Laura shook her head. It was too coincidental that Cade had been well this morning when he’d left to pay his father a visit, and come home so sick he’d lost consciousness. She snuggled up to her husband, holding tightly to him. If Jack had done something to make Cade sick, what would he try next?
She shook her head. She was not going to lose her husband. Jack Kincaid would get what he wanted. No amount of land or gold was worth jeopardizing the safety of the man she loved. It was time to act before anything else happened to her family.
* * *
Cade rolled onto his back, and stretched his legs. A sharp pain jabbed his insides, and he grimaced. Damn! What the hell was wrong with him? He opened his eyes. The sun was already up, but it wasn’t bright yet. A quick glance to the side told him Laura had already gotten up.
His head pounded as if it was ready to split in two when he sat up and pulled his legs over the mattress. His stomach roiled from nausea, and he was nearly sick. The muscles in his arms twitched. Forcing himself to stand, he headed for the dresser, and poured some water from the pitcher into the washbowl. The cool liquid felt good on his face. Voices drifted into the bedroom from the front of the house. Ignoring his discomfort, he dressed quickly, and opened the door.
Trace and his wife stood in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.
“What are you two doing here?” he greeted, his voice raspy.
“That’s a hell of a way to say good morning,” Trace said, facing him with a smile. “We thought we’d get some grub ready for you, in case you survived the night.”
Cade ran a hand through his hair. “I ain’t never felt anything like what came over me yesterday.”
“At least you’re up and walking this morning.”
Cade frowned. He glanced around the room, and craned his neck to see out the window.
“Where’s Laura?” She wouldn’t simply let her guests prepare breakfast. She’d insist on serving them.
Trace looked puzzled. “Haven’t seen her. I thought she was still asleep.”
Cade shook his head. He stared at Trace. “Where’s Jonah?”
“Outside, feeding the animals.”
Jonah marched through the door at that precise moment, carrying a basket.
“Is your mama with you?” Cade asked.
The boy shook his head. “No. Mr. Hawley told me she was still sleeping.” He set the egg basket on the table, and looked from Cade to Trace. “Where is Buttercup? I didn’t see her in the corral when I was feeding the horses.”
Cade froze. His eyes connected with Trace again. Katie turned around from the stove.
“Where could she have gone?” Trace’s wife asked.
“Last night, I mentioned that I should ride to the Diamond K this morning if you weren’t better, to talk to Jack, and find out if something there might have made you sick,” Trace said slowly. “You weren’t at any of Jack’s mines yesterday, were you?”
“No, I went to the Diamond K, and came straight home from there.”
“You don’t think Laura went to see Jack, do you?” Katie asked, reaching for her husband’s arm.
“Hell,” Cade grumbled. That’s exactly where she’d gone. There was no question about it.
He blinked away the dark spots before his eyes, and rushed back into the bedroom. Strapping on his gun belt, he checked the Remington to make sure it was loaded, and reached for his Winchester in the corner of the room.
“You don’t look fit enough to ride out of here,” Trace said, putting a hand on Cade’s arm when he reached the front door.
“This is going to end now,” Cade said in a warning tone. “I’m not going to sit around every day, worrying about my family because of what my father might be up to.”
“You don’t know that he’s up to anything,” Trace said. His calm demeanor fueled Cade’s anger.
“He’s hurt people for far too long. One way or the other, this is going to end today.”
Cade ripped the front door open. He rushed to the barn and saddled one of the geldings in the corral. He stopped, leaning against the corral post to catch his breath. He clutched at his stomach, and grimaced. The simple act of saddling his horse made his head pound worse than before.
“Wait, and I’ll go with you.”
Trace met him when he raised his foot into the stirrup. His gut twisted painfully, but he pulled himself into the saddle.
“Thanks, Hawley, but this is my fight. I’d appreciate you looking out for my boy for me until I get back.”
Trace stepped back, and nodded in understanding. Cade kicked his horse into a run. He gripped the saddle horn to steady himself. His head pounded in time with his horse’s hooves. Concentrating on keeping the animal moving in the direction of the Diamond K, Trace’s question replayed in his mind. Had he been to any of the mines? What was the connection between the mines and getting sick at the Diamond K?
Jack hadn’t looked well, either. There hadn’t been any alcohol on his father’s breath. Had he been sick, rather than drunk, as he’d assumed? He’d seen men in prison with dysentery, but he dismissed that thought. It was strange that Jack had been in the kitchen. Jack wasn’t a cook. He’d never so much as brewed his own cup of coffee.
The first buildings of the Diamond K came into view when another thought came to mind. What had Jack been cooking up in the kitchen? The steam from the pot on the stove had made the air hot and moist. Cade cursed under his breath when it suddenly made sense. The old bastard was just greedy enough to do what Cade suspected.
“Damn fool,” he grumbled under his breath. “I hope you’re sick for a good long time.”
His greater worry now was Laura. If Jack had harmed her in any way, the bastard would pay with his life.
His heart lurched in his chest when he finally reached the Diamond K. Laura’s saddle horse was tethered to the porch post of the house. Cade leapt from his own horse before the animal came to a complete stop. He ripped the rifle from its scabbard, and rushed up the porch steps. Without knocking, he barged into the house.
“Laura,” he roared, and rushed into the entry.
“Cade,” her faint voice called from the direction of Jack’s study.
Cade’s heart hammered in his chest. He raced down the hall toward the room. The door was open, the smell of cigar smoke drifting into the hall. With his rifle raised, Cade rushed into the room.
“He’s having some sort of fit, Cade.”
Laura knelt on the ground beside Jack Kincaid. His body shook violently, and his breathing was ragged. Cade lowered his rifle, and reached for Laura’s arm, helping her stand. He stared down at the man who’d been a thorn in his side for so many years. Cade hesitated for a moment, then dropped to his knees and held his father’s head steady.
“There’s nothing you can do for him,” he said gently when the tremors finally stopped. Laura looked down at him, her eyes filled with fear.
Cade stood and pulled her into his arms, shielding her from witnessing the death of this man.
“He needs a doctor,” she said, sobbing into his shirt. “No man should suffer like this.”
“A doctor won’t be able to help him.”
Jack Kincaid’s eyes flew open at that moment, and he stared up at them.
“Maude,” he rasped. His hand reached up toward Laura.
She pushed out of Cade’s embrace, and stared down at Jack.
“I did it for you . . . Maude.” Jack’s chest heaved upward, then dropped. His arm hit the ground with a dull thud, and his body went still.
Laura fell against Cade, and she sobbed. Cade held her tightly, his jaw clenched.
“Who is Maude?” she whispered.
Cade drew in a deep breath. His head pounded worse than ever. “My mother.” He stared down at the lifeless body of his father.
“He was hallucinating when I walked in,” Laura mumbled into his shirt. “He opened the door when I knocked, and called me Maude. He said he was sorry for everything he’s done, that he only wanted to give m
e . . . her, everything.” She pulled out of his embrace. “He said how proud he was of you, that you had become a good man.” Laura smiled up at him through her tears.
“How long have you been here, in the house, Laura?” Cade asked. He wrapped his hand around hers, and led her out onto the porch.
“Not long,” Laura stammered. “He was out of his mind, so I couldn’t even tell him why I came to see him.”
Once they stood on the porch, Cade turned to her. He held her face between his hands, and smiled down at her.
“We can’t go back in there. It’s not safe in that house. After what happened to him, you could get sick, too.”
Laura’s forehead wrinkled. “Sick from what?”
“Mercury poisoning,” Cade said simply.
Laura shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
Several of the ranch hands approached the house when Cade led Laura down the stairs. Woody was among them.
“Jack Kincaid is dead,” Cade said so everyone could hear. No one made a sound. They simply stared at him to continue.
“He died because of his greed. I need a few men to take his body into town for a proper burial, but don’t linger inside the house. It’s full of mercury vapor. I’ll let you all know in the next couple of days what’s going to happen with the Diamond K.”
“You’re his only son, Cade. The ranch and everything Jack owned will go to you.”
Cade gnashed his teeth. He hated everything this place represented. He’d felt no emotion seeing his father take his final breath. Much of the wealth of the Diamond K came from manipulating others, rather than by honest means.
“Woody, you’re in charge of making sure the livestock is tended to properly. I need some time to decide what to do. Right now, I’m taking my wife home.”
Wordlessly, he walked Laura to her horse, and helped her into the saddle. He mounted his own horse, and led the way back to the small homestead, eager to put distance between himself and the Diamond K.
* * *
“Mercury poisoning? How’s that possible?”
Trace Hawley stared from Laura to Cade after they’d returned to the farm. Laura wrapped her arms around Cade’s middle, unwilling to let him go. He may act as if nothing was bothering him, but his eyes told her he was still in some pain. His hand rubbed up and down her back, and he looked at her with a reassuring smile.
“When you mentioned the mines earlier, it finally dawned on me why I got sick,” Cade said, turning his attention to Trace. “Knowing Jack, he didn’t trust his mine workers enough to leave the gold extraction to them alone. When I went to see him yesterday, he was separating gold from mercury in his kitchen. I just didn’t realize what he was doing at the time.”
“I don’t understand how all that works,” Laura said.
Cade shot her a patient smile.
“In simple terms, mercury is attracted to gold. When mercury is added to the sluices, the gold particles stick to it, and it settles out more easily.” He looked from Trace to Laura, raising his brows. She nodded that she understood what he was saying. “In order to then separate the gold from the mercury, it has to be heated. Miners can get sick if they breathe in too much of the vapors that are created.”
“I’ve heard of miners getting sick, but not that anyone died from it, though,” Trace said.
“While I was in prison, I met a former miner who used to handle mercury. He complained of constant headaches and some muscle tremors. He told us a story of some miners he knew who stole sediments from the mines, and heated them in their tents so no one would see what they were doing. They started getting sick with stomach ailments, headaches, and convulsions. After several days of repeatedly breathing in those vapors in such a small space without fresh air, two of them died. That’s what happened to Jack.”
Laura gripped him tighter. Her heart lurched into her stomach, and her eyes widened with fear. “You breathed in the vapors when you were there yesterday.”
Cade leaned toward her, and kissed her on the mouth. “So did you, Laura, just not directly, but there’s still vapor in that house.” He squeezed her hand. “I think we’ll be all right. We weren’t exposed to the direct fumes this time, not like I was yesterday. The house at the Diamond K isn’t safe, though. Jack was in that house, breathing in that stuff for days, and who knows how many times he was standing over the direct vapors in the kitchen.”
“Well, that’s quite an ending for a man who’s caused so much misery,” Trace said. He reached for his wife, wrapping an arm around her waist. “What do you say we head home, Katie, and let Laura and Cade talk about their happy future. Alone.”
“You promised we’d go fishing today, Papa,” Jonah chimed in after saying goodbye to the Hawleys.
“I sure did.” Cade smiled at his son, then directed his gaze to Laura. “Wanna go fishing, Mrs. Cade? I hear there are lots of riches to be found in the stream over the hill.”
“I’ll go get the poles,” Jonah shouted, and ran off toward the shed.
Laura stared up at her husband. “Are you sure you’re feeling well enough?”
“I’ll be all right. In a few days, I should be good as new.” He pulled her into his arms.
His hand caressed her cheek. “No more worries about Jack,” he whispered.
“All of his misdeeds, he excused them because of some sick way to prove his love to your mother,” she said softly. “I’ll never understand it, but it was horrible the way he died.”
Cade sniggered. “Please take a shotgun to me if I start to express my love for you in that way.”
Laura leaned up and kissed him. “I’ll make sure to remember that. Right now, you’re doing a fine job showing me how much you love me,” she murmured against his lips.
Cade pulled her more firmly into his arms.
“I hope you’re okay with me selling the Diamond K. I don’t want what my father built. Together, you and I can build our own future. And that gold that’s in the creek behind the farm can stay there forever, as far as I’m concerned.”
Laura nodded in agreement. “I was ready to hand over everything to him, so that he’d leave us alone. I don’t want gold or a vast cattle ranch to be happy. I just want you, and Jonah, and our future family.”
Cade touched his lips to hers, and Laura melted against her husband. In his touch, she was the richest and luckiest woman alive.
Epilogue
Elk Lodge, Montana . . . One year later
“Not much longer until your baby arrives, is it, Mrs. Kincaid?”
Henrietta Wilkes beamed at Laura from the other side of the mercantile counter. “You and Mr. Kincaid must be so excited. The first child is always the most anticipated. Have you decided on any names yet?” She leaned forward, her bushy eyebrows raised.
Laura handed the woman some bills to pay for her supplies, and smiled.
“We’re very excited, Mrs. Wilkes, but you forget, this isn’t our first child. We have a six-year-old son.”
The smile vanished from the woman’s face. “Of course,” she said, rather dismissively. “What I meant was, this will be your first child with Mr. Kincaid. I know you lost a baby in that tragic accident a few years back.”
Laura pressed her lips together. A year had gone by since the good citizens of Elk Lodge had stopped ostracizing her. With the death of Jack Kincaid, Sr., and her marriage to his son, she’d become one of the wealthiest women in the valley, and all of a sudden the citizens of Elk Lodge had treated her respectably. The people in town had acted as if none of the rumors they had spread about her ever existed. She’d been invited to socials, and was greeted like an old friend by women who had wanted nothing to do with her before.
Cade hadn’t wanted his father’s cattle holdings. He’d sold off most of the stock, and half of the land. He’d given a large sum of money to help some of the families who had been affected by Jack’s greed. Cade had found out that most of the homesteaders Jack had coerced into selling had been paid only a fraction of what their pro
perties were worth. He’d given them back their land, along with all the gold that had been mined.
Thankfully, Cade’s headaches and muscle tremors had lessened over time, and a few months after breathing in the mercury, he’d had no more symptoms.
Together, they had rebuilt her homestead to make room for a growing family, had added some more barns, and bought additional broodmares with the help and advice of their friend, Trace Hawley. The mares Laura had owned last year were all due to foal soon, marking the start to their horse breeding endeavors.
The doorbell behind her chimed, and Laura turned on impulse. Mathilda Comfrey walked in. Her faithful friend Agnes, wasn’t with her this time. Mrs. Wilkes greeted the woman, but there was a distinct wrinkling of her nose.
Wordlessly, Mathilda reached for a bottle on one of the shelves, and handed Mrs. Wilkes some coins. She shot a hasty, unfriendly look at Laura, and rushed from the store.
Mrs. Wilkes stared after her until the door closed. She turned to Laura with a gleeful look on her face.
“Rumor has it that Mathilda is in the family way. She’d been seen getting a bit cozy with a drifter who was passing through town several months ago. She’s been looking rather sickly lately, and it’s been said she lost her stomach contents last Sunday after church. Her mother’s been trying to marry her off to anyone half-way respectable in town who will have her. She’d better do it quick, before that girl starts to show.”
Laura reached for her purchases. “I don’t take too much stock in rumors, Mrs. Wilkes. I hope you have a pleasant day.” She turned, and left the store.
Outside, she glanced up and down the bustling main street of town. Cade should be back from the bank any moment. She couldn’t stay in that store any longer. Mrs. Wilkes was a nice woman, but she liked to gossip, and Laura had been exposed to that kind of rumor-mongering enough to last her a lifetime. Although she didn’t much care for Mathilda, she empathized with the woman, if she was now the recipient of people talking and whispering about her.
In His Touch: Blemished Brides Book 2 Page 17