“What brings you back to this area?”
Logan looked up into the face of Eli Dawson, and old friend from his bounty hunting days. “It is good to see you again, Eli,” he said, giving the man’s hand a hearty shake. “You know why I am here as well as I do.”
“Yes, but I would not bother,” Eli sighed, taking the seat next to Logan. He lowered his voice, eyeing Tucker and the card game that appeared to be heating up. “Even if you could get your hands on him, you would have to transport him back to Kansas to collect any reward on his head. The sheriff here won’t lift a finger against him.”
“I am not asking the sheriff to arrest him. He just has to put him in jail once I do the work for him,” Logan replied, ordering a drink and a bite to eat.
“I wish you the best of luck with that. I have been trying to get my hands on Tucker for six months now. It is maddening to watch the man roam in plain sight with no opposition to his crimes. The sheriff has already warned me that he will have nothing to do with it,” Eli grumbled.
“What then? He is willing to sit by and allow his town to be overrun by any criminal who puts up a fight? Some lawman he is!”
“I agree with you, but that doesn’t change anything. Even the wanted ad that has been circulated is incorrect. The reward should be much higher, as Tucker killed the last sheriff that tried to oppose him. I am not sure it is worth the risk, Logan, even for a strong gunman like yourself.”
Logan nodded, taking this new information into account. ”What am I supposed to do then? Are you expecting me to ride out of here and leave him to roam free?”
“I am suggesting that is what you do, though I don’t really expect you to listen,” Eli smirked at his old friend.
“What would you say to the idea of us going after him together? Even if I could get my hands on him by myself, you are right about the idea of hauling him back to Kansas or at least to Denver. I am not fond of the concept of traveling alone with the man.”
Eli sat back, clearly uneager to have anything to do with Tucker. “I need to think it over,” he sighed. “What I can tell you, though, is that you have no chance of laying hands on him in this saloon. He has at least a half-dozen men scattered around the room, each as fast with a gun as he is. Why don’t we go talk about this somewhere else and let the idea sit for the night? You can come to stay at my place.”
Logan could not argue with that, and the two of them left the saloon with one last glance back at the man whose reward could send Logan home. Together, they rode out of the little settlement, heading for Eli’s house and a much-needed night of sleep.
Chapter 3
The morning of Tom’s trial arrived. Birds were chirping cheerily outside the little ranch house, and the sun shone brightly. It was a beautiful day which stood in stark contrast to the mood in the Bailey family’s home. Sara rose and steadied herself for the day ahead.
She washed her face and dressed, struggling to push back the fears that loomed in the back of her mind. Janie already had coffee brewed by the time Sara met her in the kitchen. Evidence of a sleepless night lingered in Janie’s eyes, but she dutifully plated bacon and eggs for the boys.
“Let me handle that,” Sara insisted, taking the plates from her and urging her to rest. “Have you eaten?”
Janie shook her head but insisted that she could not stomach anything. Understanding how she felt, Sara topped off Janie’s coffee and poured a cup for herself.
“Where will the boys be spending the day? I am assuming they will not be going with us.”
“No. Charley and Carter will stay with a friend in town. Mrs. Langley runs the hotel and has known us since we arrived here. She offered to keep them.”
“Good. Then we need to leave early enough to make sure they have time to get settled with her. Will your foreman be coming along?”
“Yes. Hodges knows Sheriff Graves and Moran better than I do. I want him there with us, for Tom’s sake as much as ours,” Janie said, forcing herself to sip on her coffee. “He will have the wagon ready in a few minutes.”
Sara nodded and watched Charley and Carter wolf down their breakfast. Seeing that Janie was in no shape to be bothered, she ushered the boys off to their room to find clothes for the day. Seeing little more than a day of play ahead of them, they bounded into the bedroom and eagerly dressed. Within the hour, they were all ready to make the dreaded trip into town.
Hodges poked his head through the front door. “The wagon is ready for you, ma’am,” he called.
“Thank you,” Janie nodded. “Come along, boys. Mrs. Langley will be waiting for you.”
The ride into town was painfully quiet. Sara took Janie’s hand. She tried to remain optimistic, still confident that her brother must be innocent of the charges filed against him, but Janie’s doubt was beginning to creep over her. They bumped and jarred along the little path with the boys playing in the bed of the wagon. Oh, how Sara wished all of life could be as innocent as a child believed it to be!
They stopped in front of the hotel and Sara climbed down to the road. “Come along, you two,” she called, forcing a smile as she lifted the boys to the ground. Inside the hotel lobby, a much older woman with greying hair and a pleasant face was waiting for them.
“Hello, there,” Mrs. Langley smiled to Charley and Carter, who ran up and gave her a hug. “If you have already eaten, Mr. Langley is in the back waiting for you. He has something special!”
“Can we go, Aunt Sara?” Charley asked with excitement in his eyes.
“Yes, of course!” she replied, sending them off with a hug.
“I assume that you are Sara Bailey. I am Genevieve Langley. It is nice to finally meet you,” Mrs. Langley greeted once the boys were out of earshot.
“Thank you, ma’am. It is a pleasure. I am sorry that Janie did not come in this morning.”
“There is no need to apologize,” Mrs. Langley shook her head. “That poor woman has had enough on her mind lately and far more this morning, I’m sure. Do Charley and Carter know what is going on? I wouldn’t want to say more than Janie would want me to.”
“Thank you for thinking of that. No, they are blissfully unaware. If all goes well today, Janie is hoping that they may never need to know. But she plans on tending to whatever may come after the trial.”
“I understand perfectly,” Genevieve nodded. She placed a reassuring hand on Sara’s shoulder. “I wish your family all the best. Tom is a good man, and I hope he is returned to his family with speed.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” Sara smiled, sensing the sympathy in the woman’s voice. “We will be back for the boys as soon as things are settled.”
Assured that the boys were in good hands, Mr. Hodges drove the wagon to the town hall where the trial would take place. He stopped out front and helped the women to the ground. Janie stood tall, knowing she would be seeing Tom in a few minutes. She wanted him to see her as being brave. Sara understood, helping her smooth out her dress and pin back the few hairs the wagon ride had blown free.
Entering the building, Sara immediately caught sight of her brother. He was standing near the front of the hall with a regional lawman at his side. Tom’s sandy hair was brushed and his clothes tidy, but he was much thinner than Sara had seen him before.
His face bore the same strained look that had settled on Janie’s expression as of late. He was taking instructions from the lawman about the proceedings when he caught sight of his wife. He stared in shock once he saw Sara accompanying Janie.
Seeing Tom, Janie lost her resolve and lunged for her husband, eager to hold him if only for a moment. But the lawman quickly stopped her, forcing a distance between them. Sara took Janie by the hand, giving the sheriff a cold glare.
The women made their way to a row of seats near the front of the hall, as close to Tom as the lawman would allow. Mr. Hodges joined them, trying to reassure Janie that everything would be alright. Soon, the circuit judge entered the room, and the trial began.
Sara held Janie’s hand
as a shady looking man took to the stand. There was something in his expression that Sara took an immediate disliking to. He wore a constant smirk and boasted an air of confidence that made her stomach tighten.
The judge called him by the name of Warren. Sara surmised that this must be one of Levi Moran’s men. Anger surged through Janie’s body as the man told a tale that she knew could not be true. His account of an enraged attack with a hunting knife set her blood boiling. Tom was a peaceful man who would not do such a thing. Sara looked to Hodges to further steady the woman between them.
The judge called for the hunting knife in question, and a clerk laid it before him. Its elaborately carved handle was far from anything that Tom would own, but the odds were not in his favor. The judge looked over the knife, giving Tom an unsettling look before entering it as evidence.
Before long, a second man by the name of Williams took to the stand. He, too, told a tale of a raging lunatic. Janie’s hands clenched as tears welled up in her eyes. Williams’ calm stare rested on Tom with an almost taunting edge to it. Sara shifted uneasily upon noticing Tom’s familiar expression. He gazed at the man, whom he clearly knew, already beginning to accept his fate.
Finally, the judge called Sheriff Graves forward. Whereas the other men had been quiet and composed, Sheriff Noah Graves fidgeted in his seat. He wrung his hands in his lap and avoided looking at the judge. Sara could not help but notice the man Graves continued to glance at. He was a cheat of a man; she was sure of it.
His expensive suit and slicked-back hair suggested a life of ease and wealth. His arrogant posture was that of a man who was rarely denied his way. One glance at Hodges confirmed that the man in question was Levi Moran. He looked over at Janie and Sara with a haughty eye. Janie was too distracted to notice, but Sara stared the man down.
At long last, Tom had the opportunity to tell his side of the tale. He gazed at Janie, telling his story to her as much as to the judge. Janie met his gaze, silently communicating with him in the way only a wife can. Watching the man she loved so dearly, Janie felt helpless.
Tom insisted that, though there had been an argument, nothing violent had occurred. He addressed the judge, clarifying that disagreement was not against the law. However, Tom’s adamant plea that he was innocent seemed to fall on deaf ears. After hearing all of the parties concerned, the judge took a short recess.
Janie’s foot nervously tapped on the floor, and she wrung her hands in her lap. “I cannot stand it,” she whimpered. “They must find him innocent…they must. Should a man’s plea that he has done no wrong go unnoticed?”
Sara reached her arm around Janie’s shoulders, trying to comfort her. But she could not hide her own concern. Things did not look good. When the judge returned, Tom faced the judge for sentencing.
“Having heard the testimonies of all involved parties, this court finds Tom Bailey guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. He is hereby sentenced to serve five years in prison for his crime.”
Janie slumped into her chair and buried her face in her hands. Her slender frame quaked with her sobs. Sara felt the breath taken from her lungs as her eyes met Tom’s. His look of utter defeat shook her. She clasped her hands in front of her chest, watching helplessly as the regional sheriff escorted her brother out of the room.
Hodges gently took Janie by the arm, leading her out of the hall. Sara followed close behind them, with her head reeling. Sara and Hodges more lifted than helped Janie into the wagon. Sara offered her a handkerchief and held her tightly as she sobbed on her shoulder. They lingered in front of the hall for a few moments, not wanting Janie’s emotional state to scare the boys.
Once Janie had collected herself enough to make the trip to the ranch, Hodges clicked the reins and started toward the hotel. Sara climbed down and met Mrs. Langley at the front desk. One glance out of the window at Janie and her shoulders slumped, quickly reading the trial’s outcome in the woman’s tears.
“I am so sorry,” Mrs. Langley whispered. “I was so sure Tom would be going home with you.”
“As was I,” Sara shook her head. “I don’t know how we can break the news to the boys. My stomach aches at the thought of it.”
Hearing Sara’s voice, the brothers ran into the lobby to meet her. She wrapped them in a hug, perhaps a bit tighter than usual. With the promise to visit Mrs. Langley soon, Sara urged the boys out to the wagon. After lifting Charley and Carter into the wagon, they began the long ride home.
The boys’ playful chatter in the bed only amplified the painful silence on the bench. Sara’s foot tapped nervously with the rhythmic beat of the horses’ hooves. The sight of the little house held a gloom over it as they approached it this time. What had felt so much like home now seemed cold and hard. Seeing that Janie was in no condition to break the news to the boys, Hodges pulled them away to help with the chickens while Sara took Janie into the house. Sara began heating some water for tea and found a blanket for Janie to wrap herself in. With the verdict in place, there was nothing left that Sara could do for Tom. Her entire focus now rested on Janie.
Refusing anything to drink, Janie went to her room. She sat on the edge of her bed with her arms clenched tightly around her. Rocking back and forth, she could feel her shivers returning. Knowing that forcing herself onward would do not good at all, she crawled into her bed and cried herself to sleep.
Sara sat in the living room, staring off into nothingness as she struggled to wrap her mind around the events of the day. Moran’s men had presented quite a case, but her gut told her that there was foul play involved. Her mind continued to return to the scene of Tom sitting in the chair next to the judge. There was a fear in his face that reminded her of him as a boy. That was not the face of a man who had assaulted someone.
Sara felt that she might go mad, sitting there with nothing to do but replay the scenes of the day through her mind. She tried to focus her attention elsewhere, cleaning up the breakfast dishes that she’d not had time to handle that morning. Her immediate future was now quite blurry. When she was leaving Baltimore, she hadn’t thought that there was any chance of Tom being guilty of such a ridiculous charge. But as things stood now, Tom would be away for five years and Janie was in no state to try to run a ranch.
Sure, she had Hodges and Peterson, but they were already handling more work than they should have to. Janie was going to need Sara to stay, but for how long? Her mother still needed her care as well, and funds had been tight to begin with. There was no telling how long her supervisor would be willing to hold her position. She had every right to give it to someone else today if she pleased.
Sara sighed and splashed some water over her face. Regardless of how grim things appeared, she knew that she must not upset the boys. Right now, that would only make things harder for everyone.
As supper time neared, Sara prepared a pot of soup for the boys, holding it warm in case Janie should wake up. They bounded in from the barn where Hodges had been kind enough to keep them busy. Sara invited the cowhands to join them for supper, but they politely declined under the circumstances. She sent two bowls of soup with Hodges just the same. At least they could eat in the bunkhouse that way.
The boys washed up before eagerly sopping up their meal. Sara’s heart broke for them, seeing the blissful ignorance in their faces. They would have to be told the truth. Janie could not dismiss their questions for five long years. But, somehow, tonight did not seem to be the right time.
“Did you enjoy your stay with Mrs. Langley this afternoon?” Sara asked, trying to lighten her own mood.
“Oh, yes! Mr. Langley’s hound dog had puppies!” Charley enthusiastically informed.
“There are five of them!” Carter added.
“Oh, what fun! I am sure that you enjoyed playing with them. That sounds like the best kind of surprise.”
Partners in Justice and Love: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 3