The Gallows' Bounty (West of Second Chances) (28 page)

Willow
blushed when he patted his knee.  He wanted her to sit on his lap in front of these two men?  She thought not.  Instead, she sat next to him on the bale.  She regretted her choice as single straws of hay poked through her skirt and irritated her skin.

“My knee would have been much more comfortable,” Boden whispered as an aside to her, a mischievous grin lighting his eyes.

Willow thought it would have been as well, but she stayed put anyway.

“That’s the thing, Boden.” Owens lifted his saddle blanket and his saddle from the back of his horse, settling both easily on a nearby sawhorse.  He looked about for a currycomb as he continued, “No one in Devils Lake has seen the good sheriff for several days now.”

“There’s a reason for that,” Nathan said, stepping forward with a currycomb in hand.  He’d snatched it from atop a nearby post.  “He got in a shoot out with Boden and Willow.  I guess he heard about your coming to town and decided it was time to get lost.”

Owens nodded his thanks and set to work currying his horse.

Willow held her breath.  Would Marshal Owens haul her off to jail once he knew the rest of the story?  How she had killed James?

“There’s more,” Nathan continued, oblivious to
Willow’s concern.  “He had a man riding with him that Willow took care of.”

“Took care of?” Owens questioned.

“You see, I shot him,” Willow clarified for him, knowing the truth would come out sooner or later.  She might as well make it sooner.

Owens’ hand stilled on his horse, and he turned slightly to look at her.  “You shot him?”

“She did,” Boden said, taking over Willow’s confession.  “And in the nick of time, too.  He’d drawn on her.”

“I see,” Owens said, walking to the other side of his horse.  He set to work currying again.  “I take it she killed him.”

“I did,” Willow admitted, still feeling sick about taking another’s life.

Owens looked over the top of his horse.  “Where were you, Boden?  The lady should have had someone protecting her.”

“James made Ezra throw his gun down.  He didn’t know I had a pistol as well,” Willow hurriedly interjected before Ezra could take offense to the marshal’s jibe.

His face set in stone, her husband returned, “I suppose you would have managed to do more had you been there, Owens.”

So much for my attempt at peacekeeping,
Willow thought.

“Well, I wouldn’t have depended on my wife to do the shooting,” Owens continued, casting Boden a disgusted look.

“Easy to say when you haven’t got a wife,” Boden shot back, his tone icy.

The two were making
Willow nervous.  Anytime Roberts had been involved in a discussion like this someone had ended up dead.  “Really, Marshal Owens, he did all he could.”

“He could have taken care of James for you,” Owens claimed, casting an eye to
Willow.

“Owens?” Boden interjected.

“What?”

Here it comes
, Willow thought.  The two would surely come to blows now.  Boden rose to his feet, dwarfing Owens.  Surely the man didn’t want to fight her husband.  Owens would most likely be beaten to a pulp.

“Knock it off.  You’re making my wife nervous.  She doesn’t know you’re giving me a hard time.”

Owens laughed, and Willow realized then that the pair had merely been goading one another.  They’d done an excellent job pretending to be at each other’s throats.

“You about done with that horse yet?” Nathan asked.  “It’s freezing out here.”

“Getting soft, Nathan?” Owens questioned.  He grabbed his horse’s lead rope and led the animal to an empty stall.

Nathan moved to toss some hay into the stall.  “No, but the lady shouldn’t be out here long.  She’s got a little one on the way.”

Willow did blush then. 

Owens hastened over to Boden.  “Well, congratulations, old man.  You’re going to be a father.  I bet fatherhood will suit you well.”

Willow’s blush deepened.  Owens thought the baby she carried was Ezra’s.  Would Ezra let on that he hadn’t fathered the baby?  Fear of humiliation rode her hard.

“I’m sure it will, too,” Boden said, and Willow waited for him to go on, to correct his friend, but he didn’t. He left it at that, and he even managed to look happy about becoming the father of her child.

The foursome made their way to the house then, and Willow appreciated the infusion of heat.  Boden helped her out of her coat before she headed to the stove.  She placed a pot of water on to boil for their coffee and began work on breakfast.  The men took seats at the kitchen table and discussed the events of recent months.

Willow
felt uncomfortable with all the admiration and praise Boden and Nathan were bestowing on her as they related her part in events.  Her embarrassment began when Boden started his story with seeing her on the gallows.  The marshal must think Boden crazy for loving a woman who had lived a life like hers.  Thankfully, however, Boden only informed Owens of the physical abuse Willow had suffered at Roberts’ hands, forgoing mention of the other men who’d done her harm.  The look on Owens’ face, however, assured her he was rapidly filling in the blanks.  She fought a blush.

Willow
’s hands shook slightly as Boden related how Roberts had kidnapped her from her father’s ranch.  The images of that day replayed in her mind, and she found it difficult to concentrate on the potatoes she was cutting for hash browns.  She yearned to ask him to stop, but there would be no justice for her parents, for her, if no one ever heard her story.  That realization didn’t keep the knife from slipping in her hands, however.

The knife slid down the potato she’d been cutting and sliced into the pad of her thumb.  Instantly she wrapped her thumb in the folds of her apron, while she searched for something to wrap it in.  She didn’t realize anyone had noticed her clumsiness until Boden stood before her, a clean handkerchief in his hand.

“Here,” he said, extending a hand, “let me have a look at that.”

She placed her hand in his, and he twisted the handkerchief around the seeping wound. 

“Thank you,” she whispered.  She kept her gaze averted, so that he couldn’t spy her tears.

She should have known he wouldn’t sit back down and let her return to making breakfast.  Instead, he guided her with two hands to her shoulders to a seat at the kitchen table.

“Ezra, I’m fine, really.  I can finish that,” Willow said, making to stand.

He returned a hand to her shoulder.  “I’ll finish this up.  You’re looking a bit tired.”

She decided not to press the issue further.  Nathan and Owens were casting them curious glances.  Ezra took her silence as a concession to his wishes and continued chopping her potatoes.

“Anyway, I have an old score to settle with the Boss,” Nathan interjected, his face sterner than
Willow had ever seen it.  She didn’t think his open anger was on her behalf.

“Your ranch was attacked by the Boss?”  Willow asked incredulously, putting two and two together.  Why had Boden never told her this?

Boden cast Nathan an irritated look as he chopped.  Willow worried he would cut off a finger as he sliced the potatoes forcefully and distractedly.

“She’ll find out sooner or later.”  Nathan shrugged.  “Laura, my wife, was killed because the Boss wanted our ranch.  If Boden and Owens hadn’t been on their way through and decided to stop for a visit, me ‘n the boys would be dead, too.”

“Now is not the time for this, Nathan,” Boden said, casting a glance at Willow.

Nathan sat forward in his chair looking for an argument.  “Someone’s got to pay for killing her.”

“Your wife’s death needs to be avenged, but I’m still not sure this is the time to discuss the Boss and his crew,” Owens continued.

“And I’m sure it is,” Nathan asserted, a challenge glinting in his eyes.

Why hadn’t Boden ever told her of Nathan’s experience?  Evidently, Boden was trying to protect her.  From what, she had no idea.  Hadn’t she seen what evil the Boss could wreck first hand?

She placed a hand in Boden’s when he came to stand beside her.  “We need to discuss both of our encounters with the Boss.  Maybe there’s something we can figure out if we talk this through.”

Boden nodded his understanding; however, the table remained quiet.

“Coffee, anyone?”  Willow asked.  She’d forgotten about the coffee and now was the perfect time to remember it.  She headed for the stove and the pot warming on a burner.

“You two haven’t had an easy past few months,” Owens commented once the steaming coffee rested on the table.

“Well, I have a feeling they’re going to get worse,” Nathan said as he sipped his hot coffee, his anger not quite forgotten.

Willow didn’t miss the look Boden sent past her head and in Nathan’s direction, so she said, “It’s all right, Ezra. I happen to agree with Nathan.”

“And why’s that?” Owens questioned.

“Boden asked me a while back why anyone would want to kill me,” Willow began, filling up coffe mugs, “and I think I have an idea now. Matter of fact, it’s the only one I can come up with.”

“And what’s that?” Boden questioned, momentarily forgetting about his chopping duties.

“It has to do with the attack on my parent’s ranch. I think the Boss is nervous I can identify him,” Willow expounded. The Boss had taken great care to keep his identity a secret, wearing a mask when he rode with his gang. What if she’d seen something she shouldn’t have?

The men were silent for a while, mulling over her explanation. Nathan spoke up first. “I’m not so sure, Willow. Wouldn’t we be targets, too, if that were the case?”

“Maybe, but I’m thinking something happened that has the Boss worried. Something I can’t remember.” Willow returned the coffeepot to the stove and reclaimed her seat at the table.

“Well, why after all of this time is he trying to kill you?” Boden asked.

“He could have been trying all along. Roberts moved around a lot. The Boss could have regretted his decision to let Roberts keep me. It could have taken him a while to catch up with us.”

“That’s a lot of ‘could haves’ and a lot of trouble to kill a woman who can’t even remember. He hasn’t attacked a ranch for a couple of years. He’s probably dead or moved on to another racket,” Nathan pronounced.

“That’s it,” Willow asserted despite the skeptical looks she received all around. “He’s moving on, and I’m thinking up. I have a feeling he’s tying up loose ends.”

Owens sat up straighter in his chair as though the idea were taking root in his mind. “We never received a report that he was dead nor did we ever hear who he was.”

“And,” Willow continued, warming to her subject, “I was one of his few loose ends. Roberts gloated about how important he must be to the Boss to be allowed to keep me.”

“Since we don’t seem to be targets, maybe he thinks Roberts let something slip. Did he?” Boden asked, the sound of his resumed chopping joining the crackling of the fire.

“No,” Willow said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Boden put the finishing touches on the hash browns then and joined them at the table. “The Boss must be intent on moving up in the world. He doesn’t want anyone stopping his ascent or bringing him down once he gets there.”

“Well, what could he be working toward?” Willow questioned.

Nathan shrugged. “There’s rumors of statehood.”

“A man as power hungry as the Boss would be interested in state politics,” Owens added.

“Could be.” Boden took a sip of his coffee.

“Well, all of this is good in theory, but we still have no idea who wants Willow dead,” Nathan said bluntly.

“Nathan!” Boden warned.

“Someone’s got to say it the way it is. You’re too wrapped in your wife to address it, lover boy.”

Owens laughed. He was the only one to do so. Boden glared at Nathan. Willow stood and checked the hash browns to hide her embarrassment. Love
r boy, indeed! “Well, there is one thing you can look into, Owens.”  Boden turned his attention from the squirming Nathan to the marshal. “Get rid of French.  If it’s the Boss behind this, he’s most likely on the payroll.”

“Why don’t you do it?” Owens questioned.

“I remember someone telling me once, and I quote, ‘Boden, delegate your responsibilities whenever you get the chance.’”  Boden said the words in a voice not his own and adopted a straighter seat in his chair. 

Willow
giggled and Nathan laughed outright.

“I believe he’s a perfect imitation of you, Owens,” Nathan said, his good humor returning.

It was Owens’ turn to tell Nathan to shut up.

Boden continued.  “French is an inept nuisance, but even an inept nuisance can get lucky.  I’m delegating getting rid of him to you.  I’m a married man now.”

“That you are.  I suppose I can help you out by removing Devils Lake’s sheriff,” Owens said, appearing none too happy about his return trip to town.

Willow
stood.  The hash browns were sure to be ready.  They were, so she removed them from the skillet and set about scrambling a dozen eggs.  Cold weather had a way of making men hungry.