When Love Comes (15 page)

But Amanda didn’t have many thoughts to spare for the ranch. She was too busy analyzing her feelings for Broc and coming to the disturbing conclusion she hadn’t been entirely truthful to Gary. If she wasn’t feeling guilty about kissing Broc, why was she anxious that no one know? Was it possible she was ashamed of kissing someone everyone else considered too ugly to like?

“She says she just wants you to play the piano for her,” Amanda said to Broc when they stepped outside the saloon to get a breath of fresh air after performing their first group of songs.

Amanda hadn’t seen Broc when she went back to the ranch, and he and Leo hadn’t come in from work by the time she had to leave for town. He’d reached the saloon so late, they’d barely had time to choose their songs before it was time to perform.

“She said she would come into town one evening and you could work together before it was time for us to perform. She has permission to use the church. She says she wants to be an opera singer. I don’t know anything about opera. Do you?”

“A bit. Can she sing?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never even heard her in church, but she said she’ll give up her ambition if you don’t think she has the voice to sing on a professional stage.”

Broc looked thoughtful, and Amanda found herself prey to an unexpected pang of jealousy. She told herself it was stupid, but that didn’t make it go away. She’d never thought of Priscilla as competition, but what if Priscilla did have a fine voice? The other girl would be working with Broc as often as possible. They would have something in common that Amanda couldn’t share.

She told herself not to be foolish. Broc was leaving Cactus Bend in a few days, and neither she nor Priscilla was likely to see him again. She ought to get her feelings under control so she wouldn’t be hurt when he left.

“I wouldn’t mind listening to her, but I’ll have to do it soon.”

As if she needed a reminder that he would be leaving. “A few of her father’s cowhands are in the saloon this evening.
I’ll see if I can get one of them to tell her to be here tomorrow.” She was relieved Broc didn’t seem eager.

“What are you doing out here?” Corby had apparently come looking for them when he realized they weren’t in the saloon.

“We came out for some fresh air,” Broc said. “All that cigar smoke is bad for Amanda’s voice.”

“It hasn’t bothered her before now,” Corby said.

“How would you know when you’ve never heard her sing in better conditions?”

“Her voice sounds fine to me. It always has.” Corby looked at Amanda as if he expected some sort of praise.

“It would sound better if she didn’t have to wait on tables when she wasn’t singing.”

“The men come here because they like to see her. They don’t really care if she sings or not.”

“If they didn’t care, you wouldn’t be paying her more to sing,” Broc said. “We won’t stay out here long, but she needs to clear her lungs.”

“That smoke can’t be any worse for her than the dust at the ranch,” Corby said. “I end up coughing and sneezing every time I go out there.”

“Then I would suggest that you stay in town where you’re safe.”

Amanda tried to hide her amusement at Corby’s irritation. “I’d live on that ranch all the time if Amanda would marry me. I’m so crazy about her I’d even learn to like cows.”

Amanda nearly laughed. Corby would die of boredom in less than a week.

“It’s time to sing again,” Corby announced. “The men are getting restless.”

“Are you ready?” Broc asked Amanda.

She nodded and led the way back into the saloon.

The next twenty minutes went by quickly. Amanda couldn’t believe how easy it was to sing when Broc played or how much she enjoyed it when he sang duets with her. She moved among the tables trying to pay a little attention to each man so no one would feel overlooked. The only thing she refused to do was dance with the men whenever Broc played a lively number. She couldn’t stand the thought of any man’s arms around her except Broc’s.

She noticed Dan Walch was in the saloon this evening. She didn’t remember having spotted him before, but she hadn’t forgotten that he’d helped her and Broc avoid being caught by Carruthers’s men. She decided to ask him to take the message to Priscilla, so when she finished her last song, she worked her way over to where he was leaning against the bar. When the applause died down, she turned to him. “I wanted to thank you for what you did for me and for Broc,” she said in a voice she hoped was soft enough that it wouldn’t be overheard. “I realize it could have gotten you into a lot of trouble.”

He nodded his head, looked uncomfortable, and glanced to where some of Carruthers’s men were seated at a table together.

Amanda wondered why he wasn’t sitting with the other men and why he seemed so uncomfortable. “I want you to take a message to Priscilla Carruthers for me.” Dan’s mood immediately went from uneasy to agitated.

“I’m sorry,” Dan said, “but I can’t do that.”

Amanda wondered if there was some reason for his refusal. She didn’t want to get anyone in trouble with Carruthers. He could be dangerous when crossed.

“That’s all right. I’ll ask someone else.”

“It’s not that,” Dan said. “I need to talk to you and Broc.”

“Why?”

“I know where to find your missing cows.”

“I don’t know where Dan is,” Amanda told Broc. “He just said he’d meet us, then left the saloon. I didn’t see him again.”

They were two miles out of town, about three miles from the ranch. Amanda would much rather have been riding her horse, but her mother still insisted that she continue to use the buggy.

“I only talked to him a couple times,” Broc said. “But he seemed like an honest man.”

She wanted to think he was, but she couldn’t completely trust anyone who worked for Carruthers. “Why would he say he wanted to meet us, then not show up? Why would he say he knows where our cows are if he doesn’t?”

“I don’t know,” Broc said. “Something must have happened.”

If he’d asked them to meet him at a special place, she might have suspected a trap, but he hadn’t. One of the other men had been eager to take the message to Priscilla, so that wasn’t the problem.

“I wish he hadn’t said anything,” Amanda said. “I couldn’t think about anything else all evening.” She noticed a horseman a good way up the trail. “Do you think that’s him?” she asked Broc.

“We’ll know in a few minutes.”

Apparently Dan felt it was safer to meet them where it
was unlikely anyone else might see them together. “I thought you weren’t coming,” she said when he fell in beside them.

“Are you in any danger?” Broc asked.

“I would be if Carruthers had any idea what I’m doing.”

“He wasn’t in the saloon tonight.” She wouldn’t have missed him. He always insisted that she wait on him.

“But some of his men were. Two of them even followed me out, anxious to know what I’d said to keep you talking to me so long.” His laugh was mirthless. “They wanted to try the same thing.”

“Where are our cows?” she asked.

“On a bit of low land on the far side of the ranch.”

“How did you find out where they were?”

“I’ve known where they were for some time, but today Carruthers told me to round up a crew and start branding the calves…with his brand.”

“That’s the same as rustling,” Amanda exclaimed.

“Carruthers doesn’t care,” Dan said. “All he can think about is getting your land and that bull.”

“When does he intend to start the branding?” Broc asked.

“Tomorrow.”

“Then we need to get the cows tonight.”

“There’s no way you can drive that many cows back on your ranch before morning. If Carruthers caught you with them, I wouldn’t put it past him to shoot you and have the men swear you were stealing his cows.”

“What do you suggest?” Broc asked.

“You and Amanda need to ride into town first thing in the morning and bring the sheriff. I’ll do what I can to put off the branding until you all show up.”

“Amanda doesn’t need my help to bring the sheriff,” Broc said.

“Don’t think about coming on the ranch by yourself,” Dan warned. “Carruthers hates you more than ever. If I didn’t
know better, I’d swear he knew you were on the ranch today. The men aren’t crazy enough to shoot you for trespassing, but I wouldn’t put it past Carruthers.”

“Are you sure you can hold things up long enough for us to get there?” Broc asked.

“I think so. Carruthers likes to give orders, but he doesn’t like to do the work, especially when it’s hot, nasty work like branding and castrating.”

“I’ll go back to town now and wake the sheriff,” Amanda said.

“Don’t,” Dan said.

“Why?”

Amanda thought Broc sounded a bit distrustful.

“The sheriff won’t take any stand against Carruthers without hearing his side first,” Dan explained. “If he does that, it will give Carruthers time to move those cows. We might not find them again. I’d better be going. I’m already going to have to answer a lot of questions about where I’ve been for the last couple of hours.”

“You got a good excuse?” Broc asked.

Dan grinned. “Yeah. I’m seeing a girl.”

Amanda was surprised. Cactus Bend wasn’t that large. She’d have thought she would know if Dan was seeing anyone in town. “I gather she doesn’t live in town.”

“I’m not telling,” Dan said. “A man needs a few secrets. Don’t forget to be in town early. The boss is an early riser.”

“I always thought Carruthers was behind all our trouble,” Amanda said as she watched Dan ride off into the night. “Now we’ll be able to prove it. We’ll take Leo with us. With four of us against him, Carruthers won’t dare to try anything.”

“There’ll be just three of you,” Broc said. “I’ll be hidden out of sight, keeping an eye on those cows when the sun comes up.”

“Here, let me,” Leo said to Amanda. “If the sheriff sleeps like Andy, it’ll take a mule kick to wake him.”

Leo pounded the door with his fist. Amanda hated to wake the sheriff’s wife or his young children, but her need was too urgent to worry about that this morning. If she failed to convince the sheriff that her neighbor was trying to brand her calves, Broc would have to face Carruthers and his men alone.

A very sleepy and very angry sheriff yanked the door open.

“What in hell do you mean my banging on my door at this hour of the morning?”

“Carruthers has stolen more than a hundred of our cows,” she told the sheriff. “He’s going to start branding the calves this morning.”

The sheriff’s expression was filled with disbelief. “We’ve been over this before. You’ve got no proof of your accusations.”

Amanda put out her hand to keep him from closing the door. “I’m not asking you to arrest him, just go with me to where the cows are being held.”

“I can’t go traipsing all over his ranch looking for a few cows. Do you have any idea how much range Carruthers controls?”

“I know where the cows are, but it will take us a couple of hours to get there.”

The sheriff sighed in frustration. “You just won’t listen, will you? I don’t have any evidence, and I can’t take your word he’s got the cows because you’re not an impartial witness.”

“Do you consider Dan Walch an impartial witness?”

“Yes, but he’s Carruthers’s foreman.”

“Dan told me Carruthers had ordered him to start branding the calves today. He promised to hold off as long as he could.”

“When did he tell you this?”

“Last night. He came to the saloon but didn’t want to talk there. He met Broc and me when we were halfway home.”

The sheriff looked thoughtful. “I did see him leave town early. I spoke to him, but he wasn’t in a talking mood.”

“That’s because he didn’t want to do what Carruthers said. He’s helped us once before.”

“When was that?”

“I’ll tell you on our way,” Amanda said. “We’ve got to leave now.”

“I’ll need to dress, eat, saddle my horse, stop by the office to—”

“I’ve got a horse already saddled and some hot biscuits and sausage you can eat on the way. I’ll write a note for your deputy while you dress. If we’re not there in time, Carruthers might try to kill Broc again.”

“Again? Only a crazy man would try anything like that.”

“Carruthers just might be crazy.”

Comfortably settled in his hiding place, Broc glanced up at the sun, trying to gauge the time, wondering who would show up first. Amanda had said she’d be in town before the sheriff had his breakfast. Even if she could convince Mercer to leave immediately, Broc doubted they would arrive before Carruthers and his men, which was why he’d been determined to be here before dawn. Come hell or high water, he was going to make sure no calves were branded before the sheriff arrived.

Broc didn’t know why Carruthers was so eager to claim the water and grass on the Lazy T ranch. A nearby creek provided enough water to create a small lake and an extensive marsh area populated by at least a dozen kinds of songbirds. He had watched a pair of osprey circle and dive for fish. A snowy egret shuffled through shallow water in an effort to frighten prey
out of hiding. A careless bullfrog had settled himself on a lily pad to catch insects skimming over the water. In the pale light of dawn three deer had emerged from a blackjack and post oak thicket to drink from one of the shallow inlets. The stolen cows had long since begun to graze. Their calves, having fed and frolicked, were now lazing in the morning sun. It seemed impossible that such a pastoral scene could soon be the setting for a potentially deadly showdown.

Not for the first time he wondered about the wisdom of the Liscombs’ trying to hold on to their ranch. With her father dead, Gary gone, and Eddie too young, most of the work and all the responsibility would devolve on Amanda. What she needed was a husband.

A husband like Broc.

He had tried to prevent that thought from crystallizing in his mind, but, aided by the kisses they’d shared, it had assumed a life of its own. He still couldn’t accustom himself to the fact that she had allowed him to kiss her, or that she kissed him back. He’d spent too many years convincing himself no woman would want to be with him, much less welcome his embraces. Yet it had happened again and again. Each time made him more eager for the next opportunity. More than once he’d had to force his brain to stop searching for ways and times for them to be alone and pay attention to his work. He was starting to get questioning glances from Leo.

The more time he spent with Amanda, the less he was able to imagine his life without her. Whether they were working on the ranch or in the saloon, they had formed a connection that kept them attuned to each other. It had shown up first in their duets, when, even though they had their backs to each other most of the time, they sang as though they’d practiced together for weeks. They slowed together, swelled the tone together, even emphasized the same words. To him, it seemed proof they were meant to be together.

The sound of approaching horses broke his train of thought. It was impossible to tell until they came into sight, but it sounded like about a half dozen men were approaching. Broc had left his horse on the other side of an oak thicket so there wouldn’t be any danger of the animal’s giving away his hiding place. The men were here earlier than Broc had anticipated, but he believed Dan would find a way to hold up the branding operation until Amanda and the sheriff arrived.

That hope was shattered when, one by one, the riders crested a small rise about a hundred yards away. Earl Carruthers was the first rider to come into view.

Broc had to do some rapid recalculation. Dan couldn’t delay the branding indefinitely with Carruthers in charge. That meant Broc might have to try to stop it, but how could he do so by himself? Even if he could count on Dan, his one gun couldn’t be depended on to stop the seven men who would be against him. It certainly wouldn’t stop Carruthers.

Nor could he take it for granted he would be safe if he went unarmed. Under normal circumstances, no one would shoot an unarmed man, but he couldn’t be sure about Carruthers. The man seemed unswayed by law or common sense. Broc would just have to watch and make his decision at the last minute.

As the riders came closer, Broc could see that Dan was arguing with Carruthers, and Carruthers was yelling at Dan. About the only words Broc could hear clearly were profane. He tensed when he realized they were headed straight for the thicket where he was hiding; at least there were no hoofprints to give him away. It had been dark when he rode in, but he’d been careful to approach from the side away from Carruthers’s ranch.

“Stop worrying,” Carruthers told Dan. The riders slowed as they drew closer. “Nobody’s going to know.”

“What about the sheriff?”

“He knows which side his bread is buttered on.”

“He’s not going to protect a rustler. Every cowman in the state would be after his head if he did.”

“Nobody’s going to touch him without my say-so.”

“Rustling is a hanging offense. They’ll be after your head, too.”

“Nobody’s going to lift a finger against me. I’m too rich.”

Broc had seen that attitude in a few men before the war. Since then it seemed to be growing more prevalent, especially in the parts of the West where the law was ineffectual or nonexistent. Powerful men like Carruthers seemed to feel that they could do anything they wanted. They would have to be controlled—or eliminated—if the West was to become a safe place for ordinary people to live and raise a family.

“What you’re doing will endanger these men as well.” Dan gestured to the six men who, having brought their horses into a tight group, were carefully listening to him. “You may be too rich and powerful to be arrested, but we aren’t. We’ll be the ones actually wrestling the calves down and slapping your branding iron on them. We’ll be the ones the sheriff arrests.”

Carruthers dismounted and signaled to the men to follow. “Nobody’s going to be arrested.” He glanced around. “This looks like a good place. There’s enough blow down around this thicket for the fire, and the ground is dry. You ought to be done with the branding in a couple of days, but take more time if you need it.”

“This is crazy,” Dan said. “Anybody taking just one look at calves wearing different brands from their mamas will know they’re stolen.”

“I’m not stupid,” Carruthers shouted. “We’ll drive the cows back to their range once the calves are weaned.” His laugh was a high-pitched, unnatural sound. “Maybe I won’t
take the Lazy T just yet. It might be more profitable to keep taking half her calves. In a few years I’ll have so many young bulls I won’t need her stud.
Then
I’ll take the ranch.”

Broc couldn’t believe Carruthers was so confident he was beyond the reach of the law that he would outline his criminal activity in front of seven people.

“What if somebody sees these cows before then?” Dan asked.

“Nobody will dare set foot on my range.”

“But what if somebody does?”

“You’ll kill him. Dead men carry no tales.”

“You can’t shoot people just for crossing your range.”

“I’ll say they were trying to steal my cows. That’s a hanging offense, so nobody will care if they’re already dead.”

“I’m not shooting anybody.”

“You’ll follow orders just like the rest. Now let’s get started before it’s too hot. You,” Carruthers said, pointing to two men, “start gathering wood. I’ll need enough to last the whole day. Dan and I will heat the irons and brand the calves. The rest of you start rounding them up.”