A Love to Last Forever (31 page)
Moving out across the grassy lawn, past the vegetable garden and the hot springs pool, Lacy followed the road to the cemetery. The warmth of the July sun bore down on her, but Lacy gave it little thought. The tall pines that sheltered the graves would offer her shade and keep her cool. She often thought this was the most perfect place for sorting out her thoughts. It comforted her, even though it reminded her of death and sorrow.
“I suppose I’m strange that way,” she said, walking to her father’s gravestone. She had placed flowers there earlier when gathering blossoms for Beth’s bouquet. Somehow it just seemed appropriate.
“Pa, I’m still trying to get you justice. I’m hoping God has told you as much.”
She glanced up through the trees to the cloudless blue sky. “I just want you to know that I’ll never give up. Even if everyone else forgets—I won’t.”
Across the valley, the mountains stood in majestic splendor. The snow was gone now, but only for a short time. Lacy knew that soon enough it would return, and the chill of winter would be upon them. Frankly, she liked the cold. When the winter storms came, there was less traffic—fewer people. She liked that. She could imagine herself leaving Gallatin House to head up into the mountains. Sometimes Lacy even entertained herself with thoughts of just writing her sisters a letter and taking off. Maybe now that Beth was married, she’d do just that.
She’d heard Hank talk about whether they would remain in the area or move north to accommodate the railroad. There had even been discussion as to whether or not Gallatin House was even needed. The store was doing a great deal of business and would no doubt continue to do so whether they moved it or not. If they did move, Gwen and Hank could tend the store, while Beth and Nick would have the blacksmith shop. There really wouldn’t be a place for Lacy in either of their families.
How sad it would be when everyone went their own way. Lacy couldn’t imagine life without her sisters being there to advise her. Not that she’d always listened.
She smiled. “I suppose I really don’t listen much at all.”
She heard someone coming up the road behind her and turned. Dave Shepard tipped his hat as he came closer. “I hope you don’t mind the intrusion. I saw you head over here.”
Lacy felt her heart skip a beat. Her feelings for Dave confused her. She found him annoying and demanding, yet at the same time, there was something about him that caused her to catch her breath.
“I don’t mind,” she said, moving to a stand of aspen trees. The green leaves fluttered almost musically in the breeze. “I just came here to think.”
Dave eyed her as if to challenge her statement, then looked off toward the mountains. “You think too much.”
Lacy shook her head. “I don’t think that’s possible. A great many folks don’t bother to think at all.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking plenty. I want you to stop trying to find your father’s killer. I know you made a promise to Gwen regarding it.”
“I also told her I couldn’t keep that promise,” Lacy replied.
“There’s too much at stake here, Lacy. You’ve got to realize you’ll only end up getting hurt.”
She frowned. “There is a lot at stake, and that’s exactly why I can’t stay out of it. I should have known better than to tell you about Cubby and what he’d heard. I should have known that if I wanted anything done, I’d have to do it myself.”
Turning to leave, Lacy was shocked when Dave grabbed her and pushed her up against the trunk of an aspen. “You listen to me, Lacy Gallatin. This isn’t serving coffee with laudanum to keep cowboys from drinking themselves into a reckless state of mind.”
“I never thought it was,” she said, feeling rather lightheaded. There was something about Dave Shepard’s touch that left her unable to think clearly. “I only . . . I just don’t like . . . well, that you aren’t doing anything about it.”
“I’ve been doing more than you realize. I already had suspicions about Rafe and Wyman and what they might know. I don’t need you getting in the middle of it. In fact, if you’re not careful, you’ll ruin all the hard work I’ve already done.”
“What hard work?”
He shook his head but continued to hold her fast. “Lacy, I’m good at my job. That’s why the sheriff hired me. I’m good at figuring out people. When you add that to my tracking abilities and the fact that I’m a crack shot, I make a pretty decent deputy, if I do say so myself. I think there is far more going on than meets the eye, where Rafe is concerned. I think he might very well be tied in with the highwaymen, as well as hold the key to unlocking the truth about your father’s death.”
“Then why haven’t you arrested him?” Lacy asked in an accusing tone.
“Lacy, you’ve got to understand that I don’t have enough evidence to hold him. And until I do, I don’t want to scare him off or cause him to do something foolish to cover his tracks. I want him relaxed. I want him to think that he’s played all of his cards just right and that no one has any reason to suspect him.”
“I don’t see how that makes sense.” She suddenly felt very self-conscious. Dave had been holding her in place for several minutes now, and it felt as if his fingers were burning holes right through the material of her dress and into her shoulders. She tried to move, but he held her fast.
“The idea is to give him enough rope with which to hang himself,” Dave explained. He seemed oblivious to Lacy’s attempts to break his hold. “Rafe and Wyman are evil, there’s no doubt about it. But I have to handle this in a way that will result in a legally successful conclusion. If I act too fast or arouse their suspicions too soon, we might very well never know the truth.”
She searched his face. “Why have you never told me this before?”
“Because the less you know, the better. I don’t want anyone trying to see what I know by getting to you. I won’t put you in danger that way, and you need to not put yourself in danger, either.”
“But I could help,” Lacy offered. “I’m a good tracker and rider. You know I can handle a gun.”
“No.”
“But why?” Her voice held a pleading tone. “Why won’t you let me help you?”
Dave pulled her tight against his chest and bent her backward ever so slightly. Lacy didn’t even have time to close her eyes before his mouth captured hers in a long, passionate kiss.
When he pulled away, Lacy felt as if every thought she’d had in her head had fled. She looked at him in stunned silence while he watched her, assessing her response.
Finally Dave chuckled. “I wish I’d known earlier it was that easy to shut you up.”
Cubby saw Dave Shepard kissing Lacy and pounded his fist against his side.
No wonder she won’t consider courting me.
She already has someone
. He frowned.
“That ought to be me kissing her,” he muttered.
He thought of marching over to the cemetery and challenging Dave to a gunfight. Cubby played the scene out in his head. He would stand at one end of the road, and Dave would be at the other. They’d walk toward each other and when they got close enough, he would draw his gun and shoot Dave dead.
“Then she’d love me,” Cubby said softly. “If there were no Dave Shepard, Lacy would have to love me.”
“Bishop has sent that no-good Lassiter and his nephew to Bozeman to get the legal papers for the land,” Rafe told Wyman. “I’ve agreed to give Ellie over to Hank as soon as I have the signed deed in hand.” He gave a maniacal laugh. “I didn’t say, however, what kind of shape she’d be in.”
Wyman offered Rafe a look that suggested he didn’t exactly get his boss’s meaning. “What kind of shape should she be in?”
“The last thing I need is for this mess to give any of the other girls an idea as to how they can earn their freedom. I’ve never been one to tolerate sass or defiance, and them that’s been with me for a while know it full well. Giving in to Bishop’s demands might suggest that I’m getting soft. I don’t need that kind of reputation.”
“Well, I don’t know what you can do about it now.” Wyman rubbed at his jaw. “You’ve already agreed to the deal, and while it wasn’t accomplished as fast as Bishop wanted it, it’s too late to go back on it now.”
Rafe shook his head and poured himself a beer. “I don’t intend to go back on it. I merely intend to put across my point to the other girls.”
“And how will you do that?”
“That’s where you come in.” Rafe tossed back the beer, then slammed the mug to the bar. “I want you to teach Ellie a lesson, and I want the other girls to know exactly what’s going on.”
Wyman smiled, and understanding flooded his expression. “I think I’m going to enjoy this.”
“Just don’t enjoy it too much. I don’t want her dead.”
Wyman shrugged. “I don’t have to kill her to prove a point.”
“So I presume Nick and Beth got off on their trip,” Patience said as she served Gwen hot tea and cakes.
“Yes. They’ll only be gone a few days, but I think it will be good for them to be alone.”
Patience nodded. “I completely agree. Are you taking care of Justin?”
Gwen leaned back in the soft, cushioned chairs and shook her head. “No. He’s with Simon, and frankly, I’m glad. I’ve been so tired just trying to keep up with the chores that I would never have the ability to keep up with a young boy.”
“They can be trying. I remember when Dave was little. Goodness, but it was often like he was three or four children instead of just one.”
Gwen nodded and picked at the cake. “Lacy was that way, too. She could run rings around Beth and me. So maybe it’s not just a boy thing.”
“Has Lacy been able to take on some of the extra chores in Beth’s absence?”
“She has, but she’s got enough of her own work to handle. And,” Gwen said, picking up her cup of tea, “Lacy isn’t nearly as thorough as Beth. If Lacy sees a stain on the tablecloth, she’ll give it a good scrubbing, but if it doesn’t come out, she lets it go and moves on to something else. Beth would work with it until that stain was gone. I’ve seen times when she was battling a mark for hours in the evening, long after the rest of us had concluded our work.”
“Sometimes those things become personal challenges,” Patience said. “Oh, did I tell you that young Ben Mills came to work for us? Jerry hired him off the Koeber ranch.”
“I hadn’t heard.”
“Jerry wants to expand. He figures with the railroad finally coming in—even if it’s not through Gallatin Crossing—it would be profitable to increase the herd size and offer to sell beef to the workers.”
“That does sound smart,” Gwen said, suppressing a yawn. She put down her tea and closed her eyes for a moment while Patience continued talking about their plans. The last thing she remembered was Patience saying something about Jerry also purchasing some piglets to fatten.
When Gwen woke up a little later, she found Patience had covered her with a blanket. She noted from the clock on the mantel that she hadn’t been asleep much more than an hour, but she was embarrassed to have nodded off like that.
“Patience?” Gwen called out, pulling the blanket away.
“I see you’re awake. Did you have a good rest?” Patience asked as she came into the room. She smiled lovingly. “I couldn’t bear to wake you. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“I was thinking much the same—hoping you would forgive me for falling asleep.” Gwen stood and began to fold the blanket. “I feel so ashamed. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Sometimes I don’t sleep very well at night, and with all the worry about Ellie and Simon and Beth’s wedding plans . . . well, I’ve met myself coming and going.”
“Might there be something else?” Patience asked, coming to take the blanket from Gwen.
Gwen threw her a confused look. “What do you mean?”
“Might you be with child?”
The question hit Gwen like a bolt of lightning. “Pregnant?” She hadn’t considered the possibility at all. As much as she longed for a child of her own, Gwen hadn’t even been able to stop and think about such things for a long time.
But with Patience looking at her with a knowing smile, Gwen began to do a mental calculation. She touched her hand to her stomach. It was possible. She looked at Patience. “I’m pregnant?”
Patience laughed. “Well, only time will tell for certain, but that would be my guess. Some women have horrible morning sickness, while others have fainting spells and dizziness. For me, I was always tired and always hungry.”
