The Kissing Stars (13 page)

Tess shot him a chiding look. “You have the saying wrong. It’s ‘can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.’”

“Whatever. All I’m saying is…” His sentence trailed off when something else grabbed his attention. Sitting up straighter, he pointed east and asked, “Is that a train or a brush fire?”

Tess’s gaze followed the path he indicated. A line of hazy white smoke floated against the horizon. “It’s the train. With the land as flat as it is, you can see it coming for a long way.”

“I see it coming in my nightmares,” Colonel Wilhoit commented, his tone bitter and his face screwed up in a scowl.

“Now, let’s not get into that, Jasper,” Twinkle said, patting his knee. “It’ll just get us all worked up and that’s not the kind of attitude we need to be taking to town. Not after what happened a couple months ago.”

Gabe asked, “What happened?”

“The colonel indulged in fisticuffs with the owner of the barbershop, that’s what.” Amy sniffed with disdain. “Mr. Wilson is a good twenty years younger than he is.”

“I held my own, though, you must admit.”

Andrew nodded. “You dusted his knuckles, Colonel. I was right proud for you. But Twinkle is right. We don’t need any trouble this trip to town. Probably would have been better if some of us stayed home this time, but I know we all have business in town today. Now, I like a good fight as much as the next man, but we should keep in mind that we’re pressing our luck with the law in Eagle Gulch.”

“Why did you fight?” Gabe asked, eyeing the colonel’s scowl with interest. “I take it had something to do with the railroad?”

“You know how T&NO wants to build a spur across the flats near Aurora Springs?” Tess asked him softly. In order to avoid an escalating scene, she considered it best to deal with this topic quickly and quietly. “There is some question about whether the coming of the railroad might drive the stars away. Tempers have run a little hot in the past over the subject.”

Gabe glanced toward the east where the puffs of locomotive smoke grew closer every minute. “That’s why your Doc is a suspect in this sabotage they talked about. What are they—”

Tess interrupted when she saw Colonel Wilhoit cock an ear their direction. “Please, can we put this off until the trip home? I promise I’ll explain everything then.”

Gabe twisted his lips and considered. “Only if y’all stop and let me out on the edge of Eagle Gulch. It would ruin my reputation to be seen driving into town with a pork chop in my lap.”

Tess offered him a smile as sweet as sugar on the cane. “Her name is Rosie and she’s riding in the supply wagon. I think on the trip home, you and she should switch places.”

Gabe playfully narrowed his gaze. “Is that a roundabout way of calling me a pig, woman?”

“If the snout fits, Gabe.”

The Aurorians riding inside the stagecoach then commenced making snorting sounds.

WHEN THE coach paused on the outskirts of town, Gabe bid the Aurorians a “See you later” and hopped over the side intending to go the rest of the way afoot. He’d used Pork Ribs Rosie as an excuse, but in truth he hoped to ask around about the railroad vandalism before townsfolks connected him to Aurora Springs.

First off however, his agenda included a stop at the bath house for a soak and a shave, then a visit to the café for a platter full of bacon and sausage to go with his fried eggs. “Might even get a slice of ham or two,” he mused aloud. After that he intended to look up the sheriff here in town and dip his boot into this railroad trouble, test the waters a bit.

An hour later he was halfway through a stack of bacon and pondering the piece of sausage on the end of his fork, wondering why it didn’t taste as good as he’d expected, when he overheard a woman seated at the table behind him mention Aurora Springs.

“…folks cause nothing but trouble when they come to town.”

“At least Doc isn’t with them this time,” a male voice replied. “They’re all half a bubble off plumb, but the doctor is the one who truly gets violent. Why, I’ve never seen such an overprotective male. All a man had to do was look crossways at that pretty little Mrs. Cameron and the fella was ready to fight.”

“I know. He did two hundred dollars damage in the mercantile when he dusted the floor with Johnny Wainwright last spring. I hear Sheriff Marston and the Texas Rangers are looking for him. I hear he’s the one who started that fire up along the Aurora spur last month.”

“That’s Lizard Johnson talking. Do you believe him? I was with my Nellie over to the livery right before I came in here. She up and asked Mrs. Cameron if Doc was guilty. The woman denied it, and I’m inclined to take her word over Lizard’s any day.”

“A pretty face always fools you.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re so ugly, ain’t it?”

Gabe ate the sausage, chewing slowly as he pondered that bit of news. Doc was protective of Tess, hmm? Protective to the point of violence? As soon as he finished his breakfast, he figured to head over to the barbershop and get in line to get his ears lowered. Experience had taught him that barbershops provided better information than saloons. That’s where he’d start his behind-the-scenes investigation into good ol’ Doc and the railroad shenanigans.

At that moment, the saloon doors swung open to reveal a new visitor, and all thought of Doc and haircuts disappeared from Gabe’s mind. “Mack?”

Mack Hunter strolled into the café like he owned it. “Hey, Whip. I figured I’d find you either eatin’ or cheatin’ at cards. Guess you haven’t made it as far as the poker table yet.” Motioning to a pair of men seated at the table nearest the door, he said, “Just a warning, folks, but I wouldn’t recommend dealing cards with this shark. He actually plays fair, he just wins so much it makes you think he must be cheating.”

“What are you doing here?” Gabe asked, dropping his fork onto his plate. He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “You told me you wouldn’t make this trip for all the bad whiskey in a Hell’s Half Acre saloon.”

“Speaking of which…” Mack turned to the waitress. “Can I get a whiskey here or do I need to go to the saloon for that?”

The woman provided him with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey which he took to Gabe’s table. He poured them both a drink then sipped his with a sigh. “I’m not here by choice. Jared sent me.”

Gabe lifted a brow. “Looking for me?”

Mack tugged an empty chair closer and propped up his boots. “And I have a letter for you from him. I thought I’d have to travel to this Aurora place to deliver it, so when I spied that Sparkle woman I met in Dallas down the street and she told me you were here, I was right pleased as a pig in slop.”

Gabe lifted his hand, palm out. “Don’t bring up pigs. Or camels for that matter. And it’s Twinkle, not Sparkle. Tell me why you’ve come.”

Mack scowled, took a sip of his whiskey, then said glumly, “Actually, I’m just passing through on way west. Jared has loaned my services to the T&NO Railroad. Their people have hit a wall trying to flush out a gang of train robbers causing havoc in these parts. Since I was going to be in the neighborhood and Jared had a letter to send you, we decided I should deliver it in person.” Eyeing Gabe’s plate he added, “Are you going to eat all that bacon?”

“Help yourself.” Gabe pushed his plate toward his friend.

Mack helped himself to two slices. “So, tell me what is up with you? Did you find your runaway wife?”

“I found her.”

“So what’s the story?”

“You know, I’ve been here for a while now, and I guess I’m still not certain.”

Mack gave him a measuring stare. “That doesn’t sound like you, my friend.”

Gabe had to agree. Seeing Mack again caused him to recall the sense of urgency that had gripped him in Dallas to hash out the past with Tess. Funny how that feeling had faded. Reckon that proved physical demands beat mental compulsions hands down. Uncomfortable with that thought, he asked his friend for the letter.

Mack slipped a hand inside his jacket and removed an envelope from the inner pocket. He tossed it to Gabe.

Recognizing his boss’ distinctive scrawl, Gabe experienced a sudden and surprising sense of dismay. He eyed the letter like a bowl of cold grits. If Jared had summoned him back to work, what would he do?

He wasn’t ready to leave Tess.

He picked up the missive and started to read. “He says there’s a letter from the governor?”

Mack removed a second paper from his pocket “He told me to give you his first.”

Gabe nodded. Apparently the governor had made a request of Gabe, and Jared wanted to reassure him that whatever his decision, he always had a job with the Brazos Valley Rail Company. The railroad owner also devoted a paragraph to scolding him for running off without providing the low-down on the pig-racing beauty. That was only to be expected. Jared was a nosey sonofabitch.

Gabe held out his hand and wiggled his fingers for Mack to hand over the governor’s letter. What he read ignited a spark of excitement inside him. “He wants me to report to Austin after the first of the year,” he told an obviously curious Mack. “He’s offered me the task of designing legislation to revamp the Texas Rangers, then sell the new plan to the state legislature.”

“Well that job should suit you like a broke-in pair of denims. You’ve been griping about the Rangers for years.”

“Not the Rangers themselves,” he protested. Then, recalling the captain come a-courting to Tess, he added, “Not all of them, anyway. It’s the organizational structure of the corps that is the problem. Times have changed. The Indian wars are over. Texas is heading into a new century with new problems and a population that continues to grow. Its institutions need to recognize the world has changed.”

“You don’t have to lecture me, Montana. I’ve never argued with you on this subject, have I?”

“Yes, you have. You resist change like Tess’s pig resists the skillet.”

A grin split Mack’s face. “And how is the fleet porker? You turned her into barbeque, yet?”

“Careful, there, Hunter. Your northern roots are showing. Texans barbeque beef, not pork. We pan-fry pork.”

“And how about the pig’s protectress? Have you put her on to sizzle, yet, my friend? That’s the question that truly brought me out here, you know. I might have talked my way out of this job for the T&NO if I weren’t dying of curiosity about your wife.”

Gabe eyed his friend, then purposely glanced back down at the letter. “The governor says he thinks I’m the perfect choice to tackle this task because of the notoriety the schoolhouse incident gave me, and the fact I’ve been stringent in my charge that the Rangers have allowed incompetent agents into its ranks in recent years.”

“I get the distinct impression you are trying to avoid talking about the lady.”

“I’m not answering the question you asked, no.”

“Still pretending to be a gentleman, I see.”

Gabe gave his friend a pointed stare. Mack was a rogue of the first water, and he’d long taken much pleasure in needling Gabe over his discretion where the women in his life were concerned Mack never knew the reasons behind Gabe’s reticence—at least, not until now.

Gabe might have left Tess physically, but mentally she’d remained right there with him. As a result, whenever he’d taken a woman to his bed, he’d made love to a memory. Using women that way shamed him, and he tended to avoid the exercise except when his body got the better of him. Mack being Mack, had long questioned Gabe’s reluctance to take advantage of the amorous opportunities that came his way. He’d dubbed his partner’s behavior “gentlemanly.” Gabe never bothered to correct him.

“So,” Mack continued. “What do you think about Governor Ross’s proposition? You ready to dismantle the Texas Rangers?”

Gabe tossed the letter onto the table and shook his head. “I wouldn’t think of it. The Rangers still have a place in the law enforcement hierarchy in this state. But like I said, times have changed. The frontier is disappearing. Our citizens have different needs than they did twenty years ago.”

“So you’re gonna take the job?”

Gabe thought of Tess. He couldn’t float along forever. Hell, except for his goal of bedding his wife, he’d had about as much purpose of late as those damned stars of hers. The governor didn’t want him in Austin for another three months. By then, he and Tess surely will have worked something out. Either that or all this pent-up sexual frustration will have driven him crazier than even the Aurorians. “Guess I’ll have to get around to asking the rest of those questions.”

“What questions?”

“Never mind. Yes, I’ll take the job. It’ll be good for me.”

“It’ll be good for Texas,” Mack replied seriously. “You’ll do the state more good doing this than by bringing in train robbers and other nefarious outlaws.”

Gabe shrugged, then asked Mack about the gang of robbers he’d traveled this far to apprehend. They discussed the string of robberies taking place for a time and then, when Mack mentioned vandalism, Gabe’s ears perked up. “That’s been happening not far from here,” Mack said. “You know anything about it?”

“Not really.” Gabe relayed the little he knew about the storage shed fire and Captain Robards’s accusation.

Mack nodded. “I was told about the fire and a few other instances of trouble.”

“What other trouble?”

“Minor things for the most part. Tool theft, malicious pranks. I dismissed them as having anything to do with my robbers. They told me the ranchers in this area blame that mischief on a religious sect who’ve made a home out in the desert.”

“The Aurorians aren’t a religious sect,” Gabe corrected.

“Well, all I know is that the ranchers accuse these folks because they recently waged and lost a legal battle against the T&NO to prevent the building of the spur. Seems they feared the railroad would interfere with whatever it is they are doing out there in the desert.”

“Actually, it’s a pretty little canyon.” Gabe murmured. He recalled Tess’s question to Twinkle and the older woman’s response his first day in Aurora Springs. Tess had asked Twinkle what she’d done now. Twinkle replied she hadn’t done anything wrong
this time
. “Well, hell.”

“Well, hell what Whip? Are they guilty?”