The Theft
First part of the Kindred Spirits series.
- 1 -Ezra gathered in his winnings from another hand, giving a knowing look to Vin and Nathan. The fourth player was a new man in town and hadn't yet cottoned on to the fact that Ezra might not be playing straight.
At that moment, JD came into the saloon.
'Hey, fellas. There's a woman just rode into town by herself. Seems a bit strange, don't it?'
The new man looked up sharply. His baby features creased into a frown and he ran a hand through his thick black hair.
'On a big dapple gray gelding?'
'That's right. You know her?'
Hearing JD's announcement, Buck had gone over from the bar to the window for a look.
'Not been gettin' young ladies into trouble, have you Clay?'
'That ain't no lady. That's my sister. I gotta go.'
Nathan laughed. 'You ain't runnin' away from your sister, are you?'
'Hell, yes. You can laugh. You ain't looked into the barrel of her gun.'
'Why would she shoot ya?' Vin wanted to know.
'I sorta borrowed some money. Only a hundred bucks but she'll be mad as hell.'
He slid out the back only seconds before the woman entered the saloon. She was tall, slim and dark. In a drover's coat and pants, the effect could have been mannish but she carried herself with considerable style, despite a layer of trail dust. She held a Joslyn carbine in a way that suggested she knew how to use it. Sharp brown eyes scanned the room, taking in the empty chair and abandoned hand of cards. Noting a slight movement in the fringe of a curtain near the back door, she strode straight through.
The five men went out into the street, curious to see what would happen and ready to intervene if there was trouble. Seconds later, Clay appeared from an alley and vaulted onto his horse. He urged it down Main Street, catching hold of the gray as he passed and taking it with him. His sister was only yards behind.
'You sorry son-of-a-bitch,' she shouted after him. Standing square in the middle of the street, she took careful aim and shot her brother's hat off. 'Next time, it'll be your goddamned head!'
As he disappeared from view, the lad released the gray. The woman gave a piercing whistle and the gelding immediately turned and headed back to her. She looked over at the men watching her and touched her hat.
'Sorry to interrupt your game, gentlemen.'
They looked at each other in surprise, then wandered across to her.
'Evenin', ma'am. I'm Vin.' The tracker indicated his friends, 'Buck, Ezra, JD and Nathan.'
'Evenin', boys. Mara. Reckon you already know the sack of dirt that is my brother, Clay.'
The gray returned to his mistress and nuzzled her hand affectionately.
'Ya goin' after him?' Vin wanted to know.
She looked undecidedly in the direction Clay had taken.
'Tomorrow's soon enough. He ain't hard to follow.'
She hitched the horse and headed into the saloon. Tossing her hat onto the bar, she ran a hand through thick, black, shoulder-length hair in just the same way as her brother had done a few minutes before and ordered a beer. The men resumed their game but their attention was still on the strange woman at the bar. When she looked in their direction, Ezra invited her to join them if she played. She hesitated, then pulled up a chair.
'Draw poker?' the gambler inquired.
She nodded. She watched him shuffle for several seconds, then put out a hand and stopped him.
'Stupidity don't run in my family. Clay got the lot.'
He looked up at her, smiled and shuffled the cards straight.
'How long he been here?'
'Couple o' days,' Vin told her.
'Maybe he ain't lost all my money yet then. If I don't catch up with him soon, it won't be worth the trouble. Ain't so easy to catch a man when you ain't willin' to shoot him.'
Nathan gave a wide smile. 'He thinks you are.'
She shook her head. 'Even Clay ain't that stupid. I wanted to hit him, he'd be hit.'
They played on in silence, Mara taking her share of hands. After an hour or so, she pushed back her chair and announced she was beat. Collecting her hat from the bar, she set off for the hotel with the gray in tow.
After she had gone, JD whistled. 'Some woman!'
Buck jabbed him in the ribs. 'She'd eat you alive, boy.'
- 2 -
The next day, Mara had a huge and leisurely breakfast in the restaurant. Between towns, she traveled light and ate what she shot on the trail. She was finishing with a stack of pancakes and syrup when Vin came in for his morning coffee. He raised an eyebrow at the seat opposite her. She nodded and indicated that he should help himself to pancakes. He took one, then watched her while she ate.
'Ya be movin' on today?' he asked.
She examined him closely. There was a palpable tension between them that she had felt as soon as he spoke the previous evening. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and leaned back in her chair.
'Ought to. Ain't good for the boy to think he can help himself when he likes.'
'Like ya said, ain't so easy for one person to take a man without shootin' him.'
'That an offer?'
Vin shrugged. 'He told us himself he took the money so I got no problem helpin' get it back.'
'All right. Ten minutes?'
He nodded and left, headed for the church. Chris was up at his shack in the mountains and, in his absence, Vin preferred to tell his plans to Josiah rather than one of the others. The older man was painting a door when the tracker found him in the back room.
'I'll be out of town for a few days,' Vin told him.
'That have something to do with this woman I been hearing about?'
Vin grinned. 'Might do.'
Josiah gave one of his broad smiles. 'Watch yourself. She sounds a real handful.'
The tracker laughed and went to saddle his horse. When he led the gelding out to Main Street, Mara was ready and waiting with her gray. They mounted and rode out, leaving the other four men watching, bemused, from the saloon doorway.
They rode hard all morning, following Clay's progress easily. He had made a few efforts to cover his tracks but nothing that would have given Vin any trouble. He smiled when he saw how easily Mara saw through her brother's ploys.
'Where d'ya learn to track?' he asked.
'Same place you did, I reckon,' she smiled. 'Ain't no one but Indians know how to do it right.'
They broke for rest when the sun was at its hottest, finding a cool spot by a creek. The horses drank gratefully then browsed in the shade of the trees. Mara dipped her head in the water then shook her hair like a dog.
'So, why d'you come? Don't you like your women ladylike?'
He smiled. 'Don't go for enough to have a rule.'
She stepped closer and looked into his eyes, barely needing to look up to do so. 'That the truth?'
'Ain't given to lies.'
'No, don't reckon you are.'
They drew together in a mutual embrace. It was a meeting of equals, with she as hungry for him as he for her. He hesitated for a moment as she slid out of her pants. She seemed to read his mind and shook her head.
'Ain't no fruit comin' out of these loins, bucko.'
They were both at such a pitch of excitement that it was over all too quickly. Vin rolled onto his back and exhaled heavily. They retrieved their clothes before settling in a more conventional embrace.
'Well, even if I don't get my hundred bucks back, it wasn't a wasted journey.'
'Glad to hear it.'
He stroked her hair gently and was surprised when she let him.
'Y'ain't as hard as ya seem, are ya?' he asked.
'Didn't have you figured for the mushy talkin' type.'
He smiled. 'Ya don't wanna answer, just say so.'
'No, I ain't hard. I got shat on once and that was enough, is all.'
They rode until dark then made camp on the open prairie, sharing a snake supper and then a blanket. They took their time over their second encounter, slowly rising to the height of their passion and then cooling down together. In the darkness, talking was easier.
'What happened?' Vin asked her.
'Why d'you wanna know?'
He thought about that. 'I like ya.'
She turned onto her stomach and looked at him.
'I tell you, and you shit on me, I'll kill you or die tryin'. I ain't that foolish little girl no more.'
He nodded.
'I got married when I was eighteen. I thought the sun came up and went down with that man. Year later, I lose a baby and there ain't gonna be no more. He's out the door afore I'm even off my sickbed, shacked up with my friend 'cause she can give him the kids he wants. I wasted far too long gettin' past it an' I ain't depended on no one since.'
He pulled her closer.
'Don't you be feelin' sorry for me. Reckon your story ain't much better. Even Stevens?'
'Ain't been let down like that. I got myself framed for a murder. Spent a lotta time tryin' to clear my name. Man who did it's dead now so I'm stuck with it.'
She ran a fingertip down his cheek, then kissed him.
'So, what's the story in that town? You and your buddies ain't regular saloon types.'
'We keep an eye on things. Used to be a rough town but it ain't a bad place to be now.'
The next morning, they woke with the sun and lost themselves in each other again. When she was sated, Mara sat up, looked at him and whistled.
'Jesus, Vin. This is help I can do without. You're takin' my mind off my money.'
He laughed. 'Ya were right anyhow. There ain't gonna be much left. A wad of it's in Ezra's boot right now.'
'Wanna go back?'
He shrugged. 'Whatever.'
'Tell you what I'd really like. A nice swim. Got any decent water round here?'
He thought on that while they tacked up then took her northwards. It was early afternoon when they reached the spot he had in mind. An underground watercourse broke through the rock and gushed down into a deep pool in a gully. They tethered the horses in the shade, then stripped and slid into the water.
Mara swam contentedly round the pool, gliding effortlessly through the water with long powerful strokes. Vin leaned against a rock, happy to relax in the coolness. Eventually she swam over and molded herself to him. He kissed her tenderly and ran his hands over her body. They both recognized the change in his touch, more now than just the satisfaction of a spontaneous urge. She looked troubled but he shook his head slightly.
'I ain't gonna hurt ya.' He smiled. 'Not sayin' I'll marry ya, mind.'
She smiled back. 'That ain't on the cards. Never got round to getting un-married and the slimy so-and-so's still alive somewhere, far as I know.' Her expression became serious again. 'All I ask is to be treated fair. I don't wanna be talked about, lied to or made a fool of. Ain't so much to ask, is it?'
'No, it ain't.'
They spent the rest of the afternoon in the gully, first making love and then talking about places they'd been and tribes they'd lived with. Neither had felt so comfortable in a good while. They camped there, deciding to head back to town the next morning. It was dusk by the time they walked the horses along Main Street and into the livery stable.
'Where d'you live?' she asked him.
'Got a wagon over there.' He inclined his head towards the hotel end of town. 'Ya gonna stick around for a while?'
'Your town, your choice,' she told him.
He smiled. 'Ain't done with ya yet. Come for a drink? May as well get it over with the fellas. Don't ya worry none about them - they'll talk but they won't be hearin' nothin' from me.'
She followed him to the saloon. Unusually, his six friends were all there. Earlier, they had been speculating about Vin's absence but were now trying to extract some winnings from the reserves in Ezra's boot. Vin nodded to them, got beers for himself and Mara, then steered her over in their direction.
'Mara, y'know the boys 'cept Chris and Josiah.' He indicated the two men, who both touched their hats. She looked levelly at them both and nodded.
'You get your money off Clay?' Nathan wanted to know.
Vin shook his head. 'Lost him.'
The men looked up in surprise and JD echoed, 'You lost him?'
Mara looked at her feet with a smile.
Vin said only, 'It happens.'
There was a long pause, which Chris finally ended by asking Mara, 'You and your brother don't get on?'
She pondered that while pulling up a chair and settling herself.
'Wouldn't say that. There ain't a mean bone in his body. Trouble is, he was the child of our father's old age and he's been spoiled silly since he came into this world. I get a little tired of payin' his way and pullin' him out of scrapes, is all.'
'I can understand that,' the fair-haired man said.
'He looked real scared of you, the night you rode in,' Nathan told her.
'He's funny that way, like a kid. One minute, you'd think I was a demon from hell, the next he's back for help. End of the day, I'm the fool 'cause he always gets it. What can you do? Blood's thicker than water.'
Mara played a few hands of poker with the men before heading for the hotel, leaving Vin with his friends. She was barely out of the doors before Buck started ribbing Vin, who shook his head and said nothing.
Chris asked, 'She stickin' around?'
'For a while,' Vin replied.
Vin and Mara spent most of the next couple of weeks together. Watching them ride out one morning, Chris wryly remarked to Buck that he'd never realized there were so many sights to see in the neighboring country.
Buck grinned. 'Only one sight he's interested in. He's into her every chance he gets.'
Returning the grin, Chris said, 'Don't tell me you been followin' 'em.'
'Don't need to. Came back through Baker Pass couple of days ago - they weren't bein' exactly subtle. And they were at it in the stables yesterday. Guess a hotel feather bed's too civilized for Vin.'
'I can't figure him out - no interest for months on end but he sure is single-minded when he goes for it.'
They both shook their heads and laughed again. Vin was the truest friend a man could have and it was nothing to them how he satisfied his needs.
Mara's confidence in Vin grew as she saw that he was a man of his word and had no intention of causing her hurt of any kind. She found his friends were also principled men and slowly became friendly with each of them on their own terms. She had particular respect for Josiah and Nathan, their commitment to the town's spiritual and physical needs seeming somehow to reflect the softer side of her own nature.
She whiled away a lot of the time she wasn't with Vin in playing cards with Ezra. He taught her some of the tricks of his trade, which she enjoyed learning though she had no plans to use them for profit. One afternoon, he was supervising her deck-stacking practice when they heard a horse coming in fast. A few moments later, Buck stuck his head over the saloon doors.
'Clay's back.'
Mara tutted and went out for a look. Her brother hopped lightly off his horse and came over.
'Hey, Mo. I was hoping you were still here.'
Buck and Ezra exchanged bemused glances. It was just as she had said: last time they saw him, he was racing out of town in apparent fear of his life, now he seemed pleased to see his sister.
She gave him a cuff round the ear. 'You in trouble again, boy?'
He nodded uncomfortably.
'I ain't sure I wanna know what trouble's worse than owin' me a hundred bucks.'
'It's kind of private,' he said, leading her away from the saloon.
Vin and Chris joined Buck and Ezra.
'What's he want?' Vin asked.
His friends shrugged. Buck said, 'Private trouble, whatever that means.'
They watched as Clay talked earnestly to his sister in a low voice. She looked angry, then asked him something. She obviously didn't like his reply since she landed a hefty right hook on his jaw. She steered him towards the hotel, collecting his horse on the way with the aim of getting it out of sight. The men heard a snatch of the conversation as the siblings passed them.
Rubbing his jaw, Clay protested, 'Hell, Mo, I didn't do nothing she didn't want me to.'
His sister snorted and told him, 'You ain't got enough brains to be keepin' half of 'em in your pants.'
Buck grinned. 'Ah, that kind of private trouble.'
Half an hour later, Mara returned to the saloon and resumed her deck-stacking with Ezra.
Vin watched for a while, then asked, 'Ya gonna tell us what's goin' on?'
She thought about that. 'Just family stuff.'
'My town, my choice,' he said. 'He bringin' trouble here?'
She looked at him. 'Probably nothin'. Three men. I'll talk to 'em.'
Vin looked at Chris, who asked, 'You reckon that'll be enough?'
She shrugged. 'I'll ride on with him if you want, take his troubles elsewhere.'
Chris looked back at Vin, before saying, 'No, you don't have to do that.'
The five of them settled to a few hands, waiting for Clay's pursuers to arrive. The boy had told Mara he thought they were only an hour or two behind him. For once, he was right. When she heard horses, Mara rose to her feet, picking up the rifle she'd set down by the table. Vin went to stand but she laid a hand on his shoulder.
'Ain't your problem.'
'Ya can't take three of them.'
'Doubt it'll come to that. Most men ain't keen on shootin' a woman, even one like me.'
She went out to the street. The four men observed from the doorway. They were uncomfortable leaving her to face Clay's pursuers alone but mindful that their presence could inflame the situation unnecessarily. Mara rested the rifle across her forearm and walked over to the three men, who had dismounted and were now sizing up the town. They were enough alike for an observer to guess, rightly, that they were brothers.
'Afternoon, gentlemen.'
They touched their hats.
'Reckon you're lookin' for my brother.'
'He Clay Thomas?'
''Fraid so.'
'He messed with our little sister and he's gonna pay.'
'He do anythin' she didn't want him to?' Mara inquired.
'What's that got to do with it? Makes no difference to us.'
She inclined her head. 'Makes a lot of difference to me.'
They shuffled awkwardly. 'Ain't sayin' he forced her, if that's what you mean.'
'So, what you got in mind?'
'We're gonna kill him,' the tallest said darkly.
'No. You ain't gonna do that.'
He was too surprised to answer.
'Look, you wanna take him back for your sister, I'll hold the gun to his head myself but I'm warnin' you - he ain't much of a catch. You wanna horsewhip the sorry son-of-a-bitch, I'll hold him down. But you try and kill him, least one of you'll be goin' with him. You understandin' me all right?'
The three men looked at her in consternation. The shortest, who also seemed to be the eldest, finally shrugged and said, 'Well, maybe not kill him. Leonie may only be fifteen but she's a hell of a tease. We could rough him up, just give him a scare.'
Mara laughed. 'Oh, you already done that, boys. Clay ain't got no more courage than brains. He didn't know till afterwards she was so young though.'
'She's apt to forget to mention that,' the elder brother conceded.
'Wanna drink?' Mara offered.
The brothers exchanged looks, shrugged and followed her into the saloon. The peacekeepers watched in amazement as she settled them at a table and chatted as if they'd dropped by on a social call. They played a few hands of cards and devoured two helpings each of Inez's Mexican fare. Eventually, the eldest brother pushed back his chair.
'Reckon we'll push on back. No tellin' what that girl's up to while we're out of the way. Kids, huh?'
Mara restrained him with a hand on his cuff and passed him a card. 'You let me know if anythin' comes of it. He ain't walkin' out on his responsibilities.'
The man nodded. 'Reckon you got your work cut out too, huh?'
'You don't know the half of it.'
Mara watched the three men ride off, then headed for the hotel.
In the saloon, Ezra was shaking his head.
'I can't believe she managed to send them away without so much as a punch being thrown.'
'Get the feelin' she's had a lot of practice,' Chris replied. He looked at Vin. 'She ain't happy though, is she?'
The tracker thought before answering. He didn't intend to give away any secrets.
'Money's one thing. This goes a bit deeper. Don't know for sure, but I reckon Clay's too young to remember some things he oughtta have known before bringin' this one to his sister.'
Vin was proved right the next day, when Clay emerged from the hotel. His face was cut and bruised. He miserably saddled his own and his sister's horses. Mara caught up with Vin at his wagon. He already knew she was going and looked sadly at her.
'Sorry, Vin. I need to straighten Clay out - I ain't havin' him goin' round causin' real trouble. Wasn't much this time but he's gotta start thinkin'.'
Vin nodded. 'Never expected it to last for ever. Been quite a time though.'
'For me too.'
He pulled her close and kissed her long and hard. She twisted his hair between her fingers.
'Never reckoned to think the sun came up and went down with a man again. You're real special.'
His eyes creased into the familiar smile she loved so well.
'Ya too, Mara. Ya too.'
He stood alone, watching brother and sister ride away. He could easily have got used to having her around.