Chapter 14

Jarrod shifted a little uncomfortably in the bed, waiting for whatever Sheriff Fain had to say privately to him after getting the doctor to leave.

Sheriff Fain didn't look at Jarrod when he spoke. "You probably don't know how much I appreciate you putting your faith in me to take Sheriff Madden's place. Being a bartender – no, that's not what I've wanted to be in life. I've always wanted to be a lawman. But maybe even more than that, I've wanted to be a family man." He looked up at Jarrod. "You're one of very few people I've talked to about my first wife and how she died and how her killer never paid for it. I told you about it because you understood, and at the time I told you I thought it might keep you from making a big mistake."

Jarrod gave an unhappy sigh. "You got that one wrong."

"Yes and no. You made the mistake, but your brothers kept it from being a fatal one. But the point is, you know more than anyone how I feel about losing - " His voice caught. "About losing the woman I loved to a murderer. I got lucky. I met Margaret, and I love her as much as I loved my first wife. In a different way, maybe. In an older man's way. But I love her, and I damned near lost her yesterday. If you hadn't caught those two devils who took her – if I'd have had to let Falk go, and I would have – they probably would have tried to kill him without being seen and tried to kill Margaret after they killed Falk. They wouldn't want a witness around. The point is, Jarrod, I can't lose Margaret. I'll do anything to keep from losing Margaret. I'll give up my life as a lawman and go back to being a bartender to keep from losing Margaret. I'll shovel out livery stables to keep from losing Margaret. Nothing is more important to me than Margaret."

Jarrod blinked, and nodded slowly.

"You understand," Sheriff Fain said. "Like nobody else in the world, you understand."

Jarrod nodded. "You're going back to Lodi."

"If my bartending job is still there, yeah, I am. If it isn't there – well, I'll look for another somewhere."

"You'll see us through until Sheriff Madden can come back?" Jarrod asked.

Sheriff Fain nodded. "That's not gonna be too long now."

"I'll help you find whatever you want, wherever you want. You could bartend here in Stockton."

Sheriff Fain shook his head. "Too hard on Margaret to stay here, with the memory of what happened yesterday. Besides, the temptation would be too great to tap me to fill in again if anything happened to the sheriff. I thank you for letting me do it this time, but I can't do it again. I thank you for helping me know that, too."

Jarrod nodded, and looked at him, and his eyes spoke volumes.

Sheriff Fain said, "I know what you're thinking. You're still feeling responsible for me leaving sheriffing, because of what happened in Rimfire. Yeah, you are responsible, but I don't want you to feel guilty about it. You helped me get my priorities straight. Margaret comes first. My life with Margaret comes first. You, more than anybody, can understand that."

The guilt left Jarrod's eyes. "I do understand." He reached a still shaky hand up, and Sheriff Fain took it. "And I do wish you and Margaret every happiness, and very long lives together."

Sheriff Fain put both of his hands around Jarrod's shaky right hand. "Thank you, Jarrod."

XXXXX

Jarrod went home that afternoon, but the wound to his side stayed painful for a long time. It was also another week before Sheriff Madden was ready to come back to work, but Jarrod at least was up and around when Sheriff Madden and Sheriff Fain came knocking on the front door. Jarrod smiled to see them together.

"Well, well, come on in," he said and let them in. "Sorry, I'm the only one here. Mother and Audra are over at the Marshall place. Nick and Heath are out in the field, and even Silas has left me on my own while he's in town getting supplies."

Jarrod tried to usher them to the living room to sit down, but Sheriff Madden said, "I'm afraid we can't stay for long. I just wanted you to know that I was going back to work today."

"And Margaret and I are going to be heading back to Lodi in a day or two," Sheriff Fain said.

Jarrod felt a twinge of unhappiness about that. "You've definitely made up your mind, then."

Sheriff Fain nodded. "My job bartending there is still there for me. Margaret and I have talked it over and over, and it's what we want to do. But I had to thank you again before we left, for giving me the chance to figure out what's really important to me."

Jarrod reached a hand out, and Sheriff Fain took it. "Well, at least I'll still be seeing you now and then when I get up to Lodi. I wish you and Margaret all the best, Zach."

"We have more," Sheriff Madden said as Sheriff Fain shook hands with Jarrod. "We heard from Pinkerton's."

"Oh?" Jarrod said.

"It took a little doing, but they found out Falk was charged in a murder in Durango, but released due to lack of evidence," Sheriff Fain said. "It happened a couple months ago. The man he killed was kin to the two who kidnapped Margaret. They were out to kill him."

Jarrod felt an ugly, familiar churning inside. "So Falk is cleared for a murder he might have committed. And I killed two men who were doing what I once tried to do."

"Don't go there, Jarrod," Sheriff Madden said. "Don't go putting yourself in the shoes of those two who took Margaret. Turns out they weren't pillars of society either. More evidence has come to light since they and Falk left Durango, and the law there wants Falk back."

"It seems Falk and the other two, along with the man it looks like Falk did kill, were all in on a plan to rob a bank in Durango," Sheriff Fain said. "There's enough evidence now to charge Falk with killing the other man because the guy wanted out of the scheme and was gonna talk to the law. The two who were after Falk were kin to this guy, and they actually had already run out of Durango before Falk was cut loose on the murder charge. It was a bad falling out among thieves. Nobody innocent involved."

Jarrod sighed and shook his head. "What are you going to do with Falk?"

"He's going back to Durango," Sheriff Madden said, "as soon as a marshal from there comes to get him."

"So, the story is written," Jarrod said.

"As soon as we stick 'the end' at the bottom of the page," Sheriff Madden said.

Jarrod leveled an appreciative gaze at Sheriff Fain. "Thank you for filling in and for dealing with all of this, Zach. And please, give my best to your lovely wife. We're gonna miss you both around Stockton, but I understand your priorities. The two of you deserve a lot of years of happiness."

"That'll be up to the good Lord," Sheriff Fain said. "But we're looking forward to them."

XXXXXXX

The next day, civilian Zach Fain got his horse loaded onto the train safely along with the luggage and came back to the platform to help his wife get on board. He was surprised as he could be to see all of the Barkleys, except for Jarrod, there to see them off. Margaret was already full of smiles.

Victoria reached for Fain's hand. "Jarrod wanted to come, but he's still not up to too much bouncing around on the road and I made him stay home. He tells me you said your good-byes yesterday anyway."

Fain nodded. "We did, and I know we'll be seeing him in Lodi again before too long."

Nick reached to shake Fain's hand. "We can't thank you enough for filling in, Sheriff."

"Former Sheriff," Fain said as Heath now reached for his hand.

"Jarrod tells us you're pretty happy to be heading home to Lodi and giving up the badge," Heath said.

Fain smiled at Margaret. "We are. We got a lot out of this experience, though, as hard as it ended up being."

"We know what's most important," Margaret said. "Not that we didn't know before, but now we're even more sure."

Audra kissed Fain on the cheek. "We're all very happy about that."

The train whistle blew.

"Gotta get on board," Fain said. "Thank you all for coming to see us off, and give our best to Jarrod."

"We will," Victoria said, and the Barkleys waved good-bye as the Fains got on the train.

Zach and Margaret settled into their seat and waved out the window to the Barkleys as the train began to move. As he pulled his arm back in, Zach said, "It'll be good to get home."

"It's good to know where home really is," Margaret said.

Her husband squeezed her hand. "I really am glad we did this, though. I really am."

"I know you always had some lingering doubts about leaving Rimfire," Margaret said.

"They're all gone now," Zach said. "I got a surprise for you, too."

"A surprise? What?"

"I socked away a little money while I was sheriffing in Stockton, since they covered all our expenses while we were there. Quite a bit more money, since they paid better than Lodi. Enough to cover the rent up there. And enough to take advantage of a chance a certain saloon owner named Most up there has made me."

Margaret's face brightened. "What?"

"You're looking at the new part owner of the Lodi Branch Water Saloon," Zach said with a smile.

Margaret grinned from ear to ear. "Really?"

"Really. We'll have part of the earnings coming in now, plus the tips I get from bartending. Just a little part to start with, and there's a little less in salary, but overall we're looking at more money than we've ever made in our lives, and I'm a business owner!"

Margaret laughed and hugged him. "I can't wait to get home!"

The End