Lee (The Landon Saga Book 6) (2 page)

Noley was Yancy’s uncle, and it was a strained family reunion. After some visiting, Noley made it known that Rondo was all alone down in Louisiana, and that he was sure worried about him.

That wasn’t exactly true. Young Uncle Elliot was staying with Rondo, but Noley didn’t mention that.

Noley finally got around to asking Yancy if he would let us go. He promised to hightail it to Louisiana and not fight anymore.

At first Yancy said no, but he changed his mind later on. I’m not sure, but I’d bet that Cooper had something to do with that.

If Noley and Tussle hadn’t been injured, I would have still been on the first train north. But they needed help, and I made sure that Yancy knew I was available and willing.

Looking back now, I can see how hard of a decision it was for Yancy. He broke the rules, and Yancy never breaks the rules.

Long as I’ve known him, Yancy has always followed a strict code of ethics. According to him, there’s only black or white with no gray in the middle.

I’ve always found Yancy to be amusing. He takes life so seriously, and he rarely smiles. I’ve always been a thorn in his side, and I take great pleasure in taking full advantage of that.

Noley hurried home, but Tussle and I joined up with another outfit. And, as luck would have it, we bumped into Yancy again. He took it personal, us being back in the war, and I had to remind him that it was Noley that promised to go home, not us.

But that’s not how Yancy remembered it, and he’s held a grudge against me ever since.

After the war, I drifted west and ended up in Texas. Along the way I played a lot of poker in the saloons, and I got into a couple of gunfights. Mostly, they were over cardsharps.

By then I was known as a gunfighter. I didn’t really consider myself to be one, but that’s how it was.

It was during this time that I met Brian Clark, and we’ve worked together several times during the past few years.

Brian is in his mid-fifties. He’s a grizzled veteran outlaw, and he’s wanted in nearly every territory or state there is.

Brian and I are alike in a lot of ways. He’s loyal, and he has a gentle-like way about him. He’s always careful; he never takes any chances unless he has to. 

It was Brian that persuaded me to join up with Ben Kinrich, and that’s when I met Rondo. By now he was around fifteen, and Brian and I sort of looked after him.

Not that he needed looking after. He was and still is mighty handy with that fancy Colt of his, and his speed is right up there with the best.

Over the years, an unspoken friendship has evolved between Rondo and me. We both struggle with the same things, and we understand each other.

I like to think about things, and I’ve often wondered who’s best with a Colt between Rondo, Yancy, and me. Rondo just laughs when I bring it up, but to me it’s an interesting question.

Rondo and I became household names during our years with Ben Kinrich. And, I reckon the newspapers were right. We robbed stagecoaches, payrolls, banks, and rustled cows. But then Kinrich went crazy, and Rondo killed him.

Soon after that, Rondo quit the outlaw life. He went to work as a ranch hand for Mr. Tomlin, and that’s where he met Mr. Tomlin’s daughter, Rachel.

Rondo tried to talk me into quitting the outlaw life, but I wasn’t ready to give it up. I got involved with the Oltman brothers, and I still regret that decision. The Oltman brothers were no good, and they almost got me killed.

It was during this time that I met Jessica Tussle. She was J.T. Tussle’s niece, and Cliff Curtis had just kidnapped her. She also had a carpetbag with thousands of dollars in it.

Jessica was in her early twenties. She had a good figure, long blond hair, and light blue eyes. And, as I soon found out, she also had a feisty and persuasive personality.

I’ll admit that I’ve always been fond of Jessica. But, I’ve never allowed myself to think that anything could ever happen. She’s a lady, and I’m an outlaw and a killer. And, I also have suspicions that she’s interested in Yancy.

I knew Cliff Curtis from my days with Kinrich. And, even though I disapproved of the situation, I didn’t figure it was any of my business.

But that all changed when Jessica offered to pay me a huge sum of money to rescue her. I reckon she was desperate, because she also hired Brian Clark.

I won’t go into all the details, but the short version is that we rescued Jessica but lost the money.

Jessica wanted her money back, and she offered Brian and me a share of it if we could find it. Course, I had thoughts of keeping it all for myself, but I just couldn’t do it. Brian couldn’t do it either, and when we found the carpetbag we rode all the way to Midway and gave it to Jessica.

It was the first honest thing either one of us had done in quite a while. It was a good feeling, and it was while we were feeling honorable that Jessica sprang a trap on us that would change our lives.

We met Jessica in her hotel room. I handed her the carpetbag, and my heart melted a bit when she smiled at us.

“There’s a lot of money here,” she said as she held the carpetbag.

“Sure is,” we agreed.

“What do you plan on doing with your share?”

We were silent as we tried to think up a good lie, but I finally smiled sheepishly and shrugged.

“We’ll probably whoop it up a little,” I admitted. “Do you want me to explain it more than that?”

“No, that explains it well enough,” Jessica frowned disapprovingly.

Brian and I were ashamed, and we suddenly became very interested in the floor.

Jessica waited a moment, and then she unleashed her plan.

“My father was a shrewd business man,” she said. “And, so am I.”

“I would agree with that,” I said.

“He taught me a lot about business affairs,” Jessica continued. “But, I am a woman in a man’s world. I need help.”

“What do you have in mind?” I asked.

“I want the three of us to invest this money into a hotel,” Jessica declared. “And I mean a very fancy hotel, with a restaurant and a poker room. A hotel that will make us all a lot of money.”

“A hotel?” I asked, surprised.

“I want to build the fanciest hotel Texas has ever seen,” Jessica continued. “I want it to be an elegant and respectable business. Nothing shady or dishonest.”

“No saloon girls?” I smiled.

“That is correct,” Jessica declared.

“What would you want us to do?” Brian spoke up.

“I want you two to operate the hotel,” Jessica explained. “I would be the majority owner with sixty percent. You two would receive twenty percent each, and you’d also receive a monthly salary.”

“I don’t know a thing about the hotel business,” I objected.

“I’ve heard you are a very good poker player,” Jessica said.

“You heard right,” I smiled.

“You would run the poker room, and Brian would operate the hotel and restaurant.”

Jessica glanced at Brian.

“Didn’t you once run your own hotel in El Paso?”

“I did,” he nodded, and added, “But it wasn’t elegant.”

“I’m sure you could do it,” Jessica replied.

“What would you do?” I wanted to know.

“I would remain a silent partner,” Jessica announced. “I don’t want anyone, including my Uncle, to know I am involved.”

Brian glanced at me, and it was silent as we thought on that.

“So, what do you think?” Jessica asked. “This is your chance to quit the outlaw business and make an honest living.”

“Playing poker everyday doesn’t sound too bad,” I said. “I’m in if Brian’s in.”

Jessica looked at him.

“Brian?”

“I ain’t getting any younger,” he admitted. “And, the outlaw business just ain’t what it used to be. It’d be nice to sleep under a roof every night. So, I’m in.”

Jessica smiled, and she walked forward and shook our hands.

“Partners it is then,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am,” I smiled.

“One last thing,” she said. “I don’t want this hotel to be here in Midway. I have-,” she paused and smiled, “-other interests here, and I don’t want this hotel to get in the way of that.”

“What other interests?” I asked.

“That’s for me to know,” she replied.

“I think I could guess,” I said, and I forced a smile as Yancy came to mind.

“So, that means we need to choose another location,” Jessica said as she ignored my comment.

It was silent as we thought on that, and then I snapped my fingers.

“I know the perfect town,” I announced.

“Where?” Jessica asked anxiously.

“It’s a cow town that should bring in plenty of money on paydays,” I explained. “Place called Empty-lake.”

“That’s where Rondo is from,” Jessica recalled.

“Yes,” my eyes twinkled, “it sure is.”

***

So that’s pretty much my life story, give or take a few killings I might have forgot to mention.

After our talk with Jessica, Brian Clark and I took her money and headed south. We bought land in Empty-lake and hired a construction crew, and it took us three months to build the hotel.

It was now two days before our grand opening. And, just as Jessica had wanted, our hotel was the fanciest in Texas.

We had a wedding to go to tomorrow, and then I planned on spending the rest of the day polishing up on my poker skills. I hadn’t had much time to play poker these past few months, and I was determined to make a profit on the first night.         

As I’ve looked back on my life, I can clearly see the different forks in the road that I’ve come across. And, I’ll admit that most of the time, I’ve gone in the wrong direction.

However, I felt like I was finally on the right trail. And this time, I was going to do everything honest. Or, at least as honest as possible.

Chapter one

“I now pronounce you husband and wife in the presence of God and these assembled witnesses,” the preacher said.

Loud applause passed through the crowd, and Rondo Landon’s face turned slightly red. But then Rachel’s eyes twinkled at him, and Rondo’s confidence returned.

I sat in the back of the church beside Brian Clark. My arms were crossed, and I was deep in thought. This was Rondo’s day, but I still couldn’t help but imagine myself up there.

It was a startling thought. And, I suddenly realized that it was also an intriguing thought.

Brian glanced at me and noticed my frown.

“What’s the matter?” He whispered.

“Nothing,” I said quickly.

“Can you believe this?” Brian chuckled. “Who would have thought this possible a few years ago?”

I nodded.

“Rondo’s come a long way.”

“Poor fellow doesn’t know what he just signed up for.”

I managed to smile and nod, but my thoughts drifted to Jessica. I wondered where she was, and what she was doing. I also wondered if she ever thought of me.

I had never thought of marriage much, mainly because a man in my line of work couldn’t settle down. However, considering the recent changes in my life, marriage was now a possibility I could consider.

Noise interrupted my thoughts, and I noticed that everyone was standing. Rondo and Rachel stood in the front, and a line was forming to congratulate them.

Brian and I stayed in the back. The line finally thinned, and Rondo walked over to us.

Like Yancy, Rondo was smaller than most and had a hard, lean body. And, even though it was his wedding day, he still displayed his ivory handled Colt on his hip, and he also wore his sheriff’s badge.

“Congratulations, Button,” I smiled.

“I haven’t been called that in a while,” Rondo smiled back.

“I reckon that nickname doesn’t fit much anymore,” I figured.

“I reckon not.”

“Still, I like to use it every now and then,” I said, and my eyes twinkled.

“I’ve noticed that.”

I gestured at Rachel, who was across the room.

“Does she ever call you that?”

“No,” Rondo smiled sheepishly. “She doesn’t even know about it.”

“I could talk to her,” I offered.

“Let’s not,” Rondo said, and we both chuckled.

It was silent for a moment, and then I cleared my throat.

“You’ve married a beautiful woman, Rondo.”

“I know.”

“After all you’ve been through these past years, you deserve this,” I said, and Brian nodded.

“I appreciate you saying that.”

“You’ve lived quite a life,” I recalled.

Rondo shook his head as he watched Rachel walking towards us.

“No, my life’s just beginning,” he declared.

Chapter two

I didn’t stay at the church long. Soon as I could, I grabbed my hat and slipped out.

I smiled as I walked down the street towards our hotel. It was the tallest building in town, and it could be seen from all directions.

There was a porch that lined the front. The paint was fresh and had a shiny look, and there were more windows than I could count. There was also a huge sign that read ‘The Palace Hotel’.

I stepped up onto the porch and unlocked the doors. It was a corner entrance, and there were heavy oak doors on the outside. The oak doors could be opened back in good weather, and there was another set of swinging doors just past them.

I walked through the batwing doors, stopped, and took in the view.

The hotel had two stories. The hotel rooms were upstairs, and there was a balcony that circled three sides of the hotel. All of the rooms upstairs opened up from the balcony.

The restaurant and poker room were downstairs.

Along the length of one wall was an elaborate mahogany bar with a huge, fancy mirror behind it. Bottles and glasses were stacked behind the bar in decorative pyramids.

I was very proud of that mirror. It had come all the way from Dallas, and it was rumored to be the biggest mirror in Texas. It was heavy too. I knew from experience, because I helped carry the thing in.

Along the other wall were a few gaming tables, and behind that was the poker room. In the middle of the room were some tables and chairs, and there was also a fancy chandelier hanging from the ceiling that, when lit, would light up the entire room.

Against the back wall was a fancy spiral staircase that split in two directions. There was a door underneath the stairs that led to the office.

The floors were polished, the mirror gleamed, the glassware sparkled, and the bar shined. It made me proud, and it also gave me a strong feeling of accomplishment.

I grabbed a couple of cigars from the bar, and then I walked to the poker room and sat at a table. I lit my cigar, grabbed a deck of cards, and shuffled. I handled them a bit, and then I dealt myself a hand.

A half an hour later, I was still handling those cards when I heard a noise. I looked up and spotted Rondo standing inside the doorway.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“You left, and I wanted to say goodbye,” Rondo explained.

“You going somewhere?”

“We’re headed to San Antonio. We’ll be back in a few weeks.”

“Taking a honeymoon?”

“Something like that.”

“Want me to come along?”

“I do not,” Rondo smiled, and we both chuckled.

“You’ll miss our grand opening tomorrow night,” I tried to look hurt.

“I’m sure things will be fine.”

“What if we have trouble?”

“Ross will be here. I’m sure you, Brian, and Ross can handle anything that comes up.”

“I reckon we can,” I smiled.

Rondo nodded as he looked around.

“First time I’ve seen the inside,” he commented.

“What do you think?”

“You’ve done yourself proud, Lee.”

“I’m satisfied with the results,” I agreed.

“You should be,” Rondo said, and asked, “Why’d you put the entrance in the corner?”

“It’s hard to leave when you can’t find the door,” I explained.

Rondo smiled and shook his head.

“I reckon you have a point,” he chuckled, and added, “I understand now why you named it The Palace Hotel. It sure is mighty fancy.”

“It’s what Jessica wanted.”

“Jessica? She’s your silent partner?” Rondo looked surprised.

I scowled, and muttered, “You weren’t supposed to know that.”

“I won’t say anything,” Rondo reassured, and asked, “Does Yancy know?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Be interesting if he found out.”

“Could be,” I agreed.

Rondo smiled. It was silent for a moment, and then he turned towards the door.

“Well, Rachel’s waiting.”

“Have a good trip, Rondo.”

“I plan to.”

He paused at the door and looked back at me. I smiled, and then he was gone.