Christmas in Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  Again, Deke nodded his agreement.

  Once Mr. Rivers, the bank president, entered the room, the judge asked him his recollection of the robbery.

  “I was facing the windows when I fired, and I’m sorry to say it was my bullets that hit your daughter and Mrs. King,” Mr. Rivers confirmed.

  “Did these two men shoot at the windows?” the judge asked.

  “No, sir.”

  “You may go back to the bank.” The judge dismissed Mr. Rivers.

  “Tell me what happened to the money from the robbery,” the judge asked Dutch.

  Dutch relayed how the killers, Culpepper and Taggart, robbed them in the middle of the night and took all of the money.

  “When Marshal Holt brings Frank Langtry in, are you two prepared to face him in court and testify to of all of his misdeeds?” The judged peered at them over his spectacles. “And I mean everything he’s done.”

  “Yes, sir,” Dutch and Deke said at the same time.

  The judge asked them about rustling on Morgan’s land, and the men told him the truth.

  “Mr. LeMasters told me after the stagecoach accident, which left Frank’s sister in a bad way, he credited you with releasing his horse so he could get her some help. Was that the way of it?” the judge asked.

  “Yes, sir. Frank almost shot me because I released two horses. Dutch and I felt real bad that Morgan wouldn’t have a way to help Frank’s sister without those horses,” Deke said.

  The judge looked at the sheriff. “You have anything to add?”

  “I think you should wait on Marshal Holt before sentencing,” Sheriff Trent said. He knew that wasn’t going to happen, but he asked all the same.

  “I don’t think the marshal can add anything to what I’ve heard.” He glanced back at the prisoners. “What do you two plan to do with your lives if you’re given a second chance?”

  Dutch didn’t hesitate with his response. “I plan to marry Harper Ellis’s sister, sir. That is, if you’ll declare her husband dead. He left her years ago with four children to raise alone, and she’s not heard hide nor hair from him in all these years. She needs help on that farm.”

  The judge’s expression indicated his surprise by Dutch’s response. He was aware of the situation with the woman who barely eked out a living on her small farm. If not for her brother, her children would have starved to death long ago. “A worthy endeavor to take on another man’s responsibility.”

  “I figure I need to make up for all the wrong that I done,” Dutch said.

  The judge looked at Deke. “What about you?”

  “If Dutch will have me, I’ll work with him on that farm. Maybe we can even run some cattle,” Deke said.

  Dutch looked at his friend. “We’ve been closer than brothers for years. I’d be happy to have you work with me.”

  Sheriff Trent believed them. He’d always thought Dutch and Deke weren’t bad men; they’d just made bad decisions.

  The judge stood and brought his gavel down. “Court will be adjourned for fifteen minutes while I deliberate on this case.”

  * * *

  The judge paced the sidewalk for the fifteen minutes while Sheriff Trent waited with Dutch and Deke. When the judge returned to his courtroom, he asked Dutch and Deke to stand.

  “For your testimony against Frank Langtry when the time comes, I’m dropping charges in this case. If you fail to appear to testify against Langtry, I will find a way to send you to the territorial prison for twenty years. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” Dutch and Deke said simultaneously.

  “Judge,” Sheriff Trent said.

  Judge Stevens held up his hand. “The matter is settled, and that’s my decision. These men are free to go. Court is adjourned.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Emma, Carlo, and Andre were glowing from the appreciative response of their audience. Judging by the deafening applause, they knew their performance was one of their best. To quiet the boisterous crowd, Carlo held his hands in the air, motioning for quiet to make his announcement. He told the crowd of Emma’s impending marriage and her retirement from the stage, which started another round of applause.

  After a lengthy good-bye from well-wishers, it was quite late by the time the family made it to the restaurant. Carlo and Andre joined the family, and Carlo ordered champagne for everyone at the table. He filled their glasses and offered a toast to Emma and Clay. “Congratulations. We wish you a long and happy marriage.”

  “We should be angry with you, Clay, for taking Emma from us,” Andre said.

  “I would understand if you were, but I won’t change my mind. You two will be coming to the wedding, won’t you? I spoke to the pastor here in Denver and he will come to Whispering Pines to marry us after my sermon.” After hearing Emma sing tonight, Clay had a moment when he questioned if he was doing the right thing. Was he taking Emma from her life’s purpose? Seeing how the people responded tonight, he almost felt guilty that large crowds may never hear her again. She didn’t just sing beautiful songs, she brought joy to the lives of people who struggled, people who often had little to smile about. On their walk to the restaurant, he’d mentioned his thoughts to her. She assured him she wanted him and a family, and that was her purpose now.

  “We wouldn’t miss the wedding,” Andre said. “But our lives will never be the same without Emma.”

  Carlo and Andre were both happy for Emma, but they had come to love her like a sister, and they knew they would have a difficult time finding another soprano with her amazing talent.

  “You must plan on staying with us when you come this way again,” Emma said. “Who knows? You two may decide to settle down in the West.”

  “We will come here again if you promise to sing with us when we do,” Andre told her.

  “Of course I will,” Emma replied.

  “If we could find wives as beautiful as you and your sisters, I might consider living in Denver,” Carlo teased. He started to say something else, but he was interrupted when Prince Henri stopped at their table.

  Emma hadn’t seen him at the performance, and she assumed he’d already left Denver. “Henri, I didn’t know you were still in Denver.”

  “I’m leaving tomorrow. I wanted to see your last performance.” Henri acknowledged everyone at the table.

  Clay stood and extended his hand. “Please join us.”

  Henri smiled and shook Clay’s hand. “No, but thank you for asking. I offer you my congratulations.” He glanced back at Emma. “I wish you the very best.”

  Emma figured Henri heard of her marriage along with everyone in the hall when Carlo made his announcement. She’d totally forgotten about their planned dinner when Clay was shot. She and Clay had planned to tell him of their engagement that night. “Thank you, Henri. That means a great deal to me.”

  Henri said good-bye to everyone and left the room.

  Clay leaned close to Emma’s ear. “Are you certain you don’t want to marry a prince?”

  Emma smiled at him. “I am marrying a prince.”

  Clay’s chest swelled with pride. If there was a better feeling in life than knowing his soon-to-be wife considered him a prince, he didn’t know what it would be.

  * * *

  Sheriff Trent walked into the restaurant and saw the celebration, so he stopped to offer his congratulations.

  “Please join us,” Clay said.

  Sheriff Trent sat beside Morgan and Jack, and he told them of the judge’s decision to free Dutch and Deke.

  “Why didn’t the judge wait on Marshal Holt to see if he captured Frank?” Morgan asked.

  “I asked him to wait, but he refused,” Sheriff Trent said.

  “Dutch and Deke should have steered clear of Frank from the beginning,” Morgan said.

  Sheriff Trent told them about Dutch and Deke’s plan to stay in Denver. “Dutch says he’s going to marry Harper Ellis’s sister.”

  “Harper Ellis?” Clay asked, overhearing their conversation.

&
nbsp; The sheriff nodded. “You know him?”

  “Yes, he’s related to a man who works for me in Kansas. I saw Harper the other day,” Clay said.

  “Doc told me he’s in a bad way,” Sheriff Trent added.

  “Harper is a fine man. I asked him to come to church.” Clay wished the hour wasn’t so late, or he would call on Harper to see how he was doing. “If you see him, tell him our congregation will be praying for him.”

  * * *

  Everyone was leaving the restaurant when they saw Marshal Holt riding into town. Sheriff Trent waved to him, and the marshal reined in at the hotel.

  “Sorry I missed your performance,” Marshal Holt said to Emma.

  “I wish you could have been there. It was beautiful,” Granny said. “Emma and Clay are marrying tomorrow, so it was her last performance.”

  Marshal Holt extended his hand to Clay. “Congratulations.”

  Clay shook his hand. “If you’re up to it, we’d like to have you there.”

  Before the marshal responded to Clay, Sheriff Trent asked, “Any luck with Frank?”

  “I couldn’t find his trail,” Marshal Holt said.

  The marshal’s admission surprised them. He had a reputation for his exceptional tracking skills.

  “If you can’t find them, then I don’t hold out hope he’ll be found right now,” Sheriff Trent said.

  Marshal Holt was as baffled at the sheriff. “It’s like he never came out of those pines on Morgan’s land.”

  “I have more news for you,” Sheriff Trent said.

  Marshal Holt expelled a loud breath. He was tired and he didn’t want to hear bad news, but the look on Sheriff Trent’s face said he was about to get it. “What?”

  “The judge held court this morning. He freed Dutch and Deke in exchange for their testimony against Frank.”

  “What about Mrs. King?”

  “He didn’t charge her with anything. Dutch and Deke testified they had never spoken to her.”

  “Judge Stevens made that decision because I told him I planned to ask for another judge for this case.”

  Sheriff Trent whistled. “That explains everything.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  “What about Culpepper and Taggart?” If the judge had let those killers go free, then Marshal Holt was going to put the judge in jail for impersonating an officer of the law.

  “They didn’t go on trial,” Sheriff Trent said.

  “Good.”

  “I would like to be at their trial,” Clay said. He glanced down at Emma. “Would you mind?”

  Emma linked her arm though his. “We will both be at their trial.”

  “I’m sorry we can’t charge them with those murders.” Sheriff Trent understood Clay wanted justice for his family. “We don’t have witnesses to that crime.”

  “I know. I still want to be there,” Clay said.

  “I’ll let you know as soon as we have a date,” the sheriff replied.

  “What do you think happened to the bank’s money? Who is telling the truth about that?” Marshal Holt asked.

  Sheriff Trent had heard Culpepper and Taggart accuse Dutch and Deke of taking the money, but he didn’t know if they were telling the truth. How could a lawman believe murderers? “I don’t know what to think. But no matter who is telling the truth, I don’t think we will ever see that money.”

  “Yeah, I’ve had the same feeling. I guess we’ll know if Deke and Dutch have it if they start living high off the hog. And if Culpepper and Taggart stashed it somewhere, then it’ll be of no use to them where they’re going.”

  “There is some solace in that,” Sheriff Trent agreed.

  Marshal Holt picked up his reins. “I think I’ll go have a talk with the judge tonight.” He glanced at Granny and asked, “Are you cooking the wedding feast?” When Granny had nursed him after he’d been shot, he’d found out the Langtry women were mighty fine cooks.

  “I am. You’ll have a fine meal and some wedding cake,” Granny said.

  Marshal Holt smiled. “That’s the best offer I’ve had since I was shot. I’ll be there in time for the service.”

  * * *

  It was past midnight when Marshal Holt reached the judge’s ranch. He knocked on the door and waited for several minutes before the judge’s housekeeper cracked open the door.

  “I want to see Judge Stevens,” Marshal Holt said.

  “He’s not here. He left for Colorado City this morning,” the woman told him.

  “What about Mrs. King? Is she here?”

  “She went with him.”

  Marshal Holt jumped back in the saddle and rode toward Denver. He thought about the judge not holding Leigh King responsible for her part in the robbery. He remembered what his father always said about letting sleeping dogs lie. The judge lost his daughter, and Mrs. King nearly died from her injuries during the robbery. Marshal Holt figured there was some sort of justice in that if she was guilty. He felt she’d probably paid a hefty price for her duplicity. Frank nearly choked her to death, and if she did truly suffer memory loss, then he figured her penance was from the Almighty. He’d found it wasn’t always necessary for the law to deliver justice.

  * * *

  By the time the family reached the ranch, the women were asleep in the back of the buckboard. Morgan could tell something was amiss as soon as he saw the lights on in the house and in the bunkhouse. The men jumped from the buckboard, and Morgan’s foreman came outside to greet them. “The kids are fine,” Murph said before the men thought the worst. “It’s Judge—he’s missing.”

  The women came awake at the sound of the men’s voices. “What’s going on?” Rose asked when she saw all of the men milling about.

  “Judge is missing.” Morgan turned back to Murph and asked, “Did he jump the fence again?”

  Murph lifted his arms in the air indicating his frustration. They had seen Judge jump the paddock fence before, but he always returned before night. “No one knows. I brushed him down and put him in his stall. I know I secured the stall, but when Joseph went to check on all of the horses tonight, his stall was empty. Joseph’s been in the pines looking for him for hours. I stayed with the children in case someone was lurking about.”

  Morgan knew Murph expected Frank must be about causing mischief. “Murph, stay with the women, I’ll help Joseph. Judge is more likely to come to me than to anyone else.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Jack said.

  “So will I,” Clay added.

  “Who is Judge?” Emma asked, confused by the conversation.

  “Morgan’s horse,” Rose said.

  Morgan turned to help the women from the buckboard. When he lifted Rose to the ground, she held on to his arm. “Don’t you hear that?”

  Morgan noticed she was staring toward the pine trees. “What, honey?”

  “The trees. The wind wasn’t blowing all of the way home. Listen?”

  Everyone stopped talking and listened. At first it sounded as if people were speaking in whispers. Within seconds, the volume increased until it was almost deafening.

  “It’s just the wind picking up,” Morgan assured his wife.

  The women looked at each other, and Granny said, “I’ve never heard the wind so loud.”

  “It’s louder than the other night when you went to look for Frank. He must be close,” Rose said.

  “It’s unnerving,” Emma added. She glanced at Clay. “Maybe you should wait until morning.”

  “Honey, just like the other night, it’s just the wind.” Clay remembered the first time he’d heard the noises in the pines. The sounds were indeed startling, but he wasn’t one to believe in superstitions.

  “I don’t like the thought of you riding through there again,” Rose said to Morgan.

  He hugged her to his chest. “When we find Joseph, there will be four of us. We’ll be fine.”

  “Let’s go.” Clay kissed Emma on the cheek.

  Jack told Addie not to wake the children. “We’ll be st
aying the night.”

  Emma was baffled why everyone was so concerned about a missing horse. She thought if a horse got loose, he would return home when he was good and ready, or when he was hungry. “Why didn’t they just wait for the horse to come back?”

  “Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you all about it,” Rose said.

  They reached the kitchen with Murph right behind them. “You ladies take a seat and I’ll make us some fresh coffee.”

  When the coffee was ready, Murph poured each woman a cup and sat with them.

  “Someone please explain what is going on,” Emma said impatiently.

  Everyone turned their eyes on Granny, so she took charge of the explanation. “Emma, you remember years ago when Morgan gave Frank a job on his ranch?”

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t realize it back then, but now that I look back, I think Frank was consumed with hate toward Morgan even when he was much younger.”

  “But what does that have to do with a missing horse?” Emma asked impatiently.

  Granny held her hand up. “Do you remember that big black stallion Morgan used to ride?”

  Emma nodded. She’d always thought it was the most beautiful animal she’d ever seen.

  “I think Frank was smart enough to realize how he could hurt Morgan. Anyone who saw Morgan with that horse knew he loved him. Frank whipped Morgan’s horse so badly, he nearly killed him. When Morgan saw what Frank had done, Morgan beat him badly.” Granny glanced at Murph, and added, “Murph and Joseph had to pull Morgan off of Frank, or he would have killed him.”

  “I tried to tell Morgan to put the horse down, but he refused. He nursed that horse back to health, and now Judge only allows a few people to touch him.” Murph glanced in Rose’s direction, and said, “Your sister is one of the few. Judge is as crazy about her as he is about Morgan. I’ve never seen anything like it. For years, Morgan was the only one who could approach him without the horse going into a frenzy.”

  “How could Frank do such a thing to a poor animal?” Emma asked.

  “Honey, I told you—Frank is evil,” Granny replied. “There’s no explaining the mind of an evil person.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six