Deadly Is the Night (10 page)

“He planned to leave early for this month's delivery and he has hay stored there. All we can do is hope he made it and that it isn't as bad over there as it was up at Preskitt.”

“Cole was set up for that kind of weather, wasn't he?”

“Yes. But I'd bet they had more snow at Center Point than I did.”

“That road to the rim north of here has got more sun than this side. But I figure on top it's deeper than a tall mule's belly. Robert has plenty of horse feed. We sent him lots last summer. I imagine he had food stored since he knows how it snows up there every year. The snow will be gone around here in two days the way it is melting now.”

“I wanted to come by and be sure everything clicked down here. Now I hope Shawn and Lucy are okay.”

“They put up lots of hay. I know that. Have you heard from Spencer Horne?”

“I expect a letter once the stage gets through.”

“He's building a headquarters on that new ranch?”

“Yes. I bet they don't have any snow down there.”

“Safe bet. What about Suzie? She has ample supplies, doesn't she?”

“Yes, she keeps well supplied. Isn't your married daughter Sandy staying over there with her?”

“Yes. Her husband, Cody, is working for Sarge this winter.”

“Well, he'll get broken in then. Sarge has a good hay stock on hand and we have two months' supply of cattle over at the Windmill now, don't we?” Chet asked.

“That's right and I have another bunch for the third month here, thank God.”

“You're right keeping that many head in back supply in case we get in a bind. Good job.”

“I worry all the time we'll get caught short,” Tom said. “But I still don't want too many on hand, either.”

Satisfied that the rest would have to wait for a big thaw to see him, he and his men rode back to Preskitt Valley after lunch.

Waiting was a letter from Spencer that a ranch hand had fetched from town.

He looked up for his wife. “Sounds like he has it all in hand down there.”

“No report of a wire or anything from Gallup?” Liz asked.

“The whole world may be under a blanket of snow. No, nothing at all.”

“If they expect you to build that line overnight, someone needs to be getting things ready.”

“I agree. But it is their job to get the material lined up, my dear.”

“I know that. But I am thinking one day they will drop the whole thing in your lap.”

“They might.”
God forbid it
.

A warm spell with lots of rain swept in and snow went to vanishing, but the rivers swelled and the Verde River became a half-mile wide, in places, from the reports he got from the lower ranch. The creeks around Preskitt belched lots of water and several bridges were lost. They simply floated away. He wondered how Leroy and Betty Lou were doing in flooding water on Oak Creek on the fruit farm. He hoped they were smart enough to be prepared. He couldn't go check on them until all the water went down.

The sun came out finally and Chet drove Liz into town. They had lots of mail. The one he opened immediately was from Sarge, sent from Gallup, New Mexico.

Chet handed her the letter and laughed. “He said no one was hurt—except their feelings. No telling who or what that was all about?”

“Now if Lucy and Cole would write we'd know all about everything.”

“There is a letter from Bonnie here.”

“What did she say?”

“No letter from Gallup, either?”

Chet shook his head, putting the rest of the mail into a cloth sack. “Not yet anyway.”

On the way back to the ranch they saw meadowlarks searching the muddy-surfaced road for anything to eat. The sun's glare off the snow was so bright it hurt his eyes even under the shade of his hat. Still, a much better day than those past snowy ones.

“Keeps thawing out I may go check on Shawn and Lucy.”

“I'd love to but it still would be cold and the house would be warm the entire time I am gone.”

He shifted hands with the reins. “I don't blame you for not coming. Stay home and warm.”

“Good. Be careful crossing the Verde. I don't want to lose you.”

“I will do that. But it should be down by then.”

“There is still snow on the rim, melting, to feed it.”

“I realize that. I'll send word to Jesus. We should have stopped by and I could have told him, but I can send a boy in to tell him when we will leave. We still need to get packhorses ready and get all my thick underwear out.”

She hugged her arms to her body on the buckboard seat. “I will shiver for you.”

They went over the hill to the ranch and he sent word to Miguel to meet with him. Raphael would take care of getting word to Jesus.

“We are going to the upper ranch day after tomorrow. Get some packhorses and what we need to camp out on the way. I've sent word to Jesus about our plans. He knows what food supplies we will need. It may take two weeks to make the circuit.”

Miguel nodded. “I can do all that. I've been splitting firewood and getting in shape.”

Chet's back muscles hurt from simply driving home from town. He lifted her by the waist off the buckboard. “How about before bed tonight you rub my back?”

“Whenever. You stiff?”

“Enough that I'd appreciate a back rub.”

“I'll give you a good one.” She laughed and shook her head going into the house.

That settled, he went to find Raphael and tell him his plans. Things might be on the move at last, but that depended on the snow's depth up there.

The three of them, with three packhorses, rode out breathing steam in the cold morning air. The sky was clear and Chet was anxious to get on the way. He had no regrets about leaving his wife behind, save not having her along to keep him warm at night. She did not need the exposure, though she was back on her things-to-do list.

He could smile at her concern for every person on earth and especially their “people,” like the little cross-eyed Hernandez girl that she had the eyeglass man fit with glasses so she could see normal. Her family had treated her like an invalid since birth, but Liz saw the problem and had an answer. Now the little one ran and played like the others, and she idolized Liz for that. All part of having a family to help each other he called it. Every bit as good a deed as finding Harry Olson's wife and getting her away from those kidnappers.

They stopped long enough to tell Tom they were going north to check on things and would camp on the rim that night. His foreman said everything was going good and had a report that Toby made it home safely. Chet told him about Sarge's success and that Spencer was married and at the new headquarters living in a tent.

Tom laughed. “Be careful. Millie sends her best.”

There was still lots of snow on the rim as they made camp. They slept in their bedrolls. Early the next morning, Chet and Miguel loaded and saddled stock while Jesus stirred the oatmeal and boiled the coffee. Then they hit the saddles to get to Robert's, hold the baby girl Caroline, and drink Betty's hot coffee.

She reported the snow had been bad but they were still hauling logs Robert had skidded to the logging roads before the storm hit. More good planning by his man in charge. Robert was still out working when they left, and Chet and his men rode on to Center Point where the snow was still three feet deep on the sides of the road.

It was after dark when they reached headquarters. Cole came out to greet them. Valerie and Rocky, all bundled up, joined them. Miguel and Jesus gave the horses to the stable boys and they all went to Cole's house to talk. Valerie had
frijoles
cooking on her stove, so they didn't starve.

Large logs in the fireplace warmed the big tight-built house, and for the first time in three days Chet felt warm again. Rocky asked Chet about a new horse and his father told him they would have a paint horse for him at Preskitt in the spring. Harry was going to send it with someone who would be riding up there then.

Cole told them the buckboards were moving again. Chet saw how weary he looked. He'd have to take these things easier. He couldn't fight record snowfall.

“We're going out to see Lucy and Shawn. Thought they needed checking on.”

“I have not heard a word. But the mail is moving again.”

“We promised them an impasse here in winter, but it is the same across all the places north of here, too, I'd bet.”

“Your other places working?”

“They seem to be. Jesus and I rescued a woman that had been kidnapped. The law told her husband he believed she had simply run away.”

Cole shook his head. “Jesus and Byrnes to the rescue, huh?”

“Boy we had to ride from Mesa to Holbrook to find her, and it was as cold going there as it was when we rode back from the north rim that time chasing the outlaws and that woman we saved.”

“Kathrin. She married Ben Ivor at the mercantile in Preskitt.”

“She comes to help you, too,” Val said.

“Yes, she does. They've had two kids since then, too.”

“I lived in Preskitt and I never had any kids there,” Val said, shaking her head.

“Her not having kids was the cause of her husband marrying two sisters in Utah and her leaving him,” Jesus said to Miguel, who'd not heard the story.

Miguel quickly agreed. “I have been in their store and she is a nice lady.”

“Ben's first wife left him and went back east. She hated Preskitt and the West. Ben and Kathrin make a good couple. But that was the coldest ride I ever made. And we had lots of prisoners to guard.”

Chet smiled. “Jesus never forgot the trip back. He's right. It was cold. But I don't think there is enough gold in Alaska to ever coax him to go up there.”

His man shook his head.

Cole looked at the new man. “Miguel, some of the best days in my life, I spent with Jesus and Chet. You can count your stars they will be for you, too.”

“I am grateful you three brought Lisa back so I could marry her. Thank you.”

“Miguel, Chet Byrnes has saved all of us,” Val put in. “We all love him for it. Oh, I'd cry every time Cole rode off but Chet always brought him back. And in the end we have shared in his success, too.”

“Valerie, I have heard a lot of praises about Chet, but the greatest thing I ever heard was when Raphael told me I was chosen to ride with him. ‘My son,' he said like I was his boy, ‘you must guard him with your life and he will do the same for you.'”

Chet spoke up, embarrassed at the talk, “Eat your beans. We have some cold days left to get over to the north ranch.”

“How is Liz?” Val asked.

“Great. Ready for the snow to melt, too.”

“That won't happen up here until March, will it?”

“You can't tell,” Chet said, busy eating. “Someday anyway.”

“No telegraph in the works yet?” Cole asked.

“Hannagen says congress passed our part, both the law and budget committee, but finding the money is like our cattle script—it takes time with Washington.”

“Maybe in the spring you can start?”

“I hope so.”

The next morning he hugged his son Rocky good-bye and they rode west. The sky was clear and he figured it would be above freezing by mid-morning. Large ravens followed them as if expecting a handout, but when they got nothing they gave up.

They stopped at the first stage station west that evening. It was the one that moved his operation over there to qualify for relay status. The place comprised a wagon yard, store, café, and bar. Many freight rigs were parked there anxious to move on but waiting for better conditions, especially the eastbound ones.

The man in charge, Ralph Thomas, put them in two guest rooms rather than the bunkhouse used by the others staying over. They spent the night and rode on to the ranch the next day.

Approaching the headquarters they passed men forking hay off two wagons to a long line of cattle. The workers waved as if surprised to see them coming.

“He has a large herd,” Miguel said.

“They had a big herd that Lucy and Reg had gathered from maverick cattle running loose up here and he still wanted more. We brought two hundred more cows from Hampt's place to add to them a year ago or so. It helped Hampt's operation and ranch to recover a lot.”

“Lucy's brother-in-law Bennie got a little behind operating this ranch, too,” Jesus said.

“I didn't realize he had not hired enough help, being thrifty. But he does fine working for Cole on the west end. Looking at the cattle, Shawn and Lucy have done well. There are lots of cattle up here.”

When they rode up to the house place, Lucy in a long coat was standing there holding the new one. Liz would be jealous about that. He couldn't blame her, considering their own situation.

“What's his name?” he asked from the foot of the stairs.

“Clem Eubanks. How did you know it was a boy?”

“I guessed it by your smile.”

Shawn rode up skidding his horse to a sliding halt. “Wow, Jesus, how are you doing?”

“Miguel, meet Shawn.”

“Where is Spencer Horne?” He shook Miguel's hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Up at the Apache Springs Ranch building us a new headquarters.”

“Where is that?”

“Shawn, let's get them inside. I want to hear the whole story, too,” Lucy said.

“Why sure, honey. Hitch your horses, guys; we can put them up later.”

Inside, Lucy's younger sister, Hannah, took the baby after showing him to everyone.

Seated at her large dining table, Lucy told them the boy was two weeks old but they had no mail service so her letter was probably still at the Hackberry post office informing them about his arrival. Her daughter came into the room and climbed up into Shawn's lap like she belonged there, which warmed Chet more than anything.

“Well,” Lucy said to Chet, “what brought you to Hackberry?”

“We have been everywhere else. Robert and Betty have a daughter, Caroline. Liz and I lost ours.”

“Oh, I am so sorry. How is she?”

“Fine. Disappointed, but busy. It was too cold or she'd have come along with us. Other news—Spencer is married to a lady from the Diablo Ranch and he is building headquarters on the newest ranch, which is perhaps a long day's ride north of Tucson. It was part of Weeks's ranches he lost to the banks.”

“He's the man that had the phony claim on the Diablo Ranch,” she explained to Shawn.

“I knew him from the Force. He was not a nice guy,” Shawn said.

“Ortega was shot by one of his men rustling our cattle. He's fine now and the rustlers are dead. But Weeks is still operating his rustling operations down in Mexico.”

“Ortega is a helluva great guy,” Shawn said. “Glad he survived.”

“Yes, he is. We saw your cattle being fed. They look great. You have enough hay?”

“Plenty. We really poured our hay making on after I got up here. I hired two other hay crews that had mowers and stackers. Bought some grass standing and we have the hay. I think the cattle are doing great, but if there is anything wrong point it out to me.”

Lucy said, “Before we started feeding hay, he and the men rounded up almost a hundred and fifty mavericks this fall.”

“That is amazing. Do you have all of them now?” he asked Shawn.

“Chet, this land up here is so vast there were still lots of wild cattle. I can't say but we, maybe, only got the tamest ones. I'd like to corral some distant water holes so when they go in to drink they have to stay in there until we brand them as ours.”

She put in, “That would require some more cowboys to check on the traps a couple times a week.”

“I think we can make that work. So the work is to build them and then patrol them?” Chet asked.

Lucy nodded her head. “There isn't much to do up here.”

“Last time, you had ranchers complain that you were catching all the wild cattle?”

Shawn dismissed it. “They might complain, but they don't try. They're too lazy.”

“How do you want to start?”

“Is a dozen traps too many?” Shawn asked.

“Fine. Get what you need built.”

Chet winked at Lucy.

“There, Shawn, you have your traps.”

He nodded, pleased.

“Is your hay equipment at the Verde place being repaired?”

“I have the blacksmith doing it here. He's good, cheaper than hauling it over to Camp Verde and back. I'd like to ask for three more mowers, racks, and stacker for next year.”

“I will have them up here by then. You will have lots of hay equipment this season.”

“Traps and with roundups we will have two hundred more head by this time next year.”

“Mother cows?”

“Yes, I want six hundred head of them by then. Since I got here we have fenced most of those homestead places Bo has bought for you. They all will make hay for us to cut. The rest will be fenced before the grass greens.”

“Chet, you didn't send a boy up here. He works like a horse and those men who ride with him, just as hard. Come back next spring. We will have our largest calf crop ever,” Lucy said.

“I don't doubt that for a minute.”

Spud burst in the house, threw his hat aside, and unbuttoned his thick coat. The short man was smiling from ear to ear. “Boy, you and Jesus look so damn good to me. I've been calving cows all morning. Next year we won't have no more snow babies—them damn bulls are all going to be put up so the calves come when they have a better chance to live.”

“Don't believe a word he's saying. He only lost one calf. He calves most of them in the sheds. But he's right, we are putting the bulls up until later,” Shawn said.

Spud hugged Chet and Jesus as well. Then he shook Miguel's hand. When he sat down Lucy's daughter left Shawn and was already climbing into Spud's lap. “Him is me Spud.”

“You have more boyfriends than I can count,” Lucy teased her.

“They all mine.”

After hearing the kidnapping story, Lucy and Hannah fed them a large meal for supper. He explained about stocking Toby's eastern ranch and the Oracle one with cows in the fall. How Sarge, despite the snow, made it to New Mexico and got his cattle there on time. Then he described the Diablo Ranch improvements, told them about Bonnie and JD, their plight, and how his Force was still operating in the south.

“Miguel, how did they get you to help them?” Shawn asked him.

“You know my foreman Raphael at the valley ranch?”

“Yes, I have met him.”

“He said, ‘Miguel, I have chosen you to ride with the
patron
. See him tomorrow about the new job.' I did and told my wife Lisa I was concerned how to please him. She said, very forcefully, ‘All you have to do is be honest and be yourself. You are smart enough to learn the rest.'”

“Lisa was one of the women who came back with us from the stage-raiders shoot-out in Colorado. She's a good girl and she told you the truth about me.”

Miguel said, “That rich rancher's son held her like a slave. She feared for her life the whole time she was with them. I am very proud she is now my wife, and she works hard to help all the people at the ranch. She thinks our boss is such good man to have given her another chance.”