What if the man was dead? How would he feel about him then?
A sigh escaped him as they rode on.
The bull was housed on the other side of town. It wasn’t long until they were at the rancher’s house. He came out to greet them and Wesley and Anthony jumped out of the wagon.
“Good afternoon,” a younger gentleman said. “Are you here about the bull?”
“Yes,” Anthony said.
There was something about the man that was familiar to Wesley, but he couldn’t remember where he’d met him.
While the man and Anthony discussed a price, a woman came to the door. Suddenly she flew off the porch and ran as fast as she could toward Wesley.
His heart leaped in his chest and he rushed toward her.
“Beth,” he cried.
“Wesley,” she said.
He lifted her into his arms and she clung to him.
“I thought you were dead,” she said. “After that fight and Papa walking away from you, we all believed you were dead.”
For a moment, he just held her, enjoying the feel of his sweet sister in his arms. “No, Anthony saved me. He took me to a doctor. Come meet him.”
Taking her by the hand, he led her to Anthony and Pearl, who was giving Beth a look that clearly warned her to stay away from her man.
“Beth, meet my wife, Pearl,” he said. “Beth is my sister.”
Pearl gasped and Anthony turned to stare. “And this is Anthony, the man who saved me that awful day.”
Beth took his hands into hers. “Thank you. All this time, I thought my brother was dead. He said you saved him, and for that, I can’t thank you enough.”
Wesley wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “And who is this man?”
“This is Jimmy, my husband,” she said. “We’re expecting our first in seven months.”
The rancher smiled and walked over to Wesley. “Nice to meet you. Why don’t you come in the house and we can talk about the bull and catch up.”
“I’d like that,” Wesley said, wanting to find out what happened all those years ago.
As they walked to the house, Wesley couldn’t wait any longer. “Is there a price on my head?”
She laughed. “Not any longer. One of the men from that day came forward and told the marshal what happened. Then it came out that Papa was taking the money from the bounties and even having the prisoners pay their fines to him which he pocketed. He’s no longer sheriff.”
A sense of relief filled Wesley. The hatred of his father still gripped him, but at least there was not a wanted poster with a picture of him hanging on the wall in every law office in the state.
“Thank God,” he said. “What about everyone else?”
“They’re still living on the old farm, though Papa has become a drunk. And he’s not in good health.” She shook her head. “He’s even meaner than before, so stay away from him.”
As much as his father had done to him, the thought of him dying hurt and that surprised him. Why would that matter? He’d killed his mother and done his best to destroy Wesley’s life.
“Are you happy?” he asked.
“Very,” she said. “What about you?”
“My life is wonderful,” he said. “Thanks to Anthony and Pearl. I couldn’t be happier.”