Page 36 of Morning Dove

He felt like a new man. Ben stretched, listening to his joints pop before crawling out of bed and dressing. The sun was still shining, but from the shadows on the floor he knew it had shifted across the sky quite a bit.

Miss Mabel offered to feed him again when he made his way downstairs but he was too anxious to do so. He thanked her for her hospitality and left, telling her he might be back before dark and to not rent his room out before then.

Wind Chaser looked happy to see him when he collected her from the small livery stable in town. She bobbed her head and snorted at him when he released her from the stall and saddled her.

Graham Hart had told him Walter lived about half a mile outside town. He headed in the direction he’d told him to go, pausing only briefly at the make-shift saloon at the end of the street. He’d gone over a week now without a drink and thankfully the shakes were barely noticeable, but truth be known, it took everything in him not to walk in there and down enough whiskey his body felt numb. The only reason he didn’t was knowing he’d be no use to Morning Dove drunk. She needed him, so he urged Wind Chaser out of town and didn’t look back.

Aaron hadn’t been wrong in telling him Silver Falls was a small town. Other than the two houses he’d passed riding into town and the few he saw on the outskirts, there was nothing else to be seen. He was beginning to think he’d missed Walter’s place all together when he came upon a ranch. He stopped and stared, wide-eyed. Surely this wasn’t Walter’s spread.

Ben sat by the fence, looking across the field. A log house sat in the distance, a curl of smoke coming from the chimney. He heard a dog bark, then saw it run out of the trees. A lone rider wasn’t far behind him. It didn’t take long for the dog to spot him. He changed direction and headed his way, barking. The man followed him a moment later.

Ben knew in an instant that this place didn’t belong to Walter. The man who rode toward him didn’t look familiar and if he lived to be a hundred, he’d never forget the faces of the men who’d hung him and taken Morning Dove.

The man smiled in greeting when he stopped on the other side of the fence. He looked at the dog before saying, “Hush it, Bo.” The man pushed the front of his hat up. “Evening,” he said with a nod of his head. “You lost?”

“Seems so.” Ben shifted in his saddle and peered at the dog, Bo, who sat by the fence, his tail wagging so fast he was stirring up dust. “I’m looking for Walter Burns’ place. I was told it was out this way.”

“It is.” The man sat tall on his horse and pointed back down the road. “His place is easy to miss if you aren’t looking hard enough. The path is barely visible from the road but opens up once you clear the trees. It’ll be on your right when you head back toward town. There’s two old spindly cottonwood trees next to the road. Ride between them and you’ll find the trail.”

Ben looked in the direction he pointed and nodded. “Obliged,” he said.

The dog barked, and they both looked down at him. “Don’t mind him,” the man said. “Bo hates not being the center of attention.”

Bo barked again.

“Most of them do.”

The man told the dog to hush again before raising his head. “You new around these parts?”

“Just passing through.”

He nodded before sticking his hand out. “I’m Greyson Ford but most people call me Grey.”

Ben took his hand and shook it. “Ben Atwater.”

“Nice to meet you, Ben.” He looked down the road. “How do you know Walter?” Ben’s thoughts on the man must have shown on his face. Grey laughed before sitting up straight in his saddle. “I won’t even ask. He’s—one of a kind. Can’t say he has too many friends around here. He’s always been cussed as an old mule but ever since Morning Dove ran off, he’s had a thorn up his ass he can’t shake loose.”

“She’s why I’m here.” Grey raised an eyebrow but said nothing. “He took her against her will. I’m here to get her back.”

Some dark emotion passed through Grey's eyes. “Shame no one ever did anything to help that girl.” He blew out a breath. “I can’t say much, though. I never did much either. Walter swore they were legally married and without proof, there wasn’t much anyone could say. How he treated her… Well, I suppose a man can treat his wife anyway he wants to, even if no one else likes it. There’s so few people in this town, no one wants to start trouble that might linger.”

“I know what you’re saying. And it’s not much better in a bigger town. Willow Creek is three times the size of Silver Falls but people still treated her differently and the ones who saw it said nothing.”

Grey nodded before blowing out a breath. “Well, I hope you get her back and if you need anything, my door is always open.” He clicked his tongue and turned his horse back toward his house. “Have a good one, Ben.”

“You do the same and thanks.”

“Anytime.”

Ben watched him ride away, his dog Bo chasing after him. He reached down and patted Wind Chaser on the neck before tugging on her reins to get her moving.

It took him two trips up and down the road before he spotted the path leading to Walter’s place. He led Wind Chaser into the trees and away from the house, circling back around in a wide loop before tying her reins to a tree. “Stay here and keep quiet, girl.”

The sun barely made it past the tree limbs, leaving the forest dark. Ben picked his way through the bramble and brush toward the house, and stopped behind a small outbuilding. A horse snorted a moment later. Ben looked through the boards to see what was in there. He saw the dim silhouette of two horses and hoped one of them was Cash.

Creeping along the back of the building, he peeked around the corner, eyeing the house. It wasn’t much bigger than his own. A single window and door were on the backside. Shadows passed in front of the window every so often and he didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he saw Morning Dove. She looked out the window toward the small barn and for a moment, he thought she saw him. She turned away before acknowledging him, though.

He waited until the sun crept down over the trees and the backyard was filled with shadows before sneaking around the side of the small barn and darting inside. Cash raised his head and snorted, stamping a foot on the ground the moment he saw him.

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