros threw herself into the only chair in the room, watching Jake’s expression change from business to concern as his gaze fastened on the boy.
‘The bullet came as close to killing him as I’d ever want to see,’ Tom said, rolling down his shirtsleeve. ‘As far as I can tell, it skimmed his skull but there are no fractures. His arm’s broken. I’ve splinted it and it should heal well enough. I’d say it’s a miracle he’s alive at all.’
‘So he’ll be all right?’ Rudd asked, optimism bringing the power back into his voice as he approached the bed and touched the bandages.
‘He should regain consciousness within the next twenty-four hours. We won’t know until then.’
Rudd offered a handshake. ‘Thanks for what you’ve done, Doc. Don’t worry about your bill. I’ll pay whatever it costs to pull him through.’
Tom shook his head. ‘That’s not necessary, Marshal.’
‘Well, that’s decent of you. The way I see it, he’s a witness to an attempted murder and the first thing we need to do is get him out of town, somewhere safe.’ Rudd’s heel squealed as he spun. ‘Matt, can you take him with you to the L?’
Matt leaped forward. ‘Sure. I’ll fetch a wagon from the livery and—’
‘Whoa.’ Tom gripped Matt’s shoulder, stopping him dead. ‘He can’t be moved. A simple bang on the head can do a lot of damage.’ He glanced at Ros. ‘It’s anybody’s guess what a bullet can do.’
Rudd pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead as he thought. It reminded Ros of somebody she’d known a long time ago, somebody she’d forgotten until recently. Jay Langerud. No! Emmett had put the seed in her mind and now it grew and flourished.
Rudd’s voice dragged her back to the present. ‘All right, you’re the doc. Either way, I’ll need to stay with him until he wakes up.’ He was already shrugging out of his jacket and he tossed it on the foot of the bed.
‘Make yourself at home. I can’t offer you a bed, I’m afraid, but you’re welcome to whatever else you need. I can bring some extra wood in for the stove.’
Unease twisted Ros’s stomach in a knot and continued to tighten as she looked around. Tom nodded affably as he left to go on his new errand. Jake made no secret of checking the cylinders in his gun, then dimming the lamp before peeping between the curtains. Matt, she noticed, avoided eye contact, switching his attention neatly between Jake, Jimmy and the hallway. It was as though she were nothing more than a member of an audience watching a play she had no part in.
‘Mind if I put in a few ideas?’ she asked, quietly.
Rudd turned in her direction. ‘I’d certainly expect you to.’
She took a deep breath, still rattled by the direction of her thoughts. Being home was like opening an old wound. If Rudd was indeed Jay Langerud, then he was the salt being rubbed into it.
‘I don’t think you staying with the boy is such a good idea. After what happened tonight, being around you might not be the safest place.’
She raised an eyebrow, challenging him to disagree. When he didn’t, she continued with a little more confidence.
‘Exactly what did happen tonight?’
Jake offered a shortened version of events that had transpired at the saloon before she arrived, while she endeavoured to keep her expression impassive. Listening intently was even more of a strain with her heart hammering hard enough to shake her teeth loose. Alternate waves of hot and cold washed over her. She was torn between pride and fear for Matt, disbelief and admiration for Rudd. When he finished, a pause dragged the suspense out as she collected her mixed up feelings.
Eventually, she cleared her throat. ‘And you said I was crazy. Looks as though we’re two of a kind after all.’ Unable to contain a smile, she peered towards Matt where he had withdrawn almost into the hallway and now stood furtively glancing along it. ‘What do you have to say?’
She regretted the severity of her tone and across the bed she felt Rudd’s gaze on her, warming her more than the stove was ever likely to. Lowering her eyes, she mumbled to soften her tone. ‘Tell me where you stand in all this, Matt.’
He dropped his chin slightly but raised it quickly. This time his focus found Ros and stayed put. ‘I told the marshal, and I’ll tell you the same, this is a gun town. The only way to fight is to match fire with fire.’ His fist tapped against his thigh, the only outward show of his frustration. ‘God knows I’ve tried to follow Bill’s example, turn the other cheek, but it hasn’t made things better. Bill and May are still dead. Our cattle are still burning on the range. My men are still getting shot.’
Bitterness resounded in every tightly drawn word, pulling Ros’s nerves taught as a bowstring. He was so young and yet he said ‘my men’ with the conviction of a man twice his age. It saddened her to see his youth stripped away, and yet, at the same time pride vied with fear and anger.
‘So you and Rudd decided to start a war? Couldn’t we at least have talked about it first?’
She thought about what Emmett had said, about giving Matt a fair chance. Would he take it? ‘You don’t have all the facts, Matt. There are things you need to know, things we need to talk about.’
Matt shrugged. ‘I’ve done too much talking of late. This is my life, my town, my father’s legacy. I want to live in a place where my wife and child can walk along the street and feel safe. Maybe it’s not what you want, but somebody has to fight for it. Until tonight I didn’t know how to do that.’
Ros scowled at Rudd. If he got her brother killed, she’d make sure he paid in kind. Apparently, Matt read her mind.
‘Don’t blame the marshal. He’s the best thing to blow into this town in a while. He’s what we need, somebody without a stake who can’t be bought or threatened by Swain and his vigilantes.’
He hurt her with his contempt for her and his admiration for Rudd. She clenched her teeth and tried not to show it. Arguing would only drive a bigger wedge between them. Nothing she could say would undo the damage already done by years of sibling neglect, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have the final word.
‘All right, Matt, we’ll play it your way. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m going to stand by and let you get killed.’
Matt lowered his gaze. ‘I know that. I’m sorry, I—’
Ros interrupted his protests. ‘Don’t ever apologize to me. I’ve never had an
y time for sorry. If you have the conviction to do a thing, then at least have the dignity to live with the consequences.’
His mouth thinned to a tense line and this time his eyes narrowed when his glare locked on her. ‘They were right, you are hard.’
They glowered at each other, but it was a struggle for Ros to maintain her outward show of cold composure. How could he be so wrong while at the same time forcing her to prove him right?
‘Now, Matt, that’s no way to speak to your long lost sister.’
The reprimand preceded the arrival of a pretty little blonde who slipped her arm through Matt’s and smiled warmly at Ros. Surprise, curiosity and a sudden understanding brought Ros out of her chair as she sensed Rudd’s amusement.
‘You must be Ava.’
The blonde extended her hand as she met Ros halfway. ‘I am, and I’m pleased to meet you. Are you all right after your ordeal? Did they hurt you?’
Ros clasped her fingers, wrong-footed by the girl’s immediate friendliness and the swell of her stomach. She noted the wedding ring, quickly putting two-and-two together.
‘I’m fine. They just wanted to talk. Why don’t you sit down?’
‘Actually, I am feeling a bit worn out. Have you finished with Matt?’
‘We’re finished,’ Rudd said, quietly brooking no argument. ‘It’s been a long day. Doc, have you got a room they can have? I don’t think it would be a good idea for us to split up tonight.’
‘Sure.’ He finished fastening his cuff. ‘Come on, you can have my mother’s old room. Ros, you can have my room. I’ll find a chair somewhere.’
Ros drew a steadying breath after they had all left, leaving her and Rudd alone. ‘Don’t think we’re finished,’ she warned him. ‘I’ve still got something to say to you.’
A muscle twitched in his jaw as he stared at her, but she cut him off when he opened his mouth to speak.
‘You get Matt killed, Rudd, and I’ll—’
‘I know what you’ll do, you don’t need to spell it out,’ he said, calmly. ‘I also know he’s a good kid with enough responsibility and worry without you kicking his legs from under him every time you open your mouth. You should ease up on him.’
He was right but it didn’t make the advice any easier to swallow. ‘Do you think that’s what Emmett’s going to do? We’re in a war. You included.’
He didn’t deny it.
‘So, as I was saying before, if you hide yourself in here, you’ll be as good as telling Emmett you’re not a man of your word. I very much doubt that’s the case.’
He scowled. ‘I’d like to argue that point…amongst others, but I can’t. You’re right.’ He paced beside the bed, his attention on Jimmy who hadn’t stirred despite the battle raging around him. ‘I could get the sheriff to send over a deputy.’
‘And frighten the kid to death when he wakes up?’ Ros shook her head emphatically. ‘We’re all in this together now so I think I should sit with Jimmy for a while.’
‘Offer accepted, but you look dead on your feet.’ He came round to meet her, extending his hand to draw her forward. ‘I’ll watch him for a few hours while you get some sleep. Maybe it’ll improve your disposition.’
She glared at him as she stamped to the door, but turning to face him it was a struggle to keep her countenance sombre. ‘Maybe this is my disposition. Did you think of that?’
His smile unnerved her, being all flashing teeth and mischief. He was a hard man to stay mad at.
‘Then maybe Emmett Swain ain’t the one we should be worrying about. Maybe you should think about that.’
Ros started to leave, but turned back. She should tell him what she knew, about him and her, and Radley and Parley Jones. The only problem was, she didn’t understand it all herself and so far Rudd had been reluctant to tell her anything of substance. Right now, she was too tired to think about it.
CHAPTER 14
The following day passed slowly for Ros, marked only by the monotonous ticking of a long case clock in the hallway. A cold, crisp morning faded into a colder, darker afternoon as minutes slipped by like hours, each as long and boring as the last. To pass the time, Ros rested, disturbed by slight noises and the no-show of either Tom or Rudd to relieve her.
By early afternoon she paced like a caged lion in the narrow space between the bed and the stove, and cursed Rudd. She’d always hated time on her hands. It allowed doubts and worries to creep into her mind, raised questions that otherwise could have been conveniently overlooked.
She stopped mid-stride to watch Jimmy as he fretted in his sleep. Poor kid. His nightmares were as vivid as hers judging by his garbled ramblings. She only half listened as he raved about Emmett Swain and somebody called Cane or Cade. From the bits she had already pieced together, he’d seen and heard them plotting to run Rudd out of town. He also mentioned her brother Bill, shouting as though he were trying to warn him. Whether he was confused, or reliving the event, she could only guess, but her blood ran hot and cold with the torment.
‘Ros.…’
Why would he be calling her name? She looked around the room, wondering whether Tom had managed to creep in and join them, but the room was as before, just the crackle and spit of the stove to keep them company.
‘Matt.…’ Jimmy mumbled.
She didn’t want to hear her brother’s name, not among a list of dead or marked men. Luckily, a knock at the bedroom door brought her attention and the pistol to bear on a suited man. He moved slowly to remove his derby hat, his gaze never leaving the gun, and inclined his head in greeting.
‘Who are you? How did you get in?’ Ros asked.
He pushed his small round glasses higher on his nose and started to move forward, stopping abruptly when he heard her cock the Colt.
‘My name’s Smith. Silas Smith,’ he drawled. ‘I work for Mr Burns the local attorney. He left some papers with me that he needs you to sign. Doc Bailey thought.…’
‘I can’t see you right now. I’m busy.’
He looked towards the bed. ‘I’ll try not to disturb the boy.’
‘You’ll have to come back. Whatever your business is I’m sure it can wait.’
‘Not really. It concerns the Circle Double L.’
That piqued her curiosity and she looked him over. He was about her height and build, with a weathered complexion and slicked back hair. The black leather case he clutched to his waist was stiff and polished. His hands were clean but his nails were dirty.
Something wasn’t right.
‘You should come back when the marshal’s here,’ she said, trying not to sound nervous.
‘Oh no, Miss West, Doc Bailey said I could come on over when it suited and I’m afraid there’s no time quite as convenient as now. You see, I have business out of town and if I don’t get these papers signed before I leave …’ He let the consequences hang. ‘It won’t take more than a few minutes. You’re quite welcome to hold that gun on me for the whole time, if it makes you comfortable.’
He smiled, but it was too shallow to get to his eyes, more resembling a nervous flutter of his narrow lips, as though he wasn’t quite as sure of himself as he wanted to sound.
‘No. I think it would be better if you came back when the marshal is here.’
He moved as though he hadn’t heard her, placing his case on the dresser near the window and rummaging inside until he pulled out a sheaf of papers. He gripped them close to his chest as he looked at her and cleared his throat.
‘I only need a minute of your time and your signature on one paper.’
Ros looked nervously between the door, the window and the bed. Outside, a shadow passed the window, probably the deputy pacing. Sound asleep beneath a pile of blankets, Jimmy murmured and fidgeted.
Ros adjusted the weight of the Colt. Despite her bravado in front of Radley the day before, her fingers ached with stiffness.
‘All right, let’s get this over with, but keep your voice down. I don’t want to wake the boy.’
She
crossed the room to join Burns, relaxing the gun against her waist. Burns inclined his head in agreement as his gaze slid sideways to Jimmy.
‘Let’s get straight to business then.’
‘Let’s.’
He shuffled closer to Ros until their shoulders were almost touching.
‘These are the pa—’
She inched away, offended by his sour odour.
‘I can see you’re in no mood for a lengthy explanation so I’ll hurry things up.’
He shuffled the papers, drawing the top copies over to reveal a page at the back with a heavily dotted line. Reaching inside his bag, he withdrew an inkpot and pen, dipping the nib before he offered it to her.
‘All you need to do is sign here and our business will be concluded.’
Ros hesitated.
‘Is anything the matter?’ He persisted with the pen, forcing it against her gun hand.
She snatched away, tightening her grip on the Colt. ‘Aren’t you supposed to tell me what I’m signing? I’ve changed my mind about you being here. You need to leave. I’m not signing anything. I want you to leave. Now.’
Dutifully, he packed the papers back into his bag, allowing his hand to linger inside. Behind her, Jimmy stirred and for a split second her attention faltered from Burns as she looked in the boy’s direction. His eyes were staring while his mouth moved soundlessly and she went to him.
‘It’s all right, Jimmy. Stay still.’
He tried to move, but weakness and the tightly tucked bed held him. His breath hissed in shallow gasps as his eyes widened and glistened with fear.
‘It’s all right, Jimmy. Go back to sleep. ‘
Ros sat beside him, comforting him as best she could. She’d never spent much time around children or sick people and she felt the deficiency.
‘See yourself out, Mr Smith,’ she said, realizing her mistake as she heard the click of a hammer.
‘I heard you were a stubborn bitch, but I really was hoping to make this as painless as possible for you. Thing is, you’re not leaving me much choice. All you had to do was sign. Emmett Swain would have got your share of the ranch and—’