Chapter 6 - The Mountain Man’s Debt to a Dead Man
Deputy Rusk stepped between Hannah and the stairs.
“You should have stayed on your farm.”
Hannah’s mouth went dry.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping you.”
“That phrase is becoming very unpopular with me.”
Rusk’s hand rested near his revolver.
“I need whatever you took from that book.”
Hannah straightened.
“I took nothing.”
Rusk smiled.
“You were never a good liar.”
“And you were never a good deputy.”
His expression hardened.
“Your husband said something similar.”
Hannah froze.
Rusk realized his mistake.
Too late.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
“You knew what Thomas was doing.”
“Hannah.”
“You knew.”
Rusk stepped closer.
“Give me the papers.”
“No.”
“This doesn’t concern you.”
“My husband died over it.”
“He made choices.”
“So am I.”
Rusk reached for her.
The basement door exploded inward.
Not literally.
It simply opened with such force that Rusk turned as though it had.
Caleb filled the doorway.
He looked calm.
That was worse than anger.
“Move away from her.”
Rusk drew his revolver.
Caleb stopped.
Hannah’s heart hammered.
“Caleb.”
His eyes stayed on Rusk.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Rusk pointed the weapon.
“You’re under arrest.”
“For?”
“Assault.”
“Who?”
“Me, if you take another step.”
Caleb smiled.
“That hasn’t happened yet.”
Rusk made the mistake of glancing toward Hannah.
Caleb moved.
One hand caught Rusk’s wrist.
The other removed the revolver.
It happened so quickly Hannah barely understood it.
Rusk hit the floor.
Caleb unloaded the revolver and placed it on a shelf.
He did not strike the deputy again.
Hannah stared.
“You could have done that at the auction?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I was holding a baby.”
Even now, she nearly laughed.
They left through the rear courthouse door.
By the time Rusk recovered, Abigail Quinn had driven a wagon into the street and created a very public argument with the sheriff about missing property deeds.
Half of Red Willow gathered.
Rusk could not arrest Hannah without explaining why.
At the farm, Hannah spread the documents across the table.
Twenty-three original contracts.
Every one differed from the bank records.
Thomas had found proof.
Then there was his letter.
Hannah held it but could not open it.
Not yet.
Caleb understood.
“No hurry.”
“There is every hurry.”
She looked at the clock.
Bank payment due at noon.
She had thirty dollars now.
Still ten short.
Caleb placed ten dollars on the table.
Hannah stared.
“Where?”
“I sold my rifle.”
“You need that.”
“You need the farm.”
She looked at him.
“That rifle was valuable.”
“So is the farm.”
Hannah’s throat tightened.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Thomas asked me to protect you.”
“Thomas is dead.”
“Yes.”
“So your debt ends.”
Caleb shook his head.
“That isn’t how debt works.”
“Then tell me.”
He hesitated.
“Thomas didn’t only save my life in Black Pine.”
Caleb looked toward Lucy sleeping beside the stove.
“He saved my sister too.”
Her name had been Rebecca.
Caleb was six years older.
Their father died when Caleb was seventeen. Their mother followed two years later.
Rebecca became the last family he had.
She married a railroad surveyor named Daniel Hale.
Daniel discovered Prairie Continental was purchasing land before railway routes became public.
Vane was secretly using information to buy farms cheaply.
Daniel threatened to expose him.
Then Daniel disappeared.
Rebecca, pregnant, fled north.
Thomas found her.
“He hid her for three nights,” Caleb said.
“Where?”
“Here.”
Hannah’s breath stopped.
“In this house?”
“Your barn.”
“When?”
“Last autumn while you were visiting your sister in Casper.”
Hannah remembered the trip.
Thomas had insisted she go.
She thought he wanted time alone before winter.
Caleb continued.
“Thomas arranged for Rebecca to stay with friends in the mountains.”
“Where was Lucy born?”
“Three weeks ago.”
Hannah looked toward the child.
“And Rebecca?”
Caleb’s eyes lowered.
“She didn’t survive the birth.”
Hannah closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Caleb nodded once.
“When I brought Lucy south, Rusk found us. He knew who Rebecca was. I was arrested for vagrancy and resisting arrest.”
“And auctioned.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell anyone who Lucy was?”
“Because the people who wanted Daniel quiet would want his daughter quiet too.”
Hannah suddenly understood.
Lucy was not merely an abandoned baby.
She might be evidence.
A living connection.
“Was Daniel murdered?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is that why Thomas became involved?”
“Yes.”
Hannah looked at Thomas’s letter.
Her husband had built an entire secret life around helping strangers.
Part of her was proud.
Part furious.
Part heartbroken that she had not been trusted with it.
At eleven forty-five they rode into Red Willow.
Hannah walked into Vane’s bank carrying forty dollars.
The room went silent.
Gideon stood behind the counter.
“Hannah.”
She placed the money down.
“My payment.”
Gideon did not touch it.
“You surprised me.”
“I seem to be doing that often.”
He counted the bills.
Forty.
His jaw tightened.
Then he smiled.
“I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding.”
Hannah went cold.
“What misunderstanding?”
“Your payment is not forty dollars.”
He opened the ledger.
Turned it around.
Eight hundred and forty dollars.
Exactly the number Thomas had written.
Hannah stared.
Gideon’s voice remained polite.
“You’re in default.”
Caleb stepped forward.
Hannah raised her hand.
Stop.
She looked at Gideon.
“Thomas predicted you would do this.”
For the first time, Gideon’s smile disappeared.
Hannah removed one original contract from her bag.
Not hers.
Abigail Quinn’s.
Gideon’s eyes went to it.
Then back to Hannah.
“What is that?”
“The reason you should be very careful.”
His face changed.
Not fear.
Calculation.
He knew.
Hannah leaned closer.
“You have until tomorrow morning to correct my ledger.”
Gideon laughed softly.
“And if I don’t?”
“I show the entire town what Thomas found.”
Gideon studied her for a long moment.
Then his eyes moved to Caleb.
“You should ask your mountain man what happened the night your husband died.”
Hannah’s breath caught.
Caleb went still.
Gideon smiled again.
“Oh.”
He looked almost pleased.
“He hasn’t told you everything.”
Hannah turned toward Caleb.
Caleb said nothing.
Gideon leaned back.
“That is interesting.”
Outside, church bells marked noon.
The deadline had arrived.
May you like
And Hannah suddenly wondered whether the one man helping her save Thomas’s farm was still hiding the most important secret of all.
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