“Because I’m the new mayor.”
“Uh-oh, boys. He’s too big for his britches. Better dunk him in the creek.” Cade grinned at his brother.
Quint and Asa grabbed Ty, dragging him toward the creek despite his protests that they’d ruin his boots and his pistol. Ransom glanced at Cade and poked Ira with his elbow.
“Shame on you.” Jessie laid her head on Cade’s shoulder as Ransom and Ira followed the others.
“They won’t throw him in.” He turned, drawing her into his arms. “But it gives me a chance to give you a real kiss.”
“I thought the other one was a real kiss.”
“Yeah, but this one will curl your toes.”
And it did.
Chapter 27
“Everything is all set.” Asa had checked on the status of the trial while everyone else waited outside of town. “They’re moving fast. Already tried and convicted everybody but Doolin and Sam. Guess the jury decided the boy had been forced into the gang and acquitted him.
“They’re recessed for dinner now, but Doolin’s case is up next. It starts again at one o’clock. Sheriff Proctor and the district attorney thought a grand entrance is in order. They’ll save some seats, but they want you to wait outside and not come in until they call Quint as a witness. He figures the opening statements will take about twenty or thirty minutes. Sam and a couple of the others will testify, too, as long as Quint is there.”
“Is Doolin defending himself?”
Asa nodded. “The sheriff said he acts like it’s goin’ to be a cake walk. That’s one reason they want to surprise him.”
“What about Wyman?” asked Ransom. “Has he been at the trial?”
“Every minute. Sheriff figures he’ll be sitting right by Doolin since he’s supposed to be his assistant.”
“Did you ask him about weapons?”
“He isn’t allowing any inside the courthouse. Everybody has to leave them at his office if they want to go to the trial.”
Ransom frowned and absently rubbed his horse’s neck. “You can count on Wyman having a derringer, probably two.”
“Proctor said they’ve been checking for them, but he’ll pay particular attention to Wyman. And a few others so he won’t think he’s being singled out.” Asa reached in his saddlebag. “The sheriff sent badges for everybody. Said he was deputizing you by proxy.” Grinning, he paused. “Guess that’s my new name. That way we’ll be armed and able to help if there’s any trouble. You, too, Ira.”
Ira stared at the badge Asa held out to him. “Does this mean I won’t go to jail?”
“Yes. And as far as anyone else is concerned, you were helping protect Mrs. Monroe, not actually kidnapping her.”
“I’ll go along with that if anybody asks,” said Ransom.
Beaming, Ira took the badge and pinned it on his shirt. “But after this is over, I’d still like that job you offered me, Mr. McKinnon.”
“You’ve got it.” Cade nodded as he pinned on his own badge. He looked at Ty and Ransom. “Almost seems like old times.”
They waited until close to one o’clock to go into town, using back streets and leaving the buggy and horses behind McKinnon Brothers. The store, like practically every other business in town except the saloons and restaurant, was closed until the trial ended for the day. They waited inside, watching the front of the courthouse.
A crowd had gathered outside the courthouse because there wasn’t enough room in the building to hold everyone. Due to the afternoon heat, the windows and doors were wide open. Two deputies stood guard on the boardwalk, blocking the doorway. At one-twenty, Sheriff Proctor stepped outside and looked toward the store.
“That’s our signal.” Ty unlocked the front door, locking it again after everyone was outside. They crossed the street quickly, causing a stir as they worked their way through the crowd until the sheriff’s sharp, “Quiet!” silenced them. Still, half a dozen women reached out to touch Jessie’s arm, welcoming her home with genuine joy and relief. And even more men gave Cade a slap on the back for rescuing her.
The sheriff held them on the boardwalk until the district attorney’s voice rang through the courthouse and out the door. “Your honor, the prosecution calls as its first witness, Quintin Webb.”
Cade watched through the window as Quint walked into the courtroom. Doolin turned around, smiling smugly.
When Quint reached the front of the room, Cade and Jessie went inside. Ty and Asa followed them in, rifles in hand, and took up positions along the wall, guarding the windows.
His hand on her elbow, Cade escorted Jessie to the seats near the front that the sheriff had reserved. He made certain he was on the side closest to Doolin.
Doolin stared at them, his expression dumbfounded. His bewilderment quickly turned to anger, and he leaned over to whisper something to Wyman.
A loud gasp went through the crowd when they spotted Jessie, followed by cheers. When they sat down, he glanced back and saw Ransom and Ira slip inside, guarding the doorway. Ransom had left his rifle at the store, preferring to use his Colt Peacemakers whenever he had a choice. It took several minutes of gavel-pounding before the scowling judge restored order in his court.
He smiled at Jessie. “Mrs. Monroe?”
“Yes, your honor.”
“I’m glad you’re home safe and sound.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He turned his attention to Quint. “Bailiff, swear in the witness.”
“No!” Doolin jumped to his feet, his face contorted with rage. “He’s a liar.”
The judge pounded the gavel again. “Mr. Doolin sit down.”
“No, I won’t.” Doolin turned toward the jury. “You can’t convict me with one witness. It’s his word against mine.”
“We have four other witnesses, your honor,” said the prosecutor. “Men who will not only testify that Doolin was the leader of the outlaws, but that he was also involved in Mrs. Monroe’s kidnapping.”
“I was in jail.” Doolin looked around the room wildly. “I couldn’t have been involved.”
Cade stood, ready to pounce on him if he needed to. The sheriff worked his way around to the other side of Doolin. Quint stood near the witness stand, also ready to act if necessary.
Doolin spun toward Wyman. “He did it. The kidnapping was his idea. The rustling, too. He was their leader. Not me. I just did what he told me to.”
“Be quiet, you idiot.”
“You talked me into this. You said Webb wouldn’t show up if his sister was taken.” He pointed his finger at his so-called assistant. “He’s the one you want. And he’s a murderer, too. He bragged about how many people he’s killed.”
“Doolin, shut up!” Wyman reached beneath the table and jumped to his feet, holding a pistol, waving it toward the crowd. Half of them dove to the floor. The other half froze in place. The jury dropped to the floor, hiding behind the waist high wooden panel in front of the jury box.
Keeping his eyes on Wyman, Cade eased his hand toward his revolver. He figured every other man with a gun was doing the same thing. But shooting him before he hurt somebody would be tricky. Cade hadn’t been in this kind of situation in years.
“Put the gun down, Wyman,” ordered the sheriff, taking a step closer.
Wyman spun toward the judge, leveling the gun at his chest. “Stay where you are, sheriff. Don’t anybody try to stop me, or I’ll shoot him. Judge, you come down here. You and me are going for a little ride.”
The judge hesitated, then moved a few feet toward the steps leading from the bench.
“Doesn’t take much courage to face an unarmed man.” Ransom slowly walked down the aisle, holding his empty hands out to his side.
Wyman tensed. Keeping the gun pointed at the judge, who stood still, he turned so he could see who was talking to him. His eyes widened when he recognized Starr. Then narrowed when he spotted the badge on his vest.
“What about O’Malley’s wife?” asked Ransom. “Or their son? I doubt either of
them had a gun.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Cade held his breath. Wyman was growing more nervous, which was what Ransom wanted. He had always been at his best in close confrontations. Cade hoped he still was.
“John Michael O’Malley. Denver. Your dealings with him didn’t go like you expected, either, did they? You got any family, Doolin? Wyman likes spread out his revenge.” Ransom stopped about twenty feet in front of him. “You went to O’Malley’s house for dinner and killed him and his whole family.” He paused, studying the other man. “Do you think you can kill me before I shoot you?”
Doolin edged away, crouched down in front of the district attorney’s table, and crawled under it, alongside the prosecutor.
“You don’t even have your gun out of the holster. They’d call it murder.” Wyman’s gaze darted to the judge and back to Ransom.
“Not if I challenged you. If you kill me, it would be self-defense. Isn’t that right, sheriff?”
“That’s right.”
“There’s only one way to stop me from telling how you hired me to kidnap Mrs. Monroe.” Ransom’s voice was calm and firm. “And ordered me to kill her if her brother didn’t cooperate.”
The sheriff inched forward.
Wyman jerked his head in his direction. “Don’t move!”
The judge dove behind his desk, and Wyman swung the gun around toward the crowd.
Cade and Proctor both went for their side arms, but Ransom drew and fired before either of them had their guns out of the holsters.
Ransom walked forward, then leaned over Wyman as he gasped his last breath. “That’s for three-year-old Nellie O’Malley. One shot. Right through the heart. Just the way you killed her.”
Stunned, the crowd and jury slowly climbed back into their seats. The judge peeked out from beneath his desk, then stood and took his proper place behind the bench. The district attorney and Doolin crawled out from beneath the table.
Sheriff Proctor motioned for two men to tend to Wyman’s body. They hurried forward and picked him up.
Cade sat down and put his arm around Jessie. She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes when the men carried Wyman from the room.
The judge cleared his throat, his angry gaze focused on Doolin. “Tate Doolin, you made a public confession of your involvement in the rustling.”
“It was under duress, your honor.”
The judge ignored him. “Do you want to change your plea to guilty and save time or shall I have the district attorney charge you with kidnapping Mrs. Monroe, too?”
Doolin glanced at Ira and Ransom, perhaps weighing how much they could implicate him in the kidnapping. “I plead guilty to cattle theft, your honor.”
“Very well.” The judge paused, studying some notes on his desk. “Tate Doolin, I find you guilty on two hundred and fifty counts of cattle theft, one for each stolen cow that ended up on your ranch. I expect there are many more, but this will do to put you away until you’re an old man. I sentence you to thirty years hard labor in the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville. Sheriff Proctor, see to the prisoner.” He wielded the gavel one last time. “Court adjourned.”
The sheriff called Asa and Ira over to take Doolin to jail. A crowd formed around Cade and Jessie, all talking at once. Holding her to his side, Cade pretty much ignored them, simply nodding politely now and then. He watched the jurors shake Quint’s hand and various cattlemen work their way over to thank him. A few of the single ladies made a fuss over him, causing him to blush.
Another crowd surrounded Ransom, including what had to be practically every other unattached female in the county, all exclaiming about brave he was. Cade agreed with them. His old friend had grown even better with time, both in skill and steady courage. He smiled as Starr took all the compliments in stride, smiling and chatting a little with each lady and giving them what was probably the thrill of their previously quiet lives.
He glanced back at Ty, chuckling at the consternation on his face as he watched Ransom. Cade caught his eye, and Ty finally smiled. Then he grinned as some of the ladies turned their attention to him.
After five or ten minutes, the sheriff sent folks on their way. “I’m sure Mrs. Monroe would like to get home to her children. Y’all have had enough excitement to last you six months.”
Cade and Jessie waited a few minutes more until the crowd thinned out before starting toward the door. The sheriff had stopped to talk to Ransom, and Cade overheard part of the conversation as they walked past.
“It’s been a long time since I saw anybody as fast as you,” said Proctor. “Don’t reckon I could talk you into taking a job as my deputy, could I?” He leaned a little closer. “With a move up to sheriff in about a month. I got a telegram this morning appointing me the new U.S. Marshall for this district as soon as the current man retires.”
“Congratulations,” said Ransom.
Cade stopped and turned around, holding out his hand to the sheriff. “From me, too. You’re leaving big boots to fill.”
“Talk Starr into filling them.” The sheriff shook Cade’s hand. “There’s nobody in a hundred miles who would be better.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I watched how you handled a crisis situation. That’s all I need to know.”
“Let me think about it for a few days. Either way, I have to go back to Colorado and settle some business. Would it be possible for me to search Wyman’s belongings to see if there is anything that would prove he was the one who killed the O’Malley family? There was some jewelry missing.”
“I’ll tell Miss Flora over at the boarding house to let you in his room.”
“I appreciate it.” Ransom turned to Cade and Jessie. “You’d better get this lady home to her family.”
“We’re working on it. Darlin’, I’ll go get the buggy and be right back.”
But when they stepped outside, Quint had it waiting for them. “I’ll take our horses over to the livery. Tell Ellie to save some hugs and kisses for her Uncle Quint.”
Jessie laughed. “She has a big supply.”
Cade helped her into the buggy, then settled in beside her, clicking his tongue to the horse. The tired animal started up at a very slow walk. “Don’t worry, girl. I’ll take care of you in just a few minutes.”
They drove away from the milling throng of people, and he breathed a sigh of relief to see that the street heading to Nola’s was empty. “Darlin’, about getting married today…”
She looked up at him with a frown. “Don’t you want to?”
“Yes. And no. I’d love to go to sleep with you in my arms tonight, but I’m afraid that’s just what I’d do. We’re both worn out.” He smiled ruefully. “For months, I’ve dreamed about loving you all night long on our wedding day.”
“Well, I hate to spoil a dream.” She relaxed against the back of the seat and yawned. “I am exhausted. I didn’t sleep at all night before last and not a whole lot last night. Despite Ransom’s clean sheets, that bed was awful.”
When they pulled up in front of the house, Lydia and the children burst out the front door and raced to meet them. Nola followed, walking faster than Cade had seen her move in a long time.
Jessie jumped out of the buggy, kneeling on the street, and pulled Brad and Ellie into her arms, hugging and kissing them. Crying, they both clung to her. Tears poured down her cheeks, too, but Cade knew they were tears of joy.
“Mama, I was so scared you wouldn’t never come home,” cried Ellie. “But Cade promised he’d find you, and I wasn’t so scared anymore.”
“How did you get away?” asked Brad. “Did Cade rescue you?”
“Yes, he did. But it’s a long story. Let’s go in the house, and I’ll have a big glass of iced tea and tell you all about it.” Jessie stood and hugged Lydia, then Nola. She examined the older woman closely. “Are you all right?”
“Still got a lump on my head, but otherwise I’m fine. Now come on inside. Are you hun
gry? Did they feed you anything?”
Jessie looked at Cade with a twinkle in her eye. “Actually, I fed them. I fried catfish and even tried out a new recipe for peach pie.”
“Was it good? You’ll have to share it with me,” said Lydia.
Jessie looked at Cade again, and they both burst out laughing.
“Only if you want to practically kill somebody.” Cade winked at Jessie. “I’ll take this poor ol’ hoss to the livery and be back in a few minutes.”
She nodded, mouthing the words, “I love you.”
He said them back, out loud, and made her smile. He drove away, her lovely, tear-stained, travel-dusty face lingering in his mind.
How he did love that woman’s smile.
Chapter 28
On her wedding day, Jessie sat in front of the dressing table mirror watching as Lydia pushed the last hairpin into her hair. She had pulled it up in a cluster of curls in the back, a fancier style than Jessie would have tried.
Lydia sighed, smiling wistfully. “You’re a lovely bride, Jessie.”
“Thank you. You will be, too. Has Asa hinted at marriage yet?”
“Oh, yes, he’s hinted. I think he’s been on the verge of asking me a few times but got cold feet.” She grinned and stepped back so Jessie could stand up. “I’ll wait a little longer before I give him a nudge.”
“He loves you. It’s as obvious as the nose on his face.”
“He’s told me so. I suspect he thinks I’ll demand that he give up his freedom, but I won’t. I know he needs to ride the range as much as he needs air to breathe. As long as he isn’t gone for too long at a time, I could handle it.”
“Maybe you should tell him that.”
“I think I will. It would be nice if our wedding was the next one in town. Now, do you need me for anything else?” When Jessie shook her head, Lydia gave her a hug. “I’ll see you downstairs. Cade almost came up here to get you an hour ago.”
“Considering I was in my petticoats, that would have been interesting.” They shared a laugh as Lydia headed toward the door. “Thank you for helping me. I never would have been able to do up my hair this nicely on my own.”
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