They Rode Together (14 page)

Chapter forty-nine

By the time Rondo got back to camp, it had been dark for several hours. His horse was lathered in sweat, and Rondo looked worried.

“’Bout time you got back,” Tussle grunted as he dismounted. “Where you been?”

Rondo didn’t reply as he glanced around camp.

“Where’s Sim? Is he with the herd?”

“No, Wyatt and Josie are with the herd. Sim’s dead.”

“What happened?”

Tussle told him, and only then did Rondo relax.

“I found their camp,” he announced, and he told them all that he’d heard.

“So Butch Nelson is behind all of this,” Yancy said thoughtfully.

“Him, and Rock Bullen.”

“I wonder what Butch is after?” Yancy asked.

“I don’t know, but he sure wants Tussle dead.”

“Why?” Tussle wanted to know.

“I didn’t ask,” Rondo smiled faintly.

“How far is this lakebed?” Yancy asked.

“Several miles.”

“And they’re camped there now?”

“Sure are,” Rondo said, and asked, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“They’re right where they want
us
to be,” Yancy replied, and Rondo nodded.

“What do you have in mind?” Tussle spoke back up.

Rondo explained his plan. Afterwards, everybody looked at Tussle, and he nodded.

“Let’s do it,” he declared, and added, “I want Wyatt, Jessica, and Josie to stay with the chuck wagon.”

“That would be best,” Cooper agreed. “I’ll tell Josie and Wyatt.”

Rondo caught a fresh horse while everybody else saddled up, and then Cooper went to fetch Josie and Wyatt. 

While they waited, Jessica walked over to Yancy.

“Can we talk?” She asked. “Alone?”

Yancy studied her and nodded.

“Make it quick,” he said.

They walked to the outskirts of camp, away from the others.

“I want to apologize,” Jessica said.

“For what?”

“For being so pushy the other night.”

Yancy smiled softly.

“Mebbe I need to be pushed.”

“No, I was wrong,” Jessica said, and added, “Cooper and I had a talk.”

“Yes, I saw that.”

“He explained a few things to me.”

“He did, did he?”

“Don’t be upset,” Jessica said quickly. “I see things completely differently now.”

“What things?”

“For starters, I lost the hotel again.”

Yancy was startled.

“How did you manage that?”

“Lee and Brian have it now.”

“We’ll see about that,” Yancy muttered.

“No, you don’t understand. I gave it to them.”

Yancy was flustered, and he stared at her with his mouth open.

“Why’d you do that?”

“That hotel was built with money I inherited from my father’s plantation,” Jessica explained, and added, “I wish I’d never inherited all that money. All it’s caused me is grief. I’ve been kidnapped, taken hostage, dragged across New Mexico, cheated, and shot at because of that money.”

“You have been through a lot,” Yancy smiled faintly.

“And I’m ready to move on to better things. That’s why I gave the hotel to Lee and Brian.”

Yancy was silent as he thought on that.

“What better things do you have in mind?” He asked.

She smiled, and the look on her face said it all.

Yancy smiled back, but then his face got dark.

“You need to hear this now,” he said. He gathered his thoughts, and said, “I can’t offer you the life you’re accustomed to living. Not on my salary.”

“You mean the life I’m living now?” Jessica smiled playfully. “Out on the trail, living with men and no baths?”

Yancy smiled at that.

“I reckon these last few days have been rough. Especially for women folk.”

“You don’t see me complaining.”

Yancy studied her thoughtfully.

“No, I don’t.”

Cooper, Josie, and Wyatt rode in from the herd, and everybody else climbed on their horses.

“Well, you’d better run along and do your job,” Jessica said, and added, “Be careful.”

Yancy nodded. He stepped up on his horse and looked back down at her.

“We’ll be back,” he said, and he kicked up his horse and joined the others.

Chapter fifty

It took some persuasion to get the bedded down yearlings up and moving. Rondo took the point, and the others spread out behind him.

The moon was full, and it was a light night. The yearlings became restless, and they had to circle them several times to keep them together.

They reached the lakebed just before midnight.

Rondo spotted the two ridges, and he pointed the herd towards the opening.

He motioned at the others, and pistol shots popped from behind as Brian and Cooper scattered a few shots over the yearling’s heads.

The frustrated herd surged ahead. As one unit, they broke into an all-out run.

***

Rock sat up, startled. Butch was sitting up too, and they frowned.

A dull rumble sounded like thunder in the distance.

“What is that?” Butch asked.

Rock didn’t reply, and his Colt was in his hand as he stood.

Butch stood tense, listening hard, and he could hear distant pistol shots.

Everybody else was awake now, and they stood there looking confused.

“What’s going on?” A sleepy outlaw asked.

“I’m not waiting around to find out,” Butch replied. “Let’s get out of here.”

Panic broke out as everybody pulled on their pants and shirts and dashed to their horses.

Rock and Butch were ahead of everybody else, and they were the only ones saddled when the yearlings surged into view. They were in a dead run, coming straight towards their camp.

On each flank were several riders, and whining bullets peppered the camp.

Rock and Butch fought with their frightened horses as they swung on, and they left in a dead run.

A searching bullet flew by Butch’s head, and he ducked down as they raced forward.

Meanwhile, the other outlaws were stranded as their terrified horses broke and ran.

There was nothing to do but make a stand. They fired one shot after another as the swirling mass of yearlings raced through their camp.

One bearded outlaw jumped sideways. He took one step, grabbed at his chest, and went down.

Another outlaw rolled around on the ground, grabbing his leg. He screamed as the herd flattened him.

Two other outlaws were firing at the running horsemen. But their shots weren’t close, and as the herd came at them they panicked. They started to turn and run, but before they could one fell from a bullet and the other one was trampled.

The last outlaw in camp managed to grab a horse. But the horse was terrified and wouldn’t stand still as he tried to step into the saddle. The horse jumped sideways, and he lost his grip. He fell backwards, and his foot slipped through the stirrup.

The frightened horse took out in a run, dragging the screaming, helpless rider behind.

***

Rondo pulled up his horse and reloaded. Yancy, Cooper, Lee, Tussle, and Brian came up beside him and did the same.

“Two got away,” Rondo said.

“I saw them,” Yancy nodded. “Soon as it gets daylight, we’ll go after them.”

Everybody nodded and nudged their horses forward.

The outlaw camp was in shambles. There were four bodies spread about, plus a horse.

They dismounted and looked around.

Rondo walked over to the outlaws, and he was surprised to find the youngest one still alive. He was on his back, grasping his belly.

“Help me, please,” he said in a whimper.

The others walked up as Rondo knelt by him.

“Not much I can do,” Rondo said as he looked him over.

“I’m dying?” The young outlaw asked as a thin stream of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

“Looks like it,” Rondo nodded, and asked, “You want to talk?”

“’Bout what?” He gasped.

“Why were you boys trying to take the herd?”

The young outlaw seemed anxious, even eager, to talk. He told them everything, even about Lucy Wells, and he also told them what little he knew about the railroad.

Afterwards, everybody glanced thoughtfully at each other.

“We’ll make you comfortable,” Rondo told him. “You have any folks to notify?”

The young outlaw nodded and told him where his parents lived.

“We’ll tell them,” Yancy spoke up.

“Tell them I’m sorry,” he said. “For everything.”

Chapter fifty-one

After their talk with the wounded outlaw, Yancy, Cooper, and Tussle took off to fetch the chuck wagon and the others. Rondo rode out to see what he could find, and Lee and Brian built the fire back up and straightened up the camp.

The young outlaw died as Tussle arrived with the chuck wagon. He started breakfast while everybody else dug graves.

Rondo rode back in a little while later.

“They’re headed south,” he announced as he dismounted.

“See any of the stock?” Tussle asked.

“Some,” Rondo nodded. “I don’t think they scattered out too bad. Plenty of grass out there. Most of them stopped to graze.”

“Soon as we eat breakfast, we’d better scatter out and see what we can gather back up,” Tussle said.

“I’m sorry, Tussle, but Coop and I are going after Rock and Butch,” Yancy spoke up. “This is Texas Ranger business now.”

“I’m going with you,” Lee declared.

“You’ll need a good tracker,” Rondo put in.

“And I ride with Lee,” Brian added.

“Now hold on,” Tussle protested. “Somebody’s got to stay with the herd.”

Nobody said anything as they looked at each other, and Tussle took charge.

“Rondo, you’ve been leading this drive, so you’ve got to stay. And Coop, you belong with your family. Brian, you’re as old as I am. You should stay with the remuda.”

Nobody looked happy, but they still reluctantly agreed.

“That only leaves me and Lee,” Yancy spoke up.

“That’s right,” Tussle agreed. “And Lee’s a good tracker.”

Yancy glanced at Lee, and they didn’t say anything as they looked at each other.

“We’d best be going,” Lee finally said.

“All right,” Yancy replied. “Let’s go.”

While everybody watched, they walked over to their horses and stepped into the saddle.

Jessica looked worried, and Yancy smiled down at her.

“We’ll be back,” he said.

“I know you will,” she said.

Yancy nodded, and he and Lee kicked up their horses and trotted out.

“Should be interesting,” Rondo said as they watched them.

“What’s that?” Cooper asked.

“Them two, riding together.”

Cooper nodded thoughtfully.

“Could be,” he agreed.

Tussle was impatient.

“All right, let’s get going,” he urged.

Rondo, Cooper, Brian, Wyatt, Josie, and Jessica mounted up and rode out of camp. They spread out and made a big gather, and by late afternoon they drove what they had found back to the lakebed.

Cooper and Wyatt stayed with the herd while everyone else rode to the chuck wagon.

Rondo dismounted and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“Looks like we got lucky,” he told Tussle. “Roughly speaking, I’d say we only lost a couple hundred head.”

“That’s better than I had hoped for,” Tussle looked pleased.

“We could look around some more tomorrow,” Rondo offered.

“No, we’ve wasted enough time already,” Tussle said, and asked, “How close are we to Fort Worth?”

“Pretty close. But, spread out as we are, it’ll probably take us a couple days to get there.” 

“There’s always the chance somebody might ride up, looking for a job,” Tussle suggested.

“I hope not,” Rondo smiled.

Chapter fifty-two

Butch and Rock didn’t speak as they traveled south in a brisk trot.

They rode through the night, and come daylight they slowed their horses to a walk. Only then did they speak.

“Well, that didn’t work out too well,” Rock commented.

“They knew we were there,” Butch growled.

“I’d say so.”

“Those Landons are annoying.”

“And good shots,” Rock added.

“I can’t figure why Lee Mattingly is riding with them,” Butch said. “Everybody knows he and Yancy can’t stand each other.”

“Mebbe they worked out their differences.”

Butch grunted, and they trotted on.

“Speaking of differences,” Rock said. “There’s one thing I can’t figure.”

“What’s that?”

“You already got a fine ranch, and I also saw how Lucy was smiling at you,” Rock explained, and asked, “Why are you picking a fight with Tussle when you got all that waiting for you?”

“Been wondering that myself,” Butch admitted. “Ike always said he wanted all he could get. I reckon I did too.”

“And now?”

“That ranch in Empty-lake looks mighty good. Mebbe even Lucy.”

“You’ll also need a partner,” Rock said suddenly.

Butch looked sideways and studied him.

“Meaning you?”

“Sure. Why not?” 

“I thought you were a bounty hunter.”

“I don’t have to be,” Rock shrugged. “Mebbe I’d like to settle down.”

“With me and Lucy?”

“Well, mebbe later I’d find me someone,” Rock smiled.

Butch frowned but didn’t say anything.

“You’ll need someone like me,” Rock continued. “I have connections.”

“So do I.”

“But not like I have,” Rock said, and explained, “We’ll need cattle, and I can get ’em real cheap.”

“How?”

“Are we partners?”

Butch thought on it and sighed.

“Fine,” he agreed.

Rock smiled and nodded.

“Good,” he said.

“You should know,” Butch said. “Lucy wants you dead.”

An amused look crossed Rock’s face.

“There’s gratitude for you,” he said. “She’s the only prisoner I never killed.”

“I’ll talk with her, and change her mind.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Butch nodded, and it was silent for a bit.

“Well, it’ll take us a few weeks to get back to Empty-lake,” Butch commented after a while.

“We’ve work to do first,” Rock said.

“What’s that?” Butch asked, confused.

“They’ll be following us.”

“I figured they’d be too busy gathering the herd back up to worry about us,” Butch disagreed.

“It’s the Landons,” Rock said matter-of-factly. “They never give up.”

Butch frowned thoughtfully and nodded slowly.

“You might be right,” he said, and asked, “How do you suggest we handle it?”

“It’d be real easy to set up an ambush.”

“Think they’d fall for it?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Butch nodded.

“Well, we’d best find us a good spot and hide the horses,” he said.

“Reckon so,” Rock agreed.