Follow The Wind

by Janelle Taylor

  Tom had finally fallen asleep. Gran was mourning in her room. Mary Louise was plotting in hers. Matt held Jessie in his arms at the front door and comforted her. The men were quiet as the death of Jedidiah Lane settled in on them.

  Jessie climbed into her parents’ bed, as she could not sleep in the same room with her unfeeling sister. She wept over her father’s loss, and the guilt she felt over it. The road before her would be hard; she prayed she had the courage and wits to travel it. She swore revenge on Wilbur Fletcher. She ached for her love’s return and comfort.

  Where are you, Navarro? I need you. I love you. Please, God, send him back to me.

  Yet she remembered his parting words. He had claimed it was too late for them, but wouldn’t explain why. He had said that if she didn’t hear from him soon, that meant he was gone “for good.” He had ridden off shouting, “Forget me!” But how could she stop loving, wanting, and remembering him? It was as if cruel Fate had stolen the two men she loved and needed most.

  Jessie rested her head against Matt’s strong shoulder. Now she allowed the tears she had kept pent up during the brief ceremony for her family’s sake to flow. Long funerals were hard on loved ones, so Jessie had made her father’s short.

  Gran had taken Tom back to the house in the wagon. Mary Louise had come and gone with them, and had kept her wicked mouth shut today. The men had replaced the earth around the grave and returned to their tasks. Jessie had remained at the gravesite to mourn in privacy, and the foreman had stayed with her.

  Matt stroked her unbound hair. He let her grieve in silence. There was little anyone could say or do to bring real comfort during a time like this.

  When Jessie mastered her tears and wiped her eyes, she murmured, “It’s all my fault, Matt. I should have seen this coming. I knew Fletcher was evil, but I didn’t believe he would go this far.”

  “You’re not to blame, Jessie.”

  She looked up into his gentle eyes and refuted, “Yes, I am. I was the one who kept spurring Papa on. It was my idea to hire Navarro and to attack Fletcher. If I hadn’t challenged him, maybe he wouldn’t have responded this way.”

  “What Jed did and said after his bulls were killed is what set Fletcher off.”

  “But I kept pushing Papa to hold out and to fight back. If I hadn’t he might have given in; then he’d still be alive. It wasn’t worth his life, Matt.”

  “Jed needed your courage and wits to keep him strong, Jessie. He depended on you. If he had yielded to Fletcher, he would never have been the same again. What is a man without his pride and honor? Jed was too proud and honest to give up his existence. What’s left if we throw away our dreams when the going gets hard or dangerous?”

  “But I can’t let anyone else get hurt.”

  “You can’t back down now, Jessie,” Matt argued. “If good men give in to bad ones, they get stronger and bolder with everyone. Soon, they rule everything. If you surrender, Jessie, the fighting and Jed’s death were for nothing. Jed would want you to hold out.”

  “But what if it’s Gran or Tom next—or both? How can I stop him, Matt? Nothing we’ve done has slowed him. I’m the head of the family now. I must think of their safety and happiness, like I prevented Papa from doing.”

  “You’re thinking through grief, Jessie. You’d be sorry and angry you sold out. It would be too late to expose Fletcher and punish him. At least wait a while before you make any decision. The boys and I will protect you and the others. From now on, we stay armed and on guard every minute.”

  Jessie glanced at her father’s final resting place. She reflected on all he had endured to create this beautiful and prosperous spread. She looked at her surroundings and thought of all her years on the range. This was her home. This was Lane land. She loved it. No one had the right to take it from them. With Mathew Cordell and the hands behind her, she could continue her battle to save it. Matt was right; that is what Jedidiah Lane would want.

  Her gaze went to the fresh mound once more. “I didn’t get to tell him good-bye or tell him how much I love him. It isn’t fair, Matt.”

  “He knew. He knows, Jessie.”

  Fury filled her. “I want to know whose knife that was in his heart. It wasn’t Papa’s. I’ve never seen one like it. He didn’t take his own. life.”

  “It wasn’t marked so I don’t know how we can discover its owner. We didn’t find any tracks, either. Somebody clever concealed them. This is why Fletcher didn’t attack Jed on his land; he wanted his body found here and looking like he killed himself.”

  “Let’s get back so I can check on Tom and Gran.”

  Matt mounted and pulled Jessie up before him, as she was wearing a dress and couldn’t ride behind. She laid her head against his chest once more and wrapped her arms around his waist. Matt was so comforting, and she needed his warmth and tenderness. She never stopped to think how contact with her affected him.

  Matt glanced down at the woman in his arms. He wished she could stay there forever. He loved her and wanted her with every ounce of strength and emotion he possessed. When her anguish subsided, he would confess his love with the hope she could come to return it one day.

  On Monday, Jessie wrote a letter to the Cattlemen’s Association and asked for membership as the new owner of the Box L Ranch. She explained their troubles and accused Wilbur Fletcher of being responsible. She told them if they were men of honor and conscience, they would not allow Fletcher to prevent her inclusion in the association or be influenced by his money and status.

  She and the hands were kept busy getting stock to water, as several windmills were running low and so was the Calamity River. They had never seen this area so hot and dry this time of year, and they were concerned.

  Since Jed’s loss, everyone had been quiet and sad. The men hadn’t played any practical jokes on each other since that grim day last week. When music was played at the bunkhouse, it was soulful tunes that reflected the men’s moods. Yet none of them doubted Jessica Lane’s ability to run the ranch, and none quit.

  That night, Matt, Carlos, Miguel, and Jimmy Joe sneaked to the adjoining ranch and slit the throats of Fletcher’s prized bulls and studs. The ranch hands were accustomed to deft and swift slaughter of beast and fowl; they did their task with merciful quickness and skill that didn’t cause the animals to suffer. It was a difficult course to take, but they all agreed with Navarro’s blow-for-blow strategy to discourage their enemy. Matt didn’t tell Jessie about their action until it was over, as he didn’t want her to endanger herself by riding with them.

  As she talked with him Tuesday morning, she was astonished to learn of their deed, and knew it had been done with compassionate speed. “That was a brave and generous thing to do, Matt. Thanks. No doubt Fletcher will be rushing over today with hot accusations. I’m ready for him.”

  But Fletcher didn’t appear, and Jessie wondered why not. She also wondered why her sister was doing more than her share of chores without protest. Gran and Tom seemed to be adjusting slowly to the tragedy, but all of them were quiet and tense. Jessie blamed part of it on the inexplicable heat that blazed down on heads and land, greedily sucking the life from water and grass.

  As she lay in her father’s bed, having moved into his room, Jessie thought, Wouldn’t it be crazy if nature beat us both, Mr. Fletcher? If a drought is in the making, neither of us will have anything of value to sell.

  Dread and alarm attacked Jessie. Please, God, we’ve had more than our share of danger and torment. Don’t send more burdens to us. Let us find peace and happiness again. We miss Papa so much. Expose his killer. Punish Fletcher for his evil. You’re a good and just God, so how can you allow this to happen to us? I want Navarro; I need him. Please guide him back to me. If you can’t, then protect him and give him freedom from his torment. I’ve tried to understand and accept these troubles and losses, but it’s so hard to face them alone. I’ve tried not to become bitter and hard. Please answer our prayers before I do. Protect Matt and the boys. Help Gran and Tom not
to suffer so much. As for Mary Louise, Lord, I don’t know what to say about her. I know she’s the one who found Papa, but she couldn’t hate him enough to kill him. I suppose it’s wicked of me to have such awful suspicions, but I can’t help but mistrust her. Help me in the days to come to do my best for everyone here.

  Wednesday, Fletcher arrived in the company of two men and Sheriff Toby Cooper. His gaze was narrow and hard. His aura was cold and threatening.

  Jessie met them and glared at the man responsible for her father’s death. “What do you want? Haven’t you done enough to us? Get off my land!”

  Fletcher scowled at her and the men who gathered around the redhead. “I came to see Jed. My bulls and studs were slaughtered Monday night. I know who did it. Toby is here to investigate. You’ll all hang for this outrage.”

  “Investigate all you like, Sheriff, but not with him here! My father is dead. He was murdered last Wednesday. This ranch is mine now. I’m warning you before witnesses, Fletcher—if you or any of your hirelings ever step foot on Lane land again, I’ll take it as a challenge and attack. And I’ll kill you, you murdering bastard! You have no reason or right to be here. This ranch isn’t for sale; it will never be for sale. Get out and don’t come back or you’re a dead man!”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The sheriff had left yesterday without searching the Box L Ranch or questioning the hands further. As if in grudging acknowledgment of the Lanes’ grief, so had Wilbur Fletcher.

  Miguel returned from his shift of riding range. He approached Jessie and Matt at the corral. He pushed his sombrero to his back, then rested his hands on his pistols. “Bad news, amiga: I saw your sister giving a letter to one of Fletcher’s hombres riding fence. I hung back. They did not see me.”

  Jessie looked stunned, then angry. “At least she can’t warn him about our plans—because she doesn’t know ’em! Let’s keep her ignorant. Tell the boys to watch her and report anything suspicious to me or Matt. She’s been near perfect lately. She knows better than to give me open trouble before she can get her greedy hands on escape money. I know what she’s waiting and watching for—me to fail. She thinks I’ll give up soon, sell out, and move. She’s wrong.”

  “She probably wrote Fletcher telling him to be patient while she works on you,” the foreman suggested. “He won’t. We have to guard the house and barns, and that’ll spread us thin on the range. He’s done so many things, I can’t guess what’ll come next. What we need are more men for chores and guards.”

  “Matt’s right, Miguel,” she told the Mexican vaquero. “I’ll send you or Carlos into town next week to see if any honest ones are for hire. Perhaps we can use my sister’s treachery to our advantage with a trap for her new friend.”

  Jessie scanned the sky and frowned. “This heat is getting terrible. Matt, we should cut the grass in the east pasture before it wilts and dies. We need to have hay on hand if this works into a drought. Tell Big John to check the reaper. It hasn’t been used in a long time. Once we get it cut, it’ll be safe while it dries. Maybe we can hire more men before we need to gather and bind it.”

  “If Miguel finds help, they can work on a new storage shed while it’s curing on the ground. We’ll need to hay again later with our stores burned. If winter’s as crazy as spring, no feed could ruin you.”

  “Let’s not take any chances with this. I’ll have to prove to everyone that I can run this spread. As soon as I get settled with Fletcher, we’ll need to locate new bulls for breeding season. It’s going to be a rough year without Papa. I’ll need help until I can do it all.”

  “You don’t have to do it all yourself, Jessie. That’s what me and the boys are for. Just ’cause you can’t do or know a few things doesn’t mean you can’t run this spread as good or better than your father did. Are you forgetting you gave half and sometimes most of the orders? You were right there with us day and night. You’re smart and brave and quick. You were Jed’s right hand. Have faith in yourself, boss lady; you can do it.”

  She had needed those kind words. “Thanks, Matt. I hope so.”

  Matt gently stroked her cheek. “I know so, Jessie.”

  “So do I, amiga. You will not fail.”

  She sent them a radiant smile of affection and gratitude. “I’m lucky to have you boys. I don’t know how I would survive without any of you.”

  * * *

  “What you did yesterday, Jessica, was like a slap to Mr. Fletcher’s face. I wrote him a letter of apology and delivered it to one of his men today.”

  As if that were news to her, Jessie shrieked, “You apologized to the man who murdered our father and is trying to destroy us!”

  “If he is guilty, don’t you think it’s wise to be nice to him?”

  “I’d rather cozy up with a rattlesnake!”

  “That would be safer, if he’s guilty. A snakebite can be treated; death can’t. Don’t you care about what happens to us—Gran, Tom, and me?”

  “Of course I do! But if you say, if he’s guilty one more time, I’ll smack you!”

  “Listen to me, big sister: if he’s behind all this as you believe, one of us needs to think clearly to deal with him. At least my letter might get us extra time before our enemy strikes again. You need that time to clear your head, Jessica. You can’t go around provoking dangerous men. We’ll all be killed. Wasn’t Father’s death enough tragedy for this family? Give up this fight before it’s too late for all of us. Please, I urge you to reconsider his fair offer. If you keep attacking him, he might withdraw it, or you might get into trouble with the law. If you go to jail, what then?”

  “I haven’t been attacking him lately. We didn’t steal his payroll or rustle his horses or slaughter his animals. We did shoot out his windows, but he did it to us first. Either he lied about those other things or somebody else is after him.”

  “Who would that be?” Mary Louise asked, and looked worried.

  “How should I know? An evil man like Fletcher must have lots of enemies. You can’t go around hurting and destroying people without making plenty.”

  “You think it’s that Navarro?”

  Jessie glanced at her sister’s pale face and wide sapphire eyes. “Worried about him returning to get you for framing him, hmm? It would serve you right for lying.”

  “I didn’t lie! If he hurts me, it will be your fault, Jessica. You brought him here. I’m not to blame for him misinterpreting my good manners.”

  “If you hadn’t been out riding alone, it wouldn’t have happened. It was stupid to leave the ranch with all this trouble we’re having. One would think you don’t consider yourself in any peril from your friend Wilbur.”

  “I don’t, because I don’t believe any of us are in jeopardy from him. But I do believe somebody is after us. A woman can’t run this big ranch, Jessica.”

  The redhead realized her sister was contradicting herself. If Mary Louise didn’t believe it was Fletcher, then, she would have been in peril from “somebody” during her ride—unless she had invited along an unsuspecting escort. She didn’t point out those slips in anticipation of more. “Have you forgotten you’re talking to Jed’s ‘son’? I’ve helped run this ranch for years. I know as much as Papa did.”

  “Do you, Jessica? You haven’t had as many years to learn as Father did. And do you think cattlemen will work with a female, especially a young one?”

  “They surely will,” Martha Lane said from the doorway.

  Both women looked at their grandmother. Her lined face and blue eyes appeared calmer today, as did her voice when she said, “Jessie won’t have no trouble with any men. They like her and trust her. They’ll do business with Jess Lane.” Her white hair was in a neat bun at the back of her head and her cotton dress was clean and crisply ironed. Gran dried her gnarled fingers on her apron and joined them. “The good Lord put us all on this earth for a purpose. Jessie’s is to take over her pa’s place. She’s more than capable of running it and prospering because she loves this land like my son did. She has
her pa’s pride and strength. It’s time for you to settle down, Mary Louise. You’ve been too hard on everyone since you came back, especially on your pa and Jessie. I don’t know what spoiled you back East, but you have to cleanse that stain from your soul. Jessie has a lot on her shoulders these days, and we have to pull together.”

  “What we need to do is leave, Gran,” the blonde argued. “It’s dangerous for us here with Father gone.”

  “It was dangerous afore he died, girl, but he didn’t give up. Jessie can’t either. A Lane was the first man on this land, and a Lane must be the last.”

  “When Jessica marries, Gran, it won’t be Lane anymore. If she marries. Because if she keeps up like this, she’ll never find a husband. She’ll die a spinster, dressing as a man and working as one. I don’t want that for me.”

  “I’ll make a deal with you, little sister: behave yourself until this matter is settled, and I’ll give you money from our next stock sale and let you go where you please. It’ll be enough to support you until you can find a job—or a husband. I can’t afford more than that because I have to replace the shed and the bulls, and I have other repairs to make. The more Fletcher costs me, the less I’ll have to give you for your escape. If you have any influence over him, get him to back off until you’re away safely.”

  “You’ll let me move back East?”

  “If that’s what you want so badly, yes. You’ve been ripping at the guts of this family too long. If letting you strike out on your own is the answer to finding peace here again, then go and be happy somewhere else. You certainly haven’t been here.”

  Mary Louise licked her heart-shaped lips. “How much money?”

  Jessie controlled her mixture of vexation and joy. “I don’t know yet. It depends on how many markets I can find and how much stock I can get to them. Mostly, it depends on Fletcher not preventing my sales and drives.”