Lady of the Gun (26 page)

Brett opened his eyes. "Is it time?" he asked groggily.

"I heard something," she whispered, crossing quickly to where a small candle burned on an end table. Blowing it out, she listened again.

Brett sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake. "What did
you hear?"

"I'm not sure, listen."

Cass walked to the door and peered out. Brett followed her. Together they searched the yard with their eyes. All at once they saw it. A glow from the barn. "'Brett?" Cass said as she realized what was happening. Grabbing the doorknob, she jerked it open. "Uncle Darby! Soony!" she yelled to awaken them. Then with Brett by her side, she ran out to face her attackers.

Brett pulled his gun as he ran. He saw Cass draw one of
hers. "Stay low, Cass. You don't know if they're still around."

The sound of
hoof beats coming from behind the barn gave credence to his statement. "I'll get the bastards," Cass yelled, heading for the sound.

Brett ran after her. When they rounded the back of the
burning structure they saw only the tail end of a black horse running away in the dark. Cass fired off a couple of rounds, but she knew she'd missed. There was no way to hit an invisible moving target. "Damn it," she hissed, holstering her gun.

Darby and Soony ran out then, their nightshirts flying.
"Oh, my Lord," shouted Darby.

"Pork Chop! Pork Chop!" Soony screeched,
holding his head in his hands.

"Does he
mean?" Brett asked.

"Yes, Pork Chop stays in the barn at night. So does Mirabelle,
but I'm sure she got out one of the cracks."

Brett put his gun in its holster
and ripped off his shirt. Racing to the pump, he doused the shirt with water, then pulled it back on. Putting his head under the pump, he tugged the handle another time and wet his hair. He also splashed water as quickly as he could on his legs.

"What are you going to do?" Cass asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to stop Pork Chop from ending up a fried chicken dinner. You get the horses out of the corral and away from the fire," he told her, running for the barn.

"You can't go in there. That wood's dry. It's going up
like a bonfire!" she yelled at his retreating back. "Damn it, Brett. Listen to me!"

It was too late. He'd disappeared inside the inferno.

"Darby, get the horses," she called as she ran to the open door of flame that had engulfed Brett.

Brett could barely see where he was going in the barn,
the air was so full of smoke. Pulling the hem of his shirt up over his mouth and nose, he ducked around the burning stalls and beams looking for Pork Chop. The heat was so intense that his shirt was drying fast. His hair already felt as if it was on fire. He knew he'd have to get out soon. Then he saw her perched at the top of a burning ladder. "'Damn it, Pork Chop. You couldn't have picked a lower spot?" he said.

Taking a running leap, he jumped higher than the flames
on the ladder and climbed quickly to where Pork Chop was sitting. She began to flap wildly when he grabbed her, squawking and pecking his hand. "Cut it out, you stupid bird, or I'll let you cook in here."

Pork Chop didn't cooperate. She fought him as hard as
she could as he climbed down partway, then jumped to the ground. Running from the barn as fast as he was able, he gulped in the cool night air and fell to his knees.

"Pork Chop!" Soony waile
d, running to take his pet from Brett's hands. "Pork Chop, you're safe." He looked at Brett. "Thank you, Mr. Brett. Thank you. You saved Pork Chop. She'll be very grateful chicken. She'll give you extra eggs in the morning."

Cass fell at Brett's side. "You fool. I can't believe you'd
risk your life for a chicken," she yelled at him.

"Pork Chop isn't just a chicken to Soony, Cass," he said,
still gulping the fresh air.

The barn roof caved in with an explosive crash, sparks
and flames shooting into the night sky, illuminating the yard. Cass jumped at the sound, her anger setting in now that she knew Brett would be safe. Darby had gotten the animals safely out of the corral, but that didn't curtail her rage. Staring at the giant fire destroying her barn, she seethed. "If Tylo thinks he can get away with this, he's crazy," she threatened.

Brett looked her in the eye. "He did get away with it. Or
somebody did. We didn't see enough to know who started this fire, Cass."

Cass's eyes blazed hotter than the fire. "That's ridiculous.
Somebody has to know about this. Somebody will talk."

"Did anyone talk about the murders of your family? You
were the last one to see any of the criminals alive. Could you get even one of them to tell you he'd been hired?"

"No," she mumbled.

"Then whoever did this," he pointed at the barn, "did get away with it."

Cass sat back in the dirt. S
he'd been thwarted twice now, first her family's graves, and now the barn. "What’s next?" she asked, looking up at Brett.

He shrugged. "I told you it wouldn't be easy."

"I know, but what's next?" she asked again.

"
Maybe the house?" he said. "You could change your mind. You could cancel the order for the wire," he suggested

"And let Tylo think he's won?"

"Maybe you'd be the winner, Cass."

"
Tylo would be getting away with murder. I can't let that happen," she said with conviction.

Darby
came running over then. He'd tied the animals on the other side of the house. "Thank God it's summer and the barn was empty," he said, panting.

Cass nodded. "I guess there's that to be grateful for,"
she mumbled.

Brett pushed himse
lf up. "I think I'll head to the pump again. My eyes are burning."

Cass rose to help him. "You go back to bed, Uncle Darby.
We'll be inside in just a minute."

"All r
ight, but don't take too long. I'll be worried about you"'

Cass nodded. She walked to where Brett had removed his
shirt once more and was pumping water awkwardly over his head and upper body. "Let me do that for you," she said, removing his hand from the pump handle.

Brett released his hold and bent over in f
ront of the pump. "That feels good."

"You did a better job when you were in a hurry," she
commented.

"I didn't have time to think about it." He straightened
and looked at her. "What if it had been the house, Cass? What if Darby or Soony couldn't get out?"

"It wasn't the house."

"It might be next time. What are you going to do then?"

"Kill Tylo."

Brett wiped his face with the damp shirt. "I can't let you do that, Cass," he said.

"I know."

"So what’s next?"

"I rebuild," she said. "
I've done it before," she reminded him.

"You
have enough money to keep doing that?"

"My father left a good chunk of money in the bank when
he was killed. It was the money he was going to use to buy a bigger herd. I only used a small part of it to build this house. I've more than made up for that in the interest earned on the balance during the last five years. I did make a dent in it when I ordered the barbed wire, but I've still got plenty. And there's always Uncle Darby's mine," she said in a lighter tone.

"Your uncle's mine?"

"Yes. It's called Darby's Dream, and that's all it's ever really been. Just a dream. Oh, Uncle Darby worked it for years. The claim is at the northernmost tip of our land, just at the base of those mountains," she pointed toward the dark shadows against the horizon in the distance, "and he's even gotten a little gold out of it, but only enough to scrape by."

"A gold mine?"

She nodded. "Uncle Darby's certain that the mother lode is up there, but he's never found it." She sighed. "And his heart's not in it any more. Sometimes I see him staring off toward the mountains and I can tell what he's thinking."

"He wants to go back up there."

"No," she said.

"'Why not?"

Cass's eyes saddened. "He was working the mine for us."

Brett looked questioningly at her.

"For our family," she explained, "He wanted to make us all rich, so my father wouldn't have to work so hard ranching. He used to tell us that when he struck it rich he'd send the boys to college and Becky and me to finishing school."

"Becky?"

"My little sister. We used to stay awake some nights, giggling over how wonderful it was going to be when we were rich. After . . . well . . . Uncle Darby changed. He began drinking a lot. There just didn't seem to be any point to mining anymore."

B
rett took a step forward and put his arms around her. Every time she talked about her family he was astounded by how much she'd lost. It was a miracle she was sane.

Chapter Thirteen

When Cass awoke the next morning she could smell the acrid scent of smoldering wood in the air. "Damn," she breathed. Lying in bed, she thought about what course of action she should take next. Listening to Soony in the kitchen, she remembered Brett's words of the night before. What if fire had been set to the house instead of the barn? What if her uncle or Soony had been injured or killed? Pushing these grim thoughts from her mind, she sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "I might as well get up," she said out loud. "I've got a lot to do today."

A few minutes later she entered the living room and saw
that everyone was already seated around the table. "Eating without me?" she asked.

B
rett turned in his chair and looked at her, his eyes glowing warmly. "Good morning. I told Soony to let you sleep. I figured you needed your rest after last night."

"
I'm fine. And I'm starving," she answered him.

"A
lright. We're having eggs this morning," he said, grinning.

"I said
Pork Chop would be grateful," Soony said, beaming.

"You mean?"

"Yep. These are thank-you eggs from Pork Chop," said Brett, shoveling a large spoonful of scrambled eggs from the serving bowl to his plate.

"I don't believe it,"
murmured Cass, pulling out her chair, her eyes wide with wonder. Sitting down, she filled her plate and then her stomach.

"What are you going to do about the barn?" Darby asked
as he sipped from his coffee cup a while later.

“
I'll clean up the mess, then build a new one," Cass answered, pushing her now empty plate away from her and reaching for the sugar bowl to sweeten her coffee. "In fact, I think I'll go into town today and order the wood." She looked down at the table. Her expression saddened.

"What is it, Cass?" Brett asked
.

"I was just
remembering. Right after my family was killed the townspeople helped us build this house," she glanced at her uncle. "Remember, Uncle Darby? Then, a month or two later, they gave us a barn raising, although I have to admit I wasn't much fun to be around back then." She set her cup down and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. "I doubt anyone would give me a barn raising now."

“
I don't know, Cass. Sometimes people can surprise you," Brett offered.

Cass let out a short, bitter laugh. "Not in my case." She
pushed herself away from the table. "Oh, well," she said with a sigh, "there's no point in worrying about it. I'll hire whatever help I need to put up the barn." She walked to the pegs beside the door and pulled down her gun belts. Buckling them on, and tying their leather straps around her thighs, she looked at Brett. "I'm going to town. Are you going to come with me or stay here?"

"I'm going with you," he answered, rising from the table.
"Just give me a minute." He stepped outside and headed for the back of the house.

"
Uncle Darby, you and Soony take care while we're gone," she told him as he stood up and stretched.

"I think we'll go with you, if you don't mind," Darby said.

Cass grinned at him. "Of course I don't mind. I'm glad you're coming."

Soony smiled. "I need supplies for the kitchen."

"I'll go hitch up the wagon," she offered, turning toward the door.

"I'll do the dishes," said Soony.

An hour later they were riding into town, Darby and Soony in the wagon, Brett and Cass riding along on horseback.

"Things look pretty quiet here today," observed Cass.

"It's Sunday," remarked Darby. "Folks must still be in church."

Cass's eyes narrowed as she got an idea. "We're going to
church,” she announced.