Between Hell and Texas (10 page)

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Authors: Dusty Richards

BOOK: Between Hell and Texas
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“When're you going to take off?”
“As soon as I can find the men to help Reg.”
“I don't envy your job. Any way I can help, let me know.”
Chet dropped back and rode between the two. “Reg, we're going to hire three good hands to work for you. I'm going to try and find us a place where we can live in peace. They ain't going to stop harassing us. Somewhere there's a place, and by damn I'm going to find it.”
“I want to go with you,” Heck said. “I won't get in the way.”
“I'll take that under advisement. I ain't promising you anything right now.”
Heck nodded.
“Those Hascal brothers, Walt and Rope, I think would make good hands.”
Chet nodded. They were Reg's age and might fit. They knew how to work, and he'd never seen them back down when they thought they were right. “Keep thinking.”
“Utah Kline.”
“I'd consider him. I understand him and Frank Rich, the new boss on the Anchor, don't gee and haw too well together.”
“I bet they'll be at the dance Saturday night. I'll talk to them up there.”
“Damn,” Chet swore under his breath. “I still have to go see Kathren about that. Anyway, we'll talk to them over there.”
No time to go back and clean up. Kathren'd have to like him as he was. Better let the boys and Trent finish up this deal. He explained his plight, excused himself, and then set out east for her place. Really he'd not forgotten—she was in his dreams, on his mind, and the very notion of her even made a knot form in his throat. The worst part was he'd have to tell her about his plans.
Mid-afternoon, he found her on a rocker under the porch roof, mending a pair of overalls that she wore to work in.
She looked up at him and her face melted into a smile. “You look like the cat drug you in.”
He dismounted and looked over his clothing. “I just don't have my Sunday best on.”
The overalls set aside, she rushed over to kiss and hug him. Then, tossing her hair back and smiling into his face, she asked, “What bucket did you fall into this time?”
“They raided my Mexican workers' camp. Killed two men, wounded some others—raped two women and then killed one of them.”
“Oh, no.” They both took a seat on the porch stoop. “Who did this?”
“Toby Brown, a guy named Thomas, and those two who came in here with the dead man—Crown is his name—and they call the other one the Kid.”
“My Lord, you've been in a another bad scrap. Where are they?”
“I shot Brown. He'll live. Him and Thomas are in jail. The other two, Crown and the Kid, got away from Reg and me, then stole horses from some cowboys and rode away.”
She hugged him and squeezed her eyes. “No wonder you look so bushed.”
“I'm fine. Came to ask you to the dance at the schoolhouse Saturday night.”
“Cady and I will be there.”
“Good.”
“I bet if you took a bath, I shaved your face, and cut your long hair, you'd feel a hundred percent better. I still have a clean pair of britches and shirt that you left when you went back home.”
“Well, ain't I a lucky cuss.” He twisted around and hugged her. Kathren could chase away more things in his life bugging him than any woman he'd ever known. Somehow he needed to include her in his life—somehow.
“Is everyone alright at your place?” She stood up. “I'm not rushing you, but we need to heat some water to start this process.”
“Where's your daughter?”
“Delivering eggs to her grandmother. She'll be excited that you're here.”
“Here, let me unsaddle Bridges. He's been a fair piece. We had to go search this morning for the young woman's body they'd dumped in the cedars.”
“Sure, put him in the corral.”
“If she's going to be here—”
“Cady is a big girl, she'll understand.”
Chet shrugged. “Be easier if you'd marry me.”
With a hard squint at him and her left eye closed, she shook her head. “It ain't that easy, Chet, but thanks for asking me.”
“Again.”
“Yes, now put that dang horse up.” She was shoving him away with her flat hands on his chest.
“I'm going. But you remember, I asked you.”
“I haven't forgotten the first time, either. Now go.” She pointed to his horse.
He relented and put Bridges in the corral. Tossed the saddle and pads on the fence and set out for the house. Damn, all he needed to set him off was the closeness to her and she always stirred him up. He removed his hat and combed his too-long locks back with his fingers before he replaced it. Why in hell's name weren't they married?
Kathren brought him some cool, sweetened tea from a large hanging bowl. Some pottery from Mexico that sweated and kept liquid cooler than usual. At the first taste he nodded his approval.
Tea finished, he picked up both pails and went to the well to refill them. His muscles complained coming back with the full ones, but they were only faint reminders of his beating. She was stoking the range and smiled. “When did you sleep last?”
“Oh, a little this morning.”
Her hand on his shoulder, she bent over laughing. “Chet Byrnes, you're a mess. Where were you last night?”
“I told you we had to take that wounded prisoner along with the other one into Mayfield for the sheriff, didn't I?”
“No.” She was still laughing.
“What's so funny?”
She shook her head and wiped aside tears with her fingers. “Nothing. Just you and me. I get so I could kill you with me getting so upset about you not being here. Then you come and I fall to pieces.”
He hugged her. “I'm the same way.”
His bath went uneventfully. Then, with him dressed in his clean britches and tented by a sheet, she used the scissors on his long hair and the floor soon was covered in dark brown hair. This completed, Kathren let him look at himself in the small mirror.
“You look alright?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Shave comes next.”
Chet ran a palm over his bristly cheek. “I need that, too.”
The mowing process completed, with him dressed, she told him to go catch a nap. “I'll get you up for supper.”
He never argued. Then they kissed and he in his stocking feet went over, laid down on her bed, and soon fell asleep.
He heard her and Cady talking. China plates were talking too as her daughter set the table. His new hair-cut was the first thing he felt when he sat up and tried to escape the dullness of his sleep-filled mind.
“Good, you're back,” Cady said as he emerged.
“How's that?” he asked.
She wrinkled her nose and in a stage whisper said, “She'll be in a better mood.”
“Cady,” her mother said to admonish her.
Cady shrugged. “Well, she'll be better, anyway.”
Looking at the ceiling for help, Kathren let out her breath. “Now she has help. Oh, heavens.”
With each place setting, Cady arranged the silver-ware in its proper place. “I'm learning how to set the table for company. She says someday I will need it more than knowing how to rope a calf. I want you to show me how to do rope tricks.”
“I'm not the best. but I'll try.”
“Oh, you will do fine. I saw you one day in Mayfield, making a circle and jumping in and out of it. ”
“Alright.” He wondered if he'd been showing off that day.
“You feeling better?” Kathren asked.
“I feel fine.”
“I've got some coffee.”
Chet stood up and stretched. “I'd really like some.”
“Mother said you had more trouble at the ranch.” She delivered him his cup.
“Yes, we did.”
“Cady, he may not want to tell you all that.”
“Mother, he doesn't have to.”
Kathren raised her eyes again, but he saved her. “Cady, some mean men raided where my farm help lives and shot two men to death, wounded some other people, then they murdered a young mother.”
“Oh, that was terrible.”
“We arrested two of them and two escaped.”
“What will they do to the two captured ones?”
“Try them.” Then he blew on his coffee.
“Will they be hung?”
“I imagine they will be. A jury will hear the case and decide about their guilt or innocence.”
She nodded. “Thank you for telling me all this.”
“Now,” her mother said. “Let's talk about lighter things. He came over to invite us to the dance Saturday night.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Should we go?”
“Why of course, mother. There is no reason not to go, is there?”
“Oh, there could be some.”
“What would that be?”
“You might have to dance with boys who would step on your toes.”
They all laughed. She put the plate of brown-crusted biscuits on the table, then they all three stood holding each other's hands as he asked grace. His words slow and soft: “... Lord, we are grateful for the rain, our togetherness here tonight, keep us in the palm of your hand, may this food feed us in Jesus' name, amen.”
“Did you start saying prayers for a reason?” Cady asked as they sat down. “I never heard you pray before.”
“No, it is alright, Kathren.” He blocked her from stopping her. “I felt so many things in my life centered around the things that I wanted for my friends, family, and myself, I needed to lead them to Him.”
She nodded she understood and they began to eat. Soon they finished the meal, talking about horses, what to plant in the garden as the days grew longer and warmer. At last, Cady went off to bed in her room.
The two of them talked in whispers. Kathren moved over to sit on his lap and her presence warmed him. The faint smell of lilacs in his nose, they settled into each other's closeness.
“Wouldn't it be nice to do this a lot of evenings?”
He agreed and kissed her. It wouldn't only be nice; for him this would be heavenly.
Chapter 13
Saturday came fast. Everyone at the—
was busy early that Saturday morning, loading enough food for an army. But Chet knew how many cowboys, young and old, would make a beeline to sample some of Susie's cooking. He called it “riding the grubline” for the—
camp and laughed a lot about it.
She separated him from the rest in the kitchen. “You and Kathren talk.”
“We always do. But we don't ever get past talking. We both have our obligations. Mine to this ranch and her to her parents and the two places.”
“No, that's not it. The boys said you plan on hiring hands tonight. That means you're going to leave the ranch.”
“To look is all. I haven't fully made my mind up. But these damn killings are all pointed at us. I don't want to bury my own family with my own stubbornness.”
“I see. Where will you go look?” she asked, her coldness in the air.
“I'm going to see if I can get a lead on those other two that got away. I can't find them, then I'll look around in New Mexico and Arizona.”
“Heck wants to go along.”
He nodded. “He told me so.”
“You know he and May don't get along. When you were over at Kathren's recovering, Reg moved him to the bunkhouse and talked to him like a second father.”
“He told me. But I thought things have been quiet since then.”
“They have, but May feels she is his stepmother and has a right to tell him what to do. He resents it. To be truthful, he's a lot like his father, Dale Allen.”
“Is it best he goes with me?”
“Well, he listens to you.”
“I savvy that. It might turn dangerous; that's the only thing that worries me about having him along.”
“Whatever you think. Trent promised if there was no trouble in the county he'd be there to dance with me.” Her face brightened.
“Why, that's great news.”
She blushed and agreed. “Now what will you tell Kathren?”
“She knows I have problems I have to solve. I think she'll understand.”
“Such a damn shame. I know you still have some scars from the murder of Marla Porter. I knew that tore you apart for a long time.”
“Marla wouldn't divorce him. I begged her to marry me. But I think her pride kept her from doing it. Like the divorce would be a stigma on her person. Folks would talk behind her back how we'd had an affair for years.” He shook his head. “They hung the Reynolds who did it.”
“Your affair with her was the best kept damn secret in Texas. I didn't know. I knew you saw someone—but.” She changed her tone; someone was coming—“I think we'll have enough food.”
“Good,” he said. The memories of Marla's death had stung him, but she was gone to a better place. Slaughtering brood mares, herding range cattle on the—
, their attempted attack on Susie, Dale Allen's death in Kansas; he'd had it with those Reynoldses. The whole business made him sick enough to puke.
“Thirty minutes we pull out. Louise has already taken the buckboard and team to go on ahead. She wanted to visit a friend over there. I'll ring the bell to warn the rest.” He put on his hat and smiled at the Mexican girl Juanita, who came in to ask Susie a question.
The bell clapper vibrating the signal to those going to the dance, he went on to find himself a horse. He found Fudge saddled, switching flies at the tackroom rack. Obviously the work of Heck—the want-to-go-with boy of a dozen or so years. The matter still wasn't clear in his mind about taking him along.
Both wagons pulled out. Reg hung on the porch post and waved them out the gate. J.D. was in charge of finding those three cowboys at the dance. May, with the baby in her arm, smiled and made her ward wave, too. J.D. drove the second team, Susie had the lead one, and Juanita, who was going along to help Susie, beamed as she rode with her. Louise had taken the buckboard and left before them, not to be in their dust.
Heck led two extra saddled horses in case they had a problem and needed to move fast. Chet and he rode in the rear, but they planned to cut across country after they forded the Yellowhammer. They could have a campsite located before the wagons' arrival. Beyond the creek, the two short-loped their horses and cut southeast—while the wagons had to take the lengthier road.
At last at the schoolhouse and cemetery, he and Heck rode downstream till they found the tall cottonwoods where they could string the large canvas. Heck took a lariat and climbed the first one to hang it over a thick limb where they could reach it and pull the tent up. Then he did the other side with Chet watching from underneath.
“That boy of Dale Allen's sure growing,” Henny Price said, joining him. The gray-headed rancher came ambling up like most cattlemen that age with a limp from some former horse wrecks.
“He is. What do you know?”
“The Johnson brothers sent us word from Fort Worth yesterday; they'd not had a problem. Said they slowed down. They were ahead of the new grass.”
Chet had thought so. “I was afraid they left a little early. But if they can find some feed and move slower, they'll have heavier cattle to sell. Those cattle they have aren't the old brush-popping critters we first drove up there. They've been handled all through their lives. Those old brush mavericks we first drove up there were more like deer.”
“Yes, they were really wild.” Henny slapped his right leg. “That's why I got a hitch in this leg. Boys set the bone, but I had to ride, no matter. We were so shorthanded on that crew.”
Chet nodded.
“Things alright over in your country?”
“Nothing like what's happened over your way. Me and the missus said y'all are sure catching hell from them ignorant Reynoldses.”
“I guess. I thought things would quiet down.”
The old man shook his head. “No, I figure they took an oath against ya.”
“Thanks. I miss your missus. Tell her hi for me.”
“I will. You know I've got a good place, three creeks, plenty of open country. We've got three hundred mother cows under my brand. Millie and I don't have any kids. Our kin in Arkansas we ain't seed in years. Would one of them big boys of Louise's like to take care of us and the place? When we're gone they could have the ranch, lock, stock, and barrel. Don't owe a dime on anything.”
“My Lord, Henny, I'd sure ask them. I'll let them talk it over.”
“I ain't going to die no time soon, but we've talked and feel if there was anyone we knew, they'd be loyal. Ain't everyone in this world loyal anymore, you know that?”
“I know that well.”
“I knew you needed them, but I figured you could spare me one of them. They got the right breeding in them. I knew Rock well. Guess he ain't no better?”
“No. He lives in his own world.”
“Those damn Comanche took a toll on us. I figured after we whipped Santa Ana's ass we'd have it made in Texas. But we was broke when we got here and there was no money, so we joined the States. Finally got the Comanches out of our hair. That last damn war was stupid. But this cattle drive business has sure made us better off.”
“It has saved us. I hear the wagons. I'll have them boys give you an answer or come talk to you two.”
“No problem. Millie and I are fine right now.” Henny waved at the folks in the wagons and ambled back toward the schoolhouse.
Chet frowned. What an opportunity for one of them boys. But what would he do without even one of them? And they'd still be in the Reynolds's part of the world. The big wagons were there. Kathren and her daughter should be arriving at any moment. Where was Louise? She should have already been there, driving the buckboard. She had left a half hour before the rest.
“You seen Louise?” he asked, helping Susie down.
“No, I thought she would be here.”
“What's wrong?” J.D. asked, climbing down and coming over.
“Your mother hasn't came in yet. You see her on the road?”
“No, she never said nothing but that she'd meet us here.”
“Good grief, where could she be?” He stood on his toes to see down the draw at the schoolhouse. Their matched team would stand out. Where was she?
“What's wrong?” Heck asked.
“Louise isn't here.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Go backtrack and try to find where she went. Heck, you stay here. Don't shoot anyone. J.D. and I better go see where she went.” Then he paused. “I hate for you to have to do things I should be doing.”
“What's that?” His sister frowned at him.
“Explain to Kathren what I'm doing. I hate like hell for her to come here on my invitation and then find I've rode off.”
“She'll be fine. She knows about emergencies. She'll be fine,” Susie said. “You two go on, we can handle this part.”
He and J.D. rode like the wind to follow the road back and look for any sign of Louise. They halted where the road went to Mason. Her narrow tracks went in that direction. But other tracks told him several riders had been around there at or near the time hers were made.
“Reckon they kidnapped her?” J.D asked as they circled the sign in the dirt.
“Damned if I know. But they went north here.”
Chet in the lead, they flew northward, seeing the thin ribbons of the buckboard rims cut in the dust going in that direction. Then the tracks went off the road and forced them to rein up sharply. The horse under Chet slid to a sharp stop, and he booted him off into the cedars. The rig and team stood abandoned, hidden in the pungent boughs. Still in their harness, the horses had dried, so it had been some time since the rig had been deserted there. The heel marks of her button-up shoes were around it, but none led anywhere. She must have been packed off by the ones on horseback.
“Which way did they go?” Chet asked, impatient over the time they had already wasted. Both men were searching around on foot for any signs.

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