Gabriel's Atonement (31 page)

The cowboy walked toward him, keeping his hand near his holstered gun. “You ruined my brother's life, Coulter, and I aim to ruin yours.”

After washing her hair in the creek, Lara strapped Grandpa's holster onto her waist again and wrapped a blanket around her to get warm. The sun would dry her hair, but with it damp, a chill had worked its way into her bones. Walking helped her warm up and seemed to also work some of the tension from her muscles. She followed the creek, meandering in and out of the trees that lined it.

She exhaled a loud sigh. This land Gabe won was beautiful, and the water made it the perfect choice for a farmer or a man who wanted to raise horses on a small scale. It would have been a wonderful place to call home, if only she hadn't lost.

But if she accepted Gabe's generous offer, she could return to her family, partially successful. There really was no choice, even though she didn't want to be near Gabe, because he stirred her senses with his glimmering eyes and gentle touch. Tom had never been so tender. He'd charmed her into falling in love with him when she was only Jo's age, but then he'd taken what he felt was his and often left her crying in his wake. If that was marriage, she didn't want it.

She had to believe that not all men were like that. Her father had been a kind, compassionate man, and she was certain Grandpa never treated Grandma so harshly. Nor would Gabe. But then, she'd have never expected Tom to treat her in such a manner, either.

A creaking noise jerked her gaze to a hill covered in bushes and trees. She paused, searching for whatever made the sound, making sure it was safe to continue on before she ventured farther. Nothing moved except for the leaves rustling in the breeze. A gust tugged at the blanket and her skirts. Her hair fluttered out to the side. The creaking noise emanated through the shadowy area again, raising the hair on her arms. Shedding the blanket, she tugged the pistol from her holster, cocked the hammer, then cautiously crept forward. Stopping behind a wide oak, she swallowed hard and peered around the trunk.

She was surprised to find what looked to be a campsite. There was no sign of anyone there now, but she chose to err on the side of caution and stayed hidden.

The eerie squeal made her jump. Lara took a half step around the tree and gasped. The noise was a door, swinging back and forth in the breeze—a door to an opening in the side of a hill. She'd heard of dugouts before, but she'd never seen one.

“H'lo in the camp. Anyone there?”

Her hand shook as the pistol grew heavy. She lowered her arm to her side but didn't holster the gun. When no one answered, she slowly stepped forward, searching every direction. There was nothing to indicate the camp was fresh, but she couldn't afford to take chances. She made a beeline for the charcoals in the middle of the campsite, kept her gun ready, and poked the ashes with a stick. No sign of smoke or warm embers. No one had used this fire pit in a long while. She relaxed and looked around. A buckboard sat near the dugout, and several faded men's shirts hung from a rope strung between two trees. Someone might have lived here at one time, but they no longer did. A pair of stained socks, with holes in the heels and toes lay on the ground, as well as a couple of fishing poles and dishes. What had happened here? Why would someone ride off and leave their laundry and buckboard?

She turned to the dugout, longing to look inside but also partly afraid to. She swallowed and tiptoed to the door. It was possible someone was hiding in there but not too likely, given the sad state of the camp. She pointed the gun toward the open door. “Anyone there?”

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. She huffed a breath, embarrassed at her nervousness. Tugging the door open all the way, she stepped forward and peered inside. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the dimmer lighting, but after a moment, she could see that the inside was actually bigger than their soddy in Caldwell had been.

She sucked in a breath. Gabe had said she could have her choice of his land. Would it be selfish of her to pick land that included the dugout? Her family could have a shelter right away, which was especially important for Grandpa and Michael. Why, the place was plenty big enough for her and Jo to sleep inside, too. Walking farther in, she spotted a table with two chairs. Pocketing her gun, she allowed herself to smile. Grandpa had said God would provide. The good Lord hadn't provided the way she'd hoped or even expected, but He had given them just what they needed. “Thank You, God.”

On the table, she found a lantern and a tin mug with some matches. She snagged one and lit the lantern then turned it toward the back wall. The place certainly needed cleaning up, but it was cool now, and she suspected it would be warm in the winter. Maybe by then they could get a stove and put in a vent pipe. On the wall to her right was a double bed. It would be perfect for Grandpa and Michael. The bedding needed boiling and the tick re-stuffed, but the frame was solid. Lara circled the room, unable to believe her good fortune.

There was just one thing she had to make sure of—that the dugout wasn't smack-dab in the middle of Gabe's claim. He'd been clear on that issue.

She returned the lantern to the table and blew it out, sending a plume of smoke into the air. Outside, she walked around the hill and up to the top. The exertion made her head pound, but she wasn't about to stop. She needed to find the stones that marked the edge of Gabe's claim.

After nearly an hour of zigzagging left and right, she found the pile of rocks that marked the southwestern corner of Gabe's property. Lara turned back toward the dugout and smiled. If she asked for the whole southwestern corner, she could have the dugout, a water source since the creek angled along Gabe's southern border, and a somewhat flat valley for planting. There were even plenty of trees for building a pen for the goats and a barn for Sunny, their mule, and the cow she hoped to buy.

Delighted, Lara clapped her hands. The sun shone down, warming her head and drying her hair. She was finally home.

Gabe held out his hands, while his mind raced as he tried to figure out if he'd ever before seen the stranger who now called him out. “Sorry, mister, but I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“You're the no-good gambler who cheated my brother and caused him to lose his monthly pay that he was supposed to send to his wife. She up and left him and took their kid with her—and I blame you.”

“I never forced anyone to play cards with me. And I never cheated. Besides, those days are past.” He glanced at the crowded streets. People all along the dirt road watched, while moving out of the way at the same time. A woman tucked her daughter behind her back, but she didn't make any attempt to leave. If shots were fired, anyone lining the street would be in danger of getting hit.

“I don't even know you. What's your name?” A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Gabe's temple, but he didn't dare make a move to wipe it. More than likely, he could outdraw the stranger, but he didn't want to risk getting shot, especially with Lara waiting for him to return.

“Payton Reeves. My brother's name is Judah. Sound familiar?”

Judah Reeves. Gabe rolled the name over his mind until a picture formed. “Yeah, it does. But like I said, your brother came to me. I never forced him to sit at my table.”

“You gamblers are all alike—stealing a man's hard-earned money and grinning all the way to the bank.”

Gabe took a step closer when Reeves glanced sideways. “Your argument is with me, Reeves. Let's handle this like men. Take off your gun belt and fight me like a man. That way no one else will get hurt.”

Reeves glanced around, probably noticing the women and children in the crowd. Eyes narrowed, he stroked his whiskery chin with his thumb and index finger. Scowling, he turned back to Gabe. “You ruined my family, and I mean to have revenge.”

“Look, I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you. I've quit gambling and have a sweet little piece of land I won yesterday where I plan to raise horses.” He even had a woman he wanted to call his own, but he couldn't say that. “I only recently realized how my gambling hurt other people, and I'll tell you here and now in front of all these people that I regret the choices I made. If I could do things over, I'd do them differently.”

“You ain't sweet-talkin' your way out of a fight like some snake oil salesman, Coulter. You destroyed my brother's life.”

Before Gabe could respond, Reeves drew. Unprepared, he fumbled for his gun. A shot rang out, and Gabe jumped, waiting for the fiery pain that accompanied a bullet. But no pain came. Instead, Reeves dropped his gun and stared at the growing red spot on his chest. He glanced up at Gabe with a stunned expression then dropped to his knees and fell on his face.

Still numb from his close call, Gabe looked over his shoulder to see who had shot Reeves. Luke McNeil walked toward him, holstering his gun. The young cowboy grinned. “Good thing I had your back, huh, boss?”

He nodded. “Am I ever glad to see you again! You saved my life. I wasn't expecting him to draw like that.”

“I could see it in his eyes. He was just waitin' for you to drop your guard.”

Two soldiers jogged up the street and halted beside Payton Reeves's body. One motioned Gabe to him. “What happened here?”

Mark Hillborne strode forward. “I saw the whole thing, Sergeant. This man is a customer of mine, and we had just loaded his wagon when this galoot called him out. He tried to get the man to settle their squabble without guns, but this fellow drew without warning.”

The soldier pursed his lips and slid his gaze toward Gabe. “That what happened?”

Gabe nodded. “Yes, sir. I was just about to leave town when that man hollered at me. He blamed me for some rift in his brother's family. I had no clue what he was talking about.”

“Did you shoot him?” The man narrowed his eyes at Gabe.

“I did.” Luke stepped forward. “That Reeves fella drew without warnin', Sergeant, just like the man said.” He nudged his chin toward Mark Hillborne then faced Gabe. “Mr. Coulter here tried to reason with the man, but he just flat wouldn't listen. I saw that Gabe wasn't aware that Mr. Reeves had gone for his gun, and so I shot the man to protect my boss.”

The crowd closed in around them, and several men nodded.

“That's just how it happened,” a tall bearded man wearing overalls said.

“Yep.”

“Uh-huh.”

Most of the men in the crowd nodded their agreement.

The sergeant looked at each one, as if hoping to find a dissenter, but nobody disagreed. “All right, then, you're free to go, Mr. Coulter, but I'd better not hear of you gettin' into any more trouble anytime soon.”

“Thank you, sir.” The relief that washed over Gabe nearly knocked him to his knees, but he turned and grabbed on to Luke's shoulder. “I owe you. I'd be a dead man if you hadn't noticed Reeves drawing.”

Luke smiled. “Well, I didn't get land, so I reckon I could use a job. How about you? Did you get a claim?”

Gabe grinned. “Prettiest set of rolling hills you ever did see. With a wide creek cutting across it. I could use your help. I want to get a house and barn built before winter, fences raised, a garden planted.” He glanced up at the sun. He thought of Lara waiting for him, and his pulse shot up like a bullet aimed at the sky. “We'd better get a move on if we're going to get back before dark.”

“Yes, sir. I just need to get Golden Boy.” He spun and took off at a lope.

Gabe turned back for a final look at Payton Reeves and couldn't help feeling the man was dead because of him. The two soldiers picked up the body and carried it down the hill to be buried. Tom Talbot was dead, too, because he'd played cards and lost and then wanted his money back to send to his wife. Gabe clenched his fists. Why hadn't he just turned the money over to Talbot? Then the man would be alive. Although Gabe wasn't sure Lara would be any better off. In fact, he knew she wouldn't. She'd still be living in that dirty soddy, trying to make ends meet and feed her son. He could take much better care of her, if she'd let him.