Love on the Range (Brothers in Arms #3)(45)

“Don’t take that tone with me, Winona.” Something burned in Pa’s eyes that Win knew, as an adult woman, was frightening. She’d always known this was part of him, but before, she’d looked at him with the eyes of a child. She’d avoided him and been polite and lived away from him as much as she could manage.

She squared her shoulders and stood to face her father. “The only tone was to ask you to treat Molly as my sister. I expect it of you, and what’s more, I demand it of you. I won’t slight her.”

“You’ll do as I say. You’re my daughter, and my word is law around here.”

“Your word isn’t above God’s, Pa.” She softened her voice, wishing she could reach him. She doubted it was possible but honor demanded she try. “Pa, God calls me to honor you. But the only way to do that is nearly the same word, honesty. I have to tell you honestly that you need to humble yourself before God. I need a father who is worthy of honor, and you are not.”

The burn in his eyes turned to a raging fire. Win braced herself to be slapped.





Eighteen




Look at this, Falcon.” Cheyenne held up a picture she’d found buried in a drawer in Kingston’s bedroom.

Falcon came to her side and stared at the picture.

Cheyenne tapped on a mostly grown boy in the front row. “That’s your pa.”

Falcon leaned close. “It’s like looking at a picture of myself. That has to be Pa.”

“And look at who he’s standing behind.”

“That has to be Randall Kingston.”

“Yep. And they look alike. I wouldn’t have thought of it if he didn’t have your eyes.” She stared at the group of young men. “They’re so young.”

“Just boys.”

“Some kind of school picture. There are . . .” She counted swiftly, then she quit counting as a jolt went through her that felt like lightning. She tapped her finger on a young man in the back row. “Wait, look who’s standing behind Kingston.”

“That’s Oliver Hawkins.”

With a grim nod, Cheyenne said, “They knew each other. Or is he another brother? Hawkins doesn’t have your eyes, and it seems to run strong in your family.”

Falcon shook his head. “So Kingston, who I shot today, is my uncle? And maybe Hawkins is another uncle?”

“I’d say for sure with Kingston. With Hawkins, an uncle or a very old friend.” She flipped the picture over. “Jeffers House of Refuge for Young Men.” She looked up at Falcon. “What is a house of refuge?”

Falcon shrugged.

Then she tapped another line of words. “Jeffers, Tennessee. 1839. I’ve never thought I heard a single note of Tennessee in Oliver’s voice. He sounded nothing like Clovis.”

“Can I look at the picture again?”

Cheyenne handed it to Falcon, wondering what it felt like to have a pa with such a twisted past. “Your Bible says Clovis married your ma in 1840. He looks old enough here to be nearly out of school, if this was a school.”

“Never heard tell of no little brother for my pa. But Kingston might have changed his name, or Pa did, or both. Whatever made ’em do that, they didn’t end up, all three of them, out here by happenstance.”

“I don’t know when Kingston moved out here, but Hawkins was definitely here ahead of Clovis.”

“Pa and his little brother must’ve followed Hawkins out. If they knew he hit the mother lode marrying Win’s rich ma in Chicago, then headed west to escape any harsh judgments from his wife’s friends, the others might’ve come hoping to get in on the money.”

“Kingston sets up as a cheating lawyer, and Clovis sees what a smart move it is to marry for money and latches on to my ma. You know, I told you Hawkins was Clovis’s only friend out here. I always just thought they met and got on well. Instead, they knew each other from before.”

“Jeffers House of Refuge for Young Men. That sounds strange,” Falcon said. “Refuge from what? What kind of school is it? I don’t reckon it matters, but this connects three men at the center of a lot of trouble.”

Falcon reached out and caught Cheyenne’s arm. “And if Kingston knew about Rachel, then Hawkins does, too. And if he knows about her, he’s likely to know Molly and Wyatt are up to something in his house.”

Cheyenne’s eyes locked on Falcon’s. “We’ve got to get them out of there.”



“She found something?” Wyatt’s eyes flashed with excitement, and maybe relief, when Kevin handed him the envelopes.

“She said to open them carefully. If there’s nothing criminal in them, then she’ll try and slip them back in his—”

Wyatt tore open an envelope, shredding it in his hurry. Then he looked up at Kevin and grinned. “Sorry, big brother. I can’t get too upset about how I treat Hawkins.” While he talked, he dragged out a white, embroidered handkerchief. “Spending time over here has been a mighty fine lesson in how to treat animals, hired hands, women, and probably God. Just do the exact opposite of Oliver Hawkins.” He handed the handkerchief to Kevin and looked in to find a single sheet of paper.

Wyatt read it aloud. “‘Dear Hannah, too many days have passed since I last saw you. No better woman has filled my days, and no one can take your place. If only you had been as good to me as I was to you. Now I must go on alone.’”