Justin leaned against her and allowed Lacy to hold him close. He said nothing more, and Lacy couldn’t help but wonder if he believed her. She thought again of how the men knew Simon personally. This had been a planned attack. Someone had known Simon was going to be on that road.
She thought of the reason Simon had gone to Bozeman in the first place. He was bringing back the deed papers for Hank and Rafe. But surely Rafe wouldn’t have wanted Simon harmed. He was glad to be getting the land. Would he have arranged something like this and risk losing the land? Lacy shook her head. It didn’t make sense, but maybe Dave would have some clearer thought on the matter. At the least, she fervently hoped he might be able to use this new information to catch the men at large.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“So where’s my deed?” Rafe demanded as he sauntered into the store.
Hank looked up. “I have it,” he said, watching Rafe the whole time. “It’s blood-stained but still in one piece.”
Rafe looked at him oddly and shrugged. “So long as it’s legal.”
Hank crossed his arms. “You wouldn’t know anything about the attack that nearly killed Simon, would you?”
“Why should I?” His expression looked taunting.
“Someone has to know something, Rafe. I just figured you might have heard something at the saloon.”
Rafe leaned against a flour barrel and shook his head. “No one’s said a word to me about it. I didn’t even know Ellie was that bad off until Dave came over to talk to me. You can imagine my surprise when he said she might die.”
“Yes, I can well imagine.” Hank did nothing to hide his sarcasm. He’d dealt with enough liars to know the man was being deceptive, at least where Ellie was concerned.
“I didn’t figure Wyman did that much harm to her. She’s taken a worse beating from me.”
“Maybe she wasn’t expecting a child at the time.”
Rafe narrowed his eyes. “She’s pregnant?”
Hank nodded slowly. “She was. She lost the baby and nearly bled to death, thanks to Wyman.”
“Stupid girl. She knew better than to let herself get that way. It was probably Lassiter’s, and she thought they’d just go off and have a happy little family.”
“They might have, if not for you and Wyman,” Hank said angrily. He reached under the counter and produced the smudged deed. “Here. Take this and be done with it. Send Ellie’s things over to the house before nightfall. I’ll never let her step foot on your property again.”
“She doesn’t own anything. She came to me with nothing, and that’s the way she’ll leave,” Rafe said, taking the paper. He looked it over for a moment. “This better be completely legal.” He pulled Ellie’s contract out and handed it over to Hank. “I’m not going to be happy if you’ve found a way to cheat me.”
“You’re the only one who seems to favor that kind of business dealing,” Hank said, shaking his head. He began tearing up Ellie’s contract. “Just so you know, neither you nor Wyman are welcome in my store again. You want supplies, you can go elsewhere for them.”
Rafe looked at him in disbelief. “You can’t do that.”
“I can and have. I have the right to refuse you service, just as you have the right to refuse me service at the saloon.”
“But town’s too far away. That’s not fair. You don’t drink, so I’m not denying you anything. I need the things you offer here.”
“That’s too bad, Rafe. You should have thought about that a long time ago. You aren’t a good neighbor. I’d just as soon see you move on. I’d still be happy to buy you out.”
“Ha! That’ll never happen,” Rafe declared. He stomped off toward the door. “Mark my words, Bishop. I plan to create an entire empire here, and this will see to it.” He held up the deed. “You were a fool to trade the land for that worthless piece of trash, but it’s to my benefit.”
Hank continued to stare out the door long after Rafe had gone. He wondered if Rafe might be right. Maybe it had been foolish to give the land away so easily. On the other hand, Hank knew the day was coming—and probably sooner than his wife or her sisters would want to hear—that they would need to make a decision about leaving the area.
It was almost lunchtime, so Hank closed the store and headed to Gallatin House. He was nearly to the front steps when he caught sight of two people walking toward him from the direction of the Lassiters’. It was Beth and Nick. Dread washed over him at the thought of having to explain to the couple what all had transpired in their absence.
“Hello, Hank.” Beth crossed the distance and gave him a hug. “As you can see, we’re back.”
She possessed a glow that suggested their days camping in the mountains had agreed with Beth. Nick came forward and shook Hank’s hand. “I hope Justin didn’t cause anyone too much trouble.”
Hank frowned. “Look, some things happened while you were gone. It’d be best if you sat with me on the porch and let me explain.”
“What’s wrong?” Beth asked. “Is it Justin? My sisters?”
Hank put his arm around her and led her to the porch bench. “Everyone is fine . . . now. But there has been some trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Nick asked.
Hank explained in as few details as possible. Beth hurried inside as Hank concluded, desperate to see for herself that everyone was all right. Nick lingered, however.
“Do you have any idea who tried to kill Simon?” Anger flickered in his eyes.
“No. Justin said there were three men. They sounded to be the same highwaymen who’ve been attacking others on the road. Dave Shepard told me he thinks it’s more than just a few men. He believes there may be as many as eight who are working together. However, this particular trio seemed to single Simon out for some kind of revenge. I’m not sure exactly why. They told him, though, that he had to pay for his sins.”
“What sins?”
Hank shrugged. “I don’t know. Neither did Simon.”
Nick frowned. “We have to put a stop to this. They could have killed him—Justin too.”
“I know. And next time it could be one of the women.”
“How’s Ellie doing?”
“Well, it was hard for her to realize she’d lost the baby. She’s doing much better. In fact, she’s been eager to get up and tend to Simon’s needs. The doctor wants her in bed for a full two weeks, but I doubt we’ll keep her there.”
Nick smiled. “She sure loves him. I’m blessed by that.”
“And Simon loves her. When he finally became conscious, he asked about her and Justin right off.”
“How’s Justin handling all of this?”
“About as well as can be expected. He was traumatized by the robbery. There’s no doubt about that. Then those miserable no-accounts left him to find his way back here, thinking that Simon was dead. He has terrible dreams at night. He’s taken to sharing Lacy’s room for comfort, but he still wakes up screaming.”
“I should have been here,” Nick said glumly.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. You had no way of knowing anything like this was going to happen. If I’d thought there was danger, I would never have let Simon head out, much less take Justin. We hadn’t had any trouble around here for some time, and we figured things might be getting back to normal.”
“You fellas going to come inside?” Lacy asked. “We’ve got lunch on the table.” She smiled at Nick. “Good to have you and Beth home.”
Nick got to his feet. “I’m glad to be back—though sorry to return to so many problems. If you don’t mind, I’ll grab a bite later. I want to see Simon and talk to him.”
“I kind of figured you would,” Hank replied. “He’s upstairs.”
Nick hadn’t known what to expect, but seeing Simon’s face still so bruised and swollen made his stomach knot. “Well, brother of mine, you sure seem to know how to have a good time.”
Simon smiled, revealing a hole where his tooth should have been. “I see . . . you finally decided to co
me home.” His upper lip had several stitches, making it difficult to talk.
“Looks like I got here a little late.” Nick pulled up a chair and took a seat. He noted the empty bed on the other side of Simon. “Where’s Ellie? I heard she wouldn’t leave your side.”
“The doc . . . took her off to the other room. Wanted to have . . . a private place . . . to examine her. She’ll be back . . . soon enough. She hasn’t left my side . . . for much . . . of any other reason.”
“So that gives us a minute to talk privately,” Nick said.
“What do you know about this attack?”
“Not much. There were three men.” He paused for a moment. “They started beating on me . . . after that . . . I don’t remember anything.” Simon drew a deep breath and grimaced. “I have two . . . broken ribs . . . maybe a fracture in my left arm. Doc splinted it. He . . . taped the ribs. My head took most of the damage . . . got stitches all over.”
“Well, that’s the hardest part of you,” Nick said with a laugh. “At least that’s what Ma used to say.”
Simon smiled and nodded. “Usually after I’d fallen . . . out of a tree or . . . from the barn loft.”
“Since I was bringing lunch up for Simon,” Hank said from the doorway, “I thought I’d bring you something, as well, Nick.” He came into the room with a large tray. Dave Shepard followed behind with two mugs of coffee.
“With Ellie busy elsewhere, I thought we might talk about your attack,” Dave said. He handed Nick his coffee and put Simon’s on the bedside table. “Let’s get you sitting up.”
Nick quickly set his coffee on the dresser and went to his brother’s left side, while Dave handled the right. They tried to be as gentle as possible, but it was clear their actions caused pain. Simon grunted thanks, then settled back against the pillows.
“I went out to the area where you were waylaid,” Dave said. “I looked it over for any evidence that might prove who robbed you. I didn’t find anything. I’ve talked to Justin, too, but he’s told me about as much as he can. There were three of them, they had their faces covered and wore black. They had guns and were larger than life.”
Simon nodded. “That’s how I remember them, too.” He smiled, but it was a weak attempt.
Hank put the tray across Simon’s lap, then turned to hand Nick a separate plate. “I’ve asked anyone who’s come into the store if they’ve heard or seen anything that might help. Since the men who attacked you took your knife and rifle, I thought maybe someone had tried to sell them or was even seen using them. But so far nothing.”
“What about them saying that you had to pay for your sins?” Nick asked. “That seemed odd to me. Did we have someone with a dispute over business matters?”
Simon considered this a minute. “No. I’ve tried to think about that. Other than having troubles . . . with Rafe and Wyman . . . can’t think of anyone who’d hold me a grudge.”
“And Rafe and Wyman were both at the saloon,” Dave said. “I know because I saw them there myself. Of course, that doesn’t mean they couldn’t have gotten someone to do the job. Maybe even tried to make it look like highwaymen to lead us in the wrong direction.”
“That could be,” Nick said, nodding. “It sounds like the kind of underhanded thing Rafe would do.” He stared at his brother as he tried to handle eating and balancing the tray. Nick felt grieved to see Simon in such pain. With every bite of food his brother took, there was evidence of misery in his expression. This only served to further Nick’s anger. Someone needed to pay for this.
“What about having Ellie talk to the other girls?” Hank suggested. “Maybe we could encourage Regina to come visit. I know they were friends. Maybe she would have heard something said about the attack.”
“It’s worth a try,” Dave said.
“So long . . . as she doesn’t have . . . to go there,” Simon said. “I don’t want her . . . in any danger. Regina’s a good gal.” He paused and drew another ragged breath. “She’s a genuine friend to Ellie. . . . None of the others care about her.”
Hank and Dave nodded. “We wouldn’t let her get anywhere near that place, so you don’t have to worry about that,” Dave told him.
Nick picked at the fried trout on his plate. “Hank told me he gave Rafe the deed to the land and tore up Ellie’s contract. I guess that leaves you two free to do as you please. I hope you know I’ll be keeping an eye out for both of you, at least until you’re on your feet again.”
Simon met his brother’s gaze and nodded slightly. “I know. I can count . . . on all of you to be there for us. Ellie and I . . . well . . . we wouldn’t be alive right now . . . if not for that.”
It seemed strange to Beth that she should call the Las-siter place home. “But I am a Lassiter now,” she reminded herself.
She moved around the small kitchen, smiling at the neat order Millie had made of the place. Millie had come over earlier in the evening to tell Beth where things were and to encourage Beth to rearrange things to suit her own needs.
“It’s your home now,” Millie had said. The truth of it had given Beth such a peace of mind.
“My home,” she said, looking around the room.
The small kitchen still held a decidedly masculine appearance, as did the rest of the house. Beth would change that soon enough. She had plans to put her own touches on things. Millie had made some nice curtains for the upstairs bedrooms, but downstairs the window coverings were simple dark wool. They had been chosen more for keeping the cold out during winter than for any other purpose.
Beth fingered the brown material and considered what she might prefer. Maybe she could create something light and airy for the summer months and revert to the heavier curtains when the cold returned.
“I’m glad you’re home,” Justin said, making his way down the log steps.
Beth smiled. “I’m glad, too. I’m sorry you had such a bad time while we were away.”
He shrugged and moved around to the small dining table to sit down. He leaned his face against his left hand. “I thought Uncle Simon was dead.”
She joined him, hearing the fear that remained in his voice. “That must have been horribly frightening.”
Justin looked at her and nodded. “I didn’t know how in the world I was going to tell Pa, and I guess I was worried, too, that maybe Uncle Simon would turn into a ghost.”
Beth did her best not to smile at the suggestion. Justin’s little-boy fears were valid, even if they were rather skewed. “You know, your uncle loves Jesus. If he had died, he would have just gone on to paradise. Just like Jesus told the thief on the cross. Do you remember that?”
Justin shook his head. Beth folded her hands together. “Well, when they put Jesus on the cross, there were two thieves who were also being killed. There was one on each side. One was a miserable man who hated everyone. He mocked Jesus and wasn’t at all nice. But the other man . . . well . . . he seemed to realize that Jesus was the Son of God. And he seemed to understand that Jesus could save him, even though the world was putting them both to death.”
“How did he know?” Justin asked.
“I think God’s Spirit whispered it to his heart,” Beth answered. “I think when that man looked into Jesus’ eyes, he knew that he was in the presence of God himself.”
“What happened then?”
“The thief asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus entered into His kingdom. Jesus told the man, ‘Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.’ Jesus promised the man that he could go where Jesus was going—that he didn’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“I wish . . . I wish I wasn’t afraid.” Justin looked at the table. “Those men scared me real bad.”
Beth reached out and covered his hand with her own.
“You don’t have to be afraid anymore. Your father and I will take care of you, and God will watch over all of us.”
“But sometimes at night, I have really bad dreams.” Justin looked up at her wide-eyed, as if seeing those ghosts from his nightmares. �
�I don’t mean to.”
“Of course you don’t mean to. But I want you to listen to me. You don’t have to be afraid anymore, and you certainly do not have to bear this alone. Your father and I love you very much, and our room is just a few steps away from yours. If you have a bad dream, you can come to us.”
“And you’ll let me stay with you?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes, or we’ll come and stay with you until you feel better,” Beth said in a soothing manner. “My mama used to do that for me, and now I want to do that for you.”
Justin got up and went to Beth. Wrapping his arms around her, he sighed. “I’m so glad you’re home, Mama.”
“Me too.” Beth kissed the top of the boy’s head and held him close. “There is no place I’d rather be.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
“I wish you wouldn’t go,” Beth told Simon and Ellie.
With August had come the couple’s very small wedding and the decision to leave for Tacoma, Washington.
“It’s best for both of us,” Simon said after a quick glance at Ellie. “If we stayed here, I’d be too tempted to kill Wyman.”
Beth’s sharp intake of breath must have caught Simon’s attention, because he smiled and quickly added, “Besides, the money’s too good to pass up. The Northern Pacific needs ironworkers for the shop there. I figure it’ll be a good place for a new start.”
“I suppose so,” Beth said, “but I’ll miss you both.”
“I’ll miss you, too, Beth,” Ellie said, smiling rather shyly. “You’ve been a real friend to me. I won’t forget that.”
“Besides, now we’re sisters,” Beth added.
“I’ve never had a sister before.” Ellie looked at Simon and then back to Ellie. “In fact, it seems forever since I had any family.”
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