Kaitlin's Silver Lining (23 page)

Twenty
Eight

Kaitlin sat on her
horse with her arms resting on the saddle horn and surveyed her land with a
practiced eye. She’d forgotten how beautiful and tranquil it was here. While a
thick blanket of white covered the ground, spring would present an entirely
different picture. An abundance of range grasses grew on the south side, enough
to support a small herd of cattle. The north side was bounded by a forest of
evergreens. A small mountain stream meandered through the center, providing
plenty of water. The land was fertile, productive.

Kaitlin tossed her
head back and gazed at the crystal blue sky. Drawing her coat more tightly
about her, she studied the breathtaking scenery. Defeat was not something she
dealt well with. A man with a clear vision and strong backbone had built the
Silver Saddle into a small empire. She wanted, no craved, the same sense of
success her father enjoyed. Against his advice, she’d applied for the
homestead. Refusing any help from Sarge, Kaitlin had bought two hundred head of
cattle, hired two hands, and set about making a life for herself. The first
year was the hardest. The one-room cabin she and her hands had erected was
barely habitable. After a month, Sarge had hauled a crew over from the Silver
Saddle. Against her protests, they’d built a sturdier cabin for her and a
smaller one for the hands. Reluctantly, she accepted the gift, but swore she’d
accept nothing else from him. She was out to prove to herself and to Sarge that
she was every bit the settler that he had been. All she’d proven was her own
lack of defense against the elements.

The day after holding
the deed in her hand, she’d closed the door on the honeymoon cabin and headed
for Denver. With the proceeds from the sale of her entire herd, she’d bought
the house on Timber Street and set up shop as a seamstress. Business was slow
at first, but her reputation with a needle began to earn her clients. She’d met
Maggie a week after moving to Denver. Recognizing the same indomitable spirit
in Maggie that moved within herself, Kaitlin befriended the black woman. When
Maggie was forced to move out of her rented room, Kaitlin gladly offered her a
room in her home. They’d been best friends ever since.

Things change. Time
was unstoppable. Maggie was getting married, and, soon, Kaitlin would be alone
once more. For the past two years, Maggie’s friendship had filled the void left
when she discovered herself without a husband or a father.

She often wondered
how things might have turned out if she’d married James anyway, knowing he
could never be faithful. Married, she might have had children. A picture of
Charley popped into her head, and she couldn’t help but smile. The idea of
caring for Charley had frightened her. She didn’t need another failure in her
life. Charley needed a mother who could teach her how to cook, care for a home.
She needed a strong, guiding hand that could offer sound advice when it came to
matters of the heart. Kaitlin’s failures would likely hinder her abilities to
deal with Charley as she needed.

She’d lied when she
told Bryce she wasn’t marriage material. Longing and desire had been suppressed
by her inexhaustible work. She’d picked up the gauntlet laid down by Susan B.
Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton. After hearing both women speak in New York when
she was but nineteen, she could do no less. Their words had touched a fighting
chord within her breast and given new meaning to her dull life. They’d been
instrumental in giving her the courage to attempt running her own ranch.
Unfortunately, she’d only been armed with courage and little else. Ranch work
required more knowledge than she possessed, and determination wasn’t enough to
see her dream succeed.

Vaguely, she wondered
if Bryce was any relation to Elizabeth. She’d ask next she saw him. Once she
turned her back on her property, she needed a new direction for her energies.
An article by Elizabeth Stanton had given her incentive. A year later, with
Maggie’s help, she began organizing the women in her neighborhood. Since then,
their united efforts had grown. Though Kaitlin was their driving force, they
would carry on without her should she withdraw.

Stunned, she reeled
from the avenue her thoughts had taken. Leave? What caused her to consider
leaving?

She allowed her gaze
to sweep the countryside once more. Deeply, she inhaled the crisp air. Home.
She’d come home. As hard as life had been here, it wasn’t until her return that
she realized just how much she’d missed this place. She enjoyed her work in
Denver, but it was just that. Work. This land had been her passion. The challenges
from living day to day had defined who she was, who she wanted to be.

The honeymoon cabin.
Funny. They had given the cabin a name, but not the land. She’d laughed at
James, telling him she didn’t want to name it until it was completely and
legally hers. He’d laughed back, teasing her with his smile.

“Then, we’ll name
your cabin instead,” he’d said.

“It’s just a cabin,
one my father built against my wishes. What will we name it?”

“Once we’re married,
we’ll share our first night here together,” he’d replied with just the right
seductive tones to whet her appetite for unknown promises.

“Our honeymoon
cabin.”

“Hmm. That has a nice
ring to it. Our honeymoon cabin it is.”

Only, there’d been no
honeymoon, no wedding. She should rename the structure, but it was old habit to
continue calling it the honeymoon cabin. And old habits didn’t die easily.

The horse shifted
beneath her weight. She urged him into a canter, wanting to look at the cabin
again. When she’d been here with Bryce, her mind had been on James and the
attempted murder. Now, she wanted to think about the cabin and her land.

She found the cabin
to be in remarkably good shape for having been abandoned to the elements. With
the exception of one broken window, everything appeared in good order. Bryce’s
cleaning attempts had cleared the largest particles of debris from the floor.
Cobwebs hung from the corners, and there was a thick layer of dust on the
mantle and tops of furniture. She hated to clean, but today she felt the urge
to tidy the place up, make it more than just habitable.

An hour later,
Kaitlin collapsed in one of the rickety chairs. She’d forgotten why cleaning
wasn’t her favorite chore, but after tackling the dust and spider webs, she
held a new appreciation for the work Maggie did. She glanced at the windows.
Pink gingham check. That’s what she’d make the curtains out of.

Lost in thought, she
barely heard the door creak open. Swiveling toward the sound, she collapsed
with relief when she saw that it was only Sarge.

“A bit jittery, are
we?” he asked.

“What are you doing
here?”

“Thought I’d check on
you. Place looks good. You’ve been cleaning.”

Kaitlin stood,
feeling at a disadvantage with her father peering down at her. “Just tidying up
some.”

“Katy,” Sarge began,
but hesitated.

Kaitlin kept her back
to him, her arms crossed. Less than welcoming, her posture indicated her
difficult time in believing Sarge’s sincerity. Her turbulent emotions had
calmed, but trust didn’t come easily. Seeing her father again had allowed her
to voice her disillusionment, to air the differences that had caused so much
pain—things she hadn’t been able to voice during her youth. Sarge had grown
older, less rigid. He didn’t exude the same commanding presence she’d fought so
many years ago.

“I’d forgotten how
much I liked living out here,” she finally said and turned to give him her full
attention.

“Your failure with
this place had nothing to do with any inadequacies you thought you had as a
woman. Your disappointment can be blamed on lack of experience and nothing
more. You gave it five good years, more than some men I’ve known would have
done.”

The back of her eyes
swelled with tears. “I think I know that now, but at the time, I needed to
prove to myself I could make it on my own.”

“And you have. Look
at all the things you’ve accomplished in Denver and in just a short amount of
time.” His gruff voice still carried the edge of command.

“I needed to prove to
you that I wasn’t like Mamma. I wasn’t like Bethany.”

“I know, girl. I
know,” he said.

She turned away again
and stared out the window as silent tears cascaded down her cheeks. “I
struggled so hard to make you see me. Me. Not some worthless girl.”

“Ah, Katy. I never
thought of you that way. You were always strong. It scared me. You always seemed
to know exactly what you wanted. You had vision, hope. I just had memories.”
His voice broke, and he took a deep breath before continuing. “I lived each day
just going through the motions. The ranch was barely making it. Jennifer and
Bethany were both gone, and I’d sent you away to school. I had no reason to
work, to build. It wasn’t until you came back and challenged me, that I began
to put my heart and soul back into this land. You did that for me. You were the
real driving force behind the Silver Saddle.”

“For every defeat I
suffered, you seemed to succeed.”

He settled large
hands upon her shoulders and squeezed lightly. “I wanted you to have a place to
come home to when things didn’t work out for you. I didn’t set out to make the
Silver Saddle an empire just to make your endeavors look bad. I did it because
it will one day be yours, and I didn’t want to leave you some rundown old
ranch.”

“I’m so sorry. I
never knew. I thought...Never mind what I thought. It’s in the past now.”

“I’m glad you’re back.”

“Sarge, I’m not sure
I intend to stay.”

“I know, but just the
fact you’re here is enough for now. I...I love you, Katy.” The whispered words
soared straight to her heart. She turned. The hands that rested lightly on her
shoulders enveloped her into a huge hug. She’d come home.

Twenty
Nine

The next morning,
Bryce woke with the intention of spending the day asking questions and
hopefully getting answers. He needed to see Dan Cochran first. Afterwards, he
planned to pay a visit to the livery stable where Maggie had rented a horse for
Kaitlin. Upon completing those chores, he’d seek out Jack. He’d mapped his day
until he found the package waiting for him on the front step.

Tucking the parcel
under his arm, he retraced his steps into the house. Eyeing the small packet,
his suspicions ran amok. The parcel was addressed to him and not Kaitlin. With
no return markings, whoever left it had delivered the package in person. He
kept his coat on, thinking he’d open it quickly, peer inside, then dash off for
his errands. Taking a knife, he cut the string that held the brown paper
wrapping together. Cautiously, he peeled back the covering. Inside, he found
two newspapers. One was dated almost two weeks ago, the day after he’d left for
Oresonville. The second wore yesterday’s date, the day he’d returned.

Curious, he scanned
the earlier edition, not sure what he’d find. The article of interest was
located on the last page under the society section. The paper crinkled as he
folded it to isolate the story. A few words into the story and his fury rose.
Someone wanted to discredit Kaitlin by spreading rumors that were based on
half-truths. He wasn’t bothered by the clause that pertained to him. He didn’t
have anything to lose and would likely be leaving soon for Brownwood where such
gossip would have little bearing.

He paused before
looking at the second issue. Intuitively, he searched the society section
first. Just as suspected, he found a companion article to the first. Stunned,
he read until his eyes blurred with emotion.

Lover’s
Liason turned Deadly

By
L. M. Klein

Kaitlin
Kanatzer, acclaimed leader of the Mountain Ridge Chapter of Colorado Suffrage
Association, was seen leaving town to meet her lover. On route, her ex-fiancé,
James Latham, met his early demise when Bryce Stanton shot and killed him. A
lovers’ quarrel gone awry? The pair then checked into a hotel in Idaho Springs
where they shared a cozy meal before retiring to a single room. Before reaching
Oresonville, the two were seen sharing rooms two more nights. One has to ask
how a pillar of our community, a leader of righteous women, can demand our
attention when her own morals are clearly in doubt.

“I thought you’d
left,” Maggie commented as she passed by the hallway.

Bryce glanced up and
shook the paper at her. “Have you read this?”

Maggie stared at the
item. “You must have seen the article they wrote about Kaitlin. Folks that know
Kaitlin, know she isn’t like that. They know that you being here is as innocent
as it really is.”

“Maybe from readin’
the first paper, but have you read yesterday’s paper?”

“I didn’t get a
chance.” She stepped closer.

He handed it to her.
She opened it slowly before casting her gaze upon the print. Shock made her
features go taut. She clutched the newspaper, her knuckles pale pink against
the grayish cast of the newsprint.

“How could anyone be
so heartless?”

Bryce nodded. “More
importantly, how did they find out so soon about James’ death, and how did they
know we shared a room?”

“That reporter must
have followed you.” Maggie stated. Her tone reflected the astonishment he felt.
He’d come to the same conclusion. The other scenario he’d envisioned seemed
much worse. James Latham could have an accomplice who was still out there. If
that were the case, Kaitlin was still in danger.

“Let me have that
paper.” Bryce held out a trembling hand.

“What are you going
to do?”

“It’s time to chase
the fox out of the chicken coop.” Gripping the tabloid, he stormed out the
door.

Perhaps the author of
the damaging work could shed light on the lies perpetrated here. He planned to
hear what this L. M. Klein had to say on the matter.

~ *
~

Bryce entered the
small office that housed the printing press for the local newspaper. A small,
wiry man bent over a tray in which he placed small metal letters. Bryce cleared
his throat to gain the man’s attention.

“If you got a story,
I’ll be with you presently. Otherwise you’ll have to come back tomorrow. I haven’t
time to take care of anything else.” The man didn’t even bother looking up.

Bryce scanned the
cluttered room, making note of the pristine equipment amid stacks of papers and
cans of ink. A strong chemical smell invaded his senses, and his eyes itched
and burned. “I just need a moment of your time. My name is Bryce Stanton, and I
believe your paper owes me an apology.”

“Sidney Cooper,” the
man said without glancing at Bryce, “and the
Denver Express
doesn’t
apologize for the truth.”

Sidney continued to
add letters, typesetting an article for the next issue.

“You took Klein’s
word without proof.” Bryce’s brow creased in a fierce frown.

“I had it checked
out.” The man pushed glasses onto a wide nose and continued to set type. “No
secret you’re living with Miss Kanatzer.”

“I’m sleepin’ on the
floor in the front parlor. Your articles mislead the reader with no thought to
the sensibilities of the victim.”

“Victim?” Sidney
finally lifted his head and met Bryce’s gaze. “Now see here. We only print
fact. That issue sold twenty-five percent more copies than any previous issues
to date. Miss Kanatzer is a celebrity of sorts around here, what with her
speeches and protest marches. People enjoyed reading about her.”

Bryce was trying to
be patient, but this man made it difficult to remain rational.

“Words are a mighty
powerful tool. Words in the hands of the right person can be just as deadly or
damagin’ as a gun in the hands of a gunfighter. Don’t you care about how this
will affect Miss Kanatzer?” Bryce leaned over one of the trays holding a set of
typeset letters.

Sidney paused for
just a brief moment while he stared at Bryce. Pushing the wireframe glasses
back onto the bridge of his nose, he shook his head. “This is a business. I
have a duty to report the truth.”

Truth? What did this
man know about truth? Bryce curled his lip. “Then report everything you know to
me. Who did you send to check out this story? Or better yet, where can I find
L. M. Klein? I’d like to hear his source for this information.”

“Sorry. Klein is away
on another assignment. As for checking out the facts, I hired someone to follow
Miss Kanatzer. She is news, after all.”

 “You what?” Bryce
placed his hands on top of letters, and they shifted beneath his fingers.

“Here now. Careful what
you’re doing there. That tray took me two hours to set.”

“That’s just too
bad.” Bryce dug in his fingers and scraped a handful of letters onto the floor.
“I’m sorry. That was rather clumsy of me.”

“Out. Get out.”
Sidney pointed an ink-stained finger. “Or I’ll send for the police.”

Bryce started to
accommodate him but stopped just short of the door. “One more thing. Did your
investigator happen to notice anyone else with James Latham the day he died?”

Sidney scooped up the
fallen letters, frantically trying to put them back in place. “Why would I want
to answer you? Look what you’ve done. I’ll be up all night fixing the damage
you did to tomorrow’s issue.”

Bryce casually walked
over to the other tray of letters, the one Sidney had been working on when he’d
entered the newspaper office. “Goodness, just think how much time you’d lose
with another messed-up tray.”

Sidney finally stood
and gave Bryce his full attention. “The man only followed Miss Kanatzer. After
you shot Mr. Latham, he followed you both to the hotel. After that, he came
back here, where he did a little asking around. When he discovered that Mr.
Latham had once been engaged to Miss Kanatzer, he presented his findings to me.
I in turn gave my notes to Klein who drafted the article. Now, if you’re quite
finished, I have work to do, no thanks to you.”

Bryce nodded his
head. “It was entirely my pleasure.” He took great delight in slamming the door
on his way out. Truth indeed
.
The man wouldn’t know the truth if it
stampeded all over him.

A collision jarred
his teeth as he ran into a solid form. He touched his lip where he’d bitten it
before glancing down at the reason for his pain. He straightened his hat and
saw he’d knocked down Marcy Klein. Reaching down, he offered her his hand. Gazing
up at him, she declined his offer with a pointed look.

“My apologies, ma’am.
I didn’t see you there.”

She stood, and
adjusted her clothing. Her bonnet sat askew on top of her head, but she seemed
more concerned with the dust that covered her dress.

“Mr. Stanton. We
missed you in church last Sunday.” She tore the crooked bonnet from her head
and smoothed it out.

Her tone was chilly,
not at all embracing. Bryce smiled, but seconds later, his smile faded. Was it
a coincidence that Marcy was headed for the newspaper office? “You wouldn’t
happen to be related to the reporter, L. M. Klein, would you?”

Her back stiffened
and her skin turned a rosy hue. “He’s a distant cousin.”

Bryce narrowed his
eyes. He’d bet his best John B. that Marcy lied. To what purpose he didn’t
know. “I took a trip.”

Here was his golden
opportunity to tell his version of the story. With Marcy’s penchant for talking
non-stop, Kaitlin’s friends would soon know that nothing untoward had happened
between them. Kaitlin’s reputation would be salvaged.

“So I’ve read. In
fact, we’ve all read about how you’ve ruined our dear, sweet Kaitlin.” She
swatted him with her bonnet. “How could you?”

His skin warmed.
“Look, Miss Klein, you have your facts all wrong. Your cousin needs to do a better
job of reportin’ correct information. I stayed with Miss Kanatzer in those
hotel rooms because her life was in danger.”

“You shot Mr. Latham,
her ex-fiancé. You killed an innocent man.” She crammed the overly decorative
bonnet over her tangled curls. “How was her life still in danger if Latham was
dead?”

“Innocent? He shot at
her first. He tried to kill her. We didn’t know if he acted alone, or if he had
an accomplice. We still don’t know why he did it.”

“That’s not what the
paper said. You should be arrested for murder. How could you shoot the very
person she was once in love with?” She turned her head this way and that
apparently searching for the law. “Why aren’t you in jail where you belong?”

Bryce gritted his
teeth, not understanding how she could misconstrue the facts so thoroughly. And
just where in tarnation had the article said anything about him killing an
innocent man? There was a note of anguish in her voice that didn’t make sense.
“Did you not understand what I said? Kaitlin’s life may be in danger. I shot
him to save Kaitlin.”

“So now it’s Kaitlin
and not Miss Kanatzer. For just a friend, you seem awful familiar with her. I’m
more inclined to believe my cousin. Poor Kaitlin. You’ve totally ruined her
reputation. Poor Latham. He’s dead because of you.”

“Now, wait just a—”

“I think I best be
going. It wouldn’t do to be seen talking to you. If you want my advice, you’ll
do what you can to make this right for Kaitlin. She didn’t deserve to have her
good name abused so thoroughly. I doubt her suffrage group will want to follow
her lead now. I know I don’t, and the cause is a good one.” She finished her
long-winded speech by stretching her neck forward and turning her head slightly
sideways. Her glare was enough to make him refrain from answering. She pivoted
and marched away, leaving him agape.

“Wow,” Jack exclaimed
as he walked up from behind. “She sure did fill your ear full.”

“Reckon that’s how
everyone took to that article?” Bryce asked.

“Miss Kaitlin was the
talk of the town while you two were gone. Still is.”

“I want to marry that
woman, Jack, but not because of some misguided notion I compromised her.” He
stroked his chin. “If I have to marry her because of that, she’ll never believe
I’m marryin’ her because I actually want to.”

“Why do you wanna
marry her?”

The question made
Bryce’s brows gather in a frown. He hadn’t really thought about it. He just
knew that he needed a wife and that Katy more than piqued his interest. So, why
did he want to marry Kaitlin Kanatzer? The question would likely plague him
through the night.

Thirty

Kaitlin started at
the sound of an approaching horse and rider. She loved it here, but the
isolated cabin wouldn’t offer much fortification against a gun-toting hombre.
Sarge had railed against her plans to move out of the ranch house and onto her
property without some sort of protection, vehemently arguing that he could
provide help. But she needed the time to herself. She needed the time to
reflect upon her life goals, her life desires. Her aspirations were no longer
clear in her mind.