One Pink Rose; One White Rose; One Red Rose (32 page)

All of a sudden, the Clayborne brothers were up and moving. Douglas and Cole both pulled out their guns at the same time and headed for the back door. Adam disappeared into the hallway with Parker, while Harrison stood in front of Trudy Simpson with his gun out.

Everyone waited in silence. Trudy jumped when a low whistle sounded from just outside the window.

A second later, Travis came strolling inside, looking weary but happy. He slapped Douglas on his shoulder as he passed him, tipped his hat to Mrs. Simpson before removing it altogether, and then sat down at the table.

Introductions were made, and Trudy did her best to make the latest addition to her table feel welcome.

“Are you hungry, young man? I believe I'll fix you a bite to eat.”

“I don't want you to go to any trouble, ma'am.”

Trudy had already turned away to fetch her skillet. The doctor poured Travis a cup of coffee and then sat down again. “You're going to eat, son, so you might as well accept it. My Trudy's got her mind set and her frying pan out.”

“Yes, sir. I'll eat.”

“Did you get my knife back for me?” Douglas asked.

“Yes. I tied Benton to a post inside the barn so he could drive the others crazy with his crying. I've never seen a man weep like that. Honest to God, it was disgusting.”

Cole laughed. “We heard you coming up to the door, Travis. You're getting sloppy.”

“I wanted you to hear me.”

Adam came back into the kitchen with the baby. “Parker's hungry,” he remarked.

Douglas immediately got up, took the baby into his arms, and headed for the steps.

Trudy chased after him. “Now, hold on, Douglas. You can't go barging into Isabel's room. It wouldn't be proper.”

“Trudy, he delivered that baby,” her husband called out. “I don't believe it's going to matter if he sees her in her nightgown now. He's been living under her roof for over two months.”

“That was then, and this is now,” Trudy said. “Douglas, you had to deliver that baby because there wasn't anyone else around to do it. Things have to be more proper now though. I'll take the baby up.”

She wiped her hands on her apron before taking the baby away from Douglas. He didn't give her any argument, for he knew that it would probably be better for Isabel if she didn't see him again. He had hurt her by making her face reality. In time, she would realize he had taken advantage of her, and he hoped to God that when that day came, she wouldn't hate him.

He leaned against the wall, folded his arms across his chest, and stared off into space as he tried to imagine what his life was going to be like without ever seeing Isabel or Parker again.

Harrison pulled him out of his bleak thoughts. “You delivered the baby?”

“Yes.”

“Sit down and tell me what it was like.”

“Why?” Adam asked.

“I want to be prepared for my son or daughter's birth. I'm a little . . . nervous about it. I don't like the idea of my wife having pain.”

Douglas was thankful for the diversion. He straddled the chair to face Harrison. “You're nervous? I didn't think anything ever got to you.”

Harrison shrugged. “Tell me what it was like,” he demanded.

Douglas decided to be completely honest. He leaned forward and whispered, “Sheer hell.”

“What did he say?” Cole asked.

“He said it was sheer hell,” Adam repeated. “Stop joking, Douglas. Harrison's turning gray.”

The brothers found that fact hilarious. Douglas thought he had pretty much summed up the experience, but upon reflection he realized it had only been hell for a little while.

“It wasn't bad,” he said. “I was scared at first, and then I was too busy to think about everything that could go wrong. Isabel did all the work, and when I held Parker in my hands . . .”

The brothers were waiting for him to finish. Douglas shook his head. He didn't want to share the memory. It belonged to Isabel and him, and it was all he would be able to take away with him when he left Sweet Creek.

“It was pretty miraculous, Harrison,” he admitted. “So stop worrying. Besides, you won't have to do anything. Mama Rose will help with the delivery.”

“I plan on being with my wife when the time comes.”

Trudy returned to the kitchen for the coffeepot, then circled the table refilling their cups.

“Thank you,” Cole said. “You know what I don't understand?”

“What?” Adam asked.

“The folks in Sweet Creek,” Cole said. “How can so many cower to one man?”

“One man with twenty-some gunslingers working for him,” the doctor said. “There aren't any cowards in Sweet Creek, but most of the men are ranchers. None of them could hold their own in a fight because they don't have the expertise. Just ask poor Wendell Border.”

“What happened to him?” Adam asked.

“Wendell was coming out of church with his wife and two little girls when some men grabbed him. They forced him to kneel down in front of Sam Boyle. Wendell wouldn't beg for mercy, and that was when Boyle ordered them to break both of his hands. Folks tried to stop what was happening, but the hired thugs had their guns out and threatened to kill anyone who got in their way. Poor Wendell's family had to watch. It was a sorry day all right.”

“Now do you understand why I was so overcome with joy when I thought you were Marshal Ryan, Cole?” Trudy asked. “You seemed to be the answer to our prayers.”

Travis's eyes widened. “I bet you just loved being mistaken for Ryan,” he said.

“Everyone in town is going to make the same mistake I made,” Trudy insisted.

It was this innocent remark that gave Douglas his plan. Dr. Simpson was excusing himself when Douglas turned to him.

“Doctor, is there a jail in Sweet Creek?” Douglas asked.

“Yes. It's at the opposite end of town, near the stables. No one's been inside since the old sheriff put his badge on his desk and left town. Why do you want to know about the jail?”

“Cole's going to be using it,” he replied. “I don't think you'll want to hear any more details, sir. It could get you into trouble with the law.”

“All right then,” the doctor agreed. “Come on, Trudy. The men need some privacy now. I've got a feeling tomorrow's going to be a hard day for all of us. We might as well get some sleep now while we can.”

Douglas waited until the elderly couple had gone upstairs before he told his brothers what he wanted to do.

“Mrs. Simpson told me that everyone in town has been praying for Daniel Ryan to come and save them.”

“And?” Cole asked.

Douglas grinned. “Tomorrow, their prayers are going to be answered.”

*  *  *

Daniel Ryan, or rather Cole Clayborne masquerading as Daniel Ryan, came riding down the main street of Sweet Creek on Friday morning at precisely ten o'clock. He went directly to the telegraph office, where it was later reported he held a gun to Jasper Cooper's forehead to gain his cooperation in sending a wire to Samuel Boyle, informing him that his accounts had been confiscated.

At that very same moment, Harrison went inside the bank and presented to the officers in charge an impressive-looking document ordering them to remove all the money in Boyle's account to the bank of Liddyville, where it would remain until the court determined ownership. The document was signed by a judge, but none of the officers could quite make out the signature.

The bank president, as it turned out, wasn't one of Boyle's followers. He didn't look too closely at the papers and didn't waste a minute transferring the money to Liddyville. He did do quite a bit of laughing though and, like Daniel Ryan, seemed to be having the time of his life.

Two of the cashiers helped print up a large sign, which they nailed to the hitching post outside the bank, notifying everyone that Boyle's money was gone.

Word spread like free whiskey, and within two hours at least fifteen of the twenty-five hired hands had left town for parts unknown. Their loyalty ran out with the money. Those who were determined to wait for Boyle to straighten out the situation were arrested by Marshal Ryan and two deputies, and duly locked in the jail.

None of what the Claybornes were doing was legal, a fact that Harrison pointed out at least a dozen times. Cole could get twenty years of hard labor for impersonating a lawman, and Harrison would be sharing the cell with him for falsifying documents.

Cole refused to worry about the consequences. It was his fervent hope that Ryan would hear he had an impersonator and come looking for him. Then Cole would finally get back the compass the lawman had taken from Mama Rose.

Douglas went after Boyle. He wouldn't let any of his brothers go with him and refused to give any details of what he planned to do. He asked Dr. Simpson to tell Wendell Border to bring his family to church the following Sunday, and to step outside at exactly eleven o'clock. There would be a surprise waiting for him.

Needless to say, that day the church was packed to the rafters. The Reverend Thomas Stevenson was thrilled to have a full house and decided to make the most of it. He threw out the sermon he'd prepared and preached about the fires of hell instead. He ranted, he raved, and he threatened. Anyone who failed to attend his church on a regular basis was doomed to spend eternity burning in hell. Oh, the reverend worked himself into a fine lather all right, screaming and pounding his fists on his pulpit while he worked the congregation into a frenzy of guilt and put the fear of God into their hearts.

He was right in the middle of screaming the word “damnation” when Wendell Border and his family stood up.

The preacher stopped in mid-shout. “Is it time then, Wendell?”

“It's going on eleven,” Wendell called back.

The crowd waited in breathless silence for Wendell to leave his pew and lead the way outside. His wife held on to her husband's arm and walked beside him, while their two little girls skipped along behind.

In their wildest speculations, none of the townspeople could have guessed what was going to happen.

Coming down the center of the street toward the church was Sam Boyle. Douglas walked behind him and prodded him forward with the barrel of his shotgun.

Folks started laughing. Boyle didn't look so fierce now. He was dressed in dirty long underwear and nothing else. He hopped from bare foot to bare foot with his head down, and even though the laughter drowned out all other sounds, everyone could see that Boyle was crying.

No, he didn't look like much of a threat to anyone now, not even to the children. The bully had been revealed at last, and only the coward remained.

Dr. Simpson told Isabel later that Douglas had found something better than death to punish Boyle with. He'd used his pride to destroy him.

Boyle cried all the way to the steps, then knelt down in front of Wendell and begged his forgiveness. Wendell wasn't in the mood to give it, and so he remained stubbornly silent.

The law-abiding citizens of Sweet Creek chased Boyle out of town. No one expected him to ever return, but if he did, they would measure out justice once again. His mantle of power had made him seem invincible to those he terrorized, but now the town had seen him for what he really was and stopped being afraid.

Peter Collins, the stableman, stepped forward to offer his services as sheriff. Cole, still masquerading as Daniel Ryan, took the time and trouble to swear him in.

The Claybornes left town a few hours later. Douglas left his heart behind.

G
etting on with life wasn't easy. Douglas kept busy every waking hour so that he wouldn't have time to think about Isabel. Business was booming, and folks from as far away as New York City came to Blue Belle to look over the magnificent horses the Clayborne brothers raised.

Douglas broadened his operation by purchasing additional land adjacent to the main ranch. The wild horses Cole and Adam captured were taken to the green pastures and trained there before they were also put up for sale.

The stable in Blue Belle was also expanded, as was a second stable Douglas had purchased on the outskirts of Hammond.

He worked from sunup to sundown, but time, distance, and backbreaking labor didn't ease the ache he felt whenever thoughts of Isabel intruded.

He told himself over and over again that he had done the right thing. Why then did it hurt so much?

His brothers stayed out of his way as much as possible. Adam dubbed him “The Bear,” which, it was unanimously agreed, fit Douglas's gruff personality these days. He snapped at everyone but his Mama Rose and his sister, rarely smiled, and stubbornly refused to tell anyone what was bothering him.

His brothers had already figured it out, for they had met Isabel Grant, and after spending five minutes in the same room with her and Douglas, it had become apparent to them that their brother had fallen in love with the beautiful woman. She was soft-spoken, sweet-natured, and obviously much more intelligent than Douglas was. She didn't make any attempt to hide how she felt about their brother, which made them like her all the more. Douglas, on the other hand, was determined to act like a mule's backside. If
they
knew he loved Isabel, they figured
he
had to know it too, and just when was he going to come to his senses and do something about it?