Page 38 of Belle Fourche Legacy

“So be it.” He’d heard worse from the nurses at school. Pa had never said he was proud and he never would now.

“You left once, you can leave again. Dr. Spight will come back out here when you’re gone. You aren’t anything special. Never have been.”

Alice’s hands on his back fisted the fabric of his shirt, but he felt her shiver, too. She was angry, but frightened. If Pa was a normal adversary, he’d be frightening. But with his instability, he was terrifying. Kent turned and ushered her out of the barn with Armstrong following.

He led her over to the mounting block, sure she wouldn’t want his hands anywhere near her after what his father had said and done. Even if he could manage to make her think he was worthy of her love, how could he ask her to marry into his family? Even if Pa didn’t accept him, he’d never done so legally. Ma still claimed him and even though Kent’s presence agitated him, he didn’t usually send Kent away. Not like now.

She held out her hand for him to help her up on the mounting block and he did so, taking extra care to make sure she made it safely up on Blaze. Armstrong met him as he was about to let her go. He would normally ride with her back to her property, but with his father acting as he was, he didn’t want to leave Armstrong with the full responsibility.

“Go ride with her home. Her family will be worried. It’s late. I’ll have Ma come out and try to talk him back into the house. She found a new book that has interested him lately. I’m sorry, Kent.”

“No need to be. I knew how he felt.” But having the words said in front of Alice had hurt. Nothing like driving home the fact that he was a penniless beggar without a practice or a home.

He mounted his horse and caught up to Alice. “I’m so sorry for what he said.”

She held up her hand to stop him. “He’s vulgar and out of his wits. He truly feels what he says is true, but I was more angered by what he said to you than by what he accused of me. I know I did nothing wrong.”

“I still don’t think it’s safe for you to return here. I’ll meet you tomorrow in town?”

“If my family will let me go. I’m returning late and they may try to keep me home because of it.”

He smiled, touching her arm because he couldn’t keep from imparting some peace on her. “Send me a note through one of your men if you can’t. Otherwise, I’ll be waiting at Dr. Spight’s office.”

She patted his hand and smiled back at him. “I’ll do my best.” She gripped the reins, and he sensed her actions before she could kick her mount.

He tightened his grip and raced alongside her, glad his hat was made to stay on in the wind. Cool air from the spring sunset cooled his cheeks. For the first time in a very long time, he wanted to laugh. Riding hadn’t been a joy, it had been a chore, a way to get from here to there. But Alice made the ride fun.

At the end of her driveway, she tugged to a stop and Blaze slid, locking his back legs, and almost sitting on the ground. A cloud of dust raised up around her. “I win,” she announced.

“You did.” He reached over and drew her hand to his mouth, pressing his lips to her glove-covered knuckles. “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

And tomorrow, he’d be ready.

Chapter15

Hard work wasn’t Kent’s enemy. He actually enjoyed putting his mind to a task and seeing it done. However, examining dead animals was part of the work he detested. Though his heart hadn’t been near a church in some time, that didn’t stop the verse from intruding on his thoughts,And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.

Even examining death had a purpose. He scrubbed his hands and tools, set a man outside to keep anyone from disturbing him, then got to the messy business. While he hadn’t been given permission to do much more than a cursory exam of the deceased sheep, the cow was his . . . sort of.

Armstrong came through the door, ignoring the man set to watch it. “Find anything?”

“I’m only just getting started.” And frankly, he wanted to do the work alone. He’d been too distracted lately, missing things. Now he needed every ounce of his attention focused on the task in front of him.

“Did you see Alice home?”

He refused to let thoughts of Alice enter his mind with this work in front of him. The two were incongruous. “I rode with her to the end of her driveway, at which point she raced up her lane, leaving me to return.”

Armstrong stood, arms crossed, behind him and tension coursed through him. He needed to focus and having his brother hang over him like a bug was distracting. “I’ll let you know what I find. You don’t have to waste your day woolgathering about everything that might go wrong.”

He heard Armstrong’s grunt, knowing the sound meant he’d accurately predicted exactly what his brother was doing. “I want to know the minute you discover anything important. We’ve got ten more with similar symptoms.”

Ten full-grown cows. He kept his worry to himself. He didn’t need to state the obvious with Armstrong that cows took years to mature to adulthood, and getting them to market weight, especially with the grass as sparse as it had been, was expensive. The loss would be so much greater than it would seem to anyone on the outside.

“I’ll leave you to your business.” He stomped out the back.

Kent had barely returned to what he was doing when Deputy Blake Longfellow strode in. He knew he was never going to get the privacy he desired now.

“Goodness, man! Are you going to allow everyone to pass?”

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