Brothers in Blood (13 page)

Sometime during the night, Chet decided he needed to search inside the cave the next day. To leave that killer in there happily sleeping worked on his conscience. They'd need a few pitch torches to light the way inside the dark hole. He didn't want anyone hurt, but until they looked inside they wouldn't know if the big bruin was there.

“We'll need some torches to go see if he is or isn't in there.”

Both men quit eating their oatmeal and turned toward him.

“You want to go in there?” Jesus asked in disbelief.

“What if he kills us?” Nate asked.

“Oh, Tom will be along in a little while and recover our bodies.”

They laughed, but uneasy sounding.

After breakfast, they hacked three torches out of some junipers. Full of pitch, Jesus said they should make good ones. They left their horses hobbled to graze in the valley by the spring and climbed the mountain. Armed with rifles, they hiked up to the cave entrance. Chet's rifle at the ready, he checked inside and decided the cave must be deep.

He couldn't hear the bear sleeping, but that didn't mean he wasn't there. Bears had low respiratory sounds during hibernation. Not hearing him was not an indication that he wasn't inside. He handed the rifle to Jesus who stood ready for him to light their torches.

Flames and smoke spewed from the heavy torches, and he entered the cave holding his high. They went a good distance inside the natural shaft before it narrowed with no sign of the bear. They were down to a crawl space tunnel when Chet stopped them.

“He's in here. I can smell him. He's in the back. We'll have to build a large fire at the cave opening and see if we can drive him out.”

Jesus looked relieved. They went back to the opening and started back to camp. Tom and another hand named Joe were waiting for them at camp.

“Any luck?” Tom asked.

“We think he's in a cave up there on the side of the mountain. We're glad you arrived. We need lots of fuel, so go to dragging things up there.”

In a few hours, they had the cave entrance stacked full with dead pine logs and other debris. With it stuffed floor to ceiling with flammable fuel, Chet and Tom lit it on fire. They moved outside the cave to wait while Nate and Jesus made lunch.

About then, Chuck, a new cowboy, rode in on the scene and he couldn't believe they went in the cave to try to find the bear. The six of them wound up abandoning lunch to sit outside the cave as smoke and flames poured out. Meanwhile, the fire was getting red hot inside the cave.

Then Chet spotted a large bear roaring loudly, headed down the canyon next to them, running full steam, and with his fur smoking and on fire. The bear had found another way to escape from the cave. Chet jumped up and ran to Tom's nearby horse. His big rifle in hand, he charged off the mountain.

The horse slid on his butt off the steep side and Chet wondered if the pony would ever find its footing, but he did and scrambled some more. They were off again and hit the flats where Chet made a downhill shot at the furious bear. The bullet struck, but never stopped him. Chet sent the big horse off more mountainside, and when they reached the valley floor, the bear whirled and rose to face him. That bear must have stood eight feet tall.

Chet reloaded the Sharps and closed the trap door. Then he shouted, “whoa,” at the horse; the animal obeyed and slid to a stop. He took aim at the raging mouth of the bear. The loud report echoed up and down the valley. The bear folded up, and the spooked horse had to be checked. The bear, to his relief, was dying.

His heart pounded in his chest. Tom, Jesus, and the other two were coming pell-mell off the mountainside, sliding on their butts part of the way and cheering.

Squatted beside the carcass, he decided the fire-scorched hide wasn't worth much and stunk as bad as any male bruin, but he would mount the head. Even dead, the bruin's worn eyeteeth still looked dangerous.

“Well, big game hunter. I thought for sure you and Star were going to crash and burn coming off there,” Tom said, laughing.

“I didn't want him to get away. We can skin his head so it can be mounted.”

“Let's eat lunch first. It's ready,” Jesus said. “So he found another exit, huh?”

“Yes, he had a back door,” Chet said. “Thanks, boys. He won't kill any more Quarter Circle Z stock.”

He and Tom walked back to camp, discussing ranch business, but Tom ended with, “You're a damn tough man, Chet Byrnes.”

“Nah. Just doing what needs to be done. I figured if I didn't, he'd kill some unsuspecting cowboy. Now he won't.”

“No, he's damn sure dead.”

“Damn sure.”

“After lunch, we'll pack you up so you can go home.”

They reached the base ranch long after sundown. After he showed the bear's head to everyone, he went to Susie's where she fixed him a hot bath and fed him supper. Then, over supper, she listened to his bear story.

“What's next, brother?”

“Home to my wife.”

“Marge will be glad, I bet. I sure miss Sarge a lot. I never thought I'd feel like I do about a husband. But he's a great guy.”

“I'm the same about my finishing school wife.”

She gave him a shove. “All right, my concern about her education was wrong. She's a great woman and I love her.”

“You know,” he said, growing serious, “I've been thinking about all we've accomplished here, and it isn't bad. I doubt we'd have found this kind of opportunity in Texas. Folks tease me about having an empire. But, I guess, we do, as a family, have one started.”

“I know, and it works because of you, so don't let any bears get you.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He yawned. “I want to get an early start tomorrow so I'll be up before sunup.”

“I'll have breakfast for you and Jesus.”

“I'll go up and warn him.”

“Where did you say Cole is?”

“Courting a young lady.”

“Oh, do I know her?”

“Her name is Valerie. She works for Jenn.”

“I guess I don't know her.”

“Back when I was searching for Bonnie, I sent Valerie up here from Tombstone. She helped us and wanted no part of life in a brothel. Cole was impressed when he met her again in Preskitt, and they've had some face-to-face meetings.”

“Sounds serious.”

“Yes, Cole is serious. I gave him a few days off. And Jesus has sent for his woman in Mexico.”

“Oh, he has one there?”

Chet shrugged. “She hasn't answered his letters so far. But letters get lost down there, too.”

“Oh, I do hope that works for him. He's such a sweet man.”

“Pretty loyal to her, too, I'd say. We've been lots of places where he's had the opportunity and never strayed. That takes willpower.”

“How about Nate? I don't know him very well.”

“He's just a cowboy. Happy to have work, but he won't ever make a foreman or boss. He'll work, but he's not a deep thinker.”

“Do you fret about DJ taking off again?”

“I can't nail his foot to the floor. I don't think he's ever got over Marge's friend, Kay, and he took lots of risks she never appreciated him for.”

“No, he started changing when you were out here buying this ranch. I saw it then and wondered what he was trying to do. Reg had Juanita, and JD was left to his own devices.”

“Was Reg happy with her?”

“I think he was—dedicated. But she showed a fiery side I'd never seen when she worked for us. He was so happy when he found out she was with child. Then she had the crash—and I blame that on the impatient streak she'd begun to show.”

“I simply wondered. Lucie was such a great fun person with us on our honeymoon, but I never saw her as a wife for Reg.”

“I did. She rides everywhere he goes. Maybe not now, but she can out rope him and he admits it. He's also the best looking man up there, huh?”

“I remember she told us there wasn't a man up there worth marrying. Then Reg showed up.”

They both laughed at how things worked out for those two.

After supper, he went upstairs to bed. He could still smell that fire-singed stinking grizzly. Well, he was gone. They could go back home. Sarge would be back any day from New Mexico.

And he needed to talk to Tom about something pressing him. Oh, he'd think of it in the morning.

 

 

He and Jesus headed for Preskitt Valley in the cold air of dawn with Chet sunk in thought about the ranch business. Another six weeks and things should break wide open into spring. Tom had the cattle assembled for the next shipment, and he'd even talked to the Boones about them selling him some cattle in the spring. Tom said they were looking forward to it.

That cattle sale would set the Boones on their feet. They were frugal folks and they'd make it with a good cattle sale next spring.

“Jesus, if you don't get a letter soon, you want to go down there to see if you can find her?” he asked his helper.

“You have many things to do,
señor
. I do not wish to trouble you about my cares.”

“Hey, you and Cole are like my sons. If we need to go down there, we can do that.”

“
Gracias
. I will send her another letter this week.”

“Don't forget. We can go down there, if you want us to.”

“We will see.”

They arrived home midmorning, and after he dismounted by the house, Jesus took his horse along with him. Marge was waiting on the glassed-in back porch and hugged him when he came inside.

“Get the bear?”

“He's dead and he was a big stinking one. Bigger than any bear I ever saw.”

“Monica has the boiler going. It'll be heated by the time we eat lunch. Is Susie all right?”

“Waiting for Sarge.”

“Oh, yes, he's coming home. I'm so glad you're back safe and sound. How are the others doing?”

“Tom has things well in hand, of course, and they're getting lots of cattle fed. I know this is a droughty year, but our plan to stack that hay was good. But as we increase our herd size, I see us having to expand our hay operation.”

“You've been buying irrigated ground as it comes available along the river. How much more is there?”

“Not a lot, but if more of it comes up, I need Bo to be ready.”

“You going to be in charge of farming, too?”

“No, I'll make Jesus the boss of that and he'll do good.” He hugged her. “No worry, so far. Tom takes care of the valley, Hampt the land over there, and Reg does the top.”

“What will you do next?”

“Keep her all rolling.”

“Good, you can do lots of that around here.”

“Fine with me. I'll go to town tomorrow and make the rounds. If it isn't bad, you want to go along?”

“Sure. I need to get out once in a while.”

“I don't want you to get too tired.”

“I won't. Besides, I've not heard another word about Roamer being laid off. Nor any good gossip, or anything. I'll go by the dress shop and get filled up on gossip again.”

“Fine. The water must be warm by this time, so I'll go take a bath.” He walked toward the stairway.

“Can I go along?”

“You can go anywhere I go.” He held out an arm for her.

“Well, I do get anxious when you're gone. I don't know if I'll really like this baby. I'll miss the time I had taking care of you.”

“Oh, you'll spoil the fire out of it.”

“I don't spoil you.”

“Not too much, but, yes, you do, and have since we met.”

She looked at the ceiling for help.

Chet undressed and sank into the tub of hot water. How great that her father had seen an ingenious contraption in Pennsylvania and installed it in this house. The hot water came gravity fed from a boiler on the second floor and filled the large metal washtub. A windmill also fed the copper house tank upstairs.

The water was hot, but would cool fast, so he kept slipping in deeper and deeper until he was soon immersed to his neck. It sure felt good to simply soak. Nothing better than this, being back home, and not a thing wrong that he needed to straighten out.

After he finished his bath, Marge brought him clean clothes. He shaved, then dressed, looking forward to catching up on the news in the
Miner
newspaper. But when he came out of their bedroom, he heard someone talking downstairs. He paused at the top of the stairs, looked down, and saw that Marge had started up.

“Wait there. I'm coming down. Is something wrong?”

She nodded, a concerned look on her face.

Three men stood in the entry, a small room at the foot of the stairs with doors that led to the living room on one side and to the dining room on the other. Dressed for the cold, they all wore scotch-plaid wool caps.

“Chet, this is Mr. McElroy and his sons. I'll go make some coffee. Gentlemen, just hang your coats on the wall pegs by the door.”

Chet came the rest of the way down the stairs and shook their calloused hands. They told him their names: Lord the father, Shawn the oldest, and Kevin.

“What can I do for you?”

The older man placed his coat and cap on the rack beside his sons' coats. “It's their sister I came to see you about. Her name's Sheila, and an outlaw has taken her and we can't find them.”

“Is it a gang?”