Chapter 22
Snake In the Grass
Linney hurried out of the courtroom eager to escape the crowd. Once he had reached the edge of the city, he slowed down to enjoy the ride back to the ranch. No one had even cast him a suspicious glance. He would wait a couple of weeks just to be safe and then head out of Dodge City for good.
His whole life had been defined by bad luck but this time, Linney was sure that good fortune was finally coming his way. After all, even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then, He thought.
If he could carry a tune, he surely would have belted out a song. But, he wasn't a gifted singer like Festus Haggen so he just hummed to himself, slightly off key.
Linney checked out the ranch, to make sure there was no one lingering around the bunk house. As they were leaving the courthouse, someone had shouted 'free beer at the Long Branch', so it would probably be a spell before the men would return to the Lady K.
When he reached his bunk, he tossed his hat down on the bed. Gripping the belt of his pants with one hand, he shoved the other deep down in his pocket. Panic swept across his face as his fingers searched in vain, all the while fearing that the thin cotton lining had worn a hole at the seam. Fingers wormed their way to the bottom. Linney shuddered with delight when the cool gold band teased his fingertips.
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Calleigh managed to slip away from the family. She thought about sharing her suspicions with Matt but it was just a feeling. Not even strong enough to be classified as woman's intuition.
"He knows something, I can just feel it." She sounded out her suspicions to Belle. "Granted, he's harmless and a coward but there's something else. You know what I think?" There was no need to pause as the black quarter horse remained silent. "He's always complaining about the way he's mistreated by the Dillon family. I think he knows who shot Styles but to get even with us, he's going to let Nina go to jail."
She had reached the road leading to the bunkhouse. Calleigh's gaze traveled slowly along the lines of the split rail fence defining the property of the Lady K. "I've never seen this place so empty. Kinda spooky isn't it girl?" She leaned forward and stroked Belle's head.
"Not everyone is in town. There's Linney's horse." Giving the reins a slight tug, Calleigh headed toward the bunkhouse.
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Linney was lost in the beauty of the jewel- studded band. He had been a fool to risk losing it in a poker game but it was back now. "Nothing will ever take it from me again." He promised himself. With a contented smile, Linney spread out his fingers, proudly displaying the ring in the palm of his hand.
"Linney, we need to talk!"
Calleigh's sharp tone, grabbed the daydreaming cowboy, jerking him back into reality. His fingers clenched tight, but too late. As he whirled around, the small gold band dropped to the ground and rolled along the crack between the wooden planks.
From the doorway, the redhead did not catch sight of the fleeting sparkle of light as it spiraled in the air, and she was oblivious to the hushed sound it made when coming to rest on the floor.
Linney stood frozen when fear slammed headlong into shock. Ghostly blue eyes ricocheted from Calleigh, to the shiny object lying quietly at her feet. His lungs could only spare enough breath for one word. "What?"
Calleigh took two steps into the bunkhouse. The second one scraped the side of her boot against the ring. A painful utterance shot free before Linney could stifle it. Calleigh's brows bumped together, confirming her puzzled expression. "For heaven's sake! What is wrong with you? I'm not going to shoot you, Linney; I just want to ask you a question."
His brain was scarcely able to decipher her assurances until he realized she was unarmed.
The rancid taste of fear bubbled up in his stomach, gushing into his mouth like the lava from a volcano. Linney winced as he swallowed hard to force it back down. "Ask me what?"
"Well, I think you know more than you're telling." She folded her arms defiantly over her chest and took a step forward. Again, the soft leather caused the band to make a partial turn.
"No. No I don't know nuthin." Tiny droplets struggled to break free from the layer of sweat that clung to his forehead. He swiped at the single escapee that had rolled into his eye. "I gotta go. Festus told me to check on the south fence."
Calleigh shoulders drooped in frustration, paired with an equally exasperated sigh. "It just seemed like…" Her words trailed off when she noticed something pressed to the side of her boot. She casually leaned down, sweeping the object into her hand. "Like you were hiding something." Calleigh stared absently at the jeweled piece. "I know that Nina didn't kill him."
The blood had surely drained to his feet as nothing but adrenaline flowed through his veins. His face had taken on a pasty white hue and shallow snatches of air trembled, unable to escape to the surface. He could see Calleigh's lips move but the pounding in his ears drowned out the words.
"I'm sorry you feel like you've been mistreated." Calleigh paused, hoping to keep her irritation in check. She pulled her gaze from the cowboy, letting it rest on the shiny object. Slowly, as she let her fingers outline the narrow edges of the band; her curiosity began to pique. "I've seen this ring before."
The tiny creases on Calleigh's forehead created a map of confusion. Seconds ticked by in silence, gradually, her eyes inched up, away from the object to confront Linney's. "Cobb Styles was wearing this when Bear broke his hand." Her blue eyes sparked with rage. "You killed him! You were going to let her go to prison!" Calleigh's chest rose high with every angry breath. If she had a gun, she would surely shoot him but that was not an option.
The redhead's discovery had set the truth free. Fear was no longer a threat to Linney, now his only emotion was survival. His hand hovered nervously over the handle of his .45. For once, miss high and mighty, Calleigh O'Brian was the one at the mercy of a gun. "Give me the ring. I'll ride out of here."
Calleigh eased back a step; even consumed by rage, she doubted that she could physically take the cowboy. But maybe, she could outrun him. "Go to hell!"
Suddenly chaos exploded in the room. Calleigh whirled around and ran toward the door impelling Linney to race after her. Before she could get to the threshold, he grabbed a handful of curls and jerked her back to the floor. "Just give me the ring!" He screamed.
Calleigh tightened her fist, determined not to release the coveted prize. She buried her teeth into the hand knotted in her hair. Linney howled in pain while she continued to squirm and kick her way from his grasp.
The outside world was within reach but before Calleigh could scramble to her feet, Linney leaped forward pinning her to the floor. They rolled around on the long wooden planks like a pair of wild dogs each going for the kill. Calleigh held her own against the punches and flying fists but she was no match for the blow to the head from the butt of his gun.
Calleigh's limp body collapsed onto the floor. Silence devoured the air in the room like a ravenous beast. He let the gun slip from his hand and reached down to retrieve the ring. Linney's eyes remained glued to the motionless body, his mind replaying the same scene with Cobb Styles only days earlier. This time there would be no one to blame.
Linney leaned over, wincing at the sight of blood pooling between the fiery curls. What if she was dead? It wouldn't just be Matt Dillon after him. The list of people that loved this woman was too long to cipher.
Linney stood up and put the ring in his shirt pocket. Running away, was his only choice.
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Linney's gaze wandered frantically around the prairie. The barren dry land went on forever and offered no place to rest or hide. He had been riding for a couple of hours, continually looking over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him.
Had they found Little Doc yet? Was she dead? He gave his head a sharp toss to try and stop the thoughts.
"This was a good thing. A fresh start." He hoped that saying the words out loud would make them true. "I'll just change my name. Be a new man – a new person. Maybe I'll go to Texas."
If he said it often enough, he could believe it. Linney reached into his pocket and pulled out the treasured keepsake. He held it up to the sun between his thumb and forefinger; captivated by the way it sparkled and glistened.
His euphoria had only a brief life before the rattler sprung up out of the matted dried weeds and dirt. In a split second, Linney's horse reared up on two legs, throwing it's rider to the ground. In that same moment, the coveted piece of jewelry slipped from his grasping fingers and flew into the air.
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It took a few minutes for the prairie dust to settle. Linney lay on his back staring up at the brilliant sun. He struggled to regain the air that had been knocked violently from his lungs. When he was able to take a full breath, he sat up to look at the damage. The rattler had not abandoned its post but remained far enough away to pose no imminent danger.
The horse had wandered just a few feet away but appeared to be fine. Linney tried to stand but instantly knew that his leg was broken. It might be a struggle but he was pretty sure he could still pull himself up onto the chestnut quarter horse.
Suddenly it hit him – the ring! No sooner had he reached into his pocket than he remembered it was gone. Again, his body was seized by panic as he dragged himself up enough to scour the area.
Once again, the sun caressed his treasure causing it to shine but Linney's bad luck had followed him every step of the getaway. With its head raised and threatening, the rattler remained coiled. Nestled in the center of the dry scaly skin lay the coveted ring.
Despite the heat of the noonday sun, Linney shivered as he stared at the snake. The answer should have been simple. Shoot it and take the ring, but when he closed his eyes, he could still see his .45 laying beside Little Doc.
Linney pulled himself up until he could rest one elbow on the ground. He searched the area within reach for a rock, a stick or something to throw. Clinging to his lousy luck to the very end, the hapless cowboy found nothing but dry Kansas dirt. In a moment of desperation, he dug his fingers into the soil, scratching out a handful of dust.
He shouted at the snake and threw the fistful of earth in hopes of scaring the brown creature away. His efforts were in vain, as the angry reptile displayed only hostility. Stretching up from the ground it hissed violently at the intruder.
Linney continued to let his weight rest on his elbow. His gaze was fixed on the black beady eyes of the snake. Suddenly, he broke into laughter. "What are you looking at?" He yelled "Haven't you ever seen an unlucky man before."
Eventually, the humor abandoned him. He struggled to his feet and limped to his horse. There was a knife in his saddlebag. He wasn't particularly skilled with the weapon so he doubted he would be able to nail the reptile from this distance. For a moment, Linney considered throwing it to scare the snake away but if that failed, then he would be without a weapon.
"If I could be fast enough." He pondered the thought aloud. "I could kill him."
The ill-fated cowboy studied his foe. It was time to make a choice. He could get on his horse and ride away without the ring. Or he could fight that slithering beast and take back what was his.