Slocum 421 (11 page)

“Sure. A widow woman is helpless to defend herself against the likes of him and that scum that runs with him.”

“You tell the sheriff?”

She shook her head. “Why? It would have been my word against him and his men.”

A woman in her late twenties–early thirties, she was plain-looking and thin. No doubt rock-hard from doing her own chores, but hardly a handsome woman. Her brown hair she had put back in a bun behind her head.

“Excuse my bad manners. I'll make you some coffee.” She paused. “Do you drink it?”

He laughed. No doubt she wondered if he was a Mormon. “Yes, I'd like a cup.”

“All right. Do you live around here?”

He shook his head. “I've been staying at the Russell ranch and helping them.”

“She is a very pretty woman.”

He agreed. “How do you make it?”

“I own a hundred cows that are marked with my brand, the Key Brand. I hire day help at roundup and I make enough sales to survive.”

“What happened to your husband?”

“Oh, he took a fever one day and got sicker and sicker. I went and got a doctor. He didn't know a thing he could do, and a week later my husband died.”

“How long ago?”

“Three years.”

“No, suitors?”

“I'm too fussy and not that pretty, but Sears won't rape me again. I got my back up. I'll kill him next time.”

“I'll bury your dog.”

“No, I'll do it in the morning. Must be close to suppertime.”

Slocum heard riders and knew when Spook nickered at the horses that it was Jon and Carter. He went to the door as they arrived on lathered horses.

“You find him?” Jon called as they pulled up.

“I'll be back,” he said over his shoulder to the woman and went to meet the men in the yard.

“He was here earlier,” Slocum said under his breath. “Raped her and stole a horse. She's pretty upset, so go easy on her.”

“What killed the dog?” Carter asked.

“Sears.”

Carter scowled. “He raped her?”

Slocum nodded. “Left her tied, gagged, and naked on the bed.”

Carter glared at the house. “That sumbitch needs to be shot.”

“I agree, but he had ridden off on one of her horses by the time I got here.”

“She's a tough woman,” Jon said under his breath. “I don't know how she's survived out here—alone.”

“It wasn't his first time to rape her either.”

“Ah shit, let's find him.” Carter was madder than a wet rooster.

Helen came to the door. “I have enough food if you'd like to stay. Thanks for coming by.”

“You two know Helen?” Slocum asked

“We do. Good to see you, ma'am.”

She made a pleased face at them. “Wash up. There will be enough time to unsaddle and put them in the corral.”

Carter shook his head. “I'll wring his neck if we catch him.”

“I agree,” Jon said.

“Both of you sure that Glenna is all right?” Slocum asked.

Jon laughed, hoisting off his saddle. “Besides being mad 'cause you made her stay home, she'll be fine.”

“I figure Sears made a beeline on her horse to Garvin's outfit.”

“That's still four hours west.”

“There will be a moon tonight. Let's be there when the sun comes up. I'd like to catch them asleep.”

“We can do that,” Jon said.

Carter agreed.

She fixed them some fried ham, potatoes, and biscuits with gravy. Carter looked interested in her and shared some small conversation with her. She answered him like she was flattered. Slocum busied himself eating her good food.

“We must leave here about midnight to reach Garvin's by sunup,” Slocum said.

“I will fix you food before you leave.”

“We'd make it, but thanks.”

“Hey, I count myself lucky to have three such serious men in my house.”

“We wish we'd been here sooner,” Carter said, cutting the biscuit floating in flour gravy with his fork. “It won't go unattended, ma'am.”

She nodded, took her napkin out of her lap, and went for the coffeepot to refill their cups. Slocum thought she was about to cry, but she held it back and filled the men's cups. She was a tough woman with many struggles in her life. He felt for her.

She woke them before midnight and served a large breakfast, which included eggs, ham, and more biscuits with gravy, plus coffee. They thanked her and saddled up under her lantern light at the corral. Slocum hugged her shoulder. “We will get him.”

“Thank God.” She nodded and thanked them.

Carter was the last one to pass her on horseback. “God bless you, Helen.”

“You too, Carter.”

 * * * 

They rode for hours under the stars and across the rolling grass, until they reached an overlook and were able to see the dark shadows of Garvin's ranch headquarters sprawled under them. They dismounted, hung up their spurs, and hobbled their horses over the hill.

Then, on foot, they headed for the ranch, slipping off the hillside to come out behind the corral that had been repaired some since the explosions. Some poles had been tied on temporary frames to replace the old ones blown away. There were only a few horses in the corral. The three men slipped over to the remains of the bunkhouse. No one was in there.

Where they sleeping in the old man's house? Slocum, Jon, and Carter had a short conversation and decided they'd check it out. Slocum went ahead. He eased the door open, six-gun in his fist, and slipped inside. The starlight came in the windows, and he listened for someone snoring.

Only one person was in the house, He was in a side bedroom. Carter stayed outside to cover things. Jon soon joined Slocum in the house. Slocum pointed at the adjoining room and nodded.

They crept across the floor. The starlight shone down on the snoring old man in the bed. It was Garvin himself. Jon removed the man's gun holster from the bedpost, and Slocum set his .44 muzzle in his face.

“Wake up Garvin,” Slocum ordered.

The man opened his eyes with a loud “Huh.”

“Where is that damn Sears hiding at?”

“Hiding? How the hell should I know? Who are you fuckers?”

“You want to live to see that sun come up, you better remember.”

“I swear I don't know. He quit me yesterday. Rode off. Said he was going to kill one sumbitch then go back to Texas. Hell, they all quit. Yellow-bellied sonsabitches.”

“Was that your piebald horse?”

“Yeah, he owes me for him. Why?”

“He's dead, but Sears raped a woman and stole her horse now.”

“He damn sure don't work for me no more. I don't have any help. They all run off.”

“You better sell out and go yourself.”

“Over my dead body is how I'll go.”

“That ain't hard to arrange. A nickel's worth of lead would end your misery.”

“Who the hell are you anyway? You blew up my horse pen, spooked off all my damn horses, put tin cans on their horse's tails, and caused more wrecks than an army could have set off.”

“Folks are damn tired of your men running over them. They'll run off the next bunch you hire to do that, they know how now.”

“Wait, leave me my gun. I'm defenseless without it.”

“We'll hang it on the corral, but don't go get it before sun's up or we'll shoot you down out there.”

“I won't.”

“Garvin?”

“Yeah.”

“You try running ranchers off again, wear your Sunday suit.”

“Why?”

“So the funeral director don't have to bury you in rags,” Slocum said.

The old man snorted out his nose with a loud grunt.

“You better heed my warning, old man. You won't last long running over folks again.”

“We'll see about that.”

“You hardheaded old bastard, listen to me. These folks will kill you the next time you try to ride over them.”

Garvin acted like he never heard him. Carter reported that there was no one else around.

“What the hell is your real name?” Garvin asked.

“William Bonney,” Slocum said.

“I heard about you. I knew you were some big-name outlaw. Well, Bonney, you can shoot me down now. If you don't, I'll be back here and nail your hide to my outhouse.”

“Like a damn steer, Garvin, all you can do is try. Let's go, boys, he's through.”

They started back, and Carter asked Jon to be excused since they had Garvin whipped.

“I want to go by and tell Helen the news. She's a real sweet lady and I'd like to help her some.”

“You do that, Carter. Take a couple of days and you still have your job. I know Sis will appreciate you doing that too.”

Carter saluted then and rode off in Helen's direction.

Slocum still wondered where Sears went. Had he gone back to Texas or was he lingering around looking for revenge? Good question to ask about a riled rattler. Only time would tell.

Their next trip to town, gossip told them that Garvin had caught a train out of there. Not a word to anyone about his business, but Slocum had it in the back of his mind the old man had gone for reinforcements. He told Glenna so.

“Don't count him out. He may be gathering help from down in that country he came from.”

She hugged his arm as they headed for home with their supplies and the new dress finally done. “I hate that. You guys worked so hard to get them out. But I think he is like that and believes he can move us all out.”

“I need to ride on soon, so you just be ready.”

“I think Jon is going to lose Carter, don't you? He and Helen are getting close, aren't they?”

“She needs someone. I don't blame him. I don't reckon he's ever had a wife, and she would be good to him.”

“I agree. So you're going to have to move on then.”

He looked off at the distant horizon and then nodded. “Someone will put things together and say, ‘Why, he's that Clark fellow out there at the Russell place.'”

“You know I am going to miss not having you to fuss with.”

“I'll miss you, but one has to face reality. The longer I stay, the better their chances of finding me.”

“What is that like? Never being able to trust anyone and always on the move?”

“It ain't fun and games, I can tell you that.”

“You have money, don't you?”

“Enough to get by on.”

She dropped her chin and shook her head. “I finally find someone tough enough to put up with me and I lose him.”

He turned and kissed her cheek.

“That's what I mean. You are a real kisser and then you will go away like smoke.” She threw her hands in the air like was she throwing out the dishwater. “Oh, brother, I will miss your easy ways loving me too, plus your company to go to church with me and take me to town. But yes, big man, in the end I will survive.”

“Good.”

Jon gave him the choice of horses and wouldn't take any money. He decided on Spook, and Jon agreed he would be the best for a long haul. He reshod him that week, putting off leaving. He planned to go out to Deadwood and then head west for the mountains for the summer. Maybe up in Wind River country—who knew.

Glenna realized he was going to leave soon, and she never bugged him about it. But while Jon was off checking cattle, she spent the morning sitting on a nail keg and visiting with him while he shod Spook. When he was halfway done with his job, she went and fetched a pail of water along with a dipper and watered the horse down.

“Hey, it's getting warm today, isn't it?” she said, handing him a dipper of water after he dried his sweaty face on a towel she had for him.

“Thanks,” he said and winked at her. “You never had any suitors before your husband?”

“No, boys were boys to me. I never would have realized that Russell was interested in me, but he caught me away from the house and took my arm. He said, ‘Let's you and I get married.'

“I looked at him like he was crazy. ‘You want to marry me?' ‘Hell yes,' he said. So I said, ‘When?' ‘Saturday night.' I thought what the hell, no one else wanted me. ‘Sure,' I said, ‘what do I have to do?'

“‘I guess just wear a Sunday dress.' he said. ‘I've never been married.' That was it, we got married. Had a one-night honeymoon. I reckon he'd spent enough on floozies to know what to do with me. Monday morning I was fixing breakfast in the old soddy and my new husband rode off for three days to check on his cattle. I thought that was married life.”

Slocum had the left front hoof in his lap, trimming on it. “Sounds exciting as hell.”

“It was, but I didn't know any better. He hired Jon after Dad died and we put our cattle with his. I got my back up and so they built me this house. Strange man, I am certain he frequented the cathouse in town when he was drinking. But, like I said, I had no measure of what a husband should do. Jon and I were together. We had the ranch, and we sold our old place to pay for my house. All I missed when Granger died was that feeling of contentment I got at the end of him being on me.”

Slocum looked up and dropped the hoof. She tossed him the towel to dry his face again. Finished, he smiled. “That was some deal.”

She tossed her hair back. “I could not believe that first night you and I had together that I had missed so damn much. Honest truth, I thought every wife had a husband like mine. Who didn't care or even think about his partner—just breed her and go to sleep. When I didn't get pregnant, I wondered what was wrong. I never found out what. He never cared, but he expected he'd get me with child if he tried harder, then later he gave up and I was simply his to rut with.”

“You grew up a tomboy. No time for courting. You did miss a lot.” He nailed the shoe on the front hoof then snipped the nails and finished that hoof.

“He will be fine tied there. Let's go have lunch, and you can finish him later.”