There was a huge burned hole in the middle of his coat breast. Gerritt felt Prudence leaning over his shoulder, her hand covering her mouth. He wanted to rush her down the stairs, to keep her from seeing this, but it was too late. Once again, he’d failed to protect her.
“Do you know him?” she whispered, her voice quavering.
“No,” Gerritt said. “But I know how he died and that worries me as much as finding his body.”
He stood and pulled Prudence back away from the room. He held her arm as they descended the stairs.
“I’ll need to report this to the Sheriff.” He paused long enough to pick up his book and pencil, then they hurried outside.
Prudence took several steps, bent over and released the contents of her stomach. When she finished, Gerritt handed her his handkerchief to wipe her mouth.
“Let’s get you down to the cabin.” He put his arm around her and held her as she stumbled down the path. All his vows to protect her and keep her safe seemed hollow. No matter where they went, it seemed danger followed them.
Now it was apparent there was a murderer loose among them.
There was one weapon that could make the wound he’d found on the corpse, and Gerritt had designed and built it. Someone close to him was using his arc gun to kill people.
And now it was his job to find out who it was before someone else died.
Chapter Thirteen
Pie to Die For
Sheriff Gardner studied the corpse. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my day, Rhinehart, but this confounds me. How the hell did this man die? There ain’t any bullet or knife wounds. No rope burns or signs of strangulation.”
The Sheriff balanced his sizeable bulk on one knee, searching the dead man for any clues or identification.
“Have you ever seen him before?” Gerritt shifted his weight from one leg to the other. He’d realized on the ride up to the stamp mill at Silver Creek that he’d have to tell the Sheriff about his arc gun. The problem was—that would make Gerritt the most likely murder suspect.
The Sheriff shook his head. “We get a lot of folks just travelin’ through the territory. Unless they make some kinda trouble, I don’t bother ‘em.”
He started to search the man’s pockets and handed a round object to Gerritt.
“A rebel?” Gerritt said. “What do you think he was doing way up here?”
The Sheriff stood up and stretched. “Can’t say. Mebee he was meetin’ somebody”. He held out his hand for the belt buckle. “Could be he was robbed, but from the looks of his clothes, he weren’t a rich man. Until we figger out who he is, this is ‘bout all the evidence I got.”
“Perhaps he was spying for the confederacy.”
“I ‘spect that might be so. He ain’t got no papers.” The older man hitched up his britches and spit out a slug of tobacco juice. “Been rumors you’re workin’ on somethin’ big for the Union.”
Gerritt leaned back on his heels, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “I have a contract to develop some new weapons. I don’t support slavery, so I wouldn’t sell them to the confederacy. But there are European armies that need new weapons too.”
“I ain’t judgin’ you, Rhinehart. But, if you are makin’ somethin’ big, there’ll be more men like this slinkin’ around town watchin’ you.”
The Sheriff crossed the room and stepped into the hallway.
The suggestion that he was being watched made Gerritt’s blood pulse hot through his veins. If the confederacy was sending spies to watch him, that put everyone in his town at risk— including Prudence. He should send her back to upstate New York, where she’d be safe. The thought made his chest clench, he paused for a moment to take a deep breath. He didn’t think he had the courage to send her away again. She’d called him a coward when he’d made her leave before. He was an even bigger coward now. He couldn’t imagine a day when Prudence wasn’t there to smile at him, to listen to his ideas, to love him.
Because he understood that a woman like Prudence would never have done all the things she had the day before unless she loved him.
She didn’t know how he paced in his office every morning, waiting for the moment when he’d hear her soft step on the porch. Then he’d rush to sit down in his chair, rustle some papers and plaster a distracted look on his face to hide the fact that he’d been waiting for her to arrive.
Sending her to Mrs. McCauley’s hadn’t done anything to tamp down his desire for her. In fact, he could swear he’d spent more sleepless nights tossing in his bed with images of her naked body―slick and shiny with water as it dripped off her in rivulets…like the night he’d rescued her in the bathhouse―spinning through his head when she’d been gone than ever before.
Now that he’d tasted just a tiny bit of the passion they shared, he’d be damned if he sent her away. What use was it to be a wealthy inventor if you couldn’t protect the ones you cared about? Gerritt had unique resources he could call upon and it was time he put them to good use.
“I’ll haul this man into town and ask around. See if anybody recognizes him.” The Sheriff hitched up his britches again. “I can stop by later and tell you what I find out.” He grinned at Gerritt. “How about ‘round supper time?”
Gerritt grinned back at the man. “You trying to get some of Alma’s cooking?”
“Damn right,” the older man grunted. “You got the best cook in these here parts, and I mean to take advantage of your hospitality.” He lifted a shaggy eyebrow. “You think she might’ve baked a pie today?”
“If she hasn’t I’ll ask her to. What kind are you partial to?”
“Apple pie is my favorite, but my way of thinkin’ is any pie is better’n no pie a ‘tall.” The Sheriff smiled a toothy grin. “And that woman can make a can of beans with biscuits taste good.”
Gerritt laughed. “It sounds to me like you’re kinda sweet on my housekeeper.”
Sheriff Gardner shuffled his feet. “After her husband died, I helped Alma and her boys out when I could.”
Gerritt could swear the man’s face had turned a darker shade of red.
“Musta asked her a hundred times to marry me.” He scratched his bristly chin. “She kept tellin’ me that ranch was gonna belong to her boys someday, and gettin’ hitched meant I’d get everythin’ she and her husband worked so hard for.”
“I can’t blame her for looking out for her son’s future.”
“I just wished there’d been a way to make her my wife.”
“Well, if it’s any comfort to you, sometimes she’s as mean as a nest of rattlers fighting over a rat,” Gerritt said.
The Sheriff considered that for a moment. “Then again, the woman sure can make a damned good pie.”
Gerritt slapped him on the back. “Maybe I’ll fire her and then you can start courting her again. I’m sure Dylan, Brandon and Michael would encourage you. They all complain about her still bossing them around.”
Of course, Gerritt was only teasing the older man. He wouldn’t know what he’d do without Alma Faraday managing his household. She was cantankerous, but considering she kept his house clean, his laundry spotless and put a damned fine meal on the table every night, a little temper was a small price to pay.
Sheriff Gardner’s lips curled into a mocking smile. “What makes you think I ever stopped courtin’ her?” He snickered.
Gerritt considered the older man for a few moments. “Well, best not bring her flowers when you come to dinner. I heard her tell Prudence she prefers a bottle of good whiskey.”
The Sheriff shook his head. “And don’t I know it. Good Kentucky sippin’ whiskey don’t come cheap.”
The men went down the stairs and Gerritt paused to study the huge open space. “One more thing, Matthew. I’m going to be working up here. I’ll need to hire some men for guard duty.”
The other man grunted. “I don’t even want to know what you got planned. I ‘spose I can come up with a few men you can trust. You gonna pay ‘em well?”
“E
xcellent wages, and I’ll have a camp cook so meals will be provided. The main thing is to find men who can keep their mouths shut and their eyes open.”
Gerritt had to keep the Isis project moving, even if it meant danger for his town and for Prudence. The Union army was barely holding itself together as the rebels won key battles. The future of his country was at risk and Gerritt had vowed to do everything he could to preserve the Union.
He’d just never expected to feel so torn between his loyalty to his country and his heart.
***
“Prudence will be moving back into the house in a few days.” Gerritt swirled the wine in his glass and avoided eye contact with his housekeeper.
“Well, it’s about time ya got some sense into you. The way you been moonin’ over her when she’s around, like to make me feel sorry for you.” Alma Faraday cackled.
“I should have listened to you in the first place, Alma. You are a wise woman.”
Alma paused from cleaning up the supper dishes and stared at Gerritt. “So, can I get Prudence to write that down using that fancy typewriting’ machine?”
Gerritt stopped staring into the wine glass and blinked at Alma. “I beg your pardon?”
“You know, that machine you got her clankin’ on ever blasted day. Can she write me a letter so then you can sign it, all official like?”
Gerritt wondered if he’d imbibed too much wine at dinner. Alma wasn’t making any sense.
“What letter?” He inquired.
“The one that says I was right and you was wrong, Mr. Fancy pants Professor!”
Gerritt burst into laughter. After a few moments of pure joy, he answered her question. “Yes, I suppose we can have Prudence create such a document. Although I’m sure you’ll use it to humiliate me.”
“It’ll keep ya humble.” Alma picked up the rest of the dishes. “Ole Matt Gardner ate enough pie to fill up a horse. I swear he’ll have a belly ache tonight.”
“You know the man wants to marry you.” Gerritt plastered a sober look on his face. “He’s besotted with you.”
“Hell,” Alma replied. “I don’t rightly know what that means. What I do know is I got me another bottle of good whiskey.” She winked at Gerritt. “If’n I was inclined to get hitched again, I might not say no to Gardner.”
Gerritt leaned back in his chair. “I hope you don’t stay here out of pity for my poor state of bachelorhood.”
“I like makin’ my own way in the world and you pay me well. But, once you get yerself a good wife...” She gave him a meaningful nod. “Mebee me and Gardner will settle down on his piece of land out by the river and do us a bit of ranchin’. He’s gettin’ too old to be the Sheriff, that’s a young man’s game.”
Her answer surprised Gerritt. When he’d started teasing her about her relationship with Sheriff Gardner, it had all been in fun. He had no idea the crusty, tough older woman harbored any tender feelings for the man.
“If you wanted to leave, Alma, you know I wouldn’t stop you from any happiness you could find.” Gerritt meant it, even though Alma had taken the place of his mother many years ago. Despite her rough exterior, he knew her heart was kind.
Alma paused. “I know that, Professor. But it seems to me yer gonna be settlin’ down pretty soon. Once I get my boys hitched to some good women, I’ll have me a rest.”
Her comment about her “boys” who were all grown men reminded him of his need to talk to her eldest son. “Is Brandon back from the cattle drive yet?”
Alma nodded. “Got back last night. He left Michael up in the high country, kinda hopin’ he’d work off this itch to join the army.”
Now her face transformed into one of worry, her gray eyebrows knotting over her bright blue eyes. “That boy don’t know nothin’ about real war. He thinks it’s all honor and glory. He wants to be a hero.” Her hands wiped at her apron.
“I read the papers with all them dead boys listed and I think about their poor mothers. How can I tell him it would near kill me if’n he was injured or killed?” She swallowed. “Boys don’t wanna hear how a mother feels.”
“Do you want me to talk to him? I spent enough time in the army to know that facing a man in a field of blood and gore will take the glory out of fighting quickly.”
Alma nodded. “Might do more good to hear it from a man what’s been in the fightin’. At his age, I can’t tell him a thing.”
Gerritt hated the idea of revisiting all those terrible memories. He’d spent a year in the field. When his superiors discovered he’d modified his rifle to be a repeater, then went on to do the same with all the men in his unit, they’d decided he was too valuable to be fighting battles. But a year of hand-to hand combat had been enough to give him nightmares for the rest of his life.
“I’ll speak to Michael when he gets back to the ranch. But, I need to talk to Brandon about White Eagle as soon as possible.”
There was a long pause as Alma considered his request. She gave a heavy sigh. “So, it’s come to that, eh?”
“I’m sorry to say, it has. I don’t like getting White Eagle’s people involved, but they are the best scouts anyone could find. I need to know who’s in the area and what they’re planning.”
“Brandon will know where White Eagle is camped. I think he’s sweet on one of the women up there.” She shook her head sadly. “Won’t no good come of that, but he don’t listen to me neither.”
Since Brandon Faraday was nearly thirty years old, Gerritt suspected the last thing he wanted was for his opinionated mother to offer him any kind of advice. Especially regarding a woman.
“Maybe you can give him the letter I sign as proof of your wisdom.” Gerritt said.
“Mebbe,” she replied. “But that boy is hard-headed and stubborn as a mule.”
“Can’t figure out where he’d get that from, must take after his father, eh?” Gerritt slid her sly grin
She snorted and rolled her eyes, then picked up the rest of the dishes and balanced them on her arm. “I’ll let him know ya wanna go up to White Eagle’s camp. I’d guess he’d need a day or so to get the hands in order ‘fore he can go.”
“Right,” Gerritt stood and stretched. “Let him know I’ll ride out to the ranch day after tomorrow.”
It had been a long day and Gerritt was exhausted. He’d invite Prudence to move back into the house while he was gone. That would provide him with a lot of incentive to take care of business quickly and get back home.
He could smell the scent of lilacs that still lingered in the air as he passed her room. His cock went hard. Since he’d made love to her in the cabin, he’d been going mad with a need to be with her again. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be sleeping in his own bed much when she came back. That was just fine as far as he was concerned.
Alma’s words came back to haunt him. Once you get a good wife. It was clear to him that he’d never find anyone he cared about as much as he cared about Prudence. In fact, he could finally admit to himself that he loved her.
So, why were the words so difficult to say to her?
Chapter Fourteen
Spirit Walkers
“Will you be gone long?” Prudence tried to hide the fear in her voice as she watched Gerritt pack his saddle bags.
“Just a couple of nights.” Glancing at her, he paused. One look at her expression and he crossed the room to put his arms around her. He kissed the top of her head, then lifted her chin to kiss her lips.
Her head started spinning and heat flashed through her body. She leaned into him, enjoying the woodsy, smoky scent of his clothing. She took a deep breath to imprint this moment with him in her memory.
She didn’t want to be so frightened, but Gerritt had told her he would be visiting a local Indian tribe. She’d heard horror stories of what savages did to white people. The newspapers back east were filled with tales of tribes on the warpath, attacking homesteaders, taking women and children as prisoners and torturing the men.
Gerritt had assured her many of those st
ories were fiction, contrived to sell newspapers. The local tribes had negotiated a peace treaty and as long as the terms were respected, there wasn’t any danger.
But Prudence had a nagging fear that when a man told you everything would be just fine, he was hiding some kind of danger. She remembered Eli’s assurances the last time she’d seen him. The war would be over in a few months, he’d told her, the rebellion squashed and he’d promised to be marching home before she even missed him.
But, that didn’t happen. Instead, he’d been killed at Antietam, his body buried there with the other men of his company who’d sacrificed their lives. And the war continued.
“I’ll only be gone three or four days. You’ll have plenty of time to move back into the house and get settled.” He released his hold on her and she missed the warmth and comfort of his body against hers the instant he let go of her.
She could at least rejoice that he was letting her move back in with him. That was no small victory. She also had an inkling he would hurry back to her as soon as he could. After all, their illicit relationship was a tremendous incentive. If he craved making love to her as much as she missed having him in her bed, he’d be rushing back.
She knew her thoughts of Gerritt’s, hard, smooth muscled body lying naked in her bed made her a lewd and lascivious woman. She didn’t care . It was a label she’d accept if it meant keeping this gorgeous man with her.
He finished packing one saddle bag and fastened it. “I’ll grab some food from Alma and head out to the ranch. I’d like to get there before nightfall.”
She nodded, afraid if she opened her mouth the words that tumbled out would be to beg him to remain here with her. She couldn’t shake the strange premonition that something terrible was going to happen to the man she loved so much. It was silly, because she was no tarot card reading gypsy.
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