Free Redemption's Edge by Shirleen Davies

his whittling. “We can’t let Tolbert get away with this.”
     “I don’t have a good answer for you. I will say, whoever shot Hank won’t go unpunished.”
    “What do you want us to do in the meantime?” Ellis crossed his arms and leaned against the porch. Of all the men, he found it hardest to shift his allegiance from Pat to the Pelletier brothers, but Dax sensed that once they’d won his trust, he’d be a strong ally.
    “Luke and I will be going to town tomorrow for more men. Joe, you’ll stay here to watch the place while the others join the rest of the men, round up the herd, and bring them closer to the house.”
    “We won’t be able to graze them all close in for long.” Bull stood and shoved his hands in his pockets.
    “More men would allow us to split the heard into smaller groups and keep them close.” Luke spoke more to Dax than the others. The plan wasn’t much different from guarding prisoners during the war.
    “Bring them in tomorrow. We’ll split the herd into small numbers as we hire more men. Ellis, you’ll ramrod tomorrow.” Dax straightened his tall frame. “Goodnight, gentlemen.”
    Luke followed him inside. “You think Ellis is the right choice? Seems Bull might be a better pick.”
    “You’re right, but Ellis is the one doing the grumbling. Besides Rude and Hank, he’s been here the longest. I want to see how he handles the others. By tomorrow afternoon, we’ll know how he does and perhaps more about how far we can trust him.”

    “Do you have any idea who may have shot Wilson?” King Tolbert asked as Drake relayed the news one of the men had heard about the Pelletier foreman.
    “Nope. Could’ve been anyone.”
    King Tolbert sat behind his desk, deciding how to handle the new owners of the Hanes ranch. He thought he had plenty of time. The sudden death of Pat Hanes changed things, as did the unexpected passing of the land into someone else’s hands. He’d thought the property would go up for auction, which would mean a cheap price compared to what Hanes had paid for each parcel.
    It still burned how the absentee landowner had been able to steal property out from under him. King lived in the valley, knew everyone, yet each time a rancher had trouble, they reached out to Pat through Hank Wilson. Never had anyone contacted him. Those sales had allowed the Texas Ranger to build a ranch into something to rival his own holdings.
    From what Drake had told him, the Pelletiers came from old southern money. Drake didn’t appear to fear the two brothers, but King could sense the caution in his man when he spoke of them. One, an ex-general. The other, an ex-major. Drake said he knew Dax better, having served under him. He knew less of the younger one, but he heard stories from others. Both had superior fighting skills, although Dax made more calculated moves, while Luke tended to be somewhat brash in his actions. Drake warned King that both had reputations for never giving ground. Well, Tolbert would see about that.
    “The new owners won’t take kindly to their man being shot, And no matter who pulled the trigger, they’ll look to me. What else have you heard?”
    “The Pelletiers plan to ride into town this morning to hire more men. They’ve got the others bringing in the herd, circling them close.” It had been a good move to insert one of their men into the Pelletier ranch. They’d learned much over the last few months.
    “That’s good. Means they’re scared.”
    “I wouldn’t count on it, boss. Those two just don’t give up. I’m thinking their plan is to grow the herd, maybe get the place ready to sell. A few hundred more head of cattle and more men would challenge what you have. Some Englishman with money could swoop in and snap up that property real quick if they plan it right. They’ve still got property in Savannah, and jobs in Texas. Why would those two want to stay here? No, I think they’ll get the best price they can for the place and move