Shotgun Groom

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  As she left, Joel turned back to grab more nails and his hammer to continue working.

  ***

  Joel, his brothers and Sep waited while Owen looked over the cast-iron safe they’d dumped on his desk at the jailhouse. Joel glanced at April and Nora who sat by the potbelly stove. Nora tried to stick a checker in her mouth from the nearby table where a checker board sat, but April stopped her and put the checker back where it belonged.

  “Where did you find it?” Owen asked as he brushed off the dirt that clung to its edges.

  “Buried in the barn,” Richard said. “It took all of us a good two hours, but we found it.”

  Owen nodded. “It looks like the real thing.”

  “Of course, it’s the real thing,” Tom replied, motioning to it. “What makes you think we’d bury a safe for the fun of it just to dig it back up?”

  Dave rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous, Tom. He means that it looks like it belongs to the man it was stolen from. Right, Owen?”

  “Yes, that’s what I meant,” Owen replied.

  In an uncharacteristic smirk, Dave added, “Though knowing you, Tom, anything is possible.”

  “So, you’re making jokes now?” Tom asked.

  “I’m not serious all the time, contrary to what you all think,” Dave said, giving Tom and Joel a pointed look.

  Ignoring Dave, Joel turned his attention to Owen. “Does this mean April and Sep no longer have to worry about Lou?”

  Owen glanced up from the safe. “That depends on whether or not Lou is really after the money. For all we know, it could be something else.”

  “It has to be the money,” Joel said. “If he’s in trouble because he owes someone money, then that’s what he’d be after.”

  “While that makes the most sense, we can’t say that for sure,” Owen replied. “The reason why anyone commits a crime, or tries to, can be anyone’s guess. You don’t want to assume anything, and that includes assuming this safe belonged to Randolph Hills. I need to have his brother take a look at it. When I know, I’ll come out to your place and tell you either way.”

  “Well, I feel better knowing it’s no longer on the property,” Joel said.

  “I don’t blame you.”

  “I feel better, too,” Richard said, looking at Joel. “You might irritate me at times, but you’re still my little brother.”

  “Thanks, I think,” Joel mumbled and then went over to April who was letting Nora stack the checkers. “Owen will let us know what he finds out about the safe.”

  “What’s there to find out?” she asked as she put the checkers back onto the board where they belonged.

  Nora protested what she was doing, so Joel picked her up to distract her from trying to grab the checkers from her mother. He shrugged while he rubbed Nora’s back. “I’m not sure, exactly. He has to make sure it’s Randolph’s and take it from there.”

  After she finished putting the checkers back in place, she straightened and nodded. “Alright. Is that all we need to do?”

  “It’s all we need to do in relation to the safe, but I thought we could stop by the mercantile to pick up fabric to make curtains.”

  She took a deep breath. “I suppose I should put something in that room to pretty it up.”

  Noting her unease at the thought of doing anything with the third bedroom, he softly said, “Once you get the room looking the way you want it to, it won’t be so hard to think about it.”

  “I know. I have to do it, and I will.”

  “By the time we’re done with it, you won’t even recognize it.”

  April indicated her agreement, and he led her over to his brothers and Sep who were talking to Owen about the timeframe it would take for him to know if it was Randolph’s safe.

  “I suspect I’ll know before the day is up, but it depends on how long it’ll take to find his brother,” Owen said.

  “Are you going to let everyone know you got the safe so that Lou knows not to go to Joel and April’s place?” Richard asked.

  “I can tell Joseph Connealy at the paper we found a safe, but you can’t be sure Lou has access to the newspaper,” Owen answered. “We don’t know where he’s at. For all we know, he might be out of Nebraska.”

  “Fine,” Richard said with a heavy sigh. “We’ll just have to hope he finds out from the paper or someone who reads the paper that the safe is no longer on their land.”

  “Ideally, he won’t be in Nebraska,” Dave replied. “Then there’s nothing to worry about.”

  Richard nodded his agreement, and as Joel’s brothers headed out, Owen promised Joel he’d be out either that evening or the next day with news on what he found regarding the safe. Joel indicated that he understood and led his family out of the jailhouse so they could go to the mercantile.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  It was close to four-thirty when Joel pulled the sleigh up to the house. Nora had fallen asleep as soon as they left the mercantile, and April had snuggled up to Joel with the intent of closing her eyes for a moment. The next thing she knew, the sleigh had come to a stop and Joel nudged her.

  “We’re home, sweetheart,” he said.

  Blinking, it took her eyes a moment to adjust to the sun that was about to set below the horizon. She yawned and noticed that Nora was still sound asleep. Glancing at Sep who was getting out of the sleigh, she straightened up. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.”

  “It’s been a long day.” Joel got out of the sleigh before he turned to help her. “I’m glad you got a chance to rest.”

  “I don’t know. I still feel groggy.”

  “That’ll soon pass.”

  Sep took the blankets and began folding them. “I can take the sleigh and horses into the barn.”

  Joel turned his gaze to Sep and nodded. “Alright. I’ll take those blankets into the house.” April watched as Sep handed him the blankets and the fabric he purchased to make curtains. “I want to see what I can do with the room. Now that the walls are up, I want to paint.”

  April’s eyes widened in surprise. She thought for sure he’d want to rest since he and his brothers started working on the room at seven that morning. “When you set your mind to something, there’s no stopping you.”

  “No, there’s not.” He leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. “Now come on into the house before our daughter gets cold.”

  While Sep got back into the sleigh, April followed Joel up the porch steps. “You got all the walls up. That’s enough for today.”

  Tucking the items in his hands under one arm, he fished in his pocket for the key. “I know, but painting won’t take long. Besides, Sep will help, and he might not look like much since he’s young, but that boy is quick and good at what he does.”

  Pleased, she smiled. “I’m glad you two are getting along.”

  He pulled the key out and inserted it into the lock. “Well, the way I see it, he’s my little brother, and if there’s one thing Larsons do best is stick together, even if we can get on each other’s nerves.”

  Laughing, she walked into the house when he opened the door and motioned for her to go in. The house needed warming up, but she figured they’d be comfortable enough in no time. She set Nora down on the chair while she slipped out of her coat.

  Joel set down his things and took off his winter clothing. “You want to start on the curtains tonight or wait until tomorrow?”

  April pulled off her scarf and hat and shrugged. “Might as well start tonight.”

  He nodded and put the fabric on the fireplace mantle. Bending down, he added more wood to the fire. “I think we’ll have that room done in no time, but we won’t move Nora there until you’re ready.”

  “Thank you, Joel.” Truth be told, she wasn’t ready yet. But she was able to walk into the room with less hesitation than she did yesterday, so things were slowly getting easier for her.

  He picked up the blankets which were next to him and grinned at her. “You’re a lovely sight.”

  Thinking he
should say such a thing while she was taking care of Nora’s coat, she chuckled. “I’m just doing what I do whenever we come back from town.”

  “I know, and there’s something nice about watching a mother taking care of her child.” He ruffled Nora’s hair and smiled when she rubbed her eyes. “Hopefully, she won’t give you too much trouble while you make supper.”

  “Considering her nap was later than usual, I expect her to have a hard time sleeping tonight.”

  “Hmm… I hadn’t thought of that. I reckon we’re in for it.” He headed for the stairs, whistling as he went along.

  April watched his retreating figure, thinking that this was what she once thought marriage would be like before she married Harvey. Being with him had been a shock, for she soon realized having a husband was nothing like she imagined. She learned fast that just because some men were nice to their wives in public, it didn’t mean they were that way in the privacy of their home. But with Joel, how he handled himself in public mirrored how he was when it was just the two of them, and she appreciated that the most about him.

  She brushed back Nora’s curls and whispered, “Your pa is a good man.” Now that was something she could never tell her daughter when it came to Harvey, but as far as she was concerned, Harvey wasn’t her father. He might have been there to get April with child, but it took more than that to be a parent. She hung Nora’s coat up and held her hand to her. “Come on, honey. Let’s see what I can fix for supper.”

  Nora accepted her hand and went to the kitchen with her.

  ***

  Owen and Sheriff Meyer stood up from their checker game as Benny Hills entered the jailhouse. “You said you got my brother’s safe?” Benny asked, striding over to them.

  “We think so,” Owen said and motioned for him to check out the safe he’d put in the corner of the room. “You said you knew the combination to get in?”

  Benny nodded as he eyes scanned the safe. “I do and that looks like it belonged to Randolph.”

  “Let’s put it on the desk,” Sheriff Meyer told Owen.

  Owen picked up one side of it and Meyer picked up the other. The weight of the thing nearly made him buckle, but Owen managed and they set it on the desk. “There must be a lot of gold in there.”

  “There is,” Benny said. “Randolph wasn’t known to spend money if there was a way to get something for free. I believe this money goes all the way back to when he was fresh out of school and working his first job.”

  Owen set his hands on his hips. “That’s dedication.”

  “A lot of good it did him,” Benny said. “All the gold he had didn’t save his life that night.”

  The sheriff sighed. “A real shame, too. He was a decent fellow.”

  Benny turned the combination. “You going to catch Lou Edwards so my brother’s soul can rest in peace?”

  “We’ll do our best,” the sheriff replied.

  “I want you to do better than that.”

  “Unfortunately, it’s all I can promise.”

  Benny grunted but opened the door to the safe. Owen waited for him to verify the contents in it, but Benny looked between him and the sheriff as if he couldn’t believe his eyes. “I hope this is some kind of joke.”

  Frowning, the sheriff and Owen stepped over to Benny to see what was inside the safe. Owen’s jaw dropped. “Bricks?”

  “Yes, bricks,” Benny sourly stated and slammed the door shut. “It looks like Harvey had a sense of humor. Too bad he can’t come back to die again.”

  “The scoundrel knew the combination,” the sheriff said, scratching the back of his head.

  “But why go through the trouble of burying the safe?” Owen asked.

  “To throw someone off the trail,” the sheriff replied. “Maybe he never intended to share the contents with his brother.”

  Owen shook his head. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time one man did that to another. I’m just surprised he bothered to bury it.” After a moment, he asked, “Do you think he’d leave clues to lead Lou to the safe?”

  “If they were in on it together, he’d have to if he didn’t want to arouse Lou’s suspicions.”

  After a tense moment passed, Owen went to the hook near the door and grabbed his hat and coat. “I need to talk to Joel.”

  Sheriff Meyer nodded.

  “Now look,” Benny told the sheriff, “I don’t want Lou getting his grubby hands on the gold and bolting out of town. I want you to do whatever it takes to catch him.”

  “We’ll try, Benny,” the sheriff said.

  Owen checked his gun before he put it back into the holster of his belt. “Maybe I can find some clues out there. Since we’re looking for gold coins, possible hiding places have just gotten a lot smaller.”

  “Sounds good,” the sheriff said as Owen headed out the door.

  ***

  Joel decided he and Sep could start painting the third bedroom after supper. He got all the supplies ready and laid out. He went ahead and painted the inside of the closet, figuring it was a light enough task to do. When he was done, he looked at the walls. His brothers did a good job, and Richard had worked on the window frame and took care of the draft coming in through the bottom of the window, so the room was now a good place for a little girl to rest at night. As soon as the light green paint went on the walls, it’d look like a new room. He stood back and took in the small space and sighed in satisfaction. Things were progressing along nicely.

  He went down to the kitchen where Nora sat in her highchair, pretending to feed her doll while April stirred the large pot on the cook stove. On the worktable were the makings of some sandwiches. Ignoring his growling stomach, Joel went over to April and asked, “Did Sep come in yet?”

  She shook her head and placed her ladle down on the worktable. “No. I hope nothing’s wrong with one of the animals.”

  “I’m going to check on him. We’ll be in soon.”

  Turning her attention to the sandwiches, she nodded. “I’ll be done in ten minutes.”

  He put his coat, hat and boots on and opened the door. When he realized how quickly it was getting dark, he decided to go back and light the lantern. Holding the lantern, he left the house and made his way across the snow. The area was littered with footprints from where his brothers and their horses had tread on the property, and some well-trodden areas were muddy so he stepped around those.

  He made it to the barn and slipped through the partially open door. “Sep, do you need help?”

  The place was dark, which made him frown. There was a lantern out here. Sep knew better than to do his chores in the dark. Something was wrong.

  “Sep, are you alright?” he called out, scanning the barn.

  Too many shadows made it hard to pick out anything that was amiss. He held the lantern up and stepped forward, listening to anything that might clue him into what was wrong. The cow in its stall seemed content enough so he looked at the rooster and hens. Nothing unusual there either. One of the three horses neighed and shifted in irritation, bringing his attention to the left corner of the barn which was hidden in the shadows.

  Taking a deep breath, he examined the area and saw something move. His gaze fell to the rake Sep used the other day to clean out the stalls and he grabbed it. Setting the lantern down, he gripped the rake in his hands and crept forward. Whoever it was could see him, but he needed to be careful in case he jumped out at him. When he reached the corner, he held the rake up, ready to attack.

  Then his eyes met the eyes of a scared Sep whose mouth was bound with a gag. It only took Joel a second to realize Sep’s hands were tied behind his back and his ankles were tied to the legs of the stool he sat on. Sep nodded to indicate that someone was behind Joel. Spinning around, Joel got ready to take the offense when he realized a man stood before him with a Colt .45 pointed right at him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Joel’s gaze went from the gun back up to the man’s grimy face. If he guessed right, this was Lou. “What do you want?”
r />   “The gold,” he replied.

  “What gold?”

  “Nice try, but you know what gold I’m talking about.”

  Joel glanced back at the gun before making eye contact with Lou. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it’s clear to me you know that I know what I’m talking about.”

  Lou snickered. “Funny. Trying to distract me, huh? I didn’t know you were so witty in the times I’ve heard you talk to the boy and that woman in there. All this time, I thought you were all business.”

  He struggled not to show any reaction. Lou was either telling the truth—which meant he’d been spying on them—or was bluffing, but by the stone look on his face, Joel couldn’t tell which one it was. Unfortunately, he and Sep had made enough tracks in the snow, so it was hard to tell one set of footprints from another.

  “I saw you all and the three men head on out here earlier with a safe. That safe belongs to me. I did my part and helped Harvey get it.”

  Joel shrugged. “In that case, you knew where it was the whole time. Why didn’t you just take it?”

  Lou growled and rubbed the trigger on his gun.

  “Let the boy go,” Joel said, deciding it wouldn’t be wise to tempt fate.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Oh come on. He has nothing to do with this.”

  “He’s the reason you’re going to cooperate with me.”

  “Seems to me that your gun should be a good enough reason.” Giving a purposeful scan of Lou’s body, he shrugged. “That is, unless you’re not capable with a gun.”

  Before Joel had time to blink, Lou fired a bullet at Sep and then pointed the gun back at Joel. Joel glanced at Sep who gave out a muffled cry and tried to wiggle away from Lou’s viewing range.

  “Consider that a thank you for when you shot me,” Lou called out to Sep. Turning his attention back to Joel, he said, “Next time I won’t go for his arm. So, are you going to take me to the gold or not?”

  Stepping to the side so that he blocked Lou’s view of Sep, Joel said, “I can’t. The safe is at the jailhouse.”