everything going on in that cabin, Ben Callahan sure as hell fit the bill.
'All right, I'm going,' Callahan growled after a moment. 'But this isn't over, Aurora. One of these days, you're going to come to your senses.'
'Not if it means selling my company to you. Now, get out of here. Good-bye, Ben.'
Longarm heard some more muttering from Callahan. Then the door of the cabin opened and shut. He heard Callahan stomp around a little before a horse trotted off. Callahan hadn't gone graciously.
The oilcloth over the window was pushed aside, and Aurora said, 'You can come back in now, Marshal.'
'After what we've been through together, you ought to call me Custis,' Longarm told her as he climbed in through the window. 'And how'd you know I was still out here? I could have sneaked off.'
'I just figured you waited to hear what was going to happen. I never saw a lawman who wasn't curious.'
Longarm grinned. 'Guilty as charged. And Callahan may be too.'
'What do you mean by that?' asked Aurora.
'I mean, didn't it ever occur to you that maybe Callahan is the one who's hurting your operation? It makes more sense than blaming everything on Kinsman and the Diamond K. Callahan and his men would know a lot more about how to ruin things for loggers than a bunch of cowboys would.'
Aurora shook her head. 'That's ridiculous. Ben would never do such a thing, regardless of any hostility he might feel toward me. He's too much of a gentleman.'
Longarm suppressed a snort of disbelief. From what he had seen and heard of the man, Callahan wouldn't stop at anything to get what he wanted--and what he wanted now was the Mcentire Timber Company.
'Did I hear you say that Callahan and your husband used to be partners?'
'Years ago,' Aurora replied with a nod. 'Before I even married Angus, in fact. Then, when he and I became engaged, I think that Ben seemed to regard it as a... a betrayal of sorts. He said he was going to form his own company and go his own way. Angus tried to talk him out of it, but there was no persuading Ben to change his mind.' She smiled wistfully. 'I don't think Ben likes me very much, and I always felt a little guilty about driving a wedge between him and Angus. They were good friends, good partners, before that.'
'Maybe you're letting that blind you to the fact that Callahan could be behind your troubles,' Longarm told her. 'Guilt can make you see things differently.'
Aurora laughed quietly. 'I don't feel that guilty. I loved Angus very much, and I've never regretted marrying him, no matter what other circumstances might have arisen from that. I just don't think Ben is capable of such violence.'
Longarm wasn't convinced. He and Aurora might have to agree to disagree on that point for the time being, however. He couldn't make a move against either Kinsman or Callahan without coming up with some proof first, solid evidence that not even Aurora could dispute.
At least he had another lead now, despite his lack of progress so far on the Diamond K. And that was where he needed to go now. Kinsman, Traywick, and the others were expecting him to come straight back to the ranch after the inquest in Timber City, and he had already delayed long enough. It had been a mighty pleasurable delay, of course, and maybe informative as well.
'I've got to be riding,' he told Aurora.
'Back to Kinsman's ranch?'
'That's right.'
'Even though you don't believe he's guilty?'
'I never said that,' Longarm pointed out. 'I said I wasn't completely convinced, that I hadn't found any proof either way just yet. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop looking.'
But he was going to be looking long and hard at Ben Callahan too, he added to himself.
As he started to turn away, Aurora stopped him by placing a hand on his arm. Her gaze was soft and warm as she looked at him and said, 'Be careful, Custis. We may not agree about everything, but you've already done so much for me.' She stepped forward and lifted her face to his for a brief kiss.
Longarm knew what she meant. He had reawakened a passion inside her that had been slumbering since the death of her husband. She had submerged herself in work, the business that had been built by Angus Mcentire. Longarm had brought her out of that for a few minutes, lifting her back to the surface so that she had emerged into the glorious sunlight of her own needs and desires. The hot urgency of her kiss made it clear that she was eagerly anticipating the next opportunity to repeat the experience--as was Longarm.
But for now he had his own business to tend to, so after a final embrace, he left the cabin without looking back and untied his horse's reins from the hitching post. Swinging up into the roan's saddle, he pointed the animal down the path that would take him back to the main trail. As he rode past the cookshack, the bald-headed old biscuit- shooter stepped out and lifted a hand in greeting. Longarm returned the wave, then put the lumber camp behind him.
He didn't see the sentries on his way back to the main trail. They had withdrawn into the timber to stand guard in case anyone bent on trouble tried to approach the camp. Of course, watching the trail was one thing, and Longarm didn't blame the loggers for posting sentries. But there were other ways to approach the camp, and they couldn't all be watched, not if any work had to get done. He felt a tingle of uneasiness. Other than the bushwhack attempt on his life, the last couple of days had been free of trouble.
That couldn't last, thought Longarm. Every instinct he had developed over a lot of dangerous years as a lawman told him SO.
Still, he wasn't expecting all hell to break loose quite so quickly.
He swung his mount back onto the main trail, then a few minutes later veered off it again when he came to the path leading to the headquarters of the Diamond K. This path led through a thick stand of timber, and though the day was sunny, the shadows were thick here underneath the boughs of the towering pines. Longarm breathed the fragrant air and thought about what he had learned today. He was convinced that Ben Callahan was a plausible
