Ambush Valley (9 page)

“My actions made some people mad. I don't give a damn, but it did.”

“I don't doubt anything. You tell Tom where I went and I'll keep mum. And just be making a round out there checking on our strays.”

“I knew you'd enjoy yourself.”

“Good, don't worry any more. I'll find out if there were or if there is some rustling going on.”

“I count on it. I'll tell Tom.” He left Hampt to finish his shoeing.

Maybe Susie would cut his hair. She was the barber. His hair was sure shaggy. He'd forgotten the last time in town to see the barber. The ranch cooking operation was making smoke at the chuck wagon. Hoot and his man were busy getting the night meal ready. They looked settled.

He found his sister in the kitchen. “You have any shears?”

“Is it sheep shearing time?” She smiled. “I am going to eat. Do you want some food?”

“No, May cooked me a large breakfast.”

“You have time for me to eat?”

“Sure.” He took a seat at the long table. “I'd like you to reconsider going to Camp Verde tonight. No need in you and Marge being separated.”

“I thought her name was Margaret?”

“I shortened it.”

“She's been married before, hasn't she?”

“Her first husband died in the war. Number two was killed in a horse wreck.”

Susie laughed. “Well, she couldn't have poisoned them.”

He shook his head and laughed too.

She poured him coffee and then began on her sandwich. “Do they dress up?”

“Do they ever. They dress just like country dances at home.”

“I bet she does.”

“I never noticed.”

“Sounds to me like you've been really noticing her.” He never answered her. Half of her sandwich eaten, she went for the shears and a sheet.

Chet sat in the sun on a kitchen chair out on the porch, under the sheet tent, she clipped away. “Tell me about her.”

“I told you about her paying every bill I owed. We had a discussion over that and I paid her for everything including the Chinaman with the bathhouse and the barber. I was having hell out here with that foreman Ryan and I am sure she had my interests at heart. And I told her I had Kathren in Texas. Well that flew away. And I'm back.”

“She must've went to finishing school?”

“I suppose she did, but she's not a prude. She found that story about the horse thieves that I told you about. She was really upset that they told her man he could not follow my tracks and help me.”

“Who did that?”

“Some desk deputy who Sims sent over there. I thought he'd send a man named Roamer who helped me before. I got in an argument with him over that and he told me he was the damn sheriff.”

“Have you been picking fights with everyone these days?”

“No. But Raphael came back and told her he hoped I was all right. He knew I was looking for Roamer to back me and the deputy he sent wouldn't even let Raphael go help me. Marge said, he told her the deputy said that I was probably already dead.”

She looked down the right side and then the left side of his head to be certain the cut was the same. “Would you have brought them back for trial if he'd been there?”

“Maybe if Roamer had insisted.”

“It's a tough country. Did the deputy who went over there know all they had done?”

“He should have. But he's a deskman like his boss. Two days in the saddle would kill them both. If I wanted a posse I'd call in ranchers, not store clerks.”

“You going to run for sheriff?”

“I don't plan to.”

“You'd have to be a lot more pleasant to get elected. There. Your hair is shorter. I will go to the dance.”

“And have a good time?”

“I'll try.”

He kissed her on the forehead.

“We will talk about the arrangement again.” Then she stalked off into the house with the sheet and barber things.

He took some clean clothes, towel, and soap down to the sheepherder shower. Bathed under the sun-warmed water, he dried and put on his clean clothing. Then he took a lariat off the gatepost, stepped in the corral, and roped a big gray ranch horse.

“Uncle Chet, you know what we catched today?”

He looked at his well-tanned two nephews on the top rail.

“No, boys, what did you get?”

“Thirteen big fish. And we got a big carp. I mean a big one. May said he had too many bones. Why does one big fish have too many bones?”

“Yeah, how come?” his younger brother asked.

“Oh, carp are just boney fish.”

“She made us feed him to the house cats.”

“Did they like him?”

“If he don't kill them cats.”

“How is that?” The gray horse acted sort of snorty and he wasn't too sure about his choice.

“I mean Maw said we could die getting fish bones in our throat or in our belly. Will eating him kill the cats?”

“Whoa,” he said sharply at the head-tossing gelding. He slipped a noose over his nose. “Aw, cats won't die eating fish bones.”

“Good. 'Cause they ate most all of him and fought over the last parts. If one would die Aunt Susie would whip us.”

“Yeah, she'd plaster us hard.”

“Now you boys don't let a big fish pull you in the river. He might drown both of you.”

The two looked at one another like they faced another busting.

Oh, hell, they'd been in the river to catch that big fish—he knew it by looking at their faces. “Ain't no fish worth going in the river after.”

“We won't the next time. We promise. They ain't worth it. Them cats can catch their own carp.”

“Good. Now get back. Spook here's kinda feisty.” He slapped him with the tail of the lariat and shouted, “Whoa.”

“Horse you better listen,” the oldest one, Ray, said. “Or he'll really whup you.”

“Kin we get back on the fence and watch him buck you off?” Ty asked.

“Sure,” he said, hitching the gray to the rail. Then he went in to get his saddle and blankets. By then he could hardly keep a straight face.

“What do they call him?” he asked, knowing the boys probably knew the names for all of them. They'd been down there every morning watching the hands saddle up and ride out. Every once in a while they'd have a bucking contest.

“Zero.”

He turned and frowned at them. “Why's that?”

“Wiley said it was because no one has ever rode him.”

Chet closed his eyes. He couldn't put him back. Those young boys would tease him for years. No, he'd have to ride him, or at least try.

He noticed more folks were taking places to watch his business. Hoot and his helper Cory were up there by the wagon with their arms folded. Sarge was sitting like a ramrod on a horse he'd just rode in on.

Chet went to ignoring all of them. When Zero here got through with him, he might not be able to dance. He cinched him tight. When he dropped the stirrup down he saw the house crew was on the front porch. All the women were out there too. Well, it was do or die time for him.

The bridle headstall held hard against his left leg, he swung up. Zero spun around in a circle as Chet found the right stirrup with his toe and reined him in. Even on a short leash, the big horse reared on his hind feet and then dove out ahead.

One of those younger boys on the fence said in a shocked voice, “Wow, that son of a bitch can really buck.”

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth for what was ahead and hoped their stepmother hadn't heard them. From there to the open front gate that horse had a real series of fits. And he'd sworn he was up in the air more than on the ground. But he was only crow hopping going down the road toward Camp Verde. He lashed him from side to side with the reins. If he wanted to run he'd show him how far he could run. His name was not Zero anymore. He'd call him Ono.

The gray was really handling well when he reached the campground around the school and searched for Marge's outfit. The big horse was handy as a cat and he really enjoyed him with his fit finally over—for the day, anyhow. Then he saw the men putting up the tent and rode over that direction. Reined up, he saw the smiling Raphael come out from under the canvas side.

“Ha, my
amigo
,
Señor
Byrnes.”

He swung down and tied the horse with a lariat to a hitch rack, not trusting him not to break his set of reins.

“Oh, he must be a little broncy,” the Mexican said and shook his hand.

“A little and its his first trip to town.” He hugged the shorter man. “Marge said they wouldn't let you go and help me.”

“That won't happen again. I told her I did not want to make that man mad. She told me no one was my boss in a case like that.”

“She told you right. Did she come?”

“Of course I came.” She rushed around the structure. “My foreman tell you everything?”

“No, but congratulations,
hombre
.” He realized she'd promoted him.

“Gracias.”
He showed his snowy teeth. “Now I am the boss.”

“What do you know?” he asked her quietly.

He kissed her on the forehead and damn near had to stand on his toes to do it. “Good to see you. They said that you met my ranch women this week.”

“Oh, yes. You do any good up there with the loggers?”

“I think so. We're sending them some horses, men, and wagons so they can get the timber out. The old bunch got bought off to go to Tombstone and work in the mines down there.”

“You sure moved around a lot in a week.”

“Trying to hold a ranch together.”

“I know. Is your sister coming?”

“I expect her. How have you been?”

“Sad.”

He took off his hat and beat his leg. “Why?”

“I didn't have you to hold my hand.” She took his arm as they walked toward the tent. “These men don't need either of us. Let's go talk to some others and see what else is happening.”

“Sorry, Raphael,” he said over his shoulder. “I'd help you but she needs me.”

His friend laughed.

“I'm glad you made him foreman.”

“How could I do anything else? Monica and you were both hounding me.”

He nodded. “You find out what had the sheriff up a pole.”

“I spoke to him when I was in town. He sounded awfully interested in my business.”

“Was it because of us?”

“He has a wife. I never have been anything but on the up and up with him.”

“Sometimes men attach themselves to other women. Even married ones.”

She frowned at him. “Oh, I can't believe he did that.”

“Good.” He still felt there was something the man was stirred up about.

They stopped and looked over the camp from the highpoint in the grounds. “I love your sister.”

“She said she met you. She's coming.”

She lowered her voice and toyed with the side of his wool vest. “Would you ever think about simply getting on a good horse and riding off with me?”

“When can we go?”

“I've thought of it many times, since you came back.”

“Running away from me.”

She frowned and then laughed. “No, silly,
with
you.”

He laughed. “Your daddy sent you to finishing school and all that so you could run off with a poor Texas cowboy.”

She winked. “I would.”

“Oh, we both have responsibilities. Let me get my boot soles on the ground better. I need to do several things.”

“Chet Byrnes, you will always have lots more things later. I know how you think.” She pulled him behind a thick cottonwood tree and kissed him. “They won't ever—ever all get done.”

His palms cradled her face and he looked deep in her eyes. “The rangers brought my dad home plumb delirious when I was teenager. They'd found him unconscious somewhere out in West Texas, brought him back. I was about eighteen. We'd lost a boy younger than me when he was ten. No one ever saw him again. Then there were the twins, and Comanches got them—a boy and a girl. He was out there looking for them. He'd stayed out there too long and never was right after that. I took over the Bar C and my boyhood was gone. I never rode over the hill and found a woman of my own. Never went on any wild goose chases. I spent my time building a ranch. And I built one. I looked around and I was twenty-five, still no time for myself. I wanted to let go, but there was no way. The feud only made it worse. The woman I loved wouldn't leave her husband who treated her like dirt. And when she decided to, my enemies murdered her, and her husband never read the letter she wrote him that she was leaving him. I tore it up and burned it.”

“I'm listening,” she whispered, sounding very somber.

“The feud got worse. They shot my brother in Kansas. Took me weeks to gather the cattle herd and take them on. We got the rustlers and killers. What I am trying to say is, I have this ranch to run and all these people count on me making it work. This is a long ways from being what fed us in Texas. I'll need to do lots to make it a real big one that I need. . . .”

“All right, I can wait. I know I simply want to separate you off to myself. I've had such lousy luck with men.”

“Welcome to my world.” His arm around her neck, he kissed her. “We can take a break and go see the moon once I get all this tied down.”

“I will hold you to that. What did it look like up there?” she asked.