Tomorrow's Garden (31 page)

The house had come alive the moment Lawrence entered. What had been an ordinary evening listening to Karl speak of crops had become extraordinary, all because Lawrence was there. Though Karl had made no secret of his displeasure, Harriet could only praise Lawrence’s decision not to bring Thomas back to Ladreville. The fewer people who knew that the fire had been set out of deliberate malice toward her, the better, for there was no telling how the townspeople might react. But this way, no one would know. Her family could continue to build a life here, a life free from scandal, free from pity. Thanks to Lawrence.

That was good, but what made the evening extra special was the way Lawrence had looked at her when they’d said good night. His eyes had sparkled with warmth, his lips had curved in the sweetest of smiles, and for an instant, she had thought he might kiss her again. If only he had, the evening would have been perfect.

Harriet giggled again, feeling like a schoolgirl infatuated with the most handsome boy in the class. It was silly, of course, to entertain dreams of a future with Lawrence. Even though he seemed to care for her and her family, it was a long way from caring to accepting responsibility for raising five children. Still, Harriet could not forget how wonderful it had felt to be held in his arms, to have his lips on hers. Surely it wasn’t wrong to want another kiss. Just one more.

“What’s wrong?” Though the evening was cool when Lawrence arrived at the Lazy B, Zach was sitting on the porch, a lantern by his side, apparently waiting for him.

“What made you think something was wrong?”

Lawrence’s antennae quivered. There was more here than met the eye. Zach had his hat tipped over his face. That in itself was odd, since the sun had long since set. And then there was his voice. The rancher sounded as if he were struggling to contain mirth. Something was going on, but Lawrence had no idea what it was.

“What made me think something was wrong? How about your note?” Lawrence was tired. That was bad enough, but finding Karl at the Kirk household had made him cranky, and so he laced his words with more sarcasm than he might have ordinarily. “You said you needed to see me and that it was important. What else was I supposed to think?”

Zach rose, pushing his hat back so he could look directly at Lawrence. “You spent too many years as a Ranger, my friend. Not all news is bad.”

“Then there hasn’t been more rustling?”

“Nope.”

“And no one poisoned the well?”

“Not only that, but no more buildings have burned, and no one stole the silver.” Zach appeared to be enjoying himself.

“So, why did you want to see me?”

The dark-haired man grinned as he opened the door and strode inside, leaving Lawrence to follow him. When they were both inside, he turned and grinned again. “I’m going to be a father.”

“You are?” Lawrence heard the incredulity in his voice. As he had ridden to the ranch, he had imagined half a dozen reasons why Zach might have summoned him. Fatherhood was not one of them.

“That’s what Priscilla tells me, and she ought to know.”

Zach a father. That was an even better announcement than Sterling’s love for Ruth. “Papa Zach. It’s got a nice ring to it.” Lawrence clapped his friend on the back before wrinkling his nose in feigned concern. “I sure hope your children look like Priscilla. It would be a crying shame to see them saddled with your ugly mug.”

“And I thought you were my friend.” Undaunted by the teasing, Zach headed toward the kitchen. “Let’s have a drink to celebrate. Take a seat.” Zach gestured toward the table. “If you thought you were getting whiskey, I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you. You have your choice of coffee or buttermilk.”

Harriet would approve. Lawrence chuckled in amazement that almost every thought led back to her. Even when he’d fancied himself in love with Priscilla, she hadn’t dominated his thoughts the way Harriet did. “I’m not disappointed. I’ll take the coffee.” Perhaps that would clear his head. When Zach poured them each a cup, Lawrence raised his. “Here’s to your son . . . or daughter.”

An hour and three cups of coffee later, he rose, suddenly aware that he hadn’t seen Priscilla. It was a measure of how much he’d changed that he could come to the house he had once associated only with Priscilla and not have his first thoughts be of her.

“Where’s the mother-to-be? I want to congratulate her.”

“She was called out tonight. Another baby.” Zach’s pride in his wife’s profession was apparent. “The town is growing.”

“That’s good news. It means they’ll continue to need me.”

Zach gave him an appraising look. “So, you decided to stay?” When Lawrence nodded, Zach reached for the coffeepot. “That’s cause for more celebration.”

It was close to midnight before Lawrence left the Lazy B, his fatigue masked by the quantity of coffee he’d consumed. When he reached the main road, he looked both directions. It was a reflex action, the result of his time as a Ranger, when he had learned the importance of being aware of his surroundings. Though Lawrence doubted there was anyone lurking behind a tree, waiting to ambush him on the way back to Ladreville, this was one habit he would not discard.

To his surprise, he saw a rider approaching rapidly from the south. Lawrence reined in Snip, wondering who was out at this hour of the night. The only houses in that direction were Clay’s Bar C ranch and the Friedrich farm. Given the rider’s speed, it must be Clay, heading into town to see a patient. Lawrence waited. He’d ride with Clay.

“Clay!” he called as the horseman approached. Though it was difficult to be sure in this light, it appeared that the horse was Clay’s gray. But instead of waving, the rider hesitated a second, then turned around and began to gallop south. Whoever the rider was, he was not Clay. Lawrence’s pulse accelerated as his instincts took over, telling him something was wrong, that these were not the actions of an innocent man. Snip needed no urging. A second later, they were in pursuit. The horseman had no chance. Only very few could outrun Snip, and the fugitive was not one of them.

As he pulled alongside the gray stallion, Lawrence reached over and grabbed the reins, and as he did, he stared at the rider, astonished. Though he had considered the possibility that the suspicious-acting man might be someone from Ladreville, he was not prepared for his identity.

“Jake! What you are you doing out at this time of the night?” It was difficult to imagine an innocent explanation.

“Nothing. Just taking a ride.”

It was a blatant lie. The way Jake refused to meet his eyes told Lawrence that, as did the fact that only a person with something to hide would have fled. “Does Harriet know you’re out?”

“She doesn’t need to know everything I do.”

It was as Lawrence had surmised. Jake had been up to no good. “You want to tell me where you were?”

“Why should I?” His tone was defiant, definitely not the voice of someone taking a harmless midnight ride.

Lawrence kept his own voice even as he said, “You know the answer to that, Jake. I’m the sheriff. It’s my job to know what’s going on in my town.”

“Nothing’s going on.”

Another lie, although perhaps not a total lie. While it was possible that nothing was going on at this particular moment, Lawrence’s instincts told him that something undesirable had indeed happened and that Jake was responsible. He gave the boy a long look before he said, “If that’s true, you won’t mind paying a visit to the Friedrich farm, will you?” Knowing Jake’s dislike of Karl, that was the logical place he would have gone tonight if he were bent on mischief.

“They’re asleep.”

Lawrence nodded as his suspicions were confirmed. “So you were there. That’s the only way you’d know that.”

“I didn’t say I was there.” Jake’s voice rose in what years of experience had taught Lawrence was another sign of guilt. “At this time of night, most folks are asleep.”

And that, Lawrence knew, was why Jake had chosen this time to be out. Had it not been for Zach’s announcement, Lawrence himself would have been asleep, unaware of Jake’s presence on this side of the river. “You’re not asleep,” he pointed out, “and that concerns me. I want to check on the Friedrichs.”

“No!” Jake grabbed the reins and tried to wrest them from Lawrence’s grip, grunting when he failed. The boy was as guilty as sin.

“What did you do?” He wouldn’t ask why, not now. For the moment what was important was learning what had transpired at the Friedrich farm.

Jake stared into the distance, refusing to meet Lawrence’s gaze. “Nothing more than he deserved.”

A wave of anger rushed through Lawrence. Jake sounded like Thomas Bruckner and the vast majority of culprits he had apprehended. Whatever happened, it was never their fault. Their victims had brought it on themselves, or so the miscreants wanted to believe. Lawrence had thought Jake was different, that he had learned a lesson as he’d worked to pay for the damage he’d inflicted on Karl’s buggy. But Lawrence had been wrong. Jake had learned nothing.

When they reached the Friedrich farm, instead of the darkness Jake had predicted, light shone from the barn. A second later, Karl emerged. “You! I knew it was you. When I heard a horse, I came out, but I was too late to catch you.” His face contorted with fury, Karl hauled Jake from the horse and began to pummel him. “You miserable cur!” he shouted as his fist connected with Jake’s nose. “You’ve hurt me for the last time!”

Lawrence leapt from Snip and grabbed Karl, dragging him from the boy. “That’s enough, Karl. Remember, I’m the sheriff.”

“And this ruffian destroyed my barn. Look.” Through the open door, Lawrence could see the damage Jake had wrought. Bales of hay were coated with muck; the tack was slit beyond repair; only the animals were unharmed.

“Look at what he did! He’s got to pay.” Lawrence was surprised that Karl’s shouts hadn’t wakened his parents. As it was, the horses inside the barn moved restively, and Jake’s mount pawed the ground.

“He will pay.” Lawrence pulled the handcuffs from his belt and fastened them around Jake’s wrists, not bothering to be gentle. Jake didn’t deserve gentleness or kindness. He deserved . . . Lawrence wasn’t certain what he deserved. What the boy had done was criminal. He’d destroyed Karl’s property. But, more than that, he had destroyed Lawrence’s faith in him. He’d thought Jake had changed, but he hadn’t. The feeling of betrayal that surged through him made Lawrence want to pummel Jake the way Karl had. He’d tried to help, and this was how he was repaid. Bile rose to Lawrence’s throat as he considered the possibility that Jake might wind up like Bruckner, a man without a conscience who took what he thought should be his. How would that affect Harriet? That was one thought Lawrence did not want to entertain.

“What are you going to do?” Jake asked when Lawrence had hoisted him back onto the horse and they’d left the Friedrich farm. His tone, Lawrence noted, was less defiant. Unfortunately, it was too late.

“What I should have done the first time you damaged Herr Friedrich’s property: put you in jail. We’ll see what the judge has to say when he comes through.”

“But that won’t be for months.” There was no doubt about it. Jake was scared. Good. Maybe this time he
would
learn a lesson.

His own anger undiminished, Lawrence glared at the boy. “You should have thought of that before you wrecked the Friedrichs’ barn.”

Harriet bolted upright as the sound was repeated, banishing sleep. Why was someone knocking on the door? She fumbled on the table, searching for her spectacles. Once they were in place, she thrust her feet into slippers, reached for her dressing gown, then padded down the stairs.

The knocking continued, and with each rap, Harriet’s heart beat faster. Whoever it was, he wasn’t going to leave, and that could only mean bad news. With hands that shook so much she could barely strike a match, Harriet lit a lamp before she cracked the door open. Light might not change the news, but at least she could see the messenger.

“Lawrence!” Her heart skipped a beat at his foreboding expression. “What’s wrong? Did Thomas escape?” That was the only reason she could imagine Lawrence coming to her house in the middle of the night. If Thomas was loose, he would want to protect her.