Catch Me a Cowboy (31 page)

She stared at Billy as if he was crazy as the townsfolk. “What difference does it make which Cates? Beauregard Cates. His brother.” She glanced over at the brass dedication plaque with its dark, engraved letters. “Or William Cates. I’m not marrying any—” She stopped midsentence, and her eyes traveled back to the plaque.

Billy’s hand tightened on her arm. “Shirlene, you need to listen to me for a second.”

But Shirlene wasn’t listening. Her mind was too busy trying to piece things together. It only took a second.

“Cates,” she breathed. “Moses was right. It couldn’t be just a coincidence. Which means that Dalton Oil was bought out by the descendants of a man who was killed right here in Bramble.” Her eyes narrowed. “But why? Why would the Cates brothers want to own something with such bad history?”

Since there was only one person who would have the answers, Shirlene pulled her phone from the pocket of her cut-offs and searched for the number she’d put in her phone before leaving Mr. Peabody’s office. Billy released her arm and took a step back, but she barely noticed as she pushed the button. As it started to ring, she prepared the questions she wanted to ask in her head, questions about why Mr. Cates had come to Bramble and why he
had bought out the bank and evicted her from her home. She figured she knew the answer to that one. She had a Colt Peacemaker to prove it.

She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that it took her a moment to realize that Billy’s phone was ringing. She might’ve thought it was a coincidence if it hadn’t stopped at the same time that Mr. Cates’s voicemail picked up—and if she hadn’t looked up into a pair of eyes that held so much sadness it took her breath away.

With her gaze pinned to his, she hung up and pressed the button again. The ringing that came from his back pocket had the phone slipping through her numb fingers to the hard concrete between her feet.

“You?” she whispered. He reached for her, but she jumped back. “You’re Mr. Cates?”

He stared at her, his only acknowledgment a slight nod.

She shook her head, unable to believe it. Or maybe she just didn’t want to believe that the man she’d given herself to was the same man who had evicted her from her home. A man who had played both sides of the fence as well as any seasoned actor.

“So ‘Bubba’ was nothing more than a lie.”

He looked away from her. “My brother, Buck, called me Bubba.”

“And liar?” She tried to speak over the lump in her throat. “Did he also call you liar? Imposter? Lowdown, rotten scoundrel?” Her fists tightened as she stepped closer. “Or do you have an explanation for pretending to be a good ol’ boy from east Texas? Come on, Bubba, where’s your fake smile and hillbilly anecdotes now?”

When he only stood there, she reached out and punched him hard in the chest. “Go on, tell me a funny
story about your big ol’ family, or all those women who can’t wait to get their hands on Wilkesville.”

Unable to stand the sight of him for a second longer, Shirlene whirled and headed for the street. But just as she stepped off the curb, Sheriff Winslow’s squad car came barreling around the corner with sirens blaring and pulled up in front of the jail. Before Shirlene could do more than blink back the tears, Beau Cates was being pulled out of the backseat in handcuffs.

W
ITH HIS GAZE PINNED ON
S
HIRLENE
, it took Billy a moment to register the sound of the siren. And another to realize Beau was getting out of the backseat. He wasn’t the only one who hurried over to the squad car, either—the siren had attracted the townsfolk like bees to honey. People came out of the buildings all up and down Main Street to surround the flashing lights. Before Billy could maneuver around the folks to get to his brother, Mayor Sutter came chugging out the side door of his office.

“What’s all the commotion?” When the mayor saw Beau, his handlebar mustache waggled. “Now, Sam, I told you not to force things. I thought we were going to give Beau another week before we brought out the shotgun.”

“This ain’t about a shotgun weddin’,” Sam said as he steered Beau up the path that led to the town jail. “This is about him being a good-for-nothin’, lowdown snake in the grass who intends to close Dalton Oil.”

“What do you mean, close Dalton Oil?” Rossie Owens stepped up. “Why would he want to do a thing like that?”

“Because he wants revenge,” Shirlene pushed her way through the crowd, glaring at Billy as she did.

“You that bad in bed, Shirl?” Twyla asked.

Shirlene ignored the question. “Revenge for Beau’s great-great-granddaddy being shot in our town.” She looked back at Billy. “Isn’t that right, Bubba?”

“Somebody was shot in Bramble?” Rachel Dean asked. “Why, nobody’s been shot here since William Cates. And why are you askin’ Bubba? He ain’t gonna know nothin’ about that seein’ how he’s from east Texas.”

“An East Texan who happens to be a direct descendant of William Cates,” Shirlene stated.

Rachel’s eyes widened. “No foolin’?” She looked back at Billy. “You’re William’s relative? Why, honey, if I’d known that, I’d have given you a chicken-fried steak on the house.”

Rossie came up and slapped Billy on the back. “And all the Cuervo you could drink.”

Shirlene released a loud groan. “He didn’t come here for drinks on the house or chicken fried steak. He came here to close down Dalton Oil and ruin our town.”

“Now, Shirl,” Kenny Gene hopped in. “I hate to disagree, but I was there when Beau Cates here was talkin’ to his brother. And he’s the one plannin’ on shuttin’ down Dalton, not Bubba.”

Shirlene stomped her foot and pointed at Billy. “That is his brother, Kenny Gene!”

Kenny scratched his head. “Why, that don’t make no sense, Shirl. If Bubba was brothers with Beau then he woulda brought him along fishin’. And I ain’t never fished with Beau.” He looked at Beau. “Right, Beau?”

Beau grinned and shook his head. “No, Kenny, you’re
right. I haven’t gone fishin’ with you. But once this is all over, I hope to.”

Kenny’s face brightened. “Well, I shore would like that, Beau. You fish with live bait or eggs—’course I’ve seen Bubba catch a fish with nothin’ but a piece of Velveeter cheese—”

“Oh, for the love of Pete.” Shirlene looked around at the crowd circling them. “Don’t you people get it? Bubba Wilkes isn’t your friend. He’s been playing you—” she swallowed hard, “and everyone for fools. He’s not here to go fishing or hunting or tell you a bunch of hillbilly stories. He’s here to wipe Bramble off the map.”

A murmur went through the crowd, and Billy figured that the tar and feathers would be brought out at any minute. But instead the townsfolk surprised him again.

“Now, Shirl.” Mayor Sutter stepped forward, hitching up his pants over his big belly. “I realize you’ve had it tough lately, what with Lyle dying and Hope and Colt being in California. And I’m sure it’s frustratin’ to discover that the man you’ve been shackin’ up with is a lowdown scoundrel.” He shot a mean glare over at Beau, who seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. “But you can’t take your frustration out on Bubba.”

Shirlene’s shoulders drooped, and Billy figured it was time to speak up. Before he could, a man pushed his way through the crowd, a man Billy needed no introduction to. Especially when Shirlene threw herself into his tattooed arms.

“Colt!”

The dark-headed man hugged her close and smiled. “If I had known how much you’d miss me, Shirl, I would’ve taken you with me.” He tried to pull back, and when his
sister continued to cling, the smile slipped. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He looked around the group. “What happened?”

“That’s exactly what I’d like to know.” A pretty petite woman moved out from behind Colt. At first, Billy thought it was Faith Calhoun with Daisy Mae. But when an identical woman stepped up with another baby, Billy figured it out.

“Well, hey, Hope.” Harley Sutter rushed over to hug the woman with hair much longer than her sister’s. “How was your trip to California? You see any of them movie stars?”

“Don’t try to sidetrack me, Uncle Harley,” Hope said as she handed the baby to him. “What in tarnation is goin’ on here? I leave town for no more than a few days, and a riot breaks out?” She pointed a finger at Beau. “And why is that poor man handcuffed?”

Everyone started talking at once as fingers were pointed at Billy and Beau. But the flapping mouths closed when Hope released a noise so shrill and loud that the kids in the crowd covered their ears and Sherman shot out of nowhere, squealing with delight as he trotted over to Hope.

While she squatted down to greet him, Billy glanced over at Shirlene. If looks could kill, Billy would be as dead as his great-grandpappy. And he couldn’t blame her. He deserved her hatred, but damned if it didn’t hurt. He felt like he had been kicked in the stomach by a mule, and he would give just about anything to have five minutes alone with her to try and explain. But if the look on her face was any indication, she wasn’t going to give him five seconds, let alone five minutes. It probably didn’t matter, anyway. He had no good explanation for all the lies he’d
told. He looked around at the faces he’d come to know—and even love. No, he had no explanations. All he had was the truth.

“My name is William Wilkes Cates,” he said in a voice loud enough to carry to the people who stood in the back. “And I’m a direct descendant of the William Cates who was shot and killed right here in Bramble in the summer of 1892…” The words came out much easier than Billy had thought. In fact, once he’d relayed the entire story from William’s murder to the demise of Dalton Oil, he felt almost cleansed. Not of guilt. He had that in spades. But of the burden of lies he’d carried with him for so long.

“…so it’s not Beau that should be in handcuffs, but me,” he stated. “I was the one who deceived you. I was the one who found out about Dalton Oil’s troubles and planned to use it for revenge.”

In the silence that followed, Billy could’ve heard a pin drop. The usually talkative people of Bramble were struck speechless. They just stood there staring at him as if they couldn’t quite believe their ears. It was Slate who finally separated from the crowd and walked over—Slate who threw a punch that made Billy’s head snap back.

“You sonofabitch!” Beau charged forward, but Billy shook it off in time to step between him and Slate.

“I deserve more than that, Beau,” he said.

“Damn straight, you do,” Slate said, his fists clenched and eyes snapping. “This town welcomed you with open arms and your thanks is closing Dalton Oil?”

“Dalton would’ve closed anyway,” Beau came to his defense. “Billy isn’t responsible for that. That was Mr. Dalton’s doing.”

“But it was you who evicted Shirlene from her home,
wasn’t it?” Faith said so softly Billy could barely hear her. “You who refused to give back her things.”

This time it was Colt who stepped up, but Hope placed a hand on his arm and stopped him. “He’s not worth it, Colt.” She turned to Billy. “I think you’ve worn out your welcome in this town, Mr. Cates.” She glanced over at the town jail. “And if you’re not out by sundown, I’m sure the sheriff can find you and your brother a place to spend the night.”

“Let’s go, Billy.” Beau came up, his hands no longer in cuffs.

Billy nodded and, as if by some divine power, the crowd parted to let them through. As he walked away, he tried not to look at the confused, hurt faces of the townsfolk. It was difficult. He would miss them—all of them, from Rachel Dean to Moses Tate, who slept soundly on the bench in front of the pharmacy.

With Beau following close behind, Billy was almost to his truck when a child’s screams stopped him in his tracks. He looked down the street to where two state patrol cars were parked. One officer was trying to control a fighting Jesse, while the other was helping a woman in an ugly pantsuit place Brody into the back of a plain blue sedan where Mia was already sitting with Baby Adeline.

Billy forgot all about leaving Bramble as he set a track record getting to the officers.

“What’s going on here?” He tried to keep his voice calm, but it was difficult when a hard knot of fear had settled in his stomach.

“You need to stay out of this, sir,” the officer said, but his words ended on a grunt when Jesse kicked him in the shin. The tactic gained the boy his release, and he hur
ried over to Billy and clung to him like moss to a tree. It was the first time Jesse had ever hugged Billy, and it made the knot in his stomach tighten even more. It also pissed him off.

“You’d better have the correct legal documents, officer,” he said between his teeth, “because if you don’t, I’m going to have your badge.”

Before the state trooper could answer, Shirlene came running up, her eyes filled with fear and desperation.

“Mine! Mine!” Brody screamed, holding out his chubby arms to her. That was all it took for Shirlene’s fear to be replaced with a determined look that made the woman in the ugly pantsuit take a step back.

“Just what do you think you’re doing with my children?” she said as she pulled a sobbing Brody from the woman’s arms. Since she towered over the woman by a good foot, Billy understood why the woman didn’t argue with her.

Shirlene turned to the officers. “And get Mia and Adeline out of the back of that car.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, ma’am,” the shorter of the two officers said. “These children are runaways and wards of the state. They’ve been missing from their foster home for months, and we’re here to take them back.”