Sold.
“To who?” Ethan asked.
Pike refused.
Reeves took him away.
Ethan and Nahimana stood near the corral.
Exhausted.
Sunrise turning the land gold.
Ethan touched his bruised jaw.
Nahimana looked at him.
“You hit too quickly.”
“He stole from me.”
“You still hit too quickly.”
“He punched me.”
“After you hit him first.”
Ethan frowned.
“Whose side are you on?”
“Mine.”
He laughed.
She almost smiled.
Then Ethan looked toward the ridge.
Water.
Hidden beneath his land.
Enough to attract men far more dangerous than Briggs.
“I need the deed.”
“Yes.”
“I need to go to Tucson.”
“Yes.”
“You’re staying here.”
“No.”
He closed his eyes.
“Nahimana.”
“You need someone who sees tracks.”
“I can see tracks.”
“You missed Pike on your roof until he moved.”
“That was dark.”
“Darkness exists in Tucson.”
Ethan sighed.
“Fine.”
They left after breakfast.
Halfway to Tucson, Nahimana said, “You called me your wife.”
Ethan almost dropped the reins.
“What?”
“To the marshal.”
“You are.”
“One month.”
“Right.”
She looked ahead.
“You said it easily.”
Ethan studied her profile.
“Did that bother you?”
“No.”
Then after a moment:
“I noticed.”
They rode on.
Tucson was loud after the ranch.
Wagons.
Horses.
Dust.
Men shouting.
Metal striking metal.
Nahimana attracted looks immediately.
Some curious.
Some hostile.
Ethan noticed every one.
Nahimana ignored them.
At the county records office, Ethan explained the stolen deed.
The clerk searched.
Then frowned.
“There’s already been a transfer filing.”
Ethan’s stomach dropped.
“What?”
The clerk pulled a document.
Filed that morning.
Ethan Miller transferring the western portion of his ranch to Desert Development Company.
Signature.
His name.
Forged.
Ethan stared.
“Who filed this?”
“Representative.”
“Name?”
The clerk checked.
“Samuel Crowe.”
Nahimana’s eyes narrowed.
“Who is that?”
Ethan knew.
Lawyer.
Worked for railroad investors.
Not Briggs.
Bigger.
Much bigger.
Ethan said, “This isn’t about one cattle buyer.”
Nahimana looked at him.
“No.”
The clerk pushed the document back.
“If you dispute it, file immediately.”
They did.
Then went to Crowe’s office.
Empty.
Door unlocked.
Papers gone.
Someone had left in a hurry.
Nahimana found something beneath the desk.
A broken wax seal.
Circular stamp.