Black Conley (4 page)

He felt around until he found a box of matches. He struck one of them and lit the lamp on the table beside the bed. He reached first for his shirt and then the cigarettes that he knew were in the pocket. He needed a smoke. Usually after he bedded a whore, he liked to smoke a cigarette, but last night had been different. Holding her in his arms and enjoying the softness of her body next to his had overruled the need.

After taking a long drag on the cigarette, he reached for his pants so he could find the pocket watch he always carried. It was the only thing he had left that had belonged to his father. From his mother, he had his memories, but he'd been too young when his father died for any of those.

He opened the face of the watch and once his eyes focused, noticed it was five in the morning. Since breakfast was served at six, he'd have plenty of time to wash the sex from his cock and put on fresh clothes. His others were covered in trail dust and smelled to high heaven. When he finished work tonight, he'd take them down to the creek and get them clean.

With his sponge bath and shave finished, he pulled on his clothes and boots before heading downstairs. The smell of bacon and eggs made him realize that last night's activities had given him a good appetite.

He was surprised to see an older woman in the kitchen cooking, and all of the girls wearing dresses and looking fresh as daisies. “Morning, ladies,” he said, entering the room.

"Good morning, Black,” Belle greeted him. “Girls, this is Black Conley. I hired him on last night. If everything I've heard about him is true, he can use those guns he's wearing and he knows how to work a ranch. He'll be riding with you this morning, Kate. You can show him around, especially up where we've been losing all the cattle."

A petite brunette stepped forward. “I'm Janna,” she said, extending her hand. “I can hardly wait to get to know you better. Kate told us about last night. It should make quiet nights around here quite enjoyable."

She stepped aside, and a saucy redhead stepped forward. “I'm Cara, and this is Lacy,” she said, introducing a pretty blonde. “We're all looking forward to getting to know you better."

From what Kate told him last night, things could get really interesting. He could see Janna with her feathers, Lacy with her whip and Cara tied to the bedposts, all of them ready and willing to do whatever he wanted. After last night with Kate, he was getting hard just thinking about it.

He exchanged pleasantries with each of the girls. Outside, he saw the stagecoach he'd seen earlier. It was evident that this was a regular stop for the stage line. If that were so, the reason he hadn't heard anything from the upstairs rooms could be that the girls were occupied elsewhere with the gentlemen from the stage. “So where are your overnight guests?” he asked Belle.

"They'll be down soon,” Belle assured him. “They each have their own rooms in another section of the house. After the girls are finished with them for the night, they enjoy a good night's sleep without having to worry about waking up their companion. They all know that the girls have to be up and ready to ride at the crack of dawn. Now, if you'll tell Annie how you like your eggs, she'll fix them for you."

Black had just finished explaining that to the cook when the passengers from the stage came down for breakfast. Most of them were fancy Dans from the East, heading for God only knew where.
I certainly hope they paid well.

He laughed at his silent thoughts. Those were the words he'd heard his mother say whenever her girls had gentleman callers. If the men paid well, there would be more money in the ranch accounts. By splitting fifty-fifty with the girls, she made damn good money and so did the girls, especially if you considered their pay, three good meals a day and a roof over their heads.

"It was a right fine night, Miss Belle,” the driver said. “I hope these gents enjoyed themselves as much as I did. Next time, I'd like to try Miss Kate. I haven't had her in quite a spell. Nothing against the other girls, but I do enjoy variety."

Janna sashayed up to the driver and allowed him to slide his hand down the front of her dress. “I understand, Jeb. I like variety as well. You just keep bringing all these handsome men here, and we'll all do our best to keep you happy."

"I trust you've been with all the girls,” another man said with a British accent. “My evening with Miss Cara was far beyond my expectations. It's a shame that I won't be coming this way on my return to London, but my business will take me in the opposite direction."

As soon as the men arrived, Black saw Kate leave the room. Within minutes, she reappeared, the fancy dress gone, replaced by work britches and shirt.

While the passengers ate their breakfast, Black and Kate went out to hitch the team to the stage. “Does the stage come through here often?” he asked.

"About once a week eastbound, and the same westbound. Later today, Belle will take the mail into town and stop at the bank to deposit the money the girls made last night."

"You let her take care of your finances?"

"Why not? She's fair about everything. Don't know if I'd trust a man as much as I do her. I just wish she didn't have the problems this ranch gives her."

"Problems? You mean by not having men to run it?"

Kate laughed at his statement. “Good heavens, no. Her problems come from Clayte Adamson. That son of a bitch wants this place. He has ever since her pa died ten years ago. Now that he's single again, he's been bird-dogging her with his empty proposals and offers to buy her out. Since she's not interested in either, he's been taking our cattle. I'd like to catch him in the act and unload a shotgun full of buckshot in his fat ass. Maybe that would keep him on his side of the property line."

Black shook his head. “Can't picture you on the business end of a shotgun. Do you even know how to shoot one?"

Kate looked absolutely indignant. “Of course I do. In my line of work, a gal needs to know how to protect herself from the scum that think they can beat her ... or even worse. Salina said she never had to learn how to use a gun until she left your ma. The first man who bought her for the night beat her senseless and left her for dead. She decided that would be the last time that a man—any man—would do something like that to her. Once she made her point by threatening one of her gentlemen, she never had to do it again."

Black laughed heartily. He'd heard about men who liked to beat the whores they bought. Usually, they were upstanding citizens and didn't want it known that they beat women. When that was the case, they didn't dare do anything like that to their wives. He'd run into his share, and always wanted to do to them what they did to the girls they took to the rooms upstairs at the saloons.

Of course, he never acted on his impulses. It wouldn't do for him to step on the wrong side of the law. No matter how many men he'd killed, there wasn't one of them who hadn't drawn on him first. Every lawman from here to Texas knew that about him. Black Conley was a gunslinger, but he'd never done anything outside the law—and he intended to keep it that way. The story of Black Conley was good enough to give him the perfect cover when he was investigating.

"Are you just going to stand there watching the dust from the stage?” Kate asked.

"Guess not. I'd like to get up to the boundary line between the two properties. Maybe I can catch a glimpse of this Adamson."

"You don't know him. He'll have his men up there, but he keeps his fat ass at the ranch. He doesn't like to get his hands dirty."

"What about moving the cattle from that area?"

"We were planning to round them up and bring them closer to the house last week, but Clayte kept us busy in other areas. Now that you're here, I was hoping to start the roundup today. I have to talk to Belle about it first, though."

"What do you have to talk to me about?” Belle asked, causing both Kate and Black to turn toward the house.

Black was pleased to see her in the tight-fitting britches and shirt. They certainly accentuated her womanly curves. Behind her, the three other women were similarly clad. He'd seen them at breakfast, but they looked much different without the low-cut dresses that showcased only one of their assets.

"I'd like to start the roundup today,” Kate replied. “We can't afford to lose any more cattle to Clayte, and if we leave them on that east range any longer, we could lose every steer we have up there."

"You're right,” Belle agreed. “I was going into town, but if we're going to do the roundup, I think it's best if I stay here. I can put the money in the safe in my office and be ready to join you in just a few minutes."

"Good,” Kate continued. “I'll get your horse saddled and we'll be ready to ride as soon as you get out here."

Black hadn't noticed before that the three other girls each wore a gunbelt with a single revolver positioned over her right hip. Under the circumstances, he was surprised to see that neither Belle nor Kate wore one.

"The others have gunbelts, why not you and Belle?” he asked once Belle returned to the house.

"I'm more comfortable with a rifle, but I do wear a gun. I don't like keeping it in the house, so I have it in the barn. As for Belle, she'll have her guns on by the time she joins us. If you recall, she was planning to go into town. That said, she wasn't wearing them, since the people in town don't quite understand what it is we do out here. For her to wear a gun to town would be like raising a red flag in front of a mad bull. They'd have her locked up quicker than scat."

"Locked up? Why?"

"Because according to the town fathers, good girls don't carry guns, so they passed a law against it back about eight years ago. Up until then, Belle didn't go into town without them. I think it was Clayte's doing. If Belle were locked up, he'd find a way to get this spread away from her. That is his plan, you know."

Black thought about what Kate said while he saddled his horse. It made sense, especially if this Adamson feller wanted this ranch so damn bad. He'd heard of men, especially Mike Slade, killing for less. It was a wonder that Belle was still alive.

By the time Belle arrived, they were all mounted and Kate had put her rifle in the boot of her saddle. Each girl rode a horse that seemed to fit her personality. Kate rode a chestnut mare, Janna a brown and white paint gelding, Lacy a palomino mare, Cara a sorrel gelding, and Belle a white stallion who matched her silver-blonde hair. He wondered if she ever used him for stud, then noticed the horses in the corral. They looked as though he had sired most of them, using the palomino as well as the chestnut for breeders.

"I'm ready to ride,” Belle said, shoving her rifle in the boot of her saddle.

The ride to the east range took about half an hour, leaving Black awed by the expanse of the ranch he now called home. Once there, it was evident that someone had been trespassing on the Double Bar B. The barbed-wire fence had been cut, and tracks of several animals led away from the property.

"That son of a bitch, he's hit us again,” Belle spat. “You five can handle this, I'm going into town. This time that bastard of a sheriff is going to have to listen to me."

She wheeled her horse and took off at a fast gallop in the direction of the town Black had left the night before.

"Let's get to work,” Kate ordered. “We've lost enough cattle to Clayte and his bunch. We can count them and check our losses when we get them to the pasture closer to the house."

Black made a mental note that he would come back up here tonight and see just who was stealing the cattle. He promised himself he wouldn't do anything he might regret tonight, but he knew he had to get evidence before he went off half-cocked and did something that would push the law to come gunning for him.

Belle thought about going back to the house to get rid of her guns, but by the time the idea entered her mind, she was halfway to town. She was too mad to turn around now. Besides, this time she had proof. She had five witnesses, including one man, to back her up about the fence being cut.

Just outside of town, she stopped long enough to take off her guns and stash them in a clump of bushes where she could pick them up later. There was no need to give Joe Calhoun any reason to arrest her today. She purposely left her rifle in the boot of her saddle. As long as she wasn't wearing her guns, she would be safe from the law.

Town was as quiet as she would have expected it to be so early in the morning. The banker was just opening up for the day and the general store had its door open, so that customers could come inside and the owner could enjoy the last of the fall breezes that would soon turn to winter winds.

When she entered the sheriff's office she found Joe in his usual position, sitting behind his desk with his feet propped up on the top of it while he read the wanted posters that seemed to be always in front of him. He was so engrossed in the posters, he didn't even look up when she entered the office. Unceremoniously, she shoved his boots off the desk, almost toppling him over in the chair that was precariously balanced on two legs.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Belle?” Joe sputtered.

"I wanted to get your attention. This time you're going to listen to me and do some investigating or I'll have to bring in my own detectives from Denver."

"What the hell do you need detectives for, Belle? I heard that fancypants gunslinger headed out to your place last night. Why not use him?"

"If you're referring to Mr. Conley, I hired him on as a hand, not a gunman."

Joe shook his head. “From what I hear, you may want him as a hand, but he's more used to using his guns than herding cattle. So what imaginary problem are you here to complain about this time?"

"It's not imaginary. I lost more cattle last night."

"Now that's a real shame. I hear tell there's a pack of wolves up around your place. Maybe what you need is a wolfer to track them down and eliminate them for you."

"Wolves don't cut fences and they don't take off with the cattle, they kill them and eat their fill at the kill site. This time my girls, along with Mr. Conley, all saw the cut in the fence and the trampled grass. If I'm not wrong, they probably got off with about a dozen head. That makes almost forty head of cattle in the last two weeks. It's as plain as the nose on your face that it's Clayte's men who are taking them, so what are you planning to do about it?"