When Love Comes (6 page)

“Well, we don’t, so that makes it stealing.”

“Mother, he said we ought to check into it before we do anything. That doesn’t sound like a thief to me.” Why was she defending Broc? If she didn’t believe he was unprincipled, why had she told him to leave?

“It doesn’t matter,” her mother said. “He’s part of whatever terrible scheme is going on. If that doesn’t make him a crook, I don’t know what does.”

Despite what she’d said to Broc, she couldn’t push aside the feeling that something was wrong somewhere, that Broc Kincaid wasn’t the kind of man to be involved in a conspiracy to steal from anyone. If he had, he could easily have tried to force her to pay for the return of the bull. Or stolen it and tried to sell it to someone else. He had no reason to set Andy’s shoulder. He had even less reason to offer to see her home from the saloon.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about him anymore,” Amanda told her mother. “He won’t be coming back.”

Her mother sat up in bed. “Do you think he’ll ride to town and tell everyone we’re debtors?” Her mother put a hand over her eyes. “I couldn’t live with the shame.”

Her mother was still haunted by the loss of her home during the war. The whole family had tried to protect their mother because they knew how devastating that loss had been, but Amanda was beginning to wonder if they hadn’t coddled her too much.

“I’m sure he won’t do that. Besides, you never go to town, so you wouldn’t have to put up with unkind remarks or falsely sympathetic looks.”

“But people would
know.
”

“Everybody knows Papa was an honest businessman. That’s why we always had so many customers at the saloon and the diner.”

She’d heard rumors of dissatisfaction recently, but she credited that to people liking her father better than Corby. Her father was always friendly, taking an interest in people and their problems. Corby was only interested in helping himself.

“I want that man out of town,” her mother said. “I want you to ask Sheriff Mercer to force him to leave.”

“I intend to go into town.” But she didn’t plan to see the sheriff. She needed to go to the bank. She wanted proof her father had paid for everything he’d bought.

Maybe she could find something to show that Broc wasn’t a part of this plot, that somehow he’d been forced into it against his will. Maybe he was married, and there had been threats against his family. Maybe
he
was in debt and this was part of his way of working it off. There could be any number of reasons, but she hoped his being married wasn’t one of them.

The setting sun painted the early evening sky with broad swatches of orange and red, but Broc didn’t notice the sunset, the lengthening shadows, the increasing chill, or the quiet descending over the prairie as birds and small animals sought refuge for the night. Wrapped in thought, he had come to several conclusions, the first of which was that he ought to tell the sheriff what he had done. He didn’t know what actions the Liscomb family might take, but they were almost certain to talk to the sheriff about him. It would be difficult to convince the sheriff of his honesty if Gary got to the man first. It was always possible to send someone to Crystal Springs to check on his story, but Texans were reluctant to approach officials. There was so much dishonesty in the Reconstruction government that ordinary people assumed you were dishonest if you had anything to do with it. Shrugging off worry about circumstances he couldn’t change, he brought his horse to a stop in front of the sheriff’s office. He tied his mount to the hitching post and went inside.

This office was not substantially different from the one in Crystal Springs, but it boasted two windows, two pictures on the walls, and an imposing metal cabinet behind one of two scarred, wooden desks. “What can I do for you?” the young man behind the smaller desk asked.

“I want to see the sheriff.”

“I’m the sheriff. What can I do for you?” he repeated.

Broc had expected an older man instead of one who appeared to be somewhere in his midtwenties. He knew better than to evaluate competence by age, but he knew it was hard for a young man to get the respect of older, established businessmen. Still, the sheriff seemed relaxed and sure of himself, so maybe he’d already proved he could handle the job.

“I need to explain why I’m here,” Broc said. “My presence in your town has already caused some discomfort. I expect it’s going to cause more.”

The sheriff’s scrutiny of Broc grew more intense. “I don’t like the sound of that. You’re new in town, aren’t you?”

“I’m really just passing through, but it’s more complicated than that.”

The sheriff’s attention didn’t falter. “Tell me.”

He listened without comment as Broc told about the fight, the judge’s decision, and the Liscomb family’s reaction to the news he’d brought. “Either I stay here and try to collect a debt everyone in the Liscomb family says doesn’t exist, or I go back to Crystal Springs and go to jail.”

The sheriff didn’t appear to have any sympathy for Broc’s dilemma. “The Liscombs are well liked by everyone in Cactus Bend. Aaron was a respected member of the business community. I helped settle his affairs after his death. I found no mention of any debt.”

Judge Pike seemed to have no doubt a debt existed. The Liscomb family and the sheriff were equally certain there was no such debt, which left Broc in a quandary. If there was no debt, he had no choice but to go back to Crystal Springs and serve his time in jail. However, if there was a debt, how was he going to prove it when everyone was convinced it didn’t exist? He didn’t think they were all in collusion. It was a lot of money, but it wasn’t enough to get so many people to
lie. He had to have time to think, and he couldn’t do it with the sheriff glaring at him.

“I don’t know what to say,” he said to the sheriff. “I can only repeat that I was ordered by Judge Pike to see that the debt was paid, or I had to go to jail. I advised Mrs. Liscomb to send someone to Crystal Springs to talk to the judge. My only interest is to do what I can to get this debt settled.”

“I don’t know what’s going on here,” the sheriff said, “but I would advise you to leave town. I don’t care whether you go back to Crystal Springs or somewhere else as long as you don’t cause trouble here.”

Something was wrong, and Broc didn’t intend to suffer because of it. “I haven’t caused any trouble, and I don’t intend to. If you don’t believe what I said,
you
can send someone to Crystal Springs to talk to Judge Pike. Or,” he continued when the sheriff started to speak, “you can wait until he comes here in two weeks on his circuit.”

“We have no cases for him to hear, so he’ll bypass us.”

“You have one now.”

The sheriff bridled. “Are you trying to threaten me? Because if you are, you’ve chosen the wrong man.”

Broc smiled, though he didn’t feel like it. “I’m relating facts. Whether you choose to believe them is your business. Though you might consider what you’re going to say when the judge does arrive and learns you’ve done nothing.”

The sheriff was getting angry. “I don’t need advice from some drifter.”

Broc didn’t wear his best clothes when he traveled, but didn’t think he looked like a drifter. He supposed it was his scar. He stood. “I’ve said what I came to say.” He returned the sheriff’s stare. “I won’t be leaving town just yet. I expect I’ll be here to welcome the judge.”

“I’ll be watching you,” the sheriff promised.

“I hope you will. I want you to know that whatever wrongdoing is going on, I have no part in it.”

Broc paused outside the door of the sheriff’s office to consider what he should do next. The logical place to look for substantiation of the debt would have been Aaron Liscomb’s papers, but the sheriff said he’d seen them. Broc was certain Amanda had seen them as well, so there was nothing there to tell him what had gone wrong. The bank wasn’t going to give him any information, and no lawyer would speak to him except to tell him this was none of his business.

He started walking back to the hotel, his thoughts so taken up with his situation, he didn’t notice Corby Wilson until the man spoke to him.

“Why the hell are you still here?”

Dressed all in black, Corby appeared out of the twilight like a bird of ill omen.

“At the moment I’m headed to my hotel,” Broc replied. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“You can leave town.”

“Sorry. You’ll have to choose something else.”

“You said you were leaving.”

“My plans have changed.”

“Then change them back.”

Broc couldn’t decide whether he was angry this overdressed twig thought he had a right to tell him what to do, or amused because Corby looked so absurd. There was so much grease in his hair, the strong breeze whistling down the street couldn’t blow a single strand out of place. He smelled so strongly of pomade that Broc moved to get upwind of him. And his suit had been tailored to fit his body so snugly, he looked like he ought to be uncomfortable wearing it. Despite the dusty streets, his shoes were freshly polished. What could Amanda see in this understuffed straw man?

“I’ll leave Cactus Bend as soon as I complete my business.”

“What kind of business can a man like you have here?”

What about that scar said he was anything but an honest, upstanding citizen with the right to be treated the way every other citizen was treated? “I’m a cowhand, and this is cow country.”

“You obviously don’t have any money of your own, and I don’t see anyone trusting you with more than your month’s wages. What can you do with that?”

“Appearances can be deceiving,” he said. “After all, your clothes make you look like a popinjay.”

From the blank expression on Corby’s face, it was obvious he didn’t know whether Broc had complimented or insulted him, but his look of irritation indicated he thought an insult was more likely.

“Sandoval and Carruthers are the biggest cattlemen around here,” Corby said. “If your business isn’t with them, you don’t have any.”

“Then I guess I’d better talk to them. Where can I find the gentlemen?”

“They come to my saloon several times a week,” Corby stated with a touch of pride. “You can see them there if they’ll talk to you.”

“Thanks for the information. I’ll let you get on your way. I don’t want to keep you from any important business.”

Corby was still frowning when Broc walked away. Broc thought it must be hard worrying that every comment might carry a hidden insult. Once again he found himself wondering what Amanda could see in that man

Amanda had little appetite for the meal before her. Her mother picked at her food as usual, but Eddie and Gary ate like field hands despite their mother’s efforts to instill proper table manners. Amanda had endured a difficult morning. It didn’t help that she’d gotten very little sleep the night before. It helped even less that her mother couldn’t stop talking about Broc’s visit. The easiest part of the morning had been spent in the saddle with Leo. They weren’t doing very well because they were short a cowhand, and they’d never had enough help in the first place.

“A guy can’t work on a full stomach,” Gary said when he pushed back from the table. “So I might as well go to the saloon and get paid for a few extra hours.”

“I have a remedy for that,” Amanda snapped. “Go without dinner.”

“I’m surprised at you, Amanda,” her mother scolded. “Gary works hard.”

“So do the rest of us,” Amanda pointed out, “but we’re not going into town to waste the rest of the afternoon.”

“Gary told you he would get paid for the extra hours. You’re always telling me we need to watch our expenses because we don’t have enough money.”

“Things wouldn’t be so tight if Gary worked more around here.”

“You said we wouldn’t have any noticeable increase in our income until the calves were old enough to sell.”

Her mother could always find a reason for Gary to do exactly what he wanted, but she never extended the same privilege to her or Eddie. “Andy can’t work with his injured shoulder. We need Gary to stay here all day so we won’t get any further behind.”

“I don’t understand,” her mother said. “Your father told me cows take care of themselves. We only have to sell them when they’re big enough.”

Amanda was relieved when a knock on the front door prevented her from having to explain to her mother
again
that cows really didn’t take care of themselves.

Eddie was off like a flash and back a moment later ahead of their unexpected guest. “It’s Corby.” He didn’t look any more pleased than Amanda at the interruption, but Gary welcomed Corby. Her mother’s face was unreadable, but Amanda knew her mother didn’t approve of Corby. Amanda wondered whether she disapproved more of the way he dressed or that he owned a saloon.

“I came as soon as I heard,” he said. “I told the sheriff he ought to put that man in jail. He said he would if the fellow gave you any trouble.”

“What are you talking about?” Amanda asked. “
Who
are you talking about?”

“The man who took you home the other night. He’s been talking to the sheriff,” Corby answered.

“He went to the sheriff about us?” Gary’s face turned dark red. “I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”

“I don’t trust the man myself,” his mother said to him, “but you will not use such language at my table. What did Mr. Kincaid say to the sheriff?” she asked Corby.

“He told him you owed a lot of money and that Judge Pike was coming to auction off everything you owned if the debt wasn’t paid. The sheriff said he even threatened him.”

“I can’t believe that,” Amanda said. “Whatever mistakes Broc has made, he’s not a fool.”

“He is if he thinks he’s going to get us to pay a debt we don’t owe,” Gary said.

“If he’s got a judge on his side, that could be trouble,” Corby said. “We all know what Reconstruction people are like. I could tell you—”

“Don’t,” Amanda said. “It would upset Mother. I appreciate your coming to see us, but Mr. Kincaid said we weren’t to give him any money and that we should send someone to Crystal Springs to look into the matter.”

“One person can lie as well as another,” Corby said. “It won’t make any difference that this Pike is a judge. That’s why I’ve come to offer to marry you so I can protect the whole family.”

Considering the times, Amanda supposed quite a few women had received more unflattering proposals, but she didn’t personally know any. If Corby thought offering to protect her family from a flimsy threat would win her over when
she’d refused all his previous offers of marriage, he understood her even less than she’d thought. But then Corby had never shown any real understanding of her—or a desire to acquire any. After her father’s death, he’d assumed he would be the one she turned to in times of need, the natural choice to become her husband. Every time she turned him down, he came up with a new reason why she should marry him. This time, however, he’d miscalculated. Not even Gary liked the idea of Corby assuming the role of protector of the family.

“We can take care of ourselves,” Gary said. “I can handle Kincaid by myself.”

“No, you can’t,” Eddie said.

“I can, too,” Gary insisted. “Just because I don’t get into brawls don’t mean I can’t fight.”

Amanda knew they should move into the parlor, but that would be an invitation for Corby to sit and stay longer. “This is a legal matter, not one to be settled by fists.”

“It would settle his big mouth.”

“I’ve made it plain to him that I want him out of town as soon as possible,” Corby said. “He says he has business with Carruthers and Sandoval, but if he’s lying, I’ll see he’s sorry.”

Amanda had a strong suspicion Broc could take either Gary or Corby. “I appreciate your offer of help,” she said to Corby, “but we can handle this by ourselves.”

“There’s no reason you should have to,” Corby insisted. “I
want
to marry you. I
want
to take care of things for you. And your family,” he added as an afterthought.

“My daughter is too young to marry,” Mrs. Liscomb said.

Amanda appreciated her mother’s help, but she wasn’t going to hide behind anyone. “I’m not too young,” she told Corby. “I just don’t want to get married yet.”

Okay, she was hedging, but it didn’t seem necessary to hurt his feelings by telling him she would never marry him. She’d already told him she didn’t love him. He said love was
an invention of people who wrote poetry and silly plays to fill young girls’ heads with a lot of nonsense. He believed respect and admiration were the feelings on which successful marriages were founded.

“You should think of your family,” Corby said. “They need a man to guide them as well as protect them.”

“I don’t need nobody to protect me,” Eddie insisted.

“You shouldn’t confuse an offer of assistance with an offer of marriage,” her mother said. “It complicates one and undervalues the other.”

“I’ve offered to marry Amanda many times before. I hoped this situation would make her think more about her future and less about the present.”

Corby couldn’t get it through his head that she was refusing him because she
was
thinking of her future and didn’t want to spend it with him.

“I’d never marry anyone just to get out of a difficult situation,” Amanda said. “Once the situation resolves itself, what reason would I have for wanting to stay married?”

“Security,” Corby said.

“Your vows,” her mother added.

Gary winked and made a silly face, which was his way of saying he thought the physical side of marriage was an inducement all its own.

“I don’t want to be in a marriage where that’s all that keeps me with my husband,” Amanda told her mother and Corby. “I want to love the man I marry. I want him to depend on me as much as I depend on him.”

“Why?” Gary asked.

Her mother and Corby just stared at her as though bereft of speech.

“Why not?” Amanda replied

“Gary likes Priscilla because she’s rich.” Eddie hid behind his mother before his brother could grab him.

“I do not,” Gary insisted. “I mean, that’s not the only reason.” Gary could be a slacker, but at least he was straightforward about it.

“I’m just saying that women want to be married to men they like and enjoy being with,” Amanda said.

“You like me and enjoy being with me,” Corby said.

“I know, but that’s not enough for me. I just told you I want to be in love with the man I marry.

“You’re nineteen,” Gary said, “and you haven’t found anybody you love yet. What if you never do?”

Amanda had thought about that on many lonely nights, but she believed not being married was better than being married to the wrong man. “Nineteen isn’t old,” she told Gary. “I doubt I’ll wind up an old maid aunt to your children.”

“How about my children?” Eddie asked.

“You won’t have any children,” Gary said. “No woman would marry you.”

“I don’t want to get married,” Eddie said. “Girls are afraid of horses.”

“Priscilla isn’t,” Gary said.

“Sammy Loftus says she only rides in a buggy,” Eddie told him. “She won’t even harness her own horses.”

“You’re a liar.” Gary grabbed for Eddie, who escaped by diving under the table and hiding behind Amanda.

“I’ll spare you my brothers’ embarrassing behavior and refuse your kind offer. We really can handle the situation on our own.”

“I haven’t given up.” Corby gave Amanda his most engaging smile. “I’ll keep the offer open because you’ll need me soon. Now I do have to get back to town. I’m never comfortable leaving the saloon for long.”

Amanda wondered if he realized he was already married—to the saloon.

“I’ll see you out,” Gary said to Corby.

“It would have been nice to have the security he could provide,” Mrs. Liscomb said to Amanda after Corby had left, “but I can’t like a man who dresses so badly.”

Unwilling to laugh in her mother’s face, Amanda said, “I want to make sure Gary doesn’t keep Corby standing on the porch forever. He’s nearly as bad as Corby when it comes to that saloon.”

“I don’t understand this liking for low company,” Mrs. Liscomb said. “There was nothing like that in
my
family.”

Amanda didn’t have to go outside to hear what Gary was saying. The front window was open, and he was making no attempt to keep his voice down.

“Don’t give up,” he was saying to Corby. “She’ll marry you as soon as she gets tired of this ranch.”

“She can have the ranch, too,” Corby said. “I just want to marry her.”

“I don’t know why my mother ever wanted this place. I hate it.”

“I can see why your mother likes this house,” Corby said, “but it’s too far from town for my taste.”

“Just keep after Amanda. I know she likes you. She thinks everybody in the world is crazy about her. Once she starts to look old, she’ll change her mind.”

It was all Amanda could do to refrain from bursting through the doorway and setting her brother straight on quite a number of things, but she wanted to hear Corby’s response. She would deal with Gary later.

“Do I look like a man who wants a wife who looks old?” Corby attempted to puff out his skinny chest, but the effort yielded barely visible results. “I deserve the best-looking wife, because I’m the best-looking man in Cactus Bend.”

Broc’s image sprang into Amanda’s mind. Most people would think she was crazy, that his disfigurement would make it impossible for a woman to think he was attractive.
She didn’t like the scarring because of the pain and suffering it must have caused Broc, but she thought it gave him character, a kind of strength nearly every man she met lacked. She just couldn’t understand his part in the attempt to gouge money from her family.

“Sure you are,” Gary told Corby, “which is why Amanda will change her mind. Just give her time.”

She wasn’t going to change her mind as long as she couldn’t get a certain cowhand out of it.

“Where is she going to find a more suitable husband?” Corby asked. “I could have any woman within a hundred miles, but I want only Amanda.”

“You’ll get her. I’m sure of it,” Gary said. “Once she marries you, Ma won’t have anybody to help her on the ranch and she’ll have to sell it. Mr. Carruthers says he’ll give her any price she wants.”

Only because he was determined to get the ranch instead of Sandoval.