The Gunslinger (Barnett Ranch) (5 page)

Jax thought about what he might ask of her.  What kind of prize might he like to receive from her if he won.  He was sure he would. 
He, kind of thought he might like a kiss. 
He was daydreaming about kissing her when a buck jumped out in front of him.  He raised his gun to fire, but he missed.  He spotted a doe running off in the other direction and set his sights on her.  She wasn’t nearly as big as the buck but she would have to do.  He fired a steady shot right through the doe
’
s heart. 
Happy with himself he gutted and tossed the deer
on the back of his saddle.  He heard another gunshot and realized Virginia must have killed something too. 

They got back to the buggy around the same time.  To his surprise, Virginia had the buck he’d missed dragging it behind her mount.  Damn, he thought.  He was really looking forward to asking her for a kiss.  He knew it would make her mad, but the thought of making her angry and knowing she was too daring not to do it just gave him
,
all the more
,
reason to do it.  However, he’d lost the bet and she’d scored the biggest game.  He waited for her to
make him pay up.

“Well, it looks like I win, so I guess you get to skin out both deer.”  That was all she said.  She didn’t come up with something ridiculous like he had.  She just simply put skinning the deer off on him.  He would’ve done it anyway. 

They took the deer back to the restaurant.  The ladies, went upstairs to
Mrs. Ellen
’s apartment while Jax took the deer around back and skinned them out. 

             
Jax had never gone this long without using his guns.  It had to be a record of some sort.  So far no one had figured it out, at least no one he knew of.  He couldn’t have been more wrong.

The stage coach brought a package to the general store addressed to Miss Virginia
Barnett
.  He took it since he was there getting flour for
Mrs. Ellen
.  He didn’t open it.  It was none of his business, still h
e wondered what it was. He thought
it felt like books.  He didn’t see much wrong with that.  Everyone sho
uld learn to read, he thought.  T
here were still uneducated people all across the country, more out west than back east. 

He carried the package in and set it down on the counter, while he took the flour to the kitchen.  “Where’s Virginia, she got a package in on the stage.  I sat it on the counter for her.”  “She’s upstairs, I’ll let her know when she comes back down.” 

 
Virginia ran through the kitchen door, snatched the package off the counter and went back up the stairs with it.  She threw herself across the bed and tore the package open.  She set the other books aside and picke
d up the one titled, The Angel o
f Death. 

She read;
T
he Angel of Death,
is a ruthless killer, however, he’
s never killed anyone in cold blood
.  He rides into town on his big black ste
ed and before the day is over
, he’s
called out into the street. He
aim
s with
perfect ac
curacy.  He puts a bullet
through the heart of every man he kills before they even have time to pu
ll their weapon.  He never draws
first, and he tries to talk
the youngsters out of it.   He has
never walked into a town and started the fight, although he always makes his presence known. 
The very danger with which h
e carries himself tells of the danger without anyone ever uttering a word
.  His presence strikes fear in most men.  Women, throw themselves at him unmercifully and children imitate him in the streets.  His attire is a b
lack hat, black vest, black pant
s and black boots.  He wears a pistol on each hip and knows how to use both of them with equal deadliness.  He’s been known to rescue damsels in distress and
occasionally
join
s
up with a posse to ride down bank robbers and evil doers.  The Angel of Death fits into such categories as Wild Bill
H
ickok
and Wyatt Earp though he ha
s
likely
killed more than the two of them combined.

Virginia heard footsteps on the stairs so she
closed and
hid the book under her mattress.  “Virginia, what are you doing up here?  We have customers.  What is that on your bed?”  “Oh it’s just a couple of dime novels I ordered for my brothers.”  “Why on earth, would you buy them such filth?  Do they actually read that mess?”  “Yes ma’am, they have several of them.”  “Well come on, I suppose you can wrap them up for them later.  We’ve got work to do.” 

Virginia followed her granny down the stairs and went back to work. Her eyes kept roaming over to Jax as she cleared off the table.  He definitely fit the description in the book.  She took in his clothes and noted that he wore two pistols and rode a black horse.  He had to be him, she thought. 
Still she wouldn’t say anything.  It was as those two scruffy men said.  Maybe, he wanted to settle down
somewhere and not have to worry about looking over his shoulder.  She decided to keep her suspicions to herself.
 

Virginia wondered about the women it mentioned in the book.  Had he really rescued damsels in distress?  Then she remembered, he’d only recently rescued her.  That was just more proof that he did indeed fit the profile.  She felt jealousy rise up in the pit of her stomach as she thought about those women falling all over themselves to get to him.  She remembered how she’d felt when she saw Penelope flirting with him.  Why did he of all people have to make her crazy?  She didn’t need this.  She definitely didn’t need him. 

She told herself she didn’t want him
nor
need him, but truth be told, she’d never wanted any man until now.  She wanted him so bad she ached to be near him.  She wondered what it would be like to be in his arms.  She would never know, because she was not the type of woman a man wanted.  She supposed the only man who would ever settle down with the likes of her would be one out to get his hands on her land.  She wasn’t much to look at, at least she hadn’t thought so.  She’d never had a man flirt with her, exc
ept ugly old trail hands who hadn’t seen a woman in a while
.  That was proof that she wasn
’t worth much to look like, she figured
.  The only thing she knew how to do, was ride, rope, and shoot.  She was one of the men as far as the ranch hands were concerned.  She’d earned their respect by outworking all of them. 

She thought
it might be nice to cook for the man you love.  She’d never thought of it that way before.  Maybe, it was because she’d never been interested in anyone before.  She had no idea how to flirt with a man and most of the time she ended up,
being down right mean to Jax. 

She decided she would pay attention the next time her granny tried to teach her to cook.  If she couldn’t get his attention by a woman’s wiles then she would get his attention with food.  She was going to learn to cook, and she would cook him the best meal he’d ever eaten.  She grit her teeth in determination and headed into the kitchen.

“Gran, I was hoping you might teach me to cook.  I know I’ve been awful about it and all, but I’ve had a change of heart.  I really want to learn.”  Ellen smiled, “Well that would be wonderful, come on we can start today.  I’ll let you cook Jax’s supper and we won’t tell him unless he likes it.”  “Ok, I guess that’s fine.” 

Jax noticed that at some point, Virginia had quit clearing the tables and the fifteen year old who usually washed dishes was doing it.  He still didn’t know the girls name.  She never opened her mouth.  She was shy and nervous around people.  Jax started to help her but she shooed him away. 

Mrs. Ellen
came out and yelled for him to turn the closed sign around, and come on in.  It was time for supper, and he was starving, so he did.  He pulled out a chair at his usual table and sat down. 
Mrs. Ellen
brought him a plate of food just like she always did. 

The meal she laid in front of him consisted of roast, potatoes, peas, okra and cornbread with a pepper on the side.  The gravy from the roast was dripping on top of the potatoes and it smelled
delicious.  It was delicious.  He ate every bite without stopping.  “
Mrs. Ellen
, you outdone yourself tonight, this is delicious.”  “Thank you, but I didn’t cook it, Virginia did.”  “You’re kidding, right?”  “I’m afraid not.  She asked me to teach her to cook, and she done a mighty fine job of it, too.  Of course, Virginia has always been one to outdo herself when she throws herself into her work.  That’s why all the hand’s at the ranch trust her to do a man’s job without question.”   
“Well, tell her I said it was real good.”

He cleared his plate from the
table, took it to the kitchen and washed it.  When he left he headed to the livery to get his horse.  He overheard a conversation between the livery owner, Chuck and a man just off the trail, must be a trail boss, he thought.  They were talking about horses, and Jax centered his attention on the conversation.  “There good horses Chuck some of the best.  You know I have to sell them I can’t take them all the way back to Texas.”  “Well, I realize that but I just don’t have the money for them.  Maybe you’ll have better luck when you get to Montana.”  Jax interrupted them.  “Excuse me, I don’t mean to be nosey, but
just what kind of horses are you talking about?  Are they mares, geldings or what?”  “Well, for the most part, t
here are mostly mares.  There are
a few good geldings in the bunch,
but they belong to the men
.  We usually keep the mares for breeding stock but this year the boss chose to let a good bit of them go.”  “I’m
really just
looking to buy
mares
.  Would it be too much trouble for me to, look at them?”  “Nah, I’m about to head out there now if you’d like to ride along.”

Jax saddled up the stallion and rode along beside the trail boss.  “That’s a mighty fine stallion, you have.  I reckon he must be the reason you’re looking for good mares.” 
“He’d be the reason alright.” 
Jax, pet
the horse’s neck and rub
bed his hand through his mane.
The herd was about two hours from town.  When they got near, the stallion through his head up, blew and pranced.  Jax held him in check, calming him.  “Whoa, boy, easy now,” he cooed to the horse. 

Jax fol
lowed the trail boss to the remu
da line
and dismounted handing the reins of his stallion to one of the wranglers.  He walked around the herd getting a good look at them.  He checked their feet, their backs, and their teeth.  They were all
,
good and broke, of course they would be after so many months on the trail.
  “Well I can’t take all of them but I would really like to take a good bit off your hands, say about fifty or so.  How much, are you asking for them?”  “Oh about two hundred, I guess.”  “That’s too much, how about a hundred.”  “Nah, I’ll take one fifty and no less.”  “You got yourself a deal.”  “Alright then, pick the ones you want out and tell the wrangler.  Seeing as how, you’re only taking fifty of them, I reckon it would be alright if you go on and take them.  I’ll head back to town with you whenever you’re ready, and I’ll have a couple of the boys bring your horses while you and I settle business.
  I got a couple boys that’s due to take their turn in town tonight, anyway.” 

The trail boss rode off and Jax went over the horses he wanted with the wrangler.  Two men rode over with the trail boss and the wrangler told them which ones to cut out.  Jax gave them directions to his place and left with the trail boss.  Since Jax didn’t trust banks he’d kept all his money safely hidden.  Before he moved here he kept it on him, which could have been dangerous had he not been, just as dangerous himself.  Now, he had it hidden in a metal box under a loose floorboard in the
house, he rented.  It was going to cost him every bit of his savings to pay for the horses, but it was worth it.  This was what he’d been saving for, all of his adult life. 

They rode up to his house and hitched their horses out front.  Jax told the trail boss to have a seat at the table while he got the money.  He went into the bedroom, shut the door and lifted the board up careful not to make noise then took the money out and counted out seventy five hundred dollars.  He picked up a pen and a piece of paper on his way out of the bedroom.

The two men talked horses, and the trail boss rode out a bill of sale on the piece of paper.  They both signed it and left room for the two trail hands to sign as witnesses.  They talked while they waited and Jax put a pot of coffee on the stove. 

The men arrived with the horses and Jax opened the gate to the corral for them.  He offered them all coffee and they came in, drank their coffee, and signed their names to the bill of sale.  Jax thanked them and walked them to the door.  The three men headed into town for the night.  It was already dark but one of them carried a lantern.  Jax lit his own lantern and took the stallion to the barn to stall him for the night.