by Reece Butler
“Kate surprised the heck out of Zach and Rusty when she changed into pants and rode astride her horse,” said Gideon, breaking in on their conversation.
“You ride like a man?”
“She rode so hard it only took them overnight to get home from that train,” added Gideon proudly. “And she helped us keep the cattle safe during that hailstorm the other week. She’s game, all right.”
“Guess you got gumption, girl.” Walt frowned and sniffed. “Somethin’ burnin’?”
“My pies!”
* * * *
Walt watched Millie’s daughter pick up her skirts and run to the cabin. His sniffer was still in good shape and he’d barely caught a whiff of well-done rather than burned pastry, so all should be well. She was his daughter. No doubt about it with that attitude. He’d have to hide his eyes so no one would notice they were the same color.
“Kin she cook good?”
Gideon’s grin answered his question without words.
“What about the rest of it?”
Pink flooded the boy’s face. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Since Gideon was the youngest and shyest, his Katie must be sharing her bed with all three. He didn’t like the thought of his little girl being touched before marriage, but he couldn’t say anything after what he and Millie did. He hoped she rested in peace.
His daughter wasn’t the running-away type. If Mason was at all like Walt figured, Katie was far better off in Tanner’s Ford than in the stuffy East. Out here a man could achieve anything he set out to do, and damn it all, so could a woman!
“She know how things are in the valley?” asked Walt.
Gideon hung his head and jammed his fists in his pant pockets like a kid waiting to be bawled out. Walt had to tread carefully, acting like a stubborn, persnickety old man and not Katie’s long-lost father. He’d offered to marry Beth Elliott, and then Victoria Adam, to protect them. No one should think anything different if he protected this gal.
“Kate’s not our woman,” said Gideon quietly. He lifted his head and met Walt’s eyes. “She belongs to herself.”
Gideon’s answer pleased Walt, but he kept the frown.
“And no,” continued Gideon, “we haven’t even told her where the ranch is. Zach said it was best if she didn’t know.” He toed the rock beside his foot. “Kate said God gave her a body that enjoyed touch for a reason. She wants to try anything and everything that makes her feel good.”
“You sayin’ this Eastern woman, fresh from the Bride Train, let three strangers into her bed?”
Gideon shrugged. “Zach said when he kissed her, she went wild. She opened her shirt and told them to kiss—” Gideon turned his back and kicked another rock. This one shot across the yard.
His ears turned so red Walt thought they might be on fire. He chuckled quietly. Oh, Millie, she’s your daughter all right.
How many years since he thought of those nights? He’d tried to be honorable when she first came to him, but she cried so hard, and said it didn’t matter anymore. She had to marry the brute who’d attacked her, but he could give her loving memories to carry in her heart. Then she opened her blouse and showed him heaven.
He was proud of Katie for taking what she wanted. Millie wouldn’t stand against her parents. She said her fiancé was rich and powerful, and her father needed his patronage for his business to survive. Her sisters couldn’t find good husbands without the money they would receive when Millie married. He was furious, but she insisted. So he packed up and headed west, refusing to look back.
He was still looking forward. He’d found a trio of good boys to replace the sons he never had. But now he knew he had a daughter. It was a miracle that she ended up with the McInnes boys. No matter what, he’d give up his own happiness to provide for hers. His ranch, his relationship with Emma Johnston, even his life—he’d trade it all for Katie’s happiness. It took him a few minutes before he could speak. He cleared his throat.
“You want to keep the girl here, with no one the wiser, so you can marry her?”
“Only if she wants,” replied Gideon quietly. “And she’ll have to prove she means it before any preacher comes near. We’ll not be fooled into thinking she cares for us when it’s a lie.”
Walt winced. Damn that Peyton McInnes and his Badger City Gang! Dougal McInnes was an honest, hard-working man who happened to have a wastrel of a brother. He’d heard about Peyton sniffing after Dougal’s wife’s skirts. Not much a man could do about it other than take his family and move away. Peyton followed them to Texas where he was finally caught, and justice served.
“Zach said he heard you got a sweet tooth,” said Gideon. “I saw Kate pulling out some preserves before we headed out. Her pie’s pretty good.”
“If that’s an invitation, boy, I’m takin’ you up on it.”
Walt slapped the younger, and far taller, man on the back. He chortled, rubbed his hands eagerly, and hobbled toward the cabin like the old man he pretended to be. He’d put a case of canned peaches in the supplies. Maybe next visit there’d be peach pie.
Chapter 19
“Pa used to love those peppermint sticks,” said Gideon, pointing at the stick candy in the glass jar. Walt’s supplies were rather diminished after a week of Kate’s cooking, so he and Rusty finally made it to Tanner’s Ford. Their first stop was the mercantile, which had darn near everything a man, woman, or child could want. Looking at the candy made his mouth water, but every penny was needed to pay off their debt to Walt. Having Kate come into the picture only made them more eager to own the Running W.
“They’re two for a penny,” said the girl behind the polished wooden counter. She had long blonde hair all braided up around her head and covered with a kerchief. She looked pretty, though far too young for him.
“Thanks, but that’s a penny more than I’m willing to spend,” replied Gideon with a smile.
“The boss said we could buy whatever we wanted.” Rusty stepped forward and lifted his hat to the girl. He added his usual wink, but the girl didn’t seem to see it.
“Mr. Chamberlain said we could buy whatever we needed,” said Gideon. He stepped closer to the counter so he could swat Rusty’s shoulder. He was fed up with his cousin getting what he wanted from women with a smile. On top of that, Rusty had no business flirting when they had Kate at home. “We don’t need candy.”
The girl laughed at Rusty’s pout. She looked young, but there was a wariness in her eyes that suggested she’d seen things no female should.
“Are you the men who brought Mr. Chamberlain’s cattle from Texas?”
Rusty elbowed him while winking at the girl. “See, Gideon, our fame has already spread to Montana Territory.”
Someone cleared their throat behind them. “Would that be fame for working hard and riding for the brand, or for whooping it up?”
A much older woman came out from behind a bunch of coats hanging from the ceiling. She had to be Patsy Tanner, one of the owners. Since the only other place to buy food was in Bannack City, Zach had told them to be extra polite. Gideon pulled his hat off and swatted Rusty so he’d do the same.
“Afternoon, ma’am,” he said. “Did Walt tell you about us buying grub on the Running W’s account?”
The shopkeeper looked carefully at them as she swept past. She smelled faintly of violets. Her aroma, accusing voice, and I-know-what-you’re-after look reminded Gideon of his mother. She used to check to see if they were cleaned up enough to go to town without shaming her. That was before she had shamed them all.
“Walt mentioned he’d hired some men from Texas, but you don’t sound Texan.” Mrs. Tanner took Gideon’s measure, from scuffed boots to hair trimmed with a straight razor. “You must be another McInnes. You look like Zach.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m his brother, Gideon. Rusty here is our cousin. He’s like another brother, only worse.”
Rusty grinned and gave her a saucy wink. Mrs. Tanner’s lip twitched, but she kept her frown.
“I hear
Zach didn’t make it to the Bride Train in Virginia City,” she said. “Cole Taylor of the Sweetwater ranch was all ready to fight him over a woman.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Gideon. “Did Cole find himself a wife?”
“No, he said they were too flighty for him.” Her lip twitched and her eyes seemed to bore into Gideon’s. “It seems a masked bandit convinced one of the brides to jump off the train with him. Cole figured she might have been just what he was looking for.” She gave them a look that said she was expecting an answer.
“Someone robbed the Bride Train? What is the world coming to?” asked Rusty with an exaggerated sigh.
When neither of them said anything more, Mrs. Tanner sniffed like a schoolmarm and turned away. She gestured to the girl behind the counter.
“Don’t get any ideas about Molly, here. She’s too young for the likes of you. Nora Dawes is looking for a husband, though she’s a mite older. The only other single females are Meggie and Bridie Redmond, but those Elliotts wouldn’t let you two within a dozen miles of their girls.”
“We’re not looking for a wife right now, ma’am,” said Gideon. He could feel his ears burn at the thought of the local mercantile owner setting him up. If Kate didn’t work out, they’d find another bride without help of an old woman.
“Just as well, since you’re just hired workers,” said Mrs. Tanner, dismissing them with a wave.
“We’re not hired workers.” Rusty straightened up as if he was staring down an irate gambler who’d just lost his last nickel. “The three of us are buying out Walt Chamberlain. With our cattle we already own half the Running W. In five years, we’ll own it all.”
She raised an eyebrow and took another look at them. “That may be, but don’t you so much as smile at those Redmond girls without Trace Elliott’s permission. If he catches you flirting, the best you might end up in is a horse trough. And I wouldn’t want to be in your boots if Ross MacDougal got the idea you might harm them.”
“We protect women and children, not hurt them,” said Gideon before Rusty could make a comment that might get them thrown in jail. Zach had told them about the Elliotts and MacDougals, and how they were not to be messed with. “Zach’s countin’ on us to fill this list of supplies before he gets back.”
He held out the carefully composed list. They couldn’t let anyone know they already had a woman living with them. Mrs. Tanner ran her finger down the list as she silently read. They’d gone over it at least six times before they finally decided Kate could have the gingham she wanted for curtains. Any woman would want that, and Zach was supposedly searching for a wife. They also got a cone of sugar to encourage Kate to do more baking. She said the food she cooked would depend on their behavior. They wanted to treat her real good.
“This is quite a list,” she said.
“Ma’am, we just spent five long months bringing our longhorns up from Texas,” drawled Rusty. He backed off the attitude at her glare, slumping into his usual lazy pose. “We’re tired, sore, and hungry. Can’t do nothin’ about the first two, so we need a mess of vittles to fill our bellies.”
“We gotta stock up since we don’t get to town much,” added Gideon.
“My husband can supply most of this. You have a wagon out back?”
“Yep, and thank you, ma’am,” said Gideon. “This is our first time in town.”
“Then welcome to Tanner’s Ford. Molly, give each of them a stick of peppermint candy.” After a brisk nod she swept past them to the back of the store.
“That’s mighty nice of the lady,” said Rusty. He elbowed Gideon out of the way and gave Molly his finest smile. “I get the first one ’cause I’m older.”
Molly reached into the bottom of the glass jar and brought out a broken piece of candy. She held it out to Rusty. Her face held the same touch of mischief that he usually displayed. He pouted, but gave her his palm. She solemnly placed the two-inch broken piece on it. He sighed as if his life was over.
Gideon shoved him with his shoulder. “Greedy gets what he deserves.” He took his full-length peppermint stick and nodded thanks. Then he broke it in three pieces. He put two in one pocket for Kate and Zach. He stuck the other in his shirt for the ride home. Rusty grunted his agreement. This way they’d each get a small piece of the treat.
They looked up when the bell over the door rang. An elegant but tiny lady marched in. She wore a fancy dress made of blue velvet and silver lace. Her hat added an extra four inches to her height, which brought her to Gideon’s middle shirt button. Maybe. She turned and ushered a drab, solemn-faced woman into the mercantile. The woman’s eyes widened when she saw them. She stopped so fast the older lady bumped into her.
“Grace, why did you stop?”
“She looks like she’s scared of us, ma’am,” said Rusty quietly. He pulled off his hat, held it over his heart, and bowed to Grace. “We mean you no harm, ma’am. We’re just in here buying supplies. We’ll get out of your way.”
“This is Grace’s first trip out,” explained the tiny woman as if he’d understand what she meant. She nudged, but the scared woman didn’t budge. She didn’t scream or cry, which was a blessing. Gideon hated to see womenfolk upset.
“We’ll go out the back way if you like,” said Rusty.
The beaten-down woman called Grace could be anywhere from twenty to fifty by the lines on her face. So could the lady who seemed to be a cross between a matron who sang in a church choir and a fancy woman who rented herself out by the night.
“Miss Lily!” Molly flushed. “I mean, Mrs. Thatcher. These are the men Mr. Chamberlain brought from Texas to work on the Running W.”
Grace raised her head and looked at Molly with wide eyes. She made a croaking cry and dropped to her knees. Because she clasped her hands before her and bent her head, Gideon figured she was praying about something. He backed away even farther just in case her madness was catching.
“Grace? Do you know Molly Sinclair?”
Mrs. Thatcher spoke like Gideon would to a wild-eyed horse likely to bolt. Grace looked up. She stared at Molly, tears running down her face. She nodded, and started humming some church-like song. Gideon didn’t recognize it, but Molly gasped and ran around the counter. She fell to her knees beside the crazy woman smiling through tears.
“It’s you! The woman who brought me food and everything!”
Grace nodded. She opened her mouth, but only garbled sounds came out.
“No wonder you wouldn’t talk to me. Someone cut out your tongue!” Molly gently touched Grace’s shoulder. “Miss Lily, this woman cared for me when I was locked in that room for months and months. I remember her humming that song!”
The fancy old lady gasped, slapped a hand against her heart, and swayed. Gideon quick-stepped around the kneeling women and caught her elbow before she could fall.
“You all right, ma’am?”
“I will be.” She pulled her arm out of his grasp and shot him a look that meant business. “Get Sheriff Barstow from the jail. Tell him what Molly just told me. Do it fast and don’t make a fuss. We have to catch the man who kidnapped her, and the beast may be here in town. Do you understand?”
He didn’t, but she had the look of a woman you wouldn’t want to cross.
“Yes, ma’am.” He turned to Rusty. “You’ll stay with the ladies?”
Rusty frowned in a “you have to ask?” motion. Gideon reached in his pocket and pulled out the piece of peppermint stick he would have given Zach. He held it out to Rusty and tilted his head. Rusty nodded his understanding. He hunkered down and held his palm out to Grace, making soothing sounds. For once his ability with the ladies would be a help.
Gideon stepped out the door, stopping on the boardwalk to look around. Since he was new to town, he should check in with the sheriff and say howdy after dropping off his list of supplies. He hitched up his pants and sauntered to the jail as if he had nothing more on his mind than a relaxing game of checkers with the lawman. He opened the door and stepped in, turning his back
to close it snug behind him. He faced the room and stopped. Seven large men stared back, one of them dark enough to be an Indian. All of them kept their hands loose, ready to draw. Gideon slowly spread his fingers and lifted his hands away from his body.
“Whoa there, gentlemen,” he said calmly. “A tiny fireball named Mrs. Thatcher sent me from the mercantile to find the sheriff. He here?”
A man with a large moustache pushed his way through the others. Gideon caught the glint of a star pinned to his vest.
“I’m Sheriff Barstow. What’s this about?”
Gideon met the sheriff’s hard stare. “The lady told me not to make a fuss. I’ll tell you my business, but she said she can’t trust anyone else. I don’t know these other gents.”
“We dinna know ye either.”
Few men topped him, but the Scot was not only taller, he was massive. All he wore was a kilt, boots, shirt, and hat. Red curls sprouted from almost everywhere that wasn’t covered by cloth. Gideon recognized the cut of the man, the accent, and the tartan from Texas. He gave a mental curse.
“You must be a MacDougal,” said Gideon. He kept his voice neutral, though everything he’d seen and heard about them made him want to make a fist.
The Scot raised a bushy eyebrow. “Aye, that I am. Gillis MacDougal of the MD Connected. That’s my brother, Ross.” He pointed to the dark man. “And ye are?”
“Gideon McInnes of the Running W. Zach’s my brother. Rusty, our cousin, is with the ladies at the mercantile.”
“Ah, one of the lads from Texas.” Gillis nodded as if that explained something. “Did ye know any MacDougals in Texas, laddie?”
He crossed his massive arms and glared just like Finan, but he didn’t have the same vicious look in his eye. Gideon set his feet, ready to fight for his life, just in case the man didn’t like his answer.
“Yep, but nothing good,” he said. “The only decent men on the Bar MD were a pair of brothers and their cowgirl sister. I heard of another brother, a cripple, who was sent back East to his mother’s people.” Gillis hadn’t yet jumped him, so he added more information. “We worked on the Garcia ranch next door for the last few years.”