Lawfully Avenged

by Jenna Brandt

  Sadie wanted to agree with the marshal, but part of her knew that it wasn’t completely baseless. There was a small part of her that was attracted to the marshal, and she knew if she let herself, there was a possibility something could develop. The problem was she shouldn’t let that happen, not only because it would complicate things for her in Havilah, but because it would be a betrayal to Sam. She couldn’t very well take up with another man only days after finding out he was dead, especially the one man who might be able to avenge Sam’s death.

  “It doesn’t matter. People like to gossip, and I’m the newest thing they can talk about. I’m surprised they’re not trying to share information about our host with me. He seems like an interesting fellow,” Sadie observed. “What’s his story?”

  “Mr. Harpending has a colorful past,” the marshal whispered. “He was a Southern sympathizer, and joined a conspiracy to seize California for the Confederacy, but it didn’t work. A couple years after that, he tried to outfit a ship to raid the California coastline in order to capture and carry gold and silver shipments back to the Confederacy. Their attempt was found out and they were arrested. He was tried and found guilty of treason, then sentenced to ten years in prison in Alcatraz. As luck would have it, President Lincoln issued an amnesty proclamation granting a full pardon to political prisoners. Mr. Harpending was released from prison two years back.”

  “How did he end up here?” Sadie probed, curious about the man’s jaded past.

  “He started investing in real estate, railroads, and mining. It brought him here to this area near Clear Creek, and he decided to establish a mining town after gold was found along the creek.”

  “I can’t believe everyone is willing to live in a town established by an ex-war criminal,” Sadie stated with shock.

  “Gold does funny things to people. They’ll do just about anything to get their hands on some once “gold fever” sets in. Living in this town isn’t nearly as bad as some of things I’ve encountered while being a marshal out here.”

  “I’m sure you have hours of stories you could tell me.”

  “If you’re lucky, I just might tell you a couple,” he said with a grin. “Or the least scandalous ones, that is.”

  “What’s the fun in that,” Sadie teased back. “I think those stories might be the best ones.”

  The butler entered the room and announced it was time for dinner. Everyone made their way into the large dining room and took their seats. Sadie had been placed across from the marshal, which equally pleased and perturbed her. It meant that Mr. Harpending assumed that Sadie and Mr. Graham would like to be near each other. This meant their host, along with everyone else in town it seemed, thought something was going on between them.

  The dinner passed by with Sadie making conversation with everyone around her besides the marshal. She didn’t plan on giving the other guests more ammunition for fodder the next day when they discussed what happened at the party.

  Several times she noticed Mr. Graham staring at her, and she could have sworn he had a look of jealously on his face as she doted on the men around her.

  It didn’t matter, since she had no intentions of letting the marshal get close to her. A man was the last thing she needed to make her life more complicated, even if he was the single most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on and made her go weak in the knees when he touched her. No, none of that mattered because affection for a man had never gotten her anywhere, and it wasn’t going to start now. She had enough problems with trying to figure out how to run her husband’s claim, and in making a life for herself in Havilah. Falling for the marshal was the last thing she needed in her life.

  Lucas couldn’t figure out Sadie Clayton or what made her tick. As he watched her sitting across from him, he wondered why she behaved the way she did. One moment, she was friendly, laughing at his jokes and making conversation; the next she was avoiding him and flirting with every man that wasn’t him.

  Every time he heard Sadie’s laugh, it affected Lucas; however, he became irritated when he realized it wasn’t because of him. He knew he shouldn’t care, but he couldn’t help himself.

  “Oh, Mr. Campton, you’re too funny,” Sadie flattered the man sitting next to her.

  Lucas pressed his lips together, forcing himself not to react to her show of admiration for the other man.

  “Given your newly acquired status as a widow, what are your plans concerning marriage?” inquired Mr. Campton.

  Lucas didn’t like the way Mr. Campton was leering at Sadie. He could tell the other man only had one thing on his mind.

  “Mr. Campton, I think given her circumstances, that’s mighty uncouth of you to ask,” Lucas rebuked.

  “How is it any of your concern, she’s not spoken for, unless you know something different,” the other man questioned with a sour expression.

  “I’m simply looking out for the lady’s best interest, and from the way you’ve been ogling her I can easily tell engaging with you isn’t in it.”

  Mr. Campton lunged out of his chair and slammed his fists on the table. “Why you dirty…”

  Sadie interrupted the other man before the disagreement could turn violent. “Now, now, Mr. Campton, there’s no need getting all riled up over the marshal’s overprotective nature, he feels he owes my late husband the obligation of protecting me.”

  Mr. Campton settled back into his seat saying, “Just ‘cause he’s a lawman doesn’t give him the right to go around getting in everyone’s business.”

  “Agreed,” Sadie said, glaring across the table at Lucas.

  The rest of the meal, Lucas quietly watched Sadie continue in her attempts to avoid him by talking with most everyone else. By the time the party moved into the ballroom for dancing, Lucas was downright irritated with her. He was halfway tempted to leave, but for some reason, he still wanted to keep her safe. Left to her own devices, she would get into trouble.

  The first two dances passed with Sadie dancing with various single men. The third song, however, Mr. Campton approached Sadie demanding a dance. From the way he placed his hands on her, Lucas could tell Sadie didn’t want to agree. When she tried to move away, the other man tightened his grip on her arm, causing her to cry out in pain.

  Lucas rushed to her side and pushed Mr. Campton away, saying, “You’ve proven my point. You need to stay away from Mrs. Clayton.”

  Mr. Campton had a dark look in his eyes as he glared at Lucas. The marshal could tell he wanted to take a swing at him, but decided at the last minute to refrain. Instead, he slinked away and found a corner of the room to hole up in.

  “Are you all right?” Lucas inquired with concern.

  “Yes,” Sadie whispered, as she rubbed her arm where Mr. Campton had grabbed it.

  Lucas reached out and gently rubbed the spot on her arm.

  “That’s probably going to leave a bruise.”

  “I can’t believe how rough he got with me.” Sadie stated with shock.

  “Many men in these parts think they can take what they want, when they want. I’m sorry he treated you that way.”

  “Thank you for intervening,” Sadie said looking up into his eyes.

  “Would you care to dance?” Lucas offered.

  “I suppose,” Sadie agreed, allowing Lucas to lead her onto the dance floor.

  He pulled her into his arms as the next song began to play. They swayed to the music, both falling into the rhythm of the dance. Lucas looked down into Sadie’s face, captivated by her blue eyes. All he wanted to do was pull her closer, but he knew given where they were, it wouldn’t be appropriate.

  Instead, he whispered barely loud enough for her to hear, “Your blue eyes have little specks of green in them. I’ve never noticed that before.”

  Sadie blinked several times and averted her eyes before saying, “What did you think of the food that Mr. Harpending served us tonight?”

  Lucas’s face scrunched up in confusion. Her response wasn’t what he was expecting. Was she trying to avoid
anything beyond casual conversation with him?

  “What an odd way to change the subject. If you don’t want to spend time with me, why don’t you just say so.” Lucas accused.

  Sadie’s eyes snapped back to meet Lucas’s eyes. She bit her lip for a moment before saying, “I never said I didn’t want to spend time with you. The problem is, I shouldn’t want to.”

  The revealing comment surprised Lucas. Apparently, she was fighting the same attraction he was.

  Before he could probe any further, yelling from across the room drew both of their attention.

  “Listen here you no good swindling piece of cow turd. I’ve been paying my debt and you had no right to take my claim,” a burly man with curly brown hair barked.

  A man Lucas recognized as the bank manager raised his hand towards the angry miner and said, “This isn’t the correct time to deal with this, Mr. Boyd.”

  “When else could I do it? Not like you all let me into the bank anymore. I can’t get a straight answer as to what has happened to my loan money.” The miner stepped aggressively toward the banker and added, “I’m not leaving here 'til I get to the bottom of this.”

  Lucas released Sadie and darted across the room. He stepped between the two men saying, “As Mr. Porter just stated, this is not the right venue for this discussion. You need to leave or I’ll make you leave,” Lucas threatened.

  The miner seemed to be sizing up Lucas, and for a moment, the marshal was worried a fight was going to break out. The other man, however, backed down and stormed out of the ballroom.

  “Thank you, Marshall Graham, for stopping that man. I’m not sure what got into him.”

  “I think a fair amount of liquor, considering the smell coming off of him. He’ll sober up soon enough.”

  “Unfortunately, the liquor made it only worse. He blames the bank for losing his land, but we sent him multiple notices informing him that he was in default of his loan.”

  “Some men can’t take responsibility for their own wrong doings.” Lucas nodded his head as he added, “Have a good evening, Mr. Porter.”

  Lucas made his way back over to Sadie’s side. She was getting a glass of punch at the refreshment table.

  “What was that all that about?” Sadie inquired.

  “I’m not sure but I’m beginning to think I may need to broaden my investigation.” Taking her by the hand, he pulled her back onto the dance floor. “But in the meantime, I just want to dance with you.”

  Four

  The knock on the door startled Sadie. She picked up the rifle she kept by the front door, pulled back the edge of the curtain, and peeked through it. She recognized the mayor standing on the other side. She set down the rifle, smoothed out the wrinkles in her day dress, and opened the door.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Clayton,” He said with a wide grin. “I was hoping you had a few minutes so that we could talk.”

  “Why don’t you come in?” Sadie offered, stepping back to allow him entry.

  The mayor breezed into the living room with Sadie trailing behind him.

  “Can I get you a glass of sun tea or lemonade?” Sadie offered.

  “Lemonade sounds lovely.”

  Sadie made her way into the kitchen, pulled out a cup as well as the pitcher of lemonade and poured a glass. She returned with the drink and handed it to the mayor.

  “Thank you, dear.” He said as he took a seat in one of the chairs.

  Sadie sat across from him on the sofa, waiting for him to discuss why he was at her home.

  “First off, I’d like to tell you how sorry I am to hear about your husband’s death. Sam Clayton was a good man and he didn’t deserve what happened to him.”

  “I appreciate your condolences. Sam was a good man and I cared about him deeply. I had been looking forward to running this claim with him. Now I have to figure out how to do it on my own.”

  “That’s the other reason that brought me out here,” the mayor admitted. “I was wanting to find out if you’d be interested in selling your claim to me.”

  “I was planning to advertise for potential prospectors to work my claim and split the proceeds 50/50,” Sadie explained.

  “Well, my dear, I think you should reconsider that. It isn’t safe for a little lady like you to be out here all on your own.”

  Though the words displayed concern, the tone behind them posed more as a warning, making Sadie momentarily debate her decision; however, she wanted to do right by Sam. He wanted this to be their first home. She also didn’t feel right about leaving until she found out what happened to her husband.

  “I’ll take your warning under advisement, but at this time I’m firm in my decision. I will not be selling my husband’s claim.”

  The mayor placed his cup down on the table between them, then stood to his feet. “I suppose I should be getting on my way then. If you change your mind, my dear, you can always find me at my office in town.”

  As Sadie escorted the mayor out of her home, she wondered if she made the right choice staying in Havilah. She didn’t have anyone to help her, and she was rather isolated out on her husband’s claim. On the other hand, she didn’t scare easily. She had been through tough times before, had come out the other side unscathed; she could do it again. She would prove everyone wrong when her prospectors struck it big, producing the most gold in the region. Her gut told her, she only needed to stay and fight for what was hers.

  Despite Lucas’ best efforts, he was finding it difficult figuring out who committed the robberies and murders, and why. He knew they were connected, but he couldn’t figure out how, and that was the key. If he could find the common thread, he would be able to solve the whole case.

  Slamming the files shut on his desk inside the sheriff’s office, Lucas stood from his chair. He hadn’t eaten since the night before and was famished. It was time to head across the street to grab a bite to eat at the Yellow Rose. He preferred eating at the hotels in town, knowing the people who frequented them were better company than anyone at the local saloons or bars.

  Lucas exited the sheriff’s office and made his way across the street. Just as he reached the boardwalk, the familiar voice of Allen Floyd called out from down the street. “There you are, Marshal. I want to ask you about something.”

  Suppressing the sigh that threatened to erupt, Lucas stopped in his tracks, waiting for the other man to catch up to him. He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Allen today. Lucas, however, knew it was better to get the questions out of the way rather than have Allen bother him another day.

  “How’s the investigation going?” Allen asked with genuine curiosity.

  “It’s going fine, Mr. Floyd. I’ll have it all wrapped up soon enough.”

  Lucas didn’t want to get into the fact that he was stumped. It was better to dodge the truth than to confide in anyone he wasn’t close at all to figuring out what happened to the dead miners.

  “Then will you be heading back to your headquarters in San Francisco?”

  “Why do you ask?” Lucas probed, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

  “Well, I figured if you were leaving town, I might make a go at that pretty new widow, Sadie Clayton. Kind of hard to compete with a marshal and all, but with you no longer around, I might have a fighting chance.”

  Lucas tensed with frustration as he balled up his fists at his side. He didn’t like the idea of anyone pursuing Sadie. He knew he didn’t have a claim to her, but his heart told him otherwise.

  “I think Mrs. Clayton isn’t in the position to receive any suitors at this time. You’d do best to leave her alone.”

  The other man’s eyes grew wide with surprise, then a moment later a knowing look crossed his face as he nodded, saying, “I understand, Marshal, You better get her over to the church to get married before someone else snatches her out from under you.”

  Lucas’ mouth dropped open as he waited for the words to come forth to counter the other man’s accusation regarding his attentions, but they never emerge
d. Deep down, Lucas knew Allen was right. He did indeed want to be with the pretty Sadie Clayton.

  Allen Floyd moved, leaving only the echo of his chuckling to antagonize Lucas.

  The marshal made his way down the sidewalk, still thinking about his conversation with Allen. What was he going to do, knowing that he had feelings for Sadie? She complicated everything in his life, both personal and professional, but even though it would be easier to keep her at a distance, he didn’t want to do that. He wanted to get as close as he could to the intoxicating redhead.

  “Good morning, Marshal,” he heard the enticing voice of Sadie beckon to him. “I was headed over to the general store after depositing Sam’s wagon at the livery, but saw you across the way. I wanted to find out how the investigation was going?”

  The blasted investigation. Every time he turned around someone was bringing it up. He hated telling her he didn’t have any answers, but he didn’t want to lie to her either.

  “I’m afraid I haven’t gotten much further with it. I keep coming up empty handed.”

  “Perhaps you just need to look at it from another angle, Marshal.”

  “Lucas…I think considering how much time we’ve spent together, you should call me Lucas.”

  Sadie tilted her head to the side for a moment, then nodded, “All right, Lucas, you just need to figure out how the robberies and murders are connected. What would motivate someone to do it? I’ve heard that they didn’t get much money from the first one, so why would they commit the second and third one? What do all the murder victims have in common?”

  Lucas thought about her questions and realized she was on to something. “You’re rather astute, Mrs. Clayton. Did anyone ever tell you that you could make a rather good detective yourself? If nothing else, you could find employment as a Pinkerton Agent.”

  “Since we’re going by first names, you should probably call me Sadie. As for taking on another job, I haven’t the need or desire. I have my hands full enough with running my husband’s claim. I just brought on three prospectors, and it’s all I can do to manage them. That’s why I’m in town, picking up supplies to get them started.”