Lee (The Landon Saga Book 6) (17 page)

Chapter sixty

I woke up a few hours later.

Brian was awake too. He was sitting up, eating a bowl of soup, and he grinned when he saw me.

“Well! You’re still alive,” he said.

“And you still snore,” I managed to smile back.

“Hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“There’s a pot of soup on the stove.”

I nodded. I breathed deeply and tried to stand, but I was too wobbly and dizzy. With a grimace I eased back down, and Brian smiled.

“Stay there. I’ll get it.”

I nodded gratefully, and Brian put his bowl down and limped over to the stove. He fixed me a bowl of soup, grabbed a spoon, and hobbled back to me.

“Thanks,” I said as I took the bowl.

Brian nodded and sat back down on his bunk. I suddenly realized how hungry I was, and it was silent as we ate.

“That was a violent gunfight,” Brian finally said.

“I reckon it was,” I agreed.

“We were lucky.”

“I suppose we were,” I said, and then I smiled. “Mebbe our luck is changing.”

Brian grunted as we ate some more soup.

***

Rondo rode in that evening, and he looked relieved to see us awake and sitting up.

“Well! It looks like you boys are going to make it,” he smiled at us. “We were worried for a few days.”

“I wasn’t,” I smiled.

“No, you weren’t worried about anything,” Rondo chuckled.

“What all happened?” I asked.

“Well, Ross rode into town all worried, so we rode out to Ike’s headquarters. We found Ike and four of his men dead, and you two were passed out. We borrowed a wagon and brought you here. Mrs. Tomlin patched you up while we went back and buried Ike and his men.”

“What about Butch?” I asked curiously.

“Last I heard, he was back at Ike’s headquarters. He’s not saying much, and neither are his men.”

I frowned as I thought on that.

“Well, Butch never did do me much harm,” I figured. “As long as he doesn’t cause me any trouble, I won’t go after him.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Rondo replied. “Besides, you’re in enough trouble as it is.”

“What do you mean?” I narrowed my eyes.

“One of Ike’s hands got away,” Rondo explained. “He came riding into town, yelling that you and Brian shot Ike down in cold blood.”

“That ain’t exactly how it happened,” I corrected.

“I know that, but the damage has been done,” Rondo continued. “There’s some bigwig politician from back east in town, and he and Ike were friends. He’s demanding justice. He’s written letters back east, telling everybody what you did, and he’s also been in to see me several times demanding that I do something.”

I scowled and shook my head in disgust.

“So what happens now?” Brian spoke up.

“You boys should be safe here for a few weeks. But, soon as you’re able to ride, I suggest you boys clear out until things settle down.”

“What are you going to do about the politician?” I asked.

“I told him I’d look around, but I also told him that Lee Mattingly knows how to cover his tracks.”

I smiled at that, and then a curious look crossed my face.

“How about Ross? Does he go along with that?”

“He’ll do whatever I tell him.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means just that,” Rondo said, and then he changed the subject. “You boys are short on equipment, so I took an extra saddle and two horses from Ike. He won’t be needing them anymore. They’re at the barn, and Mr. Tomlin bought you both some new clothes and two new hats.”

“I appreciate that.” 

“That about covers everything on my end,” Rondo said, and then he asked, “Now, where have you two been? What happened?”

“Do you want the short version or the long one?” I smiled faintly.

Chapter sixty-one

Recovery was a slow process, and during the next few weeks we took several long naps and played a lot of poker.

We finally started feeling better. We were still stiff and sore, but at least we could move around some.

Rondo rode out to see us one evening, and he looked worried.

“That politician is still stirring up trouble,” he told us. “He’s demanding that you two hang for killing Ike.”

“I don’t think I’d like that,” I frowned.

“Can you boys ride?” Rondo asked.

“I can,” Brian spoke up. “How about you, Lee?”

I nodded slowly.

“We could leave in the morning,” Brian suggested.

“No,” I shook my head. “There’s something I’ve got to do first.”

“What?” Rondo asked.

“We came back here to get our hotel back,” I reminded, and Rondo frowned disapprovingly.

“How are you planning on doing that?” He asked.

“I once rode into town and delivered a message for you,” I explained. “Remember?”

“You delivered a message to Palmer,” he recollected.

“That’s right,” I nodded, and asked, “Care to return the favor?”

“Who’s the message for?”

“Jeremiah Wisdom.”

Rondo frowned thoughtfully and asked, “What’s the message?”

“Tell him I’ll be coming to see him in the morning.”

Rondo looked hesitant.

“Are you sure about this? I’ve got to know him some, and he isn’t all that bad a feller.”

“He was in cahoots with Ike,” I replied in a curt voice.

Rondo studied me for several seconds, and then he nodded.

“All right, I’ll tell him.”

“I appreciate it.”

“Promise me one thing,” Rondo added. “Talk to him first.”

“What for?”

“You might be surprised and work something out.”

I had my doubts, but I agreed for Rondo’s sake.

“All right. I’ll talk to him,” I said.

Rondo nodded and turned to leave.

“Watch out for that politician,” he warned me.

“I will,” I promised, and Rondo left. 

Chapter sixty-two

We saddled our horses after breakfast the next morning.

Rondo had a good eye for horseflesh. He’d picked us out two good-looking horses, and they were real gentle too.

We thanked the Tomlins for taking us in, and then we climbed on our horses and took out.

We used No-see-ums as a packhorse, and he trotted along close behind my horse.

Even though the bouncing hurt, it felt good to be back in the saddle. It also felt good to be wearing normal clothes again.

We were silent as we trotted along. Brian looked like he wanted to say something, but he never did.

We finally arrived at town. The streets were mostly empty, and nobody paid us much attention.

A cold, empty feeling grabbed at me as we walked our horses down the main street. Seeing our hotel brought back a lot of memories, and I felt a pinch in my stomach.

We dismounted in front of the hotel, and I looped my reins around the hitching rail and tied them in a slipknot. Brian did the same, and then we checked our weapons. I looked at him and nodded, and we stepped up onto the front porch.

The oak doors were open and pushed back. We walked through the swinging doors, and I stood to the side while my eyes adjusted.

I took a long, slow look around, and I frowned thoughtfully.

The floors were clean, the bar shined, and all the glassware shone. Everything was neat and tidy and organized.

A new, fancy glass mirror hung behind the bar. I studied it a moment, and then I heard a movement from the kitchen.

It was April, and June was trailing behind her.

April spotted us, and a warm look crossed her face. June was happy too, and her eyes shone brightly.

My heart jumped. In a mere matter of seconds, I was flooded with all sorts of confusing emotions.

I started to smile, but then I remembered why I was here.

April noticed my somber look, and her grin vanished. 

I looked past them and spotted Jeremiah Wisdom. He was sitting at my corner table, and he had a game of solitaire laid out in front of him.

I took in a big breath and walked towards him while Brian stayed at the door.

I glanced at April, and she looked worried.

I turned my eyes back to Jeremiah. He just sat there calmly, looking up at me with his hands on the table.

“Stand up,” I said quietly, and my voice carried well in the empty room.

“I don’t want to fight you, Lee,” he said calmly.

“You’ll have to,” I replied roughly. “I came here to get my hotel back.”

“Why?” Jeremiah asked abruptly.

I was taken back by the question, and several seconds passed as I thought on that.

“Because it’s mine,” I finally said.

“No, it’s not,” Jeremiah said matter-of-factly, and then he added, “Even if you got it back, you can’t stay here. You’re a wanted man.”

“I’ll worry about that later,” I said, and I lowered my gun hand over my gun handle.

Jeremiah saw my movements, but he didn’t move.

“You’re a reasonable man, Lee,” he said. “What happened with Ike; that’s debatable. But this isn’t right, and you know it.”

“You were in cahoots with Ike,” I accused.

“I was,” Jeremiah admitted. “But, everything I did was legal.”

“You cheated me at cards.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You expect me to believe that?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t have to cheat.”

I frowned thoughtfully, and then I changed the subject.

“It’s doesn’t matter,” I said. “I lost something that didn’t belong to me, and that’s why I’m here.”

Jeremiah looked intrigued.

“What are you talking about?”

“The hotel was only partly ours,” I explained. “We had a silent partner, and it wasn’t her fault we lost the hotel.”

“Her?”

I frowned irritably, and with a sigh I replied, “Jessica Tussle. She was our partner.”

Jeremiah nodded slowly.

“She’s the lady who showed up the day you lost the hotel.”

“That’s right.”

It fell silent as Jeremiah thought on that.

“I’m a reasonable man,” he finally said. “So, before there’s any trouble, I have a proposal.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“If I understand this correctly, you’re only here because of Jessica.”

“That would be correct, yes.”

“All right then. I’ll give Jessica her part of the hotel back, and I’ll be her new partner. I’ll offer her the same deal that you and Brian had.”

I glanced over at Brian, and he nodded slightly. I looked at April next, and the expression on her face was begging me to accept the offer.

“All right,” I said softly. “The hotel’s yours and Jessica’s.”

Jeremiah smiled pleasantly, but I didn’t return the smile. Instead, I turned and looked at April, and our eyes locked.

Several long seconds passed, but April and I didn’t seem to notice.

I was about to say something when a man wearing a fancy vest burst through the door. The swinging door caught Brian in the back, and the impact knocked him over.

He held a rifle, and he also had a wild look in his eyes.

He spotted me standing there, and with an outraged yell he swung his rifle up.

Chapter sixty-three

He fired before I could do anything, and I heard a sharp whip as a bullet flew by my head and hit the wall behind me.

I jumped sideways, drew my Colt, aimed instinctively, and pulled the trigger. The Colt bucked in my hand, and I heard a loud thump as my bullet hit flesh.

The man in the fancy vest was slammed backwards, and he hit the bar and slid to the ground. He kicked out, made a few gurgling sounds, and then was still.

There was a stunned silence in the room. Smoke from my Colt lifted, and I took the spent shell out and reloaded it with a fresh one.

We heard running footsteps, and Rondo and Ross burst through the swinging doors with their Colts in hand.

Rondo looked around the room, and then he glanced down at the dead man. His face turned dark as he studied him.

“Did you kill him?” He looked at me.

“I had no choice,” I replied.

Rondo made a groaning sound and shook his head.

“This isn’t good,” he said. “This is Ron Gallegan, the politician I was telling you about.”

“But it was self defense!” April spoke up, and everybody nodded.

“It’s not going to matter,” Rondo muttered and looked at me. “You’d better leave, Lee, and don’t come back for a long time.”

I nodded and holstered my Colt. I glanced at Jeremiah, and he smiled apologetically.

“I’ll tell Jessica she has a new partner,” I told him. “She’ll be in touch.”

“I’m looking forward to working with her,” Jeremiah replied.

I nodded and turned towards April. June was hiding behind her, and she peered at me from behind April’s skirt.

My legs felt heavy as I walked over to them. April took a small step forward, and it was silent as we stared at each other.

At that moment, I didn’t care about anything else. To me April was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, and my heart ached.

Her face was soft and hopeful and terribly vulnerable. She smiled, and her eyes were honest and direct.

“You have to go,” she said softly.

“I’m afraid so,” I said reluctantly.

“Will you come back someday?” She asked hopefully.

“I just might.”

“Good,” April flashed me a smile. “We’ll be here.”

I suddenly felt a huge lump in my throat. I nodded, and with a heavy voice I said, “Goodbye, April.”

“Take care of yourself,” she said.

“I will,” I said, and then I looked down at June. “Take care of your Ma, June.”

She didn’t reply. Instead, she just stared at me through those big, blue eyes.

I smiled at her, and then I turned and walked towards the door.

Brian followed me outside, and we untied our horses and climbed into the saddle. Meanwhile, everyone else came out onto the porch and watched us.

I looked at Rondo, and he nodded at me.

“I’ll be seeing you,” he said.

“Sooner or later,” I agreed, then I looked at April.

She smiled bravely, and I smiled back. A few seconds passed, and then I tipped my hat at her and nudged my horse forward.

I tugged on my lead rope. No-see-ums fell in behind me obediently, and Brian brought up the rear. 

As our horses went down the street I heard June say softly, “Mister Lee, please don’t go.
Please
.”

My heart ached as I kicked my horse up to a trot.