The Encounter (26 page)

              Sarah picked up one. Joseph looked at Margaret. "You sure? This is an awful lot."

              "Don't worry I can get more. Take it. You and Sarah can use it."

              Joseph looked at Sarah. "I don't know what to say, but thanks. We're beholdin' to you."

              "If you can help us get clear of this", Lawrence said. "We're more than even." He stood up. "Now, I think we need to turn in. Let’s see where we stand in the morning."

              Everyone agreed there wasn't much else they could do. Sarah walked around to Margaret, hugged her and said her goodnights. Joseph waited for her and they both went to their rooms. Margaret and Lawrence watched them go.

              Lawrence took Margaret's hand and started toward the other bedroom. "What about tonight?"

              She opened the door. "What about what? Oh that, sure. Human males sure do think a lot about that, don't they?"

              Before he could come up with a comeback, she pulled him through the door and shut it behind them.

                                                        ***

              Henry waited in his office for Ben Kramer to arrive. He'd gone through two cigars and most of a bottle of bourbon trying to come up with a scheme that wouldn't involve him directly. Without Martin the two kids probably couldn't keep it together, but he couldn't wait for that to happen.

              The door opened and Ben stepped in. "You're sure he's dead?" He shut the door behind him.

              "I see my messenger couldn't keep his mouth shut."

              "You know Jake", Ben walked into the room. "Never could keep anything under his hat."

              "Sit down. Have a drink." He'd see to Jake later. "You got any ideas how to handle this?"

              Ben sat down "Out of my... our hands."

              Henry knew what he meant. He poured Ben a drink and handed it across to him. "Frank? I heard what happened."

              Ben took the glass. "He wants that woman almost as much as he wants the man who pistol-whipped him." He took a sip and turned the glass in his hands.

              No matter what happens now, Henry thought, I'm in the clear. If worse came to worse, the Cattleman's Association would get the land and they'd hang Frank. No great loss to his way of thinking.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Lawrence's entire approach to having sex had changed. His and her needs were different. It was just the way she was. Since she could only have intercourse once a night, more time was spent talking, about a lot of things, her life back home, and especially her home.

Her solar system was much larger. Her sun was half again the size of Earth's. Her world had a sister planet moving in the same orbit, but on the opposite side of the sun. They were never in view of one another. Each planet had two moons. Her society had developed space travel centuries ahead of its sister planet, but now, both planets are cohabited by beings from both worlds. The speculation was if both planets weren't exactly the same size, with the same two moons, one would have eventually caught up with the other and destroyed them both.

              She talked about interplanetary wars and intergalactic conflicts over territory spanning many centuries of Earth time. Earth itself had been fortunate. It had remained unaffected during those dark times when entire planets had been ravaged for raw materials and in some cases slave labor.

              It sounded like something from a science fiction writer’s imagination. He wanted to know other things, such as her real name. She told him. He liked “Maggie” better. She didn't mind.

              He talked about his life, his family, his growing up. His story was much less spectacular, but you wouldn't know it by her enthusiasm.

              He wanted to touch and she had become more and more comfortable with that. She had quickly learned what he liked and was eager to make him feel good. However, her body reacted differently to the stimulation and it was hard for her to relate to him what she experienced while he was inside her.

She felt his urge to climax come and go several times before he finally did. From that point she was in control. Once it happened she expelled him and her body sealed itself for several hours. During that time her reproductive system would do nothing but try and produce an offspring.

After giving birth, her reproductive system would shut down for almost three years. She would lose her urge to mate. It was her species way of giving the newborn a chance to establish itself before the arrival of another. Knowing human males for the way they were, she would continue to allow him to join with her.

Afterwards they cuddled together. He enjoyed the closeness and she needed his body heat.

                                                        ***

              Margaret’s hearing was much more acute than her sense of smell, but it was a familiar smell that aroused her, the smell of Indians.

              She opened her eyes and rose up. There were no sounds of anything out of the ordinary, but the smell was heavy. She shook Lawrence. "Wake up. Something's wrong."

              He blinked his eyes open. She crawled over him. The morning sun was just below the mountains. She went to the window, naked.

              "What's wrong?" He had long since quit questioning her abilities. He got up, carried the quilt with him and wrapped it around both of them.

              She put her arm around him. She was cold. "The Indians were back, but I don't think they're here any more."

              "The horses..." Lawrence left the quilt and went looking for his pants. "Remember, they left the two on the wagon."

              They both went scrambling for their clothes not bothering with the underwear or boots. Lawrence finished first, pulled his pistol from its holster and left the room. Margaret wasn't far behind.

              Halfway to the front door Sarah stepped out of her room. Lawrence held up his hand for her to be quiet. She joined them at the door.

              "What's going on", Sarah asked in a whisper. "Maybe I should get Joseph."

              "No, not yet", Lawrence answered. "Let's take a look."

              "Take a look at what?" Sarah asked.

              Lawrence slowly opened the door. What they saw on the porch surprised all of them.

              The area in front of the door was covered with Indian charms. Carved sticks were arranged to resemble an altar. Most of the rest of the porch was covered with animal skins, feather headdresses, several butchered deer and dogs, even the rifle from the mantel, but the strangest thing of all was the corral. Not only had the six stolen horses been returned, but a dozen Indian ponies were there as well.

              All three stood in the doorway. "What the hell is all this", Lawrence asked.

              "If I'm not mistaken", Margaret answered, "the Indians are trying to appease an angry spirit."

              "What angry spirit", Sarah asked. "They've never done anything like this before."

              Margaret stepped out on the porch, trying not to disturb anything. "I guess it's me".

              "You," Lawrence followed her out, "because of what happened yesterday?"

              "Probably... You see I made reference to a female spirit that's part of their folklore... Seems, in their distant past a Great War Chief was killed in battle. His wife was so grief stricken she struck out at the spirits of their forefathers for taking her husband. What she did so angered the spirits that when she died they condemned her spirit to roam the Earth forever, keeping her from her husband even in death."

              Sarah was impressed. "You believe in spirits", she asked Margaret?

              "What's important is, they do", she answered.

              "Don't move anything. I gotta get Joseph." Sarah disappeared into the house.

              Lawrence moved something with his foot. "You qualified for this Spirit-of-the-Month award for what happened yesterday?"  

              She looked toward the hills. "I guess, but the thing that impresses me the most..." She turned back toward him. "They did all this and I didn't hear 'em."

                                                        ***

              Ben Kramer had lost his wife and only daughter to the fever the same winter Martin lost his wife. The girl was very close to him and it left him bitter. He never remarried and satisfied his needs with the two Indian women who kept house for him.

              Ben and his two sons sat at the breakfast table. The left side of Frank's head was still bruised and swollen from Lawrence's gun barrel.

              Frank touched the side of his face. "I'm gonna kill that son-of-a-bitch, but not until he watches me skin that bitch that's with him."

              Josh's insides were turning over at the thought of what might happen to Sarah.

              Ben took a bite of breakfast. "When? And don't forget about the girl and boy."

              Frank grinned, "Soon, and I ain't forgetin' about Sarah. The boys and me'll make it look like the Indians had a little fun. I'll bring you a couple of scalps. A long black one and a long yellow one."

              Frank dug into his meal. Ben watched Josh. He didn't seem to be sharing in his brother's enthusiasm. He never seemed to have the stomach for much of anything.

              Josh picked at his plate. He'd lost his appetite.

                                                        ***

              The venison was hung in the smoke house. The dogs were buried behind the barn. At Margaret's suggestion they kept the shrine, but moved it away from the house. All Indians were superstitious. As long as the shrine was honored the Indians would probably leave them alone.

              The women were busy in the house. Joseph and Lawrence stood at the corral looking over the horses. The Indian ponies were in good shape. Most of them were mares and all of them needed shoeing. At twenty-five dollars a head, the standing offer from the military for rough broke stock, they represented quite a gift.

              "Can you ride", Joseph asked?

              "Yeah, I can ride. Why?"

              "Good, come on." Joseph turned and started for the barn.

              Lawrence followed him. "I've never worked cattle before or anything like that."

              "We're not working cattle. I got something else to do first."

              "The stallion... You're going after the stallion."

              "We'll put a rope on a couple of those Indian mares and use 'em for bait."

              "You know how your sister feels about this."

              Joseph stopped in front of the barn and faced him. "Look, I made a promise to myself and my father. I'm goin'. You do what you want." Joseph turned and entered the barn.

              Lawrence stood for a moment. Hardheaded kid, he thought, and then followed him in.

              Lawrence was right about one thing. Sarah wasn't real happy. She followed Joseph all over the house begging, pleading, shouting, but in the end all she could do was watch Joseph and Lawrence ride away.

              Sarah stood next to Margaret tears running down her cheeks. She wiped her face on her sleeve, and then glanced at Margaret. "Don't let these fool ya. I'm just mad. That pig headed brother of mine is gonna get himself hurt or worse."

              Margaret understood. Sarah's fears went a lot deeper than that. She put her arm around her. "They'll be okay."

              Sarah watched the two riders grow smaller in the distance and remembered the last time she watched Joseph ride away then she said abruptly, "I got work to do in the garden", and turned and walked away.

              Margaret watched until they dropped from sight. She was as worried as Sarah, but didn't want to show it.

                                                        ***