Wildfire Creek (22 page)

“Real good breakfast, Ginny. Thanks.” Bull stood, washed his plate in a bucket, and stacked it with the others on a shelf near the bunkhouse door. Over the last year, as they’d added more men, Bernice prepared the food, then some of the men carried it in large bowls to the bunkhouse.

Ginny watched the men devour everything she’d made. She’d pick up the empty bowls later, after Mary and Rachel left for town.

“You need to finish your breakfast so you can ride to town with Miss Rachel. Hurry up now,” Ginny said, walking back into the house and seeing Mary fidgeting with her food.

“I’m not hungry, Ginny.” Mary gazed up at her and yawned.

“Well, eat what you can. It’s a long ride to town, and I’m certain Miss Rachel will want to leave soon.” Ginny hurried into the kitchen to get the food she’d prepared out to the men who’d be with the herd all day, then she’d begin preparing dinner for those working closer to the house. She’d been up since well before dawn, never once sitting down, yet the hectic pace suited her.

“How are you doing, Ginny?” Dax asked as he walked into the kitchen to grab one more cup of coffee before riding out with the men.

“Quite well. I believe the men enjoyed the food.”

Her harried smile told him more than her words. So far, she enjoyed the work. Time would tell if they’d placed too much of a load on her, although he doubted it.

She laced up the canvas sack of food.

“I’ll take it.” Dax grabbed the bag, flung it over his shoulder, and dumped his unfinished coffee in the sink. “Hank will be around if you need anything.”

Ginny watched him walk down the hall, then heard voices as he spoke with Rachel a moment before leaving.

“Mary, are you ready to leave?” Rachel asked.

“Yes, Miss Rachel.”

“Let’s get you in the wagon and start for town.” She turned as Ginny came out from the kitchen.

“You be good for Miss Rachel.” She gave her sister a hug. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Mary waved as she ran out the front door. Hank helped her into the wagon, then waited to help Rachel, even though he knew she had no problem climbing up on her own.

“Watch the weather, Rachel. Looks to me like it may turn early.” Hank stepped back.

“We’ll stay at Uncle Charles’ house if it gets too bad.” She slapped the reins, noting the white clouds against the clear blue of the sky and wondering how Hank could be so accurate in predicting coming storms.

Ginny stood on the porch and waved, knowing Mary wouldn’t notice.

“What do you think?”

She looked at Hank, who now stood beside her. “Um…about what?”

“The ranch, the work.” He shrugged, as if his question was obvious.

“The work is what Rachel described. I hadn’t realized how many men work for Dax and Luke. I thought I knew most of them from working at the Rose, but there are several I don’t recognize.”

“Well, now, some like to stay put and play cards or read. I never saw much reason for riding into town after spending all day in the saddle.”

“I’m going to head out now, Hank.” They both looked at Travis Dixon, who doffed his hat. “Ma’am.”

She recognized him from the couple times he’d been at the Rose, although he’d spoken little, other than to introduce himself.

“How are you, Mr. Dixon?”

“Fine, ma’am. Breakfast was mighty good. Thank you.” He looked to Hank. “Anything you need me to tell Dax?”

“We spoke before he left.”

“Then I’ll be taking off.” He tipped his hat to Ginny, then walked toward his saddled horse.

She’d never noticed his limp before and wondered how he’d been injured.

“Where’s he from, Hank?”

“Tennessee, I believe. Real quiet. If I recall, he fought for the South. That’s how he hurt his leg. You might recall he’s the one who rode into town with an arrow in his back the day of Dax and Rachel’s wedding.”

“I’d forgotten. I’ve seen him at the saloon a couple times. He plays cards, then leaves.” Ginny’s gaze followed him as he rode off. “Guess I should get started on dinner and cleaning. There’s so much, I’m not certain where I should start.” Her nervous chuckle belied the worry she felt.

Hank placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll do just fine, Ginny.”

Star Ranch

“All I’m saying is the men are getting restless.” Flatnose chewed on the end of his cold cigar. “They want to take another gold wagon.” He glanced over at his partner who stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the porch rail.

“It’s a bad time to pull another robbery. Sheriff Sterling hired more deputies, and the citizens committee hired one of those Pinkerton men. We need to lay low.” He pushed from the railing and dropped his arms. “Truth is, I’ve been considering putting this behind us. We each have more than enough money stashed away. We don’t need to take any more chances.”

Flatnose flicked the dead cigar out onto the dirt and leaned back in his chair, balancing the front two legs off the floor. “You thinking of taking up life as a gentry with that woman of yours?” His smile came out as a sneer, letting Rick know what he thought about the idea.

“We’ve pulled enough jobs. There’s no need to put ourselves in danger, and that includes Stella. If someone does connect us with the holdups, they’ll come straight here. My idea is to move the gold, sell the ranch, and start over in something legal.”

“Legal, huh? You’ve been a farmer and lawman. You gonna put a badge on after all this? I worked for my pa on his place, served time in the Union Army before coming west. What the hell would I do?” Flatnose asked, his voice moving from disbelief to anger.

“You don’t have to do a damn thing. Retire. Enjoy what you have. Make Stella an honest woman and have children.”

Flatnose snorted at the idea of marriage. “She’s not the marrying kind and you know it. Besides, I have no use for children.” He tipped the chair down and stood, pushing his hands into his pockets. “I guess if we sell the ranch, I’d head to California.”

“And leave Stella?”

“I’d give her plenty of money, make sure she’d be all right. Maybe even buy her a place in Big Pine.”

“You don’t think she’ll talk?” Rick asked. He had the same fears about the men. Even though they had nothing to gain and everything to lose by exposing other members of the gang, some men were none too bright and one wrong word could bring the law down on all of them.

“She’ll say nothing. Got no reason to.” Flatnose pulled another cigar from his shirt pocket, cut off the end, and lit it.

Rick thought about this. No one had anything to gain by talking. Their best course would be to take their gold and leave the area, build new lives as far away from Montana as they could. It would certainly be best for him since Ezra Duncan had arrived in Big Pine.

He now had to consider the house he’d bought—the one he hoped Felicity would agree to share with him someday.

He’d already moved his gold to a place no one would ever find it. He knew a buyer in eastern Montana, and had traveled there before buying the house, selling some of the gold and banking the cash. As far as the man knew, Rick had a mine north of Big Pine, and would be coming in every few months to exchange what he’d discovered for cash. Over the next few years, he planned to sell all his gold in amounts that wouldn’t draw too much attention, leaving no trail for anyone to follow.

“We’ll tell the men before I ride back to Big Pine. Give them time to make plans and leave, then sell the place—livestock, furniture, everything. I don’t want the men around when the new owner arrives.” Rick felt certain he’d made the right decision.

“You sure about this?” Flatnose asked, still not convinced they couldn’t rob at least one more wagon.

“I am. It’s time to get out before anyone suspects us. The added law makes more raids too much of a risk. One I’m not willing to take.” Rick didn’t say he also wanted no part in any more killings by Flatnose. He couldn’t count on his partner to keep the bullets in his gun. From what Rick had seen, the man had an almost perverse need to watch others die. Rick wanted to place as much distance between himself and Flatnose as possible.

“All right. We’ll tell them they need to ride out by the end of the month.” Flatnose let out a puff of smoke, cut off the burnt end, and laid the cigar on the top porch rail. “Stella and I will be out of here soon after.”

Splendor, Montana

“Everyone ready?” Gabe asked the men who’d gathered to search the caves. They’d met at the Pelletier ranch and planned to start north of Luke’s place, then ride south toward Noah’s cabin and the Frey brother’s ranch. Frank and Hiram Frey had brought one of their wranglers, Walt Jones—a man who’d lived in one of the caves with his son for a few months before the ranchers had discovered them.

“Hold up,” Dax called and pointed to Noah.

“Sorry about being late. King Tolbert gave me a job and wanted to wait for it.” He shrugged at the implication the man always expected to immediately get what he wanted, no matter the inconvenience to others.

“Guess we’re ready.” Gabe nodded at his friend as he and Dax took up the lead, heading toward the mountain on the other side of Wildfire Creek. They’d been fortunate. The last storm passed through without adding much more snow.

As they approached the base of the mountain, they split into groups, each one taking a different path to check the existing caves and other places someone could hide.

“Don’t waste time riding up higher onto the mountain. If people are living in the hills, they’ll most likely be hiding lower to the base, where it’s easier to get in and out during the winter,” Gabe called over his shoulder as he started up a narrow ravine with one group. Dax led another, while Hiram and Frank led the third. They’d meet back at their starting point within an hour, then move south.

Six hours passed without finding a trace of anyone living in the caves. A few showed signs of habitation, but nothing indicating they’d been lived in within the last several months.

“Come up here and check this out.”

Dax looked up ahead to see Walt Jones motioning behind a large group of boulders partway up the mountain.

“What is it?” Dax rode up, Bull reining to a stop next to him.

“Looks like someone’s been here recently.” Walt walked into a grotto within the rocks, large enough for several people. “My guess is whoever lived here has been gone a week, maybe two.” He pointed to a fire pit, an empty tin with a lid, and what looked like chicken bones in a pile against one wall.

“I wonder if the Freys or Noah would recognize the tin.” Bull picked it up and pulled off the lid, noting the crumbs inside. “Looks like it may have held hardtack.”

“Take it with you.” Dax bent to pick up a rock, which had been chiseled to a point. He’d seen others similar to this in Running Bear’s camp when he and Luke visited last summer.

“What’d you find?” Walt asked.

“An arrowhead.” He laid it flat in his palm for Bull and Walt to examine while he glanced around. A few feet away, Dax spotted a smaller one, and slid both into his pocket.

“Blackfoot?” Walt asked.

“I don’t know.” Bull took another quick look around before walking outside. “Odd they’d leave arrowheads behind. Takes a good while to make one of them.”

“Maybe they left in a hurry and missed them. At least we now have some evidence someone’s been living up here, and not too long ago.” Dax swung up on Hannibal and started down the hill to join the others.