Chapter 16

Preston wiped his hands on a towel. He'd taken the bullet out of Frank and was sure his brother would recover. After seeing his brother's torso, he saw that this wasn't the first time the man had been shot. Seems his little brother had been up to no good. Then again, maybe he had been shot in the line of duty.

There was a knock on the door. He opened it to see his mother leaning against the wall. "Preston, how is Frank?"

"You shouldn't be up."

"That's my baby in there. Is he going to be all right?"

"Yes, I think so. He's a strong young man." Preston took his mother's arm and led her back to her room. "I want you to rest." He settled her in bed and pulled up a blanket. "I'm going to buy the property for my practice. I want to move you there to see if that helps. I can't find anything wrong with you and thought maybe it's the water or air. Anyway, it's worth a try."

"Oh, Preston. I don't want to leave my home. If that were true, why wouldn't everyone be sick?"

"Nobody else stays here all day and night. You rarely leave the house." He patted her hand.

"Then why wouldn't I have been sick years ago? This started maybe six months ago."

He sighed. "I'm not sure. It's just something I want to try to see if I can get you well."

She smiled. "You're the doctor. I'm so glad you're home. I wish you and your father could make amends. He's so angry all the time. Ernst is about ready to leave and go to California."

Preston thought about Millie and frowned.

"Something wrong, Son?"

"I was going to take Millie to dinner but ran into Frank, and you know how that ended. That's twice I've let her down."

Mother sighed. "Father won't be pleased that you're seeing a Burnett."

"I have thought about her for four years, Mother. It's time I took care of my personal life. When we were children, Millie was always the girl I was going to marry."

His mother smiled at him. "Dear Preston. You're going to have to talk to the girl. There's a lot of difference between a girl in childhood and a young woman. For what it is worth, you have my blessing. Father, well, he is another story."

"Right now, I don't know if Millie will speak to me after running out on her twice. But I had to take care of Frank." Preston rubbed a hand through his hair. "I need to make things right with her tomorrow."

"I hope you will try to make things right with your father as well."

"I'll talk with him, but I'm not a child any longer. I have my own ideas and thoughts." Preston had no desire to lock horns with his father tonight.

"Preston!" His father's loud voice echoed in the hallway.

"Well, I guess I'll have a talk with him." He left his mother's room and looked down the hall. He gave his father a frown. "Frank is sleeping."

"Sleeping! That boy. He needs a whip put to him." Father came from the stairs. "I come home, and no one is there to greet me."

"Mother is resting, and Frank is recovering from surgery. I had to take a bullet out of his side just an hour ago."

"A bullet! What did he do now?"

"Father, did it ever occur to you that Frank is innocent? The man works for the Pinkertons and, as a matter of fact, is looking into the mine and some shady dealings that concern your welfare."

"Shot?" Trouble lines marked Father's forehead. "Who shot him?"

"We couldn't see. I was out with the sleigh, and Frank stopped me. We were talking, and someone shot him. I got him home and took the bullet out. He should be all right." Preston was relieved to see the care that Father was showing for Frank.

"I'll get some men on it right away." Father tilted his head. "Looking into the mines, you say?"

"Yes, sir. It might be time to check on the manager. Even when I was there, I got the feeling he was keeping the books away from me. The mine has made so much money that even if he took money off the top, you wouldn't know. In fact, you and Mr. Burnett would be wise to make a united effort when dealing with the two managers. I heard them arguing together, and they threatened Frank."

Father walked down the stairs, gesturing for him to follow. "I've been thinking about that since you told me. The amount of money coming into my bank has decreased over the years. It's still much more than we need to live on, but it's enough to become disturbing."

Preston nodded. "When you talk to Frank, you might ask him about the nugget. I think he knows where it is."

Surprise flooded Father's face. "That boy. I should have guessed. I questioned him at the time, but he was full of mischief." Father slapped the desk. "I'll talk to him and then send an apology to Raul Burnett. I accused him of taking it."

Preston walked to his father and patted his shoulder. "Great. I would like to see you end the feud. I told you the other night I still want to ask Millie to court her. Probably marry her if she'll have me."

"That seems abrupt. You haven't seen her in years."

"She was the main reason I came back to Denver." Preston was surprised at the wellspring of feelings that rose inside him as he said the words. He cared for Millie more than he realized. Now, after not being there for her twice in a week, he wondered if she'd have anything to do with him.

Father was marking on a sheet of paper. "The more I think about it, the more I believe I need to talk to Mullins."

"Don't go alone. Take some strong men with you. Armed too. I'm sure if they didn't shoot Frank, they at least hired someone to do it."

Slamming his fist against his desk, Father nodded. "I don't let anyone do my own fighting. I expect you to go with me."

Preston stared at his father. "Tomorrow, I want to see Millie and buy the house for my practice. The following day, I will go with you."

"I need to go tomorrow." Father stared at him, daring him to deny his family duty.

With a sigh, Preston gave in. "All right. We'll talk with Mullins tomorrow, but I think we need to talk to Burnett, too."

Father growled. "I don't want to talk to him."

"What if the managers count on you and Raul never talking to one another? I'll go with you if we stop at Burnett's and take him with us. Bring your ledgers so you can compare them with Raul's."

With a heavy sigh, Father nodded. "I know this day has been coming. That they shot Frank is proof I need to do something. It can't get more drastic than talking to Raul. We'll leave early in the morning."

Preston was relieved his father agreed. At the same time, he had his own Burnett to mend differences with. He prayed Millie would let him apologize.