“Do you think she can handle your pa alone?”
Ben let out a deep breath. “I don’t know. He’s been drinking tonight. I think some of the boys from town brought whiskey. But we’ve put up with that for a long time. If she can get him to the cave—or even in the barn—he can sleep it off.”
Crockett thought about that, and the money in the cave. What if the Rangers came and took Boyd off to prison? Then Jane would be totally alone. She couldn’t run the ranch by herself.
“Can’t you hold off just a little while?”
“Why?” Ben asked. “The longer I wait, the less chance I have of getting work.”
“She might need you. More.”
Ben’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Crockett hesitated. The story wasn’t his to tell, and Jane had purposely kept it from Ben.
“Just talk to Janie first. There’s things you don’t know, Ben.”
“What do you mean?”
“Please, just wait a day or two and talk to your sister.”
“Talk to me about what?” Jane asked.
Crockett turned to find her approaching them. She looked at the horse. “Where are you going?”
Ben’s mouth skewed. “Back to the Leonards’ to see if they’ll take me on again, even though I didn’t come back all week.”
“You said you’d tell me.” Jane stepped closer to him. “I wish you wouldn’t go just now. You can send a note to Mr. Leonard if you want, and explain about the fire. But I…” She grimaced and turned her face away.
“What?” Ben said.
Crockett touched her shoulder lightly. “I was saying to Ben that you might need him these next few days. Maybe you two should talk.”
After a moment, Jane nodded. “You’re right. It’s time.”
“What’s going on?” Ben asked.
Quickly, Jane told him about the money she had found in the cave and the bill she had passed along to Chisholm Hart.
“He thinks it came from the State Treasury robbery, Ben. He’s going to try to find out for sure.”
“The State—” Ben stared at her. “That was years ago.”
“Yes. You were ten or eleven, I’d say,” Jane said.
“But—what are you saying? You think Pa was in on that robbery?”
“I don’t know.”
Ben’s eyebrows lowered. “Was Pa at home then?”
“I’ve tried to remember,” Jane said. “We were young, and it’s kind of blurry. I remember when I first heard about it. A boy came to school and told everybody. I don’t know how his parents heard. Maybe they read it in the newspaper, or maybe his father heard it from the sheriff. Anyway, that might have been several days after it actually happened.”
“It was right after the war,” Crockett said. “Communication was spotty back then.”
“Pa might have been away, and we wouldn’t remember,” Ben agreed.
“What you all jawin’ about?”
Chapter Seven
Jane jumped at the harsh voice and turned around. Crockett drew in a quick breath. Pa was standing in the doorway at the back of the barn.
“Mr. Haymaker,” Crockett said in his easy tone. Jane didn’t know how he could sound so calm. Her own heart was racing.
Pa took two steps down the ramp they used for the wheelbarrow and stumbled against the rough railing Ben had put up last year, after Pa tumbled off into the muck one too many times.
“It’s all right, Pa.” Ben hurried toward him and took his arm. “We were just talking to Crockett about the old days. You know, when we were all in school.”
Pa looked Crockett over, his eyes squinty and harsh. His gaze fell on Jane next. She stood as still as she could. Then he noticed Ben’s horse.
“You headin’ out tonight?” He pulled his head back, birdlike, and stared at Ben.
Ben’s mouth twisted, and Jane figured he’d gotten a strong whiff of Pa’s whiskey breath. “I was thinking about going back to Leonards’ to earn some money, but Janie said I ought to stay a while longer.”
Crockett walked toward them. “My brothers and I will come back Monday morning to help finish up the roof on the new house.”
“Pa, you ought to go to bed,” Jane said.
“Now? We’ve got guests.” Pa had a hard time wrapping his tongue around the s sounds in guests.
“They’re fixin’ to leave now,” Ben told him. “Come on. Let’s put you on Star, and I’ll take you up to the cave.”
“I ain’t goin’ up to that cave now.” Pa squirmed away from him.
“In the barn, then. I’ll make you a bed in the hay. It’ll be nice and soft—softer than the blankets you’ve been sleeping on at the cave.”
“Not till I say good night to ever’body.”
“All right, we’ll go out front and say good-bye. Come on.” Ben took his arm again and turned him carefully to face the barn door.
“I should probably go out there, too.” Jane looked at Crockett, wishing she could stay out here in the corral with the manure smells and horses and wait until everyone else was gone. But her ma wouldn’t have hidden from her guests, even when Pa embarrassed her.