Emerald Valley

CHAPTER 15

Sitting in his office chair, Mason Coby glared at Bryce. "William Deluce and Jake Brady are in town? How the hell do you know that?"

"Boss, I just come from getting' your new hat," Bryce said. "I saw a friend in the street, an' he pointed 'em out as they went into the Nugget."

"What else do you know?" Coby snapped. "Why are they here?"

"I don't know nothin' else. I just saw 'em is all."

"Well then, get out of here!"

After Bryce left the office, Coby stared at the side door. He banged his fist on the desk and growled out loud to himself, "Why are Deluce and Brady here?" He'd been evading the Pinkertons for years. He didn't think they knew he was here, but what if they did? He had to find out why they were in Grand Junction.

Coby slowly got out of his chair, painfully hobbled up the two steps and went outside. He rang the triangle on the post, then slowly made it back to his desk.

Shortly, Rory's muscular form stood in the open door. "You want me?"

"Find out why those Pinkertons are in town."

"Okay, Boss." Rory left, pulling the door shut.

As she silently descended the stairs, Francine could hear Bryce's whiny voice in her father's office. When she heard her father order Bryce out, she whisked into the kitchen. She had to go to Uncle Bill's ranch and find out what Dix and Kyle Chase knew about Uncle Bill's death. If they knew nothing, she might just ride to Palisade and return to Boston by train.

After adding some food to her traveling satchels, Francine heard her father ringing the triangle for Rory. She slipped out the back door, ran to the barn and hunkered in the dark behind a barrel of old horseshoes. Knowing Rory would soon need his horse, she waited until after his meeting with her father. In the darkness, Francine thought of Michael in Boston and longed for his strong arms to hold her.

Suddenly, Rory rushed into the barn. He quickly saddled his horse and rode toward town.

Francine rushed to the barn door and looked outside. Seeing no one, she ran to an arroyo and disappeared down its bank. She hurried along the ragged depression until it turned north, then climbed out and ran to the adjacent arroyo that headed east toward Woody's house and her mare, Matilda.

In bed in an upstairs room of the Nugget, Kyle grabbed for his pants on a nearby chair and fumbled for his pocket watch. The dial read 7:45. He groaned, dumped the watch on his pants and rolled over into Lake's open arms.

Lake kissed him and nestled against Kyle's naked body. "I love you."

Sliding his hand down Lake's butt, Kyle murmured, "I love you, too." He suddenly turned away. "I think I love Dix, too."

Lake laughed. "I'm sure I'll love his body like you do."

Knocking on the door startled them.

"Who is it?" Kyle growled.

"It's Rose, honey. Your time is up. You have to pay for more hours or leave. The ranch hands are getting into town and all these rooms will be busy."

"I already gave you another dollar," Kyle said. "That was four more hours."

"You did," Rose answered. "You used up one hour yesterday and had three hours left. Your seven hours are over."

Kyle looked at Lake. "I really should get back to the ranch." He grinned. "You're hired."

Lake kissed Kyle on the nose. "Thanks, Boss."

"We're leaving," Kyle hollered to Rose.

"Make up the bed," Rose said, then went to a door down the hall and knocked.

Sitting at a table in the dining room of the Elden Hotel, Wiley brushed crumbs off the white table cloth, then looked toward the door. "Jake, here comes Eli and Adam. Looks like they had a good time last night."

Jake eyed the approaching men. "Hell, looks like they been up all night."

Wiley chuckled. "That's what I meant."

When Eli and Adam reached the table, Jake grinned. "Hell, you're gonna fall asleep in the saddle today."

Eli slumped into a chair and sighed. "Adam and I haven't had such a good romp in years."

We're suh'clean we outta be white," Adam said. "In an' out of the tub, all night."

Eli winked at Wiley. "We're clean inside and out."

Wiley noticed a muscular man in a royal blue shirt approach the dining room doorway. The man searched the room. When his eyes met Wiley's he appeared shocked. When he looked at Jake, Wiley could almost hear his gasp. As he turned away, Wiley leaped out of his chair and rushed to the retreating man, grabbing his arm before he left the hotel.

Wiley spun the man around. "Who are you?"

"Uh..." He glared at Wiley's hand grasping his arm, then snarled, "Leave me be!"

Wiley pulled the man closer. "I asked who are you?"

Failing to yank his arm from Wiley's iron grip, the man sneered hatefully at Wiley. "Rory's the name. Who do you think you are?"

"By the look on your face in the doorway, you recognized Jake and me. Tell Coby we know he's here." Wiley released Rory's arm and placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "You might be criminally implicated just by working for him. Think about it. Jake and I are leaving for a few days, but we'll be back for Coby."

Wiley returned to the dining room. He glanced back and watched Rory hesitate a few moments before leaving the hotel.

"Who was that?" Jake asked as Wiley scooted his chair up to the table.

"Rory. He works for Mason Coby. He's probably the one who knocked Woody out."

Eli looked at the empty lobby, then said, "Adam and I changed the bandages on Woody's head last night. We told him to take it easy." He grinned at Adam. "But he was all over us...all night."

"I ain't never knowed a Darkie with muscles like 'im," Adam said.

"I'm glad you both had a good time," Wiley said. "However, Jake and I know where Klimp and Lester McKay are headed. In an hour, we're all boarding the train to Thompson Springs, Utah, the closest stop to Moab."

(Author's note: On-going adventures of Jake and Wiley can be found in the five-book series Legend of the Golden Feather)