Cash watched as she dashed up the stairs. Instead of sitting down, he crossed his arms and leaned against the large table she used to cut fabric. He didn’t want to get too comfortable or settle into a cozy conversation. Hearing her reasons for hiding behind a false identity and coming to Splendor were critical. Learning why she allowed him to make love to her, knowing he’d discover her deception, might soothe his bruised ego, but would do nothing to lessen his suspicions about her. The sound of footfalls drew his attention to the stairs.
“I thought you might want to try this.” Clasping a glass in each hand, she held one out to him, smiling as he took his time studying the liquid inside each glass. “I’m not trying to poison you. It’s the apple wine I told you about.”
Taking the glass, he held it up to study the slightly cloudy liquid, then sniffed the contents, his lips twisting into a wry grin. “Doesn’t smell too bad.”
“Too bad? I believe I should be offended.” Her voice trembled as she failed to hide her anxiety about Cash’s reason for coming by. She thought the wine would be a peace offering. Now all she wanted was to get this over with and send him on his way. “How about I take a sip first?”
Narrowing his gaze, he chuckled, bringing the glass to his lips. Taking a swallow, he worked to conceal a grimace.
“Well?” Alison prompted.
“Not bad.” He took one more sip, then set the glass on the table. “It’s a little sweet for me.” His expression changed, the amusement in his eyes gone. “We need to talk, Allie.” He waited for her to take a seat, then moved his chair closer and sat down. “I need to know who you really are and why you came to Splendor.”
Placing her glass next to Cash’s, she clasped her hands in her lap. “All right. My name is—”
The bell over the door startled her as Bernie Griggs shoved it open and dashed inside, his breath coming in gasps. “Beau said you’d be here, Cash. He needs you to come quick. The prisoners are causing trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Cash stood, sending a frustrated glance at Alison.
Bernie glanced at Alison, then back at Cash, lowering his voice. “One of the miners is dead.”
Cash burst through the jail door, coming to a stop at the sight of Doc Worthington kneeling next to a motionless body.
“What the hell happened?”
Beau stood a couple feet away, shifting his gaze between the inert body and the men still confined behind bars. “Two of the prisoners got into an argument. By the time I got back here, Galt had his hands around the man’s neck. I pulled my gun, ordering him to stop. Instead, he tightened his hold, then shoved the man against the wall. As he fell, his head hit the edge of the bed frame. According to Doc, the blow to his head is what killed him.”
“Where’s Gabe?”
“He and Lena are having supper with Noah and Abby. I knew you were close, so I asked Bernie to get you first, then Gabe.” Beau relaxed for a moment, his features softening. “I think Bernie likes helping us out. Gets him out of the Western Union office for a while.” He smiled, remembering how Bernie’s face lit up when he asked him for help.
“What happened?” Gabe walked in and shrugged out of his jacket, looking at the body.
“The man died from a blow to his head.” Doc continued putting his instruments away, not looking at Gabe. “I’ll need help getting him to the clinic.”
“Beau and I will follow you over, Doc.” Cash took the man’s legs while Beau grabbed the shoulders. “Be careful, Gabe. Galt’s the one who killed him. We’ll come back and sort out what to do.”
“Take your time. They aren’t going anywhere.” Gabe took a quick look at the cells to see Galt in a whispered conversation with another prisoner. “Move away, Galt, or I’ll take you out and chain you to a post.”
Storming to the bars, Galt wrapped his hands around them, his face contorted in rage. “You’ll pay for putting us in here, Evans.”
“No, Galt.” He nodded toward the blood on the cell floor. “You’ll be the one paying, and it will be my pleasure to watch.”
“I need to talk to you after we check back with Gabe.” Cash walked beside Beau as they returned from delivering the body.
“We can talk at the jail.”
“No. Alone.” Cash didn’t like keeping anything from Gabe, yet he needed to talk to Beau, tell him what he’d learned about Alison. He’d allowed himself to get too close to her, build feelings he should’ve ignored until he knew more about her. Desire overcame common sense. Passion overcame restraint.
Beau studied Cash, seeing concern etched deep in the lines of his face. “How long since you’ve slept?”
“Lack of sleep isn’t important right now.” Cash stepped onto the boardwalk, stopping at the door to the jail.
“We’ll encourage Gabe to go home to Lena. We can talk in the front and still keep watch on Galt and the others.”
Cash nodded, then walked inside. “Doc’s taking care of the body. Why don’t you head home to Lena?”
“Cash and I will watch the prisoners.” Beau took a look in the back. All seemed quiet.
Standing, Gabe picked up his hat. “If you don’t mind, I’ll accept the offer.”
They waited a few minutes, then settled into chairs. Beau rested his arms on the desk and leaned forward. “What do you want to talk about?”
“We didn’t have a chance to talk last night,” Cash whispered in Alison’s ear, causing her to flinch.
Whipping around, she placed a hand on her chest. “Cash, you startled me.”
“Mrs. Burns? You’re next.”
Alison turned back to face the open teller window.
“I’ll wait for you outside.” Cash didn’t linger, not wanting to draw Horace Clausen’s attention. A few minutes later she joined him, opening her parasol to shield her face from the morning sun.
“Did you take care of the crisis? I believe Bernie said you had a dead man at the jail.” She started walking down the boardwalk toward the opposite end of town, Cash keeping pace beside her.
“It wasn’t a crisis, but there was a body. Doc had already arrived by the time I got there.”
Stopping, she shifted to look up at him. “I would think any killing would be considered a crisis.”
Knowing her secret, the meaning of her statement was clear. As she started walking again, it took all his restraint not to grab her by the shoulders and shake the confession out of her.
“Any death is tragic, Alison. Most don’t create a crisis.”
She stopped at the end of the boardwalk, sucking in a breath. “When do you want to talk?”
“Close the shop tomorrow. We’ll go to the cabin at Survivor Pass so we won’t be interrupted.” Seeing the skepticism on her face, he clarified. “Talk only. Nothing more.”
Her expression changed for a brief moment. Cash wasn’t sure if he saw pain or relief flash across her face.
She looked down at the ground and nodded. “I’ll need a horse.”
“I’ve already spoken with Noah about you riding Joker again. I’ll be by mid-morning.”
Alison knew she should refuse. She owed him nothing—had no reason to tell him the truth and expose the reasons for her lies. Although he hadn’t said it, she believed he’d already made up his mind about them and would no longer be courting her. Keeping her secret was the safest decision for her.
“I don’t know, Cash. What happened between us can’t be changed. It would be best to forget it entirely.”
“Believe me, that will not happen. We can meet tonight at your shop, where we might be interrupted, or we can ride out to the cabin. You choose, but you are going to talk to me.”
Letting out a deep sigh, she nodded. “I’ll see you at the shop tomorrow morning.”
“Here’s how it’s going to be. We take care of both men tomorrow.” Milt didn’t ask for his brother’s thoughts or anyone’s approval. If they didn’t like the way he ran the gang, they could confront him. Or they could leave, but they wouldn’t be riding
out alive.
Harry walked up to him, crossed his arms, and fixed him with a hard stare. “How do you expect to kill both when we don’t know where they’ll be?”
“We know. Monty says Noah Brandt works a few hours on Saturdays, then goes home.”
“He always leaves at ten o’clock.” Monty stepped up next to his brothers, not wanting either’s temper to explode.
“We’ll get Brandt as he rides up the hill to his house. There’s good cover and places where we can position more than one man.” Milt’s smug grin grated on Harry, but he held his tongue. “I’ll send Louis and Clem. They’re the best shots and are fast riders. After they do their job, they’ll meet the rest of the boys on the trail back to Big Pine.”
“And Coulter?”
“You, Monty, and I will set up a surprise at the shack for the deputy. Monty says he rides out after meeting with the sheriff and making his rounds.”
“He usually leaves town not long after Brandt closes the livery. I watched both of them for weeks and they seldom change.”
“Good job, kid.” Milt slapped his youngest brother on the back.
Monty nodded, the haughty grin on his face reminding Harry of Chet. The thought sent a chill through him.
“Sounds like you have it all covered.” Harry’s gut reaction warned him they’d missed something, but he knew there’d be no changing Milt’s mind.
“See, Harry. You gotta have more faith in me. Chet never did and look where it got him.”
Harry ignored the comment. Even though Chet was a true S.O.B., he had his reasons for never listening to Milt. “If you’re satisfied with what Monty’s told you, I can’t argue.”
“The boy’s done good.” Milt shot a look at Monty. “You want to be the one to take care of Coulter?”
“Hell yes. Bobby was the best friend I ever had. It’s my job to make things right.”
“You sure about that, Monty? As I recall, you’ve never killed a man. Are you sure you want to start with a lawman?” Harry knew that as much as Monty wanted to be like Milt, he also had an aversion to killing. Squeamish was what Chet used to call it. He never trusted Monty with a job that might end up in a shootout, saying he couldn’t depend on him to finish someone off.
“I’ll start with Bobby’s killer. I don’t care if he’s a deputy or not. He deserves to die.”
Harry lowered his gaze to the ground and shook his head. “If that’s what you want. When do we ride out, Milt?”
“Right after we eat in the morning.” He looked at the rest of the gang standing around them, listening. “Afterwards, we meet the rest of the boys on the trail, ride to Big Pine, and relieve the bank of its burden of guarding so much cash.”
“Then on to California, right, Milt?” Monty’s eager face didn’t show a trace of fear, not even with what lay ahead of him.
“Yeah, kid.” Milt clasped him on the shoulder. “Then we ride to California.”
~~~~~
Chapter Twenty-One
“Think about this, Cash. You’re going to be alone with a woman who may be out for revenge.” Beau paced around the living room of the house they shared. They’d finished their rounds and had been back at their place for over an hour, talking about Cash’s intention to take Alison to Survivor Pass.
“Your confidence in me is touching.” Cash continued to sit, sipping his whiskey, watching Beau get himself all worked up.
He stopped his pacing long enough to glare at Cash. “That’s not what I mean and you know it. Maybe I should go with you.”
“Thanks, but I need to do this alone. She won’t talk if you’re there.”
“She may have no intention of talking at all. I’ll follow you out and stay hidden.”
“Gabe needs you here, Beau. We don’t know if those men rode out or not, and can’t take a chance of them coming back with both of us gone.”
“I don’t know what’s tied your knickers up in knots about them. They were a group of drifters who played cards and finished off a couple bottles of whiskey. I’d wager they’re into Wyoming or Idaho by now.”
“Maybe.” Cash pushed up from the chair, pouring one more shot of whiskey before leaning a hip against the counter.
“You feel that strongly about them still being around?”
Cash nodded, rolling the shot glass between his fingers. “I can’t tell you why. It’s just a feeling I have.”
“We’ve always done well abiding by your instincts. I don’t see any reason to stop now.”
“Except there’s not much we can do about it. Both of us have ridden out to locate their camp and found nothing. Still, I’m certain they’re out there, waiting.” Cash tossed back the whiskey, letting the warmth of the amber liquid trickle down his throat.
“I still don’t like you riding up to the cabin with Alison. You can’t trust her. She’s liable to do anything, then ride out before any of us knows what happened.”
“Not likely. Alison knows I’ll tell you and Gabe where I’m going, and people will see us riding out of town together. Except for what she’s wearing, she’ll have nothing with her. If she does mean me harm, it won’t be on the mountain tomorrow. She’ll plan it out, have her belongings ready, and her money out of the bank.”
“Maybe she does have her belongings ready and you don’t know it.”
“Doubtful. I saw her today in the bank making a deposit, not a withdrawal.” Setting his glass on the counter, Cash turned to the bedroom. “I need to get some sleep.”
Beau nodded, not ready to bed down just yet. He had a lot of thinking to do and not a lot of hours to do it.
“Are you riding up alone, Cash?” Gabe looked up from the new wanted posters he’d received that morning. Beau had already left to check on a disturbance down the street, leaving Gabe and Cash at the jail.
“I’m taking Alison with me.” He didn’t want to give any further explanation, already feeling the guilt of not sharing what he’d learned about her with Gabe.
“Watch your back.”
Cash’s eyes widened at the warning. “What do you mean?”
Gabe leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “Nothing, except people aren’t who or what they appear to be sometimes.”
Straightening in the chair, Cash noticed the glint in Gabe’s eyes. A wry smile formed on his lips. “You know.”
“About who Alison really is? Yes.”
“How? I know Bernie would never divulge the contents of a private telegram.”
“You aren’t the only one with contacts back east. I’m surprised your contact and mine didn’t stumble over each other in their quest to learn the truth about Mrs. Burns. Or should I say, Miss McGrath?”
“Hell,” Cash mumbled, raking a hand through his hair. “I should’ve told you.”
“Yes, you should have, but you did what you thought was right. Now, how are you going to deal with her?”
“I won’t tell you how, but she knows I discovered she isn’t a widow.”
Gabe released a somber chuckle. “I’ll bet that was awkward.”
Cash stared at him, realizing Gabe already knew how he’d learned of Alison’s deception. “That’s an understatement. My reaction wasn’t the best.”
“Afterwards, you received the telegram about her being Bobby McGrath’s sister.”
“Right. She’s agreed to tell me the truth.”
“And she has no idea you already know who she is?”
“None.”
“Do you believe she’ll come right out and tell you she came to Splendor to avenge her brother’s death?”
“I don’t know if that’s her reason, Gabe. Maybe she came to learn the truth, put his death behind her.”
“Then why the lies? She could’ve traveled out here and stayed at the boardinghouse while she talked to people. There was no shortage of witnesses. Why buy a shop and tie herself down unless she had a broader plan? I think you’re deluding yourself if you believe she didn’t come here to exact vengeance.” Gabe waited. When
Cash didn’t respond, he forged on. “I’m sure you’ve talked to Beau and he’s already warned you about riding up to Survivor Pass with her. Am I wrong in thinking you ignored his advice?”
“No, you aren’t wrong.” Cash leaned forward, resting his arms on the desk. “The timing won’t be right for her. If she planned to kill me today, she’d be ready to get out of Splendor. Believe me, Alison’s made no plans to leave—not yet. She has no idea I know her true identity.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
Slapping his hands on the desk, Gabe stood. “The circuit judge is due today. He’ll want to have the trial on Monday, so I’ll need both you and Beau to help with the prisoners.”
“We won’t be staying at the cabin the way I usually do. I’ll bring Alison back to town by early evening.”
“I need to pick up food from Suzanne for the prisoners. Can you stay at the jail until I return?”
“We won’t leave for a couple hours. You can be certain I’ll be back tonight, Gabe, with the truth about Alison McGrath.”
“Are you sure you won’t stay home this morning, Noah?” Abby rocked Gabriel in her arms, watching from the porch steps as her husband swung up on Tempest.
“I won’t be gone long. Dax is sending someone to town to pick up the tools he ordered. He’s probably already at the livery.”
“Bull?” Abby guessed, smiling.
“He’d be the logical choice. I’ll invite him to the house for lunch.”
Noah’s heart swelled as he watched the two people he loved most in life standing a few feet away. Gabe, the one other person he held a deep affection for, lived less than a mile away. Soon, he and Lena would have their own place a couple miles away. Noah couldn’t imagine a better life, never thinking he’d ever be this happy.
“I’ll let Lydia know. I’m sure she’ll want to prepare something extra special for you.”
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