Under a Texas Star (23 page)

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. We have all been busy preparing for it. That is why we want our own little party with you before. To thank you, Marly Landers."

She stood there, speechless.

"Marly might not know yet," Fred said, shocking her by using her given name. "Consuela and I are buying the Fortuna Hotel with some financial help from Miss Jezebel. She's making the down payment. We will use our joint savings to make renovations and the income will pay the mortgage."

"We are going to make the hotel a worthwhile place to visit," the Señora stated proudly.

"And you can be assured the food will be better," Fred added.

"This is wonderful," Marly said. "Why are you thanking me?"

Fred and Consuela exchanged glances.

"We have it on the best authority," Fred said, "that it is all your fault."

She snorted. "Well, you're welcome then."

Jase must have known what these two had planned.

"This is why Jase gave me the day off," she murmured.

That realization did a lot to restore Marly's spirits. She was ready to set aside the weight of killing Baker and the pressure Egan was applying to celebrate with her friends.

Jase, taking pity on McKinley and Tyson, ordered a plate of sandwiches from The Haven, rather than subject the prisoners to another bowl of thin stew. He took one of the sandwiches, but didn't have much appetite.

The day was tedious without Marly's company.

He had a fair idea that Egan would be coming into town and he wanted to spare her his advances. Not only did she seem to be uninterested, Egan might let the truth out and that would be disastrous.

When he got the message from Fred that Egan had forced an interview on her despite their efforts, his first instinct was to take care of Egan himself, but that might result in an even bigger confrontation. In fact, he was pretty damn sure he'd force a confrontation if Egan stepped over the line by even a toe.

There was only one reason for Jase's protectiveness.

He was in love with Marly.

The warmth he'd felt that first time he woke up with her head on his shoulder had grown until he knew his life wouldn't be whole without her. Trouble was, she was under his protection. He'd stretched his responsibility a bit, bent his rules of engagement, but not broken them.

When this was all over, he'd ask her to marry him. If she still wanted that little ranch in west Texas, the one her sergeant had enticed her with, he'd retire from the Rangers and give it to her. If she'd rather travel as a Ranger's wife, as he suspected, they'd do that.

First, they had to get out of Fortuna and settle Marly's business with Meese.

For the second time, a determined Matt Egan walked into the Marshal's Office unannounced and was greeted by a rifle barrel.

"Is this standard behavior in this office, or is it just me?"

"You should learn to knock first," Jase said. "You come to visit Tyson and McKinley?"

"I've come to discuss Marly Landers' future."

"Landers has the day off. Come back tomorrow."

Jase approached the door of the jail and shook it, making sure it was securely closed and barred. He had a feeling Egan wasn't going to be brushed off and he didn't want eavesdroppers.

Then he went to the front door and opened it.

Egan didn't take the hint.

Jase sighed. "Might as well get it off your chest then."

"You know Marly isn't a boy," Egan stated. "You must. You've been living with her for weeks. I don't like that arrangement.

"Think about what you are sayin', Mr. Egan. Think very carefully."

Though Jase was not pointing the rifle at Egan, he had not put it down either.

"If things are as you seem to be suggestin', Marly would have as little reputation as one of Miss Jezebel's ladies."

"I would still marry her," Egan said.

Jase let out a dry chuckle. "And here I thought you were a better man than your friend Baker."

Egan's hand went to his holster.

"Don't try me, Egan. You're threatenin' someone in my guardianship. So, in the interest of peace, I ask you again to think of what you are sayin'."

Jase placed his rifle across the desk and turned to face Egan, who had taken up his position at the door.

"Durin' the war," he said, "I heard stories of wounded soldiers who turned out to be women. None of their comrades suspected anythin' until they were laid out for burial or the doctors treatin' 'em for wounds discovered the deception. They fought bravely too. How many went home after the war with no one ever learnin'
their secret, we'll never know."

"What's your point, Marshal?"

"Those women lived, fought and died alongside men and they didn't have anythin' to worry 'bout besides gettin' sick or bein' injured in battle―so long as they were just one of the men."

Egan's
lips were pursed. He wasn't buying everything Jase was offering, but at least his hand was away from his holster.

"Landers and I have business in El Paso," Jase said. "Until that's complete, I will take it as a personal attack on my honor if anyone suggests that my deputy is anythin' other than presented."

"And afterward?"

Jase sighed. "That's Marly's business."

Several hours after sundown, Jase heard a knock on the door.

It was Marly. She was flushed, wobbly on her feet and grinning like a lunatic. Birke followed, holding her steady by the back of her gun belt. Both smelled of beer and tobacco smoke.

"When I told you to take care of Landers," Jase snapped, "this wasn't what I had in mind."

Birke slumped against the door, closing it with a bang. Marly's grin twisted into a painful grimace and she reached out for the support of Jase's arm.

He slipped and arm around her waist and led her to a chair.

"It's my leg," she reported, quite sober. "And Birke did take good care of me. He made sure I only drank two of the many beers bought for me this evening, figuring that was all I could handle. When I turned my knee, he helped me graciously exit The Haven." She grinned. "Well, maybe not graciously. At least no one knew how much pain I was in."

Birke coughed. "Gotta keep up your heroic status. Right, Landers?"

She winced. "Right."

"Okay, hero," Jase said with a snort, "I'll help you limp to your cot. Birke, pour yourself a coffee and sit for a minute."

Holding back a curse or two, he helped Marly up and assisted her into their living quarters, kicking the door shut behind him.

"What happened?" he demanded once she was on the bed.

"Someone thought I should make a speech from a chair top. When I jumped back down, I landed badly. I think I'll be fine by tomorrow."

"And Birke?"

"You sent him to look out for me. He did. After dinner at The Oasis, he took me out drinking with the boys. Except that he kept switching glasses on me so that out of every beer bought for me, I drank maybe a quarter and he had the rest. He was pretty slick about it too."

"Do you think he...?"

Marly shrugged. "You sent him to look out for me and he did. I also think he takes a perverse pleasure in sending me up." She caught his eye and held it. "Reminds me a little of you."

"Get undressed. I wanna look at that leg before bed."

Out in the office, Birke had poured two cups of coffee and was flipping through the stack of wanted posters when Jase entered.

"The rancheros will respect him more now," Birke said.

"I trust Landers. And I trust you or I wouldn't have given you the job."

Birke sniggered. "If that was a job, I was well paid. Got a good dinner and Landers is good company."

"Well, I have another job to offer you. How would you like to be marshal of Fortuna? After the hearin', Landers and I have to move on. I'd be happy to recommend you for the position."

"Not me. No way. It's been an interesting experience, but too much responsibility for me."

"Sleep on it."

Later, Jase locked up and went to check on Marly. She was already asleep
―in his bed. He kissed her lightly on the forehead, then crawled between the covers of the cot.

Word had spread that Fortuna's interim marshal was presiding over a hearing for McKinley and Tyson after Sunday services. As a result, the church was filled to
capacity. A half hour later, it was standing room only in the hotel restaurant, which served as the courtroom.

Waiting for the hearing to begin, spectators were able to order coffee, fresh biscuits and jam. Though the ownership of the place had not yet been officially transferred, changes in the restaurant fare were already evident.

At eleven o'clock, Marly and Birke escorted the prisoners to a reserved table. With his Texas Rangers' star prominent, Jase entered from the kitchen and took his place at the bar.

"Attention everyone!" he called out. "Listen up!"

Silence fell over the room.

"I am now actin' in judiciary capacity of the Texas Rangers. Since both prisoners have pled guilty to the charges against them, this is just a hearin', not a trial. The purpose is to make an official record of their statements before sentencin'. Troy Riley will be takin' notes. If you have a question, get my attention. I don't wanna make this more formal than it needs to be, but remember this is a court of law."

At least, he sure hoped it was.

McKinley testified that Parker and Tyson had involved him in chasing down the marshal and his deputy.

"But I never dealt directly with Mr. Baker and I don't know what orders were given."

Tyson confirmed that McKinley hadn't been told anything more. He made it sound like an insult.

"Neither me or Parker was told that Locke intended to kill the marshal or that Baker intended to kill the deputy," he said. "The idea was to put a scare into 'em. That's all."

His actions, and the others, were sanctioned by Gabriel Baker.

"I only knew of Locke's contract to ambush Strothers
after
the fact," he insisted. "Though I have no love for either the marshal or his deputy, I swear I'm not the kind to dry-gulch a man."

In the course of the hearing, evidence against Baker and Locke was presented and Jase knew they had Locke dead to rights if they ever got their hands on him. The evidence against Baker was more circumstantial. It hardly mattered anymore. Whether or not he ordered Strothers' death, he had been killed while trying to murder Marly and Jase.

There was nothing to connect McKinley or Tyson with either Strothers' murder or the willful attempt to murder Jase and Marly. On the other hand, neither was exactly innocent either.

"Is everyone satisfied with the proceedings so far?" Jase asked.

There was a murmur of assent.

"All right then. Troy, take a break."

Troy laid down his pen as Jase walked around to the front of the bar and leaned against it. There was a small rise in ambient noise that immediately ceased when he started speaking.

"I've been givin' this a lot of thought. Investigatin' his death, I've discovered that Strothers wasn't exactly a model lawman. He abused his power and behaved in a manner unbefittin' an officer and a gentleman. I am not sayin' that was an excuse for killin' him, but he didn't endear himself to this town and his actions might have invited a little resentment." He glanced at Marly. "That resentment seemed to spill over to Deputy Landers and me."

There were murmurs of agreement. A few people protested that Jase and Landers were welcome in Fortuna.

Jase held up his hand. "What these two gentlemen here did was wrong, not just illegal. That doesn't mean they are bad men. You folks know better than me whether these are good men who made a mistake or bad men that need to learn from their mistake the hard way. So..." He returned to his place behind the bar and nodded to Troy, who picked up his pen and dipped it in ink.

"It is the judgment of this court," Jase said, "that Thomas Tyson and Jed McKinley be sentenced to one year imprisonment for assaultin' officers of the law. This sentence will be suspended if, and only if, a five hundred dollar bond is posted by a member, or members, of the community. That's five hundred dollars each, to be paid to the school fund and worked off by the prisoners."

Egan stood. "I'll post the bond for both men."

Jase turned to Tyson and McKinley. "Remember, you're not off the hook. You're on parole until your bond is repaid. If you leave town, renege on the bond or engage in any illegal activity, you'll be hunted down as criminals."

And hanged, he finished in his mind.

The decision was well received. Tyson was known to be a dangerous man and few cared what happened to him, but Jed McKinley was generally liked, even if he was wet behind the ears.

Troy Riley finished off his notes, gathered them into a neat pile and handed them to Jase. While Marly directed some of the spectators to help put the tables back where they belonged, Jase skimmed over Troy's notes.