CHAPTER FORTY
Unable to concentrate on his work, Blake left the remainder of the branding and castration to the men while he made a quick ride into Eden. He should have driven the women himself. They’d been on his mind since they’d left with Moses an hour before, and because of it, he’d burned his hand on the branding iron—not once, but twice. A fumble only a novice would make. Praig Horn was still unaccounted for. He’d been stupid to take such a chance. John’s daughters were his most pressing responsibility.
Rounding the corner into town, he slowed Banjo. The normal fifteen-minute ride on a galloping horse had taken him ten. His horse was breathing hard. A crowd was gathered outside the hotel doors, mulling around. Why? Henry dashed across the street, followed by one of the boys who worked in the hotel. Fear ricocheted up Blake’s back. Just as he reined up and was about to swing his leg over the saddle, a long object flew out of Belle’s second-floor window and landed square on Banjo’s rump. His gelding snorted and bucked, and the object fell to the ground. Blake looked down.
Rattlesnake! What the hell? And not just any rattlesnake, but a large, black mountain diamondback—the kind that would give anyone nightmares. Its head was blown off, but the impressive row of buttons was still there for anyone’s taking.
Dismounting, he tossed his reins over the hitching rail and pushed his way through the curious onlookers.
“Did you hear that scream?” one woman whispered to another.
“We’d know by now if she was bitten.”
“I heard the rattler got all five.”
Hell!
Alarmed, Blake took the stairs three at a time. The hall was packed with people. He shouldered his way into the room to see the sisters huddled together. Clint, Santiago, and Henry stood close by.
Belle’s eyes widened when she caught sight of him, but she remained silent. Her face—the same one that had been suntanned and healthy-looking an hour ago—appeared as white as a sheet.
He stayed his impulse to rush to her side and instead went to Clint’s group, glancing at Henry and Santiago. “What happened?”
Henry was shaking his head in disbelief.
“Well?” Blake barked impatiently. “Fill me in. A moment ago, a dead diamondback landed on my horse.”
“The snake was in with Belle’s clothes,” Clint said, pointing to the tall wardrobe.
Again, Blake glanced at Belle. She could have been dying right now. The slow, painful death wasn’t pretty. Ten years ago a ranch hand had succumbed to a deadly bite. Blake hadn’t forgotten the ugly purple-black of the man’s swollen arm. “The hell you say!” He swallowed down his fear. She was standing right there, but still he felt compelled to add, “She all right?”
“Sí, amigo.” Santiago’s squinty gaze moved slowly around the room.
Henry shook his head. “She’s shaken up pretty bad. All of them are. And I don’t blame them.” His gaze caught Blake’s and then Clint’s. “We need to talk. Right now, in my office.”
Henry was right. “And the girls?”
“Them too.”
Santiago took a large step back. His gaze lingered on Henry, Clint, and finally got to Blake. “I will keep watch around town and let you know if I see anything suspicious.” With a half turn, he came face-to-face with Katie and the rest of the girls. Blake didn’t quite know what to make of the tender understanding that darkened his eyes.
“Katie?” The one word was a question and an answer.
She dropped her eyes and blushed.
He put out his hand to Belle. “You had a close call, senorita, but it will take more than one little rattlesnake to frighten John Brinkman’s daughter.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd of curious townsfolk still lingering inside.
Upstairs in his office, Henry held the door for the others. Blake came through the threshold first, followed by the girls. Clint brought up the rear. They stood around in silence.
Henry cleared his throat. “I’m worried. That snake had to be planted.” Henry took in the girl’s reactions. A little color had come back to Belle’s face. For the past five days, they’d been worried about Katie. And now someone had decided to scare Belle. Who would be next?
“You think we’re a target?” Belle asked. “With a snake? That doesn’t make sense. I thought people were waiting on our return to Eden.”
Henry paced the room, feeling as if a giant had his foot planted on his chest. “That rattlesnake didn’t get into your wardrobe by accident, Belle. I should have anticipated this problem. Advised John differently. If the worst happens, the blame rests wholly at my feet. Most people are happy you’ve returned, I promise you that. But I think there’s someone out there who, for some reason, is plotting against you.”
Blake stepped forward. “You’ve been distracted of late, Henry. Is this what’s been troubling you? Worry over the will?”
“No, not this.” Or could this be related? Are Elizabeth and Johnny involved? He didn’t like to think it.
“You think someone wants the ranch,” Blake said, low, deadly. “For their gain.”
Belle’s eyes brightened, and she sucked in a breath. “Yes! That’s it. If they frighten us enough, they think we’ll take the payout and go home.” She frowned. “That would leave Blake the sole owner.”
Henry’s jaw clenched and released several times. “The will contained a stipulation for that situation. If Blake were to die without an heir, the ranch would be auctioned off—and the proceeds would go to the town.”
Blake and Belle stared across the room as if they were seeing each other for the first time. Since they’d returned from the ranch, Henry didn’t miss the way Blake’s gaze kept tracking back to her. Feelings had grown. Belle was the exact opposite of Ann, Blake’s first wife, who’d been shy, solicitous. The two women couldn’t have been more different if they’d tried, and yet it was plain Blake had fallen in love with Belle. Henry wondered if his friend even realized it yet.
“Any outfit would be tempted by the Five Sisters,” Clint said, rubbing his chin. “Create a misfortune where Blake is accidentally killed and you’d have a shot at it.”
It was all coming to light, Henry thought. John would never have assumed this could happen. “Five heirs would be too difficult to plot untimely deaths for, but without you girls here, there’d only be one target. Somebody either wants a crack at owning the Five Sisters, or they’re interested in the payout Eden would receive after the ranch was sold.”
“What about the gunshots when we first arrived?” Belle glanced at Katie and then the others. “Two different times they came too close for comfort. Could they have been intentional too? To frighten us away? And the kidnapping?” She gasped and went to Katie’s side. “Maybe they’d have been content taking any of us, not just Katie.”
Henry couldn’t believe this was happening. “Makes sense to me.”
He’d never seen Blake’s face so set, so angry.
Clint nodded, his expression dark. “I’ll ride up to Dove Creek tomorrow. Get answers from the prisoners one way or the other. If they were paid by someone, I’ll find out.”
“And the bloody hatchet that was left sunk deep in the porch post out at the homestead?” Emma’s hands were shaking. “Do you think that’s connected?”
“No doubt.” Blake fisted and relaxed his hands. “And now the rattlesnake. Somebody wants you out of town. My fear is, he may be getting frustrated.”
The Brinkmans’ expressions made Henry think they wouldn’t be sticking around Eden too much longer. They had their lives to worry about. But where does that leave Blake? A prime target?
Belle went to the window, glanced out, then turned to face them. “Nobody is scaring me out of Eden. Not today, not ever. I make my own decisions for when I stay and when I go.” The firm set to her mouth reminded Henry of John. “Katie, I think you’re the one with the most difficult decision. You know we love you and will stand with you.” Her gaze went to Blake’s as if to say she stood behind him as well. “What do you say? Are we going to cower in fear? Run away?”
“Whoever’s behind this may become more aggressive,” Blake responded, his gaze riveted on Belle. “Things could get worse. There’s no telling how far he’ll take things.”
Henry was glad Blake was warning them of the growing danger. Until they knew what they were dealing with, everyone had to be careful. “We don’t know that the culprit is a man. Could be anyone.”
Even a mother with a small son?
“I wonder how they discovered the terms of the will,” Clint said.
Blake nodded at Henry. “Where’s the document been besides here in your safe?”
“Only out at the ranch.” Henry didn’t like what that implied.
Blake’s expression darkened. “Could someone have read it?”
Henry shrugged. “Anything’s possible.”
“Praig Horn?” Belle asked.
Clint and Blake exchanged a long look.
“Could be,” Blake said. “He was around the month John was dying. Most of the men stuck close to the ranch. But we have to keep an open mind. As much as I hate the idea, could be any of the men.”
“Maybe Trevor?” Clint said quietly. “Even if you don’t like to think it. Or it could be a person totally unrelated.”
Blake nodded. “Or an individual from a ranch we’ve had trouble with. The Diamond J?”
Henry sat in his chair, drilling his fingers on the desktop. As much as he’d like to tell them about Elizabeth, he couldn’t. They’d spoken in confidence. But if anything happened to one of John’s daughters or Blake and they later found out Elizabeth was working with an accomplice, he’d never forgive himself. He vowed to press her harder the next time they talked. He had no other options.
“Trouble with a ranch?” Emma breathed. “What kind of trouble?”
Blake rolled his shoulders. “Where to begin? Over the years we’ve had run-ins a time or two. A couple years back, a disagreement over water rights. And last year, we had rustlers. Turned out to be a rancher losing his place to the bank and looking for any way to hang on. Being the largest puts a target on our back.”
Lavinia went over to Katie, who was staring at her hands in her lap. She touched her sister’s shoulder. “Our decision really depends on how you feel about staying, Katie.”
Katie finally looked up. “Blake saved my life. We can’t abandon him now.” She looked at the people in the room. “We’re Brinkmans,” she said in a strong voice—the first time she had used it since her nightmare ordeal. “We need to show our backbone, stay, discover what’s going on. For Father, if for nothing else.” She tipped her head thoughtfully. “But if we just make our intentions of staying known, won’t the person give up? We’ll beat him.”
Clint shook his head. “If only it were that simple. Any man depraved enough to go to all this trouble is determined. We need to find him—or her—before they succeed in another plot and one of you is killed.”
Henry watched Belle and Mavis close in around their younger sisters. Katie had been through the most trying experience, and if she was still willing to stay in Eden, the rest would follow. Henry prayed John’s will hadn’t condemned one of his daughters to die. Or Blake. A day ago, the sisters’ staying would have been the best news in the world. Now, he wasn’t sure at all.