Chapter Nineteen

Rene rode up to the ranch and was met by several angry looking men with guns.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" a grizzled old man, with frizzy white hair and sharp blue eyes demanded.

"I'm here to speak with Braxton," Rene replied as he sat relaxed on top of his horse and kept a loose hand on the reigns, "I've got some news about the McCready girl."

"What kinda news?" another middle aged man asked.

Rene's eyes narrowed, "News for Braxton."

"You can tell us just as easy as you can tell him," the grizzled old man replied as he kept his gun sights on Rene.

"What the hells going on?" Rene recognized the huge man named Braxton as he strode from the barn and walked toward them with his muscular arms swinging and his big fists clenched.

"Hello Braxton. We need to have a talk," Rene said calmly.

Braxton's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and he stuttered several times before saying, "Come in the house and we'll talk."

Rene nodded and got off the horse. He hitched it to a rail outside the large two story home and then followed Braxton inside.

Anita raised a brow when she saw the visitor but Braxton shook his head when she tried to follow them into Elizabeth's old room, "You go back to the kitchen and do whatever it was you were doing," he scolded. Anita looked hurt but nodded as she turned around. "What is Ernest doing?" he asked her retreating back.

"Sleeping," Anita replied without turning around. Braxton had become more and more distant the last few days. "That's all he does now. He can't even get out of his bed anymore. He's only hanging on because he thinks Elizabeth might be coming home."

"I'll take care of everything, Anita." Braxton promised and then he threw a threatening glance in Rene's direction. Rene shrugged and picked at his tooth with his dirty fingernail. Anita hurried off to the kitchen and

Braxton was about to shut the bedroom door when Grant appeared and stepped inside, "If this is about my fiancée, I deserve to hear about it." Braxton couldn't very well tell the man no. Not when he could still rat him out to Ernest. Rene walked over to the tidy feather tick bed and sat down on the yellow comforter, "How did you figure out who I was and what in the hell are you here for?" Braxton demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm not foolish, that's how I figured out who you are. and I'm here because I have news about Elizabeth McCready," Rene replied calmly as he wrinkled his nose at the strong smell of rose water in the room.

"What news?" Braxton demanded, struggling to keep his voice down as he clutched onto the edge of the dresser. "She's dead isn't she? That's what you told me. That's what I paid you for!"

"Well see that's the thing. When I talked to you, I thought she was dead. I left two of my guys with her and the man and they were supposed to take care of them. We underestimated Brody, which technically is your fault since you didn't tell us he'd be there."

"What the hell! Does that mean that son of a bitch is coming back and bringing that brat with him?" Braxton demanded slamming his hand on the dresser.

Grant crossed his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels, enjoying Braxton's discomfort. Either way Grant was okay. If his fiancée came home he could marry her and the ranch would be his. If she didn't, he'd still end up with the only chunk of the land he really cared about having.

"No, my brother and I killed Brody," Rene assured Braxton.

"Okay... What about Elizabeth?" Braxton asked tensely.

"She's tied up at the hotel in town."

"What?!" Braxton demanded, his face reddening.

"I heard there's a reward for her safe return. Now, I figure you can either pay me that reward, plus a little extra for all my hard work, or I can return her safely home to her ailing father."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Braxton demanded.

Rene chuckled, "Of course not. I'm just offering up a bit of a business proposition."

"It seems as if there are a lot of men offering you business propositions," Grant noted with amusement.

Braxton was shaking with rage, "I should just kill both of you right now!" he exclaimed.

Rene nodded, "You should," he replied. "But you won't."

Braxton braced himself against the wall with his palms and stared at the floor. Ernest was so close to dying, that he was getting tired of waiting for it to happen. He didn't see any choice but to do what these men asked. If he went against them, he could risk losing everything he'd worked so hard for and that just wasn't an option this late in the game.

"Wait here," Braxton ordered, "I'll go get your money."

He left the room to go sneak to the bosses office. Of course sneaking wasn't really necessary with the boss in a bedridden state and that nosey Thomas finally gone from the ranch. Thomas had left that morning, saying he no longer wanted to work at the McCready ranch.

***

"So, Elizabeth is at the hotel, huh?" Grant asked once he and Rene were alone.

Rene nodded as he ran his fingers over a lacy dress hanging in a fancy oak wardrobe, "Yep."

"I want her," Grant replied. "I want to take her back to my home in Virginia."

Rene shrugged, "That's fine with me. As long as Braxton gives me my money, you can take her wherever you want. The bitch is nothing but a payday as far as I'm concerned. I got no more interest in her then that."

The men nodded, solidifying their deal.

"Here's your damn money," Braxton said several moments later when he came back into the room. "There are conditions though," he added as he jerked it away from Rene's outstretched hand.

"And they are?"

"I want her dead."

Rene looked over at Grant and Grant nodded and winked so Braxton couldn't see, "Fine. I'll finish her off," Rene agreed.

"I don't want anybody finding the body," Braxton added.

"Consider it done," Rene assured him.

Braxton handed Rene a bag full of money. Rene looked inside the bag and then shook Braxton's hand, "It was a pleasure doing business with you," he said and then he walked out of the room and back outside as if nothing had happened.

"I'll be leaving too. I see no reason to stay any longer. You have my address in Virginia. I expect the papers for that land to be at my home in a months time. If they are not, I will make life very difficult for you."

"I can't control when he'll finally die," Braxton argued.

"We both know it won't be long. Goodbye Braxton." Grant exited the room just as nonchalantly as Rene had.

Braxton walked into the sitting room and whistled for Anita who came running at the sound, "What is it?"

"I want Ernest gone and I'm thinking the shock of knowing his daughter is dead is just the thing that will get the job done. Tell him the man that was here came to tell us that he found Elizabeth and Brody both dead in the desert and he buried them together. The old man will die quick once he learns his little princess isn't coming home ."

"That's not really what that man was here for was it?" Anita asked as she wrung her hands.

Braxton felt his irritation with this woman grow. His eyes rolled upward, "No. But that's what you're going to tell him."

Anita nodded as cast a nervous glance up the staircase, "This is going to be over soon isn't it?"

Braxton nodded, "Yes."

"And then we can get married and run the ranch together."

"Of course," he assured her, laying his hand gently upon her cheek. Anita leaned into his palm for comfort and then quickly went up the stairs to tell Ernest about his beloved daughter.

Braxton sat down on the couch with a bottle of scotch to wait on Anita to bring him the good news. He didn't have to wait long. In less than an hour Anita came back down the stairs. Her steps were heavy, her shoulders slumped and her face wet with tears.

"He's dead," she squeaked. Braxton started laughing and it was clear by the way Anita's eyes widened that she worried for his mind, "Why are you laughing?"

"Because it's over. It's finally over."

Anita couldn't believe that he was enjoying this as much as he was. Her tear filled eyes narrowed, "It was horrible, Braxton. I told him about her and he just gave up. He closed his eyes, his wheezing grew weaker and more shallow and then he just faded away."

Braxton ignored her, "It's mine. It's all mine." His arms stretched out as he up at the ceiling with pride and happiness.

"Ours," Anita reminded him.

He sneered at her, "Mine!" he spat. "You were just a means to an end. You mean nothing to me. You can either stay or leave, it'll make no difference."

Anita's face fell and then contorted with rage, "You used me!" she roared. Her hand fell hard across his face.

Braxton felt his own temper rise and he punched her hard in the jaw, splitting her lip and causing her to stumble backward as she fought to regain her balance.

"I'll go to the law," she threatened as she wiped her mouth with her hand.

Braxton smiled coldly, "Go ahead. The only law for miles and miles is my brother Willie. I don't think he'll be too eager to come out here and arrest me."

"I hate you," Anita spat as tears filled her already tear swollen eyes.

"No, you don't. You love me." Braxton laughed harshly, "You were so desperate and pathetic, it was easy to use you."

Anita broke down in sobs as she realized that she had thrown her entire life away. She had betrayed and lied to Ernest, helped cause Elizabeth's death and why? The man whom she had done it for was now laughing at her.

Anita turned on her heel and ran from the room. She went to Elizabeth's bedroom and locked the door before collapsing on Elizabeth's bed and hugging the girl's pillow tight, "I'm sorry!" Her body shook with sorrow, "I'm so sorry."

***

Braxton took over the roll of boss as soon as he stepped back outside.

"Frank! Wendell!" he called and the two men quickly came over to him. "Ernest is dead. The ranch is mine. You work for me now. Get a hole dug to throw him in."

Frank shook his head, "I'm gone. Without Ernest or Miss McCready running this place, I'm not staying." He turned and showed Braxton his back as he headed toward the bunkhouse.

"What about you Wendell?" Braxton demanded.

"I'm here for money. You gonna pay me?" Braxton nodded. "Then I'll dig a hole."

Braxton walked to the bunkhouse and told the rest of the remaining men who all agreed to stay on and work for him. Cookie said he was too old to go anywhere else and the rest of them were young enough that they hadn't felt too much loyalty to the McCready's the way Frank had.

Braxton sent Jimmy into town to let Ernest's lawyer know that Ernest was dead so the paperwork could be finalized in Braxton's name and then he went to the barn and saddled his horse to go ride around the ranch that was finally his. Twenty-five years of waiting had finally paid off.

The sound of a gunshot from inside the house stopped him in his tracks as he was saddling the horse. He ran into the house with Jimmy, Kent and Cookie on his heels.

"Anita?!" he hollered. Silence met his words and a feeling of dread washed over him. He made his way back to Elizabeth's room where he'd seen Anita lock herself and tried the handle but it wouldn't budge. He hoped the old woman was okay. He might not really love her but he didn't want her dead.

"What the hell is going on?" Kent demanded.

"I don't know," Braxton hissed.

He took a step back and kicked the door open and the sight he was meant with had him swallowing back down his vomit as Kent spewed his all over the hardwood floor.

Anita was sprawled on Elizabeth's bed with her brains and blood splattered across the bright yellow comforter and the dark wall behind her. Elizabeth's small derringer pistol was still in her hand and her eyes were open and staring lifelessly at the ceiling. Braxton quickly backed out of the room and shut the door.

"Why the hell did she go and do something like that?" Cookie grumbled.

"Kent?" Braxton said as he rubbed his now aching temples.

Kent wiped his mouth on his shirt sleeve and looked at him, "What?"

"Tell Wendell we'll need two holes."