by Barbara Goss
He’d gone into town and reported the break-in. The marshal had said it would be senseless to put out a posse when they had no idea who the thief had been or where he’d gone.
How was he to interact with his wife now? Max knew he couldn’t lie beside her in bed. He was still too angry to even talk to her. Max felt used and worthless.
After fixing the door, he lay down on the settee and finally fell asleep after some tossing.
Max woke up, shivering, around dawn. He didn't have a blanket to cover himself, and so he got up, put his leather coat on, and went out to the stables. Max remembered seeing an empty stall the night before. Which horse was missing?
He checked the stalls again; sure enough, his Palomino was missing.
When Dexter strolled in, he pulled him aside. “Where’s the Palomino?”
Dexter walked over and when he saw the stall empty, he shrugged. “He should be in his stall. He was here Saturday when I left.”
“I’ll ask Daniel. Has he been in yet?”
“I haven’t seen him. Usually, he’s here by now.”
“Hmm…well, we need to get things in order for an early horse sale,” Max said. “I’ll label the stalls for the ones we’ll be selling.”
“That Palomino would have brought in a good sum,” Dexter said. “Do you suppose Daniel borrowed him?”
“I don’t know.” Max turned and walked to the office. “Let me know when Daniel comes in.” Max pulled out the logbook to decide which horses should be sold. He sat there for at least an hour before Dexter came into his office.
“I have a funny feeling Daniel took the Palomino and isn’t coming back,” Dexter said.
Max shut the logbook. “I’ve come to the same conclusion. I think he’s the one who broke into our house yesterday and stole all our money.”
“Oh, no!” Dexter exclaimed. “Did you report it?”
“Yes. Now that I know who did it I can tell the marshal.”
Max picked up his hat and walked his horse from the stables. He had just mounted when Laura came out of the house. She walked over to where he was sitting on Hunter.
“Can we talk about what happened?” she said, but Max still felt angry, and he wasn’t in the mood for an emotional scene.
Laura looked forlorn. She had dark circles beneath her eyes.
He tried to be as polite as he could, even though he was still hurt and angry. “Not now. I have to see the marshal. Daniel was the thief. He stole my Palomino as well as our money.” Max nudged his horse and galloped toward town.
The marshal had Max sit down while he went to find the woman who did his wanted poster sketches. Some of the wanted posters came from other counties, but they used a local woman who was an excellent artist when it came to criminals from Silverpines.
“Mr. Winters, may I present Mrs. Ruby Malone? If you describe the man, she can draw him,” Marshal Sewell said. “She’s very good.”
It took Max about an hour before he was satisfied with the drawing. Ruby and Max showed the marshal the final sketch.
The marshal stared at the drawing for several moments before he walked to his desk, pulled out another poster from the drawer, and held the two side-by-side.
“Max, look at this photo of Ambrose Skinner.”
Max looked at it and shrugged.
“Ruby,” the marshal said, “draw a beard and mustache on Max’s thief.”
Ruby did as he asked, and they all gasped.
“It was Ambrose Skinner!” Max exclaimed. “Why didn’t I recognize him?”
“I’ve had more time to study Ambrose’s face. That beard and mustache covered up so much of his face, it was hard to see. At least now we know who we’re looking for,” Marshal Sewell said. “I’ll send a posse out toward Astoria. Seems to me, if he has a pocket full of money, he’s wanting to spend it.”
“He’ll be easy to spot—he’s riding my Palomino.”
Max walked to the livery and found Jake washing a buggy.
“Hey, Max. What brings you to town?”
Max told Jake about the theft and the thief.
“The women were right,” Jake said. “I think they’re better at spotting something like that than we men are.”
“Maybe so, Jake. I feel worthless right now. Ambrose conned me. I should have recognized him. He took my Palomino, too.”
“No! That’s your most valuable horse.”
“I know. I feel like I’ve let everyone down. I’m no horse breeder, and I’ve failed everyone.”
Jake slapped his brother on the back. “It’s an easy mistake to make, don’t let it get you down. Remember what Father always said: it’s all right to make a mistake, as long as you learn from it.”
Max didn’t want to tell Jake about Laura and the sugar bowl money. He didn’t want his brother to know that his wife didn’t think enough of him to trust his judgment.
“You wouldn’t, by any chance, need to buy new horses, would you?”
“I don’t need horses of your quality for renting, Max, but I would like to buy one for my own personal use. I've had my eye on the Appaloosa.”
Max felt a moment of elation, because the horse would bring him in a good piece of change, but then it dawned on him he couldn’t charge his brother for a horse—he was family.
“He’s yours. Stop by later and pick him up.”
“Max, I intend to pay for him—he’s worth forty dollars.”
“I don’t feel right charging you, Jake.”
“Look, I’m doing well, here, and I live rent free. I paid cash for the business. I can afford to buy a horse for myself.”
“All right, then, stop by for him.” Max slapped Jake’s back. “Thank you.” He mounted his horse and headed for home.
What would he say to Laura? He was still hurt and angry, but he couldn’t stand to see the hurt in her eyes that he’d seen when he'd spoken harshly to her. At least he’d made forty dollars. That would see them though for a few weeks, at least. He’d rush the horse sale, and then what? Put all of the money in the bank so Laura could take it out without telling him? He started to fume again. He had to cool off before he reached home.
Laura put Caro down for a nap and went down to have tea with Dawn.
“Is Max still angry with you?” Dawn asked as she poured their tea.
“I think so. He’s been gone all day.”
“I found the best way to deal with situations like this is to put yourself in the other person’s place, Laura. Imagine how Max must have felt when he found out you’d taken the money without consulting him.
"I’m serious,” Dawn said sternly. “Close your eyes. Imagine you're Max, and the money you’ve worked so hard for is gone. How would you feel if Max took it upon himself to take that money out, that he didn’t think enough of you to discuss it.”
“I think the world of Max! You encouraged me to do it. You said there should be money in the sugar bowl.”
“Yes, but not all of your earnings. Just a small sum for household use.”
“He thinks I just wanted to marry him so I’d have someone to run the ranch,” Laura said, tears running down her cheeks. “The truth of the matter is, he’s right: I did marry him to run the ranch, but then I fell in love with him.” She sniffed into her handkerchief. “Maybe I should have told him that.”
“That you took the money?”
“That and that I loved him.” Laura dabbed at her tears. “I don’t think I’ll ever get the chance now, Dawn.”
“Of course you will. There’s no mistake that can’t be fixed.”
“How can I fix this?” Laura sobbed. “I can’t lose him, Dawn.”
“You start with an apology, and then tell him you love him.”
“I thought he knew how I felt about him, so I didn’t need to tell him.”
“Well, I think you do need to tell him.”
Chapter 16
Max went directly to the stables when he got home. He put a sold sign on the stable of the horse Jake wanted, and spent t
he rest of the evening going over the logbook. He didn’t want to go into the house where he’d be forced to interact with Laura; He wasn’t ready for that yet. When he heard several horses galloping down the lane, he picked up his oil lamp and went out into the yard.
It was too dark to recognize the riders. “Identify yourself,” Max hollered.
“Marshal Sewell and a few of my deputies.”
Max walked up to where they had stopped in front of the house.
“We got Ambrose Skinner. I thought you’d be relieved to know it. That’s why I decided to come out right away to inform you.” The marshal pulled a wad of money from his pocket. “I believe this belongs to you. According to Ambrose, he only spent a dollar of it on a drink at the saloon in Astoria.” Sewell tossed Max the money.
“You have no idea what a relief this is,” Max said. “Thank you.”
The marshal had the Palomino behind him, and he handed the reins to Max. “I believe this belongs to you as well.”
The marshal tipped his hat and the men galloped back down the lane to the main road.
Max locked up the stables. He’d stopped in town that day and purchased a padlock. From that point on, the stables would remain locked until he or Dexter opened it. He blew his lamp out and went into the house where Laura met him in the sitting room.
“I put some stew away for you," she said. "I just need to warm it up.”
Max pulled the money from his pocket. “The marshal caught our thief in Astoria. He passed the money from hand to hand. “It’s all here except for a dollar of it which Ambrose Skinner spent in the saloon—”
“Skinner!” both Dawn and Laura said in harmony.
“Yep, he had us all fooled. I’ll take it to the bank tomorrow.”
Laura went back to the stove and stirred Max’s dinner. “I didn’t recognize him, though he reminded me of someone.”
“I didn’t know Skinner well, but I’d never have guessed it was him,” Dawn said.
Max sat down at the table while Laura prepared the stew. Dawn smiled at him and put two biscuits near his plate. Max wasn’t sure what to say or how to act, unsure of the place he held in the household.
When Max’s supper was ready, Laura served him the steaming stew and put an envelope down in front of him. “Dawn picked up the mail. This letter came for you from the state capitol.”
Max looked at the envelope. He tore it open, scanned the words, and passed the letter to Laura. “Caro’s name is now legally Carolyn Winters,” he announced.
“Max, that’s wonderful!” Laura exclaimed. “I can’t wait to tell her.”
Max ate his stew without another word. Now what was he to do? His wife had married him to work the ranch. She’d never said she loved him, and she certainly didn’t respect his judgment. Now he’d adopted Caro. Should he stay in a loveless marriage just for Caro, whom he loved dearly? He felt trapped in a marriage he wasn’t sure he wanted anymore.
“Is she in bed?” he asked.
“Yes. You just missed her. I could go up and see if she’s asleep yet—”
“No, that’s all right. I’ll see her in the morning.” Max pushed away from the table. “I’ll be turning in now. Good night, Laura, Dawn.”
Max went upstairs. Since he hadn’t slept much the night before, he fell asleep almost immediately. He didn’t hear Laura when she came in and got into bed. Max slept soundly until morning.
When Max awoke, he was alone in bed, but he could see Laura’s side of the bed had been slept in. He dressed and went downstairs.
Caro ran into his arms. “Max, Mama said I could call you Papa now. Is that okay?”
“It sure is. I would love to hear you call me Papa.”
“All right, Papa!” she said, wriggling away from him. “I’m going into town with Dawn. She’s going to buy me a new dress for my birthday next week.”
“Take care, little one,” Max said.
Dawn already had her cape on. “Max, Dexter couldn’t open up the stables to get a horse to pull my buggy. Can you open it?”
Max opened the stables and gave Dexter a spare key.
He helped Dexter hitch the horse to the buggy and waved as he watched Dawn ride into town with his daughter.
Laura stood on the porch, waving as well. Max turned to go into the stables rather than back into the house. How much longer could he avoid the inevitable? They had to talk sooner or later. He thought it would be better later. Most of his anger had evaporated with the return of the money.
The money! Max felt his pocket. He had to get to the bank, so he saddled Hunter, mounted him, and headed into town to deposit the money.
Max left the bank, confident the money was safe. He approached his horse, heard a woman calling his name, and when he turned, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Catherine!”
“Max! I hoped I’d run into you. I haven’t a clue where you live. I just arrived on the train and was on my way to the inn. What luck running into you.”
He walked over to stand beside her. “You came all this way to see me?”
Catherine nodded. “I did. I’m so sorry for everything. I realized I made a mistake on my wedding night. Joe was…well, he wasn’t a gentle man. He made a habit of hanging out in the saloons and finally met his end during a card game after he was caught cheating.”
Max didn’t know what to think. Catherine was dressed in a stunning pink, ruffled dress with a matching parasol. Her blonde curls hung over her shoulder. She was beautiful—he should feel proud she’d come all this way to find him. Just then, he heard a child’s voice calling him.
“Papa, Papa! I got a new dress. It’s blue.”
He turned and Caro flew into his arms. “I can’t wait to see you in it, little one.” He kissed her forehead and set her back onto the wooden walkway. Caro looked up at Catherine, staring at her in awe—she’d probably never seen a women dressed in so expensive a dress before.
Dawn came over to retrieve Caro, and Max was forced to introduce Catherine to them both.
“Catherine Witherspoon, this is my daughter, Caro, and her aunt, Dawn.”
Catherine’s mouth hung open. She composed herself quickly and nodded to Dawn and Caro.
Max watched Dawn put Caro into the buggy and ride away.
“Jake told me you were coming here to marry, but I’d hoped to catch you before the ceremony,” Catherine said. “You must have been in a hurry.”
“We married right away. We’re…we’re happy,” Max said without enthusiasm.
“I guess I’m out of luck. I did so want to reconnect with you, Maxwell.”
Max shrugged. “I have a wonderful family.”
“Is Jake still single?”
Max nodded.
“Where can I find him?”
Max directed her to the livery, then mounted his horse. “It was nice seeing you, Catherine. Good luck with Jake.” Max rode away wondering why he’d passed up a long-awaited opportunity to get back with Catherine. Deep inside he knew why.
Laura watched Max ride away and felt a twinge of impending disaster run through her body. She sat on the porch and waited for Dawn and Caro to return. Caro’s fifth birthday was the following week, and she’d promised her a new dress. She’d be starting school soon, and Caro wanted to wear it on the first day.
Dawn’s buggy finally came down the lane and stopped in front of the house.
“Mama, I got a new dress! It’s blue!”
Dawn helped her down from the buggy, and they both walked to the porch to join Laura.
“We saw Papa, too. He was talking to a pretty lady,” Caro squealed excitedly. “She looked like a fairy princess, all dressed in pink, and her hair was the same color as mine.”
Laura looked at Dawn.
“He introduced us. Her name was Catherine someone or other.”
“Catherine?” Laura gasped. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Dawn said. “Why?”
“That’s the woman who jilted him, and was the reason h
e answered my ad.”
“Oh, dear. And she came all this way to find him?”
“Exactly,” Laura said, tapping her chin with her finger. “I think it’s time for a talk with Max. This has gone on long enough. I want you to take Caro back to town and drop her off with Fannie Pearl for the night. Max and I need to talk.”
“I’ll make myself scarce, too,” Dawn said.
As Max rode home at a slow pace, he faced some truths. Catherine, the woman he’d once adored, no longer attracted him at all. To him, she looked superfluous, all dressed in flounces and frills and wearing makeup. He much preferred Laura’s clean, fresh look. She had a beauty that needed no cosmetic help. Why would Catherine have traveled all that way when she knew he was supposed to have gotten married there? Was she a bit crazy? He wondered how Jake might receive her. Max didn’t know what Jake’s preference was where women were concerned, but he’d bet it wasn’t Catherine.
A buggy sped toward him. When it got close enough, he saw that it was Dawn and Caro. He pulled his horse in front of their buggy to stop it.
“Max! I’m trying to get Caro to a doctor. A bee stung her a few minutes ago, and she’s choking. Her throat is swelling or something.”
“Max looked at Caro, and he could see her gasping for air.” He grabbed her, put her on his horse, turned around, galloped back to town, and stopped at Dr. Childs’ house. Caro's lips had turned blue by the time he'd arrived at Childs’ door. Max pounded on the door, hoping the doctor was in. He'd never felt such panic. Max kissed Caro’s forehead and told her to hang on, that help was coming. Prayer was new to Max, but he prayed harder than he ever had before.