Holding Heart
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“I don’t know,” said the man. “It’s just a guess.” The other men in the saloon had stopped talking and were listening to them, but their eyes looked away when they saw who was speaking. They weren’t used to hearing a woman speak up so boldly about anything.
It wasn’t every day that you heard a woman tell someone else how he should be doing his job. And it wasn’t often that a woman would dare say something like this to a man, let alone two of them together.
But Susan did not care what they thought or said; she knew her brother was alive and being held prisoner by this outlaw gang. She was certain of it. How could anyone have known before now? That didn’t mean it would make any difference if the men from town found out.
Her family might still think it was all her imagination. Maybe even worse, they might think she’d been trying to get attention from her brothers for years because of some imagined wrong done against her as a child. They might laugh at her and call her crazy.
Even so, she couldn’t sit around waiting for others to help find her brother. Someone must have seen him being taken somewhere. If only one of those men in there could remember where they left him—or better yet, where they took him. “If you can remember anything about where you saw your friend list, please tell us,” she told the sheriff.
He glanced toward the door again. He hadn’t noticed that Susan was there until now. Then he turned back to face her with a scowl on his face. His cheeks reddened under the tan lines of his beard.
“You’re wasting our time,” he snapped. “We’ll look everywhere we need to and then we’ll return to town. We’ve got no use for women here. You can leave right now.”
She stood tall and lifted her chin. “That isn’t good enough. I want my brother returned to me safely and soon. I’m asking you to do whatever it takes to find him. I will wait here until you are ready to go looking.”
The sheriff shook his head. “No way! Why should you be allowed to stay here? You aren’t part of this town and haven’t paid any taxes. What makes you think you can order people to search for a missing person?”
Susan glared at the sheriff. “Do you really believe I would come all this way to ask you to find my brother unless I believed there was a chance you could?”
A couple of the other men chuckled softly behind their hands, while the rest of them kept quiet and stared hard at Susan. Most likely, they were thinking the same thing: Who is this strange woman to expect such things from lawmen?
Finally, the sheriff spoke. “There are many places we could look for him. If you’ll give me a description of your brother—”
“Wait!” Susan cut him off. “My name is Susan Coggin. My brother’s name is James Coggin. He’s twenty-eight years old. He has black hair, brown eyes, and an unusual scar over his left eyebrow that looks like a lightning bolt. That’s why I called him Lightning.”
Everyone in the room stopped talking and turned to stare at her. No one moved except the bartender, whose eyes widened slightly as he watched Susan.
“Why is your brother named Lightning?” asked the sheriff.
“Because that’s his nickname for reasons that don’t concern you,” she answered sharply. “And if you’re wondering what happened to his other eye, well… you already know the answer to that question. Can I continue?”
“Yes,” said the sheriff. “What else do you want to tell me about your brother?”
“James likes to ride horses, especially the ones with long manes and tails. He’s very skilled with a rifle and knife. He also knows how to handle himself in a fight.”
“Is he a fighter?”
“Yes.”
The sheriff nodded. “I see.” He frowned at her. “Well, if you insist on staying, you may as well have a seat. There are some empty chairs over there.” He pointed to a table near the window.
As he started walking toward the bar, Susan caught his arm. “Thank you for taking this seriously,” she said. “Now, can you tell me what you plan to do?”
He pulled his arm free. “Look everywhere for him. When we find him, we’ll bring him back here. Until then, we won’t let you leave town without him.”
“Fine,” said Susan. “But you’ll need more than just yourselves to look for him.”
***
After lunch, the sheriff led the four of them outside to the corral. It seemed the sheriff had no intention of letting the men from town search for Jim, but he needed someone who could actually talk to the horse wranglers, cowboys, and ranchers in the surrounding area.
The sheriff wanted Susan to meet these people, learn everything she could about her brother’s whereabouts and habits, and then share that information with the men from town when they finally arrived. As soon as the sheriff left, the three men from the ranch came forward to speak with Susan.
They introduced themselves as Ed, Willard, and Sam. All three wore wide leather belts around their waists that held guns. Their clothes were stained by dirt and sweat. They carried whips and spurs on their hips and wore boots laced tightly against their feet. In spite of the heat of the afternoon sun, they wore hats to shade their faces.
Ed stepped up first. “How much money did you say your brother had with him?”
Susan opened her purse and counted out five gold coins. She handed them to Ed, who looked at them carefully before handing them to Willard. Willard placed them inside a pocket.
Sam took out his pistol and showed it to Susan. “Where’d you get this gun?”
“It belonged to my father.”
“Your father owned a gun shop?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then where’d he get it?”
“His business partner gave it to him. But it didn’t belong to him.”
Willard nudged Ed. “You’ve met our boss yet?”
Ed grinned. “Yep. We were told to keep an eye on you.”
“That’s right. And don’t forget it.” Willard glanced meaningfully at Ed. “We wouldn’t want anyone getting the idea that we might not be trustworthy.”
“Oh, we know,” added Sam. “But sometimes people take offense. Now, what kind of gun does your brother use?”
“An eight-shot .44 revolver.”
“Very nice,” said Ed. “Most people prefer revolvers because they’re easy to reload. You know, we only carry six shooters around here.”
“Six-shooters are faster,” explained Sam. “With a revolver, you have to stop to load every time you fire. A six-shooter makes quick work of most jobs. You know, we could always send a messenger to your brother to warn him to stay away from us until we figure out what he’s doing in our territory.”
“No, thanks,” replied Susan. “Let’s go back to your place and wait for the rest of your crew to arrive so we can all ride together.”
“Fine,” agreed Ed. “Follow us.”
Before leaving the corral, the sheriff called for the two guards who rode in the back of the wagon. After asking them a few questions, he sent them off to ride through the surrounding hills and plains. By the end of the day, they would reach the town of San Antonio. From there, the sheriff planned to call ahead to each of the ranches and towns in the area to ask about James.
When they returned to the hotel, Susan noticed the sheriff had a key to her room. Did he plan to search for it? Before she could worry too much about that, the door opened and the sheriff walked in. “Sorry I’m late,” he said.
“I ran into some trouble trying to get permission to ride out there. It seems you weren’t the only one looking for your brother today.” He stopped short. “What happened to his hair?”
The other three turned toward the sheriff, then stared at Susan. “My brother cut his hair,” she explained. “And I shaved mine.”
“Well, now that’s interesting,” said the sheriff. “Did he do it himself?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Why?” asked the sheriff.
She shrugged. “Because it was bothering me. It felt like I was wearing a hat all the time.”
“Doesn’t seem very practical for a woman living alone.”
“Actually, I live with a friend, but she doesn’t mind. What did you find out while you were gone?”
He shook his head. “Nothing really useful. These guys aren’t talking to outsiders.” He pointed to Willard and Sam. “They think you’re up to something.”
“Meaning?”
“Just that you might have killed your brother or kidnapped him.”
“I assure you neither of those things is true.”
“But why would you lie?”
“To protect my family. If word got out that he died in a shoot-out with his own business partners—or worse—that he went over the border illegally, our reputation would suffer. My father owns more than twenty ranches and employs several hundred men.”
“So what did you find out?”
“First thing tomorrow morning, we’ll start searching the surrounding countryside for your brother. Until then, I suggest you leave town. We can’t afford any rumors about how we handled this situation.”
“Or how you handled us,” added Ed.
“All right,” said Susan. “Thank you for helping us.”
“Don’t mention it,” replied the sheriff. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to these fellows again. They won’t let me sit down unless I pay for dinner.”
***
After dinner, Susan changed clothes and put on her best dress. As she walked through the lobby of the hotel, she caught sight of Ed and the sheriff walking toward her. She smiled when she saw Ed’s eyes light up as he recognized her. The sheriff looked stern, which made her wonder what he wanted to discuss.
“Mr. Crayford!” exclaimed Ed. “This is an honor.”
The sheriff nodded. “It’s good to see you again. How’s your leg?”
“Much better. Thank you.”
“How long will you be staying in Texas?”
“A few days. Then we’re going home.”
“Home?” repeated the sheriff. “Where’s that?”
“Back east.”
“We should make arrangements to meet later,” suggested the sheriff. “There’s a lot I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Sure, but not tonight,” she said. “I’m meeting someone special. Good night.”
As she left the hotel, Susan couldn’t help but notice Ed staring after her. Maybe he thought he knew this person. That was strange, considering that no one else seemed to recognize her. Perhaps he didn’t know her well enough to guess who she was.
Or maybe he just liked the way she dressed. Either way, it wasn’t worth worrying about. There would be plenty of time to figure out where she stood with Ed. For now, she needed to focus on finding her brother.
Susan and Ed met the sheriff for breakfast at a small diner near the hotel. Once seated at the table, they ordered coffee. The waitress brought their drinks and placed a plate of eggs, potatoes, ham, biscuits, and gravy before them. The sheriff took a sip of black coffee and leaned back in his chair.
“You’re sure your brother isn’t here?” he asked.
“Yes,” she responded. “He called last night and told me he was leaving for San Antonio.”
“San Antonio! Why would he go there?”
“For work.”
“Work? But what kind of work?”
“I don’t know exactly, but he works for a mining company.”
“Mining?”
“That’s what he told me. Anyway, he had some business to take care of in San Antonio so he wouldn’t be coming back until next week.”
“What kind of business?”
“He never mentioned anything specific.”
“Do you remember what day he planned to come back?”
“No. Just that it was sometime next week.”
“Have you talked to anyone besides yourself since he left?”
“Not yet.”
“Good,” said the sheriff. “Keep it that way.” He glanced around the dining room. “And try not to spend too much money.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, it’s hard to explain, but we’ve received reports of a gang of outlaws who are robbing stagecoaches along the route between Abilene and Fort Worth.”
“Really?”
“Yep. A man named McPherson claims he was robbed by a group of four men riding three horses. Two riders rode ahead of the coach, while the other two held him up.”
“McPherson is the name of one of the bandits?”
“Maybe. It doesn’t matter. All I want from you is information. Did you hear about this robbery or have you heard anything suspicious about your brother’s whereabouts?”
“No,” replied Susan. “If there were robbers, surely we would have heard something.”
“Did he ever mention traveling to the West Coast?”
“Never,” answered Susan. “But if he was working for a mining company, why would he go to California? Mining companies usually operate in Colorado.”
“Couldn’t tell you. But keep your ears open, all right?”
“I will,” replied Susan.
They finished eating and walked across the street to the bank. After depositing her share of the cash in the safe, Susan returned to the hotel to pack. Her plans were to get an early start in the morning and continue looking for her brother.
She arrived back at the hotel shortly after seven o’clock, still wearing her best dress. At the desk, she handed over the key to her room.
“Are you sure you’ll be alone?” asked the clerk.
“Yes. We’re both heading to the same place.”
“Okay, but don’t stay too late, okay? You could be attacked by wild animals or even bandits.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”
The clerk gave her a look that suggested otherwise. Still, she felt confident that nothing bad would happen to her. If her brother really did leave town, then it meant he was already dead. She just hoped she would find him soon.
***
Susan sat on her bed and stared at the pile of clothes in front of her. She was supposed to be getting ready for bed, but instead, she was thinking about Ed. What was wrong with her? They barely knew each other and suddenly she wanted him more than any man she’d known.
Was it because he was handsome and charming? Or perhaps it was because she hadn’t been touched in so long. Whatever the reason, she needed to stop these feelings. She couldn’t afford to fall in love with him.
As she continued sorting through the clothing, she found herself holding a pair of red cotton panties. Suddenly, she remembered how Ed had looked as he undressed. His dark hair curled around his neck as he removed his shirt, revealing muscular arms and broad shoulders.
The sight of him naked stirred some emotions within her, causing her to forget where she was and why she was there. As she closed the drawer, she noticed a note attached to the bottom.
It read: “Meet me tonight. Don’t tell anyone else. Meet me behind the barn at midnight.”
With no idea of what he was talking about, Susan picked up a small black box and opened it. Inside were two gold rings. One was engraved with “E” and another had a single diamond embedded in the top. She slipped them into her pocket. Then, she put away the rest of the clothing. She didn’t feel like dressing for dinner. Instead, she headed straight to the bar and ordered a drink.
After finishing her drink, she decided to call her sister. There wasn’t time to waste. With luck, her brother might have made it to the West Coast before the police caught up to him.
“Hello?” said a woman’s voice.
“Hi, it’s me.”
“Who is this?”
“Sorry, it’s Susan. Is Frank home?”
“No. Why?”
“Can I talk to him?”
“Hold on, let me see.” The line went silent for several moments. “He says he can’t come to the phone right now. Can I take a message?”
“Just tell him it’s important.”
“What’s going on, Sis? Are you in trouble?”
“No, everything’s fine,” lied Susan. “There’s just something I need to ask him.”
“All right, I’ll relay the message.”
“Thanks.”
When the telephone rang again, Susan jumped.
“Frank here,” said Frank.
“Oh, hello.”
“Listen, are you having fun in San Francisco?”
“Very much so. How do things stand with the mine?”
“Fine. In fact, we’ve made quite a profit lately. Now, listen carefully. Your mother wants us to sell off the land in Oregon.”
“That’s not surprising.”
“Why? Because of the Indians?”
“Not exactly, but I think they should move elsewhere.”
“Where?”
“Someplace else,” answered Frank. “You know how many people died during the massacre at Fort Hall? That’s why I want to buy out all the property in the area and send the Indians somewhere else. It would make everyone happier if they weren’t around. Maybe they could go live in Seattle or Portland.”
“Well, I’m glad someone finally agrees with me.”
“Me, too. Anyway, I thought you’d like to hear that.”
“Thank you, Frank.”
“Anytime.”
The line went silent and Susan waited until the sound of his footsteps faded from the receiver. He probably forgot who she was.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. No one knew she was staying at the hotel, yet. Even so, she couldn’t help worrying. Who knew when one of those men would turn violent?
A loud thumping noise came from outside. Someone was pounding on the door.
“Excuse me!” called a male voice. “I’ve got a delivery for Mrs. O’Byrne.”
Susan turned the knob and pulled open the door. A tall young man stood waiting. Before he could speak, Susan grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall. She shoved the gun barrel under his chin and forced him to look directly into her eyes. “Don’t ever bother me again,” she whispered. “Understand?”
His blue eyes widened, then narrowed. “Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
Susan stepped back and released her grip on him. She watched him disappear down the hall, then turned back inside. Her heart still pounded.
Her nerves jangled as she returned to the bedroom. She glanced at her watch; it was only six-thirty. Still, she felt tired and ready for bed.
Sometime later, Susan lay in her room staring up at the ceiling. The window was open, allowing cool air to circulate throughout the room. After getting dressed, she walked over to the desk and sat down. Pulling a sheet of paper from a folder, she started writing.
The End