Follow The Wind

by Janelle Taylor

  “Yes, and that’s why I married him, among other things.”

  “You should only marry for love, little sister.”

  “Oh, I did.”

  “Love for the wrong things, Mary Louise. You’ve betrayed us, and maybe gotten us killed. Fletcher is only using you, you little fool.”

  The blonde’s eyes revealed her hateful emotions. “What would you know about love? I have my dream now, so don’t try to spoil it. Besides, you can’t. If I were you, I’d start looking for a husband. But I hope you don’t have eyes for that saddletramp. He won’t be around very long. Remember that man who came here one day with Wilbur? He’s an artist. He sketched Navarro Jones’s face. Wilbur is having him checked out in every nearby state and territory. We know he’s in trouble somewhere. As soon as someone recognizes him, he’ll be gone or in prison. You can’t share this ranch with a man like him!”

  Jessie concealed her distress. “Why would you two think Navarro’s in trouble with the law?”

  “Wilbur can size up a man better than you two can. He had detectives searching for clues about that mysterious, no-good drifter, but he stopped them when I told him Navarro left. When he discovered the trash had returned, he put them back on the job. It won’t be long before somebody shows great interest in your meddling gunslinger. I told Wilbur I had heard him mention Arizona, so he’s sending one of his detectives there. I also told him how you two have been attacking him. You were right about me framing Navarro. I knew he was trouble and I was trying to get rid of him.”

  “You told him about us, and he’s letting the matter drop? No way, little sister. How could you put nooses around our necks?”

  “My loyalty is to my husband. I decided if I told him the truth, then let you know I had, you’d stop all this foolishness. Besides, Wilbur isn’t behind it. I asked him not to make charges against you, and he’s agreed to please me.”

  “It doesn’t matter what you told him,” Jessie insisted. “He can’t prove anything against us. The law will think you’re lying to help your husband. You wouldn’t make a valuable witness against us. Who would believe a traitor and liar like you? No one. You’re a bigger and greedier fool than I imagined.”

  The girl’s dark-blue eyes sparkled with anger as she said coldly, “I told you, Jessica: he’s letting it all drop and we’re moving back East.”

  “Good, because he can’t hurt us anymore. I’m hiring more men next week to ride fence and serve as guards. They’ll have orders to shoot any man who trespasses on Lane property. While he was gone, Navarro contacted a man who’ll loan me the money I need to repair all the damages your husband has done. He’s a very rich gold-miner, and the man owed Navarro a big favor. I’m going into town tomorrow, then I’m meeting him on Saturday to pick up the loan. Navarro also worked out several deals with fort reservations to buy steers until my fall sale. I’m signing contracts in two weeks. Fletcher won’t be a threat to me after Saturday. I’ll have plenty of money to fight him with and to make this spread the best in the area. The miner is loaning me lots of cash against my fall roundup. I’ll have enough money to buy out Fletcher so the next owner won’t cause me trouble. We’ll be back Saturday night. We’re having a big party to celebrate. You’ll understand why I can’t invite you, Mrs. Fletcher.”

  “It sounds as if we’ve both gotten lucky this time, sister dear. I wonder who you’ll choose to share that wonderful life with,” Mary Louise murmured in a taunting tone.

  “Make sure you send me your address and I’ll let you know.”

  Jessie, Navarro, and Matt rode into the town at Fort Davis on Friday. They took a different route and used great caution along the way. As soon as they arrived, they met with Toby Cooper to go over their daring plan. They were pleased to learn the sheriff was willing to assist them.

  Since her love’s return, Jessie had been unable to find more time alone with him. Tonight was no different, with Mathew Cordell in the room next to hers. She had been willing to chance exposure, but Navarro refused to risk tarnishing her name. What the desperado didn’t tell the redhead was that he suspected the foreman was watching them especially closely because of Matt’s love for Jessie and his determination to protect her from harm.

  * * *

  Saturday at noon, Jessie and her friends met with a stranger at the hotel, a man whom Toby Cooper had enlisted to aid their ruse. After a short time, she left with Navarro and Matt at her side, both carrying heavy saddlebags. The three mounted and headed for the trail back to the Box L Ranch. They rode in alert silence for half an hour before trouble struck.

  At the sound of gunfire and pounding hooves behind them, Matt glanced over his shoulder, then shouted, “Get in front of us, Jessie! Ride hard and fast! We’ll guard you! Go, woman!” he yelled when she hesitated. He wished she wasn’t with them, but she had insisted on participating in this trap. Matt breathed a bit easier as she obeyed his last words with speed and skill.

  Navarro and the worried foreman drew their weapons and, twisting in their saddles, exchanged shots with the gang pursuing them. Dodging and returning bullets, the three galloped toward the hidden posse of Sheriff Cooper, several deputized men, and a troop of soldiers under Captain Graham. The gang rapidly closed in on them from behind, and all realized they would not make it to help. They and the lawmen had guessed that Fletcher would make his move at least an hour from town. It was evident to Navarro and Matt that it was too perilous not to seek cover and take a defensive stand, as Jessie’s life was at stake.

  “Take cover, Jess!” Navarro shouted. “We can’t outrun them!”

  Over the commotion, the redhead heard her lover’s command. She slowed and guided her paint into a dense, rocky area, then dismounted. Jessie grabbed her rifle and concealed herself. Soon, the two men joined her.

  “Stay down,” Matt instructed. “Hopefully the posse will get worried soon and come looking for us. Don’t take any chances before help arrives.”

  The foreman and the gunslinger prepared to defend the woman they loved. Both knew they would sacrifice their lives if need be to save hers, a frightening fact Jessie was aware of too.

  Jessie witnessed Matt and Navarro’s love and concern for her. She knew she was fortunate to have two men who cared so deeply about her. She didn’t want either to come to harm, so she disobeyed to help them fight. She prayed assistance would come quickly, as they were greatly outnumbered.

  Navarro and Matt told her to stay down, but she replied, “We need all the firepower we have. Don’t worry about me, just think about them.”

  There wasn’t time to argue with the determined female or to be distracted, so the men yielded to her resolve. All saw Wilbur Fletcher and his gang dismount and take cover a good distance from their location. In a loud voice they could hear, their enemy gave orders to his hirelings, who began to work their way closer to the pinned-down group. Men slipped around rocks in several directions.

  “They’re trying to encircle us and fence us in. They’ll tighten our noose fast.”

  Jessie glanced at Matt, and he was eyeing her as if death was on their horizon. She sent him a smile full of confidence and undisguised affection. He returned it, then focused on the danger surrounding them.

  “Take no risks, Jess.” Navarro’s voice broke into her troubled thoughts.

  The redhead sent her love a radiant smile and nodded. “We’ll be fine, you two. Surely the others will head our way soon.”

  “I hope so,” Navarro murmured as he picked off another foe.

  No one talked as the three faced different directions to protect each other. They heard Fletcher’s voice increase in volume and agitation as his men were gunned down one by one. The desperate man worked his way closer to their place of concealment.

  Jessie, Matt, and Navarro were unharmed so far, but it was looking bad to all three as more gunmen closed in on them from all sides. Fletcher and his men became more daring but used the protective terrain wisely. Jessie and her men knew there was no way to flee; they were trap
ped. If their ammunition gave out before the posse came to check on them and join the battle, they were all three dead, and the trio knew it.

  “You shouldn’t be here, Jessie.”

  “Yes, I should, Matt. He’s after my ranch. He killed my father.”

  “Matt’s right, Jess; we should have handled this danger.”

  “Don’t lose hope, you two,” she scolded in a softened tone.

  Jessie was right; the large posse arrived with stealth and strength. A fierce gun battle erupted, one in their favor for a change. Their attackers panicked.

  Determined not to be caught riding with his vicious hirelings, Wilbur Fletcher fought like a wild man. The gang knew they were exposed and outgunned; they struggled to escape. None made it. The bloody conflict—so long and costly to the Lanes—ended fast, with Wilbur Fletcher lying lifeless in the dirt, and those who survived surrendering their weapons.

  As the lawmen and others gathered around the fallen bodies and captives, Jessie made a sweeping gesture and remarked, “There’s your proof, Sheriff Cooper. I told you he was behind everything. I’m so glad you believed me and helped set this trap.”

  Toby Cooper looked at the ground and shifted uneasily. “I wanted it over with, Miss Lane,” he admitted. “It was hard to believe Wilbur Fletcher could do such things. In all honesty, I expected to unmask somebody else here. You’re lucky he decided to ride with them today. Strangers on unbranded horses would still have left questions about their boss’s identity.”

  “There still is an unanswered question,” Jessie murmured. “Why did he really want our land? I think it had to do with more than grass and water or expansion.”

  “I guess we’ll never know,” Matt commented, looking at their dead enemy.

  Jessie nodded agreement. “Everyone all right?” she inquired.

  “Only a few minor injuries on our side,” Cooper replied. “We’ll load these bodies, gather the prisoners, and head back to town. It’s over, Miss Lane.”

  “It would have been over for us, too, if all of you hadn’t agreed to help and arrived in the nick of time to save us. Thanks,” she said, as she glanced around at the posse and smiled at them. “You can call on us for help anytime you need it.”

  They chatted as the men carried out the sheriff’s orders. Then the lawmen and soldiers took the bodies and captives back to town and to close the lengthy case.

  As soon as the posse departed, Jessie hugged and kissed the cheek of her foreman, then her lover. “Thanks, you two. You saved my life, my family, and my home. I couldn’t have won this war without you. It’s time to start learning how to move onward without Papa.”

  “You’ll do fine, Jessie. You’re smart and strong.”

  “Thanks, Matt, but I’ll need you beside me every step of the way.” She wanted him to know that Navarro would not push him out of her life and his home.

  Navarro witnessed the easy rapport between Jessie Lane and Mathew Cordell; they appeared closer than upon his arrival in March. Envy surged through him as he thought about leaving his love behind with Matt. The foreman would probably stay with her forever.

  “Anything wrong, Navarro?” Jessie asked, worried by his strained silence.

  “Just tired and tense. We best ride for the ranch. We’ll be lucky if we make it before nightfall. I’m happy this trap worked and you’re safe. Looks as if my job’s done around these parts.”

  Matt didn’t want his rival’s forlorn expression to work favorably on Jessie, so he said, “It’s good you left Gran and Tom in town until everything is settled and Tom’s stronger. Doc said he’s healing fine, and doesn’t have any permanent damage. That boy doesn’t need more trouble in his life.”

  “Let’s ride for home.” Jessie said with a sigh. “We can finish talking there. I’m sure the boys are eager to see we made it out alive and well.”

  At the ranch, Jessie gave her hands the good news and the next day off, except for necessary chores that wouldn’t take long. She asked Navarro and Matt to ride with her to Fletcher’s home tomorrow to give the news about Fletcher to her sister. Navarro made a suggestion that surprised Jessie and pleased Matt: make the offer she had mentioned to Mary Louise on Thursday. He explained how to do it.

  Jessie wished she could find time alone with her love, as she sensed the moment of parting had arrived. But the foreman must have sensed it, too, and stuck to the loner like a stubborn burr to a saddleblanket.

  “I’m afraid I have bad news for you, Mary Louise. You were mistaken about your husband and, because of it, you’re a widow now. I knew you would tell Fletcher about my loan, stock contracts, and new hands. I also knew he would try to stop them. He’s already tried to kill our little brother and I knew he would come after me, too, so his wife could inherit the land he craved. He never intended to sell and move. He lied to you, or you lied to me.” Jessie told Mary Louise all about the successful and fatal trap. “He’s dead, and the trouble is over.”

  “You tricked me! You used me!” the shocked female shouted.

  “That’s right, little traitor. The sheriff and Army believed me, too; that’s why they agreed to help expose him. He refused to surrender, so it’s his fault he’s dead. As for his widow, everyone knows what a treacherous girl you are. I also know now why you were so afraid of Navarro’s return. You feared he would tell us how you tried to get him to kill Papa, and me, too, if necessary. How wicked you are! I can’t imagine that Lane blood flows in your veins.”

  “It was only a trick to test his loyalty!” Mary Louise said huffily. “You know I would never hire anyone to kill my own family.”

  “You sided with Fletcher. How long have you been working with him?”

  She glared at Jessie. “I haven’t been. I’ll admit I tried to pass clues to him, but that’s all. I was terrified. I wanted the trouble over before we were hurt or dead. I can’t help it if I fell under his spell and married him.”

  “I can see how grieved you are,” Jessie scoffed. “Now, both Lane women are in the cattle business. Yet I fear you don’t know enough to survive very long. Even with a good foreman, if you can find a man who’ll work for a vile creature like you, you’ll lose it all within a year. That’s justice, Mary Louise.”

  “You’re mean and cruel, Jessica. I can’t stay here alone with these strangers. I don’t know who I can trust among the hands. They could rape me and kill me and rob me after you leave. I have to go home with you until I can find a buyer and sell out, then move back East as planned.”

  “Would you like me to buy this place?” Jessie asked, “There are one hundred thousand acres, about thirty thousand head of stock, this house, and other structures. I’ll offer you forty thousand dollars in cash; the balance will come in five-thousand-dollar payments every year until eighty thousand is paid, sooner if I can afford it.”

  “It’s worth more. That isn’t even a dollar an acre, and nothing for the cattle and buildings. I want more and I want the entire sale price now.”

  “But it’ll save you the time and effort of searching for another buyer,” Jessie countered. “There’s no telling how long that will take. Not many men can afford a higher price or will want land dependent upon windmills for water and without room for expansion. The land isn’t that good, Mary Louise; I only want it so another Fletcher can’t move in and harass me. As for the stock, they’ll replace those Fletcher rustled from us, so why should I buy them? Anyway, you don’t have that many ready for market; most have years to mature. I’ll have to pay men to tend them, feed them in winter and fattening pens at market, and hire drovers to drive them there. And you’re forgetting you must be a rich widow now. What about those holdings Fletcher had back East? They must be worth a fortune, so why bleed your own family after all they’ve suffered from that man? I would imagine he also has a large account at the bank in town.”

  Jessie saw a glitter in the girl’s sapphire eyes and could almost hear her avaricious mind racing in a lucrative direction. “You should be rich beyond your wildest drea
ms, Widow Fletcher. No matter—it’s all I can afford. Forty thousand now and five thousand every year for eight years is a lot of money for support. If you invest it or buy a shop, it will earn you plenty to add to the rest. Are you forgetting I need to rebuild everything your husband destroyed? Breeding bulls don’t come cheap; neither do sheds and windmills, or barbwire for all the fences he’s cut. I’ll have to hire seasonal wranglers for the fall roundup and pay for the cattle drive to Dodge. That’s expensive and will take months. I know you’re anxious to get back East and live in luxury. Maybe your widow’s inheritance will sate your cravings for wealth, or you can find another rich husband to lasso back there. Take it or leave it. Let me know when you decide.”

  Mary Louise halted her sister’s departure by yelling, “Wait! Let me think.”

  Jessie realized it was the hint about Wilbur’s holdings back East that has swung the talk in her favor. “Well?” she prodded after the girl paced and mused a while.

  “Where did you get so much cash? Is it from the robbery weeks ago?”

  “I told you about the loan from Navarro’s friend. Your husband and his gang were killed before they could steal it. I borrowed fifty thousand, but I have to keep ten to run the ranch with until fall roundup. It wasn’t a gift, so I’ll have to repay it.” Why shouldn’t I use the bastard’s money to buy his land? Jessie mentally scoffed. He owes me far more for all he did to us. With stock sales, I can come up with the other forty over eight years. The stock will be worth that much. It’s perfect.

  “Are you sure you can come up with the payments? What if you don’t succeed with the ranch? I’ll be out forty thousand dollars.”

  “Even if I didn’t, isn’t forty thousand a lot to earn from such a brief marriage? Besides, you have the remainder of his wealth. Perhaps even a fancy mansion back there.”

  “I don’t trust you, Jessica. You’ll try to cheat me just to be mean.”

  “You know I wouldn’t do that. I’ll send for our lawyer tomorrow to draw up a legal contract. We can sign it Tuesday in his office. I can pay you; then, you can leave. There’s a stage east on Thursday. You can be waiting for it. The sooner you lay claim to your husband’s estate, the better. You don’t want greedy relatives hearing about his death and rushing in to confiscate your treasures.”