Dark Journey Home (15 page)

Olivia nodded, and continued to stare out the stage
window. 

Claude now rode the sleek black horse as if born to
the saddle, and at times Lulu glanced wistfully out the window with an admiring
glance at the tall formidable figure riding the stallion, then looked away
quickly, as Olivia held back a grin.  The woman, Lulu, hated to give up, and
obviously hadn’t realized that Claude was fairly used to women chasing after him,
and had become very adept at dodging the fine claws of matrimony. 

Olivia noted the change in her uncle’s appearance,
possibly for the better.  He seemed happy and relaxed now as he rode along,
never very far away from the stagecoach though, and with his western attire,
complete with jeans, black flat-crowned hat, red scarf around his neck and the gun
belt strapped to his right hip, with the colt .45 setting well in the holster,
he could easily have passed for a Texas rancher.  Olivia smiled to herself, as
she remembered how Uncle Claude had insisted on purchasing her a small
derringer to carry with her, though she had absolutely refused to even touch
the small weapon.  Claude had ended up just sticking the gun into the inside pocket
of his jacket. 

Maria had been a wonderful traveling companion for
Olivia, and Olivia would miss her a lot, when she and Ricardo left for Mexico.  She had become quite attached to the both of them, and hoped that they would meet
again soon. 

The two rugged cowboys, who sat in the rear seat, were
going all the way to Coyote Springs also.  They had told Logan and Claude,
while they were having their meal at the last stage stop that they’d been with
a group who’d taken a small herd up to the railroad in Kansas, and now were on
the way home to the ranch they had been working at for the last several years. 
The tallest of the two, Bret, had said that it was not roundup time yet, but
that the pastures were overstocked with cattle, so they’d run the fittest of
the herd up to some buyers at the railroad in Kansas, leaving the bulk of the
herd to graze until roundup and branding time.  They had told Logan that they
worked for a man named Woody Perkins, a big husky well-to-do red-haired
rancher, who owned a large spread outside of town.  Claude hadn’t volunteered
any information of his own.  The two cowboys, who had been so talkative at the
stage stop, were both dozing on the rear seat.

Maria and Olivia were talking quietly as the woman,
Lulu, now rested her head against the back of her seat, with her eyes closed. 
They both figured she was awake and just plotting her next move to try and trap
the distinguished-looking gray-haired ‘rancher’.

Maria looked over at Olivia and asked, “Now, this
rancho of your uncle’s.  Is there a foreman managing it?  Are there many
vaqueros?”

“I believe Uncle Claude said that an attorney in
‘Coyote Springs’ is actually running the financial and legal aspects of the
place, but he had hired a very trustworthy foreman, and yes, there are cowboys
working the range, and managing the cattle, of which there are around three-thousand
head.  It’s a huge ranch, according to the reports.  Uncle receives monthly
reports from the attorney.”

“That is good, Señorita.”  Maria said.  “Did your
uncle notify this foreman at the rancho to have the hacienda prepared for your
visit?”

“Actually”, Olivia grinned, “knowing my uncle, I
believe he wanted to first ride up and view the workings of the place.  Kind of
get an impression of the entire operation without them being aware that he is
making this trip.  He did mention meeting with the attorney though, before we
leave for the ranch, although he hasn’t informed him either of our visit. 
Sometimes uncle likes to work that way.  He said the attorney would never
expect him to come all the way from England.”

“Bueno, Señorita.  This attorney and foreman too, they
will be mucho surprised at that.”  Maria laughed.

Olivia glanced out the window just as Logan rode by on the roan gelding, his tanned lean face shaded by the wide-brimmed Stetson. 
She thought to herself, “The man is as rugged as the surrounding countryside.” 

Maria noted the slight flush to Olivia’s cheeks, and
smiled to herself, then said, “The señor is one fine looking hombre, no?”

Olivia started, then flustered, “I really hadn’t
noticed.”  Though her fidgeting hands told more of her thoughts than she was
willing to impart.

Coyote Springs
, Texas
 

The panoramic view from the outskirts of the western
foothills town of Coyote Springs was breathtaking.  A verdant colorful valley
crowded with prairie grasses, yellow and red wildflowers, shady mesquite trees
and bushes, scrub and spreading oak, and plentiful berry bushes, linked from
the west the backdrop of the pine covered mountains to the picturesque town
just ahead and to the south, with its false fronted buildings, some clapboard
construction, other adobe block.  A weary team of horses anxiously pulled the
creaking stagecoach the last half mile, then past a dozen majestic Ponderosa
pine trees lining each side of the wide main street, along with potted
geraniums setting off to the sides of each business entrance.  A white trellis
with climbing honeysuckle vines shaded the board walkway of a small cozy homestead
situated on the edge of town, enhanced by a surrounding, and freshly painted
white picket fence.  Blossoms filled the air with a sweet flowery fragrance.   
  

After struggling across a ten foot wide log bridge, which
spanned the rapidly running creek, the stage slowed, then amid clouds of swirling
dust, came to a screeching halt in front of  a whitewashed two-story building
that had several weatherworn signs lining a wood plank front walkway.  One sign
had large black lettering informing one and all that this was indeed a café,
stage stop, and hotel combined.  Another sign read Western Union and U.S. Post
Office with arrows pointing to another entrance to the right, then yet another
sign with large red lettering in front of a colorful rose bush which bespoke of
a livery stable to the left and two blocks down.  In small lettering the livery
stable sign also read, “HEALTHY HORSES FOR SALE, RENT OR BORROW.  OLD NAGS
CHEAPER!”  The last sign at the far end of a walkway said, “IF YOU PASSED
BOOTHILL, YOU HAVE ALREADY LEFT US!” 

Snickering, as she noted the signs, Olivia said to her
friend, “You were right Maria; this is a lovely and colorful town.  Just look
at the wildflowers growing everywhere.  The young pines and shady oak trees are
magnificent.  I believe I love this place already.”

“Si, Señorita, it is indeed a paradise to behold.  I
think you will enjoy your visit here.  Maybe after we get settled into our
hotel rooms, we could stroll around, take in some of the shops while the day is
still young.”  Maria smiled while smoothing down the front of her full gathered
skirt, as everyone prepared to leave the confines of the hot stage interior.  

Lord Beckford was the first to dismount, then after looping
the reins of his black stallion over the nearest hitching rail, he strode to
the door of the stagecoach to assist the women.  Swinging the door wide, he
reached inside towards Olivia’s outstretched hand, but the aggressive brassy
redhead, Lulu, pushed ahead of Olivia, and snatching her carpetbag with her
left hand, grabbed ahold of Claude’s hand with her right. 

“Oh my,” she flustered, and batted her eyelashes, “you
are such a true gentleman to rush to my assistance like this.”  She gave a
harsh throaty giggle, then put all of her heavy weight on Claude’s hand, and
though he was a strong man, even at his age, he was caught off guard, and
struggled not to ‘drop’ the coarse woman.  He didn’t answer her, just nodded,
then after assisting her to alight, proceeded to disengage his hand from Lulu,
but the forward female held on tight, pulling Lord Claude after her towards the
boardwalk in front of the stage depot.

Claude realized in a moment that the woman didn’t
intend to let him go, and he also wondered what she thought she could accomplish
by this brazen act of hers.  He wanted to assist his niece and Maria from the
stage, but he was a patient man, and without creating a scene for the
entertainment of the locals, that was not to be accomplished.

Logan and Ricardo had been assisting Joe Carlson, the
driver of the stage, to unload the trunks from the top, catching them as Joe
tossed them down.  The ‘riding shotgun’ guard, ‘Wolf’, had climbed down from
his perch, and without a backward glance, sauntered  across the road to the
nearest saloon, pushed the batwing doors in, then disappeared inside the
establishment, probably not to be seen again, until the stage was ready to pull
out, whenever that would be. 

Seeing that he was needed, Ricardo immediately stepped
over and helped Maria down, lifting her tenderly into his waiting embrace.

As Olivia attempted to leave the stagecoach, she was
grasped around her slim waist by two strong hands, and then lifted carefully to
the ground.  She reflexively put her small hands on Logan’s shoulders to brace
herself, as he swung her down to the ground.  She was amazed at how light she
felt in his grasp as he easily lifted her.  Olivia whispered a quiet ‘Thank
you”, as he then reached inside the stage to retrieve her carpetbag. 

Logan
nodded and
smiled that devilish grin at her, as she looked up at him, then embarrassed,
she turned away, after lifting that haughty little chin of hers in the air.  Logan grinned and shook his head, then proceeded to gather some of the bags that had been
left on the ground. 

Claude had finally managed to pull his hand away from
Lulu, but only after she had wrangled a promise that he meet her for supper
later on that evening in the hotel dining room.  He figured he would take
Olivia, Maria and Ricardo with for protection from the aggressive, bothersome
and scheming female.  First after checking into their rooms, he needed to
contact Claybourne Phillips, the attorney who was managing his ranch, the ‘Triple
B’.  The two cowboys who had been riding the stage, had walked on down the road
towards the livery stable, but he had heard them mention working for the owner
of the ‘Triple B’.  Interesting.  Claude pondered on that bit of information,
also the fact that they were returning from driving a small herd of longhorns
to the railroad.  He hadn’t seen that information either on any of the recent
monthly reports from the attorney, Phillips. 

One of the cowboys, Bart McCain he’d said his name
was, a friendly informative person, had informed Claude and Logan that the rest
of the trail hands were returning with the remuda of horses and the chuckwagon
along with other gear back down the trail and would be about another week in
returning. Though he was to hurry back to the ranch to let the owner know that
the drive had been successful and  Bart had to deliver a bank draft to the boss
for the sale of the longhorn cattle. 

As Claude walked away from the aggressive female,
Lulu, he thought heavily about the situation at his ranch.  Something didn’t
set right.  Just what were these people up to?    

“Logan?” he called to his trusted friend and guide.  

Logan walked to the boardwalk in front of the hotel,
stepped up to where Claude stood then answered, “Yes, sir?”  He noted Claude’s
intent expression. “What’s on your mind, Claude?”  He said as he set down the
two trunks and other bags he’d been carrying.

Olivia and Maria had already entered the hotel lobby,
followed by Ricardo.

Lulu, with one quick wistful glance over her shoulder
at Claude, had then crossed the dirt road, and headed towards the mercantile. 
No one had really asked why she had traveled to ‘Coyote springs’, or where she
had come from either. 

Claude spoke quietly to Logan, after first glancing
around to see that no one was near who could overhear what he was saying.  “It
seems,” he began, as Logan listened intently, “I may have run into a literal
‘hornet’s nest’ here with this ranch of mine.”

Logan
raised an
eyebrow in question as Claude continued.  “You know, young man, that I have not
kept my business affairs running smoothly all these years by being a stupid
man.  My instinct, which by the way has never once failed me, tells me that all
is not what it appears at the ‘Triple B’.”

Logan
nodded in
agreement, his expression grim, though calm, as he spoke, “I figured you’d come
around to telling me your thoughts on this situation here.  Exactly the same
conclusion as I have come to, after meeting the two hands from your ranch.  As
most hands are loyal to the brand, they are merely doing their job, possibly
innocent pawns in some kind of a scam.”