A Promise to Believe in (21 page)

Lacy surprised them both by turning to Hank. “Who’s A. R.?”

He looked startled. “What?”

“A. R. You have it carved on your saddle skirt. Why?”

He looked away, and for a moment, Gwen thought perhaps he wouldn’t tell them. Then he shrugged casually and looked back at them. “A. R. is me. At least, it was before my stepfather adopted me. It was also my grandfather on my father’s side. I was named after him. I inherited his saddle when he died and kept it all those years. When I made this trip west, I knew I’d have to ride a horse at least some of the time, so I brought the saddle with me.” He laughed. “Sounds silly, I suppose, but I felt like I had a part of him with me.”

“It doesn’t sound silly at all,” Gwen said before Lacy could reply. “What does A. R. stand for?”

Hank looked away. His expression was clearly one of discomfort. “Aloysius Rivers.”

Gwen and Lacy both started at the name. “Aloysius?” they questioned in unison.

“Hank’s my nickname. My father gave it to me. He said it was less controversial than Aloysius.”

“He was right,” Lacy agreed. “Say, Gwen, didn’t Harvey have—”

“Stop!” Gwen ignored the coming storm and stopped her horse. The other two could only do likewise, unless they wanted to leave her behind. Hank turned his horse to face her, while Lacy just looked back over her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” her sister asked.

“Nothing is wrong,” Gwen said, shaking her head. “I want to be the one to tell him.”

“Tell me what?” Hank shook his head even as he questioned.

She met his concerned expression and smiled. “Remember I told you Harvey had a dear friend that he told me stories about?”

“Of course.”

“His name was Aloysius,” Gwen said softly. The meaning was clearly not lost on Hank. Obviously Harvey hadn’t wanted her to know he had a brother, but he couldn’t quite leave Hank behind him.

Hank looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “I can just imagine the stories he told you.”

She laughed. “There was the one about when you decided to be chimney sweeps. Oh, and the time when you snuck out of the upstairs window to go off to some mischief, and he followed you. Or the time—”

“Enough!” Hank said, raising his arm in mock horror. “I can’t bear to hear any more.”

The three shared a laugh, and for the first time, it seemed Hank had let his guard down completely. He seemed happy that they knew his secret—almost as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

The rain began to fall in earnest, and the wind whipped down the canyon, sending the droplets toward them like icy blades.

“We’re going to get drenched. The ranch is just over the next hill,” Lacy called out against the wind. “Come on!” She kicked her horse hard and flew off in a gallop.

Gwen did likewise and found Hank at her side, keeping up easily. For a man who hadn’t that much experience in riding horses, he was learning fast.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Goodness, but you’re all soaked to the skin!” Patience Shepard declared. “Girls, I have clothes you can change into. You just come with me. Mr. Bishop, I’ll be with you directly. Just stand there by the fire.”

“But I’ll drip all over the rug,” he protested.

Patience laughed. “It won’t be the first time it’s been dripped on. You’ll find we don’t worry about such things around here.”

Gwen allowed Patience to hurry them off to her bedroom. She fussed over Lacy’s long, wet hair and insisted she sit by the fireplace to dry it. “You’ll get sick for sure if you don’t get it tended to.”

“I’m made of tougher stuff,” Lacy said with a laugh, “but the fire does sound good.”

Gwen was quickly out of her wet jacket and blouse. She was grateful for Mrs. Shepard’s tender care. It was nice to be watched over.

Patience handed Gwen a dark brown garment. “Here’s a serge skirt. I have blouses in the wardrobe that will be a little bit big, but they should work until we can get your clothes dry. Just help yourself.”

“If you have an iron,” Gwen said, putting the skirt aside in order to change out of her own wet things, “I can always dry it out that way.”

“I’ll put the irons on,” her hostess declared, “but in the meantime, just hang them on these hooks by the fireplace. They’ll dry out pretty well, and you can iron out the rest of the dampness after you have some supper.” Patience moved to the door. “I’ll leave you girls to change. Just join us downstairs when you’re dressed.”

“Thank you so much,” Gwen called after her. She turned to find Lacy struggling out of her wet pants.

“Mercy, but I’m glad I packed my split skirt,” Lacy said, putting the pants aside. She reached to unfasten the ties on her saddlebags. Pulling dark blue material from inside, she smiled. “See? Nice and dry.”

“Well, don it quickly. We don’t need you catching your death.” Gwen took up the skirt and pulled it on. “Sure glad we came here. That wind is really howling out there. I hope it doesn’t snow.”

“Even if it does, it’ll pass quick enough. It’s that time of the year.” Lacy got into her split skirt and then pulled a wrinkled but dry blouse from the other side of her bag. She slipped into the calico top, then without bothering to button or tuck it in, she squatted down by the fire and began to work her fingers through her wild hair. “Hmmm, this feels wonderful.”

Gwen explored the wardrobe and found a simple blue cotton blouse that had seen better days. She drew it out and quickly dressed. Joining Lacy at the fire, she sat on a small stool and watched her sister for a moment.

“Lacy, I want the truth.”

Her sister looked up rather sheepishly. “I suppose I can guess what this is all about.”

“Did your disappearance the other night have to do with looking for Pa’s killer?”

“Yes.”

Lacy didn’t even try to lie, and Gwen was grateful. “Lacy, you have to stop.”

“I can’t. Nobody else is worried about getting to the truth.”

The firelight glistened on her face. Gwen thought Lacy looked so small and vulnerable like this. She longed to protect her sister from pain and the danger she seemed so determined to claim for her own.

“You have to stop.”

“I can’t, Gwen. Please don’t ask me to, because I can’t. Pa deserves justice.”

“But what would justify his death? Another killing? Seeing a man die who never intended to kill Pa in the first place?”

Lacy met Gwen’s eyes. Seeing the pain in her little sister’s expression, Gwen reached out. “I know it hurts. I know it’s a hard thing to bear, but we have each other, and we have God. He will see this thing brought around right. God alone knows for sure what happened, and He’s not going to just sit by and let the innocent suffer.”

“Why not?” Lacy questioned, standing. “He’s done a pretty good job of it so far. Especially with this family. We’ve done nothing but suffer.”

“That’s not true,” Gwen replied.

Lacy fastened the buttons on her blouse and refused to look at Gwen. “Please just stay out of this. I can’t leave it alone until I have some satisfaction. If the sheriff isn’t going to take it seriously, then I have to.”

“But you could end up getting killed. I couldn’t bear to lose you. I’ve already lost so many others,” Gwen said, fighting back tears. “Oh, this is all my fault.”

“None of it’s your fault, Gwen. It’s this accursed country and the men in it. Men who don’t feel they need to worry about the law—because the law isn’t worried about them.”

Gwen felt a stabbing pain at Lacy’s choice of words. It wasn’t the country that was cursed. She couldn’t make her sister see the truth of it. For a moment, she couldn’t think of what to say. She longed to convince Lacy to remain safe and sound at Gallatin House, but Gwen couldn’t even believe for sure that they were safe there.

“This is a cruel territory that just demands too much of its people,” Lacy said, tucking her blouse into the waistband of her skirt. “The isolation is enough to make even the sanest person mad. The weather would just as soon kill you as let you live, and the terrain is unforgiving.”

“Then why did you agree we should stay and keep Gallatin House running?” Gwen asked in complete disbelief. She’d never heard Lacy talk like this before. She’d always presumed that, of all of them, Lacy was the one who loved Montana and the independence the primitive land afforded.

Lacy’s sober expression made her age before Gwen’s eyes. “I couldn’t very well look for Pa’s killer if we moved. Plus, I don’t want to help Rafe in any way. Selling out to him would do just that.”

“But if there were another buyer?”

Lacy moved to the door, mindless of her wet, tangled hair. “Then I’d say sell. I’d have more time to find the murderer if I didn’t have to help out with the stage and the house.” She opened the door and left Gwen to consider her words.

A million thoughts swirled inside Gwen’s mind. Lacy had grown so hard and bitter. What might happen if Lacy actually found the man responsible for their father’s death? Would she try to kill him herself? Would she force him into Bozeman at gunpoint? Gwen shuddered.

Lacy could hear Patience working in the kitchen and quickly exited the house. The rain had stopped temporarily, but the wind still blew with a bone-numbing chill. Making her way to the barn, Lacy knew their horses would need to be put away properly. They had only taken the time to stable them when they’d first arrived, and it wasn’t fair to leave them standing in their saddles for much longer.

“Easy, there,” she said as she came upon Hank’s black. The horse was a fine specimen and stood at least sixteen hands. If he hadn’t been gelded, he might have been good for breeding.

Lacy quickly unsaddled the horse and took off the damp blanket. Hanging both over the side of the stall, she went to look for a towel to use to dry the gelding’s back. She had barely begun her search when a voice called out.

“If you’re looking for your pa’s killer in our barn, I can assure you he’s not here.”

Straightening, Lacy met the amused expression of Dave Shepard. “I’ll be the judge of that,” she replied with as much sarcasm as she could muster. “After all, you and the sheriff haven’t been looking for him, so I have to believe that the barn hasn’t been searched, either.”

Dave frowned. “Why can’t you leave well enough alone and be like other women?” He went to Gwen’s mount and quickly unsaddled the horse.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Lacy replied innocently. She went to her own gelding and quickly freed the cinch.

“You know full well. You need to act more the part of a woman—a lady. You need to leave a man’s job to a man.”

“If there were any available, I’d happily do so,” she said, taking a few steps toward him. Just before she reached him she veered to the right and tossed the saddle over the stall. “If you were doing your job, as I’ve said before, I wouldn’t have to.”

Dave moved to her with lightning swiftness. He took hold of her arms and held them tight. “You are playing with fire. You’re stirring up folks in a way that isn’t going to bode well for anybody. You have to stop it, or Sheriff Cummings is going to put you in jail.”

Lacy bowed her head and sniffed. “No one cares.” She did her best to beckon tears to her eyes. If Dave wanted her to act like a girl, she’d oblige him. “It's just so hard. You have no idea.”

Dave loosened his grip just as she’d hoped. “I’m sorry, Lacy. Nobody wanted to see your pa die.”

“It’s just that there’s no one to count on. We’re just three women.” She sniffed again and wiped her eyes. Looking up, she batted her lashes for effect. “We need a strong man to help us. We’re all alone.”

“You aren’t alone.” He reached out and gently touched her cheek. “You might not believe it, but I care a great deal about what happened. I’m doing what I can.”

Lacy turned away and hugged her arms to her body. “Oh, it’s just too much. I can’t bear it anymore.” To her surprise, Dave came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Her reaction was swift and unexpected. She elbowed him hard in the ribs and brought her boot down hard on his foot.

Dave let out a yell that they could have heard in the house if not for the roar of thunder. “What was that all about?”

She smiled. “A lady doesn’t allow a man such liberties. Surely you realize that. If I’m to be a sniveling little flower and act like a lady, then you, Mr. Shepard, should learn how to act like a man and not an animal.”

He was clearly shocked. “Act like a man?”

She raised a brow. “That’s what I said.”

“I’ll show you how men act,” he said, reaching out to pull her into his arms without warning.

Lacy never expected him to kiss her. Worse still, she never expected to like it. He let her go with the same abruptness he’d taken her hostage. She was so shocked by the entire process, in fact, she could only stand there, looking at him rather stupidly after he released her.

He stormed from the barn, never uttering another word. Lacy forgot about towels and the horses momentarily. She touched her lips and frowned. What in the world had just happened?