“General Sheridan is supposed to be dropping in on us any day now to see how she’s doing. Maybe you’d like to stay around and say hello to him. I hear he’s a mighty powerful man. Knowing him could make a world of difference in your career.”
“I thought you hated Yankees,” George said to Monty after the lieutenant and his men had headed back to Austin. “I never thought you’d hide behind one.”
“I’m not hiding, but I don’t see any sense in not using what’s right in front of us. There’s going to be more trouble with the McClendons. They won’t let it lie. We don’t need the army on our backs as well.”
“You think they’ll try again?”
“They never did a day’s work I know of. They’re not going to sit back and let us take the food out of their mouths.”
Rose didn’t feel comfortable with Silas. She didn’t have a reason for it, and that made her feel a little guilty. He seemed to be watching her. He was supposed to. That’s why George had left him at the house, but he wasn’t watching her like Ben or Ted or either of the new men George had taken on since the McClendon raid.
He watched her furtively. No, that wasn’t it. He did it openly. It was like he was waiting for her to do something. Only she had no idea what.
“Not much to do around here,” he said.
“Not much for you,” Rose replied. He had watched her being rushed off her feet all morning. Offering a helping hand wasn’t Silas Pickett’s idea of how to treat a woman. He sat at his ease close to the door so he could keep a watch for anyone coming into the yard, his chair leaned back against the door jamb, his feet on the bottom rung. She had a momentary hope the chair would slide out from under him, then felt guilty for harboring such an uncharitable thought.
“I’m surprised George makes you work at all. Most men with a lot of gold stashed away would take their wife and head for Austin, or maybe New Orleans, and take it easy. Not live in this godforsaken briar patch and break his back for a pack of crazy wild cows.”
Rose was preparing the second of two wild pigs for roasting. Monty was taking out his anger at the McClendons on the local wildlife. In the last week they had dined on deer, antelope, turkey, pig, and rabbit. If there hadn’t been so many men to feed each day, most of the meat would have gone to waste.
“Neither one of us likes living in town,” Rose told him.
“What’s the point of saving all that money for your children? Seems like his brothers don’t want it either.”
“I don’t know what your idea of money is, but I don’t consider a few gold pieces anything to get excited over. The way my supplies are disappearing, that won’t last us more than a few more months.”
“I don’t mean a handful of gold. I mean boxes of it. Thousands upon thousands of coins.”
“You must have a very active imagination to think George would have any way of getting that kind of money. They lost everything in the war.”
“I guess he hasn’t told you, then.”
“Hasn’t told me what?”
Rose didn’t like the way Silas was looking at her. It wasn’t very friendly. In fact, it was downright antagonistic.
“Men usually tell their wives. They won’t tell another man, but they need to tell someone. It’s no good if nobody knows. Of course, maybe he doesn’t want his brothers to know. Wants it all for himself.”
“I think you’ve been out in the sun too long. Your wits are addled.”
“Of course, he could be waiting. It wouldn’t be advisable to turn up rolling in riches all at once. A much better idea to seem to have gotten it from a cattle ranch. Rather clever man, your husband.”
“I think George is remarkably clever,” Rose said, “but I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about. Now unless you mean to help me with this meat, I wish you’d go find Zac. That boy can vanish faster than an icicle in a hot stove.”
“I’ll get him in a minute. I don’t want him just yet.”
Something in his voice warned Rose that things had changed, that the situation could become dangerous.
“What do you want?” She made sure she had a firm grip on the knife she had been using. It was sharp enough to cut through sinew, gristle, or small bones.
“I want to know what your husband has done with all that gold.”
“What is this fixation you have with gold? Is it because of the gold they spent in Austin? It wasn’t much, and it’s almost gone.”
“I’m talking about a half million dollars in gold.”