They Rode Together (11 page)

Chapter thirty-five

As soon as Yancy and Lee rode out, Sim asked to go to town.

“What for?” Tussle demanded.

“Thought I’d take a bath and get a shave,” Sim said. “I could sure use one.”

“No need to go to town for that,” Tussle replied. “There’s a stock tank you can use just to the south of here.”

Sim smiled.

“I could also use a drink. Be my last one for a while.”

Tussle narrowed his eyes.

“You a drinking man?”

“Some.”

Tussle grunted his displeasure, and it was silent as he thought on it.

“I won’t be gone long,” Sim added.

“You’d better not,” Tussle replied. “We leave at daybreak.”

“I’ll be back.”

Tussle grunted again while Sim untied his horse and stepped into the saddle.

***

Sim rode north, but he didn’t go to town. Instead, he rode to Butch’s camp.

The camp was well hidden, and Sim had some trouble finding it again. They heard him coming, and they were waiting with their Colts in hand as he rode up. But then Butch recognized him, and everyone relaxed.

“Kill Tussle yet?” Butch looked hopeful.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Do you have any idea who he’s got working for him?”

“Who?”

Sim told them, and everybody was startled.

“So, it was the Landons we were going up against,” Butch said thoughtfully.

“It sure was. And, you are mistaken if you think I’m going to take them all on by myself.”

“What are Tussle’s plans?” Butch asked as he ignored his comments.

Sim explained, and Rock and Butch looked at each other.

“Can Tussle cook?” Rock spoke up.

“No, he’s horrible.”

Rock grinned wolfishly and asked, “You say he’s short handed?”

“Sure is,” Sim nodded.

“It’s simple then,” Butch spoke back up. “All you have to do is wait until Tussle is alone at the chuck wagon. You can take care of him and clear out.”

“And then have the Landons after me?” Sim scowled. “I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“You would if you led them into an ambush,” Rock spoke up, and suggested, “We could ride on up ahead and be waiting for you.”

“That might actually work,” Butch agreed, and he looked at Sim. “What do you say?”

“I’m still the one taking all the risks,” Sim objected.

It was silent for a moment, and Butch nodded.

“All right,” he said. “I’ll send some more men to see Tussle in a few days. Short handed as he is, he’ll probably take them on. Then you won’t be alone when you face Tussle.”

Sim was silent as he thought it over.

“What about the herd?” He asked.

“After we ambush the Landons, you boys can ride back and pick them up.”

“That might work,” Sim said thoughtfully.

“Sure it will,” Butch said, and added, “We’ll ride on ahead past Abilene and find us a good spot. We’ll be waiting for you there.”

Sim nodded and turned his horse.

“I’ll see you in a few days,” he said.

Butch nodded, and they stood there and watched as Sim trotted out.

Chapter thirty-six

Camp was quiet that evening after supper.

It was Yancy and Cooper’s turn to be with the herd, and everybody else lingered around camp. Rondo drank coffee while Lee smoked a cigar.

“Let’s play poker,” Lee suggested.

“I don’t have any money,” Rondo shrugged.

Lee frowned. He looked around camp, and his face lit up.

“We can use cow chips.”

“Cow chips?”

“Sure, and the winners can burn their winnings.”

Rondo chuckled.

“Let’s just use matches,” he suggested.

Rondo, Brian, and Lee started a game while Josie and Wyatt watched. As for Jessica, she stayed on the other side of camp and ignored Lee.

They had only played a few hands when they heard someone trotting up. It was Sim, and he tended to his horse and walked up to camp. He smiled and tried to look unconcerned.

Tussle frowned at him.

“I thought you wanted a bath and shave,” he said gruffly.

Sim was startled.

“How about that!” He exclaimed. “I reckon I forgot.”

“I bet you didn’t forget that drink.”

“No, didn’t forget that,” Sim grinned.

Tussle grunted, and Sim grabbed his coffee cup and moved towards the fire.

Rondo watched him thoughtfully from across camp.

“I don’t trust him,” he said softly.

“That’s the Landon way,” Lee replied as he studied his cards. “You folks don’t trust anybody.”

“I trust you,” Rondo pointed out.

“Yancy doesn’t,” Lee said, and added, “Now, if you don’t mind, can we get back to the game? I have a good hand here.”

“I fold then,” Rondo’s eyes twinkled.

“Me too,” Brian tossed his cards down.

Lee grumbled, gathered the cards, and shuffled.

They played for several hours, and then they rolled out their bedrolls and crawled in.

A few minutes later, everybody but Lee had drifted to sleep.

While Brian snored beside him, Lee lay on his back and thought about the cattle drive and the situation with Jessica and Yancy.

He finally decided to stop thinking about it, and his thoughts drifted to April and June.

He wondered if April ever thought about him, and then he speculated on how friendly she and Jeremiah Wisdom had become.

Lee sighed wistfully and decided not to think about that either.

Chapter thirty-seven

It was decided that Lee and Brian would be the horse wranglers.

It was a full time job. They had to take care of the remuda and keep them up with the herd.

On most cattle drives, cow-punchers usually changed horses twice a day. But, short handed as they were, Tussle figured they would wear out more horses than that.

Everybody took their places the next morning.

The yearlings were restless, and they didn’t need much encouragement to move out. Tussle rode in the chuck wagon, and he was off to the side of the herd.

Rondo helped get the drive started, and then he trotted on ahead to scout. That left Yancy, Cooper, Wyatt, Sim, Jessica, and Josie with the main herd.

Jessica was at the back, riding drag and pushing up the slower moving yearlings.

Yancy flanked the herd to Jessica’s left. He kept glancing back, and after a while he rode over to her.

“You all right back here?” He asked.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

Yancy nodded and fell in beside her.

“Dusty back here,” he commented.

“It is,” she agreed.

Yancy nodded again, and it fell silent as he tried to think of something to say.

“Been a busy few days,” he finally said.

“It sure has,” Jessica replied, and added, “I can’t understand how everyone is handling it so well.”

“Handling what?”

“We almost died a few days ago,” Jessica reminded. “Our friends were killed. Murdered. And yet everyone acts as if nothing happened.”

Yancy nodded, almost apologetically.

“I reckon it’s because we’re all so accustomed to death,” he said. “Coop and I have been around it since before the war.”

“How can you ever get accustomed to all the killing?”

“Repetition helps,” Yancy replied matter-of-factly. “First time I killed a man, it bothered me for a while. Now I don’t mind so much. Especially if they need killing.”

“How do you decide if they need killing?” Jessica looked at him.

A faint smile crossed his face.

“Most of the time, it’s easy to tell.”

“Like when they attacked the ranch,” Jessica said.

“Yes, like that.”

Jessica nodded as she thought on that.

“Well, you are good at it,” she said. “You, and everybody else.”

“We’ve had plenty of practice.”

“Do you plan on being a lawman forever?” Jessica changed the subject.

Yancy was surprised by the question.

“Never really thought on it much,” he admitted.

“It’s a dangerous life.”

“It is, sometimes,” Yancy agreed, and added, “Punching cows can be dangerous too.”

“But cows don’t shoot at you.”

“No, but they can sure run you over.”

Jessica laughed. It was silent for a bit, and she suddenly smiled.

“This is the longest conversation we’ve ever had,” she pointed out.

Yancy was startled.

“Yes,” he said thoughtfully. “I believe it is.”

“Maybe we can do it again sometime,” Jessica suggested.

“I’d like that,” Yancy said. A thought occurred to him, and he asked, “How ’bout tonight? There is something I’d like to discuss.”

Excitement filled Jessica’s face.

“After supper?”

“That’ll be fine,” Yancy agreed.

He tipped his hat at her and kicked up his horse.

Jessica watched him go, and she smiled to herself as she moved over and pushed up a slower moving yearling.

She glanced at the sun and frowned impatiently.

Supper couldn’t get here fast enough.

Chapter thirty-eight

Rondo rode back in as it was getting dark, and he passed by the herd on his way to camp.

Sim and Josie were the night-riders, and Rondo frowned at that. He nodded at Josie as he trotted by.

After tending to his horse, he filled his plate with beans and sat down. He sipped his scalding hot coffee and looked around camp at everyone.

“We made good time today,” he commented.

“I’d say so,” Yancy agreed.

“I rode several miles ahead,” he said. “Grass is good, and there’s plenty of water.”

“See any tracks?” Tussle wanted to know.

“Some.”

“Injuns?”

“Looked like,” Rondo nodded. “But, they were several days old and moving to the south.”

Tussle grunted his approval as he put more wood on the fire.

“Sure is a pleasant night,” Cooper commented from across the fire. “I hope the weather holds for the next few weeks.”

“My aching joints tells me it’s going to rain,” Lee spoke up.

“Aching joints?” Brian looked Lee and scowled. “Live another twenty years, and then come talk to me about aching joints.”

“Lee does have a point,” Cooper spoke up. “I killed a rattlesnake today, and he turned belly up.”

“Not that again,” Yancy sighed, and he gestured at the clear, black sky. “It’s not going to rain tonight, I can tell you that.”

Rondo smiled at the conversation. He stood, walked over to the fire, and poured another cup of coffee.

“I noticed Josie is with Sim,” Rondo commented.

“That’s right,” Tussle nodded.

“Wyatt’s about to relieve her,” Cooper spoke up. “She wanted him to eat some beans – I mean – supper first.”

Tussle scowled at Cooper but didn’t say anything.

“I hadn’t had the chance to mention it, but I think we should keep an eye on Sim,” Rondo said.

Everybody nodded in agreement, except for Lee and Tussle.

“He might pull a cork every now and then, but he seems all right to me,” Tussle said. “He works hard.”

“There’s just something about him,” Rondo replied. “I’ve seen it before.”

Lee scowled, but Tussle shrugged.

“Fine by me,” he said. “Watch him all you want.”

Rondo nodded, and it fell silent. A few minutes passed, and Jessica looked anxious.

“I feel like going for a walk,” she finally said. She turned to Yancy and asked, “Will you come with me?”

Yancy’s face turned red, but he still nodded.

“I’d like that,” he said.

Nobody dared to snicker as they stood and walked out into the darkness.

Soon as they were gone, Cooper and Rondo looked at each other.

“Interesting,” Rondo said.

“Yes,” Cooper agreed. “Very.”

Chapter thirty-nine

The night air was cool and crisp. There was a gentle breeze, and the sounds of the night were loud.

They were silent as they strolled along side by side. They both had things to say, but neither one was in any hurry to say them.

Yancy didn’t want to startle the herd, so they walked in the opposite direction. Several minutes passed, and then Jessica cleared her throat.

“Would you ever consider becoming a cowman?”

Again, Yancy was surprised by her question.

“Sure,” he smiled. “All I need is a ranch and some cows.”

“You could work for my Uncle,” Jessica suggested. “He’s very fond of you all. Especially Wyatt.”

Yancy turned and studied Jessica with thoughtful eyes, and he didn’t say anything for a long time.

“I like being a Ranger,” he finally said in a quiet voice. “I’m good at it.”

“But Tussle needs a new ranch foreman,” Jessica objected.

“Rondo seems to be taking that position.”

“But he’s so young!”

“He can handle it.”

Jessica sighed and looked frustrated.

“Don’t you understand? Tussle needs somebody to come along side of him. Someone who can take over the ranch someday. Someone like you.”

Yancy frowned.

“Is that what you want?” He asked.

“Yes,” Jessica said. “I want that for us. I want a place to settle down and raise a family.”

“Cooper and Josie don’t seem to be having any trouble.”

“Josie is different,” Jessica replied. “She doesn’t mind moving around all the time.”

“And you would?”

It was silent as she thought on that.

“I’m not sure,” she finally said.

Yancy frowned, and it fell silent again as they walked on.

“I got a message to deliver,” Yancy changed the subject.

“Oh? From who?”

“Lee.”

Jessica’s face turned dark.

“What does he want?”

“He and Brian got your hotel back. Or, at least your part.”

“What?” Jessica was startled. “How’d they do that?”

“You’d have to ask them.”

Jessica uttered a short laugh and shook her head in wonder.

“How about that!” She exclaimed.

“Yes, how ’bout that,” Yancy said, and his voice carried no emotion.

She glanced at him and noticed his sour look.

“You don’t seem very happy about it.”

“I reckon I’m not.”

“Why not?”

Yancy sighed.

“It’s complicated.”

“How so?”

“I’m not sure I got the words to make you understand.”

“You could try,” Jessica prompted.

Yancy didn’t reply, and Jessica was suddenly irritated.

“We’d best head back,” she said, and there was anger in her voice.

“We probably should,” Yancy agreed.

They turned back toward camp, and it was silent as they walked back.