The Badger City Gang [Bride Train 7] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Reece Butler

  He suddenly jumped back, barely avoiding the punch from Doc that would have squashed his nose like a tomato. Zach hadn’t been in Tanner’s Ford long, but everyone knew Doc was a gentle man. He never hurt anyone, even a dog, yet he attacked an unarmed man behind bars? Trace Elliott grabbed Doc’s hand before he could yank the gun from Luke Frost’s holster. Luke’s face was twisted in a snarl, his scar almost glowing in the lamplight.

  Barstow’s two-fingered whistle pierced the shouts filling the jail. Zach wasn’t the only one to wince. The room was jam-packed with angry men. When the posse hauled Rivers into jail, it seemed every man in town followed. No wonder, as small towns rarely got much excitement.

  The same thing happened down in Texas. The whole county went into an uproar when the bounty hunter announced he’d killed Peyton McInnes and set the glass jar with a pickled head on the bar’s counter. The bounty hunter got free drinks for the rest of the night. Zach later learned that many of his neighbors immediately accused Dougal of hiding Peyton so he could rob them as well.

  Only Garcia had seen the truth. He never spoke of it, but when the three of them turned up at the ranch asking for work, he just pointed to the bunkhouse and told them to settle in. He and Rusty were grown men of nineteen with Gideon a lanky seventeen-year-old string bean. They’d worked for the brand as hard as if it was their own place and gotten the first taste of respect.

  If they wanted the same respect from Tanner’s Ford, they had to earn it. Helping catch Rivers was a start. Rusty and Gideon had many a hand slap them on the back in thanks, but they had a long way to go. Since he had little to do with the capture, he needed to prove he was just as worthy.

  “You lot are makin’ more noise than a pen full of pigs at feedin’ time,” roared the sheriff. “Unless ye’re a deputy, get yer trotters outta my jail!”

  After roaring the order, Barstow met the eye of every man in the room. Zach saw pain and fury in the glare that hit him like a bolt of lightning.

  “That includes you, Doc,” Barstow added in a less forceful voice.

  No one moved except Doc. He stabbed the sheriff, a far bigger man, in the chest as if his finger was a knife. The older man’s face was almost purple and he shook with rage.

  “Molly was doing so well, laughing and thinking about having a husband and babies, like a young girl should,” howled Doc. “But now she’s curled in a ball, just like after we rescued her from that damn whorehouse! Sarah Frost is in bad shape, and so’s my wife. I want to see this bastard get everything he deserves, and more!”

  Doc tried to attack the mayor again, but Barstow held him back. After a moment Doc pulled himself together, standing with dignity to stare at Rivers.

  “I give my life to save others,” he said. The room was quiet other than agitated breathing and shuffling feet. “But I want you dying in pain, slowly, over and over, for each life you’ve destroyed.”

  Ross MacDougal rested his hand on the older man’s shoulder. Doc looked up at him with hollow eyes.

  “It doesn’t help, but I understand,” said Ross gently. “I want to skin him just the same, but your wife and daughter need you. Let’s go home.” The fingers of his free hand twitched as he glared at Rivers. Zach expected him to pull his knives and skewer the man then and there. The ex-mayor must have thought the same thing as he backed as far away as he could in the small cell. Ross curled up his lip and scowled. “I don’t want to breathe the same air as this piece of filth.”

  “You’re right.” Doc ran a shaking hand through his graying hair. “I’m a peaceful man, but if I had a gun, I’d shoot the bastard in the balls.”

  “He already got a good kick there, thanks to a certain lady,” said Ross. Many snickered when Rivers bent and covered his balls with his hands.

  “I’m buying the first drinks for the Running W,” said a grinning man with curly red hair. From Walt’s description, it was Oz Cutler, of the Circle C.

  “You up for a bit of whiskey at Baldy’s?” asked Rusty. He had to speak into Zach’s ear because of the noise.

  Zach shook his head. “You and Gideon did all the work. I just rode drag. I’ll drop by later.”

  “You sure? It’ll be a good time.”

  “Free whiskey,” added Gideon.

  “Got something to say to the sheriff.”

  Rusty and Gideon shared a speaking glance. “You gonna tell him ’bout Peyton?” asked Rusty. He scratched the back of his neck when Zach nodded. “Guess it’s gotta come out some time. Best do it while they ain’t mad at us.” He slapped Zach on the back. Gideon gave him a strange look.

  “You want that whiskey or not?” asked Oz. He and Gideon sized each other up. They looked about the same age, but Oz was about four inches shorter.

  “Long as you’re buyin’, I’m drinkin’,” replied Rusty, butting in.

  “I’ll go along with that,” added Gideon.

  “Out!” yelled Barstow.

  Zach backed into a dim corner to let the others pass. They swarmed onto the street, loudly rehashing what they thought had happened. Already the rumors had Kate tackling Rivers and hog-tying him all by herself. Each man seemed to want to top the others. Their excited shouts finally faded as they jammed into Baldy’s Saloon.

  Zach hated those who spread rumors. They’d been on the receiving end of too many after the bounty hunter announced Peyton’s death. His Spanish wasn’t good enough at first to understand what Garcia’s men talked about, but their looks said enough.

  But Peyton was just a train robber. A thief. That was small potatoes compared to Rivers. It was one thing to know evil existed, another to discover it in your own town. Worse, the townspeople had made Rivers an elected official and put their trust in him. If Zach wanted the trust of those in Tanner’s Ford, he had to tell the truth about Peyton.

  But his thieving wasn’t what stuck in his craw.

  He didn’t blame his uncle as much as his mother. She had abused their trust and spurned their love. He couldn’t count the number of false smiles she had given over the years in response to his father’s love. She had cheated on her husband all their married life. Not physically, thank God, but in her heart.

  Her black, corrupted heart.

  What really twisted his guts was that, deep inside, a part of him still loved his mother. At the same time he was disgusted at himself for being taken in by a scheming woman. It didn’t matter that he was a child. She’d taken everything good in his young life and twisted it into something corrupt and ugly. How could he trust a woman’s welcoming smile after a lifetime of lies?

  He thanked God his father never found out the truth.

  The truth.

  Zach wiped his clammy hands on his pants and straightened his spine. He looked at Sheriff Barstow, Judge Thatcher, and the two Elliotts, Ranger and Trace. They wore deputy stars on their shirts. He didn’t like getting this close to the law, especially four of them with badges, but Tanner’s Ford was now home to the McInnes men. It was time for him to talk.

  “What you doing on this side of the door, son?” Thatcher gazed at him with blank eyes, seeing and judging but revealing nothing.

  “You got something to say, spit it out,” said Barstow.

  The back of Zach’s neck prickled as if the rough rope of a makeshift noose already ringed it. The vigilantes hanged men for less than what Zach had done on that train. Thatcher knew something about him, sure as shooting. Barstow looked intrigued. The Elliotts just waited, seemingly disinterested, but Zach saw the twitch in Ranger’s gun hand. Zach let out a long breath, one he realized he’d been holding since they decided to make Montana Territory their home.

  “We’d better take this outside,” said Barstow, eyeing the mayor.

  Zach led the way through the door. Thatcher stopped on the boardwalk and turned to him. Barstow kept the door open a few inches to watch Rivers, who’d gingerly sat on the hard wood bed once the crowd left.

  “Heard you’ve been a judge in these parts a while,” said Zach. Thatcher nodded. T
ension squeezed Zach’s chest. “I expect you heard about Peyton McInnes, leader of the Badger City Gang.”

  Another nod, another notch of rising tension. Every man’s gun hand was twitching near their holsters. He realized if he made a wrong move, he might end up dead. Keeping his eye on Thatcher, he slowly, carefully, unbuckled his gun belt. He held it out to one side, his peaceful intentions obvious. The hands of the hard men facing him relaxed. Now able to breathe, he straightened up, setting his shoulders back as his father had taught him. A man stands up to his past so he can face his future.

  “My family came to Alder Gulch in sixty-three with my uncle. We got ourselves some claims and worked hard, but not Uncle Peyton. He and his Badger City Gang liked to rob the mule trains as they left the mines, fully loaded,” said Zach quietly. His heart pounded so fast he could barely hear himself speak.

  “Far as I know Peyton didn’t shoot anyone. He said he gave some of the money to miner’s widows, but I don’t know about that. My father and Peyton looked like twins, only Pa had a dark freckle on one side of his nose. After Peyton and his gang took a lot of gold from a mule train, Pa got worried he’d get blamed. We sold our claims and moved to Texas in sixty-six. Peyton followed, just ahead of the law.”

  “He was caught a few years back,” said Barstow. “Heard they brought his head back East, pickled in alcohol, as proof for the reward.”

  Zach’s heart spasmed as if an arrow pierced it. “That head had a dark freckle.” He croaked the words.

  Thatcher’s eyes widened in understanding. “What happened to Peyton?”

  Zach’s stomach roiled, filled with bile. He forced the words past gritted teeth.

  “He stepped into Pa’s life as if nothing had happened.”

  Zach closed his eyes, hating the thought of seeing their pity. It would shame his father’s memory. He’d accepted that his mother was a lying, scheming, woman who eagerly jumped into another man’s bed. He’d quickly realized Ma always preferred the wilder brother but married Pa because he was a good provider.

  He wasn’t the only one with a coldhearted mother. Rusty’s ma hadn’t even waited for her husband’s dead body to be hauled from the saloon before she’d gone upstairs with the man who shot him.

  All three of them knew a man could never trust a woman. ’Course, they hadn’t really known many women. Kate’s open, laughing smile and eager touch drifted through his mind. He’d never seen Ma so relaxed, so openly joyful, even when Peyton was visiting.

  Maybe Kate was different. He sure felt different about her than any other woman. His heart damn near stopped when he heard that high scream from inside Rivers’s place. Even with her nightgown covered by Rusty’s big shirt, and knowing the men in the posse were all married, he’d burned in rage when any of them looked at her.

  How the hell had Rusty and Gideon stood it when Rivers and his men looked at her with lust? He’d have gone after them with his fists, teeth, boots, gun, knife, and anything else he could grab. Was that part of the reason they put him on drag? He rubbed his face with his hand. Were his feelings for Kate that obvious?

  “So Peyton got away with it,” murmured Thatcher. “Then what happened?”

  The judge’s words broke into Zach’s thoughts. He blinked to clear his head.

  “Me, Rusty, and Gideon buried what was left of Pa and walked out. We worked on the Garcia ranch until this spring when the Señor helped us make a deal with Walt Chamberlain. He also made Peyton give us the cattle we would have inherited from Pa if we’d stayed. Then we came north to start over. ” He shrugged as if the decision to leave was easy. “We want to build a new life here, not find trouble.”

  “Damn,” said Ranger. “That’s why you hired on with Garcia. I wondered.” He turned to Thatcher. “Me, Patrick, and Jessie know the McInnes boys from Texas,” he explained. He winced and cleared his throat. “When I told Sunbird we’d met up again, she said she helped Mrs. McInnes birth a couple of young ones about four or five years back.”

  His words were like a shot to Zach’s heart. Ma would’ve been about thirty-five when Pa died. The thought of her and Peyton having children never crossed his mind, maybe because he blacked everything about them out. Now that he knew, it both sickened and shamed him.

  Though they shared Kate, it was totally different from what happened with his mother. All were honest and open about it. Hell, the whole valley did the same thing! They all knew Gideon and Rusty had little chance of finding other wives, but it didn’t matter. They wanted Kate anyway. She was just as eager in return. For now.

  They were like Pa, hardworking and honest. Would Kate want someone fun and exciting one day and leave them, as his and Rusty’s mothers had done? Zach looked up when Thatcher cleared his throat.

  “We won’t hold you accountable for your uncle’s crimes,” said the judge. “The law considers him dead. God will judge him soon enough.”

  The others nodded agreement but Zach wasn’t finished talking. He had to tell them what he’d done. He’d hoped to get Kate more amenable to staying before it came out, but now was the time.

  “There’s something else.” Zach looked the judge in the eye. “You know about Kate. I used what Peyton taught us to rob the Bride Train. I held a gun on a dozen women because I wanted a wife. Kate said she’d come with me, but what I did was wrong.”

  “Yep, I heard tell about that,” said the sheriff. He looked at Zach from head to feet. “Heard you tossed her to Rusty while the train was starting up and then jumped on your own horse.” He stuck his thumbs in his belt and rocked back on his heels. “That’s one fine woman. Wish I’d seen her drive that skunk’s balls into next week with her foot.” He sniffed. “Mary’s bad enough. I wouldn’t want to rile a woman like Kate.”

  Zach heard a couple of snickers of agreement. He exhaled, though he kept the gun belt high. Pa was right. Hiding something was a great burden. Did Kate carry one as well?

  Barstow and Thatcher leaned their heads together. They spoke in whispers as Zach waited. Sweat beaded his face. His right hand wavered a bit as the Colt and gun belt were heavy, but he held on. One wrong move could put at least one bullet through his heart. Or lower, if they wanted to be cruel.

  Finally the two lawmen nodded, and then faced him.

  “There’s no outstanding charges I know of,” said Thatcher. “The lady left willingly and the others enjoyed the excitement.” He winked. “We know how difficult it is to find a wife in these parts.”

  “I expect Cole Taylor will dang near bust a gut when he hears.” Barstow’s lip twitched under his bushy moustache. “He’ll be spittin’ mad fer not thinkin’ of it hisself.” The sheriff reached in his pocket. Zach flinched when he tossed something at him, but caught it with his free hand. He looked down. A tin star. He frowned.

  “Strap on that gun belt,” said Thatcher. “You’ll need it. We have to keep Rivers alive for the trial. That means he has to be guarded by men with no death grudge against him.”

  “That leaves out near everyone in town,” added Ranger drily.

  “Last prisoners we had got shot, right here in jail, before we could question them,” said Trace, speaking up. “Ross was planning on doing some persuading, but he got cheated of the opportunity. We don’t want that happening again.”

  Thatcher motioned for Zach to put the badge on. “Can you and your partners guard Rivers, day and night, from those who want to kill him as well as release him? The Sweetwater ranch will spell you off. They’re the only other ones without a grudge against Rivers.” The judge smiled. It wasn’t pleasant. “Be interesting to see what happens when you meet.”

  “You’d trust us?”

  Zach had faced tough men before, but the ones in Tanner’s Ford were something more. If they’d accept him and his partners after the stunt he pulled to get Kate, then he, Rusty, and Gideon would have a damn good chance for a decent life as respectable men. This was their chance to prove their worth. No matter what Cole Taylor and his partners did to them, the Running W wou
ldn’t retaliate. Even though the sons-a-guns were Southerners.

  All four men nodded. Zach exhaled, hiding his relief by staring at his buckle. He did up his gun belt with trembling fingers.

  “Of course we’d trust you,” said Ranger. He snorted a laugh. “You three were working your asses off every time we saw you down in Texas. Jessie said you kept an eye on her during big gathers so no strangers bothered her.”

  “Watch out for those Sweetwater boys,” said Thatcher. His sly smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I expect they’ll try to seduce Kate away from you with their Southern charm.”

  “Kate’s too wild to be taken in by smooth manners,” replied Zach. He still didn’t have his voice under control, but it was getting there. “She’s too ornery for them.”

  Trace’s moustache twitched. “When Beth gets ornery, I take her to bed.”

  “Works for Florence,” added Ranger smoothly.

  “If she’s anything like the others, and I expect she is after seeing what she did to Rivers, she’s already in your bed,” said Barstow. “You’d better get her in mind for a wedding.”

  “Kate’s not ready for that,” groused Zach. “She said she wants to have wild adventures first. I think she enjoyed today a bit too much.”

  The other men’s grins didn’t help his mood.

  “Spend a night at Sophie’s hotel and make the woman very happy,” said Judge Thatcher. He winked, telling Zach what he meant. “Bring her to me the next morning while she’s still seeing stars. She’ll be married before she remembers what she doesn’t like about you.”

  Chapter 24

  Kate perched on a stool in Doctor Henley’s parlor. He lived next door to the jail at the far west end of town. Though he was locked up, being so close to Rivers made her a bit nervous in case he had friends who would try to break him out. It wasn’t his escaping that bothered her so, but someone going after her for the part she did in catching him. But Rosa, the new Mrs. Henley, insisted the house was well guarded.