Now Victoria’s smile changed to one of dazzling fondness that she beamed at the young rider. “I’m sure you will, Jesus. And of course I’ll be there watching and cheering you on.”
Jesus responded with a faint blush and a grin so wide it nearly split his face in two.
“And if I don’t get back to the kitchen,” Victoria added, “I may have plenty of time to watch because I could be at risk of losing my job. Since the marshal is home early that means Moosejaw isn’t likely to be far behind, and I still have some finishing touches to put on the supper I’m planning to serve.”
As she started toward the main house, Firestick stopped her, saying, “No need to hurry off, Miss Victoria. Moosejaw won’t be along any time soon and I came early because I have something I need to talk to you about . . . you and Beartooth both.”
Victoria paused, looking puzzled.
Recognizing the seriousness in his old friend’s tone and expression, Beartooth’s brows pinched closer together. “What’s goin’ on?” he wanted to know.
Heaving a weary sigh, not looking forward to this but at the same time wanting to get it over with, Firestick swung down from his saddle. Looking on, Miguel also saw the seriousness in Firestick’s manner and understood that what he’d come to talk about was meant only for those he’d named. Signaling Jesus with a faint jerk of his head, the two vaqueros drifted away.
“Mainly,” Firestick started out, “this has to do with Miss Victoria. But I figure you got a stake in hearin’ it, too, Beartooth.”
Victoria’s expression was impassive, waiting patiently for Firestick to continue. But patience wasn’t exactly Beartooth’s strong suit. “We already got that part. You made it clear you wanted to talk to the both of us,” he said. “So what’s the big mystery? Get to it.”
Firestick’s gaze settled on Victoria. “A couple strangers showed up in Buffalo Peak a little while ago. Got off the stage from El Paso. Came all the way from England. One of ’em is a gent named Shaw. He’s askin’ around for you, Miss Victoria. Unless everything he told me is a pack of lies, I expect you’ve got some kind of idea why.”
Strangely, Victoria’s reaction was very calm. In fact, it amounted to no reaction at all. At least not outwardly. Except for her eyes cutting away from Firestick and shifting to gaze out over the prairie, vaguely in the direction of town, her expression barely changed.
Beartooth, on the other hand, looked confused and increasingly frustrated in the silence that followed Firestick’s statement. After his eyes had cut back and forth several times between Firestick and Victoria, he said, “Well, I got no blasted idea why. Who is this Shaw character, anyway? And what’s his interest in Victoria?”
Firestick didn’t say anything. Left it up to Victoria to answer.
After several beats, still gazing away, she began speaking with very little inflection in her voice. “Rupert Shaw comes from a wealthy family in Sheffield. His father is prominent in the steel industry there. Only a few months separate Rupert and I in age. From the time we were twelve, our parents began encouraging—some would say pushing—each of us toward eventual marriage to one another. Rupert had no objections, nor did I . . . in the beginning.
“Just before we turned twenty, we became engaged. But our wedding was postponed to give Rupert a chance to serve in the military. His father thought it would be an asset for him, would look good on his résumé, give him added stature for his future in the business world. It was while he was away, allegedly serving our country in some godforsaken corner of the world, that I realized I didn’t love him. Never really had. I was . . . relieved to have him away and did not look forward to his return. Oh, I don’t mean I wished him harm or anything dreadful like that. I just didn’t want to face a future as Mrs. Rupert Shaw.
“The only person I could share my feelings with, the only one I could trust to understand, was my cousin Estelle. She was getting ready to embark on her lifelong dream of coming to America and specifically to the West. She encouraged me to come with her and suddenly I—the meek, obedient, always sensible girl who never did anything impulsive or daring—wanted that more than anything. I informed my shocked and dismayed parents, wrote a long letter to Rupert, being as kind and trying to explain my feelings as best I could, and then . . . to America I came.”
Not until she’d finished speaking did Victoria turn her gaze back to Firestick and Beartooth. Then, with a somewhat wistful smile, she added, “And now, it appears, my past has caught up with me.”
“Only if you want it to,” Firestick was quick to say. “There was no sense in me tryin’ to shade Shaw. He came here knowin’ you were somewhere in this valley. Since everybody in town knows your name and that you live and work out here at the Double M, he was bound to find that out. So I leveled with him, but said I’d have to talk to you first before directin’ him to you. If you tell me now that you don’t want to see him or have anything to do with him, then that’s the way it’ll be. We’ll make sure he stays away from you.”
“Damn betcha we will,” said Beartooth emphatically.
For the first time, Victoria looked a bit distressed, indecisive. She raised the fingertips of one hand to her temple, saying, “This is so sudden and unexpected. He came all this way . . . I don’t quite know what to . . .”
As her words trailed off, Beartooth, looking equal parts anxious and anguished, said, “You don’t still . . . I mean . . . do you want to see him?”
Victoria looked away again, not giving an answer right away.
In the silence that suddenly hung heavy over the three of them, Firestick looked up and spotted two riders in the distance, coming from the direction of town. Both sat their saddles well—one tall and erect, the other taller still and much thicker through the torso and shoulders. Peering more closely, it only took a second for the marshal to recognize who they were.
Through clenched teeth, he said, “It appears, Miss Victoria, that your former fiancé ain’t very strong on holdin’ to agreements he makes.”
CHAPTER 15
The two riders came galloping into the Double M compound and reined up in front of the corral. At the sight of Victoria, Rupert Shaw’s eyes shone with delight. Murmuring her name, he wasted no time starting to climb down out of his saddle.
“Hold it right there, mister!” Firestick stepped in front of Victoria as he issued the sharp command.
Shaw froze in a partially dismounted position. “What is the meaning?” he demanded. “I came thousands of miles to—”
“I don’t give a damn how far you came,” Firestick cut him off. “That was your choice, nobody else’s. What I care about is that you dogged me out here when we agreed you would wait back in town until I had a chance to talk to Victoria. To advise her you’d showed up here, and find out if she was interested in seein’ you.”
“Of course she’s interested in seeing me,” Shaw insisted. “We go back to childhood together, for heaven’s sake.”
“I ain’t heard her say so yet—because you didn’t give us the chance to finish discussin’ you. And none of that changes the fact of you breakin’ our agreement for you to hold off until I got word back to you. You were gonna wait at the hotel, remember?”
“Please!” Shaw’s tone was disdainful. “Any so-called agreement between us was hardly a binding matter. That may have been your impression, but not mine. I wasn’t about to waste time waiting in a stuffy hotel room, knowing I was so close to what I’d come so far for. Oberon and I rented horses from the livery, and when we saw you ride out of town, we followed. It’s as simple as that.”
“Then here’s something else that should be real simple for you,” Firestick grated. “You got five minutes to get the hell off my property. And since our land stretches for a good distance in every direction, you’d best get a move on.”
“You can’t be serious,” Shaw said indignantly, still poised with one leg partly raised to dismount.
“Try me. And keep in mind, the clock is already runnin’.”
But Beartooth didn’t miss the move. Taking a long step to one side in order to distance himself from Victoria, he let his right hand drop close to the Colt riding on his hip and said, “And you there, big boy—if that paw of yours makes one more twitch toward the weapon I suspect is inside that coat, I’ll blow you so far out of the saddle you’ll think you’re on your way back to England.”
Shaw’s mouth fell agape. He craned his neck to try and make eye contact with Victoria, still blocked by Firestick’s bulk. “Good God, Victoria! Have you no sway over these ruffians? Is this the kind of life you lead by choice—or are they holding you hostage?”
Placing a restraining hand on Firestick’s shoulder, Victoria stepped around him. “Enough!” she declared. “Enough of this anger and ugly talk. I’ll have no one hurt on my account.”
“Nobody’s gonna get hurt if they have the sense to back off,” Beartooth told her. “You don’t have to talk to these men if you don’t want to.”
Victoria gave him an uncertain glance. “That’s just it. I do want to talk to them. Or, rather, I feel I need to. I owe Rupert that much. I have for a long time.”
Beartooth’s shoulders sagged visibly. He held Victoria’s eyes for a long moment. Then, in a low voice, he said, “Okay . . . if that’s the way you want it.”
“Thank God!” exclaimed Shaw with a sigh of relief. “At least someone is showing a measure of good sense.”
Victoria spun on him with fire in her eyes. “There’s certainly none coming from you, Rupert Shaw! These men you brand ‘ruffians’? They are among the finest gentlemen I’ve ever known. It is you who are being rude and impudent, as usual. Giving me pause, I must say, as to whether or not I should listen to anything you have to say.”
“Forgive me if I spoke too hastily or harshly,” responded Shaw. “Surely you can see how I might be feeling a bit desperate here. But I assure one and all that the last thing I’m looking for is to cause trouble or make enemies.”
Victoria continued to scowl at him for several seconds. Gradually the heat cooled in her eyes. Glancing first at Firestick and then Beartooth, she said, “I appreciate both of you wanting to protect me, but there’s really nothing here that represents any kind of threat. If you don’t object, for reasons I’ve already explained, I’d like to have some time with Rupert.”
“Of course we don’t object,” said Firestick. “It’s always been your decision.”
“Long as you’re comfortable with it,” Beartooth told her.
Firestick motioned toward the house. “Go on over to the front porch where you’ll have some shade and some privacy. We’ll stay back here, out of the way.”
Victoria smiled fleetingly. “I shan’t take too long. I know you’ll be wanting your supper.”
“Take as much time as you need.”
Shaw at last finished dismounting and walked beside Victoria as she took Firestick’s suggestion and led the way to the shaded front porch. Hadley remained in his saddle until they reached the hitch rail in front of the house. Before leaving the corral area, he made a point of letting his gaze linger meaningfully on Beartooth.
The two former mountain men stood looking after the trio. Until Firestick turned away and said, “Come on, us standin’ here gawpin’ ain’t hardly givin’ her the privacy I promised.”
“I didn’t make no promises,” Beartooth muttered, even though he turned away, too. “I ain’t likin’ this whole thing worth a damn.”
“Can’t say I do, either,” allowed Firestick as they began walking slowly along the corral fence. “But what can we do? Victoria’s a woman growed and as long as she’s in no danger and it’s what she wants, we can’t force our will on her. She’s not our prisoner here.”
“But she belongs here, dammit. Not with that duded-up slicker,” Beartooth insisted.
“She’s not with him. She’s just talkin’ to him for a few minutes.”
“But that’s the whole idea, leastways from the way he’s lookin’ at it. He didn’t go to all the trouble of comin’ clear across an ocean and most of the country just to talk to Victoria. He wants her back.”
“Yeah, I suppose he does. But he never wanted her to leave him in the first place, remember, yet she did. I think it’s safe to say Victoria has a mind of her own. If she was interested in goin’ back to him, don’t you reckon she would have made a move in that direction by now?”
“Maybe she did. Maybe she sent for him.”
“Now you’re talkin’ loco. She had no idea he was comin’.”
“How can you be so sure? You don’t know any more about her—really know—than I do. Maybe not as much. She’s never opened up about her past to anybody. She sure as hell never mentioned comin’ from wealth and bein’ engaged to that Shaw jackass.”
“That kinda falls under the heading of bein’ her own business, don’t it? Her past was and is a private matter, if she wants it to be. After all, she’s only an employee around here.”
Beartooth stopped short. “Now wait a minute. That’s a helluva thing to say. And you know it ain’t true. You know good and well she’s more than that. She’s . . . well, the truth of it . . . what I’m tryin’ to say is . . .”
“What you’re mumblin’ and stumblin’ about is that you’re in love with her,” Firestick said.
Beartooth’s eyes widened. He swallowed. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. How’d you know?”
“Because I got a pair of eyeballs and half a brain, that’s how. Me, Moosejaw, Kate . . . we’ve all seen it. And you know Daisy has been ridin’ the two of you every chance she gets.”
“Yeah, but that’s just Daisy . . . Do you think Victoria knows? I mean, really knows?”
“Have you ever told her?”
“You know I haven’t.”
“Then how is she supposed to really know?”
“The rest of you saw it.”
“Most gals have a kinda funny notion about things like that. They want to hear the words, want the fella to do something to show his intentions. Ain’t too many of ’em around like Daisy.”
Firestick added that last part with a wry grin, aiming to lighten the moment a bit, recalling how Daisy had basically thrown a headlock on Moosejaw and told him he was in love with her—which, fortunately, turned out to be the case.
Beartooth dug the toe of one boot in the ground and managed a weak smile. “Might be better if more of ’em were.”
“So what are you gonna do now—about these feelin’s of yours toward Victoria, I mean?” Firestick prodded.
Beartooth’s smile faded and he looked up, his expression turning uncertain. “What can I do? What should I do? I’ve never been in this kind of fix before.”
“You fight for her, that’s what you do, you damn lunkhead,” Firestick said, his tone turning somewhat frustrated. “And by that I don’t mean go back there and knock the hell out of Shaw. Or his pet ape, either, in case I ain’t bein’ clear. I mean you fight by not wastin’ no more time lettin’ Victoria know how you feel. See what her feelin’s are for you. Unless I’m wrong, I think you’ll find she’s got a heap of unspoken fondness just like you been carryin’ around.”
Beartooth’s eyes bored into him. “But what if you are wrong?”
“Then, if you’re convinced you love her and want her bad enough, you fight that much harder.”
Beartooth set his jaw firmly, absorbing Firestick’s words. His expression conveyed his gratitude for the encouragement and support but he seemed unsure how to reply.
Inside the corral, Miguel had approached without notice. Into the silence between the two former mountain men, he said, “Señors . . . Another rider comes from the east. Riding very hard.”
Firestick and Beartooth looked around, quickly swinging their attention to the east and the approaching rider. The man was indeed riding hard, coming fast. As he drew closer
, they recognized him as Gabe Hooper, a young man who worked for Pete Roeback at the town livery.
Hooper came galloping into the compound and checked down his horse sharply. Billows of dust swirled around him.
“Whoa there, young Gabe,” said Firestick. “What lit a fire under you?”
“Miss Kate sent me,” Hooper said, breathing hard. “She said to tell you to come right quick. Four hardcases showed up in town a little while ago. Four mean-lookin’ cusses if I ever saw any. Got trouble written all over ’em. Deputy Moosejaw is keepin’ an eye on ’em, but Miss Kate is worried something bad is gonna bust loose and says you oughta come in case he needs a hand.”
CHAPTER 16
Travel back and forth between the Double M and town, when there was no reason to hurry, normally took close to an hour. Reacting to the message carried by Gabe Hooper, Firestick dug his heels hard into his horse and cut that time in half. Since his mount was already saddled and ready, he lit out immediately, telling Beartooth to saddle up and follow as quick as he could. Hooper was advised to rest his animal before heading back.
With the sun hovering just above the western horizon and sinking fast, the lengthening shadows of late afternoon filled the draws and the eastern slopes of the low hills as Firestick pounded along. He was coming in at a slight angle from the northwest. Ordinarily he would swing onto the west end of Trail Street where the jail building lay near the outskirts.
On this occasion, though, he didn’t want his sudden appearance to trigger anything if tensions were already running high in town. So instead he sharpened his angle of approach and came in behind the Mallory House Hotel. Tying his horse out back near the privy, he went in through the rear and up an interior hallway to the front lobby. He was in luck, finding Kate there, watching anxiously out the front window. Frenchy Fontaine was with her, her beautiful face looking pinched and strained by deep concern.
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