Lovell's Prize

by Randy D. Smith

  "Take good care of her, doctor. I can pay."

  "Don't worry, Marshal. I don't want to lose her any more than you do. Hers is the first surgery of that type I've ever done. I very badly want her to live."

  "Thank you," Lovell said as he shook his hand. He walked to the street, thinking how closely he had come to losing her. He realized just how much he loved her. She was more important than the job or anything else. He would do anything for her, even give up his badge.

  As he stepped to the street he looked up into the face of Bonny Black. She smiled. "I heard you were back. I was coming to see Amelia."

  Lovell smiled. "I'm told you saved her life."

  "I guess I did." She smiled. "I was going to your house when I found her. I wanted to tell you that I was going to divorce John."

  "Are you still going through with it?" he asked.

  "Is that woman what you really want?"

  "Yes, Bonny, she is. I can't hurt her. It just isn't in me."

  She hesitated then nodded. "I'm still with John. We had a long talk and I think he realizes what he has done to me. He mentioned you. He said that he had heard things about you and me."

  "And?"

  "I told him that you were my very good friend. I told him that we had talked. I don't think he believed that was all there was to it. He is very suspicious of me. He can't understand why I am being a friend to Amelia."

  "Why are you?" Lovell asked.

  Bonny looked him in the eye. She stiffened, as if insulted. "Because you care for her. Because I love you and you are my friend. You'd do the same for me, wouldn't you?"

  Lovell smiled. "Yes, Bonny, I would do the same for you. I would do anything for you, and you know it."

  "Then why would I be any different? You never realized how much I loved you, did you?"

  "I didn't know. I wasn't sure."

  "I told you that I loved you."

  "Yes, you did. But I couldn't be sure. You were married. The timing was bad. I just couldn't wreck a marriage. Had you been single, everything would have been different."

  "And it is different now? What if I were single now?"

  "Yes, there is Amelia now. Everything is different because of Amelia."

  She looked down and nodded. "You were so sure, weren't you? You know all the answers. You decided we were wrong for each other and that was the end of it, no matter what I said."

  "Yes. I don't know what else to say. The timing was bad. Now, everything is too complicated. As much as I care for you, I can't hurt her. I won't hurt her."

  She nodded and bit her lip for a moment. "It must be wonderful to be so certain. To have all the answers."

  "I don't have any answers. I know that I care for both of you. I always have. I always will."

  "But you are going to chose her."

  He smiled. "I already have."

  She nodded. "I need to see Amelia. Nothing more will be said to anyone about you and me. We can still be friends?"

  "We'll always be friends."

  She smiled through newly forming tears. "We could have been so good together." She went on her way.

  Lovell went to his stallion and untied the reins from the hitching ring. Yes, they probably would have been very good for each other. It was too bad. In another life, another time, other circumstances, he could have been with Bonny and been a very happy man, but not now. It was as he had said. It was bad timing and there was nothing he could do about it. He could not hurt Amelia. He would not hurt her. He had enough of pain. He was tired of hurting people and being hurt by them. Bonny was the stronger. She would bounce back and go on. She really didn't need him as much as she thought she did.

  Lovell smiled at himself. He suddenly realized how important it was for him to be needed by someone. When it came to a choice he would always choose the one who needed him the most. That was the prize he was looking for. The prize he had never recognized before. Lovell needed to be needed. Love wasn't enough and it never would be. He had allowed need to color every relationship he had been in. He had allowed a woman's need to affect his judgment, even when he realized at the time that it could probably lead to his own destruction. Now, he was blaming women for being just what they were all along when in fact it was his fault for seeing only what he wanted to see and ignoring the rest, just so he could be needed at the time. He would build a woman up in his mind because he wanted them to need him. He wanted to be the answer to her problems when, in fact, he could never be anyone's answer. The woman had to be able to give as much as to receive and he had never allowed any woman to do that…until it was too late. When she had to give back, or understand him, it wasn't in her.

  It wasn't the fault of any of them. He couldn't blame them for being who they were. It was his fault for not recognizing who or what he was in the first place. He had been a hopeless romantic all along. A great, prancing fool out to save the poor, helpless woman in distress. For him to be otherwise would be weak and unmanly. He had never wanted a truly equal relationship. He had always wanted someone to "save" so he could feel good about himself. He would always sacrifice himself so he could fulfill his real dream, his real prize, that of being the answer for someone, the hero, the one and only. He wouldn't know what to do with a truly strong woman. He might have to come to terms with himself…and he could never do that.

  Lovell mounted his horse and smiled. He turned the stallion for the courthouse and his meeting with Evett Nix.

  Chapter 26

  Nix smiled when Lovell entered his office. "We need to wait for Judge Parker. He'll be here in a few minutes."

  "What are we meeting with Parker for?" Lovell asked.

  "I'll wait until he's here before we get into that. How's Amelia?"

  "I think she'll be alright. She's pretty sick right now."

  "Maybe that new doctor with all his new fangled ideas is alright after all, huh?"

  Lovell smiled. "I didn't even know there was a new doctor in town."

  "Don, he's been here for almost a year. Where have you been?"

  "I don't pay any attention to that shit. That's town politics."

  Nix nodded. "I'm resigning as U.S. marshal."

  Lovell was surprised. "What for?"

  "I'm under a lot of pressure over money and dispersal of funds. I'm being charged for corruption and I think it is best that I just resign."

  "Are you guilty?"

  Nix smiled. "It really doesn't matter. The judge and I both think it is best that I resign, politics being what they are. Parker is under a lot of pressure in Washington. There is a significant political faction that believes he is too powerful. The only court of appeal for Parker's decisions is the Supreme Court. Several of his decisions have come under a great deal of criticism. A scandal in the U.S. marshal's office could destroy the whole court."

  Judge Parker entered the room. He shook Lovell's hand when Lovell rose from his chair. "I'm glad you could make it, Marshal."

  "Glad to do anything I can."

  Parker turned to Nix. "What have you told him?"

  "Nothing other than I was resigning."

  Parker nodded, took a seat and waited for the marshals to sit as well. "Lovell, what are your plans?"

  "I don't know for certain. Why do you ask?"

  "How long you been a deputy marshal?"

  "Eight years. I started when William Story was appointed the first judge of the Indian Nations."

  "Has Evett told you about the reward?"

  "You mean for Nodine? No, we hadn't got to that."

  Parker leaned back in the chair. "On the day he is executed, you will receive a reward for ten thousand dollars. With your other arrests and the expenses you've turned in, you will be receiving over twelve thousand dollars in reward money."

  Lovell chuckled with astonishment. "I knew it would be a good reward but I never really figured how much."

  "Ten thousand dollars is a fortune for a man who makes seven or eight hundred a year."

  "Yes, sir, it is."

  Pa
rker smiled. "So, what are your plans?"

  "Well, I've thought about asking Amelia Thompson to marry me. If I could put together enough money then I could start a business. Be home for a change. Make this marriage work."

  Parker nodded. "Noble plans. Amelia is a fine woman. How does she feel about you being a marshal?"

  "I really haven't asked her. I suspect she'd rather I gave it up."

  "Tell me something, Marshal Lovell. If you haven't asked her, how do you know what she would say?"

  Lovell twisted uncomfortably in his chair. "She's made statements. There was the death of C. W. She's told me how she'd like some security in her life. Deputy marshals can't offer much security."

  Parker nodded and glanced at Nix out of the corner of his eye before speaking. "U. S. marshals can."

  Lovell hesitated realizing that Parker was thinking of him for the position. "Well, yes, sir. U.S. marshals are in a much better position."

  "Here's the straight of it, Lovell. We're going to establish the U.S. marshal position in the Nations. A chief deputy U.S. marshal will be established here in Fort Smith to replace Evett in this office. The new U.S. marshal will be established in Tahlequah with jurisdiction over the Indian Territory. That marshal will be a field officer but he will be overseeing the activities of a least a hundred deputy marshals. I have a great deal of influence over who that will be."

  Lovell nodded but chose not to speak.

  "That marshal will be drawing a salary before expenses of over fifteen hundred dollars a month. We need a man of experience and a man who will be accepted by the experienced deputy marshals. Right now, the most famous deputy U.S. marshal in the United States is Don Lovell. Did you know that there is a write-up in the New York Times about you bringing in the Nodine gang?"

  "No, sir, I didn't. I…"

  "You want the job or don't you?"

  "I should talk to Amelia."

  Parker shifted forward in his seat. "Do you mean to tell me that you would give up the chance of a lifetime if a woman who isn't even your wife yet said no? Tell me, Lovell, what kind of a woman would stand in your way at this point? If she loved you she'd want the best for you, wouldn't she? She wouldn't allow her own insecurities and fears to interfere with the career move of a lifetime. Would she? And, if she couldn't live with your decision, would you really want her for a wife?"

  Lovell hesitated before answering. "No, I guess I wouldn't."

  Parker smiled and nodded. "You want the job or don't you?"

  "Yes, sir, I want the job."

  "Good, as far as I'm concerned, you've got it. I'll draw up the appointment and you can be on your way to Tahlequah to establish your new office." He paused. "After we've hung Nodine, of course."

  "When will that be?"

  "Saturday morning, ten o'clock. That's the date set and we'll follow it to the letter. I'm not giving him another chance to escape or get appealed out of his date with the hangman. And you, Marshal Lovell, will be officiating at his hanging as my representative."

  Parker stood, shook hands with both of them and left in his typically abrupt manner.

  Lovell sat and sighed.

  "Congratulations, Marshal Lovell," Nix said with a grin. "I know you'll be a good man for the job."

  "Did you know about this?"

  "Yes, sir, I did. But I'm sure Parker did not make his final decision until you rode into town with the Nodine gang. He was considering Heck Thomas and John Stillman for the job as well. But that stunt you pulled with Nodine did it all. You won yourself quite a prize that day, Don."

  "I wasn't looking for no prize. I just wanted them caught. After what I found I wanted Nodine dead."

  "Parker read your report. He knows that any number of marshals would have killed him, but you didn't. You brought him back to Fort Smith for justice. Don't think that action didn't influence Parker. The days of marshals carrying out executions in the Nations are over. At least that's what Parker intends."

  "What about you? What are you going to do?"

  Nix smiled. "Write a book for one thing. People back east want to know what is going on out here. I already have a publisher interested. Otherwise, I'll get a city appointment somewhere. I've got several job offers."

  "When do you leave?"

  "I'll wait until a new chief deputy marshal is appointed for Fort Smith but you'll be the marshal with the challenge. The Indian Territory is a powder keg and it will take a resolute man to enforce federal justice."

  Lovell sighed. "I'm having trouble feeling like I deserve it. Pete Syle should have had this appointment. I wonder if I'm up to it."

  Nix smiled. "Why do you think Parker pressured you the way he did? He wanted you. Both of us were afraid you'd turn it down. Pete would have been an excellent marshal but he's gone and there's nothing we can do about that. Hell, take the job. Riding a political desk will be a challenge for a while but it'll beat the hell out of those long weeks and lonely camps on the trail. You've earned this appointment, Don. Take it."

  "I guess I need to put the house on the market."

  "And buy yourself a couple of new suits. You're an administrator now and Parker will expect you to look the part."

  Lovell rose from his chair and started for the door.

  "Aren't you forgetting something?" Nix asked.

  Lovell turned. "What?"

  "This," Nix said as he placed a new U.S. marshal badge on the desk. "Parker had it made for you. He wants you to wear it."

  Lovell picked up the badge. It was a heavy yet simple shield shape with U. S. Marshal as the only inscription.

  "You'll find men wearing much fancier, more costly badges, but none with more responsibility or honor," Nix said. "You'll be responsible for the conduct of over a hundred men from all walks of life. Some of those men will be little more than criminals themselves. It will be up to you to outline and define what a federal deputy marshal will be in the Nations. It's an awesome responsibility and your ass will be on the line more than once. You're up to it. You've got a sense of honor and justice that will work for you if you let it. Several lobbied for a lawyer or former federal prosecutor to get this appointment but Parker wanted an experienced lawman who understood the pressures those deputies will face—a man who understood, but would not compromise, the law for the sake of convenience. You are the kind of man he wanted."

  Lovell stared down at the nickel-plated badge and weighed Nix's words.

  "Put it on," Nix said.

  Lovell carefully removed his deputy badge and pinned the U. S. marshal badge into place. Its weight tugged at his vest.

  "Now, get out of here and go tell Amelia. She'll want to know before anyone else."

  "She may tell me to take a hike," Lovell said.

  "She won't do that," Nix smiled. "You're selling her short, Don. You'll see."

  * * * *

  Joe Crow was surprised when Chauncy Lightfoot and Boyd Manion stepped into his bar. He knew Lovell was looking for Lightfoot and wondered why he was so stupid to show his face in Fort Smith. "Long time, no see, Chauncy. Where you been?"

  "Trail herding to Dodge City. Boyd and me rode the train to Kansas City with the cattle and now we're heading back to Texas. Give us a couple of ryes."

  Crow poured the whisky. "Come in for Trace Nodine's hanging?"

  "No, are those idiots finally going to get Nodine hung?"

  Crow studied Lightfoot for his reaction. "Don Lovell brought him in with six others single handed. They're hanging Nodine Saturday."

  Lightfoot scoffed. "And that dumb bastard, barely smart enough to pour piss out of a boot, brought in Trace Nodine."

  "You haven't heard then?" Crow asked watching Lightfoot closely.

  "Heard what?"

  "Lovell's been appointed U. S. marshal for the Indian Nations. He'll be opening a new office in Tahlequah after Nodine's hanging."

  Lightfoot paused then grabbed the rye whisky bottle and poured himself another shot. His eyes cut to Manion then up to Crow. "They appointed that ignor
amus U. S. marshal?"

  Crow smiled as he watched Lightfoot squirm. "Yep, he'll be working out of Tahlequah."

  Lightfoot was quiet as he considered his future.

  "You staying in Fort Smith for a while?" Crow asked.

  "No. No, we need to be riding on. Just stopped in for a drink to wet our whistles." He downed the whisky and turned to Manion. "Let's ride."

  Crow smiled as they made for the door, barely able to contain his laughter.

  Lightfoot hesitated by his pony as Manion untied his reins.

  "What we going to do, now?" Manion asked. "After what Lovell did to Slowheels, it ain't going to be safe even to ride through the Nations."

  Lightfoot slapped his reins against his hand. "I'm going to have to kill Lovell. I don't see any other choice."

  "Shit stick! You're crazy. You can't go gunning down a U. S. marshal. You'll be wanted for the rest of your life."

  "I'm wanted now. You know about those papers Lovell has on me. Shit, now that he's a federal marshal, I won't know a night's peace. He'll have every deputy in the Nations on my ass. I should have killed that son-of-a-bitch when I had the chance."

  Manion thought for a moment. "I guess we could ambush him on the way to Tahlequah."

  "No, that's too risky. We might miss him. You heard Crow. We'll get him during Nodine's hanging."

  "The town will be full of marshals then. Hell, that's crazy."

  Lightfoot smiled wickedly. "No, it's smart. Don't you see? Nobody will be expecting something like that. We can lose ourselves in the crowd. We'll catch Lovell alone and gun him down. In all the confusion, we'll just ride out of town and nobody will be the wiser."

  Manion shook his head. "I don't know."

  "I do," Lightfoot snapped. "Are you my saddle pard or not?"

  "Well, sure, Chauncy. Whatever you say."

  Lightfoot mounted and gathered his reins. "Let's look this town over. See if we can find a place to pull it off."

  Manion nodded reluctantly and swung into his saddle.