Her Montana Man (19 page)

“Are there any other places Tyler would go?” Jonas asked. “Home maybe?”

“Possibly,” Eliza replied. “But there’s no one there. Royce is only home overnight.”

“Why don’t you go check, just in case?”

She nodded. “I’ll have to find my key. I’m sure Royce will have the house locked.”

“Maddie, you go with her, will ya?”

The woman nodded and joined Eliza as she headed for the door. Eliza’s thoughts were too scattered to

make much sense, but she fervently prayed they would reach the house and find all three boys. She

didn’t know why she had such a bad feeling pressing down on her.

The dark-haired woman accompanied her as Eliza used the key and unlocked the front door, entering

the familiar foyer.

“Tyler?” she called. Her voice seemed to echo. She called again.

They performed a diligent search. Without comment, Maddie took in the high-ceilinged rooms and

quality furnishings.

“They haven’t been here,” Eliza said.

Nora called to Eliza as she walked down the front stairs. “Eliza Jane! It’s so good to see you!”

“Tyler didn’t show up for school today,” Eliza told her in a rush. “I was hoping he might have come here.

He’s with two other boys.”

“I haven’t seen anyone,” Nora told her, concern creasing her brow.

They stood on the front walk. Eliza glanced at the houses across the street. “Jonas has gone to check

fishing holes. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to ask around until he gets back.”

“We’ll join you,” Nora said. The three of them canvassed the entire block, enlisting the help of Marian

Atwell and a couple other neighbors.

Back on the street in front of her childhood home, Eliza gazed south toward the brickyard where the

three-story main structure, the smokestacks and drying sheds beyond were visible. Tyler had only been

there a few times. She couldn’t imagine him going for any reason.

As they headed back toward the saloon, Maddie tucked her arm through Eliza’s. “They’re going to find

your boy.”

“I’ve never raised a hand to that child.” Eliza’s voice shook. “But he’s going to get a willow whip across

his backside for this one.”

Ada came out of the hotel, her earlier vexation gone and disbelief setting in. “I’ve looked everywhere I

know of,” she said.

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Eliza shared where they’d searched, and then took Ada’s cold hand and they continued on to the

saloon, where the marshal was waiting.

Ada took a chair at a table by herself. Eliza paced the worn oak floor, checking the windows every few

minutes.

At last Jonas and Quay returned without the boys. Jonas’s mouth showed his grim decision. “Time we

let Royce know and organize a search.”

A new fear settled in Eliza’s heart. She glanced at Ada to see shock registering as the seriousness of the

situation became clearer.

The marshal motioned for attention and assigned jobs. “Quay, head to the brickyard and alert the boy’s

father. Tell him to have his employees search every inch of that place. Jonas, go get Yale and Silas,

anyone else you can find. We’ll work our way through town first, then if we have to, we’ll spread

outward.”

Within minutes every available person was searching storage rooms, outbuildings, yards and all the

possible nooks and crannies. Eliza sat beside Ada and patted her arm to comfort her, though she wasn’t

feeling very confident at that moment.

Royce arrived at the saloon and made a production out of asking questions. He came to sit beside Eliza.

“How are you holding up, dear?”

Eliza straightened in the chair. She didn’t want to look at him. She hated that he had any part in her and

Tyler’s lives, and she resented him being there, especially since his behavior was a calculated

performance.

Bonnie brought kettles, and she and Maddie made tea.

“Drink this, dear,” Bonnie told Eliza. “Tea always makes you feel better.”

Eliza knew her friend was trying to be helpful, so she forced her shaking hands to pick up the cup. Inside

she wanted to scream. Ada just sat and stared at the doorway.

“We’re going to get to the bottom of this, you’ll see,” Royce said as though he was actually doing

something to make that happen. Eliza finally looked at him because she couldn’t believe his duplicity. He

gave her what looked like an encouraging smile, but was really his way of gloating about the power he

held over her. She wanted to hit him with something.

Another fifteen minutes passed before a commotion sounded in the street. Royce got up and met the

men coming through the door with two boys between them. Daniel and Matt Harper’s dirty faces were

streaked with dried tears.

Ada got up and rushed to grab and hug them.

“Where’s Tyler?” Eliza asked, pushing forward.

“Don’t know,” Dan replied, his youthful voice breaking.

Jonas held up several pieces of rope that had been sliced. “Found ’em tied up in the shed on Oak Street

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south of the church.”

“What happened?” Ada asked.

Matt burst into tears and wrapped himself against his mother. She held him and looked to Daniel.

“We was headin’ for school just like always,” he told her, his voice animated. “We only got as far as

behind the dry goods store and was walking by a wagon, and next thing I knowed, I heard scufflin’. I

turned back and saw Matt’s feet. Someone was dragging him ’round back of the wagon. Tyler was lyin’

on the ground. I started toward ’em and somebody grabbed me and held an awful smellin’ rag over my

nose.

“Next thing I remember, me and Matt was tied up in that shed and Tyler wasn’t there.”

Eliza needed to throw up. She turned, spotted a wooden bucket at the end of the bar and ran for it. She

retched until her eyes watered and she thought her stomach would turn inside out.

“I’ll take care of this,” Royce said, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Don’t you worry.” He turned and

addressed the gathering in a loud voice. “I’ll pay a reward of three hundred dollars to the man who brings

my son back to me safe and sound.”

Eliza collapsed to a sitting position on the floor. Maddie brought her a wet rag. “Here. Wipe your face,

Miss Sutherland.”

Jonas couldn’t bear the look of fear on Eliza Jane’s white face. It took all his gumption not to go pick

her up and hold her till she stopped shaking. A display like that would draw speculation, and his time

would be better spent finding Tyler.

“Sounds like somebody chloroformed ’em, but only took the Sutherland boy,” Warren Haglar said

quietly to the men who waited at the door for directions.

“Might be they’ll get a ransom note,” Yale suggested.

“Dunlap has more money’n most in these parts.”

“Jonas, you’re probably the best tracker we’ve got,” the marshal said.

Jonas had to pull his gaze away from Eliza being comforted by her brother-in-law. He couldn’t be as

effective as he needed to be if he let himself think of what this was doing to her or if he gave too much

consideration to Tyler’s fear.

His army days had involved more shooting than tracking. He wasn’t as skilled as he’d need to be, so he

was going to have to be determined and diligent. Tyler and Eliza needed him, and he couldn’t let them

down.

“I’ll check the roads out of town,” he told the marshal. “That was early this mornin’. No tellin’ how

many horses and wagons traveled in and out since then.”

“I know,” Warren replied. “But we have to start somewhere.”

The men looked at each other and Jonas knew what each of them was thinking. If Tyler was alive right

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now—and Jonas had to believe he was—he was terrified.

Satisfied to see that Maddie and Bonnie were looking after Eliza and Ada, he headed for the door.

“Best not waste any more daylight.”

As he’d feared, the tracks in and out of town were so numerous that no one set was clear enough to

follow. Their options narrowed to spreading out and searching roads, fields, outlying farms and ranches.

Silas Bowers rode with Jonas. They searched east of town, walking their horses along streambeds, up

rocky hillsides and through ravines. The enormity of the countryside and the length of time since Tyler had

disappeared overwhelmed Jonas. He tried not to think of the limitless ways the boy could have come to

harm. If someone wanted him dead, he’d had all the time and space he’d needed.

Jonas thought about the times he’d spent with him, remembered Tyler’s childish perspective and

inquisitive mind, and couldn’t conceive of anyone wanting to hurt him.

Being the one left behind with his mother, Jonas had missed much of his own childhood. Tyler reminded

him what it was like to look at life through innocent eyes.

The sky grew dark. He and Silas took out the jerky that Quay had given them and chewed it as they

reluctantly turned back toward town.

Jonas hated to go back empty-handed. He dreaded seeing the look on Eliza Jane’s face. Letting her

down when she needed him stuck in his craw.

“Mebbe someone’s found him by now,” Silas said.

“Maybe,” Jonas answered with more hope than conviction.

The lights of the saloon were ablaze, but no music came from inside when they tied their mounts out

front.

Jonas pushed the doors aside and entered the building.

Eliza looked up from where she sat at a table with Madeline and Bonnie. She stood and watched him

approach. “Nothing?” she asked.

“Too dark to keep lookin’,” he replied.

There it was, the look that cut him to the quick.

“I’m raising the reward to five hundred dollars,” Royce announced from across the room. “Whoever

brings my boy home gets cash.”

Jonas held Eliza’s tortured gaze. Putting a price on her child’s head made him seem like a possession,

and he felt his temperature rise.

“Lilibelle’s been cooking,” Rowena told Jonas.

“There’s food at the hotel for the men who’ve been out.”

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“Did
she
eat?” he asked, indicating Eliza with a nod.

Rowena shook her head.

“Why don’t you bring us meals?” he suggested.

“Right away.” Rowena got up and hurried out the door.

“You’re going to eat while my boy’s out there somewhere?” Royce asked. “At the hands of a thief or a

murderer?”

Eliza Jane’s eyes closed against his words.

“We don’t know that for sure,” the marshal said.

“It’s too dark to look anymore tonight,” Jonas told him. “Won’t help to risk horses, and it won’t help for

us to go hungry.”

“Maybe you can sell tickets to this sideshow, Black,” Royce said, walking closer.

Jonas just looked at him.

“Maybe you staged it to bring in business.”

“What the hell are you talkin’ about?” Jonas asked, already tired, hungry, and now mad. “Looks to me

like we’re losin’ business here tonight. Anybody buyin’ drinks?” he called to Quay.

“Sold a couple beers is all.”

“And Lily’s givin’ away meals at the hotel,” Jonas added.

“No one wants your charity,” Royce spat out. “I can take care of my own family.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen how well you do that,” Jonas remarked.

“What’s that mean?”

“When’s Tyler’s birthday?” Jonas asked.

“Jonas, don’t,” Eliza Jane said in a warning tone.

Royce was standing directly in front of Jonas now. He glanced at Eliza and back. “What difference does

it make?”

Jonas was good and riled now. “Seems a man should know when his boy’s birthday is. Make an effort

to wish him well.”

“I have a business to run,” Royce told him. “A
respectable
business. The operation of the brickyard

consumes my time. Unlike you, I don’t make my living renting rooms to whores and running a slave trade

on the side.”

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A tense silence fell over the room.

All eyes turned to Jonas.

“W

hich one of these women are you callin’ a whore, Dunlap?” Jonas asked, reaching to unfasten his gun

belt. “’Cause I’d love to plant my fist in your face on their behalf.”

One of the bystanders took Jonas’s holster and backed away.

A look of fear finally crossed Royce’s face.

“C’mon.” Jonas egged him on with a beckoning motion of his fingers and moved closer. “Which one?”

“This is precisely what I’d expect of you,” Royce said, adjusting his already-perfect collar and tie and

taking a step back. “A low-class threat from a two-bit—”

Royce didn’t get the sentence finished because Jonas popped him in the jaw and sent him reeling

backward onto a table, where he landed solidly, tipping it, and then slid to the floor.

“Marshal!” Royce called, getting to his knees with as much dignity as possible. “Are you going to stand

there and let this one-horse mudsill pile on the agony when I already have all I can handle with finding my

son?”

Warren stepped in front of Jonas. “I know you’re a big bug in this town, but you got
some
pumpkins,”

he said to Royce. “Comin’ in here and belittling the very man and the people who are lookin’ for your

boy. I ain’t seen you out lookin’.”

“I think you’re forgetting who hired you,” Royce said with an angry glare.