“Yeah, well, that’s probably why I didn’t. Got something that needs to be done, and I’d appreciate you doing it today. That loan Charley was so worried about, it’s been burning money in bank interest instead of getting paid off. Violet talked me into a loan so she and her brothers can get rid of it.”
“Was the bargain too good to resist?”
Morgan chuckled. “Ladies don’t make bargains like that. She tossed out logic instead, reminding me that I’d been helping Charley to that same end. It was a good point. And she promised that her brothers would show up to work it off.”
“Without asking them first?”
“I have a feeling that won’t be an issue. You didn’t notice how bossy she is?”
“Can’t say that I did.”
“Well, she doesn’t ask, she demands. Probably a habit she developed when she mothered her brothers.”
Which prompted the question, “Are those boys old enough to mine?”
“Older than her.”
Texas laughed. “Yeah, that’s bossy.”
Morgan handed his friend a piece of paper. Texas glanced at it and said, “That’s mighty generous of you.”
“That’s how much I liked Charley.”
He wasn’t even sure how that had happened, and so quickly. It wasn’t because Charley reminded him of his own father. They were nothing alike. But he’d admired his gumption, his determination to do right by his sons at any cost; and the fact was, the man was a sweet-talker. In that, he’d reminded him of his brother Hunter who could sweet-talk his way around anything. And Morgan had simply enjoyed Charley’s company.
“The instructions and both addresses are on that,” Morgan said. “Send the first telegram to the Mellings, the silversmith brothers I deal with. Have them send three thousand from my account to the Mitchells, and sign that one from me. Send the second telegram to Violet’s brothers, telling them to expect to receive the money to pay off their loan from the Melling brothers, and to come to Butte as soon as it’s done. Sign that one from her.”
“You want me to take the little lady back to town to wait for her brothers?”
“No, I’ll take her to Butte next week. It’ll take at least that long for them to get here. But once I show them how to use the smelter, it’ll be time for me to pull up stakes and go home.”
“Well, hot damn,” Texas said with a big grin.
“Yeah, it’s time.” Morgan grinned back.
Texas got up to start saddling his horse. “I’ll be spending the night in Butte after I finish your business, so don’t expect me back until tomorrow.”
“I figured,” Morgan said, and headed back down the hill to get lunch started.
There was no sign of Violet yet, but she’d been consistent about returning around noon to eat before she headed out again. He hoped she did find that money Charley had hidden before it was time to leave. It would make her happy, something she could remember when he explained why he wouldn’t partner with her brothers permanently. He wasn’t looking forward to that conversation.
Like Charley, Violet’s brothers were eastern-bred gentlemen who wouldn’t want to dig in a mine for very long. They would grow tired and dissatisfied and would want to bring men up here to do the work for them. But as long as Shawn Sullivan was around, they wouldn’t be safe doing that. However, if he allowed them to mine for a limited time, perhaps two months, they would make enough money to last them a lifetime. They could leave as rich men before they got fed up—or, worse, got careless and led Sullivan here.
Morgan finished making lunch and sat on the porch waiting. To go by the sun inching onto the boards above the steps, Violet was about an hour late. Bo lay in the open doorway, as if he, too, were waiting for Violet.
“This is going to look silly if she opens the gate just as I saddle Caesar to go look for her,” he said as he stepped over Bo to get his rifle. Coming back to lean against the doorframe, he glanced down at the dog. “She’ll think I got worried. Can’t have that. Ten more minutes? Wag your tail if you agree. Wag your tail if you disagree—yeah, that’s what I thought. You’re too accommodating, Bo.”
“Hello in the cabin!”
Morgan straightened immediately and raised his rifle, his eyes scanning the area until he spotted the hat close to the ground on the other side of the fence by the gate. Since he’d been watching for Violet in that direction, whoever was out there had to have slithered up from the stream. Without a horse. No doubt it was tied farther down the slope out of sight.
“How many are you?” he called out.
“Just me, and I’ve come to talk.”
“We’ve met, haven’t we?”
“You could say that.”
“Figured you two had left the area.”
“We did, but we keep checking on you from time to time. And today was our lucky day. We’ve got your woman. Give us your mine and we’ll give her back.”
His answer was to shoot the hat. It flew backward, but there was no head under it. He heard a laugh, likely from behind one of the trees down there.
Rifle pointed between the two closest trees, Morgan said, “She owns the other mine here and you already got her. One of you marry her and you’re all set.” If they were stupid enough to go looking for a preacher, he could easily ambush them on the way.
“She is a fine-looking filly. My brother might go for that.”
“But he’s not here to say. Course, if you intend to mine next to me, I’ll shoot your ass.”
He fired off two rounds, hitting each of the two closest trees. That caused a nervous yell. “You can’t kill me, dumb-ass! She’s tucked away where you won’t find her. And if I don’t come back, she dies.”
“You should have moved on last year. Now you’ve pissed me off.” Morgan fired off two more rounds.
“Cut it out! He really will kill her if I don’t come back with a deal.”
Morgan took a deep breath to calm his fury. That didn’t work. He tried it three more times, but this kind of rage wasn’t going away. But it wasn’t in his voice when he said, “All right, I’m lowering my rifle. If you want to come to terms, show yourself.”
The blond man who stepped out from behind the tree was hefty. Good, a nice target. And a gun was in his hand, but he’d spread both arms wide, so the weapon wasn’t pointed toward the house.
“I’m planning to leave this camp pretty soon,” Morgan said. “I’ll give you two thousand for the woman. It would take you a year to make that much mining without a smelter.” That wasn’t even close to true, but he had a feeling these two wannabe miners didn’t have a clue.
“You got one of those.”
Morgan nodded. “I do, but the smelter goes with me, and I’m blowing up these mines when I leave. You should accept my offer. It’s going down in value as we speak. One thousand for the woman. In fact”—he raised his rifle and fired—“I’ll fetch her myself.”
The man had fallen to the ground with a bullet in his leg. He was still in view and easy enough to finish off, but Morgan didn’t want him dead, so he let the claim jumper crawl back behind a tree for cover while he stepped into the cabin.
He waited for about five minutes before he yelled out the door, “You know it would be easy to finish you off. I advise you to toss your gun over the fence before I finish my lunch and agree to take me to the woman. Think carefully. You and your brother have been a pain in my ass for too long.”
“You don’t really want her back, do you?” was growled angrily.
He wanted her back too much, but he answered, “I’d rather kill you and your brother, so the only way you get to live is to take me to her. Ten minutes to make up your mind.”
He didn’t expect the man to surrender. He just wanted to give him enough time to get to his horse and flee. Then he could follow the blood trail straight to Violet.
Chapter Twenty-Eight