I'm Off to Montana for to Throw the Hoolihan (Code of the West) (11 page)

“Yep," Stack replied. "How about you usin’ this rig to go pick up Miss Selena? After Andrews scrubs up in the stock tank, we’ll haul him on down and meet you.”

Lorenzo Odessa eased himself out of the buckboard and limped over to the fancy carriage. “Thanks, Stack. This is a beaut
iful setup. I’m obliged to you for lettin’ us borrow it.”

“I didn’t say you could borrow it.”

“What?” Odessa shoved back his hat and rubbed his forehead.

“This is my weddin’ present.”

“It’s what?” Odessa gasped.

“It’s sort of a dowry for Miss Selena.”

“You’re joshin’ me.”

Stack Lowery plunked his hands on his hips. “Why would I do that?”

“You can’t just give away a carriage like this.”

“What’s the use of owning a gold mine if I can’t give things to my friends?”

“Half a gold mine,” Tap corrected him.

5

A
t 1:06
p.m.
, Saturday, October 6, 1883, in Billings, Montana
Territory, Selena Oatley and Lorenzo Odessa repeated solemn vows in front of Judge T. L. Rathdrum in the presence of Mr. Stack Lowery, Miss Angelita Gomez, and Mr. and Mrs. Tapadera Andrews. Mr. Andrews’s jacket was mostly clean. The rest of him was a mess.

At 1:35
p.m.
Stack Lowery boarded the Northern Pacific westbound. At 1:45
p.m.
Mr. and Mrs. Odessa checked into the largest suite at the Gold King Hotel. And at 3:10
p.m.
a small procession left Billings going eastward along the Yellowstone River Valley road.

Tap’s Colt .44 hung on his hip. Pepper lounged by his side. Tet
hered behind the grocery-filled buckboard was the big steel-gray gelding, Roundhouse. At the side of the wagon, Angelita straddled Onespot. In her gloved right hand were lead ropes for the yearlings.

“Can I name the ponies?” Angelita called out.

Pepper slipped her hand into the sleeve of Tap’s canvas coat. “I can’t understand how you could buy two ponies when we have thirty horses at the ranch.”

“All we have at the ranch are geldings.”

“But you said we’re going to buy a stallion and some brood mares.”

“That won’t be until next spring. These two will be half-grown by then. I was just thinkin’ about Lil’ Tap.”

“Lil’ Tap won’t need a horse for several years.”

“Are you two ignoring me?” Angelita called.

“He’ll need one when he’s two,” Tap announced.

“Two? My son is not getting on a big horse when he’s two.”

Tap glanced at her without a smile. “Mine is.”

“I’m talking to you,” Angelita hollered again.

“But,” Pepper continued, “that doesn’t explain why we needed
two
ponies.”

“I told you the filly’s for Lil’ Tapina.”

“There’s no way in the world my daughter’s climbing on a horse at age two.”

“Mine is.” Tap gazed straight ahead as Pepper slipped her hand out of his arm.

“Ahem! Would you two quit fighting and pay attention to me.”

“We’re not fighting,” Tap insisted.

“Of course we are,” Pepper countered.

“We are not.”

“Yes, we are.”

“Look,” Angelita protested, “if you two don’t straighten up, I’ll send you to your room without supper the minute we get home.”

Tap and Pepper both broke into smiles. “Okay, Lil’ Mama, we’ll quit arguin’.”

“Fighting,” Pepper corrected.

“That’s it. I don’t know what I’m going to do with you two. It’s beyond me why you think you’re ready to embark on the lifelong challenge of parenthood.”

“Where does she come up with lines like that?” Tap r
emarked.

“She reads too much.”

Angelita announced, “I’ve named the ponies Albert and Victoria.”

Tap looked up with a blank expression. “Which is which?”

“Very funny. What do you think? Can we name them that? Please.”

“I don’t know, lil’ darlin’. Queen Vic isn’t exactly the quiet, shy type like that filly, and Prince Albert is dead.”

“What difference does that make?” Angelita asked.

“Sounds good to me,” Pepper said.

Tap studied the two ponies. “If it’s understood Lil’ Tap and Lil’ Tapina can rename them if they want to.”

“He’s extremely confident you will want to have more than one child,” Angelita observed.

“At the moment he’s a very optimistic man.”

Tap turned to Pepper. “How are you feeling, darlin’?”

“Every square inch of my body is bloated and puffy. My lower back has a throbbing pain that hasn’t let up in three weeks. My tailbone feels like I was dropped off a tower and landed on Plymouth Rock. For no apparent reason, I break out in a sweat like a pig on a spit over a fire. My ankles are so swollen I can no longer tie my shoes, which I can’t reach nor see anyway. By noon most days my knees ache, and I get winded walking across the front room. Yesterday I was in the privy and was afraid I couldn’t stand up without help. Shall I go on? Or were you expecting me to say, ‘Oh, I’m fine’?”

Tap glanced at Angelita. “See what you have to look fo
rward to?”

“Not me. I’m not having children. They can be such a bother.”

“Now that I’ve given you a report,” Pepper rubbed the back of Tap’s neck, “how are
you
feeling?”

“My left arm feels like someone laid a hot poker against it. My shins have foot-long bruises and seem to give out on me. I’m still picking gravel out of my hair. And my neck locks up ever’ time I have to turn it to the right in a hurry.”

“But are you hurt?” Pepper laid her head on his shoulder.

“Oh, no. This is nothin’. In the old days, if I didn’t wake up on Monday feelin’ like this, I’d consider the weekend a waste of time.”

Angelita called out. “It’s obvious you cannot stay out of trouble for five minutes when left on your own. I really shouldn’t have stayed with Miss Selena.”

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I remain on the ranch from now on. We’ll send someone else to town.”

“That would be a start,” Pepper agreed. “Let’s see . . . We make sure someone goes with you when you ride out on the ranch. . . . You can’t ride off Slash-Bar-4 property. . . . You can’t wander around the yard unless I can see you from the front window. . . .”

“And he’s not allowed to answer the front door,” Angelita co
ncluded.

“You’re hopeless, Tap.” Pepper brushed strands of blonde hair back off her ears. “I guess we’ll just have to trust the Lord to take care of you.”

“I reckon that’s what He had in mind all along.” Tap slapped the reins. The team quickened their pace to a trot.

Tap Andrews had watched the fast-moving clouds pile up in the east all afternoon. They felt a sprinkle or two when they stopped at sundown and cooked some supper along the trail. They hadn’t seen another traveler since they turned north on Bull Mountain Road.

Darkness crept in before they reached the western edge of the ranch. Angelita now rode, blanket-covered, next to Pepper. Roundhouse and Onespot trailed the wagon. The young horses’ lead ropes were tied to Angelita’s side of the wagon. With a heavy, threatening cloud cover, Tap could hardly see the trail. But far up on the mountain, lights glowed through the night.

“Looks like someone’s waitin’ for us,” he commented.

“Is this man Renten trustworthy?” Pepper asked.

“He’ll use his last bullet to defend you.”

“He mentioned helping you and Odessa escape from a Mexican jail.”

Tap laughed. “He told you about that?”

“No. He just mentioned it happened. You never told me about it.”

“Nope.”

“Do you want to tell me now?” she prodded.

“Nope.”

“Is some young lady’s brother going to come searching for you to avenge his sister’s honor?”

“Nope. She didn’t have any brothers.” He looked over at A
ngelita. “How’s little sis?”

“Asleep.”

“How’s Lil’ Tap?”

“Asleep, apparently.”

“Why don’t you join them? It’ll be an hour before we reach those lights.”

“I want to watch them. It helps me know what others see when they ride up to our place. It’s an impressive ranch.”

“It’s big. I surely hope I know what I’m doin’.”

Pepper pulled the wool blanket up to her neck. “Do you think it will rain before we get there?”

“Smells like it.”

“What are you planning on doing the next few days?”

“I won’t hardly be out of sight. I’ll hang around headquarters until you’re sick of me and want me to ride off.”

“Did you get hit in the head?” she asked.

“A time or two. Why?”

“Because you’re starting to sound delirious.”

A shaved and scrubbed Howdy Renten held a brass kerosene lantern at the front gate for them. Tap drove the wagon through and then waited for Renten to close it behind them. “You look all dandied up,” Tap called out.

Howdy held the lantern high above his head. “You don’t. Did you bring me any tobacco?”

“It’s back there in the grocery crates.”

“You get Odessa married off?”

“Yep. He and Mrs. Odessa should be comin’ home tomorrow.”

“Tapadera Andrews and Lorenzo Odessa both married. I never figured I’d see that day.”

“You didn’t think we were the marryin’ kind?”

Renten grabbed the harness of the lead horse and led it up to the front of the house. “Shoot, I didn’t reckon either of ya would live long enough to git married.” Howdy held out his free hand to help Angelita and Pepper down. “Mrs. Andrews, did you ever—”

“Please call me Pepper.”

“No, ma’am, I cain’t do that. Boss lady is always Missus. Rules of the range.”

“In a society where most men can neither read nor write, there seem to be a lot of rules.”

“Yes, ma’am, I reckon there are. As I was sayin’, did you ever know ol’ Tap here when he wasn’t injured from a fight?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Me neither. Do you reckon he enjoys pain?”

“All right, you two,” Tap interrupted. “We’ve got a wagon to unload, ponies to corral—”

“You find them two orphans wanderin’ in the wilderness?” Re
nten asked.

“No. Bought ’em from a traveling salesman.”

“He was selling ponies?”

While Howdy grabbed a box of supplies from the back of the wagon, Tap helped Pepper up the stairs to the porch. Her legs felt heavy and stiff. “Actually,” Tap replied, “he was selling F
emale Remedy.”

“He was selling what?” Pepper gasped.

“Female Remedy.”

“And you didn’t buy me any?” She jabbed an elbow into his side.

“It’s too late for you, Mama,” Angelita giggled as she scampered ahead of them into the house.

“Mrs. Andrews, there’s some supper waitin’ on top of the stove and a pie in the warmin’ oven.”

“Mr. Renten, I’m grateful for your work.”

“It’s my job, ma’am. Now you and little Miss—eh, Miss—”

“Howdy, this is Angelita Gomez, our house guest. Just treat her like our daughter.”

“You two beautiful ladies go on into the house. Me and Tap will tote them groceries.”

Pepper entered the front room. “I can’t believe you have a pie waiting for us.”

“I didn’t bake the pie. Mrs. Miller did.”

“The Quaker lady?” Tap entered carrying a crate of supplies. “She sent a pie all the way to our house?”

“Sent—nothin’. The whole family is camped out at the bun
khouse.”

Tap stopped in the middle of the room. “The whole family came to visit?”

“Ain’t no social call. Some hombres burned their house and barn and chased off their stock. I’m not sure how many kids they have, but that oldest boy helped me look after the horses.”

“How old is he?” Angelita asked.

“About your age, I reckon.”

“Maybe I should go and—”

“Stay put, young lady." Tap turned to Howdy. “You figure they’re still awake?”

“They turned the lights out a couple hours back.”

“Then we’ll talk to them in the mornin’. Darlin’, I’ll put the team up and tuck Albert and Queen Vic into their new home.”

“Queenie,” Angelita called out. “I like that even better than Vi
ctoria. Let’s call her Queenie.”

“Then Queenie it is. You and Mama go get yourself some supper and get ready for bed. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Tap was in the barn right after daybreak when Ezra Miller found him. “Brother Andrews, I must apologize for moving into your bunkhouse uninvited last evening. Your hired man assured me it would be all right, but I should have waited and asked you directly. It’s just that Mrs. Miller and the children were upset, and at that time of the evening I didn’t know what else to do.”