Sara eyed her riding companion. He had his hands in his pockets and was leaning up against a tree, gazing off into the distance. His generally laid-back demeanor told her that he was familiar with his surroundings. “Have you been here before?” she finally asked.
“Yes, but under very different circumstances,” he nodded without really looking at her. He paused for a moment as if remembering something from the past. “I have delivered several prisoners here. I never thought I would find myself on this end of things.”
“But you do believe he is innocent, don’t you?” she pushed.
“Yes,” he said, finally drawing his gaze back to her. “But I don’t know how much it will take to prove it. Let’s get back on the trail. The sooner we can talk to Tom, the sooner we can get to work.”
Sara agreed and climbed back into the wagon. The open landscape made the prison seem closer than it was. It took them another half an hour on the path before arriving. Logan stopped the wagon at the hitching post out front, giving the horses a chance to get a much-needed drink. Sara collected the clothes for Tom and climbed to the ground. She took a deep breath, eyeing the door. Together, Logan and Sara stepped into the building.
“Can I help you?” a man behind a counter asked, rising from his seat.
The lawman’s face was immediately familiar to Sara. It was the same man who had escorted Tom into the town hall during the trial. Her stomach began to tighten as images of that day flashed back through her mind.
“We would like to see Tom Bailey,” Logan spoke up, sensing Sara’s nerves.
“What is your business with him?”
“He is a relative, and we have brought some extra clothing for him,” Logan explained, motioning toward the pack.
The lawman nodded. “Alright. Leave those here for an inspection, and I will take you to him.”
Sara handed the pack of clothes over the counter and followed the man to a door on the far side of the room. After unlocking it, the lawman stepped through the door with Logan and Sara following. The sight of the heavy iron bars on the cells sent Sara’s heart racing. Her breath quickened, and her hands clenched.
Logan brushed his hand lightly across Sara’s shoulder. “You’re alright,” he whispered. “You are safe with me.”
She took a forced breath and nodded. They followed the lawman down a long walkway between rows of cells until he finally stopped. He pointed toward the jail cell on the right, never offering to unlock the door. Tom looked up from the bench in his cell, noticing the guard. Sara’s expression twisted at the sight of her brother. His clothes were now dirty and his hair was a mess. It was a far different picture than that of the man she had seen at the trial. She rushed to the cell door and pushed her hand through the bars.
“Oh, Tom!” she cried.
Tom’s expression was filled with panic and he rushed for the bars, grasping his sister’s hands. Logan glanced at the lawman who nodded, telling them that he would give them a few minutes. He walked away, taking a seat near the door they had entered through at the far end of the walkway. Tom’s hands shook in Sara’s, and he gave her the closest thing to a hug that he could manage with the bars between them.
Logan’s heart was instantly torn at the sight of Sara’s distress. He had only just met this woman, but her genuine warmth and kind nature made him feel like he knew her already. He stood back, giving the siblings a moment together. His chest tightened amidst the palpable stress in the room.
“What has happened?” Sara whispered, struggling to find her voice.
Logan stepped forward, putting his hand through the bars and resting it reassuringly on Tom’s shoulder. Tom took a breath, steadying himself. He shook his head, lacking a place to begin.
“Tom, we need to know what really happened between you and Moran’s men,” Logan spoke up. “Janie and Sara told me that the trial was one-sided. I want to help you, but we have to know what actually took place.”
“Alright, Logan, you know that Moran already had issues with me, but I thought that matters were being resolved,” he began, remaining vague as he was sure that Sara did not know of his debt. “For several weeks, I went out of my way to stay as far from the saloon as I could. But the needs on the ranch were piling up, and we had a wagon wheel that needed to be repaired. So, one afternoon, I rode into town. I stopped at the general store first and then walked through Oakmede on my way to the blacksmith’s shop. I did not have any intention of stopping in at the saloon, but Warren and Williams were waiting in the doorway. Warren grabbed my arm and yanked me inside, demanding to speak with me. He had such a grip on my arm that I did not have much choice in the matter.
“Once inside the saloon, they told me that Moran had changed his mind. The agreement that we had come to was not good enough anymore, and he wanted things taken care of on the spot or else he would be going after Janie and the boys. They said that someone was sure to get hurt if I did not take care of things immediately. I won’t deny that I attacked Moran’s men. I don’t know what came over me. I just snapped and flew into a rage at the thought of them trying to harm my family. But I promise you, I did not have a weapon. I don’t know where the knife even came from. Moran’s men must have planted it. Levi wanted me in prison, and he always gets what he wants.”
“I knew it,” Logan growled. “I knew that something did not add up. We’re going to find a way to get you out of this, Tom. I will not sit idly by while you pay for a crime you didn’t commit. ”
Sara hung her head, knowing that his story would be difficult to prove. Tom looked to Logan, wincing as he knew the strain Logan had already been put through for his sake. He did not deserve Logan’s unwavering loyalty, but it was his only hope of being returned to his family now.
“Logan, do you mind if I speak with Sara alone for a minute?” he asked, feeling the desperation growing within him once again.
“Of course not. Sara, I will wait for you down here,” Logan said, turning and walking toward the guard.
Sara turned back to Tom, again taking his hand. “What is it?” she asked, studying his face. His eyes lacked the life that they once held, and the creases around them had grown deep with worry.
Tom waited for Logan to leave earshot. “Sara, I am deeply conflicted over something,” he began. “There is a terrible secret I have been keeping, and I feel that I must talk to someone. We have always been able to confide in one another…”
Sara nodded, stepping as close to the bars as she could. “Go on, Tom. What’s bothering you? You know that you can speak to me.”
“You can never tell Logan that I told you. He made me swear not to tell anyone, but I am going mad holding it in,” he groaned, rubbing his face and running his fingers through his hair. “I am the reason that Logan had to leave home again. I’m the one who put him back to the dangerous life of a bounty hunter. It is all my fault. When we lost so much of the herd last spring, I feared that we would lose the ranch altogether.” Tom sighed, shaking his head as he remembered those fateful days. “You know, I look at that place and I see my boys’ future. I see them taking it over, years from now, and making their own lives on it. It holds in it the hope of daughters-in-law and grandchildren. The thought of having that all torn away was more than I could bear. But I was struggling to cover the most basic of needs, let alone pay the hands. I needed a way to save our home…and fast.”
Sara nodded, shifting a bit uneasily as she anticipated where Tom was going with this.
“You know me, Sara. You know that I have never been one to shy away from a hard day’s work. And I don’t keep what I didn’t earn. But I needed a fast solution. I couldn’t let the hands go, or I would undoubtedly lose more of the herd than I already had. I didn’t have time for an investment to pay off, and borrowing more money from the bank would have been out of the question...they nearly laughed me out of the building last time I tried that. The only means of quick money that I could think of in this little place was at the gambling tables in Moran’s saloon.”
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br /> “I should have known there was no hope of winning, but I was desperate. I’m a decent poker player, and I had won a fair share of money in the past. But these games were clearly rigged. One loss after another left me more desperate than I was to begin with. It soon led to a deep debt that I could see no way out of. I was surprised that Moran even let me walk out of the saloon. Not knowing where else to turn, and too ashamed to tell Janie the truth, I turned to Logan for help. But it was far too late. I already owed Moran two thousand dollars.”
Sara’s eyes widened as the details began to come together in her mind. Everything began to make sense.
“Logan is an honest man, and he knew there would be no easy way out of a debt I rightfully owed. He stepped in on my behalf, arranging a delayed payment date to give him time to earn the necessary money. He returned to bounty hunting to pay a debt that was not his. I am to blame!” Tom hung his head in shame. “As hard as it is for me to admit it, I deserve to be here in prison. But I can’t deal with the guilt of knowing that Logan is paying for my sins. Logan made me swear never to tell Janie the real reason why he left six months ago. And yet, here he is, trying to free me of my own trouble again. I don’t know what to do, Sara. I don’t deserve his kindness, but the thought of losing Janie over the truth of the situation tears me apart. He was right; she would likely never forgive me.”
Sara sighed and rubbed her face, trying to absorb everything that Tom had confided in her. The situation was bleak at best. “Alright,” she said, collecting her thoughts. “We’ll just have to take things one matter at a time. This debt that you owe to Moran was not a part of your sentencing. It will have to be paid, but it is not what is keeping you here. We need to find a way to prove that the knife was not yours.”
“Yes, but how are you going to do that?”
“Sara,” Logan said, again approaching the cell. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but the sheriff has given us all the time he is willing to. He wants us to go.”
She nodded and gave Tom’s hand one last squeeze. The panic returned to Tom’s eyes as Sara pulled her hand back through the bars. Logan swallowed hard, seeing a mere shadow of the man that he had lived and worked alongside not long ago.
“We’re going to do everything that we can, Tom,” Logan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Something definitely doesn’t add up, but we have to figure out how to prove it. My instincts are pointing toward Sheriff Graves being our best lead. His testimony in court put you here, and if there is more to his story than he shared, it needs to be revealed. For the time being, you need to take care of yourself. Hang in there for Janie and the boys’ sake. We’ll figure out something, even if it takes a little time.”
Sara struggled to pull herself away, and she began to feel sick. Logan placed a gentle hand on her arm, leading her toward the entrance. It was everything she could do not to run back to her brother who was pressed against the bars, watching them until they disappeared through the doorway.
“Thank you, Sheriff,” Logan nodded as they passed the front desk. The man didn’t bother to rise again.
Chapter 9
Once outside of the prison, Sara took a deep breath of the fresh air. The large building with tiny windows near the ceiling was stale and suffocating. The knot in her stomach finally started to release its grip on her. Logan helped her up into the wagon before continuing down the path toward a small settlement in the distance.
“What do you make of the situation?” Sara finally spoke up.
Logan shook his head, still trying to nail that down himself. “I believe that Tom is telling the truth, but I’m not sure what to do about it. Warren and Williams will be of no use to us. They were clearly put up to baiting Tom, and Moran has too much of a hold on them for their stories to change now.” Logan wiped away the sweat that was already forming on his brow, replaying Tom’s account through his mind. “I believe that things might be different with Sheriff Graves though. He is not a crooked man, he just has no backbone. I think a visit with him will be the best place for us to start.”
“Alright, then we will arrange a meeting as soon as we get back to the ranch,” Sara agreed.
Their detour to find food took them well out of their way, at least an hour further from Oakmede. But their empty stomachs were all the motivation they needed to make the trip anyway. Neither of them wanted to ride the six hours back to the ranch while hungry.
As they rode along, the image of Tom pressing himself against the bars of his cell haunted Sara. She had expected their goodbye in Baltimore to be the most difficult one of their relationship, but it paled in comparison to today’s. At least he had been happy when he embarked on his journey westward. Today he was a miserable man indeed. Leaving him to waste away took the breath straight out of Sara’s lungs.
She eyed Logan, who was keeping a close watch on the tree line in the distance. Tom’s revelation had certainly shone a new light on this man, bringing answers that Sara had given up on knowing. The fact that he had jumped in to help Tom as if he were his own brother left a lingering impression on Sara.
Finally arriving at the little settlement Logan drove through to the far end of town, stopping in front of the inn. There he tied the wagon and gave Sara a hand to the ground. “Welcome to Pine Ridge,” he commented, sweeping his hand across the view of the tiny place.
Pine Ridge was much different to Oakmede, and Sara got a glimpse into the hardships that Janie had made mention of in her letters. The fact that Oakmede had the railroad passing through it was helping it to thrive. But this was far more secluded, appearing to be little more than a dusty collection of buildings.
Logan chuckled at Sara’s look of surprise. “It makes Oakmede look like a crowded place, doesn’t it?”
“It does indeed. How do people manage to get along this far removed?”
“They mostly live off the land. But whatever supplies can’t be fashioned at home have to be sent for. It can be a long and frustrating process.”
“Then why do they bother?” she asked, following Logan toward the door of the Inn. “Why not go to a place with the railroad?”
“Even Oakmede was much like this when I arrived. Things have changed a great deal in four years. Besides, there is something special about making your own way with nothing and no one to interfere. What it lacks in convenience, it makes up for in potential.”
Sara nodded, though not entirely convinced. They stepped inside the Inn, turning into the small restaurant situated off of the lobby. Unsurprisingly, it was empty. The only motion to be noticed was the gently floating curtains that hung in front of the open windows. A soft breeze lifted them up, allowing sunbeams to creep in beneath them.
“Have a seat wherever you like. I’ll be right with you,” a waitress called from the kitchen.
Booths lined the windows at the front of the establishment, while tables and chairs filled the rest of the room. Logan gave a quick look around. His years of tracking down outlaws had left him a bit distrusting. Disliking having his back exposed to a room, Logan urged Sara toward a booth at the far end of the place. They slid in opposite each other and waited for the server.
“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Payne!” the waitress exclaimed, placing menus in front of them both. “It’s been several years, but I never forget a face. How are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Are you back on someone’s trail? I hope not here in Pine Ridge,” she continued, pouring two cups of coffee.
“No, ma’am. There’s nothing to be concerned about. I’m just passing through.”
“I’m glad to hear that. The special of the day is a chicken casserole. And since it’s been so long since you came through this way, consider lunch to be on the house.”
“That’s very kind of you,” he smiled. “Thank you.”
Logan and Sara each ordered the casserole and settled in for their meal. Once the waitress was back in the kitchen, Sara studied Logan for a moment before speaking up.
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Partners in Justice and Love: A Historical Western Romance Book Page 10