They both came to him with a warm welcome.
“Welcome home, Dan,” Alan said. “Get down and tie your horse.”
Lorene stood beside Dan’s palomino with her arms reaching up. “Please come in and have dinner with us. I can have it on the table in a few minutes with Doe helping me.”
The dinner was delightful, the conversation serious. Dan told them of his travels, leaving out a few details, which were better left untold.
“The gun you just hung on that peg—isn’t that Dell’s gun?” Alan questioned. “I can see it’s fire damaged. Was Dell wearing that belt when they were burned?”
“When I found Dad and Mom in the ashes the following morning, Dad had lain on this gun to protect it. I wear Dad’s gun and belt to remind me of my pledge to right the wrong he and Mom suffered.”
“What are you going to do now?” Alan asked.
“I had expected to spend time in jail waiting for a trial that I hoped would clear my name, but it seems that that has been done for me, so I haven’t yet made any plans other than to rebuild the family home and start a new life. I don’t have enough money yet to rebuild, so I’ll have to find a job.”
“Have you considered farming? Farming is a good life, and you’ve got a good farm,” Alan noted.
“Yes, I hope to fix the place up like Dad had it,” Dan nodded.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Doe suggested as she took Dan’s hand. “The night is beautiful.”
Doe’s mother was smiling, so Dan walked out with Doe, but he was beginning to feel that he had walked into a set-up.
A full moon was cresting, cicadas were calling, and a gentle breeze fluttered Doe’s soft yellow hair. Moonlight reflected off her smiling face, radiant with happiness, as they walked along the stream. Dan was enjoying the walk and the company.
* * *
All things, old and new, good and bad, must end, so Dan’s first day home ended with his riding back to town where his lonely bed waited. The long hallway of the hotel was dimly lit, but Dan found his room without too much trouble. He then bathed, went to bed, and heaved a sigh that released the tension of four years of running from the law that wasn’t even chasing him.
Doe was lovely, and tonight was his first time in a long time to be truly alone with a beautiful woman, but his thoughts wandered back to Edie. Where would she be tonight? Would she be alone or would Lieutenant Brien be with her?
Edie is wealthy now. She owns a ranch, and she is the owner of a bank that serves a moderate-sized town. Is she living in town, or is she still at the ranch that holds so many memories? Now that the court has vindicated her husband’s death, would her memories of him fade, or would she remain forever trapped by those memories? Venie would have to go away to school in a year or two, since there are no schools near the ranch.
These were questions that constantly ran through his mind, and the only way Dan would ever know the answers would be to go back and find out. He knew that Edie would never come to Indian Territory looking for him.
It took a while to fall asleep, and he was lucky that it did because a shadow moved across his window. He got just a glance, but it looked like the silhouette of a man. Five years of running had made him cautious. He slipped back into his clothes, buckled on his gun belt, put his boots on, and waited. When he got out of the bed, the spare pillow accidentally caught under the covers, making it appear that he was still in bed. Two shots rang out and the blanket covering the pillow bounced. The bullets landed right where the shooter thought Dan was lying, and if he had been there he would be dead. Somebody wasn’t happy that he had returned.
Dan knew better than to run to the window, so he stood in the dark near the window and looked out. He didn’t see anything, but he heard two horses galloping away. He heard banging on the door and then a key turning the latch, and John Cato, the hotel attendant, burst in followed by several guests. One of the guests was an old man named Gabe, a friend of his father.
“They got him!” Gabe exclaimed. “He’s still lying under the cover!”
“No, they didn’t,” Dan corrected as he stepped into the light. “I saw a shadow at the window and got up just before those bullets hit the bed. Does anyone know who might have fired those shots?”
“The sheriff has a brother named Hap,” Gabe answered, “and they say Hap is meaner than a grizzly with a toothache. I’ll bet he’s come looking for revenge. Mervin Milroy, the other deputy who was with Sheriff Bodden when he burned your Ma and Pa, was a friend of Bodden’s. When Abram Alamus, his fellow deputy, confessed on his dying bed that he was in on the burning, Milroy ran off. I’ll bet Milroy told Hap about you. You’d better look out; they’ll both be after you. Hap will be out for revenge, and Milroy knows that if you testify in a court trial, he’ll serve time in prison as an accomplice to the burning.”
“Yeah, I remember Milroy,” Dan answered. “He was definitely in that bunch of arsonists who hit me on my head. It looks like I was in too big a hurry when I sent that message to Attorney Eaton. I guess we’re going to have to settle this in court after all. Has anybody notified the sheriff?”
“When I heard the shots, I sent a boy to get Sheriff Scully,” John Cato answered. “For the little things we need him to do around town, Scully’s a good sheriff, but he won’t go after Hap. Scully can’t beat Hap with a gun, and he knows it. Say, why don’t you sign on as his deputy? If you’re still as good as you used to be, you might beat Hap, but don’t forget, Hap has Milroy to back him up. . . . Oh, by the way, a man named Bradford Eaton signed the guest log today. He has a woman with him. He called her Rhoda; said she was his sister, but you know how that is.”
“She is his sister,” Dan confirmed. “What rooms are they in?”
“They took the only suite of rooms we have. They’re on the first floor, first door to the right, room 3.”
“I’ll be up early in the morning, and I would appreciate it if you would call me when they get up. I wonder how Hap knew which room I was in. I’ll sleep in another room if you’ve got one, John, but don’t tell anyone which room. Everybody, please go back to bed now. We all need our rest, and I’ll be here tomorrow if you want to talk. But before I go to sleep, I want to look for evidence—I heard horses running out of town.”
Dan hoped that the horse left hoof prints that would be easy to identify, and sure as sunrise, the right rear shoe of one of the horses needed changing, and it left a distinctive print because the inside corner of the shoe curved out. The Comanche had taught Dan well. In the morning, he would first meet with Eaton and Rhoda, and then he would follow the trail of the men who had tried to kill him. He took the time to oil his father’s revolver—he might need it tomorrow.
Dan didn’t wait to be called and was up early. He was waiting in the hotel lobby when Attorney Eaton and Rhoda walked in. The meeting was warm and cordial. Dan said that he had sent a message that Eaton wasn’t needed but was glad he had come. Dan explained that someone tried to kill him last night.
“We traveled straight through so we were both very tired and didn’t hear any shooting, but I’d like to see what's left of your farm house this morning.”
“Let’s eat breakfast at Myrtle’s restaurant,” Dan suggested, “and then I’ll take you there. Rhoda, how are Edie and Venie?”
“They are both well,” Rhoda replied. “Edie was awarded restitution for the damages she received from the bank, and she is now the owner of the bank. As the owner, she is one of the most important people in Lone Hill. She lives in town and visits her ranch occasionally. Sam Pickinpa and his wife, Cloe, are running the ranch, and they are doing a good job. Edie and Venie send their regards. Will you be going back to Lone Hill?”
Dan avoided answering Rhoda’s question. He needed to know more about Edie before he could give an honest answer, so he asked, “How is Lieutenant Brien?”
Like Dan, Rhoda was perceptive, and gave a guarded answer.
“Lieutenant Brien is Captain Brien now, and he’s in charge of the territory
that Lone Hill sits in and spends his free time in Lone Hill.”
Dan waited for Rhoda to tell more, but she stopped, seeming reluctant to finish, so Dan let it lie.
When they entered Myrtle’s restaurant, Doe gave Dan an exuberant embrace, and he knew he was blushing when he introduced her to Bradford Eaton and Rhoda. He was wishing Doe would be more doe-like. Myrtle was cooking, but she took time to meet the guests. Rhoda greeted Myrtle, but her eyes kept going back to Doe.
Myrtle seated them at a table by the window and asked, “What would you like for breakfast? I serve eggs any way you like them, and I have bacon, ham, or sausage. Hot biscuits with honey and butter are my specialties, and my coffee is always hot and fresh.”
Doe hovered over Dan like a dove guarding its eggs. Breakfast was wonderful, as it always was at Myrtle’s, and Dan recited a brief history of the town pointing out the main features from their window.
Then, while they ate, Dan gave a teen-aged boy some money and asked him to rent a carriage and bring it to the restaurant.
* * *
The road to the Duncan farm wandered along the creek. Sand hill plums and mustang grapes grew in abundance, and they were ripe. The water in the creek was clear, and a soft breeze rustled the oak trees. The morning was beautiful. And then the burned ruins came into view. The aged ashes were like a scar, and it still brought tears to his eyes. Deep in his mind he could still hear his mother screaming. Rhoda noticed and laid her hand on Dan’s arm. Eaton wasn’t saying much, but his eyes didn’t miss much either.
“I’m sorry,” Dan said as he blinked back the tears, “but I can still hear Mother’s screams.” Dan reiterated the story while Rhoda and her brother listened. Rhoda had heard the story when Dan told it at the fort, but seeing the burned ruins made it more real. Eaton as a lawyer asked questions.
On the way back into town, Rhoda asked about Doe.
“Doe is just a girl from my childhood,” Dan explained. “We went to the same school, and I carried her books. That’s all.”
“She’s very pretty,” Eaton remarked, and Rhoda agreed.
Dan, wanting to change the subject, told of the shooting last night and said he wanted to follow the trail of the horse with a broken shoe.
“Let the sheriff follow that trail,” Eaton counseled. “You shouldn’t get involved. We’ve got a trial coming up, and we’re going to win, but we have to conduct ourselves properly. Don’t work on rebuilding your home until after the trial. Those ruins are evidence. The trial won’t last long, and when it’s over you’ll be able to hire the carpenters you’ll need. Show me the window that the shots were fired through last night, and the pillows the bullets hit. Maybe the bullets are still lodged in the pillows.”
“What should I do?” Dan asked in a frustrated tone. “I can’t just sit and do nothing.”
“Walk about town, talk to people; then if they are called to testify, they can say that they saw you. If that gets boring, take that pretty girl for a buggy ride.”
“Then let’s go look at that pillow, and then I’ll tell the sheriff about the broken horseshoe.”
John Cato had left Dan’s room undisturbed. He called Sheriff Scully to witness Eaton's finding the two bullets lodged in the pillow. The bullets were distorted, but they were easily identifiable as the type fired from a Colt .45.
Dan then took Sheriff Scully to the street, showed him the hoof print with a broken shoe, and explained that two horses raced out of town just after the shooting.
“Who would want you dead?” Sheriff Scully asked Dan. “Did you make any enemies while you were gone?”
Bradford Eaton laid his hand on Dan’s shoulder, shook his head before saying, “The records show that Sheriff Bodden had two deputies with him when he burned the Duncan farmhouse. One of them made a deathbed confession. What happened to the other one? He was an accomplice to murder. I would think that would be motive enough to kill the one man who witnessed the burning. I suggest you follow that trail.”
“Sheriff Bodden had a brother called Hap down Spanish Fork way,” Sheriff Scully said. “He makes his living by killing people. Hap has killed several men, and he gets paid a lot of money for doing it. I wouldn’t stand a chance in a gunfight with Hap, and besides, I have no authority in Texas, and that’s where Spanish Fork is. It’s the place where drovers drive their cattle across the Red River. Spanish Fork is a mighty mean town, and I’m sure that is where the broken horseshoe trail would lead.”
Sheriff Scully took off his hat, wiped his brow, and shook his head. He was a big man with a weathered face and receding hairline. “I would form a posse, but the men here have families and won’t take the risk. The only man here good enough to go against Hap is Dan.” He turned to Dan. “Dan, I’ll deputize you, and you can have all of the reward of five thousand dollars for bringing Hap in, dead or alive. Will you take the job?”
“I’ll follow the advice of my lawyer,” Dan said turning to Eaton. “What do you say, Mr. Eaton?”
“I say don’t take the job. You’re no bounty hunter, and besides, the court will award you more than five thousand if we win, and we’re almost certain to win. We don’t need to bring Hap Bodden in to win this case.”
“What if Hap tries to do away with me again?”
“You would then be justified to defend yourself,” Eaton replied, “just as you were justified to defend yourself against Sheriff Bodden in Lone Hill, and I’ll prove that in a court of law.”
“Then, Sheriff Scully, I decline the offer.” Dan turned to Eaton, “And if you need nothing more from me, I think I’ll have lunch at Myrtle’s and then go fishing. Are you a fisherman? The creek is loaded with bass.”
“Thanks for the offer,” Eaton responded with a smile, “but I have things to do.”
* * *
Doe saw Danny coming and met him at the restaurant door.
“Come, sit at the counter. If I remember right, you’ll want a grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich, with pecan pie for desert, and a glass of cold milk.”
“What a remarkable memory! It’s been five years since I last ordered that. How did you remember?”
“I remember lots of things about you. I’ve been thinking about you ever since you left. I knew you’d be coming back. This morning when I left home, Dad asked me to ask you if you would help him haul hay this afternoon. Mom tries to help, but she isn’t strong enough to throw the hay up on the wagon.”
“Sure, I’ll help with the hay, if you’ll go fishing with me on your day off.”
“I’ll bring my bathing suit,” Doe grinned.
Myrtle had the ham-and-cheese sandwich on the grill as Dan sat at the counter, and she hovered over him like a mother hen hovering over a chick.
* * *
Alan Wampler was just finishing his lunch as Dan rode into the yard.
“Your timing is perfect. If you’ll throw the hay up on the wagon, I’ll stack it, and we should finish before dark.”
“I’ll help milk the cows and feed the stock after we finish the haying,” Dan said.
“I’ll have dinner ready when you get the animals tended,” Lorene said. “Doreen should be home by that time, and we’ll all have dinner together.”
The field they were harvesting was on the land that had belonged to Dan’s family. He wondered why Alan was growing hay on land that didn’t belong to him, but Dan remained quiet about it. They finished the last load as the sun slid below the horizon.
After the last cow was milked, Dan drew cold water from the well and set the containers of milk in it.
“I see you haven’t forgotten how to farm,” Alan commented.
“I haven’t forgotten how hard the work is,” Dan chuckled. “I’ll bathe in the creek. Do you have an extra bar of soap?”
“I’ve rigged a shower behind the barn,” Alan advised. “There’s soap on the shelf.”
Dan stepped out of the shower wondering what he was going to use to dry with when Doe appeared handing him a towel. He was naked as a newly hat
ched jaybird. “How did you know I was ready to dry myself?”
“I’ve been watching from behind the barn door,” Doe confessed, “and I like what I saw. I brought you some clean clothes. The clothes belong to Dad, and they’ll be a little small, but maybe you can squeeze into them. I’ll wash yours while you get dressed, and then after dinner, you can change back into your clothes—they’ll be dry by that time.”
“What happened to that shy girl I used to know?” Dan asked while trying to cover himself with the towel.
“I’m a woman now, and I don’t have time to be shy. If I don’t latch onto you quick, some other girl will. Dinner is ready, so come on in when you get dressed, but don’t tell Dad that I handed you the towel.”
“Will you take a walk with me after dinner?” Dan asked.
“Of course I’ll walk with you. I already have a place for us to walk to,” Doe answered with a sly smile.
“I’d like to know what kind of place it is, but I won’t ask,” Dan replied.
Doe helped her mother serve, and dinner was special. While they were still sitting at the table, Allen said, “I guess you were wondering why we were harvesting hay on land that belongs to you. That land was too good to let go idle, so I arranged with the bank to farm your land on the halves. I take half of the money from what I grow, and put the other half in the bank for you. I’ve kept records of all sales, and you have a sizeable savings in the bank that you didn’t know about. Your land joins mine, and you are an only child, and so is Doe. So I put one and one together and came up with a couple.”
Alan looked at Dan with an unspoken question in his eyes.
Dan looked at Doe and then Lorene, and then returned to Alan. “I don’t know what to say,” he stammered. “I’m pleased that the land hasn’t lain fallow, and of course I’m glad to have money in the bank, but what would you have done if I hadn’t come back?”
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