Xenia’s Renegade (12 page)

Ty felt himself bristle. “They may be closer to the truth than they think. I’m heading into town to see if I can find out why he attacked Miss Poindexter and if he acted alone.”

Kerry frowned. “Do you think they might try to come here and kidnap her again?”

“He’s in jail, but I don’t think he would dare come here if he wasn’t. If he does show up around here, he’s a bigger fool than I thought.”

“Just in case, do you want me to get some of the men to guard the house?”

“That’s not a bad idea. Why don’t you get—”

A loud voice came from the barn entrance. “Are you still here, Ty?”

He whirled around. “I’m here. What’s up, Wilt?”

“Xenia is waking up. Chapa told me to stop you, if I could.”

“I’ll be right there.” He turned back to Kerry. “You decide who to get to watch the place and I’ll check with you later. I need to get in the house and talk with this lady.”

“I understand, Boss. Go ahead, and I’ll take care of your horse.”

He handed Kerry the reins. “Thank you.”

Wilt was waiting for him at the barn door.

“What has she said?” Ty asked.

“So far, she’s only muttering, but Aunt Chapa says she’ll wake up and be clear soon.”

“Let’s hurry in there. I need to see what she says about Bullins.”

When they reached the house, they found Chapa and Mea Ann in Xenia’s room. Chapa was leaning over Xenia, and Mea Ann held a sleeping Johnny in her arms.

“What has she said?” Ty asked.

Chapa shook her head. “It makes no sense, but she keeps saying,
‘You’ll never be the man Ty is’
. Do you know what she’s talking about?”

“I don’t have any idea. The only thing I know is that when I found her she was out of it. She didn’t say much except that she knew I’d save her.”

“Come over here and talk to her. Maybe she’ll tell you what she means.”

Ty moved to the side of her bed and dropped to his knees so he’d be closer to her head. “Hi, Xenia. How are you feeling?”

“I hurt,” she whispered.

“I know you do, but can you tell me what happened?”

“You saved me.”

“I know, and I’m glad I was able to save you.”

She muttered something, but they couldn’t understand what it was.

“What was that, Xenia?”

She opened her eyes and looked around the room. In a soft, but raspy voice she asked, “Why are you all here?”

“We want to make sure you’re alright, sister,” Mea Ann, who stood by Ty, said.

“I’m fine, Mea Ann. Go take care of Johnny. He needs you.” Her voice seemed to grow stronger.

“I know, but right now—”

Xenia shook her head. “Please go. I need to talk to Ty.”

Chapa said, “I think she wants to talk to Ty alone. We should all get out of here and let her say what she wants to say to him.”

Though Ty could tell her sister didn’t want to go, she reluctantly let Wilt lead her from the room. Chapa followed.

When they were alone, Ty pulled the rocking chair up beside the bed and leaned toward Xenia. “What did you want to say to me, Miss Poindexter?”

“Don’t call me, Miss Poindexter, Mr. Eldridge.” She reached a shaky hand for his.

When he grasped hers, he said, “Alright, Xenia. Is that better?”

“Much better.” She gave him a smile, followed by a grimace.

“Does it hurt to smile?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, Ty…”

“I don’t know what you’re thanking me for, but you should know you don’t have to thank me for anything.”

“You saved me.”

“You actually saved yourself by kicking over that table.”

“That awful Bullins man told me what he planned to do to me as soon as you left the hall. I had to let you know where I was, or he’d carry out his threats.”

“What did he say?”

She shook her head. “It was awful, but he said something about Uncle Seymour planning to make prostitutes out of Mea Ann and me. He said he was going to do things to me before Uncle Seymour even knew I was in town. He said he’d drop me at the saloon, and other men could enjoy me as much as he did.”

“That’ll never happen, so don’t you worry about it.”

“I won’t. You saved me from him, but that’s not what I want to talk about.”

His brow wrinkled. “Then what—”

“I want to thank you for being you.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve never met a man who is as sure of himself as you are, Ty Eldridge. Whatever you want to do, you do it. It doesn’t matter if it’s working with one of your cows or putting up with a woman who is as out of place in your world as a pig at a wedding.”

He didn’t know if he should laugh, but he couldn’t stop the grin spread across his face. Finally he said, “Xenia, only you could think of seeing a pig at a wedding.”

“I’m not trying to be funny, Ty.” Her voice was getting slurry, and he knew she was about to go back to sleep. “I just want you to know that you’re the best man I’ve ever met. I knew that the day you taught me how to load a gun.”

He stared at her, and his heart wrenched. Did she really mean what she was saying? There was no way she could know what she was implying. It must be the medicine, or she was simply grateful he’d managed to get to her before Bullins could commit any of the terrible deeds she’d mentioned. He was sure that was it. A beautiful city woman like her would never think a breed was the best man she’d ever known.

Because she was still looking at him as if she expected an answer, he said, “Thank you.”

She smiled a small smile, closed her eyes and went back to sleep. 

****

Though Chapa, Mea Ann and Wilt wanted to know what Xenia had to tell him, he ignored them when he left her room. Each of them tried to talk to him, but Ty went through the house without speaking. Walking as fast as he could, he went to the barn, re-saddled his horse and rode off, leaving Xenia’s sister, his cousin, and his aunt standing on the porch staring after him.

As soon as he rode off, he changed his mind about going into town because he knew the saloon wouldn’t be open at this early hour and he’d be wasting his time waiting around. Instead, he went out on the range to check fences. He found and repaired a couple of downed fence posts, and to keep himself busy, he then went searching for stray cows in the afternoon. He didn’t come in for the mid-day meal, and at supper, he avoided questions by telling everyone Xenia hadn’t made any sense when she tried to talk to him that morning. It wasn’t a complete lie, because what she did say still didn’t make sense to him.

It was then he decided it was time to make his trek to Deer Meadow, but first, he stepped in to talk with Xenia again. This time, he found her even more drugged than she was in the morning. Chapa admitted Xenia had been in so much pain during the afternoon that she’d given her a dose of laudanum. Their talk would have to wait another day.

Since he hadn’t let himself think about it all day, on the way into town he replayed their morning conversation in his mind a couple of times. He still wasn’t sure what Xenia was telling him. If she was saying she wanted to be more to him than friends, he knew he had to discourage her. He didn’t want to fall for a white woman again, then when they had their first fight, have her admit she could never love a breed—that she was only grateful because he saved her life.

This was all still on Ty’s mind when he entered the swinging doors of the Golden Door Saloon. He needed a drink and maybe the company of somebody like Sassy Sue. Even Little Lil would do, though he didn’t know her as well since she hadn’t been at the Golden Door that long. Anything or anyone to get his mind off the fact that he was still confused over what Xenia had said.

He wasn’t sure why Xenia’s words had affected him the way they did, but they had. He didn’t believe her, yet if she had meant them, they would have made him rethink everything he’d believed for years. There couldn’t be a woman who was as beautiful, smart, and fancy as she was who would want to be…what
did
she want to be to him? A friend? His woman? Oh, Lord. What would he do if he found out she wanted to be more than a friend to him? But that was a stupid thought. She’d never want the likes of him. No white woman would ever want to be with him on a permanent basis. Verna McGill had convinced him of that.

Sassy Sue came running up to him. “Hello, handsome. Haven’t seen you in here for a while. Where in the world have you been?”

“I’ve been around. How about getting me a drink?”

“Your usual beer?”

“Make it a whiskey.”

She gave him a strange look, but turned toward the bar.

Ty shoved back his hat and saw two of their hands playing cards at one of the round tables. He walked over. “Need another player?”

Henry had a surprised look on his face, but muttered, “Sure, Boss.”

Tony raised an eyebrow. “Chapa will kick our tails if we take too much money off one of our bosses.”

Ty pulled out a chair and sat. “Don’t worry about Chapa. She’ll never know if I lose a few dollars. Deal me in.”

Sassy Sue walked up to the table and set the glass of whiskey in front of him. “I thought you came in here to have a good time with me.”

“Don’t bother me now, Sassy. I need to concentrate on these cards. I’ll have to see you later.”

She flipped back her red hair. “Maybe you will, and maybe you won’t. I could be busy with somebody who wants to be entertained by
me
, not by cards.”

“I’ll take my chances. Give me two cards, Henry.”

Sassy Sue walked off in a huff.

“I think you made her mad, Boss.”  Tony threw down a card. “Give me one.”

“Well, can you blame him?” Henry handed Tony a card and took two himself.

“What do you mean by that?” Ty eyed him.

“Not a thing if you don’t want me to mean nothing.”

Ty couldn’t help a slight smile. Tony had a way of always coming down on the side of the person who seemed to be in the right. “You can mean anything you want to, Tony.”

“Good, Boss. I would have thought you’re betting on Longstreet’s niece, too.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You mean you ain’t heard?”  Henry looked at him. “I figured all you ranchers with money would be bettin’, even if you is part Indian like me.”

Ty didn’t want them to know he’d heard about the auction, because he thought this was his chance to get to the bottom of the scam Seymour was running. “What’s all this about, betting on Longstreet’s niece?”

“This here peddler was in here earlier. He said he had one of them all ready to bring to the saloon and ask that there Seymour for a reward, but before he could, a crazy breed broke in and got her.”

Ty raised an eyebrow. “I heard the sheriff arrested the peddler. What was he doing in here?”

“Word around is that the Longstreet bailed him out,” Tony said.

“Yeah,” Henry added. “The peddler was in here bragging that Longstreet offered him five hundred dollars if he’d bring one of the nieces to him. He said he’d get a thousand if he brought them both.”

“Does he know where his nieces are?”

“He didn’t say, Boss. I guess he thinks they’re hidin’ out somewhere.”

Tony went on to explain, “I heard that snake, Longstreet tricked them into coming here in the first place, and they didn’t know what he had planned for them. An uncle who’d use his nieces for his own profit ain’t fit to have a family.”

“Ain’t fair, if’n you ask me. Sweet little innocent virgins shouldn’t be treated that way.” Henry studied his cards.

Ty frowned. “What’d he plan to do when they refused to go along with his tricks?”

“I heard he’d said he’d keep them locked up and for the right price let them be used by men who liked a fighter until they agreed to do as he demanded.” Tony threw a dollar on the pot. “I think the man ought to be shot.”

“I agree.” Henry looked at Ty. “What do you think, Boss?”

“I think I’m going to kill the damn evil bastard.”

Henry and Tony stared at him. “You can’t mean that.”

“Of course I don’t, but it’s what I’d
like
to do. Fact is, if I could get away with it, I’d hang him from the rafters of this place.”

“I’d bring the rope if you decided to do it.” Henry looked at his cards. “I call.”

Ty threw down his cards. “I’d better keep my mind on my business here. You just got my two dollars.”

Neither Henry nor Tony spoke. They were looking behind Ty.

“What’s going on?” Ty asked.

Henry nodded. “We’re about to have a visitor at our table.”

A hand clamped down on Ty’s shoulder. “Mr. Eldridge. I’m surprised to see you here.”

Ty’s jaw clinched. “I wanted a drink.”

“I see it’s about gone. Would you like a refill?”

“No, and take your hand off me.”

“Sure.” Longstreet jerked his hand away and pulled out a chair. “I’d like to have a little talk with you. Privately.”