Stronger Than the Rest (9 page)

“Of course you will, Drew. We’re all sure of it,” Eleanor Taylor chimed in as she took her seat.

“How did your meeting with Mrs. Bierdan go?” Grant asked.

Drew looked around the table at Aunt Alicia, Grant, Eleanor, Joey, Tessa, Jake, and Jericho. There was no reason to keep the conversation from any of them. Dunnigan’s desire to buy the Bierdan land wasn’t a secret.

“It was a starting point,” Drew began, then took several minutes to relay the conversation.

“She’s a stubborn one, that’s for certain,” Grant said.

“How long do you think she has, Grant?” Drew asked.

“If Eloise doesn’t have a good season, she’s through. That’s about four months off, but you know the cycle as well as anyone.” Grant was well aware of Drew’s ranching background and his knowledge of cattle operations.

The table became silent as each tucked into the meal the Taylor cook, Maria, had prepared. She’d been with them for years, had helped to keep Joey safe the day of the shootout with the rustlers. The same day Drew was shot.

“Maybe she’ll make it, but if not, Dunnigan will offer her top dollar. I believe he may also retain some of the men, and he’ll make sure she gets settled wherever she likes.”

“You like Mr. Dunnigan, don’t you?” Tess asked.

“Yes, I do.”

“And his daughter?” Tess wished she could pull back the words as soon as she’d spoken them.
What was I thinking?

Drew’s fork stopped midway to his mouth. He set it down and trained his eyes on Tess’s. “I like his daughter fine.”

“Oh,” was all Tess could get out.

“But I have no plans to marry her.” His eyes never wavered.

Tess showed no response except the appearance of a slight smile. Her eyes sparkled and it was all Drew could do to contain the frustration he felt at not being able to stand and walk around the table to her. He’d never felt anything like the pull he felt toward Tess at that moment.

Grant and Eleanor looked at the two young people, then at each other. So, their other daughter was smitten with a MacLaren. Somehow they weren’t surprised. And each noticed that Alicia didn’t seem surprised either.

Alicia sat near them with a serene look as she watched the young people. She didn’t say a word, but prayed that her nephew and Tess could work through whatever held them back and build a future.

“How’s the mare doing?” Drew asked Tess, hoping to move the conversation in another direction.

“I expect she’ll deliver anytime. She’s a small horse, and it’s her first foal, but she should do fine. After supper I plan to check on her, unless you need help on the accounts, Father.”

“No, you check on the mare,” Grant said. “Come back in and help me when you’re satisfied she’s all right. Maybe Drew could look at her, give you his opinion.”

Tess looked at Drew. He could see the hesitancy in her eyes.

“I’d like that, if you can use the company.” Drew wanted nothing more than to share time with her. “Mr. Jericho usually does my therapy right after supper, but I’m sure he can wait a little bit. Right?” He looked to Jericho.

“That is fine with me, Mr. MacLaren.”

They went to the barn right after supper. It took Drew just a few minutes to concur with Tess that the foal could come at any time. “She’s healthy. You’ve done a good job with her. I’d expect a fine foal from her.”

“You really think so?”

“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.”

“No, I guess you wouldn’t.”

Drew watched the light from the lantern she held play over her face. Over the months he’d known her, Drew had seen her scared, timid, determined, angry, resilient, and happy. But tonight he saw sadness. His gut told him he was the cause. Drew wanted to tell her how he felt, how important she was to him, but wasn’t ready to say the words, make a commitment, until he could walk. He reasoned that if he could stand, he could walk, then he could ride. Drew knew she’d wait for him.
Wouldn’t she?
Suddenly he wasn’t so sure. What if she was being courted? Certainly there were men in this town who were attracted to her.

“Well, I guess it’s time to head in. Father needs some help with the accounts and I’m trying to learn as much as I can. Amanda used to do the books, but it’s been up to him since she left.” Tess walked behind Drew’s chair to help him back to the house. “I miss her.”

“I’m sure you do, but I’m pleased for Will. He deserves some happiness after everything he went through, and Amanda’s his perfect match.”

“Will you go back there soon? To Fire Mountain, I mean.”

“Not as soon as I’d like, but yes, I’ll go back.”

“You need any help, Miss Tess?” Jericho called out from the porch.

“No, we’re doing fine, Mr. Jericho,” Drew answered for her. “Guess he’s anxious to put me through some more torture.” He tried for a light tone, but failed.

“Does it hurt much?”

Drew could hear the concern in Tess’s voice.

“No, not really. In fact, I’d welcome pain, the more the better. Anything to tell me my legs are starting to react somehow. But it will happen.” He looked at Tess. “If I have any say in it at all, I will walk again, Tess.”

******

It had been a quiet day. There was nothing to indicate that the menace that had plagued the Bierdan ranch the last couple of weeks was still lying in wait. The men circled the buildings each morning, then rode out in groups of two to four to check cattle and fences. Two men were posted each night as guards. There had been no sign of further danger.

Eloise lowered herself into a chair in the kitchen. Some nights Jeff Burnham would join her to discuss ranch business, but tonight she was alone. She liked the solitude. It gave her a chance to think about her options, about her past.

She laid her head back against the slatted wooden kitchen chair and closed her eyes. It had only been a few years, but Eloise was determined to never go back to the life in the East. The life Gordon Bierdan had rescued her from.

She’d grown up in a home for children, with little education and fewer prospects, but she’d come to the attention of a wealthy woman who’d volunteered at the home. When she was sixteen, the woman had offered her a position in her home, cleaning and working with the children when the governess was not around. Eloise had jumped on the opportunity, and it had been everything and more. They’d let her sit in with the children’s tutor. She learned to dance, and was even allowed to take piano lessons—a thought that would have shocked many in Boston. As long as she was loyal and did her work, the family was willing to help her with what they could.

Gordon had swept into her life five years later. He’d been a guest in her employer’s home. She’d been around him little during his brief stay, but when the time came for him to leave, he’d asked the family for her hand. It had been unexpected, but she’d said yes. It was hard to leave the family but an easy decision to leave Boston.

The trip west had been an education, as had being Gordon’s wife. She was twenty years younger than her husband. At times he treated her more as a daughter than a wife, but he was always kind, generous, and made her feel cherished. She’d had no idea of the vengeful parts of him. Not until it was too late.

Eloise was pulled from her memories by a loud crash in the front of the house, followed by a couple of smaller ones. She sprang from her chair and raced toward the sound of the noise. Glass was everywhere. A broken picture frame lay on the floor. She flew to the entry and grabbed her shotgun before shoving the door open. No one. She moved further onto the front porch, by the steps. She could just make out a rider heading away towards the east.

Shouts erupted from the bunkhouse and several men ran towards the house, pistols drawn. Jeff was the first to arrive, a rifle in his hand.

“Are you all right, Mrs. Bierdan? Did you see anything?” Jeff asked as he came to a stop beside her.

“Yes, I’m fine. I didn’t see anyone specifically, just a man riding away toward the east.”

“Clint, Jay, Stan, mount up. See if you can catch up with him,” Jeff ordered.

“Yes, sir,” the men responded. Clint took an extra moment to glance at Mrs. Bierdan, hesitated a moment, then joined the other two.

Jeff turned to the two who’d been posted as guards. “What the hell happened?”

“I didn’t see anything, Boss. I was making a turn around the barn when I heard the crash,” one of the men responded.

Jeff glared at the second man. “And you?”

He was young, maybe sixteen. His fear that he’d failed was transmitted to Jeff by his wide eyes and shaking hands. “Sorry, Boss. I…”

“Did you see or hear anything?” Jeff asked, his voice low, unhurried, but firm.

“No, Boss, nothing.” The young man hung his head, dejected at his incompetence.

Jeff closed his eyes and shook his head. It’d do no good to chastise the kid. The foreman could see the boy was already doing enough of that himself.

 “Come on, Mrs. Bierdan, let’s check inside. Maybe we can find something that will help us figure out who did this.”

Jeff walked behind her into the house, looking for anything that would help them determine the identity of the rider. He set his rifle aside and followed Eloise into the front room.  It was a mess. Broken glass lay everywhere. It wasn’t just a small rock the rider had thrown into the room but a long piece of lumber and several pieces of what appeared to be discarded horseshoes. Jeff bent down to pick up the wood and turned it over.

“You’d better see this, Mrs. Bierdan.”

She stood by her foreman and read the words burned into the lumber.

Get out or we’ll be back for you.

Eloise gasped and took a step back. Her heart raced as she mentally absorbed the meaning. It was a clear threat, directed at her.

“Must be the men who threatened Clint and Jay. Don’t know of anyone else who’d do something like this. Unless it’s that man you met with from Denver. MacLaren?”

“No, I’m certain this isn’t the way he operates. He’s a businessman, not a thug.” Eloise responded. She’d spent enough time with the Taylor’s over the past weeks to learn a great deal about the MacLaren family. This didn’t fit with what she’d learned.

“As soon as the men return I’ll send a couple of them to town to get Sheriff Alts. He needs to know what’s happened,” Jeff said. He’d go along with her judgment on MacLaren, for now, but he wasn’t willing to take a chance on Eloise’s life by ruling anyone out. “Don’t move anything until he’s had a chance to look around.”

Chapter Eight

Frank Alts looked around at the damage and re-read the note burned into the wood. He knew in his gut who was most likely behind the attacks, the vandalism, but he needed proof.

“You see anything at all, Mrs. Bierdan?” Frank asked.

“No. I was in the kitchen when I heard the crash. By the time I got outside whoever did it was riding out. It was too dark and he was too far away for me to see anything more.” But she sure wished she had.

“Jeff, you or your men see anything?”

“Nothing. We were in the bunkhouse. Mrs. Bierdan was outside by the time we made it to the house.”

“You both think it could be one of the same men who attacked Clint and Jay?”

“That’d be our guess, Sheriff.” Eloise replied.

“Unless it’s that MacLaren fellow who came here earlier today.” Eloise’s head swung up to Jeff’s at his comment.

Frank appeared to consider the possibility for a moment before replying. “Doesn’t sound like anything MacLaren would do, Jeff. I know the MacLaren men, worked with Jamie MacLaren in the Marshal Service. This isn’t their style.” He knew for a fact it wasn’t Drew, or Louis Dunnigan, but remained quiet about his connection to the Denver businessman.

“We’re looking for the men Clint and Jay described. They’ll turn up somewhere, sometime. No one can stay invisible for long. Mrs. Bierdan, I want you to be especially vigilant. Don’t go anywhere alone and make sure you’re armed. You do know how to handle a rifle or handgun, right?”

Eloise gave him a scathing look. “Of course I can handle a gun, Sheriff. That was one of the first things Gordon taught me when we married.” The thought of her dead husband caused a dull ache in the area of her heart, not because of her love for him, but because of the damage he’d caused. “But I understand what you’re saying and won’t intentionally make myself a target.”

Frank’s eyes narrowed on the pretty widow. She had spunk, he’d give her that, but did she have the common sense to keep herself out of harm’s way or kill a man if he came at her? He’d have to wait and see.

“I better get going.”

“I’ll walk out with you, Sheriff,” Jeff said and followed Frank outside.

“Keep an eye on her, Jeff. She’s determined that no one’s going to take the ranch from her, no matter the consequences, and that kind of thinking can get her killed.”

“Understood. I’ll split up the boys so one group is always available to keep watch on her and the ranch. Wish she could afford more men, but I know she’s at her limit. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks.” Jeff turned his gaze from the sheriff to check out their surroundings. There were enough trees around the property to provide cover to anyone who wanted to lie in wait. He only had ten men, including himself, and that just wasn’t enough for what they were up against. He hoped his decision to stay put and support Mrs. Bierdan wasn’t a bad one. Jeff had no intention of dying in this southwest Colorado town.