by Stacey Kayne
“Like the rest of these citizens, you’re under my protection.”
She stopped beside a yard with a white picket fence and pulled away from him. “I do believe I fired you, Mr. Barns. I prefer to seek the assistance of another sheriff.”
His slow smile nettled at her frayed nerves.
“Sorry, darlin’, you’re stuck with me. I don’t work for you down here. You’re in my territory now. Down here I am the law.”
A manipulator of the law was more like it. A common outlaw posing as a sheriff. Utter madness.
He turned away from her and walked through the open gate of the picket fence, heading for the tiny white house at the center of a small yard.
“Where are you going?”
“Exactly where I said I’d be going. To see Emma Donnelly.”
He shuffled up the steps and rapped on the door, forcing Lily to hurry after him or stand in the street like a vagabond. The door opened as she reached his side.
A tall and rather attractive woman greeted them, her dark eyes flaring wide at the sight of Juniper. Looking up at Mrs. Donnelly’s sweeping honey-wheat hair tucked into a neat bun and her modest black dress, Lily became startlingly aware of her own tattered appearance. Her hair trailed down her back in a mass of tangles, the torn waistcoat revealing her white chemise and a flash of pale skin.
Mrs. Donnelly glanced cautiously at Lily before looking back at Juniper. “Sheriff Barns,” she said, her smile clearly forced. “It’s…good to see you.”
“Hello, Emma,” Juniper said, smiling gently.
The flutter in Lily’s stomach made her wonder if he intended to charm the information out of the pretty widow.
“I’m afraid this isn’t a good time,” she said. “I’m in the middle of preparing supper and have the baby to feed soon, so if—”
“I won’t stay long,” he said, sliding a boot over the threshold. “We had a problem on the mountain today.”
The frown already pressing into her brow deepened. “Oh?”
“Mrs. Donnelly?” Lily said, budging Juniper’s shoulder out of her way. “I’m—”
“This is Miss Lily Palmer,” Juniper interrupted, all but scooping her into the tiny house as he stepped inside. “She’s with the reform committee and is here to help straighten out the back wages.”
A partial truth, she thought. Her gaze landed on a rug at the center of the room. Multicolored braided rags made into coils created a large oval on the wood floor. Very similar to a rug her own mother had owned. Beyond the few furnishings in the front room, four wide-eyed children sat motionless at a kitchen table covered with flour, pie plates and other baking dishes. The sight put an ache in her chest, reminding her of a warm kitchen, conversation, her mother’s laughter.
A boy around the age of nine or ten held a potato and a paring knife. His three sisters appeared to be between the ages of seven and three, the youngest with a smudge of flour on her chin and nose.
“Hi, Juniper,” chirped the little flour-smudged girl. She beamed a bright smile at him.
Lily glanced at the man beside her, failing to see the benefit of hiding her true identity from this woman and her children.
“Hello, Calley,” he said. “I see you’re all helping your mama with supper.”
The girls smiled. Their older brother remained stiff and stoic, his concerned gaze moving between Lily and his mother.
“Who wants a peppermint stick?” Juniper asked, holding up a coin.
“I do!” the girls shouted in unison. All three abandoned their tasks, surging up from their chairs.
“Kersey,” said Juniper, “would you walk your sisters down to the store?”
The boy looked to his mother.
“Do as Sheriff Barns asks,” she said.
“I just need to talk with your mama for a moment.” Juniper offered one of his warm, hypnotic smiles as he held the boy’s wary gaze.
“All right.” Kersey pushed back from the table. His worried expression didn’t change as he took the hand of his youngest sister.
“That’s a good man,” Juniper said, thumping the boy on his shoulder as he led his excited siblings to the door. He tucked the coin into Kersey’s hand.
The boy’s lips twitched with a grin. “Thanks, Juniper,” he said softly, and followed his sisters outside.
Masterfully done, thought Lily. Juniper Barns wasn’t short on cunning.
The door slammed shut, initiating a bleating cry from the cradle just beyond the sofa.
“What’s all this about?” Mrs. Donnelly asked rather sternly as she bent over the cradle. Lily caught a glimpse of the plump, pink-cheeked infant wrapped in the blue blanket before the widow hugged him to her bosom, rocking him gently the way mothers did, instantly silencing his cry.
“We need your help, Emma. A guard was killed today and money stolen.”
Mrs. Donnelly gasped, her arms tightening around her baby. “Killed? They didn’t sa—” Her words cut off as though realizing she was about to say something she shouldn’t. “I didn’t know.”
“I know you didn’t,” Juniper said, his tone soothing. “I’m sure Calvin didn’t want to worry you. He did come to see you today, didn’t he?”
Tears welled into the woman’s brown eyes. “They’re good men, Juniper, trying to fend for their families.”
“I know that. As long as the money’s recovered and everyone cooperates, the only men facing charges will be the gunman who killed the guard and the man who assaulted Miss Palmer.”
Lily could hardly believe his audacity, to make such assumptions. They would all be facing charges!
“Oh, my gracious.” Mrs. Donnelly’s wide gaze landed on Lily’s skirt. The state of her attire left little doubt that she had indeed been assaulted. Her initial attacker stood beside her, posing as a sheriff.
“Are you all right?” the woman asked.
“Quite well,” Lily assured her. “Thank you. As Sheriff Barns has said, we need to recover the stolen funds.”
“They just want what was owed to them.”
“And we have every intention of distributing the wages, which are now missing.”
“This whole town is waiting on their pay, Emma,” said Juniper. “Everyone will get their wages. But it has to be done properly. We have to get that money back.”
Tears spilled across Emma’s cheeks, twisting the ache in Juniper’s heart. He hated having to press her for information. This family had been through so much heartache in the past few months.
“Did they say where they were headed?”
She nodded, sniffing back more tears.
Juniper knew how much it cost her to implicate her brother.
“A man was with him,” she said. “Calvin called him Chandler.”
“You didn’t recognize him?”
“No. He wasn’t a pleasant fellow. He kept shouting at Calvin and scaring the children.”
Two men by the name of Chandler had been working in Calvin’s crew. Cousins, if he recalled correctly. He hadn’t had any skirmishes with the two men, yet the name now pricked at his mind in a way that told him he should know more about them.
“They must have known you weren’t far behind,” she said.
“They knew,” he said. “I was told they took off in two directions.”
“I’m not surprised. Chandler and another man were arguing something awful outside the house. Some of the men wanted to divide the money and ride back up to camp, so as not to draw attention by missing work. Others sided with Chandler, wanting to lie low, refusing to divvy up the wages until they reached a place called Flat Ridge.”
Chandler. The name clicked into place. Juniper was well acquainted with the land where boulders and flat-topped ridges dominated the terrain. He’d also known a Chandler family, their homestead not but a few miles from grazing lands owned by the Double D Ranch. Jed and Ben had suspected them of stealing cattle on more than one occasion, and if memory served, one of their boys had been killed a few years back during an at
tempted stage robbery.
Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he began visualizing every known route across the sixty miles between The Grove and the Double D Ranch. He’d have a safe place to stash Lily while he went after her money, and his family would welcome the visit.
“Which party did Calvin ride off with?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. They were still arguing when they left the yard, after some of them raided all that was ripe in my vegetable garden,” she added bitterly.
“Did you see the other men?”
Again she shook her head. “I kept the children in the bedroom until they left. Cal wasn’t in the house longer than it took for him to unload some parcels and Chandler to drag him back out. He said he’d be back when he could.”
Calvin was young and likely believed the money would eventually get into the hands of the folks who needed it, but Juniper had a hunch the Chandler boys had other plans in mind. He glanced at the meager food supplies Cal had brought his sister. Potatoes, a few paper parcels of dried goods, none of which would last a family of six a full week. His gut burned as he looked back at his friend’s wife. He’d eaten at their supper table more times than he could count. But none of that changed the job he was sworn to do.
“Emma, the money Cal gave you, I have to take it back.”
“I made sure it was no more than what John was owed.”
“Once it goes through the proper channels, you’ll get it back. But right now you’re holding stolen money.”
She drew a ragged breath, then turned away and walked into her kitchen. Reaching overhead, she took a tin canister from a cupboard and withdrew a leather pouch. Her steps seemed to drag as she crossed the short distance to Juniper.
Fresh tears filled her eyes as she watched him tuck the money into his shirt pocket, and Juniper cursed everything Carrington. All of this could have been avoided had the payroll been handled properly.
“Tonight will be our first decent meal in a week.”
Lily shifted uncomfortably, the thought of Mrs. Donnelly’s children going hungry tearing at her conscience. She was tempted to tell her to keep the wages.
“I intended to come here today before all this happened,” Juniper said. He tugged a small canvas sack from his pant pocket and tucked it into Mrs. Donnelly’s hand.
“Juniper.” She shook her head. “I can’t take your money. You’ve already—”
“It’s the very least I can do,” he said, holding her hand on the pouch. He reached up with his other hand to stroke her cheek, brushing away a trail of tears.
Watching the gentle glide of his thumb on her smooth skin, Lily barely restrained a gasp.
“We look out for our own up here.”
Chills rushed across Lily’s skin as she stared up at the man who’d just spoken her father’s words, his compassionate gaze staring into the widow’s vulnerable glossy eyes.
“John would have done the same for my family,” he said.
Mrs. Donnelly shifted the infant sleeping in her arms and tucked the money into the folds of the blanket. “Thank you, Juniper.”
He gave a slight smile, and Lily could just imagine the intimate ways he’d allow the lonely, grieving widow to repay his generosity. Rage flashed through her, curling her hands into fists. It was her place to look out for the families of her employees, not his.
“I’ll personally make sure you receive his back wages,” said Lily. “As well as a pension to help you recover from your loss.”
“A pension?” Mrs. Donnelly glanced questioningly at Juniper.
“His wages for the rest of the year,” Lily clarified.
Mrs. Donnelly’s pretty features slackened. “I…I don’t know what to—”
“Miss Palmer is full of helpful solutions,” said Juniper.
The angry edge in his voice drew Lily’s gaze. She imagined he wasn’t so appreciative of her generosity, alleviating Mrs. Donnelly’s need to rely on his type of kindness to provide for her children.
He took her by the elbow and turned her toward the door. She caught his quick glare before he looked back at Mrs. Donnelly, a gentle smile replacing the flash of anger he’d shot in her direction. “We’ll be in touch with all the particulars.”
Mrs. Donnelly followed them to the door. “Juniper, Miss Palmer, thank you both so much. I hope you can recover the rest of the money without further violence.”
“I’ll do my best,” said Juniper, stepping out onto the porch, his hand locked around Lily’s arm like a steel band. “If you have any trouble, just send word to me. I’ll be by to check on you in a few days.”
She nodded, sniffing back tears as she closed the door.
Juniper half dragged Lily down the steps. “Clear your conscience on someone else’s time.”
The moment they stepped through the gate, she pulled away from him. “Listen to me, you—”
“No.” He spun on her, his hands slamming down on his hips, his shoulders blocking the sun as he towered over her. “You’re going to listen and listen good. That woman has suffered enough heartache without being sold more empty promises.”
“My promises are not empty! And why didn’t you want her to know who I am?”
“Because your face would be stinging from the door she’d have slammed shut. A few weeks ago she was telling me what she intended to do to L. P. Carrington if she ever saw him.”
“Oh, really? Do you visit Emma often, Mr. Barns?”
His eyes narrowed. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked, his tone low.
“I just—”
“Her husband was a friend of mine. I sat on that porch with him the night Calley was born, and smoked cigars. Half the men on that mountain are friends of mine,” he said, pointing toward the steep rise of trees. “Don’t you dare start pretending you give two cents’ worth about their fate!”
“I do care! I’ve invested a great deal into this company. I just thought it was awfully generous of you to offer your own money.”
“Generous? When you consider she’s got five kids to feed and I have no one, it’s hardly generous. I’d say it’s nothing short of common decency.”
What would a gunfighter know of common decency?
He turned away from her and jammed on his hat. His long, brisk strides made quick work of the dusty, pitted ground. Once again Lily was left to scurry after him.
“What do we do now?”
“My family’s ranch is about ten miles from Chandler’s homestead. By the time we get to the Double D, we’ll all be in need of a warm meal and clean bed. I’ll need time to scout out Chandler’s property before rushing in.”
“Your family?”
The escalating pitch of her voice told Juniper she was about to balk at him again.
“You told me your family was—”
“My foster parents,” he clarified, pausing at the corner to glare down at her. “And before you ask, yes, they knew about my life in Missouri, and they took me in anyhow.”
She blinked up at him with those big green eyes, seeming rather disappointed at not having caught him in a lie.
The moment Juniper turned the corner onto the main road, his annoyance with Lily fled.
“Ah, hell.”
Half the town had gathered outside the livery. Angry shouts rose up with the name Carrington. Günter was backed against the stable at the center of the mob, gun in hand. Reginald, no doubt, cowered somewhere behind him.
Chapter Five
“O h, dear,” Lily said.
“Do not open your mouth in front of them,” Juniper warned as they hurried toward the livery. “Do you understand me?”
His question was met by silence and he stopped, refusing to take her farther without an agreement. “Promise me, Lily. Not a word.”
“Fine,” she said, her forehead creased with worry.
Perhaps she was finally starting to realize the true danger of their situation.
“Sheriff’s coming!” a man called out.
&
nbsp; “It’s Barns!” shouted another.
The focus of the crowd shifted, a good three-dozen angry expressions turning as he and Lily approached. Hostility rolled off them like a heat wave.
Lily inched toward him.
Sweat trickled down Juniper’s back. He moved his left hand closer to his gun and tucked Lily securely against his right side, wishing all the while he could tuck her into his back pocket.
“What’s going on?” he called out over the buzz of whispers.
Abel Williams pushed his way to the front, his mouth drawn into a grim line above his thick black beard. As he’d been one of Jim Grimshaw’s hardest-working log drivers, Juniper wasn’t surprised to see him spearheading the riot. “We heard someone had the gumption to take what’s owed us, and this dandy is trying to take it back!”
“You heard wrong,” Juniper said, taking his stance before the herd of riled men. “Reginald came here to give you your pay. The men who stole his cash box are the ones keeping you from your wages. Don’t suppose they slowed down on their way out of town to give you a cut?”
“They was running from you,” Abel shouted.
“Why the hell would they do that? I want my wages, same as everybody else. Neither me nor my men have taken a cent from this town in months.”
“Some of us got families,” shouted another man.
Behind them, Günter discreetly ushered Reginald to safer ground inside the livery.
“Tabs are runnin’ high,” Deke complained, taking an obstinate stance beside his friends. “So high, we can’t afford to give no more credit.”
Juniper was well aware of the strain on everyone’s finances. Trying to keep the peace during the past few months sure as hell hadn’t been a picnic. He was beyond exhausted and just as mad as the rest of them. But anger wasn’t going to solve anything. “Y’all might want to keep in mind that Carrington could have cut bait and started anew, and to hell with the money McFarland owed us. Instead, arrangements were made to make good on those back wages.”
Lily stared up at Juniper, surprised by his insight. It was true, of course. She could indeed have closed the mill and reopened without the hindrance of back wages and hostile employees. Reginald’s warning nagged at the back of her mind.