The Lonely Cowboy (Trace Atkins Family) (4 page)

Chapter 6  Trace’s Ranch and Good News

Clint
Shaw had knocked on the door to the kitchen and invited into the house.  “What’s on your mind, Clint, asked Trace?

“I
have someone in mind you might like to live on your ranch.”
“Good, tell me about him,” said Trace.

“Well,
actually, it’s my nephew and his wife.  They’ve been trying to make it on a good for nothing piece of land that won’t grow nothing but rocks.  They’re having a pretty hard time of it.  He’s a hard worker and not a Hellraiser.  They have a baby on the way, and need another way to go.  It’d kinda be a favor to me if you could help him out.”

“Tell
him to come in to see me and we’ll talk about it.”

“Thanks,”
Mr. Atkins.

“Just
call me Trace, Clint.”

Thank
you, Clint.  I’ll go see him after work this afternoon and he can come in tomorrow, if that’d be all right.”

“That’ll
be f
ine, Clint.”

*
* *

The
  sun was barely over the horizon the next morning when someone knocked at the back door of the big house.  Sarah was in the kitchen and answered the door.  “Well, hello. Clint.  Come on in.  Would you like some coffee?”

“No,
ma’am Miss Sarah.  I spoke with Mr. Atkins yesterday about someone to stay on his ranch and he told me to have him come in to talk.  This here’s my nephew, Rance Williams.  He’s my sister Mary’s son.”

The
young man had removed his hat and was nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other.  Without meeting Sarah’s eyes, he mumbled something. 

“I’m
pleased to meet you, Rance.  Come on in and I’ll let Trace know you’re here.  He’s trying to make sense of the books and will be glad for a break.”

“Maybe
I can help him figure them out, Miss Sarah.”

Sarah
left the room and returned, followed by Trace.  “Good morning Clint.  How are you this morning?”

Clint
made the introductions and the young man said an almost inaudible, “Howdy.”

They
talked for a while and Trace stood and extended his hand.  “I think you’ll do fine Rance.  When would you like to go see what you’re getting yourself into?”

Rance
said, “As soon as possible, sir.”

“Let’s
do it tomorrow.  Clint, can you ride along?  You need to see it too.  It’s part of the Bar S now.  Let’s get started about sunup.”

“Trace,
Miss Sarah said you might need some help with the ranch books.  I’m available any time.  Most of the entries are mine.”

“That
sounds good, Clint.  Let’s do that when we get back.”

“See
you tomorrow morning,” Trace said.

“Sarah,
did you meet Rance Williams?”

“I
did.”

“I
think he might be the answer to someone living on my…our other ranch.  He seems like a nice young man.  Pretty shy though.”

”I
noticed that.  What are we going to pay him?”

“We
didn’t talk about that.  You have any suggestions?”

“We
pay the hands here $35 and found.  (Note from the author: “Found” is room and board.) I think he should get more than that.  We have accounts at all of the stores in Cimmaron.  We could just add his expenses to it.”

“He’s
married and they’re expecting a baby.  Do you think $45 would be OK?”

“You
might even want to say $50.  He’s going to have to make decisions out there that the cowboys here don’t have to make,” Sarah said.

“Good
idea.  I knew I married you for something other than your beauty and body.

“Speaking
of which…”

They
retired to the bedroom and closed the door.  Anyone trying to spy would have heard moans, sighs and the occasional giggle coming from the room.

*
* *

Trace,
Clint and Rance set out for Trace’s Rocking A ranch before sunup the next morning.  They rode cross country at a trot, without any conversation. 

When
they arrived and took care of their horses, they went to the well house and filled their canteens with some cool water.  Trace told them about the burning of the old house and rebuilding of the stone building in which they were now standing.

Rance
said, “This is really nice.  Were you living here before you married Miss Sarah?”

“Yeah.
  While I was rebuilding, I lived in the barn.  A lot of people from the church helped me.  I gathered all of the stone.

The
well has good water.  We own two sections.  Our land buts up to the Nueces River so we have plenty of water.  At the last count, I had about 100 head of cattle so it’s not overgrazed. It’s good land.  That’s probably why Jess Clayton wants it.”

“Rance,
what do you think?  Could you live here?”

“Yes
sir, we sure could.”

“Here’s
the deal.  You stay here, keep the place up, take care of the cattle until we merge them into the main herd.  After that, you can run your own cattle.  While you are taking are of our cattle, we’ll pay you $50 and found. 

Clint,
do you think that’s fair?  It’s more than we pay the hands at the main ranch, but out here, he’s going to have more responsibility.”

“I
think it’s more than fair.  What about you Rance, what do you think?”

“Yes
sir.  I think it’s good.  When can we start?”

“You
just did.  You can move in anytime you want.  Tomorrow if you want.”

“Darcy
is going to love this.  It’s the nicest place we’ve ever lived.”

His
enthusiasm was almost touchable.  Trace smiled at Clint, who said, “Thank you.  He’s a good kid and he’ll do a good job for you.”

“I’m
going to go through Cimmaron on the way back.  I need to see Jess Clayton and the sheriff .

*
* *

Trace
was heading towards Cimmaron at a nice easy trot when a shot rang out, the sound echoing off the rocks.  He didn’t hear the echo because the blow of the bullet knocked him from the saddle and he fell to the ground.  He lay still.  Bleeding.

His
horse, like any well trained animal when there was no grip or restraint on the reins, headed for home and food. 

*
* *

Josh
came into the kitchen.  “Ma, where’s Pa?”

“He
went to the other ranch with Mr. Clint and his nephew.”

“They’re
back.”

“Why
don’t you go find him?”

They
took off at their usual pace, a dead run.  “Mr. Clint, where’s Pa?” asked Josh.

“He
was coming back through Cimmaron.  He wanted to see some people.”

“His
horse is in the barn.  He still has his saddle on.”

“I
better take a look, he wouldn’t leave his horse saddled unless he was getting ready to ride him.  You boys go tell your ma.”

Clint
walked into the barn, and found the boys were right.  Trace’s horse was there, eating grain.  “Now ain’t that strange?”

Sarah
came hurrying out to the barn.  “Clint, has something happened?  Where’s Trace?  Didn’t he come back with you and Rance?”

“No,
we came back cross country because it’s quicker.  He wanted to go through Cimmaron and see Jess Clayton and the sheriff.”

“We’d
better backtrack to Cimmaron and see if he’s all right.  Let me get my bonnet and we’ll take  the buckboard.  The housekeeper will look after the boys.”

“Sarah,
there’s no need for you to go.  I’ll get a few of the hands and we’ll go back and find him.  He’s probably running late with the meetings and all.”

“Then
his horse wouldn’t be here.  I’m going.  Why don’t you send a couple of men on ahead and we’ll follow.”

“Yes
ma’am.”

When
the buckboard rolled into Cimmaron they were met by Clint and the other hand.  There’s no trace of him being here, Miss Sarah.  The sheriff hasn’t seen him.  I didn’t ask Jess Clayton. 

Come
with me and I’ll ask him and then I’ll go to the preacher’s.  Then we’ll head toward the other ranch.” 

Sarah
and Clint went to Jess Clayton’s office.  He was at his desk facing his door rather than the window.  “I’m Sarah Atkins, formerly Bartlett. Mr. Clayton.  I’m looking for my husband, Trace.”

“He’s
not here and I haven’t seen him.  If you can’t keep up with him, don’t expect me to do the job for you.  He’s probably at the saloon upstairs with one of the whores. ”  His two men in the office laughed along with him.  Sarah didn’t.

“Jess
Clayton, apparently my name doesn’t mean anything to you.  We own the Bar S.  If anything has happened to Trace, I will muster every resource the Bar S and the Kleburne ranches have and come after you.  Believe me, you won’t survive it.”

“What
do the Kleburnes have to do with this,” asked a now intimidated Clayton.

“My
father is a Kleburne.  Let’s go find my husband, Clint.

“I
haven’t seen your husband,” protested Clayton.

“If
anything has happened I hold you responsible.”

Sarah
and Clint left the office.  I’m going to the preacher’s.  You and one of the boys go on out toward the Rocking A.  I’ll be along in a few minutes.”

*
* *

At
the preacher’s she heard what she expected.  They hadn’t seen or heard from Trace either, leaving only the route to the Rocking A to be followed.  She and the cowboy left by Clint set out in that direction knowing Clint was ahead.  They encountered no riders until they met Clint, who was headed back to town, riding fast.  It took a second glance to see he had someone tied in back of him.

“I
found him in the road about a mile ahead.  He’s been shot but he’s alive and has lost a lot of blood.  We have to get him to the doctor.

They loaded him on the buckboard.  Sarah checked him and he had a wound in his lower abdomen, below the ribs.  His face and arms were burned from the sun.  His forehead felt hot to the touch.  Sarah tore a piece from her petticoat and poured water on it from one of the canteens they had brought.  She put this on his head.  Next she elevated his head and gave him sips of water.  The cowboy had taken the whip to the horses to get them to go faster. 

Sarah
called out to the men standing around looking, “Someone help us get him into the doctor’s  office, please.  He’s been shot.”

Two
cowboys came to the buckboard and lifted Trace out and carried him into the doctor's office.  The doctor was a relatively young man and was new in town.  Cimmaron was fortunate  to have him since he was schooled in the use of anesthetics. 

He
rolled Trace over and checked.  He could find no exit wound.  “The bullet is still in there and it has to come out.  I will put him to sleep and remove the bullet and also see if there is other damage.”  He sterilized the wound area with carbolic acid and put a cloth wet with chloroform over his nose and mouth and soon he was asleep.  The doctor made a small cut in the flesh to widen the area and saw the bullet, which he promptly removed.  “He’ll wake up and I’ll give him laudanum to reduce his pain.  I’ll keep him here where I can keep an eye on him for a few days.  He’s going to have to be monitored for a while to make sure it heals properly and does not get infected.”

Trace
had an uneventful recovery, having moved from the doctor’s office into a bedroom in the preacher’s house.

Sarah
had gone to see the sheriff.  “Sheriff, what are you going to do about Jess Clayton ambushing Trace?  He nearly killed him and this is twice he’s tried.”

“Now
Miss Sarah, I’ve talked with Clayton and he had witnesses that he never left town.”

“Did
you check his men.  I’ll bet some of them left town.”

“I
can’t do anything without proof, Miss Sarah.”

“Well,
I have all the proof I need.  If there is anything else done to the Rocking A or to my husband, the Bar S and the Kleburnes will handle it.”

“Now
I won’t stand for vigilantes in my town.”

“Look
around, Sheriff.  How much does this town depend on the Kleburnes and the Bar S for their business.  Compare that to how much Jess Clayton contributes.  You better pick a side and you’d better pick the right one.  If we have to go after Clayton, and we will, you don’t want to be in the middle.”