{Chapter 26}

“What do you mean ‘steal the ranch’?” Katie couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of Adam’s mouth.

“You remember that paper I was telling you about that Mark made Toni sign without letting her read it?” Adam asked.

Katie nodded.

“Well, I’m thinking that it could be a legal document giving Mark full ownership of the ranch. I’m not a hundred percent sure, so we’ve gotta keep this hushed.”

Katie sighed. “It seems so unlike Toni to go into something like that blindly. She’s usually more cautious, especially when it comes to legal papers.”

“Let’s hope she didn’t make a big mistake this time.”

Katie packed up the last of the breakfast dishes and they were ready to move out again.

Before long, they were all back on the trail. Mark rode back with the other cowboys on the way home while Toni rode with Katie.

“Are you sure you like Mark being the trail boss?” Katie asked, hoping to tactfully get the reason why Toni trusted her uncle.

Toni shrugged. “He’s the best man for it.”

“Pfft. We both know that Wade would make a better trail boss. Even the new cowboys respect him more,” Katie reasoned.

“Why are we talking about this? The drive is over.”

“I’m talking about next year, Toni. Don’t you remember what Mark did to us? He worked us to the bone while you were off in Georgia. What makes you think that four years has changed his heart?” Katie asked.

“He’s a saved man now, Katie.”

“Are you positive?”

Toni sighed. “Ye- No.”

“There’s something going on behind those eyes of his that I don’t trust.”

“He’s my uncle, Katie.”

“Even family can turn on you like a dime.”

Toni groaned. “Don’t you see? I haven’t had a family member stick by me all my life. Now I finally have one that wants to help me, and you’re trying to convince me that he’s a scalawag too.”

“It’s nothing against your family, Toni. I’m just trying to warn you,” Katie said softly.

“Do you know what it’s like to be alone, Katie? To not have a single person on earth you can trust?”

Katie shrugged.

“Well, I do. It’s not a fun place to be. Then my uncle came back to me. Now you’re telling me he’s plotting against me?”

“Need I remind you that he was the one who left you in the first place? Who made you alone? Who made you into a hardened, heartless person before you found God? Also, I’m not saying that he’s plotting against you.”

Toni looked away from Katie, her jaw set in the determined way she had when she was ticked off.

Katie sighed. If Toni only knew what Mark was up to.

**********

Adam watched Brant Alexander closely. The man was good at hiding the things that normally caught Adam’s eye and convinced him they were criminals. Brant made sure his eyes didn’t dart back and forth, he didn’t repeatedly look behind him, he didn’t keep looking at one person in particular, and he didn’t fidget that much. But Adam already knew that the man was crooked, so that didn’t bother him. What did bother him was the way Brant had ridden beside him all morning since they left camp. Adam didn’t like a man sticking that close to him. In all likelihood he was obeying Mark’s orders to keep a close watch on him. Well, Adam didn’t like being that close to him.

“I’ve gotta ask Miz McBride something,” he mumbled to Brant before riding up to the chuck wagon.

Katie was alone in the wagon seat.

“Where’s Toni?” he asked.

“Back there with the baby” Katie nodded backward.

“Ask her about when we’ll get into Oklahoma Territory.”

Katie leaned back and asked Toni.

“Two or three days,” Katie told him.

Adam nodded. “I’ll ride up here with a gun when we get into that territory. Gotta watch out for Indians, you know.”

Katie leaned closer to him. “What’s up?”

“I think Mark may be wanting to make his move when we get closer to Texas. I want to be up here guarding the money and Toni when that happens,” Adam whispered back.

“Why don’t you talk to Erik about this? He’s sensible enough, and probably won’t tell his wife if he doesn’t see the need,” Katie offered.

Adam nodded. “Good idea.”

“What are you two whispering about up there?” Toni’s voice asked.

“Um.. Not much, Toni,” Katie sat back in her seat.

“I’ve gotta get back there. I’ll see you later on.” Adam turned his horse and rode back to the rest of the cowboys.

**********

“Steal the ranch!” Erik had the same reaction as Katie when Adam told him what he had heard.

“Shh, I’m trying to keep it a secret,” Adam said.

They stood a little ways out from the campfire, out of earshot.

“What in the name of everything sensible are you talking about, Sterling?” Erik asked. “There’s no way he could steal the ranch. He and Toni co-own it.”

“I think he might have a legal paper.”

“How?”

Adam told him about the paper that Toni had signed.

“If he thinks that he’s gonna get away with this, then he’s got another thing comin’” Erik balled his hands into fists at his sides.

“No, Erik. I have to find out more about this. The more we know of their plan the more ready we’ll be when they decide to carry it out.”

Erik sighed. “Have you told Toni?”

“No, and I wasn’t really planning on it.”

“She’d kill him.”

“Yep.”

Erik sighed. “So what do we do?”

“We wait. It’s the hardest thing in the world to do, but it’s our only choice.”

“Can’t you just arrest them now?” Erik asked.

“No, they haven’t done anything. Believe me, I’ve went over the law so many times in my head trying to find one thing I could get them for. I came up dry every time.”

“If any of them lay a hand on my Toni, then I’ll beat ‘em to a pulp and I won’t mind doin’ it either.”

“Now, don’t go all madman. We’ve gotta keep a sensible head on our shoulders. We start thinking that way and the second their eyes accidentally land on her we’ll pummel him before he can say ‘jack‘. No, we can’t think like that” Adam crossed his arms over his chest and thought more on the subject of what they were supposed to do in the meantime. “One thing’s for sure. They’ve got eyes on us at all times out on the trail. Especially me. We can’t give away any inclination that we know what they’re up to. Katie knows about this, and she’s got a gun nearby. I’m going to be riding with her once we cross into Oklahoma. If you see any suspicious behavior other than what we already know, let me know immediately.”

“Who do I need to watch?” Erik asked.

“Mark, of course, Joe Blake, Marshall Heath, Alex Harrison, and Brant Alexander. Especially Brant. He’s the spitting image of the man who killed my brother, and I aim to get him for that, too.”

“Wait.” Erik held up a hand. “You think he killed your brother? Why haven’t you arrested him sooner?”

“You think I wanna arrest a man in the middle of a cattle drive? With Mark as the trail boss? No. Besides, I have no authority outside of Sundance and the surrounding areas,” Adam sighed.

Erik nodded.

“I’ll keep my eyes peeled.”

“Thanks, Erik.”

**********

Katie washed and dried the last of the supper dishes and sighed. She had a good two hours or so before she went to sleep, and she had no idea what to do with that time. Maybe a walk would do her good.

What would do her more good is if Adam came with her.

She looked around the campsite and found Adam staring into the fire, deep in thought.

“Adam?”

He jerked his head toward her, and she saw the remnants of a fire behind his eyes. Whatever he had been thinking of, it had made him mad.

“You busy?” she asked.

Adam shook his head. “Just watching.”

“I was about to go take a walk. Want to come along?”

Adam shook his head. “Can’t. I’ve gotta keep an eye on them.”

Katie sighed. “Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Adam didn’t answer, and his gaze had returned to the fire with that same look on his face. Katie rolled her eyes and walked out of camp. She walked west for a while, toward the setting sun. A gentle wind blew through the grass and swept over her body soothingly. While she loved the adventure of being in a new place, she couldn’t wait to get out of Kansas and back to Texas. She had lived her whole life in Texas and found that she liked it better there than anywhere else. Also, she was anxious to get Jane Peters a match. There was that young widower who lived a day’s ride from town. He had two young children and Katie wasn’t sure how Jane felt about children.

Then there was Mr. Bronte. Katie shivered. The memory of the man’s cold eyes sent a chill down her spine. Definitely not the man for Jane.

Of course, there was Evan James. He was sensible and nice enough, just a little rough around the edges. That was something that any woman could coax out of a man if she wanted to…

Without warning, a hand clamped over her mouth and a strong arm encircled her waist in a hold that no effort she gave could break.

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