Last Promise

by Scarlett Dunn

  L. B. turned her attention on Mary Ann. “I hear you’ve set up a fine shop in your uncle’s hotel. I’ll be coming to see you for some perfume and powders. You’ll save me waiting for things I usually order from Denver.”

  “That would be lovely.” Mary Ann wondered how she knew about her little shop.

  “Promise and I can’t wait to see it,” Victoria said. “I’ve been wanting some pearl powder.”

  L. B. was still staring at Mary Ann. “You sure are a beauty and I’m sure you have no need of your own potions.”

  “Thank you.” She blushed under the woman’s scrutiny.

  L. B. turned to Colt. “I guess that means another one will be added to the McBride clan.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised.” Colt had to agree with his wife. Mary Ann did seem like the perfect woman for Luke. He had a suspicion that Luke cared for her, but Luke was buck wild, and hadn’t yet figured out that once he settled down he’d be happier than he could ever imagine. He figured every man had to come to terms with such an important decision in his own time.

  Mary Ann hadn’t even heard what L. B. said, she was too busy staring at her vivid red hair.

  “It’s good to see you again, L. B.,” George said.

  “I’ve wondered where you’ve been keeping yourself,” L. B. retorted.

  If Mary Ann was shocked when she saw the buxom red-haired saloon owner in the McBride parlor, she was stunned speechless that her uncle knew this woman.

  “Building that blasted house has been keeping me busy. Thank goodness my niece came here when she did, she’s been a great help to me at the hotel. But if today is any indication, she’s going to be so busy in her shop that she will no longer be able to help me.”

  “It’s going to be a fine home. Now you need to find yourself a wife and do everything up right.”

  Colt grinned as he walked to the bureau to pour some whiskey. L. B. was always talking marriage, but she had never married. Still she was like every woman he’d ever met, always trying to marry off the men.

  “Colt, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I’m sorry I came out here unannounced, but I heard something from one of my gals that I thought you should know.”

  “Before you begin, George and I were just about to have a whiskey, can I get one for you?”

  “Please,” she automatically replied. She glanced at the ladies thinking she may have spoken too quickly.

  Victoria caught L. B.’s concerned look. “I’ll have one too, dear. The boys are visiting Mrs. Wellington, so there’s no reason we can’t all enjoy one tonight.”

  Colt turned to his wife and stared at her. First it was that low-cut dress, and now whiskey. What was happening to his sweet little wife?

  Promise realized Victoria was trying to make L. B. feel comfortable. “I’ll have one too, Colt.”

  Colt finally caught on and he glanced at Mary Ann. “How about you, Mary Ann?”

  Mary Ann was moved by their kindness to L. B., and she could do no less. “Certainly, that sounds lovely.” She responded as smoothly as though she ordered whiskey every day of the week.

  As Colt poured the drinks he figured he’d have a lot of whiskey to finish tonight. Once again, he said thanks to God for giving him such a wonderful woman. She was one of a kind, and she’d taught him so much about love and compassion. He passed the drinks around and winked at his wife when he handed her the whiskey. “You were saying, L. B.?”

  “Just before I came out here one of my gals was telling me about a fellow she was . . . ah . . . entertaining last evening. It seems this man said some things that I thought you should hear. He said a woman had paid him two hundred dollars to shoot Luke. He said the woman even pointed Luke out to him and told him the best time to see the deed was done. He also said she told him when it was done . . . well, she promised him something else.” L. B. gave Colt a knowing look.

  Colt didn’t have to ask what the something else was. After what Luke told him about Arina, it wasn’t hard to figure out. “Did your gal say when this was supposed to have happened?” Colt asked.

  “It was a few weeks ago on a Sunday. Anyway, he apparently ran into a problem, and when he went to see the woman she had checked out of the hotel. I didn’t know if it was just drunken talk, but my gal said she didn’t think he was making up this story.”

  “Is he still in town?” Colt asked.

  “No, he rode out when he was finished with . . . when his business was complete.”

  “Someone took a shot at Luke on the way to church with the family, and he would’ve been hit if he hadn’t moved at the right moment. Fortunately, his hat came up with the hole and not his head,” Colt said.

  “Oh, my goodness, I didn’t know. I’m happy he wasn’t hurt.” L. B. held a special fondness for Luke. He was always in a fine mood, and congenial to everyone he met.

  “It was the Sunday before Luke left,” Victoria said.

  Mary Ann’s heart was in her throat hearing how close Luke had come to being shot. He’d never said a word to her about the incident. Just the thought of anything happening to him scared her to death. But Colt had to be mistaken about the day it happened. That was the Sunday she’d seen Luke sneaking out of Arina’s room. “But that was the morning Luke was with . . .” She almost blurted out Arina’s name before she caught herself. Luke might not want his family to know the nature of his relationship with Arina. And while she didn’t approve, and seeing him that morning had hurt her terribly, she had no right to tell his secrets.

  “What?” Colt asked.

  Mary Ann didn’t reply. She didn’t want to reveal something private.

  “It may be important,” Colt urged.

  Still she hesitated until she saw the determined look on Colt’s face. “I probably shouldn’t say anything, but I saw Luke leave Arina’s room at dawn.”

  “It wasn’t Luke you saw that morning, it was Creed Thomas,” Colt told her.

  “But I was so sure it was him,” Mary Ann insisted.

  “I assure you it wasn’t him. Luke and I talked late into the night, and I saw him at dawn on Sunday morning. We were having a cup of coffee and we even cooked breakfast for the family.”

  Victoria could see the surprise on Mary Ann’s face. “Did you get a clear look at the man?”

  Mary Ann saw the morning clearly in her mind. She realized she’d only seen the man from the back. “Only from the back. He was tall, had black hair, and was wearing a blue shirt. Luke had on a blue shirt at the dance.”

  “There you go. Thomas is Luke’s size, has dark hair, and a similar physique. It would be easy to confuse the two of them from the back.”

  “I made a terrible mistake.” She was relieved it wasn’t Luke coming from Arina’s room that morning, but at the same time she felt horribly guilty for assuming the worst about him.

  Seeing the tears welling in Mary Ann’s eyes, Victoria had her confirmation of what she had been suspecting for weeks. Mary Ann was in love with Luke McBride. “Nothing that can’t be undone.”

  Without thinking, Mary Ann took a big gulp from the glass she was holding. Never having tasted whiskey before, she couldn’t believe how it burned her throat. She gasped and looked at her uncle who was trying hard not to laugh.

  Colt learned from Mary Ann that Arina had taken the stagecoach the day after Luke left for Arizona. She was probably in Arizona by now, and he needed to get word to Luke to tell him he was still in danger. Hearing what L. B. had to say didn’t really surprise Colt, he’d had a feeling Arina either wanted to marry Luke, or wanted him out of the picture. Luke needed to know that Arina was behind the attempt on his life, but it couldn’t have been Creed Thomas who pulled the trigger if he’d been in bed with Arina. That didn’t mean Thomas wasn’t involved, it just meant that Arina had no aversion to recruiting complete strangers to carry out her nefarious plan. The cowboy from the saloon was probably long gone, so they couldn’t prove anything in court, but at least they knew what Arina was trying to do. Colt di
dn’t want to wait to get word to Luke. “Excuse me, I’m going to get T. J. and have him ride to town and send a telegram to Luke.”

  “I can do it for you, Colt,” L. B. said as she stood to leave.

  “Nonsense, dinner is about ready and we want you to join us,” Victoria said.

  L. B. looked at Mary Ann and George. She didn’t want Victoria and Colt to feel the need to invite her to stay when they had other visitors. She knew firsthand how straitlaced people got their nose out of joint if anyone as much as spoke to her. “I need to get back.”

  “I was just going to put dinner on the table and I won’t hear of you leaving. We promise not to keep you too long,” Victoria insisted.

  “Listen to my wife, L. B., she won’t take no for an answer.” Colt walked out the door to find T. J.

  “This is so nice of you.” L. B. couldn’t believe how kind the McBride women were to her.

  “We’d love to have you,” Promise added, taking a tiny sip of whiskey. She couldn’t wait for Jake to return so she could tell him she’d drunk some whiskey.

  “Indeed, and Promise has made a lovely dessert,” Victoria said.

  Mary Ann was worried about Luke’s safety. She prayed nothing would happen to him before he received Colt’s message. Hopefully, he hadn’t been spending time with Arina, not only for his safety, but she worried that the woman would lure him into her bed. She was so lost in her thoughts that she absently took another drink of whiskey. The second sip wasn’t nearly as bad.

  “May I help you?” Mary Ann asked Victoria.

  “I would love your help. Promise can keep L. B. company while we take the platters to the table.”

  Once they were out of the room Mary Ann told Victoria that Luke hadn’t told her about someone taking a shot at him.

  “I’m sure he didn’t want to worry you,” Victoria replied. “The McBride brothers do not discuss their troubles.”

  “I feel terrible for the way I have treated him. I thought he had an intimate relationship with Arina.”

  “No, there is nothing between them. He felt it was his responsibility to look out for her since she was his partner’s wife. He told us he didn’t even know her very well, and he was as surprised as everyone else at her forward behavior.”

  “I didn’t understand. Luke seems to have so many women he’s interested in, and I thought he was a rake.” It felt good to share her feelings with someone.

  Victoria smiled at her. “Luke has a lot of women chasing after him, that’s a fact. And he has a soft place in his heart for women, but his character would never allow him to betray a friend.”

  “He frequents the women at the saloon.” Mary Ann whispered her comment out of respect for the lady in the parlor.

  “Many men visit the saloon.”

  “I mean upstairs,” Mary Ann clarified.

  Victoria understood what Mary Ann was talking about. “I see. Many men have done the same thing before they were married.” Victoria remembered how she felt knowing Colt had visited the saloon before he met her. Victoria had even met the woman Colt had visited at the saloon before she came to Wyoming.

  “Even Colt and Jake?” Mary Ann’s hand flew to her mouth, she didn’t know what made her ask such an impertinent question. “I’m sorry. It was utterly rude of me to discuss such a private matter.”

  Victoria glanced at the glass in Mary Ann’s hand. There was only a small amount of whiskey left in the glass so that probably accounted for her loose tongue. But she wasn’t offended, she’d often discussed the same subject with Mrs. Wellington. “I don’t mind your question and the answer is yes, even Colt. I can’t speak for Jake.”

  “Oh, my. Didn’t it upset you to know that he was . . .” Worried she would offend Victoria, she didn’t finish her question.

  “To be sure! But that was before I came to town. He was a single man and well, he wasn’t the first man to visit women at a saloon. But when we decided we cared for each other, he put an end to whatever type of relationship he had with the woman at L. B.’s.”

  Mary Ann was surprised by Victoria’s honest admission. “From my bedroom window I can see into the upstairs windows of the saloon. I saw Luke upstairs with a woman.”

  Victoria was beginning to understand Mary Ann’s mixed emotions about Luke. “I wouldn’t worry about such things if you have an interest in Luke. Once he realizes he’s found the woman he doesn’t want to risk losing, he will stop frequenting the saloon. Colt said the women who work there need to earn a living, and as long as the men weren’t married, he saw nothing wrong with visiting them.”

  Mary Ann appreciated Victoria’s candor. She would never have felt comfortable discussing such a personal matter with anyone else. Her mother would have fainted if she’d ever broached a personal subject. “Thank you for explaining this to me.” While she might not agree with Colt’s point of view about the saloon women entertaining men, she shouldn’t judge Luke. They weren’t married, they didn’t even have a relationship, implied or otherwise. He’d wanted some kisses and whatever else she was willing to offer. Plain and simple.

  Victoria hugged Mary Ann. “I’m glad we are friends. It’s difficult to find friends here. I’m sure things were different in England.”

  “Yes, it was easier to make friends, but I’m not sure the friendships were as meaningful. We were always socializing and having teas, but we certainly never discussed anything so personal.”

  Mary Ann proceeded to tell her about her life in England and the reason she came to Wyoming.

  “Your parents must be worried sick about you,” Victoria said. She would have been distraught if her boys left home and she didn’t hear from them.

  “I wrote to Mother and told her where I am. Actually, I’m surprised Father hasn’t made his way here. I have a feeling I will see him soon.”

  “He wouldn’t really make you marry that man, would he?” Victoria was appalled that Mary Ann’s father had treated her so shabbily. She couldn’t imagine being married to a man she didn’t love.

  “He most certainly would insist I marry Edmund.”

  Victoria thought of her husband’s favorite saying, and thought it worth repeating to Mary Ann. “Let’s not borrow trouble, he may not even come here.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Arizona

  Luke read Colt’s telegram to Jake and Cole. “I guess we have an answer now. It doesn’t look like we can prove Arina’s involvement, but we have more information than we did.” He’d already found out from the mine supervisor, Tom Sparks, that the gossip around town was Arina had been entertaining other men after she married Sam. Tom conveyed he’d heard a lot of rumors about her, and he understandably wasn’t a fan of the woman. Every man Luke had spoken with told him Sam had been troubled for months, but he hadn’t confided in anyone. Luke figured Sam was troubled because he was aware of his wife’s philandering. If he’d been in Sam’s position he didn’t know what he would have done. He voiced his thoughts to Jake and Cole. “Maybe she wanted to replace Sam with another man.”

  “Are you thinking it could be Creed Thomas?” Jake asked.

  “Possibly. As far as I’m concerned everyone is a suspect in Sam’s death.” He knew Arina and Thomas had arrived back at the ranch, but he hadn’t seen her yet. “It might be time for a confrontation with Arina.”

  “Now that you have all the documentation on the ranch, it wouldn’t hurt to let her know that you are sole owner of the mine now and have a will, so she will gain nothing by having you killed,” Cole offered.

  “Yeah, we need to tell her before she has a chance to hire someone else,” Jake agreed.

  “If she was willing to hire someone to kill you, it’s reasonable to think she hired the person who killed Sam,” Cole mused.

  “Yeah,” Jake agreed.

  “Now all we have to do is prove it,” Luke told them.

  * * *

  “Luke, how nice to see you again,” Arina said when she opened the door. Luke wasn’t surprised she was wearin
g one of her silky figure-hugging robes even though it was nearly noon. It certainly didn’t prevent her from answering the door and inviting three men inside. She acknowledged Jake and then turned her attention on the third man she hadn’t met. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

  “No ma’am, I’m Cole Becker.”

  “Luke, why haven’t you introduced me before?” She thought this man was every bit as handsome as Luke.

  “I figured you had enough men in your quiver,” Luke responded.

  “Where’s Thomas?” Jake asked. He hadn’t liked Arina from the start, and he wasn’t going to waste his time with her.

  “I’m sure he’s out on the range, did you need to see him?”

  “Not really, just trying to keep track of him,” Luke said.

  “Why don’t you have a seat?” She walked across the room to the sideboard and grabbed the whiskey bottle. “Can I get you some whiskey?”

  “We won’t be here long.” Luke came right to the point of their visit. “I’m aware that you hired a man to shoot me.”

  “What?” She whirled around to face him and put her hands on her hips. “I did no such thing! What are you talking about?”

  Her robe parted just enough with her movements to make them all take a look. She was good at feigning her innocence and using her assets to redirect attention, Luke had to give her that. She should have been on stage.

  “The cowboy described you perfectly,” Jake added.

  Her cold eyes met Jake’s. “Well, where is this cowboy?”

  “He’s in jail in Wyoming,” Cole told her.

  Luke could see why Jake and Cole had been successful U.S. Marshals. They were as smooth as she was in the cat-and-mouse game.

  She actually smiled at them. “Then bring him here and see if he recognizes me.” Her words sounded like a challenge.

  “We might do that, or we might take you back to Wyoming,” Cole said.

  “It depends on what we find out here about Sam’s death,” Jake said to her. “You might as well tell us what happened. You have my guarantee we will find out sooner or later.”