He inhaled a deep breath of fresh mountain air, so glad to be home. The meeting with the other rancher and his lawyers had gone well. Indeed, far better than he’d expected.
The rancher had agreed to quarterly payments. While in Denver, Cord had also taken the opportunity to telegraph his two partners in New York City, offering them a very reasonable price to buy him out of their joint legal practice. His partners had needed a day or two to talk things over, necessitating Cord remaining in Denver a bit longer than he’d originally planned, but they’d finally wired him, accepting his offer. The use of the extra money from his share of the practice would easily cover the payments for the two bulls through the next year, plus begin whittling down some of the ranch’s other debts.
Before then, Cord hoped to have the issue with the rustlers solved once and for all, and the ranch back in the black. Things were finally starting to look up. He couldn’t wait to tell Nick and Sarah the news. He couldn’t wait, as well, just to reunite with his new bride.
Humming a little tune, Cord retrieved his satchel and headed for McPherson’s. He wanted to share the good news with his old friend and pick up a gift for Sarah before heading to the livery stable to rent a horse. He had another couple hours of daylight left. An hour, no more, and he’d be on his way home.
“She’s sure to like that,” Dougal observed a half hour later as he rang up Cord’s purchase of a matching set of shell side combs with sterling silver ornamentations for Sarah’s hair. He carefully wrapped each comb in paper, then placed them in a bag.
“Come into a bit of money, have ye?” The old man handed Cord the bag.
“Not just yet, but soon, Dougal. Soon.” Cord grinned. “And my debts to you will be the first I’ll pay off.”
“Och, I wasn’t hinting at aught, lad. I know ye’re good for the money ye owe me.”
“And I appreciate that, old friend. Even so—”
The bell over the mercantile’s front door tinkled as a blast of cold air heralded the entrance of another customer. Both men’s heads turned. One look, and Cord’s heart sank. He barely contained a groan.
It was Allis Findley.
As soon as she caught sight of him, her frowning expression immediately brightened. “Oh, Cord, darling!” she cried, hurrying over. “Just the person I’ve been desperately needing to see. How fortuitous to find you in town.”
Now that he was a married man, Cord didn’t see any reason for Allis desperately needing to see him about anything, much less continuing to call him “darling.” But he was too much a gentleman to voice such thoughts. He did, however, take a step back when she reached out to link his arm with hers.
“Nice to see you too, Allis.” He paused, held up the bag Dougal had just given him, and smiled at the older man. “Thanks for the good company and service, my friend. I’ll be sure to stop by next time I’m in town.”
“Oh, are you already on your way out, darling?” Allis’s lips puckered in a carefully practiced pout. “But I so need to speak with you about a most disturbing matter.”
For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine what Allis would think disturbing enough to concern him, but he indicated the front door. “I’m on my way to the livery. I intend to head home just as soon as I rent a horse, but you’re welcome to talk with me on the way.”
“Wouldn’t it be a far more comfortable and enjoyable time if we visited over tea and pastries at the Wildflower Café?”
“More comfortable, to be sure, than braving the cold,” Cord said, “but I’ve been gone ten days and I want to get home. So, this little talk can either wait until some other time, or you can walk with me to the livery. Take your pick.”
A look of annoyance crossed Allis’s face. She quickly covered it with a brittle smile.
“Suit yourself, then, darling.” She smoothly fell into place beside him, this time managing to capture his arm with hers.
“Er, Allis,” he said, immediately pulling free, “I’m a married man now. I don’t think it’s appropriate to be seen walking arm in arm down Main Street with another woman.”
“Well, you might just change your mind,” she softly muttered, “once you hear what I have to say. But, for now, I’ll respect your wishes.”
Behind him, Cord heard Dougal softly chuckle. “Good-bye and good luck, lad. I’m thinking ye’ll be needing it.”
From over his shoulder, Cord shot his friend a jaundiced look, then opened the front door. Once they were outside, he turned to Allis.
“Okay, spit it out. What’s the news you absolutely can’t wait to tell me?”
She hesitated, glancing around to make sure no one was headed their way. Then she stepped close and laid a gloved hand on his arm.
“It’s about Spencer Womack. He’s been courting me, you know?”
He sighed. He wasn’t in the mood for any of Allis’s games.
“That’s been the rumor. What about it?”
“I’ve always had my doubts about him, but for a time I encouraged his suit of me.” She glanced down, then up at him through her long lashes. “I’d hoped it would make you jealous.”
“Allis . . .” Cord said warningly.
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore, does it?” She patted his arm, then pulled her hand away. “I finally decided he wasn’t the man for me and told him I’d no longer favor his continued intentions.”
Relief filled him. If that was Allis’s big news, then they were done.
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure Spence will be devastated. And that said, I really need to get to the livery—”
He turned to go when Allis sharply halted him. “Cord. Wait. There’s more. A lot more.”
Cord rolled his eyes, then slowly looked back at her. “What, Allis? What more is there to tell?”
“He’s been involved with the Caldwells all this time. In the rustling of your cattle.”
For a long moment, all he could do was stand there, staring at her. His thoughts raced. Spence, involved in the rustling? But why? And if Allis is lying, what are her motives for implicating an innocent man?
“Why would Spence steal from us?” Cord finally asked. “He has a decent paying job and seems content with the work. Even more to the point, if he was rustling cattle, why would he tell you?”
“Spencer thought to win my heart and hand by getting more money. And he figured you’d blame the Caldwells for any cattle stolen, and never suspect him.” She shrugged. “I suppose it just seemed the easiest and quickest way for him.”
Cord’s gaze narrowed. “And how exactly did you find all this out, Allis? Why would Spence share such incriminating information with you?”
“He’s not the smartest man around, darling.” She gave a tinkling little laugh. “Surely you’ve noticed that?”
“I’d think he was smart enough not to tell the woman he was courting that the money he was lavishing on her was ill-gotten gains.”
“Oh, he wouldn’t admit it at first, darling, but I finally wheedled the truth out of him.” Allis paused, eyeing him with the avid intensity of a mountain lion getting ready to pounce on its next victim. “There’s more. Not only did Spencer implicate the Caldwell men, but he swore to me that, from the start, Sarah has also been involved.”
“Sarah?” Cord gave a derisive laugh. “Come on, Allis. Considering your feelings for my wife, do you seriously think I’d believe that?”
“Believe what you want.” Head held high in what he suspected was a great show of affront, she took a step back from him. “Just consider this. How is it that, save for that one time, no one was ever able to catch any of the rustlers? Or even figure out why the thieves always seemed to know how to avoid all the traps set for them?”
Anger flared in him, and Cord didn’t know if it was at Allis for daring to say what she’d just said, or at himself, for the immediate ripple of doubt and dismay her accusations stirred. He had thought he’d excised the last, lingering misgivings he’d had about Sarah, but apparently he hadn’t.
The admission shamed him. His wife deserved better than that.
“Maybe because Spence knew and was able to warn the other rustlers?” Cord managed to choke out. “After all, most times, Spence was involved in the planning.”
“Yes, most times. But not all, I’d be willing to wager.” She cocked her head, challenge in her eyes. “Am I right?”
She was indeed right. There had been a few, a very few, times when Nick and he hadn’t included anyone else in their plans until the very last minute. But he wasn’t about to admit that to Allis. Besides, there were other ways to get information to the rustlers, even at the last minute.
“It doesn’t matter, Allis,” Cord replied, the conviction growing with each word that left his lips. “I love and trust Sarah. Nothing you can tell me will make me doubt her.”
“Then be a fool!” She gave a toss of her head. “It’s your life and your ranch. Just mark my words—the words of a good and true friend—the day Sarah Caldwell turns her back on you, once and for all, and goes home to her real family. Just mark my words, and don’t come crawling back to me when you’ve lost everything!”
With that parting salvo, Allis pivoted about and flounced off in high dudgeon, leaving Cord to stand there, staring after her.
“I don’t have a good feeling about this,” Gabe Cooper said twenty minutes later as he, Cord, and his deputy headed toward the ranch. “Even taking what Allis says with a grain of salt, I don’t think she’s crazy enough to make everything up.”
“Crazy?” Cord glanced over at his friend. “I’ve never thought Allis was crazy, just rather calculating and self-absorbed.”
“Oh, I meant driven crazy with heartbreak over losing you, of course.”
Cord scowled at the good-natured ribbing. “And you seriously think Allis was in love with me? Come on, Gabe.”
The sheriff shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Reckon she was as much in love with you as with the idea of being the wife of a successful Eastern lawyer. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t harbor dreams of attending fancy New York City balls on your arm.”
“Well, her dreams would’ve been cruelly dashed. I’ve sold my share of the law practice. I’m staying put on the ranch.”
Gabe chuckled. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? I always knew you loved that ranch. And the life here in the Rockies.”
“Then you knew a lot more than I did, and for a long time before I finally figured it out.”
“Yes, I am pretty astute about those kinds of things.”
“Before you dislocate that arm patting yourself on the back,” Cord said, shooting his friend an amused look, “just remember you weren’t any more quick about tying Spence to the cattle rustling than I was.”
“Guess the Caldwells were just so easy to blame it all on.”
“Yeah.” Frustration warred a bitter battle with shame, and Cord didn’t know which of the two to claim. “An enterprising person could very easily manipulate the situation, couldn’t he? I just never thought Spence clever enough to see all the possibilities.”
“Me neither. The pieces are starting to come together, but something still doesn’t fit just right.” He paused. “I’m thinking that once we’ve got Spence in custody, maybe we should look a little closer at Allis.”
Cord smiled grimly. “I was thinking the very same thing.”
The ranch house came into view. Apprehension rippled through Cord. Would things go easy for a change, and they would find Spence still there? And would Sarah somehow sense he’d once again had doubts about her?
He had such mixed emotions about so many things. The only saving grace in this confused muddle was the fact that, at long last, the issue of the cattle rustling and who all the participants actually were seemed to be fast coming to an end. Life might finally get back to normal. He was more than ready for that. Indeed, he dearly yearned for it.
As the three men drew up before the big house, Nick, accompanied by Emma, Pedro, and Danny, wheeled himself out onto the front porch. An air of weariness dogged him, but his brother’s eyes were clear and calm as he met Cord’s gaze. Cord dismounted, tied his horse to the hitching post, and climbed the steps.
“If this is a welcome home party, my wife seems to be missing,” he said with a prickle of unease. “Where’s Sarah?”
Nick and Emma exchanged a troubled glance. “You just missed her by an hour or so. She found some of our stolen cattle and headed out to get them with Spence and a couple of hands.”
Cord looked at Gabe. “This isn’t good.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“What’s going on?” Nick demanded. “Is Sarah in danger? I was asleep when she got home after going to town to get me some more laudanum, but she assured Emma she’d be all right. And Spence told Emma he’d be sure to take good care of Sarah.”
“I just bet he will,” Cord growled. “Seems Spence might be involved in the cattle rustling, likely from the start. Or so Allis claims.”
“Allis?” Confusion lit Nick’s eyes. “What does Allis have to do with all that? And when did you have time, since just getting home, to come up with this?”
“It’s a long story,” Cord said, waving aside further explanation. “Do you have any idea where they went?”
“I do.” Danny stepped forward. “On the way home, a wheel came off the carriage. Sarah went to find it. Maybe that’s where you should start looking.”
Cord nodded. “We saw the carriage. I recognized it as ours and was wondering what had happened to it.” He turned to Gabe. “We need to get back there pronto. Will you do me a favor and put away the livery horse, then saddle up my gelding? While you’re doing that, I’ll go roust out the rest of the hands from the bunkhouse.”
“Will do.” Gabe tied up his horse, then grabbed Cord’s rented mount and signaled his deputy to join him.
“You might be outside for a while,” Emma said. “After you get the hands going, I suggest you come back and get dressed in warmer clothes. In the meanwhile, I’ll start making sandwiches and such for you men to take with you.”
Cord smiled in gratitude. “Thanks, Emma.” He started down the steps.
“What can I do, Mr. Cord?”
Halting in midstride, Cord swung back to where Danny stood, his blue eyes dark with worry. He supposed he could’ve sent both the boys away before they discussed the issue at hand, but Danny had been involved from the start. He would’ve figured out something was wrong pretty quickly.
Climbing back up the steps, Cord crouched down before his little brother-in-law and took him by the arms. “I’m glad you asked, because I’m going to need someone back here to help Nick keep things running. Can you do that for me?”
Danny solemnly nodded. “Sure can.”
“Okay, then. First thing, can you wheel Mr. Nick back inside, then get him to help you and Emma make those sandwiches? And will you and Pedro make sure all the chores get done tonight and maybe even tomorrow, if we’re not back by then? I know none of that is as exciting as going after the stolen cattle and finding Sarah, but I’ve got to know someone’s back here while we’re gone, making sure the ranch is still running. And it’s a big responsibility.”
The boy’s chest visibly swelled with pride. “I can do that, Mr. Cord. I’ll do my part.”
“Good. I really appreciate that, Danny.” Cord stood. “Now, I need to get the hands going.”
“And I need to get everyone making those sandwiches.” Danny walked to where Nick still sat and began to guide the wheelchair toward the front door.
Nick met Cord’s gaze and grinned. Cord returned the gesture, then spun about and headed down the steps and toward the bunkhouse. As he strode along, his smile faded. Time was of the essence, if they were to pick up the trail before it got too dark. If Spence had shown his hand once Sarah had led him to the cattle, there was no telling what might happen.
He didn’t know Spencer Womack as well as he’d once thought. And that made the man—and what he might do to Sarah—very frightenin
g indeed.
“So, what are you planning on doing with the cattle?” Sarah asked, hands tied, seated in front of Spencer Womack on his horse.
It was starting to get dark. Luckily, tonight was a full moon. With all the snow, the mountainous terrain would be reasonably illuminated. Just in case she could manage to slip away sometime tonight, she thought it wise to find out as much as she could about his plans.
“Don’t you think it might be better to wonder what I’m planning on doing with you, little lady?” he replied with a cynical chuckle. “Aren’t you afraid I just might dump you over some cliff and be done with you?”
“Only if you want to be charged with murder, rather than just an accessory to murder in the death of Edmund Wainwright.”
“You’ve been listening to that fancy lawyer husband a bit too much.” Spence gave a derisive snort. “‘Accessory to murder’ now, am I? Well, only if Cord catches me, which he won’t.”
“Well, we’ll have to see about that, won’t we?”
“Oh, you won’t be seeing anything. You’re not going to be with us much longer.”
Fear stabbed at her. What’s Spence planning now?
“So you’ve reconsidered letting me go, have you?” Sarah inquired coolly, though her heart was pounding in her chest. “Probably one of the smarter things you’ve done lately.”
He laughed, and the sound wasn’t friendly or warm. “We’ll see if Cord thinks so, when he finds out I’m dumping you off at your father’s.”
“My father?” She twisted in the saddle to look back at him. “You know where my father’s hiding?”
“Sure I do. How do you think I got messages to him about the best time to hit Wainwright’s herd?”
“But it’s so far away from here . . .”
“You think so? But then, backtracking for several hours could lead anyone to think that, couldn’t it?”
Yes, it could, Sarah thought. And considering how protective Noah has become of Papa, quite understandable too.
“So, how soon will we be there?”
Though she had mixed feelings about reuniting with her father and, considering she was now Cord’s wife, wondered what kind of reception she’d receive, odds were it was still a safer place to be than remaining with Spence and his two shiftless partners. When the time came, she’d just have to find some way to convince Noah to take her back home.
Heart of the Rockies Collection Page 28