Return to Whispering Pines

by Scarlett Dunn

  Morgan dismounted and walked to Jack. He looked down and saw Coburn’s battered face. “That’s enough, Jack.”

  Jack turned to look at Morgan. “You didn’t see David’s back.”

  “No, but look at him.” Morgan pointed to Coburn splayed on the ground with his eyes closed, blood oozing from his nose. “I think he’ll think twice about hitting anyone again.”

  Jack looked down at Coburn. “Miserable son of a . . .” He reached down and picked up his hat and smacked it against his thigh. “Let’s go home.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Frank joined Ruth in the library to share in her late afternoon vice. While Frank was pouring the brandy, Ruth walked to the large mahogany desk and pulled a leather pouch from one of the drawers. She traded Frank the bag for her brandy. “There’s ten thousand in gold in there. That’s for Mrs. King.”

  “Why gold?”

  “No record should Robert go snooping around.”

  “Smart.” Frank liked the idea of gold. He figured Leigh wouldn’t know how much the gold was worth, and he could keep some for himself.

  “You’ve been spending a lot of time with that young woman. Will she be ready to leave soon?”

  “I had to gain her trust, and she’s well enough to travel now. We plan to leave in three days. I want to get out of here in case the judge decides to return early. What will you tell him when he finds out we are both gone?”

  Aunt Ruth had already thought of that scenario. “I’ll tell him you went to the mine to start work, and that I have no idea where she went.” She drank some more of her brandy. “But it occurs to me if she goes back to Colorado City, Robert is certain to find her there. That’s the first place he will look.”

  “I’ve thought about that.” Frank had no plans to take Leigh near Colorado City. He’d fully intended to take her to Black Hawk with him. It seemed like the perfect hideout.

  “I think it would be best if you take her to Black Hawk with you. There’s room in that home, and Robert would never think to look for her there.” She gave Frank a knowing smile. “And I suspect you would enjoy the companionship, at least for a while.”

  Frank arched his brow at her. “Ruth, you surprise me.”

  “I understand men. I wasn’t fool enough to think my dear husband spent all his time alone in Black Hawk in that house. Men have their needs, and my husband was discreet.” She spread her arms wide. “He gave me everything I wanted. You’re a young man, and I think you loved Charlotte in your own way, but men move on more quickly than women. You’ll seek gratification where you can find it freely, and I don’t judge you for that. I’m more pragmatic than most women. I’m grieved that Charlotte felt threatened by that woman. There was no need for her to worry about her father’s money, she would have inherited everything I own. But I suspect it wasn’t only her father’s will that troubled Charlotte; she didn’t want to share him with anyone. That was her true objection to that woman. Charlotte had Robert all to herself her entire life. And Robert was devoted to her. He wasn’t trying to replace his daughter, he was, like you, seeking gratification. I do understand Robert’s loneliness, but he should find a woman his own age. A respectable woman.”

  “You don’t mind if I am with a disrespectable woman?” Frank teased.

  “You’re young. You’ll be with many women before you settle down.” Ruth pointed to the bag. “Just make sure she uses that money to resettle when you tire of her. It’s hard for a woman to make it without a man. Once she’s lived with you without benefit of marriage, her reputation will be in tatters. You’ll be ready to let her go, but be kind.”

  Right now, Frank didn’t think he would tire of Leigh. Of course, he’d felt that way a few times before, so Ruth might have a point. “Ruth, you are a wise woman who doesn’t see things through rose-colored glasses.”

  “I take that as a compliment.”

  Frank lifted his glass in the air in salute. “You should.” When Frank first met Ruth he thought she was a sweet woman. He’d quickly found out she was as shrewd as she was wise. Even though she was older, he found he was attracted to her.

  “Will you be taking a buckboard to Black Hawk?”

  “Yes, I figure I’ll need some supplies. I plan to leave before dawn.”

  “Yes, that would be the best time to depart to avoid prying eyes.” Pleased with their plans, Ruth settled back in her chair and sipped her brandy. Now all she had to do when Robert returned was convince him that she’d been right to warn him off that woman. Hadn’t she been right, after all? It hadn’t taken long for Mrs. King to take up with Frank. Perhaps Robert would come to realize he was being foolish, trying to relive a time that could not be resurrected. She understood the fleeting vigor of youth, and the remnants of what was left in its wake. But it was her duty to encourage Robert to accept his future with the dignity their family name deserved.

  Frank saw a problem with their plan. “If the judge asks the right questions, he’s bound to find out we left Denver at the same time.”

  Arching her brow, Ruth said, “You’re right. Perhaps I should tell him that the woman left town, and when you found out, you left to look for her.”

  “He’ll ask how she left,” Frank said.

  “That would complicate matters.” Ruth admired the way Frank thought through a plan.

  “There’s a stage tomorrow, headed east. I’ll have Leigh go to the station and book passage.”

  Ruth smiled. “That should work. I’ll tell Robert you found out she traveled east. If he makes inquiries, they’ll be able to confirm they sold her the ticket. I doubt he would go to much trouble to find her if he thinks you are already looking for her. Of course, that plan would require you to return to Denver soon and tell him you couldn’t find her.”

  “I can do that.” Frank didn’t think the judge was a stupid man, so he hoped Ruth could lie convincingly.

  * * *

  “Do you have everything ready to leave early tomorrow?” Frank asked Leigh.

  “Yes, I’m ready. When I purchased the stagecoach ticket this morning, I talked to the clerk for a long time. I know he won’t forget me.”

  “Good.” Frank had no doubt that the clerk would remember her. Leigh was beautiful and men noticed her whenever she walked into a room. It wasn’t necessary for her to say a word. “I doubt the judge will ask around since Ruth is going to tell him I’m searching for you.”

  “Did she tell you about the home where we’ll be living? Is it nice?”

  “She said it had everything we’ll need, and I’m certain it will be nice if her husband lived there. If you need anything in particular, I’ll pick it up at the mercantile today.” Frank hadn’t given Leigh the money from Ruth yet. He decided he’d hold on to that money until he saw how things worked out. He didn’t plan on staying at the mine longer than necessary. He’d find a way to pilfer some gold, hopefully enough to last a long time.

  “You don’t think she will tell the judge about us?” Leigh was excited to be leaving with Frank, and she didn’t want the judge to show up unexpectedly at their new home.

  “She won’t tell him.” The judge might figure out the way of things on his own, but one thing was certain: Ruth wouldn’t tell him. He wasn’t sure he understood Ruth’s motives, but she was adamant the judge should abide by appropriate social mores.

  Leigh pulled Frank’s face to her. “Frank, you wouldn’t take me there and leave me, would you?” Leigh knew the judge would never leave her, but she wasn’t as certain about Frank.

  “No, I won’t leave you.” He kissed her, then he jumped up and walked across the room. He grabbed the whiskey bottle from the table and poured himself a good portion. He noticed her trunk in front of the wardrobe. “Get your trunk ready and I will load it on the buckboard tonight. In the morning, when you leave the hotel, walk in the direction of the livery. I’ll be waiting for you.”

  “How long will it take us to get there?” Leigh asked.

  “It will take a few days in a buc
kboard. We’ll stop at a way station so we don’t have to sleep out in the cold.” He finished his drink and reached for his shirt on the chair by the bed. “I better get out of here.”

  * * *

  The judge arrived three days after Frank and Leigh left Denver. He ran straight to Leigh’s room in the hotel, and when he opened the door, she wasn’t there. His first thought was to go in and wait for her, but he realized none of her personal belongings were lying about. Thinking she may have changed rooms, he hurried downstairs to see the clerk.

  “Where is Mrs. King? Did she change rooms?”

  “No, sir, she left a few days ago.”

  “Where did she go?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t see her leave. I just knocked on her door to see if she wanted some breakfast and no one answered. I waited until lunch to try to rouse her again, and when she didn’t answer, I opened the door thinking she might be ill. I saw the room was empty, and all her things were gone.”

  “She didn’t return the key, didn’t check out?”

  “You paid her bill for a month, and the key was on the bureau.”

  The judge suddenly had a thought that nearly made him ill. “She didn’t have a setback, did she? Did the doctor see her?”

  “She looked fine the last time I saw. She seemed to be doing very well. Mr. Langtry was spending a lot of time with her.”

  “She didn’t leave a note for me, did she?” The judge was grasping for anything that would explain why she was no longer at the hotel.

  “No, sir, her room was totally empty.”

  The judge left the hotel and headed to the doctor’s office.

  “Judge, it’s good to see you again,” the doctor said in greeting.

  “Have you seen Leigh? Is she here?”

  The doctor frowned. “No, I haven’t seen her in several days. She was doing very well, and told me if she needed me she would stop by the office. Has something happened?”

  “I’m not sure. She’s not at the hotel.” A million thoughts were swirling in the judge’s head. Where could she be? Perhaps Ruth had had a change of heart and asked Frank to bring her to the house. “Thanks, Doc. If I need you, I’ll let you know.”

  On the way to Ruth’s, his mood lightened, certain that he was going to find Leigh there. Ruth was always a reasonable woman, and she’d probably come to realize how much Leigh meant to him. He’d thought if Ruth gave Leigh half a chance, she’d like her. Of course, she’d never love her as she did Charlotte, but he’d hoped they would at least be friends.

  He ran through the house when he arrived, but no one was home, not even the housekeeper. After he searched the last bedroom, looking for any sign of Leigh, he hurried to the room where Frank had been staying, but it was empty.

  Uncertain of his next move, he walked to the parlor and poured himself a drink. Perhaps Leigh decided she was tired of the hotel. Without finishing his drink, he grabbed his coat and hurried out the door. He inquired at the boardinghouse, but Mrs. Latimer assured him no one was staying in her home that she didn’t know.

  Dejected, the judge walked back to Ruth’s. While he waited for someone to come home, he finished his drink. He made himself a second drink, built a fire, and sat down. Nursing his third whiskey, he heard the front door open and he hurried to the hallway.

  “Where is she?”

  Ruth hadn’t expected him home for another week. “What are you doing home so soon?”

  “Where is she?”

  Ruth removed her coat and said, “Let’s go into the parlor. You can pour me a brandy.”

  In the parlor, the judge handed Ruth her brandy and sat across from her and waited.

  Ruth had practiced her speech until she was certain she would sound believable. She took a deep breath. “Frank left home very early three mornings ago, said he was going to buy some supplies and check on Mrs. King. He told me she had recovered nicely, he was just checking in to see if she needed anything. But that morning he returned home an hour later. He told me she had left the hotel, and he’d already searched the town for her. He went to the stagecoach office, and was told she’d purchased a ticket on the stage headed east. Frank packed his things and took off to look for her. He said he couldn’t face you without finding out why she left. He didn’t want to let you down.”

  “But why would she leave? She couldn’t have been up to traveling alone. Did you have a hand in this?” The judge couldn’t believe that Leigh would voluntarily leave without telling him. It made no sense. They’d been so happy together.

  “Of course not! I’ve never met the girl. I thought you said she was destitute. How did she get the money to travel on the stagecoach?”

  “I left her some funds in the event of an emergency.” He’d left her a considerable amount of money, but he didn’t feel the need to mention that to Ruth.

  “Obviously it was enough to purchase a ticket to wherever she wanted to go, and Frank said she was totally recovered from her injury.” Ruth congratulated herself for playing her part beautifully. Frank would be impressed.

  The judge slumped back in his chair and dropped his head in his hand. “I just don’t understand why she would leave. She was happy, and we had plans to travel.”

  Ruth gave him some time to drone on about the loss of his love before she said, “Her reason may have been as simple as she realized you are too old for her. It’s possible she met a younger man.”

  “When? We were together most of the time. Other than Frank, I was the only man around her.”

  “Robert, you know I may have been right. She was using you for your money. Tell me why you think a young woman would be interested in an old man? What could you give her that younger men couldn’t?” She waited a second for him to respond and when he didn’t, she said, “Money. She undoubtedly had never met a man of your means who showed an interest in her.”

  He jumped from his chair, walked to the sideboard, and filled his glass. “She said she loved me.”

  “Do you think she would be the first young woman to say those words to an older man, to ingratiate herself into his life? Don’t be a bigger fool than you have already made of yourself.”

  The judge gulped his drink, and poured another. “Ruth, you don’t know her. You don’t know what we shared together.”

  “I know she’s not here. She waited until you left to leave town. What else do I need to know? What proof do you need before you realize that young woman was using you because you are wealthy? And look at the result of her machinations. Charlotte is dead. She paid the price of that woman’s schemes.”

  The judge was barely listening to his sister. His heart was breaking. “Thank God for Frank.” He had faith Frank would catch up with Leigh and find out why she left.

  Ruth smiled. “Yes, thank God for Frank. I imagine he’ll come home and tell you that you’ve been crying over an opportunist.”

  The judge slammed his glass on the table. “I can’t sit here and wait. I’ve got to do something.”

  * * *

  “You are sure you were speaking with Mrs. King?” Judge Stevens asked the clerk.

  “Yes, sir. I asked her name. She’s a real pretty lady. I wouldn’t forget her.”

  “Did she mention her exact destination?”

  “She said she was thinking of visiting family in New York.”

  That was the first he’d ever heard of family. Leigh had always told him she had no family. He thanked the clerk and left. After he arrived home, he walked back into the parlor and sat by the fire. Thankfully, he could hear Ruth talking to her housekeeper in another room. He needed some time alone to think, to relive his conversations with Leigh to see if she’d given any hints as to her whereabouts.

  He only had a few minutes to himself before Ruth interrupted him. “Robert, you need to stop this nonsense of moaning over that young woman. Your health is suffering.”

  “I’m as healthy as a horse.” To show his displeasure at her meddling, he jumped up and poured himself a drink.

 
“I’m worried about you. You are not looking well.” Ruth had noticed before he left town that he was pale, but she thought he was just upset over leaving his girlfriend.

  The judge jumped up. “Leave me alone, Ruth. I need some peace and quiet.” He then took a step toward the door, clutched his chest, and collapsed.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Jack motioned for the marshal to take a seat at the table. Everyone came to the table carrying dishes, and Addie poured the coffee.

  “I’ll be going back to Denver tomorrow, and I want you all to know I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Marshal Holt said.

  “I’m happy to see you’re feeling up to traveling, but you don’t have to leave so soon,” Jack said.

  “You all treat me so good, if I stay longer, I may never leave.” He looked at Granny and added, “Thank you for saving my life. I’m indebted to you.”

  “We are all indebted to Granny. She’s saved my hide on more than one occasion,” Jack said.

  “I hope you will take care, Marshal Holt, unlike some people I know,” Granny said, frowning at Jack.

  “Granny, if not for me, your skills would get rusty,” Jack retorted.

  “You’re full of nonsense, Jack Roper. I don’t know how Addie will put up with you.” Granny tried not to, but she couldn’t stop smiling at Jack. She loved him like a son, just as she loved Morgan.

  Marshal Holt laughed at their banter. “I promise I’ll be careful.”

  “I hope you’ll come back for our wedding,” Jack said.

  “When’s the big day?”

  “Next Saturday. The pastor stopped by yesterday, and we made plans for noon. We’re getting married at a special place in the pines.” Jack looked at Addie and winked. “I don’t want to give her a chance to change her mind.”

  Jane stopped eating and gave Addie a serious look. “You wouldn’t change your mind, would you?”

  Addie shook her head. “No, indeed. He is stuck with me, as are you children.”