Cheyenne Reckoning Page 10

  It was clear how much he’d hurt her. She wouldn’t meet his gaze now, staring instead at the potato in her hand. Her chest rose and fell with each shallow breath, and he saw a tremble in her lip. He walked to her side and took hold of her arm. “I’m sorry, Claudine, truly I am. It was a fool thing for me to do, and I won’t do it again.” He longed to hold her close and stroke her face and tell her everything would be just fine.

  She looked up at him, her brown eyes deep and enticing. “Do what exactly?”

  “Leave you.”

  She frowned.

  “I mean it. I’m gettin’ the two of you out of here … tonight if I can.” Revenge could wait. Claudine and Gracie wouldn’t be free as long as there were Tillys or Kelloggs with the power to hold them down.

  Gracie gasped and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “Truly?” she whispered, as if worrying about being overheard. “But how? We tried to escape once before and it didn’t go well – for any of us. You’re back here and so are we.”

  He shook his head. “They didn’t recognize me, ‘cause no one here knows me but Angus. Kellogg hired me to be part of his crew. If I can just get close to him …”

  “I don’t know what you’re up to, Dan Graham, but why on God’s green earth would you want to work for a low-down skunk like Augustine Kellogg? No, don’t tell me – I don’t want to know.” She pulled away from him and reached for another potato.

  “I’ll tell you everythin’ – later. I just wanted you to know I’m comin’ to get you tonight after lights out. Have your things packed and be ready to leave.”

  She studied his face, doubt flickered behind her eyes. “You promise?”

  He nodded. “I do.”

  “Fine. We’ll be waiting, then.”

  He looked her over then, and arched an eyebrow. “What’re you wearing?”

  Claudine rolled her eyes. “Our uniform.”

  He chuckled. “It sure is becomin’.”

  She glared at him. “Hush your mouth!”

  He laughed again, a little louder. “See you tonight.” He tipped his hat, then left the kitchen and headed back out into the dull light of the overcast winter day.

  10

  For the rest of the afternoon, Dan ducked between doorways and through arches, his hat pulled low over his eyes as he went about his work, wondering if the next moment Angus might walk by and recognize him. He wasn’t afraid of the confrontation – in fact, he was looking forward to it. He just didn’t want to face off with Angus until he knew Kellogg was close by. Once he was done with both of them, he could grab Claudine and Gracie and head north with a clear conscience.

  But as the day wore on and neither man showed, he began to worry he’d never get his chance for a showdown. Then he fretted over the idea that perhaps he couldn’t go through with it even if he managed to find them. He’d never shot a man in cold blood before. When he’d set out from Montana Territory, his own blood had been so hot he hadn’t thought it through. But now he’d calmed and time had passed, and he wasn’t sure he could shoot Kellogg, or even Angus, without provocation.

  Arrest them both? No – with no authority of his own and the local sheriff in Kellogg’s pocket, it wouldn’t do him any good to report the scoundrels’ behavior to law enforcement.

  Seeing no one around, he opened the heavy front doors and walked into Kellogg’s great room. He marveled at the high ceilings and solid oak floorboards. The paintings that adorned the walls were vivid with color and the furnishings lush.

  He heard voices behind a door in the back, walked over and cracked it to find Kellogg with Thaddeus and two other men, playing cards and drinking. Kellogg howled with laughter and lay his cards down, and the others sighed and cussed. One of the men slapped his hat on his thigh and glared at Kellogg darkly. But Kellogg smirked back. “Come now, Mike. You’re always a sore loser. Put a smile on that face, lad, and have another drink.”

  Mike sighed and reached out his empty glass. “And you’re a lousy winner, Augustine.”

  Kellogg chuckled, topped Mike up from a nearby bottle, then slapped the table. “Again!” he cried. Then he spied Dan in the doorway and turned to greet him with a half-smile. “Well, hello there, Dan. Why don’t you come on in and join us? We’re just brushing off the dust of the day with a little refreshment.”

  Dan nodded and stepped inside. He scanned the room but didn’t see Angus, so he took off his hat and set it on a table against the wall. “Thank you, Mr. Kellogg. Don’t mind if I do.”

  Thaddeus greeted him with a nod, poured whiskey into a tumbler and handed it to him. “Ya worked hard today, Dan – the stalls are sparklin’ clean. Ya deserve a drink.” He and the other men all chuckled at Dan’s zealousness with the stables, not knowing Dan had taken so long with the chore in order to keep an eye on the house.

  This was his moment, to do what he’d come to Wyoming Territory for. He inhaled sharply and rested his right hand on the gun on his hip. The men had turned back to their cards and he watched them through narrowed eyes. Could he do it? Kellogg laughed and slapped his thigh, and Dan’s gut churned as he thought about Dolly and Emily.

  Then he considered Claudine – what would she think when she found what he’d done? When he left Montana Territory, he’d cast aside all concern for what anyone thought of him, or even for his own neck. He knew he’d hang for what he’d planned, but his anger was so deep, so all-consuming that he didn’t hesitate. But … he found he didn’t want Claudine to think badly of him. He wanted to be a good man, for her.

  The thought surprised him. He hadn’t expected to develop feelings for her. And certainly not so quickly, only a couple of months after losing Dolly. What did that mean? It didn’t change how he’d felt about Dolly – she’d needed him, she and Emily, and he’d failed them. But now someone else needed him. Was he going to fail them too?

  He forced himself to laugh along with the group and sipped the whiskey, his focus on Kellogg.

  Dan spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in that room. Mrs. Tilly brought the men sandwiches at suppertime, and the card games continued with many losses and wins for each party. Dan played a hand sometimes, stood aside to watch other times, always wondering when he might get time alone with Kellogg – and whether he could follow through with his plan for revenge if he did. He kept a drink in his hand, but emptied it into a planter near a window when no one was looking. Someone would top him up, and he’d repeat the procedure. He wanted a clear head.

  As the night progressed, Kellogg and the others got more and more drunk, finally forgetting to freshen Dan’s drink as their laughter grew more raucous and their card games lost focus. Leaning against the windowsill, he watched the sun set in a brilliant display of color and sighed, wishing he was out riding Goldy instead of cooped up in a room with a bunch of inebriated outlaws. In fact, there were a thousand places he’d rather be.

  He was about to give up and head for the kitchen when Kellogg approached and slapped him on the back. “Dan my boy, it’s good to have you on the team. Thaddeus tells me you stood by him the other day, and he thinks you can be trusted. What do you say to that?”

  Dan nodded. “Thank you, sir. I aim to be trustworthy.”

  Kellogg chuckled. “Are you always this serious?”

  Dan frowned. “I guess so.”

  “You know, there’ve been men in the past who thought they could cross me. But you know better than that, don’t you, Dan?”

  Dan kept his face neutral. “I suppose.”

  “Course you do. Those men figured it out too, but too late. When a man works for me, he has to be honest … but only with me!” He laughed, followed by a bout of hacking coughs, and Dan slapped him on the back. “Thank you. As I was saying, I don’t abide any tomfoolery – no one steals from me, lies to me, cheats me. I take those kinds of things seriously. Know what I mean, Dan?”

  Dan nodded. “Yessir.”

  “Good to hear. ‘Cause I like you. You’re the kind of man I’m happy to stand and pass the t
ime with. And I’d hate to have to send you into the ground before your time.”

  Dan arched an eyebrow. “I’d hate to be in the ground before my time, sir.”

  Kellogg laughed a belly laugh. “You stay on my side and you’ll do just fine.”

  Then the door to the room creaked open, and Dan saw a dark shadow linger on the threshold.

  “You mark my words, Dan Graham, you and that palomino horse of yours will go places if you do right by me,” Kellogg continued, oblivious to Dan’s increasing unease. “You gotta future here, I’ll make sure of that …”

  But Dan wasn’t listening anymore. His gaze was on the newly arrived Angus O’Leary, who stepped into the lamplight, his black eyes glittering as they locked on Dan’s face. “Dan Graham, is it?” he asked levelly. “The man who rides the pale horse?”

  “That’s right …” Kellogg began, then stopped as Angus, his mouth twisted in a half-grin, drew his pistol and aimed it at Dan’s head.

  Dan dove for the floor, skidding behind a horsehair settee just in time to see Angus blast a hole in the settee above his head. He pulled his own weapon, flicked off the safety and quietly cocked it, waiting for a chance to return fire.

  “What in blazes?” shouted Kellogg angrily. “Angus, have you lost your mind?”

  “Who is that man, Kellogg?” growled Angus. Dan could hear his slow, steady footsteps as he paced the room to find a better vantage point.

  “It’s Dan Graham, our new ranch hand,” Kellogg growled back. “What do you wanna shoot the man for – in my house?”

  “See this here head wound? Your Dan Graham rode up the drive a few days ago and tried to blow my head off. Lucky for me it wasn’t no more than a scrape. I guess the good Lord meant for me to fight another day.”

  Dan scanned the room for somewhere else to take cover once Angus drew a bead on him. Nowhere looked good

  “You’re just tellin’ me this now?” Kellogg’s rage was growing.

  “Mrs. Tilly said to hush …”

  “Mrs. Tilly knew?”

  Aha – that might work. Dan crouched low and scurried from the settee to shelter behind an upright piano. He took stock of the situation again, just as Angus turned, pointed his gun at the settee, realized he was no longer there, and frowned in disappointment.

  He heard Kellogg unlock a cabinet as the other men finally began to shake off their shock and chime in. “What’s goin’ on?” “Hey, Angus, what’s with the shootin’?”

  “Shut your pieholes, the lot of you,” Kellogg snapped. “I’m trying to figure it out myself.”

  “I remembered him,” Angus explained. “He was there in Montana Territory when I told that girl with the baby to take a hike. I told ya about her, ya recall?”

  Kellogg paused, then murmured, “Yes, I do. I told you to take care of it, whatever it took.”

  “Right. Well, he was there, a friend of hers. And I guess he figgered out who done it.”

  Seething, Dan slid to the end of the piano and peered around the corner, angling for the doorway. The door led to a short hallway and from there it was only a few yards to the kitchen. He’d have to cover open ground to get to it, but Angus would be on him in a moment if he didn’t. For safety’s sake, he pulled his other pistol and cocked it as well – then ducked as a bullet pierced the piano just by his shoulder.

  “Quit shooting my piano!” shouted Kellogg, followed by thumping noises.

  “Sorry, boss. Stop hittin’ me!”

  While they argued, Dan made a run for the door. He spun sideways as he did, firing across the room, his six-shooters wreaking havoc as he ran. He saw Kellogg fall, a bullet hole in his chest, and two other men toppled as well. But Angus dove for cover.

  As he went out the doorway, he heard Angus yell, “He’s headed for the front door, Mike! Cut him off – I’ll go ‘round back!”

  Dan sprinted down the hall and burst into the kitchen. True to their promise, Claudine and Gracie were there, bags packed and faces stricken with fear. “Let’s go!” he shouted, hurrying out the back door.

  Mike had rounded the end of the house and began firing the moment he saw Dan emerge. Dan shot him in the gut and continued running. Mike dropped his weapon and hit the ground with a shout, clutching his belly.

  Dan made sure Claudine and Gracie were behind him. They were, carpetbags slung over thin shoulders. He led them into the stables where their three horses waited, saddled and ready to go. He helped Gracie mount while Claudine climbed onto her bay, then leaped onto Goldy’s back and spurred him into a gallop around the outside of the house and down the drive. The moon was hidden by a mass of thick clouds, which was a blessing – they’d be harder to follow in the dark.

  Angus tore after them on foot, cursing loudly, and shot at their backs but missed. They left the driveway and headed south, hooves pounding on the narrow wagon tracks.

  “Where are we going?” cried Claudine over the noise of the horses and the soughing of the wind.

  He knew what she wanted to know, but didn’t answer. She wouldn’t like his reply, and he didn’t want to argue about it, but he was leading them straight toward Cheyenne. He wasn’t certain it was the right thing to do – heading into the heart of Kellogg’s territory after everything that had just transpired – but he hoped it would be the last thing Angus would expect.

  If they headed north, he’d find them for sure. Theirs would be the only tracks, and he’d have no trouble riding them down – he alone would be faster than the three of them could hope to be together. But if they could find a place to hide in plain sight, they might just escape his wrath long enough to get out of Cheyenne for good.

  From Dan’s thinking, it was worth the gamble. Their best chance was to buy some time in Cheyenne until the next train pulled into town.

  11

  Claudine leaned over Sam’s neck, clenching tightly to the horse’s mane. She was getting better at riding, but still felt as though she might bounce off the animal’s back at any moment. She glanced quickly at Gracie riding alongside her, concentration written on her face, carpetbag slapping against her back with each one of Bolt’s galloping strides.

  Fear curled in her gut as she thought of Angus chasing them down the drive and unloading his pistol at their retreating backs. He’d said if they tried to escape again, he’d hunt them down and kill them slowly. She shuddered, knowing he was a man of his word. She could tell he enjoyed keeping promises when it involved inflicting pain.

  She still wasn’t sure what had happened at the house before Dan came to fetch them. Gracie had helped her pack their bags and they’d waited shivering for an hour in the dark kitchen. Mrs. Tilly had gone to bed long before. When she heard the first shot ring out, she’d jumped. Gracie had squealed, then wrapped her arms around Claudine’s waist, one ear buried in her coat. She’d worried that Dan had been shot and she’d never get to see him again. When Dan came running into the kitchen, she’d almost cried with relief.

  Cheyenne loomed ahead of them in the darkness. A few lanterns lit up various corners of the town, but most of it was bathed in black beneath the skidding clouds. A warm breeze caressed her face and she pulled Sam up beside Dan, wanting to ask why in Heaven’s name he was bringing them back here.

  He stopped just outside town and sat looking across the plain toward it. “I’m gonna bury one of my six-shooters out here, plus the Henry,” he said. “I may need them, and I ain’t comfortable with that sheriff holdin’ all my weapons – not now I know he’s Kellogg’s boy.”

  Claudine swallowed her questions, and kept watch while he buried the handgun, bullet pouch and rifle, and marked the spot with crossed sticks. Then he mounted up again and they rode into town. He stopped in front of the sheriff’s office, checked in his remaining six-shooter, then hurried back out to where they waited. She glanced up and down the street, anxiously preparing for the possibility that Angus might show up, guns blazing, at any moment.

  He smiled at her, and her heart skipped a beat. “Don’t fret. We�
��ll check into a hotel and try to get some sleep.”

  She nodded and followed his lead, urging Gracie onward, though the girl looked ready to fall asleep in the saddle. Dan checked them into a hotel, where the owner eyed him warily. He also studied Claudine and Gracie, frowned, but didn’t object. Dan took the keys and led them up a creaky staircase to a second-floor room.

  Inside it was cramped and dark. Claudine lit a candle and stood staring at the single bed before helping Gracie out of her boots. Gracie lay down, her hands beneath her head, and was asleep in moments. Dan left, mumbling something about settling the horses. She cleaned up with water from a washstand in the corner and began pacing nervously.

  When he returned, she sighed loudly and closed her eyes, smiling to cover her fear. “Oh thank Heavens!” Then she saw he’d rolled up his shirtsleeves to expose tanned, muscular forearms. The room seemed awfully warm all of a sudden and she fanned her face with her hand.

  He smiled back. “Worried about me?”

  She tipped her head to one side. “Maybe. Though I’m not sure why, since you left us to die on that prairie without a second thought.” That came out harsher than she’d intended, but thinking about what he’d done still hurt.

  He reached her with one stride and wrapped her in his arms, his eyes dark. “I’m sorry I did that, Claudine. Really I am. I’ll never leave you that way again.”

  She gasped as he kissed her, setting her entire body on fire. His lips searched hers hungrily and she responded, linking her hands behind his neck and standing on tiptoe to deepen the kiss.

  When he pulled away, he gazed at her with a dreamy look on his face. “Do you believe me now?” She giggled and ducked her head, but he lifted her chin with his finger and their gazes locked. “Don’t hide – I love your smile.”

  Her heart thundered as she grinned.

  He grinned too. “That’s the one.”