Heart of a Texan (15 page)

“Joe likes working on the farm,” Prudence said. “If you were able to pay him, he’d stop working in the saloon.”

“I couldn’t pay him even before the fire. There’s no chance I can now.”

“How much money do you need?” Carl asked.

“You don’t have any more money than I do.”

Carl’s smile was brilliant. “That’s why I’m here. I just came into an inheritance, more than enough for us to be married. You can sell the farm and come back to Virginia with me.”

Carl’s announcement so surprised her, she blurted out, “I’m not going anywhere until I find out who killed my father.”

“The sheriff will do that, so you might as well go home, where you belong.”

It startled Roberta to realize she didn’t think of Virginia as home. Sometime in the past five years, Texas had assumed that position. How had that happened? She’d never intended to stay in Texas any longer than necessary. She didn’t even like Texas. It was hot, dry, and filled with men as wild as longhorns. She removed her hands from Carl’s grasp and pulled back. “I’m not ready to get married. And even if I were, I couldn’t take money from you.”

Carl looked confused. “What are you going to do? You don’t have a place to live, and the farm is in ruins.”

“She can stay with me as long as she wants,” Prudence volunteered.

“But why?” Carl asked.

“To find out who killed my father,” Roberta repeated. “And while I’m waiting, I’ll see what I can do with the farm. No one will want to buy it like it is now.”

“They’d be crazy to buy it in any condition,” Carl said. “You can’t farm in this kind of country. Anybody knows that.”

Roberta had always liked Carl, but he had a habit of thinking he knew all the answers. “All I need is a dam to provide water.”

“A dam won’t do any good if somebody keeps blowing it up—or if they burn you in your bed. You ought to forget all this and marry me as soon as we get back to Virginia.”

Roberta had never felt quite so out of charity with Carl. “If I
were
going back to Virginia, I wouldn’t travel with you without being married first. What kind of woman do you think I am?”

It was entertaining to see Carl scramble to make it clear he’d never once doubted her purity, but her amusement didn’t last long. Ever since her father had brought her to Texas against her wishes, she’d proclaimed that she would go back to Virginia at the first opportunity. She
believed
she wanted to go back to the only place she ever felt was home, to the only people who she thought of as
real
friends. The possibility that she would fall in love with a Texan, even one who’d been transplanted from Arkansas, had never crossed her mind. The likelihood that she could think of Texas as home was equally remote.

Yet she was in danger of doing both. What’s more, Prudence, Joe, Blossom, even Nate and Boone, could be counted on to do anything they could to help her. The doctor and Mrs. Pender had extended the hand of friendship. Men she didn’t know had come to help after both attacks, their wives to give moral support. Maybe her anger over having been forced to move to Texas had blinded her to changes in her feelings. Her memories of Virginia were those of a child rather than of an adult. Would she feel differently, if she went back now?

***

Everyone from Slender Creek and the surrounding ranches turned out for Carlin’s funeral.

“You’d think he was somebody important rather than an ordinary cowhand,” Boone complained.

“I think they’re here because of the way he died,” Nate said.

“Are any of these people family?” Carl asked.

All three men had accompanied Roberta to the funeral. Nate was there because Carlin had worked for him. Carl was there out of courtesy to Roberta. Boone was there because he wouldn’t let Roberta go anywhere accompanied by another man, unless he was with her. Webb, Grady, and Russ were the only men from Nate’s crew. Russ said the other men couldn’t be spared from their work.

It was an awkward service. No one knew anything about Carlin before Nate hired him. No one knew if he had any family. They didn’t even know his full name. The manner of his death hung over the service like a pall. No matter how hard people tried, they couldn’t push aside the fear that a murderer was in their midst. No one from town wanted to make eye contact with the ranchers. The ranchers seemed equally uncomfortable with one another. Each spoke to Nate then went to a pew without talking to anyone else.

The service was short. There was little to say about Carlin, and no one wanted a sermon. Roberta had requested that Carlin be buried next to her father. It was the closest he would come to being buried near family.

“Don’t you need to go back to the saloon?” Nate asked Boone as they left the cemetery.

“Why should I?”

“Business is always brisk after a funeral. People like a few drinks to take their mind off it.”

“Blossom will take care of everything.”

He wasn’t going to get rid of Boone that easily, and he could see no way to separate Roberta from Carl without taking Roberta back to Prudence’s house. If he couldn’t have Roberta to himself, no one would. For the first time, he welcomed Prudence’s presence. Yet it was Otis Parker who separated Roberta from Boone and Carl.

“I’m sorry about the death of your friend,” the banker said, “but I’m horrified by the attack on you. Can you think of any reason for it?”

“None that makes any sense.”

“I know this is not a good time, but if you have a few minutes you can spare, I would like to see you in my office.”

“She’s too upset to deal with business now,” Carl said.

“What have you got to talk to her about?” Boone asked.

When Roberta turned to him, Nate hoped she was looking to him for help in escaping two men trying to control her life.

“I think that’s a decision Roberta ought to make,” Nate said.

“I agree,” Otis concurred.

Boone and Carl started to argue, but Roberta stopped them both. “I’m perfectly capable of handling my own affairs. When I’m not, I’ll let you know.”

Carl and Boone watched her accompany Otis to the bank with varying degrees of dissatisfaction. Nate felt only pride. No matter how devastating the blow, Roberta didn’t admit defeat. He fell a little bit more in love with her each day. She couldn’t marry Boone or Carl. He was the only one who realized what a marvelous woman she was. He didn’t want to own her. He didn’t want to control her. He wanted to marry her because he loved the wonderful, vibrant woman she was. He wanted her to have the freedom and security to do anything she wanted. And he wanted to be at her side for the whole journey.

***

“I don’t understand why you changed your mind,” Roberta said to Otis. “I’m in a worse financial position than I was when you turned me down earlier.”

Otis squirmed in his chair, but his gaze didn’t falter. “Two reasons,” he said. “The people of Slender Creek don’t think anybody should be burned out of their home. We feel obliged to see that your home is rebuilt.”

Roberta didn’t know Otis well enough to have a definite opinion of his character, but she didn’t believe that. The people of the town hadn’t shown any interest in her or her father until the attacks. “What is your second reason?”

“The farm won’t sell for a fraction of what it’s worth without a house on it.”

Roberta didn’t find that credible, either. Her father owned the land, so the bank had no financial interest in it. After two fires and the dam being blown up twice, she was certain no one else would try to farm it. A rancher would pay next to nothing for it as grazing land and would have no use for a house. “How much of a loan are you offering?”

Otis mentioned a figure that was more than ample to cover the costs of rebuilding the house.

“Did Boone give you the money so I wouldn’t know it was coming from him?”

“No.”

His reply was so emphatic she had to believe him, but she was convinced there was something behind the offer she didn’t see. “I want a copy of the contract to study. I intend to make sure there are no hidden tricks.”

“Why do you think I’d try to trick you?”

“I don’t think you’re dishonest, but you’re not telling me the whole truth.”

“I will stake my personal reputation on this loan being sound and fair. If you have any questions about the agreement, I’ll be happy to answer them.”

Roberta decided she would learn nothing further for the time being. She was certain Boone had found a way to give her the money she had refused to take directly from him. She would figure it out. And when she did, Boone Riggins wouldn’t like what she had to say.

***

Roberta hadn’t realized that seeing the ruins of her home would be so upsetting. Enough of the framework had survived that it looked like a skeleton with the flesh melted away. She had expected to be sad, angry, and depressed. She felt all of that, but the sight of the ruins brought home with stunning impact that she’d lost everything she owned. Even the clothes she wore now, and those she’d worn to Carlin’s funeral, were borrowed. She had refused Boone’s offer to provide her with a new wardrobe. He was still furious that she’d chosen instead to wear clothes given or lent to her by women in town.

“The house is a total loss,” Carl said. “I wouldn’t bother to rebuild.”

Prudence hadn’t wanted Roberta to visit the farm, but after one day of inactivity, Roberta was eager to get out and start making decisions about what to do next. If Joe hadn’t already been at the farm, Prudence would have gone with Roberta rather than allow her to be alone with Carl.

“Of course I’m going to rebuild. I can’t live with Prudence.” She walked around the perimeter of the house. Seeing the charred remains of furniture, a pot, or a piece of glassware made the loss worse. She’d never been strongly attached to the furnishings, but they had belonged to her mother. Seeing them destroyed was like losing a connection with her past.

Carl took her by the hand and turned her to face him. “It could be months until they find the person responsible for your father’s death. Years. Maybe never. And what about the person who tried to burn you in your bed? You’re not safe here.”

Roberta withdrew her hand from Carl’s grasp. “I still have to stay.”

“We can be married here if you want.”

Roberta could accept that Carl believed he was still in love and wanted to marry her, but she couldn’t imagine why he thought all he had to do was show up without warning, crook his finger, and she’d run meekly off to Virginia with him. So much had changed in their lives, they didn’t know each other anymore. “I’m not ready to get married, certainly not to a man I haven’t seen in five years.”

“But we were in love before you left.”

“I was fourteen.”

“My feelings haven’t changed.”

Roberta was losing patience with Carl’s attempt to rush her into a lifelong commitment. “I’ve just lost my father, had most of my farm destroyed, and been burned out of my house. With Carlin’s death on top of all that, I hardly know what I feel from minute to minute.”

“You won’t have to worry about any of that. I’ll take care of everything.”

“I don’t
want
you to take care of everything. I have to do this myself.”

“When they heard I was coming to Texas, your cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends told me they could hardly wait for you to come home.”

Roberta had received several letters during the first two years she was in Texas encouraging her to come back at the first opportunity, but they stopped after that. “I miss everybody back home, too, but I can’t just pick up and leave.”

“Sure you can. You don’t want to marry that Riggins fella, do you?”

“No.”

“Then there’s nobody to keep you here.”

She was surprised he didn’t mention Nate. Apparently he wasn’t as perceptive as she thought. Did she want a future with Carl? She had no doubt that he’d make an admirable husband, but she wasn’t looking for
admirable
. She was looking for extraordinary, unbelievable, a man so wonderful she couldn’t imagine life without him. “I don’t know if I can love you. I won’t marry you unless I’m certain.”

“Then let me convince you.”

Without giving her time to object, Carl swept her into his embrace and kissed her hard. Despite her shock at his actions, his kiss didn’t affect her nearly as powerfully as Nate’s gentle kiss on her cheek. She was about to pull back when Carl went limp. A moment later he had slumped to the ground, and she found herself facing Joe, who had a large piece of lumber in his hands.

Nate put his horse into a fast canter. He was irritated that Prudence had let Roberta go off to her farm with Carl. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t trust Carl or believed Roberta was still in love with him. If Laveau had decided to go after Roberta, she wouldn’t be safe even with Joe. She certainly wouldn’t be protected with a man who was used to living in a settled, law-abiding Virginia community. It was a good thing he’d decided against riding out with Russ to see the work the cowhands were doing. He wouldn’t have been back until nearly dark.

Why had Roberta decided to walk? This was Texas. Nobody walked when they could ride. It must have been Carl’s decision. Virginians liked to walk everywhere they went, but they lived only a few miles apart. In Texas, neighbors were often separated by ten times that distance.

He turned into the lane to the farm. Even before he got close to the house, he saw a man sitting on the ground beside the burned-out shell. It was easy to recognize Carl, but what was he doing on the ground, and where was Roberta?

Carl looked up when Nate brought his horse to a stop. “Did you hit me over the head?”

“I just got here. What happened to you? Where is Roberta?”

Carl winced when he touched a spot on the back of his head. “I was kissing Roberta. The next thing I knew, I woke up with a splitting headache and Roberta was nowhere in sight.”

“Where is Joe? Was he here when you got here?”

Carl got to his feet slowly. “I didn’t see him, but Prudence said he’d be here as soon as the sun was up.” He grimaced again. “Does that woman always tell people what to do?”

Nate wished Prudence hadn’t chosen this morning to relax her guard. “You’d better get back to town and see the doctor.”

“Roberta must be around here somewhere. I can’t leave without her.”

The man had to be nuts if he thought Roberta would leave him lying on the ground with a broken head. “What were you doing right before you kissed Roberta?” He prayed they were fighting, arguing, that she was trying to run away. He didn’t think he could endure knowing she had fallen willingly into his arms.

“I was trying to convince her it was a waste of money to rebuild this house.”

“Was this kiss part of your effort to convince her?”

“I would rebuild this house and a dozen more if it would make Roberta agree to marry me one hour sooner.”

Nate guessed Carl had probably kissed Roberta against her will. If Joe had heard them arguing, he could have interpreted the kiss as an attack. That would explain Carl’s sore head. It would also account for Roberta’s absence. But where had Joe taken her?

“I’m going to find Roberta.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“You don’t have a horse, and I’m not going to wait until you find one. Go back to town.”

Nate ignored Carl’s protests. The ground was torn up near where Carl had fallen. A short distance away, he found only one set of footprints leading toward the barn. Apparently Roberta had struggled with Joe before he picked her up. Nate guessed he was taking her to the barn where he would hitch one of the mules to her buckboard. Sure enough, when he got to the barn, the buckboard and one mule were missing. Despite the cut up ground, Nate was able to pick out the tracks of the buckboard. Joe was headed toward the hills beyond the dam. Nate didn’t believe Joe would do anything to hurt Roberta, but the man didn’t have enough understanding to know how his good intentions could put Roberta in danger. Laveau could be hiding in the hills beyond the dam. So could the men who’d attacked the farm. Joe’s brute strength would be a poor defense against bullets.

Nate wanted to urge his horse to greater speed, but it was increasingly difficult to follow the buckboard’s tracks after the ground turned hard and rocky. He was sure Joe was headed toward the hills, but where? They stretched for miles to the north and west and were cut by rivers and canyons that provided hundreds of hiding places.

Once Nate reached the trees, it was easier to follow the trail. The buckboard wheels and the mule’s hoofprints had left a clear trail through the dry leaves and grassy patches between trees. He’d gone only a short distance when he saw a small cabin ahead. The buckboard was drawn up at the front door. As Nate drew closer, he heard the sound of voices, Roberta’s raised and angry, Joe’s low and steady. He was relieved to know Roberta was safe, but how was he going to rescue her?

There was no possibility of getting Joe to release Roberta without going back to Slender Creek for Prudence. He also knew it was impossible to overpower Joe physically even if his shoulder had been fully healed. He wasn’t willing to use a gun. Joe adored Roberta and was doing what Prudence had told him to do—protect her. It was Carl’s fault for trying to force his attentions on Roberta. He’d have something to say about that once Roberta was safe.

His only solution was to tie Joe up. The problem was how to do it.

Nate dismounted. Putting his coiled rope over his shoulder and keeping out of the sight line from the only window, he worked his way through the trees to the cabin. It was hard to understand everything Roberta was saying, but it was evident she was trying to convince Joe to take her back. It was equally apparent Joe wasn’t going to do it.

Taking a chance Joe wasn’t looking through the window, Nate grabbed a quick glance inside the cabin. Crazy Joe’s back was to the door, blocking Roberta from leaving. Nate considered trying to get Roberta’s attention in hopes she could distract Joe long enough for him to get inside the cabin, but Joe might figure out from Roberta’s reaction that somebody was outside.

His other choice was to wait until the argument seemed to be at its highest and rush in hoping he could reach Crazy Joe before the man realized Nate was there. Nate opted for the latter, but that left one pivotal, unanswered question. Had Crazy Joe barred the door? If he had, any approach from the outside was useless without Prudence.

Nate unholstered his gun, gripped it by the barrel, and waited. It wasn’t long before Roberta raised her voice. Figuring this was as good a chance as he was going to get, he reached for the door, lifted the handle, and pushed.

Joe started to turn at the sound of the opening door. Nate’s blow caught him on the side of his head hard enough to stun him but not enough to knock him out. With a curse, Nate swung around behind Joe and brought the butt of his pistol down on the man’s head a second time. He was relieved when Joe sank to the floor.

“Is Carl okay?”

It would have been difficult for any utterance from Roberta to dismay Nate more than those three words. How could he hope she would come to love him when her first thought was for Carl.

“He has a sore head, but he’s fine.”

“Did you have to hit Joe so hard? He was just trying to protect me.”

No thank you. No expression of relief. No concern that he might have been hurt or have strained his still healing wound. No pleasure in seeing him. He might as well have—

Roberta stepped up to him, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, then stepped back. She looked a bit bashful, maybe shy, neither attitude one he’d previously associated with her. That gave him hope. He didn’t know a lot about women, but he did know that if a young woman could be completely comfortable in your presence, she wasn’t romantically interested in you. He hadn’t been in love long, but he already knew it was an uncomfortable condition, which subjected him to radical mood swings.

“I knew you’d find me. You’ve been looking out for me ever since you sent the boys to help Joe with the barn.”

“I’m just a man trying to protect the woman I love. There’s nothing special about that. Boone has been trying to do the same thing.”

“Boone wants to own me, to lock me up in a fancy house and keep me there. You just want me to be safe and be myself.”

Herself
was who he fell in love with. Why would he want to change her? He would have liked to say more, but Crazy Joe was beginning to stir.

Roberta noticed, too. “Let me talk to him.”

“Not until I tie him up. That man is stronger than an ox.”

He had Joe bound hand and foot by the time the man became fully conscious. As soon as he caught sight of Nate, Joe struggled against the rope. Nate was glad he’d brought a rope they used for lassoing full-grown steers. Joe might have broken anything else.

“It’s okay,” Roberta said to Joe. “Nate is here to help me.”

“Miss Prudence told Joe to protect Roberta.”

“Nate isn’t going to hurt me.”

“Carl was hurting Roberta.”

“He was just trying to convince me to marry him.”

“He was hurting Roberta.”

Nate agreed. Any man who tried to force Roberta to marry him was hurting her.

“We have to go back to town. Are you going to fight Nate if he unties you?”

“Miss Prudence doesn’t trust Nate.”

“I trust him.”

“Miss Prudence doesn’t trust Nate.”

That seemed to leave only one option. Return to town and ask Prudence to come release Joe. Roberta appeared to have reached the same conclusion.

“I don’t want to leave you here, but I will unless you promise not to fight Nate. Prudence told you not to let any man hurt me, but Nate doesn’t want to hurt me.”

Joe appeared to be thinking over the situation.

“You can drive the buckboard with Roberta just like you did coming here,” Nate offered. “I’ll follow on my horse.”

After another pause, Joe came to a decision. “I will drive Roberta.”

“What about Nate?” Roberta asked.

“I will not fight him unless he hurts Roberta. Carl hurt Roberta.”

Nate untied Joe and stepped back, ready for anything the man might try. Instead, he got to his feet, looked first at Roberta then at Nate. “Joe protects Roberta.”

“That’s good,” Nate said. “I hope you will always protect Roberta. I will protect her, too.”

Joe seemed to understand because he smiled. “Joe will take Roberta to Miss Prudence. You will come, too.”

The drive back to town was uneventful. Nate rode alongside the buckboard while Joe told Roberta about the farm he lived on as a child. They stopped at the farm, but Carl wasn’t there.

Nate was relieved. He hadn’t looked forward to explaining to Joe why he should let Carl ride to town in the buckboard. Prudence met them at the door. From her expression, Nate gathered Carl had already filled her ears with fears of Roberta’s safety.

“What happened?” she asked before the buckboard came to a stop. Carl followed her out. When he saw Roberta sitting next to Joe, Nate thought Carl was going to have a fit. Nate insisted that they all go inside before they attempted an explanation.

“There’s nothing else to be done,” Prudence declared after she had received a full explanation. “I’ll have to take him back to his family.”

Roberta appeared as shocked as Nate felt. “I didn’t know he had a family.”

“I offered to look out for him when they threatened to lock him up.”

“What will happen to him now?” Roberta asked.

“I’m not sure,” Prudence said, “but he will not be locked up.” She turned to Nate. “While I’m gone, Roberta will stay in my house. I depend on you to protect her.”

“Why not me?” Carl asked. “I want to marry her.”

“You’re not the only one.”

How Boone Riggins learned Roberta had returned to town was a mystery, but the man had a knack for turning up where he wasn’t wanted.

“I asked her to marry me months ago,” Boone told Carl.

“I asked her five years ago,” Carl responded.

Prudence took Roberta by the hand and ushered her into the house. Once Roberta was inside, she turned back to the men gathered outside. “She’s not marrying anybody today, so you can go away. Joe, tie the horse to the hitching post and come inside.”

***

“Why the hell did you give her money to rebuild her house?”

“All you had to do was nothing, and she would have married that Peterson guy and gone back to Virginia.”

“Otis is just as responsible. He didn’t have to agree to give her the money.”

Several ranchers had descended on Nate, furious that he’d provided the money for Roberta’s loan. He supposed he couldn’t blame Otis for refusing to shoulder the blame. He had a business to think about. Nate let his gaze travel from one rancher to the other until he’d looked every man in the room in the eye. He was pleased to see that some had the decency to be embarrassed. Unfortunately, Frank Porter wasn’t one of them.

“That’s a knife in the back of every rancher in the county,” Frank said. “What are we supposed to do for water after she rebuilds that dam?”

“Let me make something very clear,” Nate said to Frank. “I can and
will
do what I want with my own money. I won’t ask for your approval, nor will I bend before your criticism.” Frank sputtered, but Nate didn’t give him a chance to speak. “I provided the money to rebuild her house, not the dam. If anyone else in Slender Creek had lost their home, the whole town could have come together to help rebuild it. What kind of men are you to single out an unmarried woman who recently lost her father, suffered extensive damage to her only source of income, then nearly died in a fire? If you had any decency, you’d be more concerned about finding out who’s doing all of this than persecuting the victim of these senseless attacks.”

Frank started to speak, but Ezra Kemp interrupted him. “We followed your advice to look for any strangers, but we haven’t found any. None of my boys have seen anybody they don’t know.”

“Maybe Carl Peterson is behind it,” Frank said. “He wants to marry her, and she won’t leave.”

“Don’t be stupid!” Ches Hale burst out. “He wouldn’t want to burn her house down with her in it, now would he?”

“That leaves this diViere character you were telling the sheriff about,” Ezra said. “Have you seen him again?”

“I didn’t see him. Roberta did. If he’s behind these attacks, he won’t be seen here, but he won’t be far away. We know there were at least half a dozen men involved in the first attack. It’s unlikely one man murdered Carlin and set the fire. I believe diViere is behind this because of me.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Frank said.

“I’d agree with you except for two things. Someone dropped my hat during the first attack to incriminate me. They had no way of knowing I had changed my plans and come back early. DiViere was about to enter Roberta’s house when he thought she was at the funeral. I believe he set fire to her house simply because she foiled his attempt to murder me in my bed. Since no one has seen any strangers around, someone in the county is helping him. I know all this is hard to believe, but it’s the only explanation I can see.”