by Jenna Brandt
“She’s fully aware of why we’re here. The agency has been in the process of training female agents under the condition that they marry the male agent who is training them.”
“That’s right, wasn’t there a Pinkerton couple that came through here several months ago?” Logan Lambert asked.
“Yes, we did send a set of agents out here for a different case. Josiah and Nadine Bell were here to solve his brother’s murder, her former partner, who was killed by the Wilkins gang.”
“I remember Judy saying something about that,” Caleb confirmed. “She became friends with the woman before they left town. She mentioned something about her friend working for the Pinkerton agency, but with how our sister always exaggerates, I didn’t take her seriously.”
“Josiah’s a good agent, but he’s in Idaho right now working on a different case. It’s why I was assigned to this one.”
“So, what you’re saying is, we got the runner-up agent,” Mr. Lambert stated wryly. “How wonderful for us.”
“You didn’t,” Bradley heard Gwendolyn’s familiar voice say from the door. “He’s the best agent in the country, and you’re lucky to have him working your case.”
Everyone turned to look at her. The other men looked shocked to see her standing there. Not only was she a woman sticking her nose in the affairs of men, but an undercover Pinkerton agent, at that.
“Whatever my husband’s plan is, you’d do well to follow it,” she said, breezing into the room. “He’s very, very good at his job.”
“Any objections?” Bradley asked as he looked around the room. “I guess that settles that then. Everyone make sure to have your pistols and plenty of ammo. We’re heading out in ten minutes to catch ourselves some cattle rustlers.”
At first, Bradley didn’t want Gwendolyn to go with them to Woody, worried that she might get hurt when they tried to capture the rustlers. When she explained that the only way she would ever be good at her job was if he let her do it, he reluctantly agreed to let her come along.
Gwendolyn had never ridden a horse astride, and it was an odd sensation to be sitting with her legs wrapped around the western saddle instead of scooped to one side. It took several minutes of getting used to it, but after a while, she relaxed and let the horse do all the work.
As they approached Woody, Gwendolyn worried that they would end up in a shootout if the rustlers saw them coming. As they deposited their horses in the livery, she decided to bring up her concern to her husband. “We shouldn’t all go in there at once. If there’s any chance of catching them by surprise if they’re there, we need to keep them from knowing how many of us there are.”
“And how would we do that?” Bradley asked, raising his arm to signal to the two Lambert brothers, Martinez, and the other four men to stop in their tracks.
“You should send me in there,” she raised her hand to Bradley, silencing him as he opened his mouth to argue. “I know you want to tell me no, but think about it from an agent’s mindset, not as my husband’s. None of the rustlers know who I am, which means they’ll just think I’m a townsperson coming to have an injury checked. Once I establish who is in there, I can come back here and let all of you know what we’re dealing with.”
“It’s a sound plan,” Eli said with a nod. “Though I understand if you don’t want to risk your wife’s life.”
“But I’m not just his wife, I’m an agent, too. This is part of my job, and what he’s been training me for.” She looked directly at Bradley and added, “I can do this.”
“Not without a gun, you won’t,” he said, handing her one of his pistols. “Slip it into your skirt pocket just in case you need it. Promise me, you’ll be careful.”
“I promise.” She took the weapon and did what he requested, hoping she wasn’t going to need it, but glad it would be there in case she did.
“The Woody doctor’s office is right around the corner from here,” Eli explained, “so if you get into trouble, shout. We’ll be able to hear you.”
She nodded, then gave her husband a final look before taking off towards the doctor’s office. Mr. Lambert was right; it wasn’t far at all from the livery. She took in a deep breath and opened the door, then walked inside. “Hello, is the doctor in?”
A balding man with a reddish complexion came into the front part of the office, pulling a door closed behind him. “I’m the doctor here in Woody. How can I help you?”
“I need to have you take a look at something for me,” she said, pointing to a spot on her arm that she knew wasn’t a problem. “I’m worried there might be something wrong with my arm.”
“Ma’am, that’s a mole,” the doctor stated in disbelief. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“But it’s ugly,” she protested. “Can’t you remove it?”
“That might be something you can have done back East, but we don’t worry about removing birthmarks out here in the West.”
Gwendolyn pushed out her lip, forcing it to tremble as she made tears appear in her eyes. “I just think it’s the reason my husband isn’t pleased with me. When I came out West to meet him, I could tell he didn’t want me. I think it’s because of this. Every time he looks at my arm, he flinches away.”
“Ma’am, I really don’t think your mole is the reason for that,” the doctor stated firmly. “You might want to talk with your husband and find out what’s really bothering him. The problem probably lies with him and not you.”
“Oh, thank you, doctor, I never thought to do that,” she said, reaching out to throw her arms around him. “You might have saved my marriage.”
As she pulled back, she noticed there was fresh blood on the edge of his sleeve. She made sure to not make a big deal about it, and instead started to move past the doctor. “I want to thank you, so I was thinking I could help you organize this place, maybe freshen it up a bit. You’d be surprised what wonders a woman’s touch can do for a place. Your patients will thank you.” She moved towards the door he just came from, and before he could stop her, she shoved it open. “What’s behind here? Is it a storage closet?”
Inside, there was a man passed out on an examining table. He had a large bandage wrapped around his shoulder, that had specks of crimson showing through. Gwendolyn was certain it was the rustler her husband had shot.
“Oh, pardon me, I didn’t know you had a patient right now.” She quickly pulled the door shut, then turned around to leave. “Maybe I should come back another time when you aren’t busy.”
“I think you should,” the doctor said, with a worried look on his face. “Much later would be best.”
Gwendolyn hurried from the doctor’s office and made her way back to the livery. She rushed to her husband’s side, grateful that her first assignment on her own went well.
“What did you find at the doctor’s office?” Bradley inquired.
“The man you shot is there. He’s passed out in the back room. I didn’t see anyone else in the office, or around the building, for that matter. I think the other rustlers might have dumped him off there, and then left. The doctor looked scared, though. I think he doesn’t have a choice about treating the man.”
“If it’s just the one rustler, we can snatch him up rather quickly,” Eli said with relief. “I wish we could get the rest, though.”
“We can,” Bradley stated firmly. “I’ll just have to convince him to tell us where they’re hiding out.”
“You can do that?”
“I have my ways,” Bradley admitted, “But he’s not going to like them.”
“He should have thought of that before he tried to steal from our ranch,” Logan seethed out in anger. “He deserves whatever he gets.”
“I’m not one for torture, but you do whatever you need to,” Eli added.
The group left the livery and made their way to the doctor’s office. This time, they all went inside. The doctor was sitting behind his desk and looked shocked when they all entered.
“What’s going on? What are you doin
g back here, ma’am, and with these men?”
“I talked it over with my husband, and you’re right, the problem has nothing to do with the mole on my arm. The problem is that he got involved in a shootout today while he was working at the Lambert Ranch. The man he shot happens to be resting in that other room.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the doctor said, jumping to his feet.
“You can stop pretending the man isn’t here,” Bradley stated firmly. “My wife verified it was him. The man you’re helping is wanted for multiple counts of cattle rustling. We’re here to take him to the sheriff, right after we question him about where the rest of his gang is at.”
“You can’t do that,” the doctor pleaded, rushing over and placing his hand on Bradley’s arm. “If you do, the rest of the gang will come back here and kill my family. They swore they would.”
“We won’t let that happen to your family,” Bradley vowed, “but if you don’t give him to us, there’s a good chance they will do that, anyway, to tie up loose ends. If you want to save your family, you’ll let us take him. If you do allow us to, we can find out where the rest of his gang is hiding, so we can stop them for good.”
The doctor seemed to be thinking about what Bradley said. After a few moments, he nodded. “He’s right through there.”
Bradley opened the door, and then moved inside. The man was sleeping, which was good because he would be disoriented when Bradley woke him up. He reached out and shook the man’s wounded shoulder.
“Ouch,” the man yelped with a groggy voice. “What do you want, Doc?”
“I’m not the doctor,” Bradley said in a menacing tone, “but what I want is to know where the rest of your gang is at.”
The man’s eyes snapped open, a look of fear in them as he gasped out, “You! How did you find me?”
“I told you, if you didn’t surrender, this would go very badly for you. You didn’t listen, and now look at you.” Bradley leaned down until his face was only inches away from the other man’s. “If you don’t want it to get a whole lot worse really quickly, you’ll tell me right now where your hideout is located.”
“I can’t tell you,” the man said, trying to move to get away from Bradley.
He didn’t let the rustler escape, though. He pressed his arms down on him, using his weight to hold him in place. “I know you’re in pain and struggling against me only makes it worse. You can make it stop by telling me what I need to know.”
“They’ll kill me if I tell you.”
“I’ll let the Lambert brothers kill you if you don’t tell me,” Bradley countered. “They want to see you hang. I could step back and let them take you right now. No one would stop the hanging of a cattle rustler that has been terrorizing this area for months.”
“You wouldn’t let that happen,” he choked out, his eyes widening with fear.
“Not if you tell me where your hideout is located. If you tell me, I’ll personally see to your safe delivery to the deputy here in Woody, and later to the sheriff in Abilene.”
Slowly, the man nodded his head. “Okay, I’ll tell you.”
A few minutes later, Bradley had the location of the gang’s hideout. After delivering the wounded rustler to the Woody jail, the posse took off with the added help of one of the deputies and a bounty hunter staying in the area.
It was going to be a long night, but by the end of it, Gwendolyn and Bradley would be successfully finished with their first case. She wasn’t sure what that would mean for their relationship, but she was certain of one thing, she now knew what it meant to be a Pinkerton agent.
Chapter 6
“I don’t think you should go with us on this part of the case,” Bradley said, placing his hands on both sides of her arms.
“Haven’t I proven myself to you by now?”
“It’s not about that,” Bradley countered, afraid to express how much he truly cared about her. Instead, he said, “It’s going to be too dangerous. The rustlers will be on high alert and trigger happy. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I have to go. This is as much my case as it is yours. I’ve been watching you and learning the job. You’ve shown me how to handle myself, and it’s time you finally see me as a fellow agent, instead of just a helpless woman.”
And as his partner, his wife, and the woman he was falling in love with. He wanted to shout all of these things he was beginning to love about her, to make her understand why he was so scared of letting her go with them. If something bad should happen to her, he knew now he would never be the same.
“Are the two of you done bickering?” Deputy Sheriff Greystone said as he came up beside them. “We need to get to that hideout before anyone tips them off we’re coming.”
Bradley looked over at the older deputy, who looked smug and full of himself. He seemed to think he was in charge now that he was involved. Even though Bradley’s authority came directly from the sheriff in Abilene, Greystone’s direct boss, he didn’t see the need to point that out, at least not yet.
“Yes, she’s staying here in Woody.”
“No, I’m not,” Gwendolyn countered. “I’m coming with you.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Bradley rubbed his hand through his hair. “I can see I’m not going to win this argument. If I let you come with us, when we get there, you’re going to stay outside and keep watch while we enter the mine. That’s not flexible,” Bradley stated firmly.
“Fine,” she said, rubbing her neck in a way that made it clear she was using the signal to remind him that she wanted to get away from him.
“Fine,” he said, ignoring her cue, and mounting his horse.
An hour later, the posse arrived a half mile away from the abandoned mine. They left their horses and continued on foot, making sure to move as quietly as possible to not raise any warning to the rustlers. From a distance, Bradley could see a faint light coming into view. There were two men standing at the edge of the mine entrance. One was smoking a cigar, which explained the light. The other man seemed to be looking around, keeping an eye out for trouble. The rustlers were smart enough to keep men outside as lookouts, which meant this raid might be harder than he first thought. He was beginning to regret the decision to let Gwendolyn come along with them. He should have told her no and dealt with her being mad at him at a later time. Yes, she was pleased she could come, but it would be better for her to be upset and alive, than dead.
He glanced over at his wife and couldn’t help but notice how pretty she looked under the moonlight. What if this was the last time he saw her? If he didn’t make it back out of the mine, he wanted to memorize every part of her perfect face so it would be the last thing he thought about before he died.
Martinez reached out and tapped him on the arm, gesturing to see if he was ready. He shook his head, wanting to watch a few minutes more before making a move. Bradley tried to focus on apprehending the gang. The sooner they got it done, the sooner they’d all be safe. Just then, the cigar smoker re-entered the mine. Bradley knew it was time to execute the raid.
When Bradley was certain the other watchman was not returning to his post, he gestured to the men with him to go around from both sides. Before the rustler knew what was happening, they were on top of him. They knocked him out and tied him up before he could make a sound.
“It’s time for us to go in,” Bradley whispered. “Make sure to keep an eye out, and if you see anything, you shout for me. Don’t try to handle it yourself. You scream for help and run away. You hear me?”
Gwendolyn nodded, pulling out the gun from her skirt pocket. She tried to give it back to him, but he put out his hand and pushed it back. “You keep it. You’ve earned my trust.”
“Thank you,” she whispered back, continuing to hold the gun in her hand at her side. “I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.” He leaned forward and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Great, she was on guard duty. Gwendoly
n knew Bradley insisted upon it because he wanted to protect her, but it didn’t mean she had to like it. She was more than capable of going in with the posse; Bradley just didn’t want to see her in a dangerous situation.
She kicked a rock in front of her and watched as it skipped across the dirt and leaves and landed a few feet away by a tree.
Movement and grunting beside her drew her attention to the watchman that was tied up. He was awake now and struggling against his ropes. When he finally gave up and realized he wasn’t getting free, he rolled over and pushed himself up against a tree.
“Hmm, hmm,” he tried to speak, his voice being muffled by the rag that had been stuffed in his mouth and secured by another rope.
Gwendolyn bent down and looked at the man. “What do you want?”
He shrugged with his head, and his eyes darted towards the mine.
“You have something to say? I need to remove your gag?”
He nodded his head up and down vigorously.
She rolled her eyes and let out a laugh. “Do you really think I’m that gullible? I know you’d just yell for help if I was stupid enough to remove it. That’s not going to happen.”
She turned back around and scanned the area. Nothing, just like before. She glanced towards the entrance, waiting to hear gunfire from inside. She hoped Bradley and the others were able to surprise the rustlers and take them without a struggle, but she tried to prepare herself for the worst. She could handle anything as long as Bradley came back out of there alive. She wasn’t sure when it started happening, but she was falling in love with her husband. She needed to tell him, but right in the middle of a confrontation wasn’t exactly perfect timing.
“Hmm, hmm,” the rustler mumbled again. He was kicking the ground and darting his head back and forth to get her attention.
“What is it now?” she asked, bending down to face him a second time. “Don’t you get it; I’m not removing that rag.”