Brothers in Blood (18 page)

“You're looking good,” Chet said, and stuck his hand out to shake his nephew's hand.

“Jesus told me Cole married Valerie last night?”

“We've been tending to them today,” he said.

“Wow, she is a neat lady. I wasn't being gossipy. It just surprised me.”

“No, they were in serious discussions before, and since we have to leave shortly, he went and married her. Dazed, but they look happy.”

“Oh, I hope they are. Tell me about this task force business.”

“Let's go inside and drink some of Monica's coffee.”

Marge hugged JD. “Good to have you home again.”

“Yes, ma'am. It's good to be here. They said down at the lower ranch you're good at forecasting weather. Is it going to snow?”

She held up two fingers. “Those clouds are only harbingers.”

JD laughed. “What's that word?”

“Means they are forecasting that the storm is coming.”

“I'll use that word. It'll impress everyone at the Palace Saloon.”

Chet herded them inside. He turned back and saw Jiminez had already come for the team. Chet told him to put up JD's horse, too, that he was staying. They'd eaten supper when Chet showed him the telegram from Marshal Blevins.

When he finished reading it, he looked up at Chet. “I guess you're going to help him?”

“You want to go along?”

“I think so. I'm not doing anything worthwhile and that might be interesting.”

“It could be dangerous as hell.”

“I know that from living around you all my life.” JD laughed. “Thanks for inviting me along.”

“Pick you out a stout horse. The two of you are going to be close companions. Get him shod. Get an extra set of clothes. We may be a while looking for the bandits.”

“How long do I have to get ready?”

“Three or four days. Then we leave.”

“I'll go in town and see about a few things. Be back here in two days. Jesus can pick me a horse. I'll tell him.”

“You can stay for supper, if you like,” Marge said.

“Naw, I know him. Once he gets ready to go, he goes. Thanks, Chet. I like the sound of this task force business.”

After he left, she asked, “Where's he going?”

“Maybe to get married. I don't know.”

Marge stopped and squeezed her chin. “You don't think he's going to see Bonnie, do you?”

“Hell, I have no idea. But it won't be unheard of.”

“No, you all rescued her, too.”

“He was there, so he knows her and her background.”

“Did you think he sounded jarred that Cole had married Valerie?”

Chet threw up his hands at his wife's questions. “I haven't seen him in months. Tonight, he's back and ready to go. That's all I know.”

“I'm sorry.” She crossed the room and hugged him. “I know he's your Achilles' heel.”

He frowned at her. “Whatever is that?”

“Oh, it was one spot that would bring down a great Greek warrior in mythology.”

“Remember, I only made six grades in a rural Texas schoolhouse. We hadn't gotten to Greeks by then.”

“I don't know if they'd ever gotten there.” She kissed him on the cheek and put her arms around him. “Well, you have your task force. Jesus, Cole, Roamer, Shawn, and JD. The lightning outfit.”

“Now, if we can get the Mexican bandits to respect us, we'll be back home shortly.”

“We'll see about that. Just be careful.”

“Yes, ma'am.” They went to bed. Another day had closed on his preparations to leave again.

The next morning, Tom was there early. Chet figured he must have left the lower place at four a.m. He rode up while Chet and Marge were still eating breakfast.

“What's wrong?”

“I wasn't sure when you were leaving and wanted to catch you. Leroy, up on Oak Creek, needs a good team to farm with this coming season. He's doing a lot of work up there. There are some local carpenters need work and can build those cabins you wanted. When the roads clear again, Robert can get lumber up there. They have those plans Marge drew up. You ready to start that?”

“Yes,” Chet told him. “I've never seen it, but I understand it's nice. Leroy is a good worker. Let's hold construction to about fifteen thousand dollars.”

“I'll watch that close.”

“And I agree he will need a team of horses. I saw Frye yesterday, but he never mentioned the California horse trader.”

Tom smiled. “It is confusing at times, all we have going on. Robert talked to me. He says if the railroad doesn't come soon they may shut down the mill.”

“Well, they will close that mill down if the railroad is all holding them there. Bo said the railroad wanted to sell the entire strip of sections that cross Arizona and they aren't even in New Mexico yet.”

“You know Robert's married now. He's concerned about his job.”

“If the lumber business goes under, we'll make a place for him and his bride. He's done too good a job as manager up there. You don't have to follow him around to get the job done.”

“No, he's great to handle things. He'll be relieved to hear you'll have a place for him.”

“Who did he marry?” asked Marge.

“You've seen her at the dances,” said Chet. “She wears her blond hair on top of her head. She's the farm girl like Susie kept telling me I needed in Texas.”

The three of them laughed.

“I have talked to the young lady and she is very nice,” Marge said.

“Nothing is wrong with her. It's just a family joke.” Thinking it time to change the subject.

“Tom, JD has agreed to join up and go with us on the border trip.”

“That's good. Don't worry about anything here. Everything is running smooth. We can handle it. I got word that the building crew is at Windmilll. Susie is excited.”

“If the mill closes, Robert and his wife can stay in the big house. We'll need a family to live there.”

“JD and his bride may want to live there,” Marge said.

“JD? Married?” asked Tom.

“She thinks it's contagious. Cole married one girl and she thinks JD has gone to marry Bonnie.”

“Oh.”

Strait-laced Tom was probably taken back by the notion of such a union. But it might not mean a thing to JD. Only time would tell.

After Tom left for home, Chet checked to see how Jesus was coming along with the shoeing. He found him working on one horse and a ranch
vaquero
working on another. He squatted down on his heels in a sunny spot just outside the alleyway to the barn to watch them work.

“JD said he was going along,” Jesus offered between shaping a shoe.

“Yes, he's going, so we now have a team.”

“He said he had business in town and asked if we had time to shoe this horse he picked out. So he left him. I told him we'd fit it in.”

Chet chuckled. JD'd left, leaving Jesus to do all the work. “So you two got all the hard work.”

“We have to do something,” the
vaquero
they called Espinoza said, then he laughed and went back to shoeing.

“Where was JD going anyway today? He just got here.” Jesus looked over at him.

“Marge says she thinks he is going to town to marry Bonnie.”

“Two marriages.”

“Hell, I don't know anything, but Cole and Valerie looked happy. We saw them in town.”

“Two men from the ranch loaded a wagon with firewood to take to a house they're going to live in, on orders from your wife.”

“That's for Cole's house.”

“He may never come back and sleep in the bunkhouse again,” Jesus said to his shoeing partner.

“Not unless she runs him off.”

They all laughed.

Shawn was back the next day to help Jesus fill the panniers and check the pack equipment. No word from JD until noontime. He and Bonnie drove in using Marge's buckboard. The two were kissy-faced and Bonnie wore a brand-new blue dress.

“This here is Mrs. JD Byrnes,” he announced, helping her down.

“Well, lunch is being served,” Marge said with an I-told-you-so attitude. She led everyone into the dining room, with Chet bringing up the rear.

“Have you seen Cole and Valerie?” he asked.

“Yes, she's working in my place today at the cafe,” Bonnie said. “Cole's stacking wood they brought him on their porch.”

Chet thought she looked shiny-faced like a bride, and she had her hand on JD's arm. They did remind him of honeymooners. He hoped to God it worked out for them.

“Bonnie plans to live with her mom until we get back.”

“We'll find you a house,” Chet assured him.

They ate lunch in quiet conversations. Bonnie acted very demure, but she showed her possession several times by squeezing JD's arm. Maybe it would work—no telling. When they were alone, he'd ask his fortune-telling wife.

“Are we going to leave on Thursday?” JD asked.

“No. On Friday. My wife says it will snow Thursday.”

Marge smiled high-headed and passed the bowl of corn. “For those who don't know, I'm not right about the weather all the time.”

“Hey, we trust you.” JD grinned at her.

“You two going to stay here?” Chet asked.

“No, I want to go see Susie. Bonnie doesn't know her very well and I'd like them to meet.”

“Who is going to help Jenn?” Marge asked.

“Oh, she has someone for the rest of the week,” Bonnie said. “But she couldn't work today. So Valerie filled in. When the men all leave, she'll have us 'till all of you get back.”

So JD was married—good or bad. Time would tell. After the meal, the newlyweds drove on to the Verde Ranch.

When the buckboard made a small dust wake going out, his wife asked, “Will they make it?”

“I have no idea. I can only hope so.”

 

 

The days flew by. Thursday, they had flakes of snow but nothing big. Word was sent out to all the team members that they were leaving at dawn. Marshal Blevins sent a telegram of thanks and said he'd look for them when they could get there. He asked they meet him at a secret site, so not many would know about them. Otherwise, he was concerned word might travel fast.

They met before dawn and headed south on the Black Canyon Stage Route with five loaded packhorses in the care of Jesus and Shawn. Each had been chosen for their quickness in leading and ability to move fast when called on. A balky packhorse was a pain that neither Chet nor Jesus wanted to contend with. Heads high, they kept the pace or they were left behind.

The day was long in the saddle with not many words shared. The newlyweds were picked on a little, and they quit the road about sundown. They found a water tank off the road a ways and not near any ranches. After the horses were grained and hobbled and firewood snaked in, the others helped Jesus with the cooking. After reheating the precooked beans and beef he'd brought along, he boiled coffee and they ate well. Everyone knew meals were to be quick so they could move on. As the calendar pushed toward spring, the days grew longer and Chet intended to use all the daylight he could to keep moving.

There hadn't been enough moisture for the Salt River to be high, so he planned to avoid the Hayden's Ferry. His plan was to cross east of the irrigated land and stay in the desert and meet few people. They skirted Superstition Mountain and crossed the Gila the day after that. Their arrival at Jesus's relative's farm above Tucson was quiet.