After his lively conversation with her the previous morning before he went to his office, thoughts of her had filled his mind throughout that day.
Unfortunately, upon further investigation in the town, he discovered unpleasant news that had left him stunned and disappointed.
One of the sheriff’s deputies had called him aside when he had wanted to go out to question the townsfolk about the Cheyenne Indians.
“Marshal, please don’t waste your time going out there,” Amos Sanders had whispered to him.
Adam’s brows had shot up. “What do you mean by that?”
“You won’t find anyone who will give you information about the tribe,” the deputy had added, looking about him to make sure no one was about.
They had been the only ones in the sheriff’s office at that time. Adam had come there to question him further about his complacency concerning the attack.
“Why is that?” Adam had folded his hands across his chest and regarded him with suspicion.
“Because no one will want to tell you that the Indian tribe was decimated that day.”
Adam’s jaw had dropped at the unpleasant news.
Sorrowfully, Amos had continued. “Before we got the information that the townsfolk had taken the law into their own hands, it was too late. The angry men destroyed the village and killed the Indians.”
“What?” Adam had been too shocked to say anything but that.
He had nodded ruefully. “The Cheyenne tribe in that area is no more.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Amos had sighed. “Everything was burned to the ground.”
“Even the women and children?” he had questioned, appalled at the wickedness the people of Ruby Rock had displayed.
Amos had turned away without replying. Adam had been gutted by what the townsfolk did to innocent Indians. According to Olivia, the men had come into the village accusing them of cattle rustling. She had denied any knowledge of what happened to the cattle as the Indians reared theirs, and they were content with the little they had.
He would rather believe Olivia, who had lived with the tribe for eight years than people who he was sure had wrongfully accused the Indians.
Angrily, he had asked, “And what did you and the sheriff do about it?”
Amos had looked at him with mournful eyes. “You left Ruby Rock years ago, Marshal. Things have changed.”
“Don’t give me that,” Adam had snapped. “You should have carried out some investigations and made some arrests by now.”
Amos shook his head. “You still don’t understand, Marshal. In time, you will.”
Adam had angrily walked out of the office and still asked questions. The people had been tight-lipped. But he had confirmed what the deputy said from Henry and Mrs. Barker.
She, too, hadn’t wanted to talk at first, but she had given in when Adam mentioned the innocent women and children.
With tears in her eyes, she had said, “I heard what happened. The men came back shouting triumphantly that they had dealt with the Indians to pass a message to others. They bragged that they had not left a single Indian alive, not even the babies. It was dreadful hearing them speak with no form of remorse.”
But when he had pressed her for some names, she shook her head and told him she had already spoken too much.
Adam came back to the present with a thick frown on his face. He had to find a way to tell Olivia that her people were no more.
Adam raked his wet hair with his fingers and let out a deep sigh. He finished buttoning his gray shirt and looked at his reflection on the small mirror hung on the wall. He tucked the shirt in his brown trousers and left the room.
When his older brother, Stephen, had saved enough money working as a ranch hand in other ranches, he had purchased a small ranch on his own. He had invited Adam to come and live with him.
Stephen had met Annie during a cattle drive in Kansas, and they had gotten married within a year of knowing each other. And now, Annie was carrying their first child.
