The Marshal's Mission

by Barbara Goss

  Spence jumped up on the fence beside her father. “Maybe tomorrow.”

  Her father clapped his back. “How did you learn to do that?”

  “All our horses were wild when our family got them. It takes patience but I’ll be riding him in a week.”

  Her father laughed. “If you can ride him in a week, he’s yours.”

  “Honest?” Spence asked.

  “Yes, because I don’t believe you can do it.”

  Spence smiled. His eyes met Glenna’s, and she felt that spark again. He turned away quickly.

  “You have a deal, Mr. McKay.”

  Glenna concluded that Spence must be married or in love with a woman somewhere since he failed to pay attention to her. She knew she wasn’t a raving beauty, but since there weren’t many eligible females in town, she got plenty of attention from men wherever she went.

  Spence didn’t seem the least interested, which only served to boost her interest in him even more.

  Could his lack of interest be due to her father? She’d try to catch him when her father wasn’t with them to see if it made a difference.

  When her father drove to town to get supplies, she wandered into the stables to groom her horse, Athena. She noticed Spence cleaning stalls, working his way toward Athena’s stall, but he backed away when he finally reached her stall.

  “I’ll come back later.”

  “No,” Glenna said. “I’m finished. I’ll leave so you can do your job.” She smiled at him, but he was looking at the ground. “It’s your last stall. I bet you’ll be glad to finish.” Glenna put her grooming tools away and opened the stall door.

  Spence backed away to let her exit, then entered the stall and closed the door behind him.

  Glenna leaned on the door. “That’s my horse, Athena.”

  “She’s beautiful,” Spence said without looking up from his work.

  Glenna watched him work, wondering what she might say next to engage him in a conversation. He looked so out of place—a gentleman cleaning a horse stall.

  “Has my father shown you around the place?”

  Once more, Spence answered without looking up. “Yes, it’s quite impressive.”

  When Spence opened the stall door, Glenna moved to the side. “Excuse me,” he said. He emptied the soiled straw into the wheelbarrow, grabbed a fresh bale, and threw it into the stall. He grabbed a rake, broke the bale open, and spread the fresh straw. He stepped out of the stall, grabbed a large tub of water, and poured a good amount into Athena’s water trough. He slapped his hands together to remove any dust and backed out of the stall.

  “Did my father give you a horse to use while you’re here?”

  Spence busied himself putting the vat away and emptying the wheelbarrow, but Glenna followed him.

  “He told me to pick one out.”

  “I think you might like Midnight or Chester. They’re both stallions.” When he didn’t respond, Glenna said, “I’ll show them to you if you’d like.”

  “No need,” he said, “but thank you for the offer. I think I’ll be getting Lightning in a week.”

  “Oh, the one you’re breaking in?”

  He nodded. When he smiled at her, her heart gave a slight lurch.

  “He’ll be mine—bet on it.” He turned then and continued washing the wheelbarrow out.

  “I think you’ll do it.” She turned and walked from the stables, convinced he didn’t like her. Glenna tried to think of why he wouldn’t care for her. Had she said something he might have taken offense to? She shrugged and entered the house.

  Glenna sat across from Spence at the dinner table. Rosa had not yet brought out the food, so the two of them sat quietly, waiting for Rory McKay. The silence became awkward. Finally, Glenna blurted, “Why don’t you like me?”

  Spence’s eyes widened. “I don’t dislike you, I…I hardly know you.”

  “It’s the feeling I get—”

  “We’re here!” Her father said as he burst into the room with Asa Livingston. “Look who I ran into in town.”

  ~~~**~~~

  Spence noticed Glenna frown when she saw the guest. She looked uncomfortable, so he assumed she didn’t care for him, whomever he was.

  “Asa, I’d like you to meet our newest ranch hand, Spence Blackwood. Spence this is Asa Livingston, the town’s banker.”

  Spence hid his surprise at meeting the man he was out to prove guilty of stealing land. He stood and shook the bankers soft, chubby hand. “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

  “Is your birth name Spencer?” Asa asked.

  Spence nodded. “Yes, but everyone calls me Spence.”

  “I’m not one for nicknames,” Asa said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Spencer.”

  “I’ve asked Asa to join us for dinner,” Rory said. “Glenna, let Rosa know we’re ready to eat.”

  “Glenna, you look as beautiful as ever,” Asa said as she rose to go into the kitchen.

  She blushed. “Thank you.”

  “So, Spencer, where are you from?” Asa said.

  “Arkansas.”

  Asa’s eyebrows rose. “Where in Arkansas? I have family in Little Rock.”

  “Van Buren,” Spence said. He didn’t want to say Fort Smith since everyone knew that was the location of Federal Marshal headquarters. Though his home was in Fort Smith, his family’s lumberyard was in nearby Van Buren, so it wasn’t a total lie.

  Glenna took her seat, and Rosa came in with hot dishes.

  “You’re almost in Oklahoma,” Asa said. “It’s nice there. What made you move up here?”

  Spence had hoped no one would ask him that. When he’d announced to his father he was taking the job with the Federal Marshals, his father had been angry. They’d had a small spat before he’d left for Kansas, so Spence could tell the truth.

  “My father and I didn’t see eye to eye on things, so I decided to move on.”

  “His family owns a lumber mill and lumber yard there,” Rory added.

  Most of the conversation after that was about the ranch and bank talk between Rory and Asa. Though he seemed disinterested, Spence paid strict attention to every word.

  When they moved from the dining room to the sitting room, Rosa brought them coffee and tea. Glenna poured a cup for each of them.

  “Well,” Rory said, “I guess this is as good a time as any to make my announcement.”

  Spence noticed Glenna pale and grimace slightly.

  Rory stood. “I’ve given Asa permission to court Glenna.”

  Spence studied Glenna’s reaction. She smiled slightly with her eyes cast downward, but it didn’t look as much like embarrassment as it did displeasure. In a way, he was glad she wasn’t pleased. He had one heck of a time keeping his eyes off her. Not only was she lovely, but whenever their eyes met, he felt something deep inside. He warned himself to stay clear of her. She and her father could very well be in on this crime along with the banker. He had to distance himself or become entangled in the mess.

  So, Asa Livingston would court Glenna. Her father seemed pleased, but Glenna didn’t. That told him her father had pressured her into letting Asa court her, but why?

  Chapter Three

  Glenna dressed for her first outing with Asa. What if he tried to kiss her? She grimaced at herself in the mirror. What would she do then? There had to be another way to protect their land. Spence was a smart man—should she confide in him? Maybe he’d have a solution. She’d have to talk to her father before acting on that idea—the man was a stranger, after all.

  She slipped on a navy-blue taffeta dress, put her hair up, and added her sapphire earrings.

  Asa was chatting with her father when she entered the sitting room. They stood when they saw her.

  “Lovely!” Asa exclaimed, looking her up and down.

  Rory resumed his seat. “May I ask where you’re taking my lovely daughter?”

  Asa took Glenna’s gloved hand. “To dinner at Salt Creek Hotel.”

  The hotel sounded appealing, sin
ce it was known for its fine dining—her father had taken her there for her twentieth birthday.

  ~~~**~~~

  Spence stood in the shadows, watching Asa put Glenna into his buggy and drive away. He watched the house until he saw Rory’s bedroom lamp go out. He waited another fifteen minutes before entering the house and making his way to Rory’s study.

  Spence lit a lamp, turned it down low, and looked around the room. Inside was a desk, a bookcase filled with tomes of books, and several leather chairs. He searched the desk for any sign of a partnership with the banker, but there was nothing. He looked around the room…there didn’t seem to be another place to look.

  Spence blew out the lamp, left the room, and then house. Just because he didn’t find proof didn’t mean Rory wasn’t in with Asa on the property theft ring. It made Spence glad in a way—while he wanted to solve the mystery, he liked Rory and hoped he wasn’t in with Asa.

  His next idea was to go into town over the next day or two to talk to the sheriff. He’d have to think of how he might bring up the subject without causing the lawman to think he was spying.

  Spence went back to his small cot in the bunkhouse, pulled out his small diary, and made notes of what he’d discovered—or didn’t discover—that day. So far, all he had in the book was that he’d found nothing in Rory’s desk.

  He was about to undress for bed when an idea hit him: Rory had said dogs protected the property, but he hadn’t seen or heard a dog since he’d been there. He left the bunkhouse, saddled a horse, and rode the boundaries of Rory’s property but found nothing until he’d reached the far west corner. There, he saw a large shed and dogs who barked as he approached, but they were of medium size and didn’t seem too fierce. They barked as they stood by the shelter but didn’t approach him. Spence wondered if the dogs’ barking had alerted someone who might be watching the property, so he tied his horse in back of the shed and hid behind a tree, waiting for someone to come. The dogs continued barking, but no one came. After thirty minutes of waiting, Spence mounted his horse and rode away.

  When he returned to the bunkhouse, he took out his diary and wrote: “Rory has barking, non-attacking, dogs on the west side of the property, but no one came when the dogs barked. My conclusion: No one is guarding Rory McKay’s property.”

  Spence lay in bed wondering why Rory lied to him? Or, had Asa told him his property was protected when it wasn’t? More than likely, the banker used the protection to control Rory. It could mean that Rory wasn’t in on the deal, or maybe he was and that’s why he didn’t need his property protected.

  He jotted down his next steps.

  Spence rose early the next day. After gulping down a few of Rosa’s hotcakes, Spence decided to take a ride before starting to work in the stables. At home, he always started his day with a brisk ride. He chose a brown male horse that looked as if he needed a good run.

  Spence felt exhilarated as he galloped through the meadows on McKay’s backland. When he was done, he walked the horse through the nearby woods to cool him down. He patted the horse’s mane. “I think this is what we both needed today, eh, boy?”

  He came out of the woods near where the dogs were housed. They came out and barked but none growled or acted threatening.

  Spence mounted and nudged the horse into a trot on his way back to the stables, when he saw another rider coming toward him. It was Glenna! She was riding fast. He hoped there wasn’t a problem as he nudged his horse to meet her.

  When they reined in, Spence searched her face. She was smiling, so he felt relieved there wasn’t trouble.

  “I see you also enjoy a brisk ride in the morning,” Glenna said. “I’ll race you to that old oak tree.” She pointed to a snarly old tree back in the direction from which Spence had come.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “I’m not sure what this horse can do.”

  “That’s Starfire, named for the mark on his head—he’s fast.”

  “All right, then.”

  “Go!” she yelled, nudging her horse; he did the same.

  Starfire got in the lead right away but he felt Glenna’s horse right behind him. They reached the tree as the horses were neck and neck.

  “A tie!” Glenna shouted.

  Spence slid off his horse. “Starfire’s sweating. We’ve already had a good run this morning. I need to let him cool down.”

  Glenna slid off her horse, too. “Let’s walk them back, then.”

  They walked side by side.

  Glenna looked up at him and said, “I was hoping we could be friends.”

  Spence’s body tensed with caution. “I suppose we can—for as long as I’m here.” He thought that a good answer, and it made him smile.

  Glenna didn’t smile. “Are you just going to become a drifter, going from town to town?”

  “I’m not sure yet what I’ll do. Maybe I’ll go back to Arkansas and try to reason with my father.”

  “What if you come to like it here, in Salt Creek?” she asked.

  “I don’t think I will.” He thought of a perfect way to edge into the subject of the land thefts, and he was all right with that. He just didn’t want to use a romantic attraction to get information. “I hear there are a lot of problems here, in Salt Creek. I don’t think I’d want to settle in a place where a man could be run off his land.”

  “I know. I wish we could find out who’s behind it and stop it. We’ve lost a lot of good farmers.” She sighed. “Our sheriff doesn’t do much to find the culprits either.”

  “He isn’t? How do you know?”

  “Well, it’s been going on for two years now. No one seems to have a clue who’s behind it.”

  Spence stopped walking and stroked his horse’s mane. “Who would benefit the most from vacant farmland?”

  Glenna stopped, too. “That’s a good question. Let’s see…the general land office, maybe… and of course, the bank.”

  “How does the bank benefit?” Spence asked casually.

  “New owners need mortgages.”

  “And the bank gets to keep what the abandoned landowners already paid if the land or house was mortgaged. How about the land office?”

  Glenna tapped her finger on her chin. “I think there are fees involved with filing for land. I’m not really sure since my father has owned this land since he started homesteading, and that was before I was born.”

  Spence shook his head. “If the land office resells the land, who gets the money?”

  Glenna gave him a blank look. “I don’t know.”

  No one spoke, and they both started to walk again. Glenna halted and asked, “If you aren’t planning to stay here, why are you so concerned?”

  “I’m just a curious person,” he answered.

  They continued walking, pulling their mounts, when a shot rang out. Spence rushed to push Glenna to the ground, but she’d already rolled to the ground. He lay beside her as she reached for the rifle she had strapped to her saddle.

  “What are you doing?” Spence asked.

  “Obviously, I’m going to shoot back. That is, if I can spot the culprit who shot at us.”

  Spence hadn’t worn his gun belt, hadn’t since he’d arrived except for the night before, when he was riding out in the dark. It felt strange to have a woman protecting him.

  Spence watched her holding her rifle, using the sight to slowly search the area. “Do you see anyone?”

  Glenna shook her head and put the gun down. “I saw a horse and rider run beside the woods when I first hit the ground. Over there.” She pointed. “The man had dark hair and was wearing a brown jacket.”

  Spence stood and assisted Glenna to her feet. “I’m sure he’s long gone by now.”

  Glenna put her rifle back into the case attached to her saddle. “This has never happened before.”

  “Then why do you carry your rifle around?” he asked.

  “Gophers, coyotes, and rats,” she said.

  “Why gophers?”

  “They dig holes in the ground and
that’s a potential danger for our horses. The rat leavings could infect the cattle with disease, and coyotes kill cattle, and scare horses.”

  “I knew about the rats and coyotes, but I’ve never heard about gophers being a hindrance. Are mice and rats the reason the barn and stables are full of cats?” he asked.

  “Yes. They’re great at keeping the little critters away.”

  Spence frowned. “So, who do you think shot at us?”

  Glenna shrugged. “A hunter who’d wandered onto private property, perhaps?”

  They reached the stables, and Glenna handed him Athena’s reins. “Would you take care of her? I need to tell Father about the shot that was fired at us.”

  Spence took care of the horses, performing his duties, thinking about that morning all the while. Could someone have discovered his mission?

  Impossible.

  Could they have been shooting at Glenna and not him?

  Glenna came out to the stables and stood by Athena’s stall as Spence finished up for the day. She fed the horse an apple.

  Usually Spence would avoid extra contact with Glenna, but he was curious about her father’s reaction, so he approached her and rested his arms on the stall.

  “What did your father say?”

  “He’s furious.”

  “Why? Does he know who shot at us?”

  “No. He’s furious because Asa promised he’d keep our property safe.”

  That was interesting: how could Asa keep the property safe unless he knew who was responsible?

  “How can Asa make such a promise? Does he know who’s behind the crimes?”

  “I doubt it, but he promised my father he’d keep our property safe.”

  Spence shook his head. “Interesting. I wonder how Asa manages that.”

  Glenna gave Athena a pat on the nose. “That reminds me—I have to see him again tonight.” She made a sour face.

  “You don’t like him, do you?” Spence asked.