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She flitted the idea away as nonsense. “I don’t feel he is involved. But Kent thinks I do. Honestly, I wonder about the water. I think someone may be dumping something in the water, thinking the evidence will all be washed away, that is causing the sickness. Mr. Douglas hasn’t done anything but spout hatred for years. He’s of no concern to me.”
Mrs. Eliza slowly shook her head. “I find that hard to believe. You didn’t think, even for a moment, that he could’ve poisoned the sheep? Far as I can tell, we’re the only ones to lose anything. Might take suspicion off him if some o’ his own animals got sick, too. And we’re taking Dr. Kent at his word that they are. No one else has seen them.”
Alice swallowed and silently apologized for what she knew she had to do. She’d be breaking her promise yet again, but Mrs. Eliza was right. No one knew for sure if the Douglas herd was affected, other than Kent’s word on the matter. “I’ll find out.”
“I assume you mean by asking him?” She dipped her chin and glanced at Alice deeply.
“I hadn’t planned to, no.”
With surprising energy, Mrs. Eliza raised from her seat and headed back to what she’d been doing. “I want no part of this. If anyone asks me where you are, I’ll tell them you went to town to talk to the doctor. About your stomach. It must be in knots with all that secreting you’re doing.” Plates dropped into hot water and splashed over the rim of the washtub, spreading all over the worktable. “I wash my hands of it.” She thrust her hands in the water.
Alice took a deep breath and dashed out the door before guilt could stop her. Luckily, her brothers and father were all out working. After Colby, they’d never relinquished her jobs back to her, leaving her nothing to do but the things Ma assigned to her throughout the day. Which left far too much time to think about Kent.
She quickly saddled Blaze and attached her satchel to the cantle, then mounted using the mounting block. Dratted thing. She’d need to use the fence out in the pasture at the Douglases, because riding aside meant she couldn’t mount without one. Propriety seemed perfectly suited to slow her down.
Once she’d managed to get into the pasture without being seen, she headed for that place at the river where she’d accidentally met up with Kent. He hadn’t taken a sample of water to Dr. Spight that she’d heard about, but that would change today.
Glancing all down the river as far as she could see, there was no sign of cattle or Kent, which was good because she wasn’t sure what she would say to him if she saw him. Part of her wanted to pummel him for hurting her and questioning her motives, the other wanted him to pull her into an embrace and let him hold her until this mess passed.
Neither of which would happen. She’d make sure of it.
She angled Blaze along the fence and used the railing to dismount, careful to keep her boots and hems dry. The river flowed slowly, hardly looking like it was moving at all in the bright sun. She cast a quick glance behind her to make sure no bulls or Douglases appeared, then crouched to inspect the water.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about it. Just as Kent had said, it looked as clear as she’d expected it to look. She cupped her hand and brought a few drops to her nose, then sniffed. No scent. Only a little sediment sifted through her fingers, which was expected in a flowing river.
She held the bottle under the light current and let it fill, then stoppered it. Strange how clear it looked once captured. She shivered as she wiped her fingers off on her handkerchief and whistled to Blaze. The horse came immediately, ready to do as she needed.
She led him along the fence, then climbed as carefully as possible, finally seating herself and arranging her legs to ride as safely as possible. Now, she only had to make the ride over the next few rises to the Douglas house, sneak near or into their barn—undetected—and find out if Kent had been truthful.
If he hadn’t been . . .
Her heart plummeted, and she refused to think of the ramifications. Though she didn’t wish for sick cattle, she wished for honesty. Kent had never outright lied to her, unless you took into account that he’d promised her he’d marry her upon returning to Belle Fourche.
She blinked away her tears and pressed her knee into Blaze’s side. Since he was the only horse she rode, he knew her cues both astride and aside, making him priceless to her. Once he reached the rise where the barn would soon come into view, Alice slowed him to a walk. The last thing she needed was for someone to hear her approaching.
If she could dismount, she’d ground tie her horse and just walk up. Her approach would be silent, and there would be less chance she’d be seen. But in her dratted split skirt, she’d never make it back on Blaze’s back should anything go awry. Her father would give her his most disapproving stare if someone caught her. And those were worse than any punishment.
Pa handed out respect carefully, and once lost was difficult to regain. Was learning about the cattle worth what it could cost? She tugged up on the reins and waited, listening. The sounds of a working ranch made their way over the hill, the lowing of distant cattle, the sharpthwackof a hammer to a nail, the soft tuneless whistle of someone approaching.
Alice’s heart thrummed, and she gripped the reins tightly, giving Blaze a quick flick and leaning forward to give him as much as he wanted to take. Blaze took off, racing over a rise and down into a shallow valley. Hopefully, none of the other rises would put her high enough to be seen by anyone at the ranch. She couldn’t change course now.
Blaze raced toward the fence separating Douglas from Johlman land with the river right in the way. If she pulled up now, Blaze might stop quickly, and she’d be tossed right over his head into the river. If she didn’t, racing through the water would soak her from head to toe.
At the last moment, Blaze seemed to realize the last thing he wanted was to go in the water, and he changed course, taking her down the fence line toward the road. She resigned herself to slowing his pace by degrees, and before she reached the far corner, he slowed to no more than a trot.
Her limbs ached and her heart raced, but she hadn’t been seen. If she had, they’d have taken chase. She directed Blaze to circle back to give him enough speed to leap over the fence, then climbed the ditch on the other side.
Finally, she allowed herself to look back. No one followed her. Perhaps Dr. Spight would know the answer to her question as to whether the Douglas cattle were truly sick. She’d have to risk asking him if any other ranches had notified him of sick animals, knowing he might not know the answer. But surely, if Kent was working with Dr. Spight, he would’ve told the doctor.
She patted Blaze’s neck in thanks and let him set his own pace into town. The hour-long ride would give her time for her heart to settle down and let her formulate the best way to ask just what she needed to know.
Would Dr. Spight test the water and was Kent lying? She prayed not.
Chapter12
Alice’s stomach roiled the closer she came to Hannah’s. Would the doctor say anything if she didn’t bring anyone with her? She was twenty and two years old. Certainly old enough not to need someone’s arm to find her way about town. She was aware of which streets to avoid and even which people. Hannah would want the whole story as to why she was even asking about the Douglas cattle.
When she reached Hannah’s, instead of turning in to get her, she kept on riding. If she was going to make a mess of this day, it would be a complete disaster. At least she wouldn’t have to explain to her sister why she was asking the doctor to examine water of all things when he probably had better things to do with his time.
