Chapter Eight
The air was sharp and electrical, and so were nerves. The mountain of looming dark clouds looked as torn paper across the sky. They set to putting up the storm shutters over the windows. Sam introduced himself to Tully proper, and Marie-Rose about lost an ear listening. Sam said only that he'd been searching for his brother and was grateful to the end of his days to Tully for putting them together. Tully said he knew from the way they talked. Sam had his hand on Tully's shoulder as they spoke, and Tully glowed. The snippets of conversation she caught as they went about their business was regarding the nature of older brothers. Sam took up watch at the entrance; Tully was stationed at the kitchen door. Not a horse or citizen was seen on the street. It was dark enough for lights to be seen from windows, but none showed except down towards the Crystal Springs and the buildings beside it. So all of Gilead wasn't a ghost town just yet, just this end of it.
After a few minutes, Sam called to them from the street. Sheriff Buell and Dean were riding up at a gallop.
Sam stepped outside, meeting them beside the water trough. Marie-Rose watched them from the doorway, still holding her six-gun. The sky was intimidating, no real rain yet but wind and lightning flashes. Buell spoke a few curt words, glancing at the Astoria and pointing back down the road. Sam nodded. Dean pulled his rifle out and checked it over. Sam stepped close, putting his hand on Blackie's bridle. Dean leaned down, spoke hurriedly, but as Sam raised an objection, Buell and Dean exchanged nods. They put heels to horse rode off, Buell to the south, Dean to the north. Sam drummed a fist against his hip, staring hard at their backs, brow furrowed, mouth tight.
"Born worrier, that boy," Lisabet opined.
"Hard to part with him so soon after finding him," said Marie-Rose.
Sam exhaled and came back to the ladies. "Let's get back inside."
"What's happening, Sam?" Marie-Rose stood where she was, and Sam nearly walked right into her. There was a rumble of thunder from the sky, matching his expression. As she stood unmoved, thus did everyone else.
Sam considered, and spoke carefully. "O'Malley is down at the sheriff station with Deputy Randall, guarding the gang that attacked Dean. There've been a few other incidents."
"Incidents?"
"Well… other disturbances, in town and around the area. We'd really better get inside. Please." Trying so hard not to upset them, wasn't that sweet?
She granted him that much, and turned back into the saloon so fast her dress caught on the swinging door.
Tully ran in from the back. "I heard horses."
Once inside, she turned right back to Sam.
"What is going on? Where is Beull haring off to alone?"
"To see Cade Belrose. Look as though he's responsible for all this. He's going to deal with it." Sam sounded right unhappy.
"Deal with what? Deal with it how? Why was that crowbait Spinks after your brother? Juke said something about 'orders.'"
"I think that was just an accident. I don't have all the answers, Miss Rose. The missing people, the recent acts of violence, it's all connected."
"'Recent acts of violence?' You mean people acting crazy?"
"Yes, it's part of Belrose and Hughes fighting a private war."
"They've been going at each for nigh a year," Tully said.
Marie-Rose said, "But that was all commerce and competition, nothing to do with the rest of this strangeness. It's been more than just heat crazy all summer."
"Like I said, I don't have the answers, Miss Rose. Look, we need to board up the saloon. They think there's going to be an attempt on the jail, there may be gunfire."
"To let loose Belrose's men?"
"I don't know, just what they said just now."
"An attempt on the jail in the offing and Beull is heading out to corral Belrose alone?" Marie-Rose wound her fingers in her dress.
"Looks that way."
"Pumpkinhead mule! Why wasn't your brother going with him?" Why weren't you?
"He's going to stop the jail break, he says."
"Oh, all on his lonesome, too?"
"Yeah." He looked fretful out the saloon door into the purpling evening. "Same breed of mule."
They both looked angrily into the distance for a moment. As she had more practice at being left without answers, she gathered herself up and shook off her anger.
"And what are you supposed to doing?"
"Sheriff Buell says we should get you packed up and on the road to Harbine."
"Does he now?" In his distraction, he didn't hear her voice drop a good bit lower in pitch.
"Yes, with all this trouble, and he'd feel a lot better if you out of harm's way." He nodded to include Clara and Lisabet, leaving out Tully, considerate in the same way his brother was. He looked so solemn, and then troubled as she was so unperturbed.
"Well, that's right nice of him. There's stew on, when did you eat?"
"This is serious, Miss Rose." His earnest and emotional eyes pleaded with her, and she understood how Dean was unsusceptible to doe-eyed Tully.
"So's that stew," said Tully from the doorway, earning a loving scowl from Marie-Rose.
Sam's jaw was fixing in a way she recognized. Men. She sighed. Glanced at Lisabet and Clara, who were observing Sam indulgently, Tully standing by the door, watching the road, one ear on the conversation inside. Sam looked to be hiding his concern, and being stern, and wasn't he a precious thing for it?
"Tell me, Sam, is Sheriff Buell heading for Harbine?"
"No, but… it would be safer—"
"In a buckboard on the open road?"
"Well…"
"In the pouring rain? No, thank you."
"If you get on the road now—"
"We'll be in mud ruts three miles out of town, easy pickings for God knows who."
The wind was going out of his sails. "We should at least get the girls and Tully…" He stopped. Sam looked at each of them in turn. Tully smiled back and gave a tiny shake of his head. Sam worked his jaw.
"And the King won't leave," Sam said with resignation.
"Beg pardon?" Marie-Rose said.
"Nevermind." Sam sighed, and then nodded to her. "We'd better batten down the hatches." She looked askance as he moved into action. Boy has a strange way with words.
He and Tully secured the shutters over the windows and the barn-door panels behind the ornate swinging gates of the saloon entrance. Once set to work, Sam suffused the air with assurance and confidence, and had a hand for each arm, a quiet fortifying word for each ear, and for Tully, a wink. He surveyed the building, noting each door locked, each window bolted. He suggested lights be kept to the absolute minimum and everyone gather upstairs for safety in case gunfire in the street came close.
As they regathered in the saloon, Tully asked, "What did you mean about a king, Sam? Gilead don't even have a mayor."
Sam smiled. "During a war in England, they wanted to send the princesses out of the country to safety. The Queen said 'the children won't leave without me, I won't leave without the King, and the King won't leave.'"
Marie-Rose looked up from where she was putting bottles down under the bar, and met Sam's eyes for two ticks of the clock. No one had laid a card on her since she was a girl. She'd never laid one on herself. Gave her a chill. They finished securing the building as best they could in silence. The back door only had a simple throw bolt, but she wasn't about to nail shut a door they may need to run out of.
At last Marie-Rose, Clara and Lisabet beside her, stood by the bar. She checked the clock, then looked at Sam. Thirty full minutes it had been since his brother had ridden off alone, and here Sam still stood. He was staring at the door, looking away, then right back to it. Marie-Rose was impressed at his fortitude.
Tully came in from the kitchen wearing hat and coat, cinching a gun belt that hung low on his thin frame.
"Tully?" Sam asked. "You going somewhere?"
Tully looked surprised at the question. "With you, to find your brother."
"I wasn't…" Sam looked dismayed because of course he was, and then tried for strict. "I need you here to protect the ladies…" He looked to those ladies, the women of the Astoria, waiting patiently for this show of gentlemanly honor to play out, each holding a firearm, Lisabet holding two. Marie-Rose was wiping down the bar with her free hand.
He chewed his lower lip, looking at Tully.
"I know the town and the people," Tully said, "and you don't. And he's going up against a war party." He settled the gun belt and pushed his hair behind his ears before snugging his hat to settle the matter. He went towards the door.
Sam, with that troubled brow, glanced at Marie-Rose, but she jerked her head toward the door.
"Come back in one piece, boys," she said. She held Sam's eye, extracting a promise.
Sam thanked the ladies with a heart-melter of a look and followed Tully. As they pulled the storm door aside, he turned to give final instructions about securing bolts and dimming the lights and Marie-Rose shoved him outside.
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