Chapter 18

Chapter

Eighteen

On his way back to the Godwin ranch, Joshua decided to take the route he and his brothers used when they were little and liked to play along the creek—even if it would take him a little longer to get home. He didn’t much care for the idea of anyone seeing him leave the Hatchett ranch and preferred to avoid the road. As much as he pretended to pay attention to Silas and do his bidding when his father ordered him to, the man gave him the creeps. Joshua was not looking forward to being his brother-in-law.

He was riding along, not really paying attention, when his horse stepped into some difficult footing and made squishy, splashing noises. Looking down, he noticed that where it used to be pastureland for grazing, it now looked more like a rice paddy. The land was flooded!

“How can this be?” he wondered aloud. “ Our ranch is dry as a bone!” They were having lots of trouble with the lack of water and assumed it was because of the dry season and poor run-off. Curious, he prowled around the perimeter of this new swampy area he’d never seen before and finally found its cause.

“That dirty, rotten sidewinder Silas Hatchett!” he spat out. “He’s gone and built a dam and cut off most of our water supply!” He could see that where there used to be a rushing stream, there was now a weak trickle heading to his family’s ranch. Quickly, he reined his horse around and headed for drier terrain. He’d have to use the road after all or risk getting his horse stuck in the soggy land. He was carefully picking his way through a thicket of trees when he saw none other than Silas Hatchett himself barreling along on his sweaty horse, spurring the animal viciously as they galloped by.

Joshua was fairly certain he hadn’t been spotted. He hoped. He wasn’t sure where Silas was headed, but he prayed it wasn’t their ranch. He had to get home and tell his pa what was going on. He peeked out from behind a massive boulder, waiting until he couldn’t see Silas and his horse anymore. Then he was torn. Should he go back and get Eden’s friend or continue on and tell his pa?

“Oh, hell,” he muttered. “I hate that man almost as much for biting me as I hate Silas, so he can get his own self outta trouble.” He headed for home at a brisk pace.

He was nearly back to the family ranch when he spied Silas again. He pulled up sharply on his horse’s reins and moved off the road, observing Silas. He was standing next to his horse talking to a man Joshua didn’t recognize. He could see something small change hands, and then the stranger held out his hand with an impatient “gimme” attitude. Silas dropped some coins into the man’s hand.

“Oh no!” Joshua whispered to himself. Silas had remounted his horse and was now heading back in his direction. There was absolutely nowhere to hide. He’d have to think fast. Instead of turning around and running, Joshua proceeded toward Silas in a leisurely fashion and tried to adopt a carefree attitude. He grinned at Silas and called out, “Fancy seeing you again this morning so soon.”

Silas narrowed his eyes and glared at Joshua, asking, “Why didn’t I pass you? Where have you been?”

“Oh, you did pass me, and I must say, ol’ Rusty there’s a fast one!”

“I didn’t pass you. I’d have seen you.”

Joshua tried to laugh and make it sound authentic. “I’m glad you didn’t see me—it woulda been embarrassing. I had to dismount and take care of my morning constitutional, if you know what I mean. I was so miserable I couldn’t ride another step until I emptied myself, so I found a grove of trees over yonder.” He waved his hand in a vague manner in the opposite direction of the dammed-up stream. “Taking care of business took a lot longer than I expected. See, I wasn’t feeling so good actually. But now I’m fine, and I’ll be home in a couple a minutes. So, I guess I’ll be seeing you later.” He gave his horse a good nudge in the ribs and took off at a lope. He didn’t want to stick around any longer to see what Silas might have to say. Fortunately, he was close to home. As soon as he arrived, he saw the man Silas had paid handing a piece of paper over to Eden at the door. The stranger tipped his hat and kept walking away from the ranch. Mrs. Godwin called him back and handed him half a loaf of bread. The man spoke to her with a smile and a nod and left once more.

Not wanting to waste another moment, Joshua headed toward the bunkhouse and saw one of the hands on his way out pulling on a pair of gloves. “I need to speak to my parents right away. It’s an emergency. Can you take care of my horse?” he asked the man.

“Oh, well, sure. I forgot my gloves, but I was just going to meet up with your father. He’s in the barn. I’ll let him know you need him.”

“Thanks!” Joshua jogged off toward the house.

Inside, he found his sister sitting red-eyed and confused, staring at a piece of paper. She looked up quickly and glared at her brother. “I hope you have nothing to do with this, Josh!”

“I don’t know what you have there, but as soon as Pa comes in, I have to tell all of you something bad.” He saw his sister go as pale as a sheet and added, “Your friend was still kicking when I saw him last, so I don’t think Silas has hurt him—well, not yet anyway.”

“Something is very, very wrong!” Eden hollered at him. “Nico sent me a nonsensical note saying he’s leaving, and he thinks I’ll be happy with that horrible old man! He knows better!”

Her father stomped into the house just as she complained about Silas, and he glared at her. “You shut your mouth, Eden!” he shouted. “That man may be the only way we can keep this ranch going, and you owe it to us to help in the way we agreed!”

“ You agreed! No one considered asking me!”

“ Shut up, both of you !” Joshua screamed at them. “Listen to me! This is an emergency!”

His mother, father, and sister were dumbfounded by his outburst and stared at him with wide eyes. Joshua was not known for being outspoken; he was always the one who took orders without question.

“Silas tricked us, Pa. I just saw that he dammed up the creek. That part of his land is nearly flooded, and the stream is barely trickling through to our land. We don’t have a water problem at all. We have a Silas Hatchett problem! This was just another way to guarantee he’d get Eden. He was probably planning to cut off the water completely and starve us out so he could buy the property for nothing. Then he’d have Eden and our ranch. On top of that, he kidnapped Nick… Nicko… or whatever his name is, and he’s got him tied up in his barn, and I think he means to kill him. I hope to hell that isn’t gonna happen even if he did bite me.”

Eden screwed up her face. “Nico bit you?”

“Well, yeah. Let’s just say, he probably felt he had a reason for it, and I’m sorry, Sis. I never shoulda helped Silas. I truly thought it was the only way to save the ranch.” He looked at his pa. “We have to get Nico away from that crook. I don’t like the rumors about how his wife died suddenly, and I don’t trust Hatchett. At. All.”

“We need the sheriff,” Mrs. Godwin said. “Right away.”

“I still have calves to deliver!” Mr. Godwin bellowed.

Bellowing right back at him, his wife argued, “You’re not going to have a ranch left at all if you let that man continue to take advantage of you, so let the hands take care of the calves, and go fetch the sheriff! You can’t let Silas hurt Nico.”

“I’ll go get the sheriff, and you go find Nico and get him away from Silas!” Eden demanded. “Go now! If so much as one hair on that man’s head is harmed, I’ll hold you responsible for the rest of your lives. I love him and he’s the father of my baby !” With an instinctive protectiveness, she hugged her belly.

Mr. Godwin’s face turned a nasty shade of purple and he raised his hand at Eden, but his wife grabbed his arm and cried out, “Don’t you even dare!” Glaring at him she added, “What would you have done if my pa had hit me for loving you? Think about that!”

Godwin had the grace to look at least a little chastised, and he lowered his hand. “I thought we raised you better than that, girl,” he added anyway. His wife scoffed at him, and Eden glowered.

“I will love and marry whomever I please! And it sure isn’t going to be Silas Hatchett,” she nearly shouted. “I am not your property to sell like livestock!” Her chest heaved with emotion as she glared at her father. “Now I’m going to go grab one of the horses and fetch the sheriff to take him back to Hatchett’s ranch. I expect to see you and my brothers there when I get back. Nico does not deserve to pay for the mistake you made of putting your trust in that horrible man, so do your duty and try to make sure he’s not harmed. Go now !”

“She makes a good point, Abner,” Mrs. Godwin said to her husband. “It’s not Nico’s fault, and he’s caught up in a dangerous situation.”

“Stop wasting time! I’m leaving,” Eden cried. She rushed out the door toward the barn.

“Damned Silas!” Abner grumbled. “He was just supposed to get Nico off the ranch, not hurt him!”

“You better take your pistol,” Mrs. Godwin said.