Chapter 8
In the hustle and bustle of the city that was Stockton, no one took much notice of a lone traveling stranger passing through. Strangers passed through everyday and unless they caused trouble, there was no reason for any of the cities citizens to give them a second look. Folks came and went as the clouds in the sky, they were always coming and going.
Late one night, just over a week ago now, a lone rugged looking cowboy rode into town leading another horse with him. Finding the livery stable first he got the horses taken care of then set about finding his own accommodation. Only the best would do and after checking into the finest hotel in the city, the cowboy headed in search of a good meal and an even better poker game.
Four hundred and thirteen dollars later, the cowboy returned to his hotel room late that night. He'd found a few ranch hands who were just itching to spend their money after receiving their wages and he was more then willing to relieve them of their newly found cash. While they had played, the cowboy had kept an ear out for any reference to a Millie Anders, but so far, none had been spoken.
And so, a week passed by, the cowboy spending his days between observing the streets, playing rounds of poker in the saloons and satisfying his needs with beautiful women.
A month had passed by for Millie now since she'd found her picture had been published in the Stockton Eagle, a month that for her, had been filled with worry. After her trip into town with Jarrod to go visit the doctor, Millie hadn't stepped foot off the ranch again. She was too frightened to leave. What if Cade had seen the newspaper? What if he was waiting for her? No. She couldn't leave the ranch, even if it was starting to feel to her a little like a prison that she had created from her own mind. She couldn't go to town, the very thought of going into Stockton was almost enough to send her into a panic that she tried hard to hide. What if Cade was there?
What then?
It had only taken a couple days after her appointment with the doctor for the family to notice that something was different with her. Heath was the first to pull her aside and ask her what was wrong, Millie coming up a with reason that appeared to satisfy him for the time being. Nick was the next to ask and again, Millie came up with a reason that was anything but the truth. As far as she was concerned, she couldn't tell them what was going on. She was too ashamed of the hold that her past still had over her. She was terrified of Cade, as much as she hated to admit that to herself. She was strong, she was brave, she was fearless... Until it came to Cade. The very thought of him had her cowering like a kicked puppy and she couldn't have the Barkleys thinking that she was weak.
Besides that, Millie still had a hard time trusting people.
To her, this felt like something she had to deal with on her own.
All her life, she'd only ever had herself to rely on. She'd never experienced what it was like to have another person who had her back. In her mind, she had to keep both the Barkleys and herself safe and had determined that the best course of action was to just say nothing more. If she told Jarrod about Cade and gave him a full name, she knew he wouldn't just stand by and let that information sit idle. No, he'd go and try to track him down, possibly setting wheels in motion that might never be undone. After all, she had no proof that Cade would have seen the newspaper and to poke the hornet's nest by having Jarrod looking into him was not something she wished to do.
It had been hard, but Millie had been able to get back to her usual self enough for the Barkleys not to notice that she was struggling and apart from Nick and Heath asking her that time, no one had bothered her again. Besides, one thing that Millie had learnt to be good at was to hide her emotions. She slipped behind the mask she'd carefully constructed over years of abuse and torture Cade had subjected her to. She threw herself into her work, spending the days out on the ranch working with Nick and Heath and spending the nights curled up on her bed, holding tight to Miracle as her thoughts and nightmares plagued her.
Was she coping?
Far from it.
On the surface, everything seemed fine. No one was any the wiser. Underneath though, Millie was anything but alright. Everything felt so overwhelming, it felt like it was crushing her, suffocating her. Like she was underwater and unable to breathe. What could she do though? There was nothing she could do.
Fear kept her paralyzed.
Fear kept her silent.
Fear was her real enemy.
Cade stood leaning up against the post of one of the Stockton saloons, scanning the passersby in the street for Missie. He'd arrived a few days ago, having made himself at home in the best hotel in town and passed his nights frequenting a few of the saloons about the town to earn some extra money while he waited. Not wanting to alert Missie that he was in town, he'd kept quiet and hadn't asked folks about her, just in case it got back to her someone was asking about her. He just couldn't take the chance that the girl might run again, especially not when he was so close to finding her again.
And so, here he stood, his hat pulled down far enough that if the girl was in town, she wouldn't recognize him. To anyone passing by, he just appeared like another cowhand, having chosen to wear a different outfit for this trip so he'd be able to easily blend in. Eight days had passed so far and each day, he observed the streets for hours, changing up his spots so that his behavior didn't appear suspicious to anyone. So far, his surveillance hadn't proved fruitful but Cade was the kind of man who was patient. He was very patient. As far as he was concerned, he had all the time in the world available to him to track her down. It was part of the game, part of the thrill of the chase. He'd find her soon enough if he waited.
He thought over his trip while he observed the people going about their lives. It had taken him five days to ride to Stockton, no train running between Gold Springs and the city. He could have always taken the stage coach but then that would have meant upon leaving, someone might possibly spot him with Missie boarding the stage out and that could pose a problem. So, instead, he'd chosen to ride. There was the train running from Senora to Stockton but he'd had other business to take care of along the trip and even though he was the kind of man who appreciated the finer things in life, he was no stranger to long miles in the saddle.
Two weeks had passed now since he'd gotten that newspaper, four since the horse race and the publishing of the picture that had led him here. Yes, there was always the possibility that perhaps she might have already moved on but his gut told him otherwise. Missie was still here, somewhere and given enough time, he'd find her.
Yes.
It was only a matter of time until they met again.
"Come on. Up. Up. Up." Millie was working one of the young horses in the round yard, introducing the saddle to it for the first time. Understandably, the young filly was a little unnerved by the feeling of the saddle and cinch and as soon as she had been turned loose, began to buck and rear in an attempt to be rid of the strange object. Millie however wouldn't allow her to stop and really have a go at it, she kept whirling the rope around in her hand to keep the filly's forward momentum up. "Come on. Up. Up. Up." She twirled the rope as the filly went to stop and buck again, increasing the pressure until the filly cantered forward again at which time, she eased up. "Good girl. That's a girl." The filly flicked an ear towards her as she kept moving. "That's it. Good."
Nick had come to watch her work, finding her methods of training to be rather fascinating. He'd watched her work here and there over the past month, the horses that she finished were a testament to her way of training but he hadn't actually taken too much of an interest in what she was doing until now. The new horse was another young one she was starting, having declared one of the colts she'd been training finished enough to get some miles beneath him out on the range. The ranch hand who had been assigned to him had pulled Nick aside a couple days after he had started to ride, telling him that this young horse was one of the best trained young horses he'd ever ridden on. Millie's training was so different from the usual chuck a saddle and cowboy on until the buck was ridden out and while it took time, Nick was appreciating the benefits of training this way.
In some areas, Millie's training was similar to Heath's but because of her small size, she didn't have the brute strength to rope and teach a horse to lead the way he did. Millie on the other hand, worked to get the horse comfortable with her presence over time and then, leading came naturally when the horse was willing to follow her.
"'Lookin' good Millie girl."
Millie smiled a little at Nick's encouragement as she kept the filly moving forward. "Better to get the buck out of her now rather than when I'm sitting in the saddle. I don't like eating dirt all that much."
Nick chuckled at that.
Around and around Millie kept the filly moving, the horse beginning to settle down and accept the feel of the saddle and cinch the longer she kept working her. A little while later, Audra came to the corral where they were working, climbing onto the fence beside her brother. "She's good with horses, isn't she?" She exclaimed after watching Millie and the filly for a moment. "Reminds me of Heath's training in a way."
"She's got a different way of trainin' 'em compared to Heath too, but it sure seems to work." He agreed. "When I was in town the other day, one of the Benson's cowhands wanted to know if I'd be lookin' to sell any cow-ponies Millie's trained. Seems word's gettin' out about these horses she's been workin' with."
"Maybe that's something you could consider Nick. Letting Millie train horses to sell."
"Yeah, maybe." He turned to his sister. "There a reason you're here dressed up for town?"
Audra nodded. "I'm heading in to go shopping for the Spring Dance, thought Millie might like to join me. She'll need something to wear."
"Well, you can go askin' but I doubt she'll want to go with you. Girl hasn't stopped to take a break since the doc gave her the all clear with her arm."
"All the more reason for her to stop and come enjoy herself for an afternoon." She looked back at Millie, the girl still moving the filly around the corral. "Millie, I'm heading into town to go shopping for the Spring Dance. Want to come?"
"Thanks for asking but I can't." Millie replied, swinging the rope around in her hand to keep the horse moving forwards. At the suggestion of going into town, a shiver had run up her spine. She hadn't been in town since her appointment with Doctor Merar and with her picture being published in the newspaper, it was probably best to keep it that way. "I've still got to finish up with this one then I've got to work two others before I call it a day. Perhaps another time."
Seeing his sister's crestfallen expression at Millie turning her down, Nick decided to intervene. "It's fine Millie girl, the colts can miss a day. You've been workin' hard these past few weeks, you deserve an afternoon off. You girls go shoppin' and have a good time."
"But-" She went to protest, Nick interrupting her firmly before she had a chance to finish.
"No buts. Go. I'll finish with this one for you."
Defeated, Millie sighed and swallowed as she stopped twirling the rope and let the filly slow down. She didn't want to go to town but maybe, maybe it would be alright. After all, there was no way of knowing for certain Cade had seen her picture in the newspaper. "Alright." She finally agreed after taking a couple deep breaths, the filly coming to a halt at the outside of the corral. "Just give me ten minutes to wash up and change Audra and I'll be ready to go."
The whole way into town, Millie's heart had been racing. Every stride the buggy horse took closer to Stockton, she felt her heart beat faster. Audra was chattering on and on about the Spring Dance but apart from agreeing with her and pretending to listen, Millie had tuned her chatter out. She had more important things on her mind than what Audra was speaking about.
What if Cade was in town?
What was she to do?
What could she do?
Try as she did, she couldn't come up with any answers that would result in an ideal outcome for everyone involved. She knew what would happen to her if Cade did find her but on the other hand, she couldn't run again either. Jarrod's words repeated over and over in her mind and she knew if she did run, they would come after her. The Barkelys weren't going to let her go without a fight and that was what was most worrying to her. She didn't want them to get hurt because of her. She wasn't worth it. She wasn't worth them fighting for. She was only a no account orphan after all. What did it matter if something happened to her?
They had brought her into their home, Jarrod had taken it upon himself to obtain her custody and prevent her from being placed in an orphanage. They had been so kind to her. She trusted them, cared about them. Perhaps, maybe just a little, she'd started to love them too. In Victoria she'd found a mother figure, in Jarrod; a father. Nick and Heath, she thought of them as brothers. Audra was the first and closest friend she'd ever had and Eugene, even though she hadn't been able to spend that much time with him before his return to college, she thought of fondly. They meant something to her and she wanted to protect them no matter the cost. After all, it was her fault that they were in danger because of her past. A danger they didn't even know about because she was trying to keep them safe.
If it came to it, to keep them safe, she'd willingly give herself up to Cade.
She had to keep them safe.
She couldn't live with another death on her conscience.
They soon arrived in town and after Audra had made arrangements for the care of the horse and buggy at Harrison's livery, they headed for main street. As they walked down the boardwalk to the first store Audra wanted to visit, Millie was on high alert, her eyes searching the faces of the people they passed by. Every fiber of her being was on edge, her heart pounding in her chest. She clutched tightly to the small bag in her hand, her knuckles going white as she scanned for danger.
Tucked away in her bag was a derringer, the concealed firearm only offering her the tiniest sense of safety. She'd brought it discreetly a few months ago in the event she needed a firearm smaller then the pistol that she had in her possession. It was better than nothing, though she doubted she had the courage to use it. If Cade was here, he was too smart she knew to attempt anything in broad daylight when there were too many witnesses in the streets. No. If he was here, he'd be lying in wait in an alley someplace and so, her eyes kept darting back and forth over the crowd.
She had to protect Audra.
They came to the first store and as they entered, once Millie had looked around she allowed herself to relax just a little bit. She felt safer inside, less vulnerable in a building then out on the street. She kept close to Audra as the store clerk came over to offer her assistance, Audra looking through the dresses while she caught up on the town gossip with her. Millie hung back, not engaging in conversation as Audra went to try on a couple dresses that she liked.
Peering out the window, though she couldn't see anyone suspicious, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.
"What do you think?"
Millie turned around, Audra having emerged from the dressing room wearing a light yellow ball gown. "I-I think it's nice." She replied with a little shrug. "But you know me Audra, I don't know much about clothes and such. I've ain't ever been to a dance before. I don't know if that would be suitable or not."
"Hmmmm. I don't know." Audra looked at the dress in the mirror. "I'm not sure."
"If you don't love it, why don't we just keep looking? I'm sure you'll find something to wear to the dance."
"I suppose you're right… Alright, we'll keep going."
Audra disappeared behind the curtain again to change out of the dress and Millie turned her attention back to the street. That feeling that she was being watched was still there and had been ever since they'd left the livery. Was her imagination turning her paranoid now? Cade wasn't out there, she'd know him anywhere if she saw him. He'd stick out like a sore thumb dressed in his fancy clothes she was used to seeing him wear amongst the cowboys of the city. The thought that perhaps he might have dressed to blend in never crossed her mind. There were hundreds of people out there going about their day, he could easily hide amongst the crowd if he really tried.
When Audra returned, they headed back out onto the street and made their way to the next store. Millie was still hyper vigilant, always searching. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched but whenever she glanced behind her, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. Stop it Millie. You are just being paranoid now. She chastised herself as she waited for Audra to try on dresses in another store, the young woman standing at the store window watching the street. You're being irrational.
Again, Audra didn't find anything to her liking in that store and they continued on, Millie trying to relax a little. Though she wasn't about to let her guard down, she was trying to control herself and not be so on edge. She was already nearing being panicked, if she didn't rein it in, it would take over her. Just calm down. You are on the street surrounded by hundreds of people. If Cade is here, he wouldn't try anything right now and once you get back to the ranch, you'll be safe.
Coming into another store, a blue ball gown caught Millie's eye. It was gorgeous, made from royal blue silk with black velvet trims on the bodice and a full bustle type skirt. It wasn't overdone but it appeared elegant and she was quite taken with the outfit. "Audra, what do you think of this?" She questioned, going over to take a closer look. "Do you think…" She pulled it off the rack and held it up in front of her, looking down at the bodice and skirt. "Would it look alright on me?"
"Go try it on. You won't know till you try it on."
Millie hesitated, biting her lip then she found the tag on the sleeve to read the price. The dress was forty-five dollars. She only made two dollars a day and every cent of that she could she was trying to put away in savings for her future. Could she really justify spending that on a single outfit?"
Audra saw her looking at the price tag and placed her hand on her shoulder. "If the price is a problem Millie, I'll buy it for you. Consider it a gift."
"Oh, I can't ask you to do that," She exclaimed, looking up at her. "you've already given me so much already."
"You're not asking, I'm offering. Consider it payment for saving Firefly and Willow. Without your help, I'd have lost them both." Audra took the outfit from her, holding it in front of Millie to look it up and down. "I think it's perfect for you. I'm not going to take no for an answer."
Millie sighed heavily. "Audra…"
"Go on. Go try it on."
"Alright. Here goes…"
Millie disappeared into the nearby dressing room to try on the gown and as she waited, Audra went through the other gowns available. The Spring Dance was one of the highlights of Stockton's social calendar, most of the stores purchased in outfits just for the occasion. Looking through the rack, Audra was again disappointed to find that nothing really stood out to her. She'd just have to keep looking until she found the perfect dress.
"Well…" Millie emerged from the dressing room in the ball gown and stood in front of Audra. "It's a little big…"
"Mother and I can have that fixed in an afternoon, that's easy enough." She replied as she looked her over. "You look stunning Millie. I think it suits you perfectly."
"Are you sure?"
"Millie, you should know by now that when it comes to fashion, I'm always right. If you're happy with it, then let's get it. You'll be the prettiest girl at the dance in that dress."
She chuckled nervously. "I don't know about that."
"Well I do. You are going to have the boys tripping over themselves just to have a dance with you."
That was another thing that was making Millie uneasy about this whole dance thing.
She couldn't dance.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Audra prompted. "Go change and let's buy it."
"Alright. I'm going. I'm going."
With that, Millie disappeared inside the dressing room once more and Audra waited for her outside, flicking through the dresses on the rack again. With the dance only two weeks away, she hadn't left herself much time to find something to wear. If she didn't find anything she liked she'd have to wear one of her old outfits which wasn't a problem but she really had been hoping for something new.
When Millie returned, Audra took the gown to the counter and purchased it, the store clerk wrapping it up carefully in paper before placing it in a box. After paying for it, Audra handed it to Millie and the two of them headed out onto the street. One outfit had been purchased, now she just needed to find something for herself.
As they made their way to the next store, the two girls ran into Jarrod. "Audra. Millie." He greeted them with a smile. "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you two to town?"
"Shopping for the Spring Dance." Audra replied with a smile. "Finally convinced Millie to leave those horses alone for an afternoon to come join me."
"I see it's been productive so far." Jarrod commented, seeing the large box Millie was carrying. "I was just on my way back to the office, why don't you leave this with me and you can come pick it up later once you've finished with shopping?"
Millie handed him the box. "Thank you Jarrod, that would make it easier."
"What have you got in here anyway?"
"A gown for Millie." Audra told him.
"Oh?"
"I wasn't going to get it but Audra insisted that I let her pay for it. Your sister can be mighty persuasive."
Jarrod laughed. "Takes after Mother."
Audra smiled. "Come on, we better keep moving Millie. Jarrod, once we're done shopping, maybe we could go down to the Cafe?"
"Of course. It'd be my pleasure to escort Stockton's two loveliest young ladies to afternoon tea."
"Perfect. We'll see you in a couple hours then."
Millie giggled and shook her head as they continued on.
"What's so funny?" Audra asked with amusement as they navigated their way through the crowd on the boardwalk.
"I've always wondered what it'd be like having brothers watching out for you."
"Well, most of the time it can be slightly irritating. I can look after myself."
"I'm not denying that Audra, but I'm sure you'll admit, you do like having them fuss over you."
Thinking it over, Audra smiled a little. "I guess you're probably right."
"I always wanted a brother when I was growing up." Millie continued after a moment sadly. The more time she'd spent with the Barkley men and saw how they cared for their mother and sister had her thinking about her own brother a lot recently.
"Didn't you have siblings?"
She shook her head. "I… I did have an older brother. He left home when I was five, I never saw him again."
"Oh Millie… That's awful. What happened to him?"
"I don't know." She replied with a shrug, the two girls entering another store. "One day I woke up and he was gone. That's all I remember. He just left. Didn't even say goodbye."
"Is he still alive?"
Millie shrugged again. "I don't even remember his name to try and find him. He might be alive, I don't know. If he'd been around though, maybe my life would have turned out differently…" She pretended to be interested in a dress on the rack Audra was looking through. "The last Christmas we were together, he gave me a little horse he'd carved himself. It was such a crude little thing but I loved it. I've still got it too, even after alll these years."
"That's so sweet."
She smiled sadly as she looked at another dress. While the figurine that Heath had carved for her was special, that little pine horse would always have a special place in her heart. It meant that her brother had cared enough for her to make it, even though he had left her. Perhaps, if he were still alive, maybe he thought of her from time to time like she did of him.
"You are so lucky Audra." She turned to her after a moment. "You have brothers who love and adore you. Don't ever take them for granted. I'd have given anything to have my brother in my life."
"I know." Audra replied softly. "My brothers mean the world to me. When I thought we were going to lose Jarrod…" Her voice trailed off and she had to stop and clear her throat before she continued. "After Father died, Jarrod stepped into his shoes. I was barely twelve when he was killed. He's the closest to a father I have now."
"Is that why you guys call him Pappy?"
She nodded. "It started one day a few months after Father passed. Nick was arguing with him. I don't remember what it was even about but he came out with that and it stuck since." Finding a nice looking ball gown, she pulled it from the rack and held it against herself. "What do you think?"
"You know what I'm gonna say."
"Go try it on."
Millie chuckled. "Exactly."
Audra left to go try on the gown and Millie turned her attention back to the street. While she didn't feel as on edge as she had before, she still couldn't help but feel that she was being watched. Was it just her imagination? Was it paranoia? Or was she right in her suspicion?
Was someone watching her?
The longer she stood there, even though she couldn't see Cade, the stronger the feeling was becoming.
Someone was definitely watching her.
His patience had finally paid off.
There, on the other side of the street, in the living and breathing flesh, was the thorn in the side of his very existence.
Missie.
As he'd done for days so far, Cade had taken up residence in the chair on the porch of the Cattleman's Hotel, a newspaper in hand pretending to read over the job ads while he covertly observed the main street. His persistence had finally come with a welcome pay off too, there she was, large as life. Missie. The child he both hated and loved at the same time. He hated her with a vengeance; he loved the power he felt when he made her life a misery.
She wouldn't be able to evade him forever.
Now that he had found her, he was never going to let her go again.
He had plans for her.
Special plans.
Folding his newspaper, Cade rose and blending in amongst the crowd, began stalking her. Missie was with another girl, a blond haired young woman who appeared a couple years her senior. She was a real beauty even from this distance, wearing a dress that caressed her in all the right places. She was a woman with a figure he could appreciate and as he followed the two of them, he found he had to drag himself from his fantasies of the blond and back to what really mattered; Missie.
The two women turned into a store and upon them disappearing inside, Cade took up a spot of observation across the street to wait for them to reappear. From his observation so far, Missie and the woman she was with seemed to know each other well. While if he started asking questions it would appear too obvious and possibly would give him away, he could always watch and scheme from a distance. He was in no rush. Missie was still in Stockton and he had all the time in the world he needed to get her back.
She'd never leave him again when he was finished with her.
A short time later, Missie and the woman emerged from the store and continued on with their shopping. Cade followed, keeping close enough not to lose them but far enough away so that Missie couldn't pick him out of the crowd. At every store they visited, he waited across the street to watch, all the while scheming up plans he had for her in that demented mind of his. After having evaded him for so long, to have Missie so close yet just out of his reach was almost more than he could handle but yet, he knew if he waited patiently,all in good time, he'd get her back.
He was still there, observing closely when they met with a man in the street. Not close enough to catch their conversation it did appear to him though that Missie knew him well also. They separated, the man carrying the parcel Missie had had across the street to disappear inside another building while the women continued on their way.
A couple hours slipped by, Cade still stalking them across town. Finally it appeared they had finished shopping, the two girls going back to the building the man had entered earlier. He watched across the street, able to make out the sign on the building. Jarrod Barkley Attorney At Law.
Only a few minutes later they came out again, joined by the man from earlier. He followed them down the street to a little cafe tucked away between a freight company and another store. The longer he watched, the more his mind turned over. He wanted answers but again, they'd come to light in time.
After stopping in the cafe for some time, they left, the man giving both women a kiss on the cheek before parting ways with them and returning to his office. His face darkened as he saw how happy Missie appeared when the man said something to her after pecking her cheek. She appeared comfortable with him. Too comfortable.
Oh how he was looking forward to meeting with her again.
He'd destroy her and anyone else who stood in his way.
Leaving the cafe, Cade followed the women across town to the livery, noting the name on the buggy they drove out of town in. Here and there, around the poker tables, he'd heard mentions of the Barkley family and now that he'd identified Missie with them, he was going to take particular interest in them. He noted what road they took out of town and then hurried back to the livery his horse was boarded at, chucking a silver dollar at the stable boy to have his gelding tacked up in record time.
A couple minutes later, the stable boy hurried out with his horse and Cade mounted up, taking the same road. It only took a short while for him to catch up to them and he held back, keeping them just in sight. It wouldn't do to have anyone discover what he was up to. No one could know that he was onto them.
An hour or so later, he came to the Barkley ranch and hid just out of sight as the buggy entered through the large gates. So this was the Barkley mansion. If he could go off appearances, the Barkleys were doing well for themselves and he wondered if they were the same Barkleys he'd known of years ago. For years he had nursed a grudge against a particular Nick Barkely and for more than one reason. The first being that he'd bested him at poker and he'd almost lost his shirt in the game, having met his match at the poker table. The second reason though overshadowed the first and was what really had him out for blood. Nick Barkely had beat him senseless a few years back when he'd come across him roughing up one of the dance hall girls from the mining camp in the alley beside the saloon later that night. He'd beaten him good, he could still remember it. It had taken weeks for his broken ribs to heal. That man packed quite a punch.
After that, he'd always taken care to steer clear of Nick Barkley whenever he went to any of the mining camps associated with that name, buying his time for his revenge. He hadn't seen him since then but he'd always promised himself that if he ever met that man again, Nick Barkely would receive his due.
He watched as one of their ranch hands came to take care of the buggy, the two women disappearing inside the Barkely mansion. What he had witnessed was more than enough to confirm what he'd been suspecting; Missie was living here with these folks. For whatever reason, it appeared that they'd taken her under their care.
It seemed to him that little Missie had found herself some powerful allies.
Turning his horse, he started back towards town. Knowing what he did now, this required some careful and calculated planning. He'd start with finding out everything he could about the Barkleys. Ranch hands with tongues that had been loosened by a little drink were always so forthcoming with information. Finding out what he needed to know would be a piece of cake.