Wicked Wyoming Nights (25 page)

“Stop it right this minute, both of you,” Eliza cried, mortified. “Don’t pay him any attention, Lucy. He’s only teasing you.”

“Lucy’s right,” Cord said, shamelessly taking Eliza into his firm embrace. “There’s not another woman in the whole world to compare with you.” Eliza blushed again, but Lucy positively melted.

“You should get married right away. Then …” Lucy winked wickedly at Cord.

“Lucy!” exclaimed Eliza, breaking out of Cord’s embrace.

“
Then
your uncle would have nothing to say. He seems like a nice man,” she said, gesturing to Cord. “So good-looking with his big muscles and dark, brooding eyes,” Eliza flushed again. “In New York the girls would eat him up.”

“Do you think you could leave me to broach the subject in my own time?” Cord asked, amused in spite of himself.

“You’re too slow,” Lucy informed him candidly. “If you don’t make up your mind soon, Miss Eliza will be an old maid. Now I’ll get lunch.” She bustled out leaving a mortified Eliza alone with Cord.

“If you dare say one word,” Eliza managed to say while keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the carpet, “I shall go to my room and not come out until you’re gone.” Cord sighed. This was definitely not the time to ask Eliza to set the date.

“I promise to discuss nothing more important than Mrs. Burton’s Christmas party. Now lift your eyes from the carpet. It’s not polite to eat lunch without even looking at your companion.”

“You’re staying?”

“I think Lucy invited me, unless you mean to rescind the invitation.”

“No.”

“Good. I would take it unkindly if I had to ride all the way to the Matador on an empty stomach.”

Chapter 18

Eliza was too upset to eat. The noise coming from the saloon had been growing all morning, and her feeling of uneasiness along with it. A homesteader who lived some distance from Buffalo had been found dead the day before, his wagon hidden in a gully and his horses shot, and the town was in an ugly mood. Even worse in everyone’s mind, the wagon was loaded with Christmas presents for his children, including a little dog that was whining pitifully when the wagon was discovered. Lucy told her the body had been found on a road running just beyond the westernmost edge of Cord’s range, and some of the men were making nasty accusations.

“And your uncle is the loudest among them, blast his wicked hide,” said Ella Baylis, who came to visit just as Lucy was clearing away the dishes. “That man has fed on his dislike of Cord until it has grown into a sickness.”

“Do the other men believe him?” asked Eliza apprehensively.

“I can’t tell. What do you think, Lucy?”

“I didn’t hang about, but it seems to me they’re acting like a bunch of dogs growling over a bone for the pleasure of it.” She stacked the last dish on her tray and left.

“She’s probably right,” said Ella. “There’s not much going on this time of year, and with everyone in town since Thanksgiving, it’s only to be expected they would worry any bit of excitement to death.”

“It still bothers me,” Eliza said. “Every time something happens, they try to blame it on Cord.”

“Most of them would prefer to blame it on the Association—it’s big and impersonal and they can damn it with a free conscience—but it’s your uncle who keeps shoving Cord down their throats”

“I’ve tried to talk to him, but he won’t listen. Croley laughs and says he isn’t hurting anything, to let him alone and he’ll finally calm down, but he hasn’t. He’s actually gotten worse. And I think Croley encourages him, though I can’t understand why.”

“Does he know about you and Cord?”

“There’s really nothing to know.” Eliza blushed fiercely. She had kept her engagement a secret from Ella for so long she was afraid to tell her now.

“You’re still seeing him, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then there’s plenty to know. If your uncle thought you were about to marry Cord, he’d go after him with a shotgun.”

“That’s why I begged you to keep his presents over at your house.”

“You’d better come get them soon,” said Ella with a sudden laugh. “If I look at that mink one more time, I’m going to wear it myself.”

“Please do,” Eliza said, but her words lacked any ring of truth.

“Don’t be absurd, child. That little thing might fit around you, but it would be more likely to choke me. It’s those pearl earrings that are in real danger.”

“Wear them. I can’t.”

“Why not? Nobody would notice a little thing like that.”

“Uncle would. If he doesn’t remember buying it, he demands to know where I got it.”

“Forget about your uncle. Who knows, maybe you won’t be living here much longer.”

Eliza lowered her eyes in embarrassment. She could never get used to Ella’s bluntly stated hopes that she and Cord would soon get married. “Uncle would dislike it so much.”

“When are you going to forget about your uncle? Ira isn’t going to like it no matter when you tell him. You wouldn’t let him keep you from marrying Cord, would you?” Ella demanded sternly.

“No.”

The noise from below increased suddenly, and Ella had to raise her voice. “You wait until I see that boy. It’s about time someone asked him if he means to wait until you’re too old to do anything but hold hands.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I certainly would. No point in waiting for a man to come to the point when a little push will do the trick.”

“Why should he be afraid?”

“They say once burned is twice shy.”

“What do you mean by mat?”

“Only that Cord was badly burned by Eugenia Orr, and maybe he needs a little shove to realize he’s dealing with a different kind of cat this time.” The noise from downstairs wasn’t so loud now, but it seemed to be broader, like a subterranean buzzing.

“How can you refer to a woman as a cat?” Eliza giggled. She knew all about Eugenia.

“All women are cats. Some are wildcats, some lap cats, others ordinary tabbies. Then, of course, there’s Lavinia’s alley cats. There’s nothing wrong with being a cat as long as you’re the right kind.”

“And what kind am I?”

“A pussycat. You let everybody run over you.”

“What are men?” Eliza asked, curious.

“Dogs, with wolves and coyotes thrown in for good measure.”

“I guess that’s why the two sexes have so much trouble getting along.”

“They’d get along fine if they could just agree on what’s important. Men are always worried about how they look in other men’s eyes. That’s what that crowd’s doing downstairs. Everything’s got to be their way, or they’re ready to fight. Women would never be so silly. Maybe we’d pull a little hair, but we’d work out a compromise and get on with the business of living. We don’t believe in killing, especially not over something as senseless as cows.”

“Do you think Cord’s like that?”

“He’s worse than any of them. He’s so stuffed full of courage and honor he’s bound to get himself shot in the back if some gal doesn’t talk some sense into him. Melissa would only encourage him to buy more cows and take over more land. You owe it to him to save him from himself.”

“You make him Bound defenseless.”

“All men are, especially against a conniving woman. They can’t see half what a woman can with her eyes closed. Why, any one of us could have told you what Eugenia Orr was going to do. That girl was rotten to the core, but Cord would have killed the first man who dared say a word against her. Women aren’t so stupid. We know our men aren’t perfect, but we accept them as we find them. Men get all caught up in their ideals, and they get fighting mad when anything threatens to blow it up in their faces.”

Lucy came hurrying into the room. “They’ve found another man dead, somewhere on the road that runs along the south edge of Mr. Stedman’s range, and the whole crowd is about to go crazy.”

“Who was it?” demanded Ella.

The young Frater boy.”

“Oh, Lord, that’s Simon, and him about to be married.”

“They say his brother is over at the sheriff’s office calling for somebody’s blood.”

Abruptly, the noise from below grew louder, with shouts punctuating the din, and then it subsided once more.

“There’s bound to be trouble now,” said Ella, genuinely worried. “They’re still talking about the attack on Lem and Bucky, and that was nearly two months ago. Now there’s two more killed.” She shook her head. “I should have known it wouldn’t stop with those killings over at Newcastle. Sooner or later it had to end up here. I don’t know where it’s going to stop.”

Ira burst into the room, stopped abruptly when he came face to face with the three women, then turned to Eliza, his face warped by anger.

“You’re damned cowboy friend has gotten himself in a mess he can’t get out of this time.”

“Stop talking foolishness,” Ella commanded impatiently. “If you know something, tell us. And don’t give me any of your wild imaginings.”

“It’s no use defending him now. This time it’s too obvious for anyone to ignore.”

“What’s too obvious?” Ella snapped testily.

“Both the men were shot in the back, and both were killed on his land.”

“Lucy said Simon was found on Red Creek Road. It runs to the South of the Matador.”

“It’s just over the ridge, so close Stedman could have picked him off without ever leaving his own land. It’s as clear as daylight it’s Stedman. Everybody knows he’s the best shot around here.”

“You’ve got no proof? Eliza said, badly frightened. “Just because Mr. Stedman can shoot doesn’t mean he did it.”

“I know he can do no wrong in your eyes, but for once what you think doesn’t matter.”

“I happen to think rather highly of Cord Stedman myself,” Ella stated majestically, “and I
dare
you, Ira Smallwood, to tell me that what I think doesn’t matter.”

Ira was considerably worked up, but not enough to brave Ella’s wrath. “Even the sheriff thinks it looks suspicious.”

“And I’ve no doubt Croley Blaine agrees with him.”

“Croley’s not for rushing into things, but he minks we ought to see what’s been going on at the Matador.”

“Nothing has been going on,” Eliza insisted, “and you won’t find anything either.”

“I’ve no doubt his cowhands would lie to cover for their boss, but he’s gone too far this time.” Ira headed toward his room.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to get my guns so I’ll be ready when they decide to go after him.”

“Don’t be a fool,” Ella said. “You can’t take the law into your own hands, not even if you have proof?” But Ira disappeared into his room, and moments later the women could hear him going through his drawers and closets in search of guns and ammunition.

“What are we going to do?” Eliza asked.

“Nothing,” Ella stated flatly. “There’s nothing we can do. I’ll own myself surprised if the sheriff lets these hotheads get out of town, but if he does, there’s nothing you or I can do to stop them.”

“But what about Cord? Somebody has to warn him.”

“Don’t you worry about Cord. He can take care of himself. Ira’s right about one thing. It would take the whole army regiment from the fort to get past his cowboys.”

“Don’t wait dinner,” Ira said to Lucy as he reentered the room, his hat on his head and a gun belt around his waist. “Maybe none of us will be back before tomorrow. You’re to sing just like nothing has happened,” he told Eliza and was gone before she could protest.

“I’m going to see what’s going on,” Ella said, heaving herself out of a deep chair. “And don’t you leave this room, Eliza Smallwood, especially not to go down to that saloon. There probably won’t be any trouble to speak of, but with the boys getting this riled up, there’s bound to be a lot of drinking, too much for some people. Then they get into fights and start shooting up things. It won’t do for you to be seen.”

“But I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

“Lucy, you keep an eye on this foolish girl. More people have gotten hurt because some silly female, with no idea in the world of how a cowboy’s mind works, thought she could settle a dispute if she could just get them to talk about it. The sooner you learn that out here men are most apt to talk with guns first and tongues second, the sooner you’ll stay inside and leave well enough alone. They’re mostly blowing off steam, but it won’t do to put a match to it.” Ella put on her coat for it was early, December and a bitter wind was blowing. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

Eliza sank back into her chair, her stricken countenance ashen, her eyes wide and staring. Lucy watched her out of the corner of her eyes, wishing there were something she could say to comfort her. Angry men seldom took thought for the consequences of their actions; it was left to the women to wait and weep.

Lucy hadn’t been gone ten minutes to check on dinner when Eliza stuck her head out of the door; seeing no one, she walked quickly down the narrow hall leading to the back of the saloon, tiptoed down the stairs, eased out the back door, and hurried to the stable where her uncle rented horses. A surly lad of fifteen opened the stable door.