“The boys will follow orders. They’ll do what’s expected of them.”
Granite pulled out his watch. “I need to get going. I’ve got a meeting to attend, and then I need to get home in time for dinner. I promised Laura I’d be there.” He got to his feet. “I’ll trust you to take care of that other thing as well.”
Gus pushed back his thick black hair and got to his feet in a slow, casual manner. “I’ve got everything under control. You don’t have to worry about a thing.”
Granite bent down to retrieve a pair of gloves from his drawer. “That’s the way I like it.”
When he glanced up, Gus was already gone from the room. The man was uncanny in his ability to sneak around. Granite headed for the door, where he took up his heavy outdoor coat and hat. He pulled them on as he moved through the store, then added his gloves. Several of the young women who worked for him gave him a smile. They were young and naïve, perfectly suited as salesgirls for the store. A few of them flirted with him from time to time. He found it enticing but never gave in to their charms. It wouldn’t bode well with his plans for office. At least not at this point. There would come a time when he’d do as he pleased with the ladies, but for now, he had to be certain that he kept his appearance aboveboard. That’s why Gus was so crucial.
Gus had shown up to work for Granite just before they moved to Cheyenne. He had proven himself to be the best of workers, yet few knew anything about him because Gus always remained in the shadows. And that was the way Granite liked it.
He thought of the meeting he was about to attend. The men there would be the wealthiest in Cheyenne. They were all of a like mind toward progressing Cheyenne forward. They all wanted to see the town become a great city. They already had a good start. The railroad made Cheyenne an important place on the map, and the tracks being laid from Denver would solidify its importance as a Western crossroads.
Not only that but it was also a gateway of sorts to the goldfields of Montana and elsewhere. With a little help, they might even be able to promote a local boom and get all the travelers moving through Cheyenne for supplies and guides.Granite had been thinking long and hard about this. Small gold deposits had been found in the territory, so the idea of a large strike wasn’t out of the question.
He wondered what Laura would think about his political ambitions. He had mentioned a bit of his interests, but he hadn’t gone as far as to explain that he intended to run the entire country. Becoming governor of the territory was the first step and after that ... the presidency. At least, that was the way Granite Evans planned it. He’d take on the position of governor and see that the territory became a state. Then with that fame behind his name, he’d move forward to endear himself to the nation.
Of course, that was probably a good ten or twenty years down the road, but Granite knew he could be a very patient man. And once he accomplished all that he planned, he could begin to expand his revenge to each and every man who had wronged him.
The thought was most satisfying.
5
On Tuesday, Will was still trying to locate decent housing for his mother and sister. He’d spoken to just about everyone he knew who had any connection to real estate, but nothing was available.
“How goes your search for a place, Will?” Mrs. Cooper asked as she came into the front sitting room of the boardinghouse.
“Not well,” Will admitted. “Seems there are very few vacancies, and the places that are open to rent aren’t at all acceptable. I don’t suppose you’ve heard of anything, have you?”
She shook her head and moved around the room, straightening things. “No, I’m sorry. I wish I could offer you some sort of direction. But as you know, this boardinghouse is for men only, and I’ve already asked Mr. Cooper if he had any idea of some place they could rent. He told me you’d asked him as well.”
“I did.” Will put down the newspaper he’d been looking through. “I thought I had a lead on a place, but it turned out to be completely unacceptable. It was an apartment in a terriblebuilding and hardly big enough to turn around in. My mother and sister are used to better furnishings and would never be comfortable there. I suppose I’ll just have to rent them a room at the hotel and hope something opens up.”
“Perhaps if your mother likes it here, she could arrange for someone to build her a house.”
“I thought of that, but they wouldn’t be able to start until spring thaw. Even then, an adequate place won’t be built overnight.” Will set aside the paper and got to his feet. “I worry that without a nice house to offer them, Mother will want to return to Mississippi.”
“Would that be so bad? You said she was staying with her sister there. Seems that would be a safe place for your loved ones, especially once you’ve gone to the reservation.”
“I know, but I want so much for them to be here with me. I’ve been after them to come here since my father passed away last summer. I think we’d all be better off together.”
“What about your work with the Indians?” Mrs. Cooper asked. She took up the newspaper he’d abandoned and folded it under her arm.
“Maybe Mother and Sally could join me on the reservation.”
“Well, I don’t know that they would find that life very fitting. You’ve described your mother and sister as living well, and the Indian reservation certainly won’t be able to offer luxury.”
“No, it’s not like that. We’ve never lived in luxury, even though there was plenty of money. My mother’s people were quite well-off, and she inherited from her parents. My father often said that it was a special blessing, given his salary as a pastor was very limited. I can’t put Mother in a house where there’s a threat of danger. She and Sally have always beenwell protected. I won’t expose them to anything that might compromise their safety. Even at the benefit of having them on the reservation. If life there is unsettled and at risk, I wouldn’t allow them to join me.”
“Just encouraging them to move to Cheyenne is threatening enough,” Mrs. Cooper countered. “This isn’t yet a safe part of the world to live, what with the criminal types and Indians. You know as well as I do that there’s all sorts of threats to our well-being out here.”
Will hadn’t truly considered the dangers. He had figured to be there to watch over his mother and sister. Of course, he knew in time he’d be moved to his position on the reservation, but he would be close enough to help them from time to time.
“When do they arrive?” Mrs. Cooper asked.
“Friday the fifteenth. Mother’s telegram said they would take the overnight stage out of Denver on Thursday.”
“Well, hopefully the weather will hold and there won’t be any problems with the Indians. Mr. Cooper said the Sioux were still up in arms over the treaties that forbid them to cross the south bank of the Platte River. He’s afraid it will cause them to declare all-out war.”
