Chapter Two

Seth

Seth eyed the horses in the corral. Two geldings, both well over sixteen hands, trotted around the perimeter. A bay and a roan. Nick stood in the middle of the corral and worked the horses without any line or whip. His instructions ranged from short whistles to a word here and there.

“Nice movers, both of them,” Nick commented. “If you don’t want two, I know Will likes the bay. He just hired a new cowboy and the fella lost his horse a few weeks ago.”

“How the hell do you lose a horse?”

“He said it was a snake bite and he had to put the horse down.”

“In January?”

Nick shrugged. “I don’t like the man. Not one bit.”

Seth didn’t like him either. Gerald had worked for him when he first hired on with Will. The man was shifty, wouldn’t look him in the eye, but liked to argue with the other cowboys. Two brawls had started, and Seth was certain Gerald had instigated both.

“In that case, I’ll take them both. I don’t like the idea of that sumbitch taking either.”

Nick grinned.

Seth shook his head. “Pretty good sales tactic there.”

“I don’t need sales tactics. My horses sell themselves.” He whistled, and the horses slowed to a walk. When he reached inside his coat pocket, the animals came to him, nosing his pockets, searching for a stick of candy or a cube of sugar.

Seth shook his head. “Ridiculous.”

“They’re like kids,” Nick said. “You need to ask a lot and spoil a little.”

“What do you know about kids?”

“It’s what I figure works and if I’m blessed with children, that’s what I intend to do.”

His brother’s words made Seth think about Laura. He wondered if she would do as he told her. Yesterday was the first time he’d ever spoken to her. He’d forced himself to tell her she needed to leave Colter Canyon. Pain stuck in his heart. The way she’d looked at him almost made him change his mind. Almost.

Nick came to the side of the corral and leaned against the top rail. “You really going to send that little girl away?”

Nick often seemed to know what he was thinking. He and his brother were only ten months apart and folks liked to talk about them being twins. There was more to it than that, though. Nick knew what others were thinking too. Even animals. Maybe that was why he was so good with horses.

“It’s for her own good. Melvin’s been storming around town, telling everyone that Clarice is keeping him from what’s his. Now with girls getting robbed and even banged up some, I want her gone.”

“You could offer for her.”

“She’s scared to death of me. Besides, she told Clarice she’ll never marry.”

Nick heaved a sigh. “Melvin’s a bastard. I should go pay him a visit.”

“I’ve done that already. He got his hackles up, saying things about Laura bein’ a whore and offering favors to men. He won’t keep his mouth shut about the girl. Can’t seem to understand why she won’t be a little sweeter to him. It’s Clarice he needs to convince.”

Nick arched a brow. “I don’t think you want him to do that.”

Seth shook his head. “I don’t want to do that at all. What I want is to get on the train with her day after tomorrow, and take her away and court her properly.”

“You ought to,” Nick said. “You’ve been about as easygoing as a nest of bees ever since she came to town.”

Seth warmed, imagining getting on the train with Laura and going far away, for a bit. The outlandish idea came to him after he took her sketchpad. Laura had drawn pictures of the women who worked at the Magnolia. Drawings that made the women more beautiful than they actually were, but still, were true to the women’s form. In one she drew Clarice as she studied her poker hand and captured perfectly the expression on the woman’s face. But what surprised him the most about the drawings were the ones of him, mostly because they hadn’t as much as said hello to each other, or even been in the same room.

Sure, they’d seen each other, but not for more than a few seconds here and there. Seth had made it a point to make a couple extra trips to the bank and walk past the Saloon windows, and visit the Mercantile a few extra times just to see her. And clearly, she’d seen him too. The sketches looked just like him, at his best moments – smiling, proud, powerful. In the drawings he saw the man he was, at times, and the man he wanted to be, always.

The few times he’d caught her eye he thought she might be sweet on him, but she’d scurry away, or nearly faint whenever he stared too long or moved closer. The drawings made it clear, she liked him.

Prior to the robberies, he’d imagined a slow courtship, time for Laura to get her mind off Melvin and see that not all men were rabid. He was just about to start, then the robberies began. Now, with girls getting hurt in town, and even girls who worked at the Magnolia, it would be impossible to steal her away. She was frightened and fragile, and the best thing for her would be to get far away from Colter Canyon and start over, with a little money in her pocket.

“The girl is just now settling down after Melvin’s foolishness. I don’t want to scare her even more,” Seth said quietly. “She’s claimed she won’t marry and I’m sure she has good reason.”

“Seth Travis,” a shout came from behind the barn.

“The hell?” Seth said, turning towards the barn.

“Get your hands up,” the man shouted. “It’s Sheriff Holden. You’re under arrest.”

The sound of a trigger being cocked made Nick swear. Seth cursed under his breath as well. The last few weeks, tensions had run high in Colter Canyon. He’d been so caught up in his concern about Laura that he hadn’t thought of much else. Holden was under pressure to arrest someone and in a flash of clarity, he understood things - that someone was him. It would be payback for past differences of opinion.

“Do as he says,” Nick muttered. “Sheriff Holden likes to shoot first and ask questions later.”

Seth raised his hands.

The sheriff came closer, his rifle to his shoulder and aimed at Seth.

“You better have a damn good reason for coming onto my property and arresting my brother,” Nick yelled.

“You put your hands up too, Nick. I don’t want any trouble.”

The sheriff and the men moved forward cautiously. Seth knew the man didn’t like him or any of his brothers. They’d locked horns a time or two before. Once at a cattle auction and another time when the sheriff had refused to go after some rustlers. The rustlers had moved on, but the bad feelings between him and Sheriff Holden remained. Still, there had never been guns drawn.

“This is horse shit,” Seth muttered. “If they take me in, you make sure Laura gets on that train. I want her out of Colter Canyon.”

Several deputies trailed the sheriff, guns aimed at Seth and Nick.

“What’s this about, Sheriff Holden?” Nick asked in his usual, perfectly reasonable voice.

“Your brother robbed a girl at knifepoint.”

Seth shook his head and tried to keep from scoffing. “You’re lying. You’re making that up.”

“He ain’t lyin’, Seth,” one of the deputies muttered. The man circled behind Seth and took his gun out of his holster.

“Son of a bitch,” Seth snarled.

“Hands down, nice an’ slow,” the sheriff said. “Mind your manners and we’ll cuff you in front.”

“Do as they say, Seth,” Nick said. “Let them take you in. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

“You can lower your hands now, Nick.” Sheriff Holden scowled.

Nick lowered his hands.

The sheriff went on. “Besides, I’ve got Clarice and other folks threatening me something ugly if I don’t find out who’s doing this. I’ve got to start somewhere. Might as well be you.”

Seth shot his brother a look. Nick nodded.

“Well, good for you,” Seth snapped. “You’ll look like a man hard at work since you arrested someone.”

“For starters, I need Clarice off my back,” Holden snapped.

Any other time, Seth might have laughed. Clarice could probably stare down a charging Brahma. Everybody in Colter Canyon knew that. He gritted his teeth, wondering if she suspected him too. If Laura had told her about his demand that she leave Colter Canyon, Clarice might have a list of grievances with his name at the top.

Two deputies escorted him to his horse, tied at the hitching post.

With his hands cuffed in front of him, he was still able to swing into the saddle albeit, a little more awkwardly. They handed him his reins.

“There’ll be hell to pay for this, Holden,” Nick said quietly. “No one tangles with the Travis family and gets away with it.”

“I aim to make this a quick trial, Nick. The townspeople are riled up and they won’t care that Seth’s a Travis. They’ll care that the women of Colter Canyon are safe.”

With that Seth nodded a curt good-bye to his brother.

Nick’s expression sobered. “I’ll take care of everything, Seth. Don’t you worry.”