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Authors: Leigh Greenwood
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with Stocker’s brother?”
“No.”
“I think it’s time you told me what happened between you and Stocker.”
“I told you.”
“I mean everything.”
Chapter Five
“It’s an old story,” Russ said, “but the tragic ending isn’t enough to keep it from happening over and over again.”
Tanzy had learned that lesson with her own family. Each time a member of her family had been killed, it only made the rest of them more determined to carry on the feud.
“Adele was my half sister,” Russ began. “Her father was my mother’s first husband. She grew up to be a beautiful girl who liked pretty things. We didn’t have any money for nice things after our parents died, but Toley Pullet had more than enough. Stocker gave him pretty much everything he wanted, and he wanted Adele. I tried to tell her he was no good, but she was sure she was the woman to make him settle down and stop wasting his life. There was a real nice fella, Welt Allard, who was crazy about her, but he wasn’t rich enough for Adele.
“I went all the way to Texas looking for work. I needed money and cows to start my own ranch. When I got back after two years, Welt told me Toley had taken Adele to San Francisco and left her to die alone. I went looking for Toley, determined to beat his brains out, but Stocker had surrounded his brother with a bunch of tough cowhands. I challenged him to any kind of fight he wanted. Before I knew what was happening, one of the cowhands had strapped a gunbelt to my waist and we were pacing off the distance. I didn’t know much about guns, but I knew it was more important to be accurate than to be quick. Toley’s first shot missed. Mine didn’t.”
That doesn’t make you a killer,” Tanzy said.
“It did in Stocker’s eyes. He had me arrested and tried for murder. He couldn’t force the jury to hang me, but they sent me to prison for five years.”
Tanzy’s misgivings about Russ had resurfaced, but she had to give him credit for having served his time in jail, however unfair the sentence, and devoting his energy since to building his ranch.
“You’ve paid your debt. Why won’t people leave you alone?”
“Stocker won’t let them. When I came back, he tried to run me out, but I’d hired three guys I’d met in jail, and we held him off. Nobody has ever stopped Stocker from taking anything he’s wanted. I’ve injured his pride, and he can’t accept that. His father carved an empire out of Indian land and became the richest, most powerful, most feared man around. Stocker has been trying to live up to his father’s reputation ever since.”
The more Tanzy heard, the more uneasy she became. She’d heard practically the same words out of her father’s and brothers’ mouths. Their pride had been hurt and they couldn’t accept that.
“What are you going to do about it?” Tanzy asked.
“Nothing. If they bother me too much, I’ll start buying my supplies at Fort Lookout and never set foot in town again.”
Tanzy didn’t believe any woman looking to marry Russ would appreciate being confined to a mountain ranch for the rest of her life, but it did allay some of her misgivings. His sister was dead, but he knew nothing could bring her back. He was looking to the future rather than poisoning his life by constantly stoking his anger at past injustices, and perhaps the most significant proof that he was looking toward the future was his wanting to marry her.
The more she thought about marrying Russ, the more she liked the idea. He was a man of action, a man who held strong convictions and backed them up. His time in prison had resulted from trying to avenge his sister’s honor. She was certain he’d be equally ready to defend his wife, which would be a change from her own family. She was also impressed that he’d been able to establish a ranch in the teeth of such fierce opposition.
Then there was the not inconsiderable fact that he was so handsome she felt keyed up whenever she was
“No.”
“I think it’s time you told me what happened between you and Stocker.”
“I told you.”
“I mean everything.”
Chapter Five
“It’s an old story,” Russ said, “but the tragic ending isn’t enough to keep it from happening over and over again.”
Tanzy had learned that lesson with her own family. Each time a member of her family had been killed, it only made the rest of them more determined to carry on the feud.
“Adele was my half sister,” Russ began. “Her father was my mother’s first husband. She grew up to be a beautiful girl who liked pretty things. We didn’t have any money for nice things after our parents died, but Toley Pullet had more than enough. Stocker gave him pretty much everything he wanted, and he wanted Adele. I tried to tell her he was no good, but she was sure she was the woman to make him settle down and stop wasting his life. There was a real nice fella, Welt Allard, who was crazy about her, but he wasn’t rich enough for Adele.
“I went all the way to Texas looking for work. I needed money and cows to start my own ranch. When I got back after two years, Welt told me Toley had taken Adele to San Francisco and left her to die alone. I went looking for Toley, determined to beat his brains out, but Stocker had surrounded his brother with a bunch of tough cowhands. I challenged him to any kind of fight he wanted. Before I knew what was happening, one of the cowhands had strapped a gunbelt to my waist and we were pacing off the distance. I didn’t know much about guns, but I knew it was more important to be accurate than to be quick. Toley’s first shot missed. Mine didn’t.”
That doesn’t make you a killer,” Tanzy said.
“It did in Stocker’s eyes. He had me arrested and tried for murder. He couldn’t force the jury to hang me, but they sent me to prison for five years.”
Tanzy’s misgivings about Russ had resurfaced, but she had to give him credit for having served his time in jail, however unfair the sentence, and devoting his energy since to building his ranch.
“You’ve paid your debt. Why won’t people leave you alone?”
“Stocker won’t let them. When I came back, he tried to run me out, but I’d hired three guys I’d met in jail, and we held him off. Nobody has ever stopped Stocker from taking anything he’s wanted. I’ve injured his pride, and he can’t accept that. His father carved an empire out of Indian land and became the richest, most powerful, most feared man around. Stocker has been trying to live up to his father’s reputation ever since.”
The more Tanzy heard, the more uneasy she became. She’d heard practically the same words out of her father’s and brothers’ mouths. Their pride had been hurt and they couldn’t accept that.
“What are you going to do about it?” Tanzy asked.
“Nothing. If they bother me too much, I’ll start buying my supplies at Fort Lookout and never set foot in town again.”
Tanzy didn’t believe any woman looking to marry Russ would appreciate being confined to a mountain ranch for the rest of her life, but it did allay some of her misgivings. His sister was dead, but he knew nothing could bring her back. He was looking to the future rather than poisoning his life by constantly stoking his anger at past injustices, and perhaps the most significant proof that he was looking toward the future was his wanting to marry her.
The more she thought about marrying Russ, the more she liked the idea. He was a man of action, a man who held strong convictions and backed them up. His time in prison had resulted from trying to avenge his sister’s honor. She was certain he’d be equally ready to defend his wife, which would be a change from her own family. She was also impressed that he’d been able to establish a ranch in the teeth of such fierce opposition.
Then there was the not inconsiderable fact that he was so handsome she felt keyed up whenever she was
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