Chapter Fifteen
Excerpt from Chapter Fourteen:
"Doesn't matter if we understand or not, we've been paid to make sure they are both buried six feet under!" The man barked back.
Eugene was stunned to say the least, but he did nothing until the men finished talking and began drinking more. When he was absolutely sure his departure would not raise any eyebrows, he stood up and left the saloon. The first place he headed was the telegraph office. Soon he'd sent off a coded message to Jarrod, afterwards he headed to the livery stable.
~oOo~
Macklin, who had left the saloon, made his way to the boarding house he was staying at. It was the only two story building on the west side of town. The white picket fence that surrounded it looked as if it might be due to be repainted soon. Unhappy that he may have travelled to Wyoming for nothing, Macklin was too busy cursing his luck to notice the scraggly looking stranger that leaned against the side a building not more than a hundred yards away…on the other side of the street. If he had, he might have turned away from the boarding house and confronted the stranger. As it was Macklin walked through the gate, up the newly replaced steps and disappeared through the brown hardwood door of the boarding house.
For Eugene's part, he was anything but careless. He might be young, but he wasn't stupid. He knew there was a high chance Macklin and the stranger at the bar had other friends around. As much as he wanted to go catch Macklin in some sort of trap and turn him over to the law, Eugene knew there was a high chance Crown had other allies in the area. No, he couldn't meet Macklin on his turf. No, if Eugene was going to continue trailing the man, even chance having to deal with the man face to face, the youngest Barkley knew he'd have to follow Macklin from a distance until both he and Macklin were out of town. Then, if they did cross paths, Eugene prayed like crazy that Macklin would be all alone.
~oOo~
"What?" Heath dropped down into the chair that sat in Jarrod's study and stared at his brother. "Is he sure?" Jarrod had just told the blonde haired cowboy what message their baby brother had sent.
"Macklin's gone bad." Jarrod put the telegram down on his desk and slid it towards Heath, who reached out and caught it before it fell off the desk.
"Wolf not for us STOP Keeping an eye on him STOP E B STOP"
Heath read the telegram and felt his heart skip another beat. If Macklin caught onto the fact that a Barkley was tailing him…his head whipped up, his eyes locked onto Jarrod's. He didn't have to say a word for Jarrod to know what he was thinking.
"I bought these." Jarrod slid his chair back and pulled his top drawer open, and then pulled out a pair of glasses. Heath was confused until Jarrod explained his reasoning. "After I got that telegram I did a lot more thinking. Hannah's changed her appearance it's true, but these glasses will change them even more. If she'll wear them, she'll be safe enough staying here at the main house with mother, McColl and the others keeping an eye on things. Anything I have to do can be rescheduled. I think you, I and Nick need to go up and take over in Wyoming. Eugene needs to get back here and back to school. I have a friend who can deputize us. Later, after this is all over, we can get their marriage annulled."
Heath couldn't help it; he started grinning from ear to ear as he started laughing and laughing hard.
Jarrod gave him a quizzical look for a split second before he shook his head as he just knew what was coming. He then leaned forward with a knowing look upon his face as he said. "I will take it that we've got ourselves a permanent sister-in-law."
After getting his laughter under control, Heath nodded. "I'd say we should have thought about buying her a pair of glasses before now. If we had, they wouldn't have had to go up to the lodge. As it is, they didn't come right out and say it's a real marriage, but if Nick's admits to enjoying the honeymoon, I dare say that's the case." He paused before growing serious once more. "Before we get Nick and head up to Wyoming, there's got to be a way of getting a list of men working with Macklin. Chances are high that those men-or some of them, have gone bad also."
"Most likely," Jarrod said as he began standing up, "which is exactly why I sent a telegram to a friend of mine in the justice department. I am hoping his reply gets here soon." He then excused himself, saying he was going to arrange to send a message up to the lodge first thing in the morning.
~oOo~
The night wind was blowing gently across the deck as Hannah stood next to the railing; she was looking up at the countless stars. Though she did not know about the message Jarrod was going to be sending up to the lodge the next day, she was feeling restless and uncomfortable. Not knowing what Eugene had found out, or what Jarrod and Heath were planning, she was left to wonder what was coming. The wind blew across her face once more as if to say 'it's all right, I'm here to comfort you'. The crickets started singing; as if they were trying to help her relax too.
"What's wrong?" Nick walked up behind his wife and, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulled her backwards and enveloped her in a firm and loving embrace.
Hannah leaned the back of her head against his shoulder, closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't know; that's the problem. I want to tell myself I'm just nervous about the upcoming trial, and that I hate the things that men like Charles Crown do. Only," she opened her eyes and turned her head towards her husband's face. "I can't shake the feeling that something is going on that we don't know, and I don't like it."
Nick wanted to tell her to relax, and it was just her nerves. Only he couldn't, as he'd been getting the same type of feelings for the past few hours. He knew from past experience that it meant that someone, somehow, was trying to tell him he needed to get ready for trouble. However, he didn't want to face that one until the morning came. "We can't stop time from marching on." He whispered as his mouth found his wife's neck. "But we could make the most of tonight."
Hannah felt a tremor run through her as she turned around to face Nick. It wasn't long until the crickets and the wind had lost their audience.