Grace be a Lady (Love & War in Johnson County Book 1) (22 page)

“Hello,
Grace.”

Bull’s
mass filled the doorway to the kitchen, and Grace’s knees nearly buckled. She
had to grab the hall-tree to keep from falling. “What are you doing here? How
did you find me?”

Bull
raised a steaming cup of coffee, took a sip, and smacked his lips with
satisfaction. “Mmmm, that is good on a cold night.” He cocked his head to one
side. “But it’s no substitute for you, dear.”

Grace
straightened, a bluff to cover her shock and crushing despair at the sight of
him. Should she run? An irrational thought since she didn’t know where she
would run to. Perhaps Bull was just checking on her. Her current vocation certainly
was not going to sit well with him, though, and she knew it.

The
thought drained away her fear and filled the void with hate, black and rich
like the oil pit on the North Forty. He would never leave her alone. Never give
her any peace. Even after shipping her off to Wyoming, his maniacal quest for
control had forced him to follow her here.

“Ah,
Grace, I always could read you like a book.” He tossed his cup to the floor,
shattering it and sending coffee splattering everywhere. “I know you hate me.”
He raised a black eyebrow. “In a way, I hate you, too. You’re my wife. I own
you. And you’ve made a fool of me.” A flush crept into his cheeks. A vein
bulged in his neck. The signs his anger was growing. “You wanted to act like a
whore back in Chicago. I couldn’t have that. Remember, you were supposed to be
my
respectable
wife.” He flexed his fist. “But, here, in the land of
cowboys and cattle, why, if it was a whore you wanted to be, I thought I’d
oblige.”

His
face hardened and he took a step toward her. Grace pulled the .44 from her hip,
steady and smooth, like oil pouring from a bottle. Bull’s eyes bulged. She
relished the turn of events. For once,
he
could stare down the barrel of
a gun. She cocked it, and the sound was deafening. “I hate you, Bull, with
every square inch of my soul.”

“It
takes a lot of hate to kill a man, Grace. You got it in you?”

Grace
didn’t move, didn’t breathe. She let the steadiness of her arm answer his
question.

Almost
as if he was bored and merely going through the motion, Bull casually raised
his hands. “No one has ever pulled a gun on me and lived to tell about it,
Grace.” He pointed at her. “But you’ll be the exception. Do you know why?”

Her
finger tightened on the trigger. She could pull it and be free of this monster.
“Why?”

“Because
to let you live will be a greater punishment.”

She
smelled Lonnie before she saw him, but she saw him too late. He shoved the Smith
& Wesson up against her temple and wrenched the revolver out of her hand
before she could blink. Just like that, the balance of power shifted back to
Bull.

He
walked up to Grace and cupped her chin. “Go quietly, and maybe I’ll let you see
Hardy before I ship him off to Switzerland. Give me any trouble, and I’ll not
only get rid of him
before
we get back to Chicago,” he surveyed the
room, “but we’ll wait around long enough to kill the old widow lady and throw
her body to the coyotes.” He shoved a thumb into his armpit and tried to affect
a mocking cowboy accent. “I hear thar’s lots of dangerous varmints in these
parts, ma’am.”

Burning
with the hate that would have allowed one fateful twitch of a finger, Grace
shook her head. “I’m the only one you’ll have to worry about.”

Bull
and Lonnie hee-hawed like mules over the suggestion. Suddenly,
she saw the flash of his fist, and felt the stars of
pain explode in her head. Her mouth filled with the coppery taste of warm blood
as she staggered back. Bull grabbed her collar and pulled her to him. “Welcome
back to the fold, Grace.”

Thad
and Nick stopped at the entrance to their father’s study. The door was cracked
open several inches. Pa sat quietly at his desk, writing and sipping a brandy.

As
if nothing in the world is wrong.

Thad
realized he didn’t know the man anymore. Somewhere along the way, he’d become
so obsessed with regaining Pa’s trust that he’d gone blind to the greed
consuming him. Probably, Pa hadn’t seen it either.

None
of that mattered now.

“Pa,”
he and Nick pushed through the doors and marched up to his desk, “we have to
talk.”

Pa
set down the fountain pen and leaned back in his chair. With a casual air, he
surveyed Thad from head to toe. “You been scrappin’ with a bobcat?”

“I
ran into Shonsey and Trampas in town.”

Pa
responded with a raised eyebrow. “And?”

“It
wasn’t the day to push me.” He clenched his jaw and leaned in. “Trampas said he
had ranch business. Business I wouldn’t have the stomach for. But he said I
could ask
you
about his orders.” Thad took a deep breath and dropped his
hands on his hips. “Say it straight up. Did you vote for the assassination
squad?”

Pa
rubbed his chin and eyed his boys. “That what they’re calling it?”

Thad
and Nick answered with stoic silence.

“I
take it you don’t agree with this stand?”

“Pa,”
Nick edged closer to him, “we ain’t murderers. I won’t be a party to this.”

“Neither
will I,” Thad ground his teeth. “It’s wrong.”

“Well,
aren’t you two a pretty pair of hypocrites? Long as the trouble stays down in
Natrona County, you’re happy to bury your heads in the sand.” Pa sniffed, and
then took a slow sip of brandy. After a moment, he rose to his feet, towering
over his boys.

Neither
son bowed. Those days were gone, but Pa didn’t seem to know it.

“Boys,
I run this ranch as I see fit. Until such time as you take over, or I am dead,
you will go along with my decisions.”

“No,
sir, we won’t.” Thad glanced at Nick, who nodded in agreement. “We’re not
sanctioning murder. We don’t want any truck with that.”

Pa’s
cheeks flushed crimson, and he slammed his fist down on the desk. “I said I’d
keep you out of it. You’re not involved.”

“We
are involved!” Thad fired back. “We’re not burying our heads in the sand
anymore, Pa. You aren’t the judge and the SGA isn’t the jury. The intimidation,
the killin’, it all has to stop!”

“Killin’
and dyin’ is life in Wyoming!” Pa thundered. “Only the strong survive here.”

“So
Maggie and Bill . . .” Thad purposely gentled his voice, “they
weren’t strong enough, is that it?”

Pa’s
mouth slammed shut, but his eyes blazed. Thad couldn’t feel the heat any more.
The truth was the only thing that could cause him pain now. “You wanted his
land, so you figured to get it by taking the thing most precious to him?”

“And
what about the Bar T and Box S?” Nick shook his head in disgust. “Those weren’t
accidents, either, were they?”

“Now
ask him about the Diamond R . . . and Jake.”

Raney’s
soft, but steely, voice sliced into their conversation like a knife. Pa’s gaze
shot past his sons, and the color drained from his face. Thad and Nick turned.

She
stood in the entrance, shoulders bowed under the weight of Wyoming’s
dues
.
Her brown eyes, faded to the tint of winter wheat, glistened with tears. She
approached Pa slowly, her steps halting and unsteady. Her gaze bored into him.
Thad could sense the panic coming off his father in waves.

“Look
me in the eye, Earl, and tell me about Jake’s death.”

Pa
sat down hard. “I don’t know anything about his death.”

Raney’s
face sagged, as if the denial broke her heart. “It all started when Lucille
died, didn’t it?” She wrung her hands, worried her bottom lip. “I didn’t put
everything together until I was riding back from Nate’s.”

She
spoke softly, reasoning aloud, and Thad figured at least some of the story of
Raney and Pa would finally come out. Faced with it, he wasn’t sure he wanted
any more truth.

“I
know you married her to get back at me for choosin’ Jake, but you came to love
her.” Raney whipped her head up. “Boys, believe me, he loved your ma more than
he ever loved me.” She drifted back to him. “And I guess she was the last thing
standing between you and your ambition.” Pain creased her brow, sadness pulling
the corners of her mouth down.

Pa
stared back at her, stony, unflinching.

The
difference in their expressions struck Thad.

“They
went for Nate Champion today.” Raney gave him a moment to consider that. “Came
so close, he’s got a powder burn on his cheek.”

Desperate
to move, to feel like he was more than a bystander in this drama, Thad gently
touched Raney’s elbows and guided her to the chair in front of Pa’s desk. She
sat, patted his hand on her shoulder, and spoke to Pa with a stronger voice. “Nate’s
goin’ after them. He saw Trampas and Shonsey and can identify ’em. It’ll trace
straight back to you and the SGA.”

Thad
stood behind Raney and wondered about her earlier comment.
I didn’t put
everything together until I was riding back from Nate’s.
“What did you put
together, Raney?”

She
kept her gaze on Pa. “Trampas.”

A
memory struck Thad and he leaned toward Pa. “You hired him the day after Jake
was killed.”

Raney
nodded. “And in just a couple of years, how many of your neighbors moved away
or sold you their land? How many accidents happened on their spreads?” Her
voice began to rise. “How many families slipped away in the night because they
were afraid of winding up like Ella?” Her bottom lip quivered. “How many widows
have you made in this county?” Raging like a tornado, she leaped to her feet
and swept everything on Pa’s desk to the floor then slammed her hands down in
front of him. “Tell me the truth about Jake!” Her voice choked with fury. “Tell
me! Did Trampas kill him? Or was it you?”

“It
was an accident,” Pa screamed back at her, leaping to his feet. “I swear to God
it was an accident.”

The
confession stilled the room. It hung in the air thick and suffocating like a
shroud.

Enraged,
Thad wanted to choke the life out of his father, but he waited, instead, for
Raney’s reaction.

She
pulled back and whispered, “Earl, what have you done?”

Pa
collapsed into his chair. Emotions rolled across his face, but regret was the
last to settle as he recalled a dark moment. “I’d been drinking; my pitiful
attempt to deal with Lucille’s death. I came across Jake out ridin’ your fence.
I was angry and sick with grief. And guilt.” He rested his elbows on the desk
and rolled his head side to side. “I told him you still loved me. I just wanted
him to hurt like I was hurting.” He swallowed, fought for control of his voice.
“We got into it.” Pa scrubbed a hand over his face, as if wishing he could wipe
away the memories. “My God, Raney, I’m sorry. He hit me and I knew he’d beat
the hound out of me. I don’t even remember goin’ for my gun.”

Thad
and Nick both took a step back, horror-stricken. For years, Thad had believed
the lie that Jake was probably killed by rustlers, that he’d stumbled on them
in the middle of trying to steal his cattle. And all along . . .

He
turned his back on Pa and fought to loosen the knot in his throat. Soul-deep
grief wrestled with fury. Everything he’d believed about his father was a lie.
Lies, lies, and more lies. He couldn’t stomach them anymore.

“Trampas
saw the whole thing.” His father’s second confession shocked Thad almost as much
as the first, and he spun back around. Pa shook his head. “I made him foreman.
He said he’d keep his mouth shut, but he kept pushing for more, getting me in
deeper. Folks kept abandoning their spreads.” He shrugged weakly. “Opportunities
presented themselves . . .” he trailed off.

Nick’s
face contorted into an expression of anguish and rage. Sneering, he leaned over
to their father. “You’ve built this ranch on the blood of your neighbors. Keep
it.”

He
spun and started to storm out, but Thad grabbed his arm. “Nick, wait.” He
reached down and gently grasped Raney’s shoulder. “Raney, you need three good
hands, don’t you?”

“Wait,
what?” Pa stood. “What do you think you’re doin’?”

“For
one thing, Pa, we’re going to the sheriff. And if Phillips doesn’t arrest you
and Trampas and the others, I’ll contact a federal marshal.” Slowly, he lifted
Raney to her feet. “In the meantime, we’ll get the Diamond R back into
production.” He smiled at her, though there wasn’t any joy behind it.

Raney
gave him a slight, stiff nod.

Thad
swung back to Pa, hoping to show only his defiance, not his pain. “Nick, Adam,
and I will take our cut from the herd, but no matter how things flush out . . .
I ain’t ever coming back here.”

Thad
slapped the porch post, frustrated by this life of lies. “Raney, I was just
runnin’ off at the mouth in there. I don’t know if you want to bring the
Diamond R back into production or not, but we’re gettin’ our cattle off the
Lazy H.”

Biting
her bottom lip, she drifted over and sat down in Pa’s rocking chair. Thad would
would swear she’d aged ten years in the last ten minutes. Everything about her,
from hunched shoulders to grooved brow, spoke of weariness.

Nick
sat down on the bench beside her and absently twirled his hat as he spoke,
staring at nothing. “Raney, I’m not staying here. I’m done with the Lazy H. If
you want our help, you’ve got all three of the Walkers. Otherwise, we’ll pay
you to use your land.”

“If
that isn’t irony for you,” she mumbled, staring out at the Big Horn mountains.
Chuckling, she came back to Nick and touched his hand. “Your ma would be proud
of you two.” A deep V formed in her brow, and she stood again, albeit slowly
and stiffly. “You can’t walk away from this ranch. It’s your legacy.”

Thad
leaned against the post and shook his head. “Too much of it’s been built on
blood money, Raney. I can’t live with that.”

“Me
neither.” Nick ran his hand through his hair and slipped his hat back on as he
stood. “Adam will feel the same way. We’ll have to make things right with the
folks Pa stole from—” He flinched, and dipped his head. “At least we’ll do the
best we can. We’ll give you back the land he bought from ya after Jake’s death—”

“Boys,”
Raney reached out and clutched Nick’s hand then Thad’s. “We can’t fix
everything right now. Maybe not at all, I don’t know. Right now, I just want to
get home and think on all this. Greg should be back and we’ll—”

“
Grace
.”
Thad spat, pulling his hand from Raney’s. Nick backed up at the venom in his
brother’s tone. “You mean
Grace
. What are you gonna do with her?”

Raney
frowned hard at him. “Thad, you are one of the kindest, wisest, most sober
young men I know. But, just like all men,” she cast a glance toward the house, “and
especially Walker men, your pride makes you stupid.” She stepped over to him
and poked him in the chest. “That girl did what she thought she had to do to
get back to her
son
.” She pointed a thumb at herself. “I admire her
sand. And I hope she stays . . . or gets her son and comes back.
I was thinkin’ of makin’ her a partner, but, well . . .” She
looked around the porch and sighed, “reckon we’ll hammer all that out.”

Thad
studied the house he was preparing to leave, and nodded. “All right. Fine.
Nick, Trampas gets wind of all this trouble we’re fixin’ to bring down on Pa
and the SGA, he’ll either leave the country or try to kill us.”

Nick
nodded as he marched down the porch steps to his horse tied beside Raney’s. “You
thinkin’ we need to go after him?”

“I
don’t know. Maybe. I’ll get Raney home safe then ride in and see the sheriff.
You fetch Adam. Meet me back at her place.”

“Brother,
I don’t think you need to ride for the sheriff alone.”