The Fire in Ember - DiAnn Mills [95]
“What do you have to say for yourself?” John’s face hardened, and he tightened his grip on Simon.
Mark drew back his fist. Aaron clutched a wicked looking knife, and Evan held a rope from the front porch while Leah positioned Davis behind her.
“Ember, you don’t have to kill him.” Leah’s gentle voice reached deep into Bert’s soul.
“The man’s not worth you being his judge and executor,” John said. “Let the law handle this.”
Bert swallowed a rock-size lump in her throat. No doubt all of the Timmonses despised her for not telling them sooner about Simon’s deception. She watched Evan step behind Simon and wrap a rope around his wrists.
“Move away,” Bert said. “He doesn’t deserve to live.”
“Put the rifle down.” Leah touched her back, a comfort while her heart twisted with revenge.
Was she no better than her brothers?
Slowly she lowered the rifle and handed it to Leah. Simon stared at Bert with the rabid, murderous stare she’d come to recognize. “You heard me that day in Rocky Falls and again here. No matter what happens to me, hell is going to burst open. You’re cursed, little sister.”
“You’ve gotten too cocky, too greedy,” she said. “The stealing is over. The murdering is over. You’re wanted throughout the state for what you’ve done to folks, and I will tell every lawman I meet what I know. Including all about Clint and Lester. And I’m not cursed.”
“The Farrar brothers,” Wirt said. “Heard about you boys some time ago. Makes me real proud to be a part of bringing you in.”
Bert stared at John until she captured his attention. “I’m … I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before.”
“You’re so stupid.” Simon continued to struggle against John’s hold and the rope tying his wrists. “I’ll slit your throat myself.”
John whirled Simon around and laid a fist into his jaw. “Only a coward picks on a woman.” He grabbed Simon by the shirt collar and hit him again, sending the man sprawling to the floor. Mark jerked Simon to his feet, and John raised his fist again.
“Enough, John,” Wirt called. “He’s only trying to prove he’s in control by aggravating you. We’ll see how much he brags sittin’ in jail.”
Bert didn’t realize she was shaking until dizziness threatened to overtake her. She slid back onto a chair. Leah bent and placed an arm around her shoulder. The touch meant so much, and she nearly gave in to a wave of tears. Simon would never hurt anyone again.
Not even her.
CHAPTER 44
John rode back home close to midnight. Simon Farrar was locked in jail, and he hadn’t stopped cussing and threatening. The whereabouts of Clint and Lester Farrar remained a mystery, but Simon might talk another tune in the morning. Obviously he’d evaded the law for so long that he thought the law owed him. The situation reminded John of the desperation he’d seen a few years ago in the McCaw gang. The longer John pondered the matter, the more he believed some folks felt like they were entitled to what they hadn’t worked for.
John also suspected another kind of abuse, and the thought made him want to kill Simon with his bare hands. He remembered when Ember flinched at his touch.
Why hadn’t he seen Simon’s treachery? The circumstances filled him with anger and contempt for himself. There he was, the one in charge of protecting his family, and he’d been blind. Never again.
Studying law entered his thoughts. Having the cattle rustlers and murders handled had taken a load off his mountain of worries, but his and Ember’s future, possibly law school, and the responsibility he felt toward Mama and his brothers still seemed overwhelming. Wirt and Mama would marry for sure, but seeing John’s younger brothers through school was John’s job.
He took a deep breath and stared up at the star-studded sky. How long had he yearned for someone to talk to, and God had been there all along? He’d been stubborn, praying but not listening.