by Chloe Carley
He was standing by the window, watching as John Hoskins was being berated by one of the ranchers. He couldn’t hear the words, but the sentiment was clear. The whole town was up in arms about the attacks and the seeming lack of action on the part of the sheriff and his deputies.
“But you still need to rest,” she said, tutting to herself and blocking the door.
“I’ve had all the rest I need, Mrs. Morrell. Believe me, if I spend another moment in this bedroom, I’ll go insane. Then I’ll never be any good to anyone,” he said, picking up his hat.
The proprietress shook her head, glancing at the plate of breakfast and back to Thomas.
“Folks have been talking. But last time you tried to sort all of this out you ended up in Doc Hanson’s infirmary bed and then laid out here the last two weeks. You be careful, Thomas, you hear me?” she replied.
It was rare she called him Thomas, but he could see the look of concern in her eyes and he nodded, stepping past her and out onto the landing. He could hear the chatter of the other guests in the dining room and though his side still ached a little and he knew he’d not survive another beating like the one before, Thomas clattered down the stairs, with Lita Morrell’s voice ringing in his ears.
“I’ll be all right, Mrs. Morrell, I promise,” he called back.
It felt good to step outside into the fresh air. A gentle breeze was blowing down the street, bringing with it the smell of the prairie grass, as up above little white clouds skidded across the blue sky. He took a deep breath, and turned to head over to where John Hoskins was still being berated by the irate rancher.
“And another thing, where’s the sheriff when we need him? Or is he too scared to take up his responsibilities? Mayor Gould says…” the man was saying, just as Thomas came striding up behind.
“I’m right here, Mr. Tanner, and I assure you that I shall continue to do everything in my power to find these criminals and bring them to justice,” Thomas said.
The man turned to look at him in surprise, as did the deputy, who seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight of Thomas by his side.
“Oh… Sheriff Redmond. I see you’re well recovered,” Mr. Tanner replied, and Thomas nodded.
“That’s right, and we won’t catch these men by standing around talking to you all day now, will we?” Thomas said, taking the deputy by the arm and wishing the irate rancher a good day.
Thomas’ bravado was tempered by his true thoughts. Thoughts he’d kept hidden from anyone except himself. He knew for certain who was behind the cattle rustling, the exact names of the bandits terrorizing the county, but to reveal them would mean a death sentence. Not only for him, but for Aline too.
“Gee, thanks, Sheriff. But I didn’t expect you to come back to duties so soon. Lita Morrell told me that…” John said, but Thomas shook his head.
“Lita Morrell isn’t my mother, John. I’ll decide when I’m fit for duties,” Thomas replied.
“Well, I’m sure glad you’re back. We’ve had another raid overnight. I just write them down and take the brandings now. There’s no point in riding out to the ranches. It’s the same story every time. They ride in, faces covered and guns toting, steal ten or so head of cattle and ride straight back towards Westfort. It’s like a textbook, except there’s no way of telling where they’ll strike next,” the deputy said as they made their way along the street.
“Well… I didn’t get very far with riding out to Westfort. The road out that way is dangerous and the marshal is in the pay of… whoever it is that’s doing this,” Thomas explained.
At that moment, there came a shout from behind and the voice of Mayor Gould came echoing across the street.
“Redmond, you get yourself in here, now,” he cried.
Thomas rolled his eyes and nodded to the deputy who shook his head.
“He told me I’d soon be looking for an alternative badge,” John Hoskins said.
“I’ll deal with the mayor,” Thomas replied, straightening his sheriff’s badge and turning. “I’ll be right there… sir.”
Mayor Gould was leaning on the balcony outside his office. His face was red and he was sweating profusely. He looked even fatter and angrier than the last time Thomas had seen him, and he made no enquiry as to Thomas’ state of health. Instead, he pointed him inside, heaving himself over the threshold and making his was heavily into his office.
“Three more raids, Redmond, three more,” the mayor said, throwing down the latest copy of The Lakestone Chronicler before Thomas.
The headline read ‘Bandit Raids Relentless!’ and the editorial asked whether Lakestone was going the way of Westfort for its lawlessness.
“I know, sir. I’m doing my utmost best to see that justice is done,” Thomas said, as the mayor brought his fist down upon the table.
“Not good enough, Redmond, not good enough, you hear me?” he shouted.
“Sir, I’m doing my best. I rode out to Westfort to follow a lead, that’s when I was set upon by the outlaws. They’re a vicious gang, and if they’ll attack me then they’ll surely attack anyone,” Thomas said, trying to buy time.
“I’ll have your badge, Redmond. You see if I don’t. There’s elections coming up soon and if you cost me those then your life won’t be worth living,” Mayor Gould said, snarling at Thomas.
He’d thought about handing in his badge. Giving it all up and heading east, away from all this. It was all too close to home and Thomas felt such guilt at not acting sooner against his half-brother. He wasn’t afraid of the repercussions; he’d been on the receiving end of Harrison’s temper many times. But it was Aline he feared for. She was like an innocent lamb, caught up amongst wolves prowling around her, waiting for any opportunity to strike. Without his badge, Sheriff Redmond was just plain old Thomas and there’d be no way he could protect Aline then.
“We’ll redouble our efforts, sir. Now that I’m recovered from my injuries, I’ll see to it that extra patrols are made of the surrounding country. These bandits won’t get far,” Thomas replied, trying to sound more confident than he did.
“I’ve heard it all before from you, Redmond. Get out of here. I want results, not excuses,” the mayor said, pointing towards the door.
Thomas made a swift exit, cursing himself for his foolishness in letting Harrison get between him and Aline.
I should never have let her stay at Lampeter Ranch, he told himself, scuffing his way back towards the sheriff’s office.
But what could he do now? He knew precisely who it was that was raiding the ranches and stealing the cattle. But with Harrison’s threats hanging over him, Thomas was powerless to help. He thought of Aline. Did she hate him for the cruel way in which he’d behaved? He knew he’d upset her and no doubt she’d told Harrison of the way he’d reacted to her when he lay in Doc Hanson’s infirmary. He felt such guilt, but what could he have done differently? He had to protect her.
What a mess, he told himself, missing Aline terribly and having no idea what to do next.
Chapter Twenty-One
Aline had tried her best to put Thomas out of her mind. Ever since the sheriff had so cruelly dismissed her on the day following his return, she’d swayed between anger and sadness. She’d been angry with herself for trusting him and saddened that he’d so readily proved to her the suspicions she’d had about men. But Aline’s feelings for Thomas had run deep and, in his rejection, she’d truly been more hurt than by anything Damon Hale had ever done to her.
That was because Aline had come to love Thomas, a feeling she’d never truly experienced before. On that sad night, she’d cried herself to sleep with Sammy in her arms, lamenting the fact she’d come to Lakestone in the first place. It had seemed such a perfect new start, like a fresh morning on the prairies when everything seems to be a new beginning. But Thomas’ cruel words and his evident rejection had cast that all into doubt.
But, as the weeks had gone by, Aline had found herself more readily accepting of Thomas’ rejection. She’d told hersel
f not to be silly and that she’d only known him a few weeks. Hardly long enough to properly judge his character. Whatever his motivations for rejecting her had been, they’d nothing to do with who she was and Aline was determined not to let another person’s actions dent her happiness.
Besides, she had Mr. Knox for company and he’d proved himself to be entirely a gentleman and a most kindly employer.
“There we are, Mrs. Hale, as good as new,” Mr. Knox said, stepping back and admiring his handiwork.
He’d just finished putting new mesh over the vegetable garden, so that the birds didn’t fly down and steal her hard won crop. She begun growing all manner of vegetables and was looking forward to seeing and tasting the fruits of her labor.
“What a fine job you’ve done, Mr. Knox. How can I ever thank you for everything you’ve done for me?” Aline said, and Mr. Knox laughed.
“Seeing you happy is all the reward I need, Mrs. Hale. It’s truly a pleasure to have you here and if there’s anything more I can do to help then you need only ask. I hope you know that,” he said, grinning at her.
Aline blushed. He was never anything but helpful, and she still couldn’t understand why some people in Lakestone didn’t like him. He’d been nothing but kind to her and, thanking him once more, she invited him inside the ranch house for a cup of coffee and a piece of seed cake.
“We’ll get some lovely vegetables, I’m sure,” Aline said, as Sammy scampered for the back bedroom at the sight of Mr. Knox entering the parlor.
“You need to train that cat to be more polite, Mrs. Hale. He always runs from me at the first sign of my presence,” Mr. Knox said, causing Aline to blush.
“He’s a funny cat. I’m sure he’ll see in you what I do very soon,” Aline replied.
“And what’s that, Mrs. Hale?” he asked, causing Aline’s cheeks to blush further.
“Well… you’re nothing but kind and generous, Mr. Knox. You’ve seen that Sammy and I were given a roof over our heads, a wage in our pockets, and a friendship worth more than gold. I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for you. I owe you a great deal,” she said, as she put the water on to boil.
“That’s very kind of you to say, Mrs. Hale, but you owe me nothing, except your delightful company and your friendship,” he replied, and she placed a slice of seed cake before him.
In the past weeks, Aline had felt her affections for Mr. Knox growing. She didn’t have that same flutter of excitement toward him which Thomas had caused her to have, but instead a sense of safety and security. With Mr. Knox, she felt as though nothing could threaten or harm her. She liked him very much and, in the past few days, she’d been wondering where those feelings might take her.
But despite it all, she couldn’t rid herself of her feelings for Thomas. Feelings which still welled up inside her whenever she had cause to think of the handsome sheriff. She tried her best to forget about that very sheriff, of whom she’d heard nothing since their encounter at Doc Hanson’s house, but try as she might, she couldn’t, often reminded of him by the memories of the happy times they’d shared.
“I owe you a great deal, whether you accept that or not, Mr. Knox,” she replied, patting his hand, and she placed a steaming cup of coffee before him.
The two sat and talked for a while longer, and Mr. Knox explained that he was going to keep an extra vigil at the ranch, given the recent spate of raids which had taken place. The mention of the outlaws reminded her of Thomas and she sighed at the thought of what all this sorry business had cost.
“You’ll be quite safe, Mrs. Hale. We’ve avoided any trouble yet and Clarence and Hector are good men, they’d soon see off any bandits coming our way,” Mr. Knox said, finishing his cup of coffee.
“But aren’t they a gang? Surely it was more than a couple who attacked Sheriff Redmond,” Aline said, but Mr. Knox shook his head.
“Sheriff Redmond might be a decent man, but he was a fool to go riding off down that trail alone. You haven’t heard anything from him, have you?” he said, fixing her with an intense stare, which made Aline feel a little uncomfortable.
“Oh… no, I haven’t heard a thing from him. I presume he’s returned to his duties now. His injuries were pretty bad and…” she began, but Mr. Knox dismissed her with a wave of his hand.
“Just you worry about your vegetables and finishing up those pretty curtains for the house,” he said, rising from his chair. “I’ll be going now and I wish you a good day, Mrs. Hale.”
“Good day to you, Mr. Knox,” she replied, opening the door and waving him off.
There’d been something strange in his eyes when she’d mentioned Thomas. And the way he’d asked her if she’d seen him. What business was it of Mr. Knox whom she saw and when? It raised all those old suspicions that there was more to the relationship between Thomas and Mr. Knox than she knew.
Anyway, I won’t be seeing him now, she thought to herself, sighing, as she closed the door.
Sammy came running out of the bedroom, another curious thing, given his dislike of her employer.
“Now, Sammy. Are you going to tell me why you don’t like Mr. Knox? What’s wrong with him, huh? He’s always nice to me, can’t you see that?” she said, but Sammy only meowed, rubbing his face up against her and purring.
She set him down and opened a tin of sardines for him. The curtains lay half-finished on the table, next to her brand-new sewing machine. She sat down and picked up a length of material, threading it into the needle and beginning to press down on the pedal, so that the machine whirred and chugged.
At least I’m here, she thought, picturing her father and mother.
They were the real reason she’d come to Lakestone, and it was their legacy that she was building.
I don’t need anyone to help me with, she told herself.
Yet, as she worked upon the curtains that afternoon, she couldn’t help but think of Thomas and what might have been, had his behavior not changed so drastically.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Thomas was buried in a pile of paperwork. His desk was covered in reports of rustlings and that morning, he’d arrived at the sheriff’s office to a fresh report of ten head of cattle stolen from a ranch on the very edge of Lakestone itself.
“Things are getting out of hand,” John Hoskins said, shaking his head and sighing.
Just then, an angry banging sounded on the door and, looking up, Thomas saw several men looking through the window.
“Sheriff, we want to talk to you,” one of them shouted.
“Should I tell them to go away, Sheriff?” the deputy wondered, but Thomas shook his head.
“No, let them come in. It’ll do them good no doubt to vent their anger on someone, it might as well be me.”
The last few weeks had been difficult and, as time had gone by, Thomas had come to blame himself more and more for the events going on around him. He knew it was his half-brother, but he was powerless to stop him. The sword of Damocles hung over Aline and if Thomas made any move against Harrison then he knew it would swiftly fall. His hands were tied and he was about ready to give in his badge and call it day.
“What are you doing about all this, Sheriff?” one of the men demanded angrily, as soon as John Hoskins had opened the door.
“I’ve lost thirty head of cattle now, three raids on my ranch. I’ve heard of the ‘wild west,’ but this is ridiculous. You must be the most useless law enforcer this county has ever known. Look at you, sitting there pretty while our livelihoods suffer,” another said.
There was a crowd of five angry ranchers in the sheriff’s office now, and the deputy was calling for quiet.
“You let the sheriff speak. We’re doing our best, but it’s just us against them. It’s a whole gang of outlaws operating out of Westfort—we just don’t have the manpower for it,” John Hoskins said.
“Yea? Well, you’d better get some man power or we’re going to have ourselves a lynch mob in here,” one of the men said, bringing his fist down hard on Thomas’ d
esk.
“Then you’ll be thrown in jail, too” the deputy said, raising his fists to the man. “Can you believe this, Sheriff?”
“All right, all right,” Thomas cried, rising from his desk and holding up his hands. “I know you’re angry.”
“You’re darn right, we’re angry. I can’t afford to feed my family thanks to you, those cattle are my livelihood. What are you going to do about it?” one of the men shouted.
“I… I’m going to hand in my badge. You’re right, I can’t get a handle on this and you’re not going to get your cattle back whilst I’m in charge,” Thomas said.
“But Sheriff…” the deputy said, turning in astonishment to Thomas, who shook his head.