Chapter Thirty-Nine
The trio rode into Grandy four evenings later. Eyes everywhere were immediately turned in their direction. Ance knew they made one hell of a sight. They were filthy, their clothes torn and stained with dirt and blood. Audrey's blond hair was a rats nest of tangles around her face and dirt smudged her freckled cheeks.
They were tired, wore down and each of them ready for a nice hot bath and a good nights rest on a real bed...which was strange since Ance had never in his life felt he needed a real bed.
But before baths and beds could be had, Ance needed to figure out if Rodger York was still in town. If the man was healing up and somewhere in Grandy, and if he caught sight of Audrey, things could go real far south real fast.
"Irish, take Audrey to the hotel and get her a room." Ance laid some money in Irish's outstretched hand. "Make sure you order a nice hot bath and I'll be along when I can."
"Ance, I want to come with you," Audrey argued.
Ance shook his head. "This man has gone out of his way to prove he's a danger to you and I won't have you running around this town looking for him when we have no idea where he's at."
Audrey's jaw locked stubbornly. "But..."
Ance rubbed the back of his neck roughly. "Now dammit, woman!" he exclaimed, drawing even more attention from those passing by. "Would you for once in our lives together not argue with me? I'm trying to keep you safe, for chrissakes! Now get your filthy ass to the hotel and wait on me while I see to the business."
Audrey glared at him a moment longer before finally nodding. Ance turned his gaze to Irish who quickly led the cart away with Audrey sitting stiff-backed and mad as hell beside him.
Ance shook his head. That damn woman would be the death of him.
Ance wished he had a cigar but he'd long since run out of them. That would have to be another stop he made before returning to the hotel. But first he was going to pay a visit to the doctor.
As he made his way down the road, Ance was aware of the wide berth he was being given. He couldn't blame folks. His clothes were stained in dirt and blood and he no doubt smelled like the backend of a hog. Ance dismounted his mare, careful not to put all his weight on his leg, which was healing up quite well--hell he didn't even have to limp on it any longer and didn't when there was anyone around other than Irish or Audrey... weakness wasn't something he was willing to show to anyone else.
Ance walked up the rickety staircase to a door that bore the name 'Dr. Ramsey Habernacle'. Well that name was certainly a mouthful. Ance chuckled as he knocked twice and waited.
Footsteps neared the door and it was thrown open to reveal a sharply dressed, rather short man with a gold pocket watch chain tucked into his pocket, a gray top hat and a well groomed mustache. "Well don't just stand there," the man snapped. "I'm a busy man, what do you need? Are you injured? You smell dead!"
"I don't need anything myself, sawbones, I got my wounds tended to already. I'm actually looking for somebody and I heard tell he'd been brought here to Grandy in pretty bad shape."
The doctor let out a snort and yanked his glasses from his face. He began cleaning them on a stark white handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. "Sawbones?" he snapped. "I don't appreciate the disrespect from a ruffian such as yourself."
"And I don't appreciate it from a gussied up old bastard such as yourself neither."
The old man stared up at Ance a moment, his mouth working up and down but no words coming out. Finally he sputtered, fixed his glasses back upon his nose and yanked off his hat. "Well why don't you tell me just who you're looking for and I'll tell you whether or not I've treated him," he snapped as he ran his hand through his thinning hair.
Ance grunted. The doc seemed the straight forward and to the point type and Ance appreciated people like that. "I'm looking for a man named Rodger York," Ance replied, the name leaving a bad taste on his tongue.
The doctor nodded as he replaced his hat. "Well yeah, I treated a man by that name," he replied. He rubbed his mustache. "He was burned up mighty bad from a trip and tumble he'd taken into his own campfire after drinking a bit too much. Truly unfortunate turn of events. It was a sad way for a U.S. Marshall with his record to meet his end."
Ance scowled at the reverence in the doctor's voice as he spoke about Rodger and it took a moment for what the man had said to truly sink in. "His end?" Ance growled.
"Yes. If you were friends I'm sorry to have to tell you but he succumbed to his injuries shortly after he came here."
"He's dead?" Ance's fists clenched. He hadn't wanted Rodger to be dead. He'd wanted the joy of killing that son of a bitch himself. "Are you sure?"
The doctor tugged down his waistcoat and puffed out his chest. "I've been doctoring for thirty-seven years! Long before you were a gleam in your papa's eye. I can promise you that I know what dead is and how to diagnose it!"
"Well calm yourself down then, sawbones," Ance grumbled. "Is he buried at the graveyard at the edge of town?"
"Yeah, that's where we put him," the doctor folded his hands on his lean stomach. "He came to long enough to tell me he didn't want his body sent anywhere else. That he didn't have any family....."
Ance didn't wait to hear the rest of what the doctor had to say. He quickly showed the man his back and made his way down the stairs with the doctor grumbling about his rudeness behind him. Ance was certain the doctor wouldn't lie to him about Rodger York's death but Ance had made too many mistakes lately and was going to go see the man's grave for himself.
He took his mare by the reins and led her down the road to the graveyard beside the church at the edge of town. His eyes quickly found one of the fresher graves and Ance let his boots carry him to it. The limestone grave plaque was plain enough and written there were the words 'U.S. Marshall Rodger York. Died due to complications from burn wounds. A true loss for America.'
Ance sneered and barely contained the urge to kick the headstone and piss on the mounded dirt. He turned his back on the grave and headed back into town. He stopped by the general store and made an order for all the supplies they'd need to get back to Penny and make the journey to the ranch.
Once that was complete Ance surveyed the meager selection of clothes available and got a change for both himself and Irish before picking out a brown leather split skirt with black embroidered ivy on the legs and a light blue blouse for Audrey. He figured they'd both look real nice on her. He picked up a new pair of shoes for her as well, remembering the worn state hers were in and the way he'd seen her wincing lately when she'd been walking around.
Ance had the clothes packaged up and tossed in a handful of cigars, some candy and a new set of clips for Audrey's hair since hers had been lost during her time with Barnaby. He had his bundles under his arm and was heading for the door when he paused, his eyes drawn to a selection of items that the store clerk kept under the glass cabinet.
"Do you like those, sir?" the clerk asked, as he placed his glasses on his nose and walked over with keys in hand. "I can get them out for you if you'd like to study them more closely."
Ance cleared his throat, felt his heart seize up and shook his head as he strode out the door without a word leaving the golden bands shimmering in the sun streaming through the window.
***
"Dead?" Audrey gasped as she sat back down hard upon the bed.
Ance nodded and tossed the bundles from the store upon the tiny chair by the door. Adurey couldn't believe it. She'd been so worried about Rodger coming for revenge against her--she truly hadn't believed he would die.
"That means I'm a murderer, Ance...." she realized aloud. "What if I'm wanted?"
"You're not," Ance assured her. He picked up one of the bundles and held it out to her. "I brought you a change of clothes. Now you better get in that bath while it's still warm."
Audrey stared at him in shock. "How can you be so calm? Are you certain he didn't tell anyone I am the one that shoved him into that fire?"
"Dammit, woman, don't be admitting things out loud in a town. You sure do have things to learn about outlaw living," Ance scolded, though Audrey knew him well enough to hear the amusement in his tone.
She glared at him and he shrugged. "Why are you so worked up? The man was dead and it was ruled an accident. You had plans of killing him anyhow so I can't see how this is any different than those."
Audrey sighed. He was right. All that mattered was that Rodger York was good and dead and he wouldn't be coming after Penelope. "I'm ready for that bath now.. And a hot meal.. and a real bed..."
"Typical woman," Ance grumbled. "Full of demands. You go ahead and get in that bath. I'll take Irish his clothes, see to that meal and be back shortly. Lock the door behind me."
"You don't have a key, Ance," Audrey reminded him.
Ance chuckled. "Lady, I believe you're forgetting who you're with. I don't need a key." With that, Ance picked up another of the bundles and went out the door.
Audrey locked it behind him and then quickly tore open the package he'd given her like a kid on Christmas morning. Sitting atop neatly folded clothes was a pair of leather ankle boots. They were beautiful and soft and Audrey was truly touched. She hadn't voiced a word of complaint to Ance about the state of her own shoes, or her feet because of them, but he had somehow known she'd needed them.
Next she grabbed up the light blue blouse with sleeves that would fall to between her elbow and wrist and a modest neckline. She smiled as she remembered the way he'd grumbled and attempted to force her blouse to stay closed before they'd entered town. The neckline of the blouse was torn and revealed her underclothes beneath it.. A fact that the Ance's possessive nature clearly hadn't been comfortable with.
The skirt really caught Audrey's eyes. Soft, supple dark brown leather with delicate ivy embroidered in black running up the legs. Audrey pressed the cool leather against her cheek and sighed. She truly was a lucky woman and when she saw the clean underclothes that were also neatly folded among the clothes, she knew she was probably one of the luckiest.
Wasting no more time, Audrey quickly shed her soiled clothes and slid into her steaming bath. Instantly the soreness and fatigue that had been plaguing her body began to fade away.
Audrey was just finishing up washing away the last of the dirt from her hair when she heard something scraping at her door. Her hand instantly went toward the revolver on the chair beside the tub but stilled when the door opened and she realized it was only Ance, balancing a try of food on his hand as he stepped inside.
Audrey's stomach rumbled at the sight of the covered dishes but then her gaze rose to meet Ance's blue eyes and she quickly realized that the food would have to wait. Her man was hungry as well and it certainly wasn't for whatever he'd carried in on that tray.