A/N: Up next is another canon episode in The Fence. I recycled this one from season ten, but hadn't initially planned on Griff tagging along. I also hadn't decided if his stepfather shows up in the middle of the confrontation or not … but ultimately, I thought that might be a bit too much drama for one episode. He'll show up later, probably in the most inconvenient way possible.
Anyway, entertainment only, as always. I only own my OC and the few completely original episode plots I came up with. Anything recognizable as Bonanza is not mine unfortunately. (sigh)
Outside Boulder, Montana, early November, 1870
"Anything?" Annie nudged her mount closer to Candy and scanned the horizon. She could barely make out Griff's tracks across the valley below if she squinted hard against the sun's glare on the blinding white landscape. "Maybe we shouldn't have sent him in alone."
"The only one looking for him is behind us." Candy's chestnut shifted its weight and cocked a hind hoof, ears slowly drooping as it settled in to rest. "He'll be fine, sweetheart. Besides, it was somewhat your idea."
"I know." She tossed her braid over her shoulder. "I just don't like sitting here with nothing to do but think about everything that could go wrong."
"When I was his age, I was scouting for the Army."
"And I was pulling my own weight in whatever mess we found ourselves in. I get it. He just reminds me of a mix of Joe and …"
"I can't speak to the other half of that combination since I've only met him once, but I can see Joe." His face twisted. "Maybe too much. Why did we send him in alone again?"
"Not helping, Canaday," Annie hissed under her breath. Candy chuckled. It was another hour before a dark bay horse was visible down below, headed their way. Griff worked his way up the slope and halted lazily, giving her hope there wasn't trouble waiting in Boulder. "Well?"
"He's been there alright, there and gone." The kid untied a sack from the saddle horn and handed it over. "Got us some coffee and bacon, they didn't have any beans. He didn't rob the bank, so there's that, but he also didn't say which way he was headed. Rode out three days ago."
"What'd he do, ride through that blizzard?" Griff shrugged and she spit out a word that would have raised her pa's eyebrows. "A day late and a dollar short again."
"We'll catch up," Candy said easily, then he nodded at the horse. "Pretty fair judge of horseflesh. I'm surprised you had enough."
"I left the jughead at the livery, just like you said. Paid for a week's care."
"Good." Annie turned her horse south. "Last thing we need is Nichols coming after us for horse theft." She scanned the horizon with worried eyes. Where in all this expanse had he gone? They'd been so close … "Let's keep riding for Bozeman. He came up here for a reason and there's not too many places left to go."
"Saloon up ahead," Candy called after a couple of hours. "What do you say we stop for a few minutes?"
"As long as they've got coffee." The three of them halted at the hitch rail and dismounted, Annie landing in snow halfway up to her knees. "Why did I ever let you talk me into going north in the winter instead of south?" She rubbed her hands together. "This weather's only fit for grizzly bears."
"But I though they slept through the winter or something," Griff protested, and Candy laughed.
"That's what she's talking about." He caught the kid with an arm around his shoulders. "Come on." They walked inside carefully, Annie keeping her hand next to her pistol and her eyes moving.
The bar tender stood behind his bar, watching them with a friendly smile. A handful of men gathered around the felt-top tables scattered around the small room, drinking or playing cards. "Howdy. Get you a drink, folks?"
"Thanks." Candy tugged Griff straight to the pot-bellied stove in the middle of the room. "Got any coffee?"
"Right in front of you." Candy collected three cups and filled them quickly before passing them around. Annie wrapped her hands around hers for a long minute before she even thought about drinking. The bar tender stepped out from behind his bar with a bottle of whiskey. "Anybody care for something a tad stronger in that coffee?" Candy accepted and nodded subtly at Griff after a slight pause. The kid seemed to think about it and finally held out his cup. "Mighty cold out to be traveling."
"You can say that again, mister." Candy took a deep swallow and sighed happily. "Seems the older I get, the colder winter gets. You ever notice that?" He asked the man sitting at the table beside them. The stranger looked up with unreadable dark eyes.
"Can't say as I have," he replied shortly, and returned his attention to his own drink. She and Candy traded glances, his eyebrows arched. He shrugged and finished his drink.
"The roads around here passable?"
"Should be, provided it doesn't blow again. You headed into Bozeman?"
"Plan to." Candy handed his cup back. "We're looking for our brother, he's the spitting image of me. You wouldn't happen to have seen him, would you?" He finished, a hopeful tone to his voice.
"Sorry, no." Candy sighed.
"Well, it was worth asking. How much do we owe you?"
"Not a thing, I don't charge strangers for the first drink."
"Mighty nice of you," Annie said as she finished her coffee and handed the cup back. "Much obliged." She caught Griff's eye and subtly shifted her chin towards the door. There was something about that fellow at the table that rubbed her the wrong way. Best they leave now before trouble found them again.
"Thanks." Griff finished his coffee and hurried out, Annie right on his heels and Candy bringing up the rear. They collected their horses and mounted up. She felt eyes on her back as they made their way down the street, but she wasn't about to turn around and let them know she knew.
"He wasn't very friendly," Griff noted about a mile later. "You were just making small talk."
"I'm more concerned with why he and his friend watched us ride out."
"You think they know Troy Whitaker?"
"If they do, we might have a problem."
"When do we not have a problem?"
"Maybe when we were all in diapers," Candy shot back with a grin. Annie smothered a snort; Griff wasn't as successful.
"And I thought my life was rough," he muttered as he adjusted his hat.
"Kid," Candy said, "you haven't seen a thing." He glanced up at the sky. "We won't make Bozeman before nightfall."
"There's a mine around here that pa used to own." Annie scanned the landscape, searching for the pile of boulders her pa had mentioned that indicated the turnoff. If everything wasn't buried in snow it would be easier, but she thought they were close. "The Yellow Girl, a fella named Sam Masters owns it now. I'm sure he'd let us stay the night, then we could ride on to Bozeman come morning." Maybe if they were lucky, they'd find Troy Whitaker while they were at it. A mine made as much sense as anything else.
"Would he recognize you?"
"No, he's never seen me."
"Sounds good to me," Griff replied. Candy shrugged.
"Lead the way, sweetheart, it's cold out here."
"You wanted to come north," she reminded him with a smirk, and nudged her horse up to a careful trot. It wasn't long before she found the marker and guided them higher into the mountains. Unless she missed her guess, they should arrive around suppertime. From what her pa had said about Sam Masters, the man was Southern and very hospitable, so an invitation to share the meal wasn't out of the realm of possibility.
They rode into the yard and a man with bushy sideburns met them in front of a modest log house. "Afternoon." His gaze drifted over each one of them in turn and Annie straightened unconsciously. He had the look of a soldier about him. "We don't get many strangers passing through up here."
"We're headed for Bozeman," Candy said evenly. "We're not from around here and I reckon we took a wrong turn somewhere."
"That you did. Well, you'll never make town before dark. Step down and rest, supper is on the stove. The name's Sam Masters."
"Much obliged." Candy dismounted and offered his hand. "Andy Stoddard. This is my sister Samantha, and our little brother Griff. We're looking for our other brother, he could be my twin. Name's Jake, but he's been calling himself Troy near as we can figure out."
"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him." Masters nodded at her then Griff. "You can put your horses in the corral with the others."
"I'll take care of 'em,"Griff offered and Annie handed over her reins. She slid her saddlebags off and draped them over her shoulder. Their money was staying in her line of sight, not out in some shed where the miners could get their hands on it should any be curious enough – and rude enough – to go digging.
"This way." Masters led them inside and Annie sighed happily as the heat from the stove washed over her. "Ellen, we have company." A dark-haired woman about her own age appeared out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. The smile on her face faded when she looked at them.
"Oh. I'm sorry, I thought you might be Ben Cartwright."
What?
Annie froze in her tracks, Candy a tense stature at her back. Oh, damn, damn, damn, they had problems. What excuse could they use to avoid staying the night? Should they forget about supper and camp out somewhere anyway?
"I don't look for Ben to arrive for another two or three days at least with all this snow. Remember, he has to come all the way from Virginia City and I'm sure the roads aren't the best after that blizzard. This is Andy Stoddard and his siblings, Samantha and Griff."
"I do apologize if I seemed less than hospitable," Ellen said with a smile. "I was just expecting Ben, it's been so long since he's visited."
"No problem." Candy shrugged out of his coat and Annie followed suit, though a tad slower. Two to three days … a rush of homesickness swamped her and part of her wished they could linger, despite the danger. She wanted him to hold her, to tell her everything would be alright, that they'd get through this. Although, would he want to see her after what she'd done? The not knowing tore at her, leaving a pit in the bottom of her stomach. Candy touched her shoulder and she shook herself out of it. "We sure do appreciate supper, miss."
"It's no trouble." She smiled warmly at him and Annie saw red tinged with green. "Sit down and I'll dish up the food. You can wash up through that door." She hated pretending to be his sister, oh, how she hated it. She was washing her hands when he leaned down and whispered in her ear.
"No need to lay your ears back, sweetheart. I'm looking at my woman." He brushed against her arm and her skin tingled. Her breath caught in her throat. Why did she have to pretend to be his sister?
Griff arrived just as they sat down. Candy jerked his chin in the direction of the washbasin and he took the hint, returning within a few minutes. "Smells good," he said with a smile up at Ellen as she sat the platter of roast beef on the table.
"Thank you."
"My daughter is a wonderful cook, much like her mother, God rest her soul. You may use the bunkhouse tonight, with the mine closed, you'll have it all to yourself."
"Because of the blizzard?" Candy asked.
"No. I suppose I'm not cut out to be a miner." Ellen's face tightened, but she didn't say a word. About that at least.
"What brings you out our way, Mr. Stoddard?" Candy chewed a moment longer than was strictly necessary.
"We're looking for our brother. He left home years ago and it's past time we found him."
"Oh." She lowered her fork. "Well, I do hope you find him." Horses neighed outside, and faint shouts filtered through the logs. The closest to the window, Griff pulled back the curtain and peeked out.
"The horses!" He jumped up. "There's a bunch of fellas out there turning loose every animal in the corral!" Annie shot to her feet, her pistol already in her hand, and scrambled outside on Candy's heels. She had just enough time to notice the man next to the corral before a rifle shot rang out and Candy threw himself behind a water trough. She caught Griff by the arm, yanking him backwards before he ran into a bullet.
"Take cover!" She fired at the man up in the rocks who'd shot at Candy, forcing his head down long enough for her husband to retreat to her side. They ducked back into the house and slammed the door. Gunfire rang out fast and thick. Masters and his daughter stood in the middle of the room, she looking worried, him looking resigned. The gunfire stopped and Griff shook his head.
"Sounds like a dozen."
"Or they want you to think there's a dozen," Candy said knowingly. "Change up where you're shooting from, old army trick." He peered carefully around the edge of the curtain. "Could be as little as five or six." He glanced up and his eyes twinkled, despite the situation. "Or a very brazen two or three." The silence outside lengthened and they traded looks.
"Did they give up or something?" Griff asked with a frown. Candy shook his head slowly.
"No … I can still see light on gun barrels up in the rocks. If all they wanted was the horses, they would have left." He turned flinty eyes on Masters. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," the man said slowly as he took a seat. "Must be thieves –"
"Oh, no. I just explained why they're not. You know, don't you? You know who's out there, and why." Masters shook his head and Candy threw up his hands.
"Hello, the house!" They all scanned the area, but it was Griff who found him.
"Up there in the rocks." He pointed and Candy nodded.
"I see him." Masters left his chair and peered through the window.
"Hudson," he said softly and they turned, fixing him with knowing stares.
"Who's that?" Candy's voice was tight. Oh, he hated being lied to, and it showed. Masters swallowed hard.
"Colonel Hudson," he said, almost in a daze. His eyes rose and he glanced past his daughter with another hard swallow. "He wants to kill me." Annie closed her eyes. Why? Why was it always them? And this time she'd led them right into it.
"Why?" But he didn't answer. "Fine." Candy stalked for the door. "I'll ask him myself."
"Wait for –" She scrambled after him as he stormed outside into the snow.
"Hey, you up there! What do you want?" A man appeared from behind the rocks, a man she recognized even before he spoke, confirming his identity as the rude traveler in the saloon.
"A parlay!"
"Come on down with your hands in the air."
"No. We'll meet halfway, but no guns." She swallowed hard as Candy turned around. Annie shook her head slowly. They had no idea what he wanted or why. She'd never be able to live with herself if he got hurt because she'd brought them here thinking it would be safe.
"Alright," he called over his shoulder. "Let me get my coat. I'll be fine, sweetheart," he whispered as he passed.
"I know you will be, because I'm going with you." She grabbed her coat and buttoned it, then tugged on her gloves and followed him out of the warm house and up into the rocks on the hillside.
The stranger was waiting halfway up as he'd promised, sitting straight-backed on a boulder, his steely gaze locked on the trail upwards. "We meet again," he said evenly. "I don't recall agreeing you could bring someone else."
"You have younger sisters?"
"No."
"If you did, you'd understand." Candy leaned against a rock, arms folded casually. "What do you want?"
"My names is James Hudson. There's a man down in that house, calls himself Sam Masters. His real name is Thomas Andrews and I want him."
"What for?" He glanced at her.
"He commanded a Confederate prison camp. He was responsible for the deaths of dozens of Union soldiers." Hudson drew himself up. "Including ten of my men."
"You want revenge," she said and he drew back like he'd been slapped.
"I intend to take him back to the site of that camp as a prisoner, to be tried and punished as he should have been years ago. Revenge has nothing to do with it, young lady."
"On whose authority?" Candy broke in and the man raised his chin.
"That vested in me by my dead comrades." Candy shook his head.
"Afraid that doesn't cut it, mister. There anyone official back East that even knows you're out here chasing down men who might be innocent?"
"He'll be tried by the proper authorities." Hudson's mustache twitched. "He wasn't forgotten by the Union after the war, it just … took a little while to tie up that particular loose end." Annie's blood chilled. It could just as easily be a bounty hunter saying the same thing about Candy. Her husband rubbed his chin.
"There's two sides to every story," he said at last. "And I want to hear what Masters has to say first." He turned, and Annie moved to follow.
"Don't take too long to think it over," Hudson warned. "We're prepared to break in."
"Try it," Annie began, "And there'll be dead men in the snow," they finished in unison. Hudson gave them another steely glare, perhaps measuring their intent, and finally nodded before he, too, turned away. Annie led the way back to the house, her mind spinning. Just what kind of a mess had they blundered into this time?
"Alright." Candy straddled the chair backwards. "You admit you commanded a prison camp?"
"Yes."
"How many men?"
"There were five hundred men behind that fence." Masters' gaze turned inward. "Five hundred men to feed, to find clothes for, medicine …" He shook his head. "It was my duty to provide for them, but we never had enough."
"So you've been running for five years, all because what, you failed?" Annie perched on the arm of the chair next to the window, close enough she could keep an eye on what was going on outside should they try a sneak attack. "It wasn't your fault you couldn't get what you needed."
"It was my duty." He swallowed hard. "I kept moving, hoping I could find a place where no one knew who I was and what I'd done. But every town sooner or later someone recognized me as Thomas Andrews, the man who commanded Camp Stanley where all those men died."
"Men died in every prison camp, North and South," Candy added. "By your reasoning, all those men are just as guilty as if they'd taken the prisoners out and shot them at dawn."
"I –"
"Andy," Griff hissed under his breath. "There's a horse out there." Annie glanced out the window he was watching and drew in a breath. "I could catch that horse and ride out for help." She opened her mouth but Candy was a hair faster.
"Uh-uh. You don't know that animal. There's too much risk involved, they could shoot you before you got a bridle on it."
"We haven't got a choice," the kid protested. "We're trapped in here. And what – what do we do if this drags on for days and their friend gets caught up in this mess?"
"You're not going after that horse," Annie said harshly, the thought of her pa riding in turning her throat to a desert. "For all we know, they turned it loose just to draw one of us out."
"Might be right." Candy made his way to the window and peered out. "We stay right where we are. Hudson up there won't let it drag out, he wants Masters, Andrews, whatever you call yourself too much to let the opportunity slip through his fingers now. We wait, and sooner or later he'll make a mistake."
Griff sat in a chair to the side in a disgusted huff, staring into his coffee like it had upset him. Candy shook his head slowly and drank from his own cup. Ellen approached them at the table and cleared her throat softly with a quick glance at her father on the other side of the room, seeming to be lost in his memories.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Stoddard … is my father really guilty?" Candy muffled a sigh and lowered his cup to the saucer.
"He was ordered to command that camp and provide for the prisoners."
"But couldn't he have turned them loose once he saw he couldn't carry out his orders? If there was no food … he'd have saved their lives."
"He'd have disobeyed orders and most likely would have been shot for it."
"But if he couldn't feed them!" Her voice rose, but Masters didn't even blink. Candy shook his head again.
"They'd have gone straight back into the Union lines, killing Confederate soldiers." Ellen deflated.
"Oh."
"I wish I could explain it better, but it all boils down to whether you can fault a man for obeying orders."
"I wish I knew what to think," Ellen said softly before she drifted back into the kitchen with the coffee pot. Their eyes met and Candy sighed heavily.
"Me too."
They sat at the table long after the sun went down and the snow glowed in the moonlight. Ellen had fallen asleep on the settee and Griff sprawled in the floor with a blanket thrown over him. Masters sat in his chair, staring off into space. Annie had her forehead in her hand, a cold cup of coffee beside her.
They shouldn't have come here, she should have known trouble would find them again. But if they hadn't, her pa and whichever brother he brought with him would have ended up in the middle.
At the slight pressure on her hand, she glanced up and met Candy's reassuring gaze. It would have happened anyway. At least we can help fix this mess. He would make the same choice even if they'd known in advance, simply because that's who he was, and she loved him for it.
I know.
There was a creak on the porch outside and they froze. Candy was up from his chair and over to the window in seconds, silent as a ghost, tracking the would-be intruder down the length of the house. Masters roused himself and Candy held out a hand for silence, one ear cocked at the door. He checked the load in his pistol and slipped outside before she could stop him. Annie grabbed her own pistol and hovered just inside the door. Griff stirred and she nudged his boot, giving him a shake of her head when his eyes widened.
Candy returned and he shrugged. Not even two seconds later, boots rang on the porch and he whirled around. "Hey, stop!" He fired, then a second shot rang out accompanied by a yelp of pain. It wasn't him, so she stayed where she was until he came back inside with a skinny, blond kid who didn't look any older than Griff.
"What happened?" The shots had woken Ellen and she hovered beside Candy, close enough that Annie saw red again. Candy noticed – of course he noticed, he rarely missed anything – and shifted a few inches to his left.
"He was lurking around outside." His mouth twitched. "Let's just say he won't be sitting down for a while, shall we?" Griff winced in sympathy and Ellen clicked her tongue.
"I'll heat some water. Take him upstairs," she said on her way to the kitchen. Candy escorted the kid away. Griff frowned.
"How come we didn't go help?" Annie leaned back against the settee and crossed her arms.
"If Andy needed help, he'd ask for it, I'd know, or both. As it stood, he knew anyone he encountered out there was sneaking around. If we went out, that wouldn't be true any more, would it? You hesitate, you can get killed. I'd rather he not have to take a second or two to figure out just who's out there."
"Oh."
"Ouch, mister, that hurt!" Annie rolled her eyes and started up the stairs, Griff on her heels and they waited outside the door.
"Don't be sneaking around where you don't belong."
"Why'd you have to shoot me there, anyway?"
"If you hadn't tripped, I wouldn't have." Candy chuckled. "You'll have a nice little brand, but you'll live." He left the room and nodded at Griff. "See what you can find out," he said under his breath as he ushered the kid inside and closed the door. "He'll be sore, but it's his pride stinging worse than anything else. Come on." Masters met them at the foot of the stairs.
"Well?"
"He says his uncle is bound and determined to get his hands on you and they have a lot of men out there. He's lying about that though, if they were that strong, they'd have already busted in. Which fits with him sneaking down here to figure out just how many we had on our side."
"So what do we do?"
"I was hoping you had an idea," Candy said with a grin. Masters just looked at him, not even seeing when Ellen carried the steaming bowl of water upstairs, a towel slung over her arm. Her husband sighed and walked away. Annie collected fresh cups of coffee from the stove and sat across from him at the table.
"He's gonna walk right out that door within a few hours," he said under his breath. "You can see it in his eyes, he's swimming in guilt he didn't even earn."
"What now?" He took a drink and leaned in closer.
"All we can do is ride this bronc to a standstill. He gives himself up, and they might let us go on our way like nothing happened. Or they might not."
"You think he should?"
"It was war. He carried out his orders to the best of his ability. He turned those men loose and he'd have been in front of a firing squad. It wasn't his fault if he couldn't find food to give them."
"Do you think he looked?"
"If he starved them intentionally, he wouldn't feel bad about it. Uh-oh." She turned around in time to catch Masters shrugging into his coat. He noticed them watching and shook his head on a hard swallow.
"I have to do it."
"What about your daughter?" Annie kept her voice low. "How do you think she would feel?"
"It's better this way."
"Is it?" He swallowed hard again and said nothing. Candy sighed.
"Take your coat off and sit down. We'll figure out what to do come morning. If they were gonna break in, they would have already done it. Nor have they retaliated over him." He jerked his chin at the stairs. "Somebody out there has to have some sense, and since he's the one in charge, it's most likely Hudson."
"But you're caught in the middle."
"Masters." Candy shook his head slowly. "You don't know the half of it." Footsteps tapped on the stairs and Ellen descended, heading for the kitchen with the water. Her father hurriedly removed his coat and tossed it on the hall tree.
"Our guest is resting. Your brother got him to tell us his name and he's up there talking with Teddy, who seems to think I don't know much of anything because I'm a girl." Amusement tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I told him that I knew enough to avoid getting shot in the rear and I don't think he liked that."
"Put that way, I wouldn't either," Candy muttered. Ellen laughed and continued into the kitchen. "The way I see it, there's only one way to fix this mess."
"How?" Masters flicked a glance at his coat.
"It certainly doesn't involve you parading outside like some heroic idiot," Annie commented dryly. "Andy's right, and it's rather glaringly obvious. He's got his side of the story, you've got yours, and neither one is gonna change their opinion. So we tear down that fence he's built and get you two across a table discussing this like grown men."
"What have you got to lose? If he still won't listen then you can walk out together and head back east for a trial." Candy finished his coffee and set the cup down. "I think I'll just look in on Griff."
Masters watched him leave, then turned to her as he sat back down. "You remind me of someone," he said slowly, and her blood chilled. "My friend I mentioned earlier, Ben Cartwright? Your idea sounds like something he'd have come up with."
"It's just common sense," she said dismissively.
"Perhaps, but not everyone would think of it. I didn't." She shrugged. "I think he'd like all of you, and you him. He's a good man, built his ranch up from nothing, practices what he preaches. A good family," Masters added after a moment's reflection. "Three sons and a daughter, I think she's about your age. You'd probably get on well, if you ever met."
"Sounds like someone our pa would have called a friend."
"Oh, I have no doubts about that," he said with a small smile. "This brother you're searching for, you expect to find him?"
"Eventually."
"Andy said he's been gone a while?" She nodded. "What if he's not the brother you remember?" he asked softly after a short pause. "People change out here, or the land changes them."
"Or circumstances," she added, and it was his turn to nod.
"He may not want you to find him."
"If that's the way of it, he can tell us to our face."
"Don't take it personally if he does."
"I hadn't planned to," she said shortly as she picked up the rifle and draped it across her lap. Footsteps on the stairs announced Candy's return and she raised an eyebrow. He smiled and took a seat.
"They're getting along fine, talking horses mostly, and Teddy's trip out here with his uncle Hudson. He was careful about names, but I think there's only four or five altogether, including him."
"Odds are about even then, or slightly in our favor if it comes to shooting." Candy hummed agreement and checked the load in his pistol.
"I'll take first watch if you want to get some sleep." And keep an eye on the kids.
"Wake me at 1:00," she said as she handed over the rifle and headed upstairs. Muted voices drifted through the closed door and she paused.
"How long have you been tracking your brother? When he did leave?" There was a pause, long enough that the kid must have thought he'd crossed a line or something, for he backtracked fast. "If you want to talk about it, I mean. You don't have to. I guess it's where all I've got's a sister and all she ever wants to do is talk."
"It's alright," Griff finally said. "Truth is, there's not much to talk about. He left after the end of the war and we ain't seen him since. Sam says he wanted more than the ranch could offer."
"Hey, maybe he's an outlaw now and that's why he don't want you to find him."
"I don't know, could be, I guess."
"Boy, wouldn't that be something? Almost as good as tracking down war criminals, I reckon. Or maybe he's a bounty hunter." Annie rolled her eyes. The kid sounded like Joe back during his detective phase.
Thank the Lord they'd likely never meet.
"We want to talk to Colonel Hudson," Annie hollered up to the man in the rocks. He lowered his rifle.
"I'll get him, you two can come on up, you know where he'll meet you." They slogged through the deep snow and finally reached the same pair of boulders where Hudson was waiting.
"You going to turn Andrews over?"
"No."
"The man's guilty, I have documented proof he's a murderer." Candy flinched ever so slightly, and she was afraid Hudson noticed. She took a step forward, drawing his attention.
"That's your side of the story. What about his?"
"What about it?"
"If you were in his position, wouldn't you want the other fella to listen to you?" His head tilted as he thought about it.
"Fair enough, I suppose."
"Then come down to the house and hear him out."
"And what happens if whatever he has to say doesn't change my mind?"
"Then you haven't lost anything but time." Hudson's mustache twitched and silence fell.
"Sawyer, bring Tyler and come on."
"Right, Colonel." Snow crunched underfoot as another man disappeared back into the trees, returning in minutes with a third man that Annie instantly compared to a weasel. The fellow he'd called Sawyer tipped his hat when he stopped beside them. "Miss." She nodded in acknowledgment.
"Lead on." The five of them headed back down the hill; Candy opened the door and led them inside. Andrews stopped his pacing, his gaze locked on Hudson. "Major."
"Colonel."
"Isn't that ex-major and ex-colonel?" Candy asked. "The war has been over for a few years now. Last names might make it easier," he pointed out.
"I suppose." Hudson removed his gloves and stuffed them in his pocket. "Let's get this over with."
"Tyler," Andrews exclaimed as the other man stepped out from behind Sawyer. "What are you doing here?"
"He led me here," Hudson said shortly.
"But why? My friend –"
"He threatened to kill me, Tom. I had no choice." The man's voice shook slightly and her opinion of him dropped some more. There was a slight commotion on the stairs as Ellen and Griff came into view, Teddy braced between them.
"Uncle Jim." He leaned against the railing with a nervous smile. "I was wounded." Hudson raised an eyebrow as he sat down.
"So I heard."
"More like branded," Candy put in. Hudson looked past him to Ellen.
"Who's the other young lady?"
"My daughter."
"And these three are friends of yours?"
"Recent friends." A look was sent to Sawyer, and the man ambled towards the kitchen.
"There's no one else here," Annie said tartly, and the man just smiled before resuming course. Tyler faded into the background and slouched near the fireplace looking miserable. Andrews took a chair across from Hudson and they just looked at each other. She bit back a sigh. Men.
"Alright, who's going to start? You haven't seen each other since the prison camp was broken up, correct?"
"I spent a year in the hospital recovering, and by the time I got out, Andrews here was long gone." Masters' throat worked.
"My wife died just before the camp broke up. The memories –"
"This man is guilty of murder!"
"I don't deny there were conditions –"
"Quiet!" She spit out in her best imitation of her pa's warning tone. "At least act half civilized, there are ladies present."
"Apologies," he conceded before turning a hate filled glare on Masters. "He kept us like rats in a cage, under conditions too terrible to describe. There was no food, no medicine, only polluted water. I watched my men die and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I swore to them that I would make Andrews pay for his crimes with his life." Andrews swallowed hard and looked down at his hands. Annie bit her tongue to keep from asking him if he was sure it wasn't revenge he was after.
"Alright." Candy glanced between the two men. "Let's have your side, Andrews."
"I failed." Andrews stared straight ahead. "It was my duty to provide for them, and I couldn't. There was so little of anything anywhere."
"But you did look?" Annie pressed.
"My foragers were out all day, every day. But it wasn't enough."
"How … how did your wife die?" Candy swallowed hard. Andrews looked up, his eyes suddenly misty.
"The same thing," he said hoarsely. "She gave away most of her food to the local children, then the bad water … there was no medicine and she had no strength." Hudson's face twitched, but his eyes didn't soften.
"You didn't go for a week without food." Andrews looked up, his eyes hard.
"Neither did you. You made that charge in camp and I denied it then, and I deny it now."
"We went as much as a week at a time without a bite of food, not one morsel!" Hudson's voice rose.
"I know for a fact your men got a ration every single day. It wasn't much, but –"
"Andrews, you lie!" Hudson shot to his feet.
"I do not, sir!" Well, something got a reaction out of him, anyway. Those blue eyes flashed fire. But this wasn't going to help.
"Sit down," she said in a voice like steel, and glared up at Hudson in warning. The man gave a half shake of his head and whipped around. He yanked off his coat and tossed it on a nearby chair before reclaiming his seat. "Who was in charge of actually giving out the food?"
"Will Tyler was." Heads turned and the man squirmed. "He was my adjutant, my provision officer. Tell them, Will." He said nothing. "Will?" Candy turned in his chair and eyed the uneasy man.
"How about it, Tyler?"
"Well, I, uh, carried out orders." He fidgeted with the brim of his hat. "I did all I could."
"If you did," Candy said slowly, "how come the men in the camp didn't get the food Andrews supplied?"
"Oh, no, that didn't happen." Annie narrowed her eyes. Sweat trickled down his face and he couldn't keep his hands still on that blasted hat. "I gave 'em everything they was supposed to get." Now Hudson was glaring daggers at Tyler. Someone in this fiasco was lying and she was pretty sure she knew who. And why. Why did it always seem to come down to money?
"Gentlemen," she said, then paused to make sure she had their attention. "Isn't it true that a wagon load of food would fetch a very fine price in those days?" Andrews looked like he'd been struck, and Hudson's scowl darkened even more as they turned to glare at Tyler, who more and more resembled a cornered animal.
"Oh, no, I didn't do that."
"You didn't sell any food outside the camp?" Candy didn't sound like he believed it anymore than they did. "Never, at any time?"
"No. Well, I don't … I don't know."
"You don't know?" She straightened in her chair.
"Or you don't remember?" Candy finished. Tyler fidgeted, sweat pouring down his face. Hudson turned a quizzical look on Andrews. He was getting the picture, and so was Andrews. "Did you sell food outside that prison camp?" The man refused to answer, his throat working, fingers picking at the hat. She could see the wheels in his head spinning, but he couldn't think fast enough to get himself out of it. Not that there was a way out. "Tyler." Annie hid a tiny smile. He'd picked up her pa's warning tone. Andrews was staring at the man with tortured eyes, practically begging him to explain himself.
"Tyler." He shook his head slowly. Hudson shot to his feet.
"Answer, Tyler!" The man shook his head and bolted for the door. Annie jumped out of her chair. "Sawyer, stop him!" The man hit the ground running and tore out the door right behind her. His rifle roared before she'd even had time to acquire her target. Tyler crumpled and lay still in the snow. Sawyer cussed under his breath and waited on her to turn around.
"You got guts, miss. Not many can beat me to the draw."
"I didn't either."
"You got out the door first."
"You shot first."
"I didn't take enough time to aim." He huffed out a breath and opened the door for her.
"Well?" Sawyer sighed and deposited his hat on the table.
"I missed."
"You let him get away?" Hudson sounded livid.
"Missed his legs," Sawyer clarified. "Killed him." They all traded looks, then turned to Andrews, who said nothing, only lowered his head to stare at his hands.
"You sure you can't stay until Ben shows up? I know he'd like you."
"We have to catch up to our brother." Candy shook Andrews' hand and stuffed his hat on his head. "Let's ride, Sam, Griff." They shook hands and headed for the door.
"Take care."
"We will."
"There any way I could help you find him?" Hudson pushed off the wall. "I know a lot of people."
"Well," Candy looked thoughtful. "If you'd ever run across a man that looks identical to me, maybe calling himself Troy Whitaker, find out where he's from, as discreetly as you can, and where he's going if you can find that out. Send us a letter, care of Padre Javier in Los Robles, California. He'll see that we get it."
"It's the least I can do."
"Much obliged."
"You gonna stay around here?" Griff asked.
"I'll leave Teddy here until he heals, but I have urgent business in the east. But I'll be back. Maybe we'll see each other again someday soon."
"Maybe." Candy grinned and ducked out the door. "Let's go, Stoddards, we've got a lot of miles to cover." Andrews followed them outside and Annie bit her tongue. She wanted so much to leave a message behind … her eyes misted and she blinked furiously. The last name they'd used would be message enough; at least he'd know they were still alive. It would have to be enough for now. She mounted up and turned her horse.
"Safe travels," Andrews called, and Candy waved, then led them away in a fast lope towards Bozeman.