The girls seemed restless, so Jack and Addie stopped talking and they also fell back to sleep. When Jack awoke again, the girls were gone and Addie was placing a tray of food on the bed.
“Good morning.” Jack tried to pull himself into a sitting position.
Addie hurried to the other side of the bed. “Let me help you.” She grabbed the pillow from the chair and placed it behind him.
“You better stop taking such good care of me, or I may never get out of your bed.” He was teasing her, but he had to admit he enjoyed being in her bedroom. He’d studied the room last night while Addie was sleeping. It was hard to believe how nice she’d made the room in such a short period of time. He’d been in women’s bedrooms before, but this one seemed to tell the story of the woman who occupied the space. It was warm and inviting with the typical fussy feminine doodads; intricately embroidered pillows were on the bed and chairs, and lace curtains covered the windows. Multicolored little glass containers, along with two large oil lamps with half-moons and stars etched on the blue glass chimneys decorated the long bureau. The hand-hooked rug by the bed was designed with colorful butterflies and birds. But it was the handmade cross-stitch wall-hanging over the fireplace that he’d read over and over. Home is where love begins. He wondered if these things had been made for her trousseau. She’d said she didn’t think she would ever marry, but it had been his experience all women had a trousseau ready and waiting for that special day. Addie had a lot of love to give, and if she ever married, her husband would be one lucky man.
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you need,” Addie said, pulling him from his daydreaming as she placed the tray of food on his lap. She glanced at his bare chest, and again, she couldn’t get over his massive size.
“Don’t let Granny hear you say that, she’ll make me stay a month.” He saw her staring at his chest. “Is something wrong?”
She looked up and realized by his grin that he’d caught her staring. “No. I was just thinking we’ll need to change your bandage soon.”
He didn’t think she had it in her, but Miss Addie had just told a little white lie. “Is that what you were thinking?”
“Hmm.” Addie wasn’t going to respond to his question.
“I think you were liking the looks of me,” Jack teased as he popped a freshly made biscuit in his mouth.
He was impossible with his teasing. “No, I was thinking that my bed is much too small for you. Your feet are hanging off the end of the bed.”
“I guess if I stay here, I’ll have to get a new one.”
Addie, flustered by that comment, changed the subject. “Granny says you’ll be up and around in a few days.”
Jack turned serious. “I’ll be leaving today. I want to talk to Prescott.”
“Oh no you won’t, Jack Roper,” Granny said, barging into the room. “I’ve already told Morgan if you try to leave, he has my permission to shoot you.”
“I’ve got business to take care of.” Jack wasn’t going to let Prescott get on that stage tomorrow without talking to him first.
“Morgan will attend to your business for you. No arguing.” Granny stood over him, all five feet, ninety pounds of her, puffed up like a mother goose. “I don’t intend to waste my doctoring skills on a man who refuses to listen.”
“How’s the marshal?” Jack asked, ignoring her lecture.
“He made it through the night, and that is a blessing.”
“Granny, I will be dismissing class early today. I intend to take the girls to see Davey.” Addie would have cancelled school today if she’d had a way of giving the students advance notice. As it was, it might be the last chance for the girls to see their brother before they left for Boston. She didn’t think anything she or Morgan said to Prescott would change his mind. She had no legal way to stop Prescott from taking them, but she could do this one last thing for them. They were so upset that they certainly wouldn’t be able to concentrate in school. She wouldn’t object if they wanted to spend the night beside Jack again. Tonight would be their night to do what they wanted.
“I’m glad you’re taking them to see Davey. It’s a sad day for everyone.” Granny glanced at Jack, and said, “Sheriff Trent will be leaving this morning. He has to get back to Denver, and Morgan told him he’ll send word about the marshal’s progress.” She turned to leave, and said, “I’ll be back after you finish your breakfast so we can change that bandage.” Before she left the room, she grabbed Jack’s clothes from one of the chairs.
“Leave me my dang holster,” Jack grumbled.
Granny carried the holster to the bed and hung it over the post. “I don’t guess you’ll be going anywhere in your present state.”
“You’re getting mean in your old age,” Jack muttered as she walked out the door.
“I heard that.”
Jack turned his attention back on Addie. “Is one of Morgan’s men taking you to school?”
“Yes, Morgan is working on the hotel today and will bring me home when I’m ready.”
Jack wanted to go with her, but Granny made certain he was staying put. “Make sure he goes with you to Coburn’s. And tell Davey when I can ride, I’ll be over to see him.”
Addie didn’t respond because the girls came running into the room to say good-bye to Jack.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Frank, Judge Stevens, and Aunt Ruth stood side-by-side over Charlotte’s grave after everyone had walked away. There was nothing left to say; nothing would change what had happened.
Aunt Ruth wiped her tears away and turned to leave. “You two come home for lunch.”
Frank caught up with her and took her elbow in his hand. “Aunt Ruth, I’m going to leave for a day. I need some time to myself.”
Aunt Ruth patted his hand. “I understand. You haven’t had a moment alone since this happened.” She looked at her brother. “You come home, Robert. You’ve been with that woman long enough. It’s time you considered Charlotte’s memory.”
Judge Stevens was never one to take orders. “It’s time you faced the fact that I intend to marry Leigh if she survives. And this morning the doctor said he is confident she will live.”
“What are you thinking, Robert? You can’t possibly marry that woman.” Ruth thought her brother had taken leave of his senses. He was much too old to behave like a besotted fool over some young woman.
“Ruth, I’ve lived my life for everyone else. First for my wife, then Charlotte. I’m living for myself now. I’ve found happiness and I intend to enjoy the rest of my life. If you can’t accept that, I’m sorry. But this is the last time I’m going to discuss this.”
“Robert, you are going to have your heart broken. People will say you are trying to replace Charlotte.”
“Do you think I care what people say? Like I said, I’m through discussing this. Now I’m going back to the doc’s office.”
Ruth turned to Frank when Robert walked away. “He was never one to listen to me.” She placed her hand on his chest and softly patted him in a comforting gesture. “I know you need some time right now. But just remember you have a home here. If you are of a mind, you also have a job. I’d prefer family to run the mine, and you’re family even if Charlotte is gone.”
“I appreciate that, Aunt Ruth, but I don’t know what I’m going to do right now. I need to do some thinking.” Frank knew if he wanted to give up his outlaw ways, this was the perfect opportunity. But the kind of life Aunt Ruth was offering wasn’t for him. He thought of Leigh. One of the reasons he was drawn to her was because of her need for excitement. Frank understood that need. Charlotte would have been happy with a husband and children, living a humdrum life. The thrill of his outlaw ways was as important to his survival as air.
“Take care, Frank. Oh, I forgot to mention, I told the bank to put some money in your account. It is in your name now that Charlotte is gone.” She patted his hand again, and said, “I will see you later.”
“Thank you, Aunt Ruth.” He thought it was kind of her
to put some money in the bank for him, but his share of the robbery was a nice tidy sum. He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “You are so good to me.”
“Come back,” Ruth said.
He hurried to the livery to get his horse. He was meeting his gang on the outskirts of Whispering Pines, but he couldn’t take the trail, so that meant it would take twice as long to get there.
* * *
Reining in at one of the old abandoned homes several miles south of Whispering Pines, Frank whistled to let the boys know he was there. All four men ambled from the brush with guns drawn.
“Who were you expecting?” Frank asked as he led his horse to the back of the shed.
“We were followed for hours, but I don’t know what happened to them,” Reb said.
“I saw Sheriff Trent riding into town as I was leaving.” Frank had wondered why he’d returned alone. “Trent, that U.S. Marshal, Jack Roper, and LeMasters were the ones tailing you. But Trent came back without them.”
“We figured we lost them sometime yesterday,” Dutch said.
“Yeah, but we did hear some shots in the distance,” Deke added.
“I didn’t see anyone on the way here. I was off the trail, but I was careful.” Frank was glad they found this old shack instead of returning to the old Conner place. He had a feeling Jack Roper may have already found that hideout.
“What happened inside that bank?” Frank listened to their side of the story as he unsaddled his horse.
“Reb shot that man in the bank,” Deke said.
“He was shooting at me, I had no choice,” Reb responded.
“He’s not dead. But it looks like one of his bullets hit my wife,” Frank told them.
“I’m sorry, Frank. Is she all right?” Reb felt bad about the shooting, but it was either shoot back or get shot.
“She’s dead.”
The men looked at each other. They didn’t know how Frank was going to react.
“Frank, I’m real sorry about that. I knew his shots missed me, but I didn’t know they hit anybody.”
“Yeah. Those bullets hit my wife and Leigh,” Frank said.
“Who’s Leigh?” Deke asked.
“The judge’s girlfriend.”
Reb was more nervous hearing that he’d shot that woman. Frank seemed to care about her, at least more than his wife. “Is she dead too?”
“No, but she’s in a bad way.”
“I hope she’ll be okay, Frank. I’m really sorry.” Reb didn’t want Frank to exact revenge on him over something that wasn’t his fault.
“Me too.” Frank turned to walk inside the house. “Let’s go talk business.”
Once inside, Frank reached into his saddlebags and pulled out some whiskey. “I thought you boys might be running low.”
Corbin took one bottle and poured them all a healthy portion. “Here’s to bank robbing.”
After they downed their whiskey, Frank asked, “Now how much money did you get?”
Dutch walked across the room and picked up the bank bags. “Forty-three thousand two hundred dollars.”
Frank was glad to hear they didn’t try to cheat him. He already knew they had forty thousand dollars.
“How much do we get?” Corbin asked.
“Didn’t you learn your numbers in school?” Reb had only made it to the ninth grade, but he’d already calculated his share.
“I didn’t go to no school,” Corbin said. “My pa kept us six kids at home to help on the farm.”
Frank figured that explained many things about Corbin. “Corbin, that means you get a little over two thousand dollars.”
Corbin smiled wide. “That’ll buy me a lot of whiskey.”
Frank slapped him on the back. “It sure will. Not bad for just holding on to the horses while the other men got shot at.” Frank tossed the bags next to the table. “We’ll count it out later.” He looked around the room and said, “What do you have to eat?”
After they ate, Frank looked at Corbin and asked if he would stake the horses so they could graze. While Corbin was outside, Frank split the money, less Corbin’s two thousand dollars.
“I hope Corbin never figures this out,” Deke said.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Corbin has never been too bright.” Frank stuffed his share of the money in his saddlebags. “I’ll be headed back to Denver in the morning.”
“How come you’re going back there? I thought you were coming with us,” Reb asked.
“After what’s happened, I think I need to stay there for a few weeks. I want to make sure they don’t suspect I was involved.”
Since they each had their money, it didn’t matter if Frank returned to Denver. “You’ll know where to find us,” Dutch said.
“I’ll be there. I don’t know when yet, but I’ll be there.”
They drank whiskey and talked about how they were going to spend their money, until well past midnight. Finally, they all drifted off to sleep with the promise of good times ahead.
A few hours later the door to their cabin opened quietly.
“Well, I’ll be, they’re all sleeping like babies, Win.” Joe Culpepper and Win Taggart were standing inside the cabin with their pistols drawn. The fire was barely flickering in the hearth, but there was enough light for them to see the five men sleeping on the floor. They’d waited outside for over an hour until they were confident the men inside were asleep.
Taggart saw a holster hanging over a chair, so he threw it over his shoulder. Culpepper collected three holsters lying beside the men and placed them on the table. That left one man who was still wearing his holster.
Culpepper picked up a whiskey bottle off the table, took a drink, and passed it to Taggart.
“From the looks of it, I think we’re gonna have to wake these sweethearts up,” Culpepper said.
Taggart kicked a chair and it skittered noisily across the plank floor. The men on the floor stirred, but were still so inebriated that it barely registered that they weren’t alone.
Frank opened his eyes, wondering what had awakened him. He sat up and saw a chair on its side in the corner of the room. He scrubbed his eyes and ran his palm over his face. “Who kicked that chair?”
“I did,” Taggart answered.
Frank glanced up and saw the two strangers. He went for his gun, but it wasn’t on his hip.
Culpepper grinned, and motioned to the stack of holsters on the table. “I think you forgot something.”
The other men were slowly moving into a sitting position. Frank glanced at them and saw Reb was the only one still heeled.
“What’s going on?” Dutch asked in a deep growl.
“We’ve got company,” Frank replied.
Corbin squinted at the two men. “Who are you?”
“Win, maybe we should introduce ourselves,” Culpepper said.
“First, I think they need to tell us why that U.S. Marshal was chasing them,” Taggart said.
“Now that’s a fine idea.” Culpepper directed his pistol at Frank. “Why don’t you start talking?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Frank said.
“Want me to shoot him?” Taggart asked.
“Not yet. Maybe one of the other hombres can tell us.” Culpepper pointed his gun at Deke.
Deke didn’t like the looks of these two, and he wasn’t about to tell them about the robbery. “We didn’t know anyone was following us. If they was, it’s probably because we rustled some cattle.”
Culpepper looked at Taggart. “We got ourselves some rustlers.”
“You two bounty hunters?” Reb asked.
Culpepper and Taggart laughed. “Not hardly,” Taggart said.
“I don’t think you had the U.S. Marshal and three other men chasing you for rustling,” Culpepper said.
Culpepper and Taggart had been riding off the trail toward Purgatory Canyon when they happened to spot the four riders moving fast on the trail. They found the perfect spot to wait and watch. The closer t
he four riders got to them, they recognized Marshal Holt and decided it was the perfect time to take him out.
“Maybe we rustled on the marshal’s land,” Deke said.
“What do you think, Win? Are they as dumb as they look?” Culpepper asked his partner.
Frank’s head was clearing. The name Win was an unusual one. “Are you Win Taggart?” Everyone had heard of the infamous stagecoach robbers.
“Are you Joe Culpepper?” Dutch asked the other man.
Culpepper smiled. “I guess they ain’t as dumb as they look. Yeah, I’m Culpepper and this is my partner, Win Taggart. I’m sure you’ve heard of us, but I don’t recognize none of you. Who are you?”
Frank got to his feet. He’d heard of these two killers, but he’d never seen them. “I’m Frank Langtry.” He pointed to his men and introduced them. “We were cattle rustling near Denver and I guess we hit the wrong place.”
Reb stood, and Culpepper waved his gun at the other men on the floor. “Stay where you are.”
“I don’t know if I believe them,” Win said.
“That’s why we’re partners, Win. We think alike. I think these boys did something else to have the U.S. Marshal on their tail.” Culpepper noticed their saddlebags were lying beside each man. “Win, grab those saddlebags.”
“You ain’t taking our saddlebags,” Reb said.
Culpepper laughed. “I don’t think I heard you right. Do you see who is holding the guns?”
Frank didn’t know if Reb had heard of Culpepper and Taggart, but it was a fool’s errand to challenge these two. Even though Reb was a fast draw, these two men had a lot of notches on their gun belts.
Reb glanced at Frank and realized Frank wasn’t going to go against the two men. He didn’t know if he could take both of them, but he wasn’t letting them walk out of that cabin with the money in his saddlebag. “We need what food we have to get us to Purgatory Canyon.”
Win grabbed Deke’s and Dutch’s saddlebags and threw them on the table. He placed his gun on the table, opened the first one, and glanced inside. “Well, lookie here, Cul.”
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