The Reluctant Bride

by Leigh Greenwood

  It was the man who’d tried to shoot Russ in the back. Tanzy was glad she’d shot him. She hoped he was in agony. A few minutes later Buck came back with the man who’d been hiding by the corrals.

  “Welt’s gone to help Russ catch the other one,” Buck said.

  It wasn’t long before Russ came back with the last gunman, who looked like he’d run into a whole family of angry grizzlies. Apparently Russ had found a way to work out some of his anger.

  “Welt is bringing their horses,” he said. “I’ll take them into town. Tardy and Tanzy will come with me. The rest of you stay alert. This could be part of a plan to get us out of the valley so they can steal the herd.”

  “It doesn’t look like the plan worked too well,” Oren said, “not with two of them dead, two of them shot, and one looking like he lost an argument with a cougar.”

  Tanzy didn’t care about the gunmen or the cattle. She only cared that Russ was safe and unhurt. When he looked at her and smiled, her heart turned over. It was in that moment she knew for certain she loved him.

  The procession attracted attention even before it reached town. Tanzy rode ahead in the wagon with the two dead men, their horses tied behind. Next came the other three gunmen on their horses, their hands tied behind them, their feet tied under their horses’ bellies. Russ and Tardy rode behind.

  “What’d they do?” one man asked.

  Tried to kill me,” Russ replied.

  “One man against five? That don’t sound fair.”

  “I don’t think they were looking to be fair.”

  “Who are they?”

  “I don’t know. Never seen them before.”

  “Are they the rustlers?”

  “They say they aren’t.”

  “You can’t believe a thing they say,” one man said, “not when five of them gang up on one man.”

  “What catamount got him?” another man asked, pointing to the gunman who had both eyes swollen shut.

  “Russ got him,” Tardy said proudly. “Beat the snot out of him.”

  “Watch your language in front of a lady,” Russsaid.

  “Sorry,” Tardy said, apologizing to Tanzy. “I forgot.”

  Tanzy suppressed a grin. Tardy was so full of himself he could hardly stand it. Russ had allowed him to wear a gun and carry a rifle. He was probably hoping one of the gunmen would try to escape so he could have a chance to use his weapon.

  “Who are these men?” the sheriff asked Russ when they reached the jail. The news had already preceded them into town. The sheriff and two deputies were waiting for him.

  “I have no idea,” Russ replied. “I’ve never seen them before.”

  “Why were they trying to kill you?”

  “They didn’t say, but they surrounded my cabin and started shooting at me.”

  “I can’t take your word for this,” the sheriff said.

  “Why not?” Tanzy demanded, stunned at the sheriff’s response.

  “Everybody knows he’s a thief and a liar,” the sheriff said.

  “Have you ever known him to lie?”

  “When he was a kid—”

  “All kids lie at one time or another. I’m sure you did, too.”

  “He lied about the rustling.”

  “Can you prove he stole any cattle?”

  The sheriff started to speak, then changed his mind.

  “You have no proof that he’s a thief, a liar, or a rustler. I was under the impression that an officer of the law was supposed to be above gossip and slander.”

  “I require proof that these men attacked him like he said.”

  “I saw them,” Tardy said. “So did Oren and Buck.”

  “I’m not taking the word of some kid or any ex-cons,” the sheriff said.

  “How about mine?” Tanzy asked “Or are you going to disqualify women as well?”

  “I haven’t heard what you have to say,” the sheriff said, evading her question.

  “I was in the cabin when they attacked. They tried to kill me as well as Russ. If you will look closely, you can see where pieces of flying glass punctured my skin in at least a dozen places. Now, unless you intend to call me a liar as well, you have all the proof you need to put these men in jail.”

  “You can go back to the ranch with me tomorrow and match all the spent bullet cases with their guns,” Russ said. “If you or any of your deputies know how to track, you can follow the trail of their horses to see where and how they entered my valley. Or, if you want to save a lot of time, you can just ask them.”

  “We was paid to go in there and shoot up the place,” one of the men volunteered. “We wasn’t going to kill anybody, just scare them good.”

  “Is that why you shot at me through the window?” Tanzy asked. “Is that why one of the dead men tried to shoot us through the roof?”

  “They were still shooting when I got there,” Tardy said. “Why would they sneak in if they weren’t up to no good? If they wanted to visit, all they had to do was come through the pass like anybody else.”

  The sheriff might fear Stocker, but Tardy was the nephew of the town’s social arbiter and Tanzy was a woman. It was hard to discount what they said when their tale agreed in every detail with what Russ had said.

  “I’ll have to check your evidence,” the sheriff said.

  “Let me know when you’re ready. I’d better go with you. The boys are a little jumpy right now.”

  “I’m the sheriff.”

  “I expect they know that. They just want to be sure you’re on the side of the law.”

  “And where else would I be?”

  “That’s for you to decide,” Russ said. His voice was quiet, his speech slow and measured, but there was no question about the challenge in his eyes.

  “We probably ought to see about a hotel room,” Tanzy said, anxious to keep Russ from getting into a fight with the sheriff. “I’m sure Tardy’s hungry.”

  “Starved,” the boy said.

  “You can put up in the hotel with us if you like,” Russ said to Tardy once they were outside on the boardwalk, “but I think you ought to see your aunt.”

  “She’ll be after me to come back,” he protested.

  “Maybe,” Tanzy said, “but she has taken care of you since your parents died. You owe her that much courtesy.”

  “I don’t want to go back.”

  “Then try to explain and give her a chance to understand. I’m sure she loves you. Your leaving must have hurt.”

  Tardy looked like he wanted to argue, but he ducked his head and turned toward his home. Archie welcomed them into the Stocker Hotel with a covert smile.

  “You’ll be wanting two rooms,” he said.

  “As long as you’re sure Stocker won’t have me thrown out,” Russ said.

  Archie’s smile vanished. “He’s coming into town for the meeting tonight.”

  “What meeting?” Russ asked.

  “The meeting to decide what to do about the rustling.”

  “You mean the meeting to decide what to do about me rustling.”

  “I can’t say who they suspect is behind it,” Archie said. “Do you plan to go and find out?”

  Archie seemed to be trying to tell Russ something, but Tanzy couldn’t figure out what it might be.

  “I think I will,” Russ said. “What time is it?”

  “They’re meeting in Stocker’s saloon at seven-thirty.”

  “I’ll be there. Now I’d better see about getting Miss Gallant something to eat before she faints from hunger.”

  Tanzy didn’t like the look of the gathering the moment she stepped inside the saloon. The men appeared angry, impatient to find the man who was threatening their livelihood. The fact that Stocker was in the center of the most agitated part of the room added to her feeling of unease.

  “I’m not sure coming here was a good idea,” she said to Russ.

  “I would prefer to know what they’re saying about me.”

  “You know what they’re saying. The qu
estion is, what are you going to do about it?”

  “I don’t know yet. Let’s see what happens.”

  Tanzy didn’t like the saloon. It combined the worst attributes of establishments of its kind. It was too small for the number of people inside, the smoke and liquor fumes were so thick she could hardly breathe, and the noise level was so high she could hardly hear Russ. The tables were too close together, nothing appeared to have been cleaned recently, and no one was required to leave guns at the door. She wished Russ had chosen a table closer to the entrance.

  In a few minutes Stocker called for quiet. Some of the men chose to stand at the bar. Some sat down but continued to mutter with their neighbors.

  “You all know why we’re gathered here,” Stocker said, “so let’s get right to it.”

  “I’d like to get right to the thief who’s stealing my cows,” one man said. “If it doesn’t stop soon, I’ll be broke.”

  “How many have you lost?” Russ asked.

  “I won’t know for sure until roundup,” the man said. “Maybe you can tell me.”

  Russ ignored his implication. “Anybody else know how many cows they’ve lost?”

  Several ranchers said they wouldn’t know until roundup, but they were sure they’d lost a lot.

  “Nobody can say how many cows they’ve lost, so how do you know rustlers have been taking your cows?” Russ asked.

  The room burst into shouts, with threats and accusations flying freely. No semblance of order returned until Stocker signaled for quiet.

  “We don’t have to know the precise number to know we’ve been losing cows,” he said, addressing Russ. “We’ve seen the footprints leading away through gulches and canyons. We know they’re being taken, and we know who’s taking them.”

  “Do you know where they’ve gone?” Russ asked before Stocker could make the accusation that was on the tip of his tongue.

  “No, but you do,” one man shouted.

  “I’ll lay odds they’re in your valley.”

  Accusations flew fast and furious, but Russ remained calm. Gradually, as the men exhausted their litany of complaints, they quieted down.

  “There are no stolen cows in my valley,” Russ said, his demeanor calm. “I’ve offered to let any delegation you choose come out so you can look for yourselves as long as you bring the colonel at the fort with you.”

  “You accusing us of lying?”

  “Are you accusing me?”

  “You’re damned right!” several shouted.

  “Where’s your proof? You’ve been accusing me of stealing your cows for weeks, but not one of you has ever produced even a shred of proof to back up the accusation.”

  “We don’t have to see the coyote that steals in the night to recognize it’s a coyote,” Stocker said.

  “But you have to see him to know which coyote it is.”

  “Are you implying that one of us is doing the rustling?” one man asked.

  “Any one of you would have as much to gain as I would.”

  “We’re all honest men.”

  “Can you prove that?”

  For a moment the room lay in shocked silence. Then everyone started shouting at once. Tanzy was afraid some of his accusers might attack Russ with their fists, but he remained calm in the face of their fury.

  “You know why you can’t prove it?” Russ asked when he could be heard. “You’ve been so certain I’m doing the rustling, you haven’t looked at your neighbor. Have any of you followed the trails?”

  “They disappear.”

  “You didn’t bother to look hard because you were sure I was the guilty one. Yet when I offered to let you come check my herds, no one took me up on it.”

  “Don’t let him confuse you,” Stocker said. “He’s trying to set us against each other, make us suspect the fine, upstanding men who’re the backbone of this community. Who’re you going to listen to, your neighbors or a lying thief who murdered my brother in cold blood?”

  Stacker had worked the men up to a frenzy, but Tanzy saw a sudden change in the temper of the room when he accused Russ of having murdered his brother.

  “You can sit here talking all you want,” Stocker said, “going back and forth over ground that we’ve already covered, and you’ll end up right where we are now, losing cows to Russ Tibbolt. How do you think an ex-con came in here without a cent to his name and was able to stock a ranch?”

  “I’d have told you if you’d asked,” Russ said. “I’d also have told you how to go about finding out who’s stealing your cattle.”

  “How?” several men asked.

  “First we need to establish as accurately as possible how many cows have been rustled. Then we have to study the trails to see where they go. If we can’t follow them, then we should hire someone who can. If one person or gang is responsible for all the rustling, the trails will probably join at some point. Then you’ll either find the cows or find where they’ve been taken. At the same time, we need to locate the most likely markets for stolen cattle. I think we should ask the colonel at Fort Lookout to help with this. He has many more trained men at his disposal than we do.”

  It seemed for a moment that the men were giving Russ’s sensible suggestions serious consideration. Then Stocker spoke up.

  “All that’s a waste of time when we know you’re doing the stealing,” he said. “All we have to do is force our way into that valley of yours. We’ll find the stolen cattle and more.”

  “There’s never been a single cow in that valley that I didn’t pay for. My men will testify to that.”

  “We’ve all had enough of your lies,” Stocker shouted. “We don’t believe anything you or your gang of ex-cons says. We’re a fine, upstanding community of decent citizens. Even if you weren’t stealing us blind, we wouldn’t want the likes of you or those men anywhere near us to lead our young men astray, to degrade our women, to—”

  Tanzy couldn’t stand it any longer. She got to her feet and walked across the room to face Stocker. He was so shocked he stopped in mid-sentence.

  “I have never heard such a lot of nonsense from a group of supposedly responsible, sensible, law-abiding men in my whole life. Russ has just given you a perfectly sensible way to go about trying to find the rustlers, but rather than do anything constructive, you prefer to sit around making accusations you can’t prove.”

  “I don’t think it’s the best way,” Stocker said.

  “Then propose an alternative, but do something instead of just talking.”

  “I propose we raid his valley!” Stocker shouted.

  Tanzy raised her voice so she could be heard over the murmurs of approval. “I don’t see why you feel the need to raid his valley,” she said. “I’ve twice heard him invite you to come look for yourselves. His only condition is that you bring the commander of Fort Lookout along with you.”

  “That sounds mighty suspicious to me,” one man said.

  “Would you want Russ and his men to be the only ones inspecting your herd to decide if you were doing the stealing?” Tanzy asked, turning to face the man before he could hide in the anonymity of the group.

  “Hell, no. I wouldn’t trust him on the place.”

  “Why?”

  “Because he’s a thief.”

  “Can you prove that?”

  “I don’t have to. I know it.”

  “I know you’re a fool. Can you prove you’re not?”

  The man looked shocked. His shock turned to anger when he heard snickers around him.

  “I was in the hotel when a group of you met to choose a delegation to go out to Russ’s ranch,” Tanzy said, “but you let Stocker talk you out of it.”

  “There’s no point,” Stocker said. “He’d have hidden the cows by the time we got there.”

  There’s no way to take cows out of that valley except through the pass,” Russ said. “You can send someone right now to watch it, and we can go out tomorrow. That way I won’t have time to warn my men to hide any stolen cows.”

>   “You’ve probably hidden them already. You just used those men you brought in as an excuse to make us go out there on a wild-goose chase.”

  “I’ve often wondered why some of you are too cowardly to face what you know to be the truth, but I never thought you were stupid,” Tanzy said, shocking the entire room into silence. “Setting aside the fact that such a proposal is idiotic beyond belief, how could Russ possibly convince five men to attack his ranch and agree to let two of their number be killed and two more wounded? Why would you suppose Tardy Benton and I would agree to it? I’ve got a dozen tiny wounds on my face and neck from splintered glass when a bullet came through the window. It could easily have been my eyes. Why would I take such a chance on being blinded?”

  “Because you’re in love with Russ Tibbolt.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Tanzy spun around to see Ethel Peters standing just inside the doorway. Her complexion was pale, her face taut, her body rigidly erect, but her eyes flashed fury. She advanced into the room. “Deny that if you will.”

  It took Tanzy a moment to recover from the shock of such an accusation being flung at her in public. She’d never had any reason to believe Ethel disliked her, so Tanzy was unable to account for the sudden attack, the unexplained fury.

  “Why would you say such a thing?” Tanzy asked.

  “Because it’s true.”

  “Even if it were, why do you say it like I’m guilty of some terrible crime? Why do you look as though you hate me?”

  “You’ve made a fool of me,” Ethel said, coming closer. “You led me to believe you were a woman of character, of honor, of decency.”

  “I made no such claim.”

  Ethel was thrown off stride for a moment. “It’s only natural to assume a woman is honorable.”

  “And what did I do to lose this assumed reputation?”

  “You took up domicile at his ranch,” she said, pointing at Russ. “And you wouldn’t leave when I came to rescue you.”

  “Do you have any evidence to prove I’ve done anything disreputable?”

  “I don’t need any.”

  “So you’re like this man over here. You believe it, therefore it’s true.”

  Ethel clearly didn’t like the comparison. “Your behavior speaks for itself.”