“We’re going after them, Judge,” Sheriff Trent said.
One of the clerks walked from the bank, and the judge asked him what had happened. “When the robbers got the money, Mr. Rivers shot at them.”
“Did he wound them?”
“I don’t think he hit anyone.”
“Who shot my daughter and Mrs. King? Did the robbers run out the front shooting?”
The clerk replayed the scene in his mind. “No, the robbers were standing in front of the window, and Mr. Rivers shot at them. He was facing the windows.”
The judge could hardly believe what he was hearing. “Rivers shot my daughter?”
“Judge, it was an accident,” Sheriff Trent said. “I’m sure Mr. Rivers didn’t think where his shot might land in the heat of the moment.”
Frank stood with Leigh in his arms. “I’ll carry her to the doc’s office.”
“I’ll go with you, Frank.” If the judge thought something was odd about Frank carrying Leigh instead of caring for his own deceased wife, he didn’t comment. One of the men standing nearby offered to carry Charlotte to the undertaker.
“Morgan, I know you need to get back to the ranch tonight, but I’ll ride with them, at least for a few hours,” Jack said.
“I’ll ride with you to see what direction they are going,” Morgan said. “You know that clerk said one of the men was really big. That could be Dutch Malloy.”
“You’re thinking Frank has something to do with this,” Jack said.
“Yep. You can bet he’s neck deep in this.”
“What do you make of that scene back there? Frank didn’t seem at all concerned that he had a dead wife lying in the street.”
Morgan had been as surprised as Jack about Frank’s reaction. “I don’t know what to think of that. Maybe the judge’s girlfriend is Frank’s girlfriend too.”
“That’s possible. Wonder if she knew Frank before she met Judge Stevens?”
“It wouldn’t surprise me.” Morgan had known Frank too many years to put anything past him.
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens between the judge and Frank now that Charlotte is dead.”
“The robbers seemed to have picked a bad time to rob this particular bank since there is a U.S. Marshal in town,” Morgan said.
“What seems to be an odd coincidence is that Frank, his wife, and the judge’s girlfriend were in front of the bank at the same time during the robbery,” Jack said.
Morgan gave Jack a steady look. “That’s no coincidence.”
* * *
The doc walked from the room where he’d been tending Mr. Rivers and sat beside the judge. “Rivers will be okay. He’s awake and talking. He said those men got over forty thousand dollars. I haven’t told him about Charlotte or Mrs. King. I don’t see a purpose in doing that right now.”
Judge Stevens nodded. “What about Leigh?”
“All we can do is wait and see.” She’d lost a lot of blood, and the doc was worried she wouldn’t survive the operation. Her prognosis was not a good one, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell the judge that truth just yet. He didn’t think the judge could emotionally handle losing two people in one day.
Frank hadn’t left the room while the doc worked on Leigh. “Can she survive losing that much blood?”
“It’s in God’s hands,” the doc replied.
Frank thought his comment sounded like Granny, and he wanted to scream in frustration. Like he’d always told Granny, God didn’t care about him, and didn’t expect him to care about those around him.
“I haven’t told Ruth about Charlotte.” The judge didn’t want to leave Leigh’s side, but his sister needed to know what had happened.
“I’ll go tell her. I’ll get you something to eat on my way back,” the doc said.
When the doc left, the judge turned to Frank. “Did you see what happened? How did Leigh come to be with you on the sidewalk?”
“I was taking Charlotte to lunch and we were walking by the bank when Leigh came out. The women had words, and I was trying to get Charlotte to leave, but she was angry. They continued to argue, and then the next thing I knew, shots were fired. I knew the shots came from the bank, so I yelled for everyone to get down. I had no idea either one of them had been shot.”
“I can’t believe my Charlotte is gone,” the judge said.
Frank couldn’t believe it either. Charlotte had been a convenient way for him to escape the noose, and though he wasn’t faithful to her, he hadn’t wanted anything to happen to her. Charlotte wasn’t an exciting woman, she was safe and predictable. It was different with Leigh. She craved some excitement, and Frank was more than willing to provide all she needed. The risk of being found out by the judge seemed to heighten their passion. When it came right down to it, Frank had to admit that if he had to choose between the two women, Leigh was the one he didn’t want to lose.
The judge leaned over and gripped Leigh’s hand. “She must survive. I don’t think I can go on without her.”
Frank wanted her to survive too, but he also had to make some immediate decisions. He was supposed to meet his gang, and he was determined to get to the designated place. If he didn’t show, he knew they would take off without him, along with his share of the money. There was no way he would forfeit that money. If the plan had worked out the way he’d intended, Leigh would have been on her way back to Colorado City. Frank planned to meet her there, and together they were going to find a safe place where he could hide out between robberies. Now that Charlotte was dead, he had no reason to come back to Denver other than to keep the judge on his side.
He had to think of a plausible reason to give the judge for leaving town. If Leigh survived, she wouldn’t be ready to travel for days, so he’d come back to Denver and wait. Before he left to meet the boys, he knew he had to play the role of the grieving husband, and dutifully bury his wife.
The judge reached over and squeezed Frank’s shoulder. “It’s so kind of you to wait with me, Frank. I know you are devastated over Charlotte’s death.”
“I couldn’t let you go through this alone, Judge.”
Suddenly the door swung open, and Aunt Ruth stormed in. She didn’t try to hide her anger when she reached her brother and shook her finger at him. “What are you doing here with this woman when you should be with your daughter?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
“They’ve changed course, now they’re headed west,” Jack said when the men stopped to allow the horses to rest. Once they’d picked up the trail from the bank, it was obvious they were following four men, not three. “They are headed toward Whispering Pines, so we’ll stay with you, Sheriff.”
Sheriff Trent was grateful for their help. Four guns were always better than two when chasing outlaws. “Sounds good.”
Jack glanced at Morgan. “You don’t suppose . . .”
Morgan didn’t need to hear the end of his sentence. “Yeah, this is Frank’s gang, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they were all headed to Purgatory Canyon again.”
Jack nodded. That was exactly what he’d been thinking.
Jack explained to Holt and Trent about the last time he’d been in Purgatory Canyon. “That’s where they ambushed me.”
“I’ve never tracked anyone there, but I hear the terrain is impossible,” Sheriff Trent said.
“You can say that again. There’s no good way to get in there without getting picked off,” Marshal Holt added.
Since the day he’d been shot in Purgatory Canyon, Jack had given a lot of thought about ways to successfully track outlaws in that widow’s nest. He’d never figured out a viable solution. Even Joseph Longbow didn’t know how they could enter that canyon without being seen. “I’ve thought about going in at night, but there are so many men hiding out in there, no route is safe. You can bet Frank Langtry and the other rustlers know that place like the backs of their hands.”
“I wonder if Culpepper and Taggart are headed to the same place,” Marshal Holt said.
“Culpepper and Taggart killed three people on their last hold-up, and two on the one before that. They’ll definitely need a place to hide out. Every lawman is on the lookout for them.”
Jack had another thought about where the robbers were headed. In the past, Frank and his gang had used an abandoned cabin for their hideout. All he knew was the cabin was within a day’s ride of Whispering Pines, but he’d never been able to pinpoint the exact location. “Frank and his gang hid out in one of the old abandoned homes near Whispering Pines, but I’ve not found the place.”
Marshal Holt had chased outlaws long enough that he understood the difficulty of that undertaking. “There’s so many of these old homesteads that it would take forever to find them all.”
“Do you think Culpepper and Taggart are familiar with this territory?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know, but outlaws have a way of finding like-minded men. I’m sure they’ve heard of the best places to hide,” Marshal Holt said.
Sheriff Trent grabbed his reins. “Let’s mount up and see where these hombres are headed. I figure they know they are being tailed by now.”
The men followed the winding trail, sometimes heading back south before turning west again. They were about thirty minutes south of Whispering Pines when they rounded a bend and shots rang out. The horses reared at the onslaught of flying bullets. At the same moment, Jack and Marshal Holt fell from their horses. Morgan and Sheriff Trent dove from their horses and attempted to reach their friends as more shots slammed into the earth around them. The exploding melee scattered the frightened horses.
Morgan reached Jack and saw the hole in his coat. “Is Marshal Holt hit?” he yelled to Sheriff Trent.
“Yeah.”
Morgan hoisted Jack over his shoulder, and the sheriff did the same with Holt, and they ran for the brush. Once they were out of sight, the shooting came to an abrupt halt. Morgan removed Jack’s coat while Sheriff Trent tended the marshal.
“They’re riding away,” Sheriff Trent said.
“Yeah, sounds like two horses.” Morgan found a hole in Jack’s left shoulder.
“It hurts like a son of a gun,” Jack muttered.
Morgan grimaced as he examined the wound. “I bet it does. I thought you were out.” He held his bandana to the wound to staunch the bleeding.
“I was. I think I hit my head.” Jack glanced over to see Marshal Holt beside him. “Is he okay?”
“Looks pretty close to his heart.” Sheriff Trent figured all he could do right now was stop the bleeding. He pulled his bandana out and pressed it to the wound.
Morgan stood and looked around to get his bearings. He pointed through the trees, and said, “We are about twenty or thirty minutes that way to the Langtry farm.” He glanced at Sheriff Trent, and asked, “Can he make it?”
“He’ll have a better chance if we get him to a doctor. I don’t think I’m qualified to dig that bullet out.” He inclined his head for Morgan to take a look at the marshal’s wound.
Morgan agreed with the sheriff’s assessment that it was going to take an expert hand to operate. “Granny can do the job.” He glanced back at Jack. “Jack, can you make it to the Langtry farm?”
“Yep. Just help me on my horse.”
Jack started to sit up, but Morgan held up his hand. “Hold on a minute. I’ve got to round up the horses.”
* * *
Prescott made it a point to look for Addie in town after school that day. “I came to tell you that I’ve found someone who will accompany me and the girls to Boston. Please have them ready to depart in two days.”
“What do you mean?”
“The girls will be leaving with me. I trust you will bring the girls to town in a timely manner.”
The girls started crying, and Addie felt like smacking Prescott for his insensitivity. Addie gripped his arm and pulled him to the side so the girls couldn’t hear her conversation. “Didn’t Morgan mention someone may be interested in adopting?” She hadn’t mentioned the adoption plan to the girls, just in case something went wrong.
“I’ve decided this is a scheme of your doing, and I want no part of that. The girls are going back to Boston. On my way over here I happened to see Mr. Coburn, and I told him there will be no further contact from you.” Prescott had no intention of changing his mind.
“Prescott, I wish you would reconsider closing the orphanage.” Addie was near tears, but she tried to maintain her poise because she knew the girls were watching her.
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”
Granny walked up at that moment to see the girls crying. “What’s this? Why are you two crying?”
“Mr. Adler says we have to go back with him,” Jane said.
Addie walked back to Granny and the girls. “I’m afraid Prescott found someone to accompany him and the girls.”
Granny turned her attention on Prescott. “Who is this person willing to travel with you?”
“I think you know her. Miss Clarissa Martin, a lovely young woman. I think the sheriff introduced us. When she came to see me last night she said she’d heard I was looking for a chaperone for the girls and offered her services for a fair price.”
“I just bet she did,” Granny said. She didn’t understand why Clarissa would agree to do such a thing, but she intended to find out.
Addie could hardly believe her ears. Clarissa, of all people, was the one to do something so underhanded. But for what purpose? She was going to marry Jack. Certainly Jack had no hand in this. He was devastated at the thought of the girls returning to Boston.
“Mr. Adler, I’ll tell you the same thing my mother always told me. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch,” Granny said.
Prescott tipped his hat. “Addie, have these girls here in two days.”
* * *
Morgan opened the back door to the orphanage and eased Jack down on a kitchen chair. He walked back outside to help Sheriff Trent carry the marshal. They carried him to one of the bedrooms upstairs and Morgan came back downstairs to help Jack.
“I’ll stay in the bedroom to the right,” Jack said to Morgan after they made it to the top of the staircase.
Morgan held on to Jack as he opened the bedroom door. Once they were across the threshold, Morgan stopped and looked around the room. He grinned at Jack. “Guess you haven’t lost as much blood as I thought.”
“I didn’t think I could make it any further,” Jack said.
Morgan chuckled. “You can save the sympathy act for Addie. You might get a hole in your head when she gets home.” Morgan helped Jack to the bed and removed his coat and boots. Jack may have been joking, but Morgan didn’t like the way he looked. “I’ll go get Granny.”
Morgan walked to the bedroom where Sheriff Trent was removing the marshal’s boots. “If you’ll get some water boiling, I’ll ride to the ranch to get Granny.”
* * *
Morgan ran through the front door of his home and didn’t stop until he was in the kitchen. “Granny, I need you to go to the farm with me. Jack’s been shot, along with a U.S. Marshal.” He realized the women and the girls were sitting at the table crying. “What’s wrong?”
Addie jumped up. “Jack’s been shot?”
With tears running down her cheeks, Claire looked at Morgan. “Papa’s shot?”
Morgan lifted her into his arms. “Yes, honey, but he’s going to be okay.” He glanced at Granny. “The marshal is very serious, we need to leave now.”
Granny hurried from the room to grab her medical bag. “Get Joseph.”
Addie grabbed their coats and ran to Morgan’s side to get Claire. “What happened?”
“I’ll explain later.” He headed for the back door. “Rose, get what you need to spend the night. I’ve got to hitch the buckboard.”
“Where’s Joseph?” Granny asked once they were all in the buckboard.
“No
one knows. He may be in the woods, expecting the worst outcome from our trip to Denver.” Morgan had been honest with Joseph, and while he didn’t tell him to leave, they understood what he needed to do until this whole situation with Frank was at an end.
Within minutes Morgan pulled the buckboard to the farmhouse, and as soon as Addie jumped from the buckboard, she said, “Where’s Jack?”
“First room on the right.” Morgan lifted Granny from the buckboard and picked up her medical bag. Once inside, he basically carried Granny up the staircase with Addie following him. Rose took the children to the kitchen to fetch the things Granny would need.
Addie reached her room and when she walked in, it jarred her to see Jack in her bed. The big, strong sheriff, with a gun on his hip, lying on top of her white eiderdown quilt with hand-embroidered pink cabbage roses. If ever anyone looked out of place, it was Jack. When she leaned over him, he stared at her with those dark silver eyes.
“Your bed is comfortable,” he said, smiling at her.
She noticed his big body took up most of the bed.
Relief washed over her seeing him smile. “If you bleed on that quilt, I’ll shoot you again.”
Claire ran into the bedroom as fast as her little legs would carry her. She crawled beside Jack on the bed. “Papa, are you hurt?”
Removing his arm from behind his head, he pulled Claire to his side. “Nothing for you to worry about, honey.”
Jane joined her sister on the bed. “Mr. LeMasters said you were shot.”
“Yep, I’m afraid I forgot to duck. Miss Addie is a little late if she wants to shoot me.” Jack arched a brow at Addie. “Would you really shoot a man for bleeding on your bed?”
Addie felt like shooting him because she’d been scared out of her wits before she saw him. She’d imagined all sorts of horrible things, like seeing him near death when Morgan said he’d been shot. “Yes.”
Jack gave her a lopsided grin. “Well, somebody beat you to it.”
Like the girls, when Addie saw the blood on his shirt, she felt like crying. “Let me have a look.”
“Morgan put his bandana over it to stop the bleeding.”
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