The Fire in Ember - DiAnn Mills [79]
Leah fumed. She didn’t know any more than before. “Should I know about any of what happened between you two?”
“Nope,” John said. “Just brother stuff.”
Then why won’t Ember look at or talk to you?
John stretched in his saddle and peered ahead of them. “Is that Wirt heading this way?”
Leah’s heart did a flip, and she stared toward the lone rider on the painted gelding. She recognized the horse, and she sure recognized the rider.
“Wonder what he wants?” Mark said. “Hope there isn’t trouble again.”
Leah hadn’t considered trouble, only that Wirt might be on his way to see her. Once he made his way to them, he greeted her but nothing more.
“What brings you to the 5T?” John said.
Wirt leaned on his saddle horn. He sure had a grand way of carrying himself. At that thought, she sensed color rising in her cheeks. One would think she had been touched in the head.
“I wanted to talk to you about a few things.” He glanced at Leah then back to John. “Not exactly anything I’d want to discuss in front of Miss Leah. When would be a good time to come back?”
“Nonsense,” Leah said. “Mark and I can ride on together.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” John said.
Leah nodded at Mark. “I’ll race you to the river.”
“And you’ve already lost.” Mark dug his heels into the gelding’s flanks and took off with Leah right behind him.
“My horse is faster than yours.”
They raced over the pastureland alongside tall spindly bushes of wildflowers, yellow daises with black centers. This was another part of being a mama that she’d one day relive in memories. But for now, she’d leave John and Wirt alone and hope it didn’t mean trouble.
CHAPTER 36
John and Wirt watched Mama and Mark leave clods of dirt in their wake. The two men walked their horses back toward the ranch.
“What’s going on?” John said. “Can’t believe you’d ride all this way for a social call.” He paused. “Well, yeah, you would.” Granted, he didn’t mind Wirt showing up at the ranch, but how did he feel about him courting Mama?
“Partly. I have something else to talk about, but not at the moment. I wanted to tell you what I learned from Victor Oberlander.”
John didn’t like the sound of those words. Every day that had gone by without an incident from the cattle ranchers made John more nervous. He’d seen too much to think trouble had ridden off.
“Do you remember when we took Hawkins’ body to the Wide O and questioned the whereabouts of a couple of his ranch hands?” Wirt said.
“Right, I was curious about where they were since they rode with Leon the day I stopped Bert’s hanging. Those two had motive to kill Hawkins since he and I humiliated them. But Oberlander claimed they were with cattle on the free range.”
Wirt scratched his jaw where stubble covered his normally shaven face. “I stopped by earlier today to see if they’d returned or if there was a way to talk to either of them. Oberlander tells me both men have disappeared, and about twenty more head are missing.”
John’s suspicions had surfaced. “The rustlers saw they’d gotten away with stealin', and now they’re back to make more money. So it looks like the three men involved in the attempted hanging got into the cattle rustlin’ business.” Did Bert know the three who tried to hang her? “And one of the missing ranch hands was the first to open fire on Leon.”
“Possibly four men are involved.”
“And one of them decided to eliminate Leon. But—”
“What?”
John thought through the rest of his suspicions. “I’d like to find them, either alive or dead.”
“So would Oberlander.”
“Let’s ride over to the Wide O and see if he’ll accompany us on a search party.” John’s mind spun with more of what he’d been thinking. “Neither of those ranch hands acted smart enough to pull off this big of an operation.”
Wirt took a deep breath. “Ever think about being a US Marshal?”
Close thought. “A few times. Mainly I’m interested in law.” He chuckled, but nothing was really funny. “Odd, I’ve never admitted that to anyone. I’d be obliged if you’d keep it to yourself. Folks around here think I’m a born and bred rancher.”
“Don’t wait too long to pursue