The Marshal's Mission

by Anna Zogg

  After a few minutes, she began to relax, enjoying the movement—almost a rocking motion.

  This wasn’t so bad.

  “All right,” Cole piped up. “See if you can guide him into making an eight without using the reins.” He drew the number in the air.

  Her expression must have betrayed her ignorance because he added, “Use your knees to signal him.” When Nips tossed his head and snorted, Cole raised his voice. “Just one, not both.”

  Lenora pressed her left leg against his side. The horse seemed to understand what she wanted him to do. Somewhat. After several frustrating moments, he ended up crossing the middle of the corral, but resumed circling the perimeter.

  “Whoa.” Cole stepped in front to stop the gelding. Though he frowned, he seemed to have trouble controlling the movement of his jaw. Like he had a huge mouthful of food that he couldn’t swallow. Finally, he peered at her. “How much riding—exactly—have you done?”

  She pushed back the hair that blew into her eyes. “Enough.”

  “Which means what?”

  “S-some.”

  He looked away, face hidden by his hat before squinting back up at her. “My guess would be twice. If that.”

  The truth made her squirm. “Actually, three times.”

  He didn’t bother to hide his grin. “How come you didn’t tell me?”

  “You didn’t ask that. You asked if I could ride.”

  “I might argue that point.” He scratched his forehead with one thumb, like it kept him from laughing. Apparently making up his mind, he pulled the brim of his hat down with a jerk. “All right, let’s start again. This time, use the reins.”

  Lenora wouldn’t deny the concession boosted her confidence. Toby, she noticed, had disappeared. Apparently, this was a lot more boring than his riding lessons.

  Again, Cole had them circle the corral. “That’s it. Feel the horse underneath you. Move with him. Don’t treat him like he’s hitched to a plow.”

  In no time, Lenora’s self-assurance grew.

  “We’ll try eights again. Gently ask him. Don’t yank the reins.” He continued to give directions as Nips obeyed.

  She couldn’t help but think her son was right—Cole was a great teacher.

  As the pinto moved into a trot, she bounced on his back. Every time she tried to get a breath, the movement pounded the air out of her.

  “Push him into a canter, Lenora. It’ll be less jolting.”

  She did as he bade, wrapping the reins around one wrist for security.

  “That’s it.”

  She caught sight of Cole’s grin as Nips cantered around the perimeter. A sense of exhilaration swept over her. Is this what Toby felt?

  One-two-three, one-two-three—the rocking-horse gait mesmerized her.

  She heard Cole say something, but she didn’t quite catch the words. Somehow she felt like she was off balance one moment, and the next slipping from the gelding’s back. She grappled for a better hold of the mane.

  “Lenora!” He ran toward her. “Whoa. Whoa!”

  As she slid sideways, the reins tightened around her left wrist until she dangled. Lenora cried out. Massive hooves churned as Nips gradually slowed.

  Cole grabbed the bridle and stopped him. In a second, he was beside her, lifting her around the waist.

  “My wrist,” Lenora whimpered.

  It took several moments until he untangled her arm from the reins.

  “Are you all right?” Anxiety etched his face.

  “Yes, ouch!”

  As he lowered her to the ground, she rubbed her wrist.

  “I should never have...” He spoke through clenched teeth.

  “It’s fine. Just a little sore from...from the other day.”

  His jaw set. “You could’ve been seriously injured. If you’d fallen the wrong way—”

  “But I didn’t.” She realized that he still held her.

  Ever so slightly, his hands moved, almost in a caress. Had he truly been that worried?

  “Cole...” She laid her palm against his shirt, to reassure him. His heart pounded against his rib cage. She dragged her attention back to his face. “I’m okay. I have only myself to blame. I let my mind wander.”

  Still he didn’t seem convinced. His eyes were screwed to slits, face tight.

  “Next time, I’ll use a saddle.”

  His hold loosened while his shoulders relaxed a tiny bit.

  “Hey, Ma. You okay?” Toby climbed the fence, face worried. “I thought I heard you yell.”

  “I’m fine.”

  After glancing over his shoulder, Cole stepped back.

  Lenora spoke to her son. “But I think riding lessons are over for the day.”

  Never had Cole looked so relieved.

  When she reached for the reins, he spoke. “What’d ya think you’re doing?”

  “Going to brush Nips.”

  He held up a hand. “Please allow me.”

  For a moment, she thought of refusing. Instead, she nodded. “Very well. I’ll go start dinner.”

  “I’d feel much better about that.”

  Feel?

  Before he had a chance to see her confusion, she hurried to the house.

  Chapter Seventeen

  After the meal, Toby headed back to the stream to try to catch the “big one” that had escaped earlier.

  Cole seemed in no hurry to rush out. Sipping his coffee, he leaned back in his chair while Lenora cleared plates. What was he waiting for?

  The need to apologize pressed upon her. “I’m sorry the riding lesson didn’t go quite as planned.”

  He grinned, that prominent dimple in one cheek deepening. “Don’t know as I’d call it that.”

  “I definitely learned my lesson.”

  He squinted at her. “Which is what exactly?”

  “Well, for starters, listen to my teacher. Pay attention.” She gulped. “Be truthful.”

  Nodding, a frown settled on his forehead. “Truth is always good.” His jaw flexed. Because he knew she kept secrets? Cole might be a man of few words, but she would never accuse him of being simpleminded.

  As Lenora cleared the dishes, guilt pressed upon her. She needed to tell him the truth about so many things—about the reason Jeb harassed her, about Amos’s criminal activities, about the hidden money. It was time.

  She wanted Cole in her future. Now that she knew he cared for her—and hadn’t he proved it over and over?—she needed to be honest.

  “Cole, I—”

  “I have to—”

  They began speaking at once. And both stopped.

  As before, he nodded to her. “Ladies first.”

  She took the seat across from him. “I need to tell you something.” She ducked her head. “Something important.”

  Where to start?

  “My husband—first husband—was an outlaw.” She glanced at the door to make certain Toby wasn’t in sight. “Though I don’t know the extent of his activities, I do know he was a thief.”

  Cole’s face grew rigid. “Go on.”

  “I should have told you this before we married.” She stared at her white knuckles. “But I was so ashamed.”

  It seemed forever before he spoke. “What did Amos steal?”

  “Cattle. Horses.” She stumbled over the words. “I don’t know for certain if he stole money before...before last November.”

  The chair creaked as Cole leaned forward. “What can you tell me about that?”

  She met his gaze. Why did he want to know? Since she’d already spoken, she needed to be as truthful as possible. “I don’t know where they went.”

  “They?”

  “Yes. Jeb Hackett is the gang’s leader. Amo
s was his right-hand man. They’d been friends a long time. There are others, but I don’t know for certain who went, although I have a good idea.”

  “Go on.”

  “The day Amos died...” She gulped and chickened out. If she told Cole too many details, he might insist they go to the sheriff—a man she didn’t trust. Though she didn’t know for certain, she suspected he retained his office because of Eli Hackett.

  She took a deep breath. “I believe Amos was shot during a robbery.”

  “What did they rob?”

  “I think they held up a bank. Amos never told me...” She refused to know details.

  Cole sat back, a speculative look crossing his face.

  Again, she ducked her head. “Jeb came over late one night beforehand. He and Amos talked. I guess they thought I was asleep. I heard them plan. They spoke of a place off Main Street that wasn’t ‘too heavily guarded.’ And that this payoff would be the best ever. I know they weren’t talking about Silver Peaks—someone would’ve recognized them or their horses. So I’m guessing somewhere farther away. Perhaps Cheyenne.”

  “Have you told this to anyone?”

  “No.” She clenched her fist. “Who would believe me? Besides, I couldn’t ride five miles before Jeb or his cronies intercepted me and demanded to know where I was going and why.” She bolted up to carry dishes to the washbasin.

  Cole’s chair squeaked as he shifted his weight.

  With her back still to him, Lenora held a tin plate in her tightening grip. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before we married. It was wrong of me.”

  When the silence wore on her, she turned. What was he thinking? Would he tell her he was going to leave?

  Brow lowered, he stared at her. As though making up his mind about something. When he abruptly rose from his chair, she jumped at the loud scraping sound.

  “Since we’re confessing...”

  As he drew closer, she gulped. What was he trying to say? Cole had already shared painful secrets, ones that he perhaps had never spoken about before. Did he, too, feel the need to be completely open because he looked forward to a future of them together? Did he—like her—long for something more than an almost kiss?

  The impending confession both excited and scared her.

  He pursed his lips. “I’m not just a drifter with a couple nice horses.” Resting a fist above his gun, he met her gaze. “I’m an undercover US marshal. I was sent to investigate Jeb Hackett’s possible involvement in a Cheyenne bank. One that was robbed six months ago.”

  * * *

  When her lips went white, Cole thought she was going to faint. The tin plate in Lenora’s hand clattered to the floor.

  “You’re a...?” She seemed to have trouble getting the words out. “A...marshal?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He clamped his lips together, reprimanding himself for giving her the rote response.

  Openmouthed, she stared at him. He read shock, fear and even revulsion on her features.

  Not what he was expecting. Disappointment hammered him as he picked up the dish and set it in the washbasin.

  Her hands twisted in her apron. “And you came to find out about Jeb?”

  He nodded.

  “Tell me the truth, Cole. Did you come here to investigate Amos, as well?”

  Ire, like a storm, rose inside him. Did she expect him to lie? Nevertheless, he looked for some way to soften the truth. Nothing came to mind. In a low voice, he answered, “I came to learn about Amos too.”

  She appeared to totter. When he reached to steady her, she threw up her hands and avoided his help. “No. No, don’t...”

  Touch her? Like he was diseased?

  Something inside him withered.

  She slumped into a chair, head bowed.

  For what felt like minutes, he stared down at her. Pride demanded he respond to her silent accusations. Or was it because he felt desperate enough to try to win her back?

  Cole crouched beside her. “Lenora, I had no idea this was Amos’s place. I didn’t even know your name until you introduced yourself the next morning. By then...” He shook his head, still confounded by the events that had stampeded out of his control. From the moment he had cut Blister loose to this very day, nothing had gone as planned. Because God directed him?

  With her head so low he couldn’t see her face, she remained silent.

  He continued, helpless as his future—one that he had begun to hope for with Lenora—seemed to evaporate. “Sheba had gone lame and things...well, things just went from there.”

  The gaze she raised to him was full of hurt. And anger? Or was that fear?

  He reached for her hand but pulled back at the last second. “Please believe me, Lenora.”

  For many moments, she didn’t speak. However, he detected a softening of her expression.

  He spoke slowly, praying she would accept his explanation. “I don’t have proof about Jeb being part of the bank robbery, but the details you gave may help prove he was one of the men involved.”

  “I know Amos was.” Her voice was sad, expression faraway.

  “You know?”

  “Yes.” Her voice came out barely above a whisper. Did she feel guilty by association?

  “Amos was the outlaw, Lenora. Not you. You were only married to him.” When she shook her head, he went on. “Didn’t you tell me that the other night? The shame rests on him, not you. And you don’t carry that guilt any longer. Remember?”

  Chin puckered in sorrow, she nodded.

  “And if I can find some way to prove that Jeb was involved in the robbery, you will be rid of him forever. You can live without fear.”

  Head lowered, she bit her lip. The muscles in her throat spasmed.

  What else could he say? Nothing.

  He rose. She surprised him by grabbing his wrist. “But once you arrest Jeb, you’ll be finished here. You’ll leave.”

  “But our bargain...”

  She shook her head. “That no longer matters. You have more important things to do than hang around my ranch for six months.”

  The reality of her statement slammed into his mind.

  He had no answer. That was the way it had always been. Accept the job. Deal with the criminals. Move on.

  That had been his life for nine years. He had no time to settle down. Not while outlaws roamed the land. He had a duty to himself—and to his brother—to remove any and all who threatened the health and wellbeing of those in this great country.

  Didn’t he?

  Releasing her hold, Lenora rose and brushed by him. She slowly began to wash the dishes.

  Since his arrival at her ranch, he had been constantly distracted from his goal. He’d made little progress on the case. Lenora’s testimony was the first real evidence he’d gotten that Jeb Hackett had been involved in the Cheyenne robbery.

  But was it enough to arrest and convict the man?

  Already Cole knew the answer—no. He needed hard evidence so that Hackett would not be able to weasel out of a conviction.

  That meant going back to where Cole suspected their hideout was. Find it and perhaps discover something that would incriminate Jeb and the others.

  “What are you going to do?” Lenora’s question jarred him from his reverie. Strange how she always seemed to know.

  “For starters, try not to get killed.”

  He meant it half seriously, but she whirled and clenched her hands together as though in prayer. Water trickled down her arm and dripped to the floor.

  “I need to see if I can find the gang’s hideout. I think I got close the other day. When I got this.” He pointed to his stitched cheek.

  “I don’t know if they have a hiding place.” Her voice hardened. “Amos never told me much. And I didn’t want to know.”

>   Her expression revealed she spoke the truth.

  “I should go soon,” he said in a soft voice. “See if I can find it.”

  “The sooner you stop Jeb, the better.” Her mouth tightened. “Are you planning to go tonight?”

  Cole considered. “No. I don’t know the terrain that well.” Besides, how could he find a place in the dark that he only suspected existed?

  “Toby’s birthday is tomorrow. Would you consider staying at least through then?” Her beautiful eyes added a weight to her plea that he dared not disappoint.

  His impending departure hung in the air like smoke from the stove. He had to leave. They both knew it. Humor seemed the best way to ease the pain in both their hearts.

  Cole managed a small grin. “Are you baking a cake?”

  A smidgen of worry melted from her face. “Yes.”

  “Then wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”

  Though she smiled, her mouth trembled. When the time came, would she really be sorry to see him go?

  The bigger, more daunting question was—would he have the strength to leave her?

  * * *

  At supper that night, Lenora tried to be cheerful, but she found it hard to smile at Toby’s antics and Cole’s banter. Not when his departure loomed ever before her.

  How had she not seen the obvious? The way Cole walked with authority? The way he wore his gun on his hip? The way he had stared down Mr. Richards.

  Outside, the rooster’s repeated crow signaled the ending of the day. Dusk crept into the house. Despite the lit lanterns, darkness enveloped her heart.

  Cole would soon leave. The ominous portent clanged in her mind.

  Would he return from his task, victorious? Or would he merely melt away—killed by Jeb or his men? She would know soon enough. The outlaw wouldn’t waste a day before he came to the ranch, gloating over his victory.

  And forcing her to make a horrendous choice.

  I can’t let that happen.

  She would have to run. Go anywhere to escape the long reach of the Hacketts. Perhaps Minneapolis where she knew the lay of the land? Or somewhere new like San Francisco? She could work in a small restaurant, where she and Toby could live in peace.

  As she pondered leaving the graves behind the house, a poignant ache welled inside her. Could she leave her two babies? Her home?