Crazy Woman Creek (37 page)

“After I left here with Cyrus and the others, I decided to pay a visit to the Slocombs. I needed to talk to Ben. So I left the others and turned my horse toward their place. Mrs. Slocomb invited me to stay to dinner. Seeing that it was late and I was hungry, I stayed.”

They reached the end of the cleared portion of land around the house. They slowed their steps as they began to make their way through tall dry wheatgrass, which rustled pleasantly as they walked.

“Once I was back on my horse and headed for town, I had a real bad feeling, uneasy like. It was the strongest sense of unease I’ve ever known, like a voice in my head that wouldn’t quit until I turned my horse back toward your place.”

Lenora’s face grew ashen, remembering the evil in Buck Jennings’ eyes. “You waited in the barn, didn’t you?”

“I did.” Luke stopped walking and turned to face Lenora. “I kept thinking about the coincidences, how you were never bothered by a trespasser whenever Mrs. Nolan was with you, how someone started creeping around your property before the news of your husband’s disappearance had made its way around town. And then it all made sense. Jennings is gone from the Buffalo area much of the time. And he’s the meanest son of a—” Luke paused abruptly. “Forgive me, Lenora, but that snake has been holding a grudge against your husband and everything he owns, including you, for a long time.”

Lenora looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“After I turned Jennings over to the provost marshal at Fort McKinney, we finally got what we needed from him.” Luke took both of Lenora’s hands in hers. His eyes darkened and he looked very serious. “The night your husband disappeared, he was mighty mad, wasn’t he?”

Lenora cast her eyes to the ground in shame. Luke didn’t insist on a response.

“According to Jennings, James found him wandering somewhere on your property. We figure your husband mistook Jennings for a cattle rustler. Jennings was so drunk he didn’t even know where he was.”

Lenora nodded sadly in acknowledgment.

“That’s the only part of his story I have no trouble believing. Jennings says your husband insulted his mother and they started wrangling. He claims he shot your husband in self-defense.”

Lenora looked up again. “James was unarmed.”

“He says your husband went for his throat.”

“Everyone knows my husband was small of stature, especially compared to Mr. Jennings.”

“I know. I helped dig up his body.”

Lenora shut her eyes at the mention of her husband’s decayed remains.

“I’m sorry to bring it up again,” said Luke.

“That’s alright. Some things must be said.”

“As for the body, I have plans to come back tomorrow and take you to town to make arrangements,” Luke said. 

Lenora only nodded. Speaking of the body was too difficult.

“Let’s keep walking,” said Luke. “It’s cold.”

A large flock of geese approached then, forming a shar
pV
in the northern sky. The cacophony caused Luke and Lenora to look up. They walked slowly, watching with casual interest as the honking party flapped its way to the next watery feeding spot.

“I don’t understand why he had such a grudge against me,” Lenora said, thinking aloud.

“Jennings had nothing against you, or Ulysses for that matter. But whatever happened out by the creek that night made him powerful angry, and he isn’t the type to bury the hatchet, not even when it comes to a dead man. He went after you and Ulysses because you belonged to James Rose. I’m surprised you didn’t wake up one morning to find your barn burned to the ground.”

“After all this time?”

“I told you Jennings is a mean one. And from everything I’ve heard around town,” he paused, “your husband had a temper to match Jennings’.”

Lenora nodded soberly. There was no use trying to deny James’ proclivity to anger.

“It was just bad luck that Buffalo’s two angriest men, one blind drunk, crossed paths in the night with no witnesses around. And Lenora,” Luke said, “Jennings is dishonorable as well. His intentions toward you were of the basest sort.”

Lenora’s eyes grew wide with understanding. What if Luke hadn’t spent half the night waiting in her barn? She swallowed. “But my dog?”

“That’s just stupidity in boots. Either he killed Ulysses because his barking thwarted his evil plans toward you, or he took his anger out on Ulysses just for the hell of it. I first thought of Jennings when I saw the carnage in the barn loft, though I didn’t have enough clues then to see the whole picture.”

“Luke, would you really have shot him last night if he hadn’t given you the information you wanted?”

“Did you think I would?” He gave her a sidelong glance.

She paused to think before answering. “Yes.”

“Jennings thought so, too, though fortunately for us, he hadn’t yet heard that we’d dug up the body, or he might not have implicated himself.”

They walked along, holding hands in silence a while longer, enjoying the quiet intimacy of empty prairie. Then Lenora remembered Sam Wright.

“Does this mean you’ll set Sam free?”

“Don’t know. I don’t think he had anything to do with your husband’s murder. But I suspect he knew that Jennings was involved. I questioned Sam again this morning before I left town. He said that Jennings had spouted off in the past about your husband. Apparently James was less than polite when Jennings came asking for work.”

“I didn’t know that Mr. Jennings had ever approached James about a job.”

Luke nodded. “I got the feeling this morning that Sam was in sympathy with Jennings. He didn’t seem surprised, either, when I told him that Jennings had been arrested. Sam’s crime is that he didn’t tell us what he knew.”

“I see.”

“Lenora,” said Luke, stopping to face her again. He took both of her hands in his own and pulled them to his chest, warming them. They stood intimately close, all around them the stillness of the open prairie the only witness to this moment. A large, lone snowflake fell from the sky, landing on
Luke’s shoulder. His eyes were intense, almost pleading when he looked into hers. “You told me you would consider my request. I know it was a long night and you’ve had little time to think about it, but you aren’t going to send me back to Fort Laramie wondering where I stand with you, are you?”

Before Lenora could answer, several more lacy snowflakes, so large they seemed like feathers, fell from the sky. She removed one hand from his and gently cupped it around his face. His cheek was ruddy with cold but his eyes were warm and sparkling with affection. “I will marry you, Luke.” And then she added, softly, “I love you.”

“I love you, Lenora.”

He kissed her then, his soft lips pressed against hers with tender feeling. That same sense of headiness Lenora had felt in front of her fireplace in the night washed over her, leaving her breathless. When she opened her eyes, snowflakes were falling thicker and faster, wetting her hair. She hardly noticed.

“I’ll need thirty days of mourning,” she said, pulling away from him a little. He kept his arms around her waist, shielding her a little from the cold.

“I understand. I can wait, but it won’t be easy,” and he kissed her again.

Just then the puppy woke up and began to wiggle. Luke put his hand into his coat and brought up the furry bundle, cradling him with one hand on the outside of his coat.

“He’s for you.”

“Oh, he’s beautiful!” she said, stroking his tiny head with two fingers. The puppy yawned and stared wide-eyed at Lenora.

“I bought him at Laramie. He’s not your Ulysses, but he could learn to be a good companion.”

“Thank you. I love him already,” she said. Then, “Luke, would you care if I wore daffodil silk for the wedding?”

Luke raised his eyebrows. “Daffodil?”

“It’s a brilliant sort of yellow.”

“Is that what independent women wear to get hitched these days?”

Lenora laughed. “I wouldn’t know. An independent woman is not a slave to fashion.” Then more soberly she said, “When must you return to Fort Laramie?”

“Never.”

“Pardon me?” Lenora’s face screwed up into a question mark.

Luke reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, holding it out before her. “This was waiting for me at Fort McKinney when I brought Jennings in this morning,” he said. “Sheriff Clarke hired my brother Matt to replace me.”

Lenora’s mouth fell open in surprise. “How did you manage that?”

“I told Matt he should apply for the job. That other fellow Clarke hired injured himself someplace between Collins and Laramie. It’ll be a while before he’s good for anything.”

“That’s very sad.”

“Sort of. Made Matt happy enough. He couldn’t wait to get deputized.”

“Why?”

“I told him about all the beautiful women who throw themselves at a badge.”

Ginny Welch was raised in Santa Clara, California, where she earned a Bachelor’s in English. She married and moved to northern California where she earned a Master’s in communications at California State University, Chico and where she was first paid for her writing: $25 for a two-page magazine article on how to get a permanent job through temporary work. Since those early days she has worked as a newspaper (foods and politics) writer, book editor, proposal writer and editor, and freelancer—moving around the United States as she followed her husband’s job transfers. She has four grown children and now resides in Virginia
. Crazy Woman Creek
is her second novel.

Ginnywelch.com