“No, ma’am. She’s a local lady who I’m going to owe a gift to.”
Rachel wondered who in the world would do something for Jasper Wigham to make him want a special gift. Most of the women who did things for him were easily paid with a few dollars. She could name several from the Silver Slipper “I know most of the women in the area. If you’ll tell me who she is I might be able to help you select the perfect gift.”
“It’s for Lady Rena.” He made a face. “I suppose you’d have to call her Mrs. Haywood, since the marriage.”
“What in the world is she going to do for you?” Rachel was surprised. Like everyone else in town she knew of the feud between Jasper and the Haywoods. She couldn’t imagine Rena doing anything to make Jasper this happy. She sure hoped she hadn’t misjudged the woman.
“As I said, she hasn’t done the favor yet, but I expect her to. I want to surprise her with the gift afterward.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t imagine her husband wanting her to do anything for you, Jasper.”
“I’m sure if he knew, he’d be furious.” He grinned. “But you know how it is when you have royal blood. You can do what you please, no matter what your spouse says.”
The door jangled and Mirabel Jefferson walked in. “Hello, Mr. Wigham,” she said, ignoring Rachel. Mirabel knew Jasper was the bank’s largest depositor and Mirabel was always impressed with people who had money. “What in the world are you doing here? I thought you’d have your hands get supplies.”
“He’s looking for something to give someone who has royal blood.” Rachel raised an eyebrow at Mirabel.
“So you’ve heard about Jake Haywood’s wife?” Mirabel smiled at Jasper. “I told Wadell she was a lady.”
“I had a meeting with him just a while ago and told him I thought he better believe she’s royal. He’ll be sorry if he doesn’t listen to us.”
Rachel could hardly contain herself. Her lie about Rena and the Haywoods was catching fire. At least in the circles where money and power had the means to impress. She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, if you ask me, you better start paying attention to everyone on that ranch. Those boys could be headed for Spain before you know it.”
“I understand that since Silas is married to a commoner, he’d never be able to rule, even if the rumor about them is true. And I have no doubt, but that it’s false.” Jasper looked smug. “And with Jake being such a bastard, he’d never fit in with royalty either.”
“But if it’s true, and Jake has now married a person from a royal family, he’d be the most likely to end up on the throne.” Rachel’s eyes twinkled. She knew how Mirabel had learned this tale, but she wondered how Jasper had come by it.
“That’s true.” Mirabel nodded her head rapidly. “That means we should consider inviting all the Haywoods for a special tea or something. Even if Silas can’t rule, he’s still the brother of the man who can.”
“Jake Haywood will never sit on any throne.” Jasper’s mood seemed to change. “Somebody will kill him first.”
“Looks like somebody tried,” Rachel said. “If it hadn’t been for his wife, he’d have probably died.”
“What do you mean?” Jasper looked at her.
“After Mrs. Haywood ran the doctor off, she began to doctor him with things they use in Atlanta. She sent Silas here to buy up almost all the honey I had.”
“Why the hell would she want honey?”
“Silas said she was going to put it on the wound as a dressing. Says people have been doing it for centuries. It helps keep down infection. When Doc saw the remarkable recovery Jake made, he came in here and bought a supply for his office.”
“I came by to say hello, but since hearing about the wonders of honey, I think I’ll buy a jar, Rachel,” Mirabel said.
When she left with her honey, Rachel turned back to Jasper. “Since you insist on giving Mrs. Haywood a gift, why don’t you get something personal. I know she likes the perfume soaps I ordered for Mirabel. When I got hers, I ordered extras.” Again she was having trouble containing her laughter. She was about to dump the soaps that everyone, including Mirabel, hated on this idiot and he’d never be the wiser.
“That sounds good. Are you sure she likes it?”
“Of course.”
“Then wrap me up some.”
“Why don’t I put it in a pretty box? Maybe even make a bow. Women like things like that, you know.”
He nodded. “That’d be nice.”
“By the way, Jasper, how did you hear about Rena’s royal family?”
He looked around the store and saw it was empty. He leaned close to Mrs. McGregor and whispered, “She told me.”
Rachel’s eyes got big. “In person, she told you?”
“That’s right.”
“Why in the world would she do that?”
“It’s a long story. Let’s just say, I had the wrong notion about her and she set me straight.”
Rachel nodded. “She can do that.” She handed him the package.
“Thank you, Mrs. McGregor. The sheriff and I’ll be going out to her ranch a little later.” He strode out the door.
Rachel was shaking her head when a young man appeared from behind a barrel and made her jump. “Where did you come from?” she yelled.
“I’m sorry I scared you, ma’am. I’d come in here to get a few supplies. When I saw Mr. Wigham come in I hid over there behind those barrels.”
“Why in the world were you hiding, young man?”
“’Cause if Wigham saw me, he’d shoot me.”
“What on earth for?”
“I know he’s the one who shot Haywood and killed Newt.”
Rachel was confused. “Then why in the world would he want to buy Jake’s wife a present?”
“I don’t know about that, ma’am, but I know he shot him. We rode up to the cottonwoods when he was trying to make Miz Haywood leave with him.”
“Did she go?”
“She tried not to, but he didn’t give her any choice. He picked her up and put her on a horse. She’s kind of little, you know.” He looked down at the floor. “I don’t know what happened to change his mind, but he took her so he could…well, you know…he said Jake Haywood had her first, but he’d do things to her…do I have to explain, ma’am?”
“I don’t think you do.” Rachel straightened her shoulders. “How did you know all of this?”
“I worked for Wigham for a few weeks. I didn’t actually see him shoot Haywood, but I know he did because he and Miz Haywood were the only ones there when we got to the spot, besides Mr. Haywood, that is. He was lying on the ground with a bullet hole in his back. Wigham was talking mean to Miz Haywood and she was crying and asking him why he killed her husband.” He took a breath. “Wigham laughed at her and said we was going to kill Silas Haywood the next day and we all thought that would happen, but something changed his mind.”
“I bet I know what that something was.” She eyed the young man. “What’s your name?”
“Cornelius Brown, ma’am, but everyone calls me Corny.”
“Well, I’ll call you Cornelius. Now, Cornelius, I have a feeling something is going to happen at the Haywood ranch this afternoon. I suspect you and I had better get out there.”
“I can’t go there!”
“Well, I don’t see why not. I need someone to drive my wagon and since my husband has gone to Phoenix for supplies, it looks like you’re elected.”
“But, ma’am, I can’t go there.”
“Pray tell, why not?”
“Silas Haywood will shoot me.”
Rachel put her hands on her hips and glared at the Corny. “Is every man in Arizona about to shoot you?”
“No, ma’am, but…”
“Stop lollygagging. I’ll lock up and we’ll go. Maybe we can beat Wigham to the ranch.”
“But…”
“Cornelius, stop arguing with me. I won’t let Silas Haywood shoot you.” She walked to the front door, put up the closed sign a
nd turned the big key in the lock. “Now, let’s go.”
“What about my horse?”
“He’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
A dejected looking Corny followed Rachel McGregor out the back door and helped her hitch up her buggy.
* * * *
At the Haywood ranch, the women had been subdued ever since the men left. They’d gathered in the kitchen after finishing the morning chores. “I think soup would be good for dinner,” Adela said. “Is that all right?”
“I think it’s fine.” Eliza smiled, looking up from feeding her baby.
“It’ll be good for Jake, too,” Rena said. “He ate a big breakfast and he doesn’t need a big lunch.”
“Is he still asleep?” Belle looked up from sewing the pink material with the deeper pink flowers that she’d cut out to fit Rena.
“Yes. He won’t say so, but being up this morning wore him out. Of course, he wouldn’t admit he was exhausted.”
“Of course not,” Leona said. “Ever known a man who would admit he was tired?”
“They don’t admit much of anything.” Iris sent her daughters out to play. “Grandma is sitting on the back porch. Stay where she can see you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The little girls ran out the door.
“Owen sure don’t admit to much,” Leona said. “Ever since we’ve been here, he’s wanted to ask for a job so we could stay here. He worked up his courage and mentioned it to Finn, but Finn told him the place was too small to support any more hands.”
“Does he really want to work here?” Adela shot a glance to Rena.
“More than anything. He said he’d love to raise the boy around people like you. Billy’s attitude has changed since you folks treat him like a real person instead of a cripple.”
“Maybe Owen should ask Jake or Silas.” Rena smiled. “Isn’t there something in the Bible about asking and receiving?”
“There sure is.” Iris picked up the cup of coffee she’d set on the table. “Whitt asked me the other night if I’d consent to him finding a small town that needs a sheriff.”
“I didn’t know he’d been a sheriff.” Adela cocked a brow at Rena.
“He gave it up after we were married. He said it wasn’t fair to me or the children.” Iris sighed. “Now, I think it might be a way he can cope with the fact that he wasn’t able to save our son.”
“Yellow Creek could sure use a good sheriff,” Adela said. “The one we have is so lazy he almost has to see a criminal act performed before he’ll arrest anyone.”
Eliza put the sleeping baby on her shoulder and patted his back. “I wish there was some way Sam could get back into banking. He pretends it doesn’t bother him, but I know better. He loved that kind of work.”
Before anyone else could speak, one of the children came running in. “There’s somebody coming.”
Rena stood. “I’ll check.”
Adela followed her to the front door. “Can you see who it is?”
“It looks like a buggy.”
“Do you think we should…”
Rena nodded. “Just in case, be sure the rifle is loaded.”
Leona came into the room. “Is there trouble?”
“I don’t think so,” Adela said.
“Should I wake Jake?”
“No. We’ll be fine.” Rena shook her head. “Why don’t you go back in the kitchen and have Iris get her mother and the children inside. We think everything is okay, but there’s no use in taking a chance.”
Leona scurried back to the kitchen.
Chapter 33
“It is a buggy,” Rena said.
“Then, it’s someone we know.”
“I’ll be damned.”
“Rena! There you go cussing again.”
“Sorry, Adela. I forget sometimes, but I know who that is.”
“Who?”
“Rachel McGregor. There’s a young man driving.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
“Adela!”
Adela turned red. “It just slipped out.”
“I hope so. It must be my influence, but you know if there’s any female cussing around here, it should be me.”
The two women laughed and stepped on to the front porch.
The buggy came to a stop and the young man leaped out. He helped Mrs. McGregor down. “Hello, ladies,” she said, climbing the front porch steps. “Nice day isn’t it?”
The young man hung back.
“It’s certainly a nice day when we can welcome company,” Adela said. “Please come in.”
“It’s good to see you again, Rachel,” Rena said.
She nodded and looked back at her driver. “Well, don’t just stand there, Cornelius. We’re invited in.”
“I think I’ll…”
“You’ll do no such thing. Come get something to drink. You said on the way out you’d give anything for a drink of water.” She shook her head. “I don’t know what’s got into him. He has the notion that every man he sees is out to shoot him.”
“You can relax here.” Rena laughed. “My husband is in the bed recuperating from a gunshot wound and the rest of the men left this morning on a cattle drive. There’re only us women and kids here. Unless you act up, none of us will shoot you.”
His eyes got big, but he followed them into the house.
The women in the kitchen discreetly left Rena and Adela alone with their visitors in the parlor. After serving coffee, Rena asked, “I’m delighted to see you, but isn’t this is a day your store should be open?”
“Let me take a few swallows of coffee and I’ll explain everything.”
Adela came into the parlor with a plate of Leona’s sugar cookies and set them on the table beside Rachel.
“They sure look good, ma’am.” Corny eyed them, but didn’t move from his seat across the room.
Adela picked them up and held the plate for him. “Help yourself.”
He blushed and took three.
“Okay. I’m ready to talk.” Rachel sat her cup down and looked at Rena. “Did you tell Jasper Wigham that you were from a royal family?”
Rena smiled. “I embellished the story you told and he believed it.”
“I don’t mean to be rude, but why in the name of goodness did you do that?”
“Wigham shot my husband in the back. He thought Jake was dead, but I saw Jake move while he was lying on the ground. I diverted Jasper’s attention so he wouldn’t shoot him again.”
“Is that when you told him?”
“No. I fought him, but I couldn’t keep him from putting me on a horse and taking me to his ranch. I was so upset about Jake that I couldn’t think straight. My heart was breaking and all I wanted to do was kill Jasper Wigham. By the time we got to his house, I’d decided I had to do something to protect myself so I could get back to Jake. You wouldn’t believe the things the depraved man had meant to do to me. When I hit upon the idea of convincing him I was royalty, he let all those plans evaporate. All he could see was what my royal family could do for him. I’d planned to escape, but I didn’t have to. I talked Jasper into escorting me home with a promise that he’d be handsomely rewarded. He was so excited about what he could get out of my royal family, he did what I asked.”
Rachel was nodding. “I figured it was something like that.”
“All I wanted to do was get home and see if Finn had found Jake in time to save his life.” She smiled. “Fortunately he did.”
“Well, honey, you don’t know how glad I am to hear that somebody fast-talked Jasper. You’re good in more ways than shooting a gun.” She looked at Rena. “Now I’ll tell you why I’m here. Jasper came into the store to buy a present for you.”
“What in the world for?”
“He said it was a thank you for something you were going to do for him. He’s bringing the sheriff so you can tell him whatever it is.”
Rena smiled a sheepish grin. “I told him I’d swear he was nowhere near those cottonwoods when Jake was shot. Of course I was lyin
g. I want that man punished for what he did to my husband. I intend to see that he is, too.”
“Well, they’ll be out here this afternoon. You might want to have some of the men around because when you tell the sheriff Jasper shot Jake, the man might shoot you on the spot. He can’t stand to be taken in on something.” Rachel grinned. “And Rena Haywood, you sure have him taken in completely.”
“I didn’t care about taking him in. All I wanted to do was get out of his house and back to Jake.”
“I’m glad you got back, but now we have to plan for Jasper’s arrival.”
Adela broke into the conversation. “Knowing him, he’ll have his men to back him up. When Rena tells the sheriff that Jasper shot Jake, he’ll probably signal them to come in and kill us all.”
“We’ll have to stand them off,” Rena said.
“You can probably get some of them, Rena, but I’m no good with a gun and I doubt Rachel or any of the other women are either. We have Billy, who can maybe shoot.” She looked at Corny. “How about you? Are you any good with a gun?”
“I’m not very good.”
“I know what we can do,” Adela said. “The men won’t be too far out on the trail. We’ll send someone to get Silas and maybe someone else.”
“Who can we send?” Rena looked at her.
“We’ll send Cornelius,” Rachel said. “Of course, you’ll have to loan him a horse.”
“I can’t go.” His eyes got big and he shook his head.
“Why not? You can ride a horse as well as drive a buggy, can’t you?” Rachel eyed him.
“But Mr. Silas will shoot me.”
Adela chuckled. “You’d have to do something awfully bad for Silas to shoot you.”
“I did do something bad,” he mumbled.
“What did you say, boy? Speak up,” Rachel demanded.
“I said I did something bad.”
“Well, what in tarnation did you do?”
They badgered him until he told them what happened at cottonwood grove. He was crying when he finished. “So you see, I can’t go. Mr. Silas will shoot me for sure.”
“No he won’t.” Adela got up. “I’ll write him a note and you hand it to him the minute you see him.”
“But what if he thinks I wrote it.”
She shook her head. “He knows my writing.”
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