Page 27 of Wrangling Her Heart
Rex nearly fell from the bench. “Whit?” he spluttered, coffee splashing onto the dirt. “Our Whit?”
“Doubt it’s another one,” Hank grumbled. He picked up hismug and slugged back the remaining contents. “Can’t be too many Whit Hartmans ‘round these parts.”
Rex’s mind raced. His own brother, stealing from hard-working folks like the Picketts? It didn’t add up. Whit was a bit of a rogue, sure, but he was no rustler.
“Where’d this hearsay come from?” Rex asked, pushing away his untouched plate of food.
“Townsfolk,” Soapy replied. “One of the Chapmans’ hands heard it at Miss Marcy’s. Can’t believe Whit would do something like that.”
Getting up, he looked at the men sitting around the table. “He didn’t. You will not breathe of word of this to Annamae, you hear me? Or anyone else. If I find out that any one of my men is gossiping about this, you’re done. I’ll make sure you won’t find work at another ranch from here to...” He had to think for a moment. “From here to Silver Creek.”
“Got it boss,” Hank said. “Just thought you’d want to know.”
“I’m glad you told me. Just don’t talk about it again.”
He strolled past stalls filled with snorting horses until he came to his favorite horse. The chestnut stallion, nicknamed Cactus for his prickly attitude as a young foal, had grown into one of the swiftest horses on the ranch. He saddled the horse, then shrugged into his worn duster and led Cactus outside. The men were standing next to the barn as Rex mounted the horse and urged it towards town.
On the ride to town, his mind was preoccupied with many things. Tillie. Whit. The news the men shared at breakfast.Tillie, again.
He hoped he could get some answers. He’d start by talking to Hiram, because he knew the stable master was up early to take care of the horses entrusted to him.
Instead of taking the main road, Rex made his way towards the livery from the back. As he got closer, he saw two figures standing near the outhouses behind the store. They seemed to be engaged in a heated discussion. The store wasn’t open yet, so they couldn’t be unloading supplies. Shielding his eyes from the bright morning sun, Rex could make out George’s figure among them. The other man was familiar to Rex, and just seeing him put Rex on edge immediately.
The man’s flesh was a patchwork of angry red and silvery white, a living roadmap of pain and survival, and it bore witness to a past that could not be unseen. His voice was hoarse and cracked, as if it had been scorched from within. He spoke with a slight lisp, his words coming out with a hissing quality, catching Rex’s attention.
“Brodie,” he muttered under his breath, feeling his blood boil. What could George possibly be doing with one of the Richards brothers? And did this mean that they were back in town?
As he watched from a distance, Brodie handed George something, causing Rex’s brow to furrow in confusion.Why would Brodie be giving George anything?
Rex wanted to draw his gun. This man’s family took something so precious from them. He clenched his fists, realizing this was not the moment for revenge.
“Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord,” Rex whispered. He would go tell Briggs what he observed and get back to the ranch to protect his family.
George pocketed the item, shaking Brodie’s hand, sealing whatever deal they had just made. Rex couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that this spelled trouble for everyone involved.
Giving the men a wide berth as to not draw suspicion, Rex dismounted at the back of the livery. His boots kicked up dust as he strode through the alley into the stables, his heart pounding with urgency. Hiram stood in a stall, brushing down a sorrel mare. He looked up and smiled, then frowned.
“Rex? What are you doing back here?”
“I need to know what happened with that horse yesterday. The one that you were going to sell to Miss Youngerman.”
Hiram leaned against the wooden stall door; his eyes narrowed in thought. “Funny enough, the horse is right there.”
“You still have it?” Rex looked in the stall at a weathered horse that wasn’t worth five dollars. “I thought you sold it.”
“Yeah. There was another buyer who came in just around the same time she did. Young man that said he was just passin’ through town. He offered me $25 more on the horse. I told him the horse was sold. He said that he’d come back in a few days and if the horse was still available, he’d buy it.” Hiram scratched his head. “When Miss Youngerman came by, I tried to refund her money.”
“Let me guess. The man was coming by this morning.”
“Yeah. He already came by. Twenty-five dollars extra is a lot of money, Rex. Especially with two little girls to take care of.”
“I understand, Hiram. What happened when the man came by this morning?”
“He gave the horse another look-over and told me it wasn’t worth the money. If Miss Youngerman still...”
Rex lifted his hand. “You’re lucky you lost nothing. I’ll take the horse for five dollars, and I’ll be back to see you tomorrow.”
“Are you sure?” Hiram asked, surprise flickering across his face.
