A/N: I wanted to have this posted Tuesday, but that's what happens when I don't always have as much time to write after work as I would like. At least this time it's only two days behind schedule. I realize Candy was in The Arrival of Eddie as well, but after watching it, I decided that was Hoss' episode and to expand Candy's role beyond the few scenes he had didn't really work so I clipped them from that episode and used them as the opening scenes for this one. As always, I don't own Bonanza.
Tonight: The Stronghold.
Added line breaks 2-19-21
"I think that little pinto's one of the best." Candy nodded at the horse she was riding. Annie smiled and patted the gelding's neck. He might not be as flashy as most pintos out there, having only a small belly spot and high stockings behind, but looks weren't what counted out here, stamina and pure toughness did.
"I'll talk to Pa when he gets back from San Francisco. I like this one." She eyed the chestnut Candy was handling. "Maybe that one, too." They had a few horses in the remuda getting up there in years that needed to be turned out.
"The bay with the blaze isn't bad either." Candy reined the chestnut sideways. "Joe said anything about this bunch yet?"
"He hasn't even seen them ride since before he and Dude left to take that herd to Dry Wells. He's supposed to come watch them this afternoon."
Hoof beats thundered closer and they both looked up, as did the rest of the ranch hands working with the young stock. Dude galloped up to the corral and slid his horse to a stop in a cloud of dust. Annie was pleased to note the pinto didn't even bat an eye.
"Annie, Candy! You're needed at the house." He wheeled his horse and took off as fast as he'd arrived. Candy shook his head.
"Somehow, I don't think Joe's going to be inspecting these horses today." They traded looks and headed for the house. Annie pulled the pinto up at the hitch rail and studied the buggy tied up next to them.
"Who's horse is that?"
"Guess we'll find out when we go inside." Candy swung down and looped the chestnut's reins over the hitch rail. She followed him to the door, which he held open for her. "After you, sweetheart." She rolled her eyes and stalked inside without a word.
Joe and Hoss looked up from their discussion with whoever it was. First impression of the man said banker or doctor.
"What's wrong?"
"Little brother got a fake check for them cattle." Hoss scratched his head.
"What?"
"How?"
"Calamitous, I know. There's so much money involved, I wanted to come and tell you about it personally. I've been sick, truly sick, about this." He wasn't the only one. That was months of hard work, all of it gone in the blink of an eye. Joe's nostrils flared.
"My fifteen thousand dollars was given to a teller in your bank, now Dude saw it, too. And so did the Farrell brothers."
"I'm sure they did, but unfortunately the man who took your money and wrote that check was an impostor." The banker dug into his coat pocket. "Here is a genuine signature of our cashier, you can compare it to the one on the forgery." Joe took the second check and studied the signatures; his shoulders fell. Candy touched her back and she leaned into him.
"They're completely different." His head came up. "So how do I get my money?" The banker suddenly looked uncomfortable as he turned away and paced a few steps across the room.
"I'm deeply sorry, but we cannot honor a forged check."
"Wait a minute, you got a sheriff in Dry Wells, what's he doing about this?" Hoss ambled closer, a frown pulling at his forehead. The banker looked him square in the eye.
"Trying to find the impostor. Without success, up until the time I left." Her brothers traded looks and the banker drew himself up. "We've suffered a loss, too. Our cashier was clubbed over the head and died later." Annie bit her lip and lowered her head. Joe had the grace to look ashamed.
"It's my turn to say I'm sorry." Everyone looked at each other in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Joe cleared his throat and held up the checks. "I'd like to keep these, I may need them." The banker nodded woodenly. "Dude, saddle the horses." Joe headed for the sideboard at the front door, Hoss chasing after him.
"Where you think you're going?"
"After the money." He buckled his gun belt around his waist.
"Well, I'm going with you."
"No. Pa left you in charge while he was in San Francisco. It was my job to deliver and sell those cattle. I lost the fifteen thousand and I'll get it back."
"We're coming, too. Just give me five minutes to switch my saddle to Reno."
"I've never been to Dry Wells," Candy remarked.
"Now's your chance," Joe said on his way out the door. "No time, Annie, ride what you've got. We'll be back as soon as we can."
"Five minutes won't change matters," she hissed under her breath as they rode out of the yard. Heading into trouble, she'd prefer Reno to an untested four year old.
"Look on the bright side." Candy grinned. "We'll find out if these two have what it takes." He rubbed the chestnut's neck.
"I'd rather find that out before we're in the middle of a gun battle." Fifteen thousand dollars cash. Whoever took it wasn't going to give it back without a fight. Lead would fly before this was over. Candy didn't argue and the look in his eyes told her he knew it as well as she did.
"If you two are finished, could we get moving?" Joe called back. Candy laughed.
"He does get mad sometimes, doesn't he?" Joe whipped around in his saddle, leveling them both with a sharp glare.
"You would be too if you lost that kind of money."
"Never had that much to lose." Candy shrugged. "But I get what you're saying, Joe. It's a big loss, but the Ponderosa could take it, if it had to. But we won't have to worry about that because we'll get it back." Joe looked like he wanted to say something, but he merely spun back around and pushed Cochise into a gallop.
Candy was right: the Ponderosa could absorb the loss. She just wasn't sure Joe could handle it if he failed to retrieve the money.
The trip to Dry Wells was nothing less than a mad dash, led by her disgusted-at-himself brother. When they finally pulled up in front of the hitch rail at the sheriff's office, Annie's legs ached and her stomach growled.
The only good news was the pinto hadn't disgraced himself. Candy'd been right about him being one of the best in the bunch, if not the best.
"The sheriff should be in his office." Joe hopped off Cochise with more energy than he should have at this point. "Let's go." Candy hung back as they went inside, leaning over to whisper in her ear.
"We still haven't dumped him somewhere."
"We'll take care of that after we get the money back."
"Yeah. He wouldn't be none too nice about it right now." They made their way inside and caught the tail end of the sheriff's half of the conversation.
"I sympathize with you, Mr. Cartwright, but as I just told you, there's not much I can do. If you'll follow me, I'll take you over to the bank and you can see what little I've got to go on." The man slapped his hat on his head and stalked out the door, barely pausing long enough to tip his hat in her general direction.
Once in the bank, he led them behind the counter while customers stared at them and whispered. He opened a door in the back wall and stepped aside so they could see. "Billy Blake was right here under this table the whole time you and the Farrells was in the bank." The man's throat worked. "Old Billy was getting on, he, uh, didn't see too good, or hear too good. I guess that's how come somebody could hide in here until he pulled the blinds and locked the door."
"No suspects?" Joe looked down at the floor. The sheriff shook his head and started back around the counter.
"We didn't even know what the man looked like until we got your telegraph. But, we tried anyway. You see, Billy was a cousin of my wife's. It was four days before she'd let me stay in the house long enough to eat a meal." Silence fell. The sheriff sighed and opened the front door. "There's nothing more to see in here." He led them back outside.
"Aside from my fifteen thousand, did the bank lose any money?" An interesting question. Was the whole thing planned, or had someone lucked into the opportunity of a lifetime?
"No. The vault was locked. You know, the description of that cashier you sent, it seems to fit a man that was around for two or three days before the bank was robbed, but he's plumb gone since."
"Well, this whole thing was well planned."
"Had to. The bank was closed, vault was locked. That fake cashier didn't stand to make a cent unless he knew you, and the Farrells, and the money was going to walk in his bank."
"You think he pulled it off alone?"
"I don't know." The sheriff squinted into the sun. "We're not going to know until we catch him. If you'd like to come back down to the jail with me, I've got some coffee."
"That sounds nice." Yes, only because he didn't make it. Annie added her agreement. The sheriff raised an eyebrow.
"Now, it ain't fresh –" He stopped, staring down the street. Her hand went to her gun as she turned. A man led a horse with a blanket wrapped form tied to its saddle towards them. They all looked at each other and surrounded the horse.
"Found him hid under some rocks in a stub canyon off Apache Flats. Got one bullet through the heart," the stranger announced. Joe pulled the blanket away from the man's face and froze.
"It's the phony cashier." He turned away.
"I found this in one of his pockets, its all he had on him." The man handed something to the sheriff as Joe rounded the horse. Candy pulled up the blanket and stole a peek at the man's face. He glanced at her and shook his head.
At this rate, they'd never find that money. And this proved, whoever he was, he hadn't been working alone. Annie looked out into the distance. Someone else was involved in this, maybe more than one someone.
"You know her?" She turned around and peered over her brother's shoulder at the tiny picture nestled in the small, silver locket.
"No one I know," the sheriff replied. "And I've seen everybody around here within two days ride. You want my opinion, we just slammed into the end of the box canyon. Take him down to Doc's." The stranger led his horse away and the sheriff turned back to them. "That dead man ain't gonna help us none."
"Looks to me like he wasn't in this alone," Candy remarked. Joe sighed.
"Only two other people knew we were bringing fifteen thousand dollars into that bank: the Farrell brothers." Dude cocked his head.
"They did open that bank kind of easy, didn't they?"
"What do you know about them, Sheriff?" The man shrugged.
"Not much. Except that they're long gone into Arizona Territory by now. Cattle sold, the money stashed and out of my reach."
"But not ours," Annie growled.
"If you've got plans of going after them, I'd leave her here." She bristled; Candy put his hand on her arm and Joe snorted.
"Only if you want your town destroyed. Who's the law down there?"
"Well, there's a Territorial Marshal that rides by the Acabo every six months or so. Outside of that, the Farrells are pretty much all the law there is." Joe nodded to himself.
"Mind if I keep this?" He held up the locket.
"Go right ahead." Her brother tucked the locket into his jacket and jerked his chin at the horses.
"Let's go find the Farrell brothers."
"From what I hear, they got a real fort down there. They hire a lot of border gun hands. You'd do a sight better sticking your head in a rattler's nest."
"Maybe so, but there's no other way to get to them. Let's go." She shrugged and headed for the pinto.
"Seems like brother Joe is planning to run us all into the ground," she muttered to the horse. He whipped around.
"If you don't want to come, just go on back to the Ponderosa." He swung into Cochise's saddle while she stood there, her mouth hanging open. "I lost the money so I'll get it back."
"Joe." Candy's voice carried a warning note that even he should hear, no matter how mad he was. "You've got no right to snap at Annie." Their foreman reined his horse over to Cochise's side. "I get that you're mad at yourself, but don't take it out on her." He gave Joe a tight smile. "Or I'll spend some time in Hop Sing's kitchen once we get home. And I'll tell him it was all your doing." Joe stared and Candy chuckled. To her, it sounded like another warning. Her brother swallowed and looked down at his saddle.
"I'm sorry, Annie. I just … I got played for a fool." He looked up. "Maybe five minutes wouldn't change anything, but I have to get it back. I can't face Pa when he comes home with news like this."
"Accepted." She swung into her saddle and reined the pinto around until its nose pointed due south. "After you, big brother." His eyebrows went up. Oh, yes, he ought to know that tone very well as many scrapes as they'd gotten into over the years. She'd forgive him.
Forget? That was another matter entirely.
"Just how far is this Farrell ranch?" Dude played with a piece of straw and slouched beside their campfire that evening. Joe lay sprawled on his bedroll, hat shielding his eyes from the dancing flames. He didn't even move.
"I figure the Acabo ought to be another day's ride."
"Acabo." Dude smiled to himself. "That's a name I been hearing ever since I was a kid." She and Candy watched him from the other side of the fire.
"Acabo. It's Spanish. It means I finish." Annie rolled her eyes and looked back at him over her shoulder.
"You're just a fountain of useful information, you know that?" He grinned and Dude gave a soft laugh.
"I hope it isn't our finish."
"Well, you're full of witty sayings about optimism. That's what I like about you, Dude." Joe shook his head from his bedroll.
"Candy, some of us are trying to sleep."
"How are we going to get into the Farrell place?"
"Ride up and ride in."
"I'm sure they'll fall all over themselves to let us do just that," Annie scoffed. "Come on, Joe, when is it ever that easy?"
"Yeah," Candy added. "Just like four fat quails flying straight into the barrel of a shotgun. Straight forward, that's you, Joe. Not me. I'm a little more …"
"Sneaky," Dude supplied.
"Cunning," Annie said at the same time. Candy grinned.
"Devious was the word I had in mind, but those will do fine." He sat up straight. "I read a story once about a fort. There were some soldiers trying to get in. They built a big wooden horse and they took it up to the gate and left it."
"Trojan horse, so what?" Joe mumbled. Dude shook his head.
"You get past bays and duns and I'm lost."
"The people opened the gate and dragged the horse inside. There were men inside the horse. When the soldiers got back, they had the gate open and the battle half won."
"Exactly why I would have let it sit outside to rot. Only an idiot wouldn't look that gift horse in the mouth."
"Of course you wouldn't, but the Farrells might." She sat up, tension humming along her nerves. "It occurs to me that three of us might be better off if one of us is inside that fort when the others rode up." Her mouth went dry. Him and his half-cocked ideas.
"Are you crazy?" One dark eyebrow winged up.
"It's got to be someone the Farrells don't know." He laughed. "It seems to come down to me."
"They've never seen me." Joe shot bolt upright in his bedroll.
"No way, Annie, no way in –"
"She could do it," Candy mused. "But that's not the problem. They may not have seen her, but I'm sure they know of her. And that's not a risk any of us are willing to take."
"What if they figure out what you're doing? You'd be all alone down there."
"Wouldn't be the first time, you know that, sweetheart."
"You need someone watching your back."
"Way I figure it, if something goes wrong, it'll be after you three show up, not before." Joe dropped back to his bedroll in a huff, sending Candy a sharp glare.
"How do you plan on getting inside?" Candy shrugged.
"I think I'll get some boards and build me a horse." Joe's eyebrows shot up and he raised his hat off his face again. Candy grinned and rolled over, his back to the fire, and cradled his rifle to him. Annie threw her duster at his head and he barked out a laugh. She burrowed down into her own bedroll and turned her back to him.
Which left her facing Joe.
Her brother glanced from Candy to her and back, one eyebrow raised under his hat. His lips twitched. Her own eyebrows went up and he chuckled under his breath, then lowered his hat back over his face.
Annie rolled onto her back, staring up at the stars dancing overhead. It wasn't too long before soft snores rose from the other bedrolls spread around the banked fire.
Except Candy. The man even slept as silent as an Indian.
She rolled back to her side. She never had been able to get comfortable bedding down on the trail and Postley had only made it worse.
If she couldn't sleep, she might as well think. Even if the Farrells weren't directly involved – a very big if in her opinion– they knew who was. Joe certainly hadn't told anyone about the sale, so it had to have been them. They had the most to gain, anyway. They weren't going to return the cattle just because the money had been stolen.
It was a stroke of genius.
Now they had to prove it.
Despite herself, she did manage to sleep a little bit, waking not long after dawn to find coffee on the fire and Candy gone. Dude was saddling the horses and Joe sat on his bedroll, drinking his coffee and watching her. She sat up and began to pack her bedroll.
"When did he light out?"
"He was gone when I woke up." He glanced over at Dude and lowered his voice. "There something I need to know?" Her hands stilled and she looked over her shoulder at her brother.
"About what?"
"You two seem –"
"Unless you want Hop Sing and Pa chasing you around the yard when we get home, I wouldn't finish that sentence."
"I'm not the only one who's noticed."
"You're the only one saying anything."
"Annie, you're always around him, right next to him. Half the time his hand is on your shoulder, or resting at your back."
"If Pa had a problem with it, he'd have said so." She yanked at the strings on the bedroll, pulling it tight.
"Annie –" She whipped around.
"Have you ever watched death coming at you head on? I don't mean quick, like in a gun fight or falling off a horse like Ma did. I mean creeping in, coiling itself around you like barbed wire and you know there's nothing you can do to stop it, or keep it at bay. All you can do is sit there in that mine shaft and watch it come for you.
"We had no water for almost three days, Joe. If Postley had managed to keep his conscience at bay a little while longer, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You and Hoss, or Pa, you don't understand what goes through our heads sometimes when we wake up in the middle of the night, half afraid the rescue was a dream and we're still trapped down there. Of course we're closer than we were, only the two of us know what it was like."
"Why didn't you say something," he said softly.
"You've never had to face that and God forbid you ever do." She turned back to her bedroll and got to her feet. "Isn't it about time we got moving?"
"Annie –"
"I don't want to talk about it." She hauled her saddle off the ground and carted it over to the pinto. The animal snorted when she threw the saddle over its back. She rubbed the gelding's neck and tightened the cinch.
"Dude, get your gear." Joe came up and waited until the hand had moved out of hearing range. "You forget I've been held hostage more times than I can count over the years and they all said they'd kill me unless Pa did what they wanted." She turned around slowly and leaned back against the horse.
"You could escape, you just had to find a way to do it. We were thirty feet down a mine shaft and we weren't getting out no matter what we did unless Postley let us out." Her chest tightened; her hands shook. "I'm not talking about it anymore today, we need to get moving." She put her back to her brother and slipped the bridle over the pinto's ears.
"Annie –"
"I said I'm not discussing this anymore." She didn't even turn. "Drop it, Joe." Annie swung into the saddle and glared down at him. "And don't pick it up again." She nudged the pinto into a trot and took off without a backward glance.
Hours later, they pulled up at a small wooden marker that proclaimed the Acabo was only a mile away. Dude cleared his throat and glanced between her and Joe, the atmosphere still frosty. "I guess we're close." Neither one of them said anything. He fiddled with his reins and cleared his throat again. "Guess it's time me and old Bonebag did our little trick." He patted the gelding's neck and hopped down, searching the trail, before he picked up a rock. "Don't have to be big enough to hurt him, just so he knows it's there." He wedged the rock under the edge of the animal's shoe and led him forward a few steps, producing a noticeable limp. "That'll convince anybody."
"Until they pick up his foot," Annie said tartly. Dude grinned.
"Trained him myself. You see, when the weather turns nasty, there's no better way to get into someone's bunkhouse for the night than a horse that comes up crippled."
"Yeah, I seem to recall the first time you came to the Ponderosa," Joe remarked with a chuckle. Annie shook her head. Someone was going to check that hoof. Or maybe not. Maybe she was just in a bad mood after this morning. Even thinking about Postely and his mine ruined everything for the rest of the day.
Dude led Bonebag down the trail, the gelding limping badly with every step. She nudged the pinto into line, every minute bringing them closer to trouble.
By the time they came in sight of the whitewashed adobe wall and fancy scrolled gate, they were all walking. Probably a good thing, else she might have laughed herself right off the pinto's back when she saw Candy walking guard duty at the gate, rifle in hand.
Someone else didn't check gift horses in the mouth.
A tiny smile touched her lips as they drew up in front of the gate. "Hey friend, how about opening up?" Joe called.
"Not until you tell me who you are, and what you want." Candy cocked the rifle for emphasis.
"You gonna stand there spouting questions while us pilgrims die of thirst?" Dude took off his hat and fanned his face. A tall, dark man came out of the house.
"Who is it?"
"Joe Cartwright," her brother hollered back.
"Let him in." The man turned back towards the house. "Josh, look who's here." Another man ambled outside while Candy opened the gate.
"Mike, how you doing, you remember Dude? And this is my sister, Annie."
"Of course." He shook Dude's hand, then those dark eyes latched onto her and her skin crawled. "A pleasure, Ms. Cartwright. It's not often we can enjoy the company of ladies all the way out here." She untangled her hand and gave him a tight smile.
She'd run across mountain lions less dangerous than Mike Farrell.
"Thank you." He watched her a moment longer before he finally turned away.
"Joe, this is Candy, he'll take care of your horses for you." Candy sauntered over, the rifle laying over his arm.
"Howdy."
"Candy?" Joe grinned. "No. Come on, you got to be kidding me. No one has a name like Candy." He cackled and Dude laughed with him. Annie joined in, while Candy glared at all three of them.
"Come on inside, I've got something that'll cut the dust out of your throats."
"Sounds good."
"Take my horse, Candy." They laughed and headed inside. Annie silently handed him her reins and trailed after her brother.
"Yes, Joe, the Acabo's a great little spread. Of course, it's pistolero country down here. Border gangs strike without warning, take everything but your bones. That's why the fences and the guards are outside, gotta be very careful in the hills, but the hunting's great." Mike handed them each a glass of wine. "I bragged about our hunting, brother Josh. Now, I'm going to have to prove it. Gentlemen – and lady – here's to a strong drink, a hot bath, and a soft bed after a long ride." He clinked his glass against Joe's, then Dude's, then hers, his eyes latching onto her face again.
Annie acknowledged the toast, but set her glass down untouched. "Thank you, no, Mr. Farrell, I don't drink."
"You can call me, Mike." Her grip tightened on the glass. Joe cleared his throat.
"The hospitality is great, Mike, but this isn't a pleasure trip."
"Oh?" His brow furrowed. "I don't understand." Sure he didn't.
"Well, that fifteen thousand dollar cashier's check I got at the bank? It's a forgery, the bank won't honor it."
"Forgery?" Oh, he was slick, alright. If she didn't know better, she might have believed him. "How could that be? We both stood there and watched him make it out."
"The man was an impostor, the real cashier was hit on the head. Died before he regained consciousness."
"I don't believe it." He turned to his brother. "Josh?" She and Joe exchanged glances. "If you say it's true, I believe it. Just …" He shook his head again and turned away. "I didn't know that man. He said I'd been pointed out to him, but I'd never seen him before. That's why he let us in the door. I'd love to help you Joe, but you saw and heard what I saw and heard. Josh, can you add anything to that?" The other Farrell brother swallowed his wine and shook his head.
"Except another drink might ease the pain a little." He carried the bottle back over and refilled her brother's glass.
"Yeah. Joe, I don't know what to say. I thought I made a clean deal. Bought a herd, paid cash, and got a receipt." He got a lot more than that. Joe smiled, a slightly feral edge to the motion.
"And I bought a phony cashier's check." The Farrell brothers traded glances of their own.
"You don't expect me to pay for the herd twice, do you, Joe?" Annie ran her finger around the rim of her glass. Once would be enough.
"No, I don't expect you to pay twice, I just thought you might be able to help me find him."
"I told you I'd never seen him before."
"Yeah, that's right." Mike turned away, shaking his head.
"There must be somebody in Dry Wells that knows that man. If it was me, I'd talk to every man, woman, and kid in that town."
"We already have. No luck." Joe finished his wine and grinned. "Well, it'll be two or three days before Dude's horse is ready to travel, I hope that invitation to be your house guest still holds."
"Sure it does. If Dude wants to make a swap, he can have his choice of our stock." She hid a smile. And if he did, how long would it be before they had a marshal on their tail proclaiming horse theft? Dude laughed softly.
"No, thanks. Me and old Bonebag been through a lot together, I'll keep him."
"Speaking of old Bonebag, we better check on him." Joe settled his hat on his head. "Thanks for the drink, we'll see you around."
"I'll look forward to it." The oily smirk in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. Annie made it out the door before Joe did. He came up and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm beginning to think we should have left you at home after all," he whispered.
"He's a louse, nothing we haven't handled before." She strolled closer to the horses, her hand slipping down to her pistol. "I bet I can clear leather before he finishes deciding to make his play."
"Annie …"
"Oh, he's interested, Joe, but I'm not what he really wants. There's someone else and as long as they're around, all I'll be is mild entertainment to liven up a boring afternoon."
"You got all of that out of what he said?" Dude looked impressed.
"More how he acted and what he didn't say, than any one thing he did say, if that makes sense."
"No." Joe shook his head. "But I'll take your word for it." He crouched beside Bonebag and Candy looked up from checking the animal's hoof.
"Any good?"
"Just what I expected: nothing."
"There's a woman out back, she's waiting on her husband to come back from Dry Wells, he's long overdue. Her picture's in that locket you're carrying." They traded looks. Footsteps approached; Candy and Joe straightened.
"How long you think it'll take?"
"I don't know." Candy glanced over his shoulder at a heavy-set man with a red face standing near the gate. "Two or three days anyway." His voice lowered. "Behind the bunkhouse, circle around the back. I'll cover." Back in a normal tone, he continued, "there's box stalls in the barn, I'll get some medicine for this leg."
"Thank you very much." The other man turned back to the gate and they led the horses to the barn. Candy matched his pace to hers.
"You get the same read on Mike Farrell as I did?" He whispered.
"Controlling, arrogant ass, that about sum it up? Plus thief, of course." Candy hummed agreement and her thoughts turned towards the poor woman whose life was about to be shattered beyond repair.
"It was taken on our wedding day." Lisa Jackson clutched the locket in her shaking hand. "He said he'd carry this as long as he lived." Joe looked down and so did Annie. The woman sniffed and turned away. "I knew he was dead. I wouldn't believe it, but I knew. We were very close. Even when we had to be apart, he was with me. Inside. A gentle, glowing warmth, always there." She stared into the flames dancing in the fireplace. "One night I woke up suddenly cold and empty. And alone. There was nothing there … nothing at all. And I knew." Her voice shook. "He made mistakes. He got into trouble trying to get money to buy me things he thought I wanted. But all I ever wanted was him." Her eyes glistened. Annie wanted to tell the woman how sorry she was, but she couldn't speak past the lump in her throat, or the sudden, unnecessary streak of jealousy surging in her veins.
How come everyone else seemed to find someone who loved them for they were and not what they had? Why couldn't a man look at her like Lisa Jackson looked when she talked about her husband?
The ring of an ax sounded outside; someone began to whistle. Joe crept to the door, her on his heels, and they peered out.
Candy stood there, chopping wood. What? Mike Farrell stormed up and Candy halted.
"Mrs. Jackson's woodpile was down to nothing. Your brother asked me to rack up enough for a week or two." Farrell glared at Candy, then stalked away. The pieces clicked and Annie had a very good idea as to why Jackson was dead.
And it had nothing to do with the bank robbery in Dry Wells.
Joe turned around and Lisa raised her chin. "My husband was working for them. He stole your money for them and they killed him." Whether she suspected the why behind the action, Annie didn't want to speculate.
"And they're going to pay for it. Right now." Joe picked up his hat and reached for the doorknob.
"Mr. Cartwright. I believe I can help you."
"No." Annie spoke before Joe could. "Stay out of it, we've handled worse than Mike Farrell before."
"Don't worry about me," she said softly. "I'm already dead. I died with my husband." Joe left without a word and Annie wanted to kick him across the desert. She scrambled for something to say.
"Would he want you to think like that? I rather think he would have wanted you to be happy."
"Without him, I can't."
"You think that now, but maybe someday –"
"Ms. Cartwright. Thank you for trying, but you don't have to. I know myself well enough to know that my feelings won't change, no matter how much time has passed."
"I'm sorry."
"So am I." Lisa sat down and put her head in her hands, the locket dangling from her fingers. Annie bit her lip and backed from the house. Joe waited in the yard.
"Let's go." He cut a path straight back to the hacienda and stormed inside. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Dude rushing to join them. Unfortunately, she didn't see Candy. Mike met them just inside.
"Joe, what –"
"Open the safe." He blinked.
"What did you say?"
"You heard him," Annie said tartly. Black eyes flicked to her face and hardened, all trace of his earlier interest burned away. Good.
"You think your money's in there?"
"Yes."
"I think you planned this whole thing, right from the start." Joe's hands were parked on his hips, and he had that familiar stubborn glint to his eyes.
"There's money in there, but it's mine. And that doesn't mean we had anything to do with the robbery."
"I think you did." Those eyes positively glowed with hate. Her hand touched her gun and he raised one brow.
"That fake cashier spilled some ink on some of that money and I think it's in your safe." Farrell scoffed and turned away, moving across the room as though he wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation.
"This is the first time I've ever been called a thief." Annie focused on his brother, silent through the whole confrontation. What did he think of this? Why wasn't he saying anything, defending his brother? "Here. This is excellent brandy." Mike held up the bottle and rattled off the brand. "Last bottle in the territory. Why don't we open it up, have a drink, and start all over again?" Joe shook his head on a quick grin and sauntered closer. A split second later, his gun was in his hand. Annie gave the Farrell brothers a grim smile of her own as she presented the barrel of her Colt in a mirror image of Joe.
"I think we should open the safe." Her smile widened. "I told you I don't drink, Mr. Farrell." A thump sounded behind them and she spun, finding Dude sprawled unconscious on the floor and the man from the gate holding a shotgun on them both.
"Buckshot," he snarled. "Go ahead and try it." A hammer clicked and she glanced back at the Farrells. Mike had his gun aimed at Joe and she bit back a snort. They always assumed Joe was the bigger threat. He plucked her brother's gun from his hand and passed it to Josh. Then, he reached for hers.
"No guts," Josh mused. "You could have bluffed them."
"Too late for bluffing."
"What are we going to do?" Josh leaned back against the sideboard against the wall. His brother smiled, an evil gleam in his eye.
"The Arroyo Secco. By the time they find 'em, it'll look like a couple of fools got caught in a flash flood."
"Pa'd never believe that."
"And who'd believe him, Ms. Cartwright?" She pretended to think.
"Anybody from the postal clerk in Virginia City to the governor of Nevada. Take your pick."
"What about me, Mr. Farrell?" Heads turned as Lisa Jackson stepped into the room. "Now that I know all about it, are you going to drop me off a cliff, too?" She fiddled with her tiny handbag as she approached. Annie couldn't take her eyes off that bag.
Don't do it. She tried to catch the woman's eye and warn her off. She'd be no match for either brother, especially not the one she was staring down right now. Whatever she had in that bag wouldn't be enough.
"He's not going to do anything to you, Lisa. I won't let him." Josh glared at his brother. One wanted her and the other loved her.
"You'd try, Josh, but you couldn't stop him."
"I can stop him." Her eyes flickered.
"Did you try at Dry Wells?" His mouth hung open. She turned to Mike. "The Cartwrights and I had a long talk. They told me what happened at Dry Wells." She pulled the locket from her bag. "They even brought me this." She drew in a deep breath and pulled a tiny silver Derringer from the bag. "You killed my husband."
Mike lunged and knocked it out of her hand. Annie caught the look in his eyes and shivered. Whatever he'd felt about Lisa before, he didn't now. "I did. And I'm sorry you found out about it, because now you'll have to go with them."
"No."
"You stay out of this!"
"I told you to stay away from her or we'd tangle!"
"And I told you you're talking to the man!" Mike turned and fired. Josh staggered back, clutching his stomach, and crumpled to the floor. Joe whirled, batting the shotgun away from his face, and lunged at Mike. Annie dove at the heavyset one, scrabbling for the shotgun. The man kicked her away.
Suddenly, Candy was in the room, wrenching the gun from the man's hands and tossing it her way. He landed blow after blow that sent the shorter man reeling.
She couldn't get a clear shot at Mike, Joe was in the way no matter how they wrestled over the gun in Farrell's hands. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lisa snatch her Derringer off the carpet and take aim. Farrell knocked Joe off of him, right into Annie's line of fire, leaving Lisa with the clear shot.
She fired, knocking the man back, but as Annie had feared, that little Derringer wasn't powerful enough to finish it. Mike's face twisted and he fired back.
Joe rolled clear, Lisa collapsed to the floor, and Annie pulled the trigger on the shotgun, blowing Farrell over his massive desk and destroying the window behind it.
Silence fell, heavy under the lingering gun smoke. Candy went to check on Lisa, shook his head, and moved on to Dude. Joe crouched beside Josh Farrell. Annie lowered the shotgun and made her way over, Candy not far behind. They looked at each other, then Farrell.
Stomach wounds always killed, it was just a matter of time. Sweat beaded the man's face and his skin was ghost white. "I was wrong," he choked out. "About the last fight. Both Mike and me lost." He gasped, his body shaking. "Safe combination is written … under the … desk drawer." He said something else but it was too garbled to understand. Candy's hand touched her back and she looked sideways. He swallowed hard. Farrell groaned, his head rolled back, and he went limp. Joe sighed heavily and stood up, heading for the desk.
"If Farrell had knocked Joe the other way, I could have gotten him before he got Mrs. Jackson."
"You can't control a gun fight."
"I know. I wish …"
"Yeah. Me too." The safe clanked open and Joe pulled out a cash box. Dude watched over his shoulder and whistled softly.
"That's your money alright." She and Candy stood and made their way over. Sure enough, the ink stain Joe had mentioned was unmistakable.
"Yeah. We'll leave the rest with the sheriff in Dry Wells, along with Candy's friend over there. He can turn everything over to the Marshals."
"What about …?" Annie motioned over her shoulder to Lisa. Joe sighed and his face twisted.
"I guess the hands will have to bury her here. Dry Wells is too far away. I'll leave them some money." He piled the neat stacks on the sideboard. "I wish I'd never laid eyes on this money. Dude, get the horses, will you?" He scraped his hands through his messy hair and leaned against the wall. "Let's go home." Dude nodded and hurried outside.
She wanted to go to him, tell him it wasn't his fault, but she didn't know how. Maybe, if they'd handled the confrontation differently, Lisa might have lived, but who could say? If she had jumped when Mike knocked the Derringer away, she might have reached his gun. Then again, she might have gotten a load of buckshot.
Why hadn't she just stayed away like they'd warned her? She'd probably never know why Lisa Jackson chose to get involved, no matter how long she puzzled it over.
"I'm already dead."
Annie shivered. Candy slipped his arm around her waist, a move that Joe pretended to ignore. Either that or he was mired too deep in his perceived failure to notice.
Lisa had to have realized she wasn't going to live through that confrontation. How could she love her husband so much she'd rather die than be without him after he was gone? How did that make sense to anyone? Pa hadn't stopped living after burying three wives. Neither had Candy.
Was everyone's love different? She tried to imagine not wanting to live after losing someone she loved, but couldn't wrap her head around it. She'd carry on because she knew that's what they would expect – and want – her to do.
"Horses are waiting." Dude hovered in the doorway. Joe roused himself and pushed off the wall.
"Let's get out of here." Dude handed him his saddlebags and Joe stuffed the money inside. Candy collected the still unconscious hired gun and carted him out to the horses. Annie followed slowly and collected the pinto's reins. They rode through the gate and Annie looked back at the deserted hacienda.
"Acabo. It's Spanish. Means, I finish." Mike Farrell had finished alright, and not just himself. The one consolation was he wouldn't be destroying any more lives like he'd destroyed Lisa and her husband.
She faced forward and urged the pinto into a lope.