Unexpected (4 page)

“Anything.”

“Anything?”

“Yes ma’am.  I’
m a jack of all trades.  I can Smith, plow, plant, and ranch.  Name it.”

And gun
sling
, she thought to herself taking in the size and look of him which wasn’t a bad thing at this point. It was interesting that he didn’t add that to his list of talents. “Ryker will be laid up for a few days.  We have money to pay you to help out around here until he’s back on his feet.  In the meantime, there’s a spare room at the end of the hall.  I can offer you room and good meals until you decide either way.”

“I appreciate that.”  His eyes studied her as she resumed cleaning her brother’s wound.

Just then a noise outside drew his attention.  He moved quickly toward the window almost startling the young lady. 

Josie stopped
cleaning the wound and watched as Cogan pushed his duster back off his hip and placed his hand on the hilt of a polished black handled revolver.

“What is it?”
  She didn’t hear anything but obviously he did. He moved exceptionally quick and quiet for a big man.

“One moment,” he said
softly as he nudged the curtain aside with two fingers of his other hand. 

Right then she knew she was
correct in that this man was no stranger to killing.  He was calm, too calm.  Especially for someone who just killed five men. Yet she wasn’t afraid.  Inside, she felt some comfort.  It was the first time in over a year that she’d felt it.  If he was a threat to them, he would have let Ryker die. He was a handsome man—big—but handsome.  He had a nice straight nose, strong chin and square jaw. There was a day’s worth of stubble there.  It gave him a dangerous appearance.

His eyes followed something below the window
and her heart rate picked up wondering if Butch’s men came back. She finally heard what Cogan did, which was odd because she was closer to that side of the room. Then relief went through her as his eyes went to her and he shook his head almost as if reading her thoughts. 

“It’s the Doc.”
  The boy was with him. 

“Thank God.”
  She put her hand on her chest and took a deep breath.  She didn’t realize how tense she was.

Cogan
watched the older man get down from the buckboard carrying a black satchel. He quickly walked toward the front of the house out of his view.  The boy was fast on his heels.

“Is the bullet still in here?” Josie asked
peering at the distinct puncture hole now cleaned.

“I believe so.  There’s no exit,
” he answered.

Moments later Doc Russell rushed through the door with
his bag and Thomas behind him. 

“Josephine, how is he?”
He paused when he saw Cogan giving him a wary once over.

“He’s got a bullet in his shoulder.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing Thomas found me heading from town.  It saved some time, and looks like he lost a good amount of blood.” He set his bag on the table beside the bed and opened it. “We have to get it out right away.”  His eyes glanced off Cogan, “I suppose you’re the man I can thank for putting a bullet through Elroy’s palm?”

Cogan never said anything.

The doctor didn’t seem to expect an answer. “Well, this explains why he didn’t’ tell me the truth,” he said as he started setting up his supplies while seeing Ryker’s condition. “He told me he accidently shot himself in the hand.”  He released a huff of humorous disbelief. “I would have dumped a shaker of salt in his wound if I’d known they did this.”

“
Thomas, get Hattie to boil some water,” Josie said to her little brother.  They would need it to extract the bullet.

“Ryker?”
Thomas sobbed.

Ryker raised his hand so his little brother could see he was fine.

Thomas wiped his tears with the back of his hand, sniffed hard, and smiled. 

Cogan took that as his cue to get his horses settled and his things in the house.
  He knew he should have just got on his stallion and rode out of there because he wasn’t looking for trouble. Those days were long since behind him, but he didn’t like what was going on here either.  As far as he could see, these were good people who were making an honest living.  It was no skin off of his back to stay and help.  Well, the young woman may have had something to do with it too.

Moments later, h
e was unstrapping his bags from his horse and tossing them on the veranda when a young voice cut in.  He knew the boy followed him out a few minutes ago, but Cogan wasn’t much of a conversationalist so he let him start the talking.

“Josie said you saved Ryker.”

“I reckon I did.”

“He’s really tough Mister,”
Thomas felt the need to say.

“Yeah, he was.” He smirked as he tossed another bag on the porch
without looking at him.  He was being honest.  He was sure he hadn’t seen anyone as tough and brave as Ryker in years, and for a man so young, it was rare.  He heard the pride in the boy’s voice and knew that he admired his older brother.  Cogan never knew that type of sibling pride because he was alone, very alone.  He took the horses’ reins and started walking his toward the barn.

“He was
, wasn’t he?” the boy asked following him, walking quickly to keep pace with Cogan’s long stride.

Cogan paused
and stared down at him. “Your brother thought he was going to die and he stared the man in the eye that was going to do it. It was one of the bravest things I’ve ever seen kid. And I’ve seen a lot of things.”

Thomas
grinned.

Just then Ryker’s bay horse came limping into the yard.

“I’ll be damned,” Cogan said handing the boy the reins to his horses.  Miss Hamilton was right.  The horse did come home.  It was pretty spooked when it took off, so he thought it would run itself to death first. As it was, the horse was soaked with sweat and foam from running like hell for God knows how long. It was winded and eyed him with mistrust.

“He’s limping,”
Thomas said.

“Yeah, he probably threw a
shoe. He took off pretty quick,” he said remembering the incident.  He fired a perfect shot at the rope that wrapped around Ryker’s neck as the horse shot out from under him. The man who was holding him to begin with took the third bullet from his shotgun as he drew his own gun.  The first went through the gunman’s hand who’d just shot Ryker in the shoulder. Ryker was already strangled unconscious and fell like a brick from his horse hitting the ground hard, face first. Hence, the swollen eye.

Now here was his spooked horse, coming home where he obviously thought it was safe, and then meet a stranger that probably still smells like
gunpowder. Cogan approached him slowly. He shied away with a hop and a snort eyeing him warily showing him the whites of his eyes. Cogan wasn’t worried.  He knew horses well. If he came home, he did feel safe here.  He just had to be patient and calm the fella down.  After a few soft spoken words, he settled enough that Cogan could take the reins.  Cogan ran his hand down his sweat soaked neck continuing to his fetlock to check his leg.  He bent over and lifted the front hoof. 

“Is h
e okay?  Ryker loves that horse,” Thomas asked.

“It’s a shoe,” h
e confirmed running a finger around the circular impression where it used to be. He released the leg and stood tall. “I’ll get him fixed up in no time. Now, why don’t you tend to my horses and I’ll take care of your brother’s.”

“Sure thing Mister.”

“Just call me Cogan and rub those boys good.  They need it,” he ordered.

“Yes sir
.” Thomas would have done anything for this man at that point.  He saved Ryker.

Cogan noticed the bruising around the
horse’s mouth too.  It was from stomping on his own reins while tearing out of there causing the bit to pinch down on his tender mouth.  This fella needed some serious tenderness.

Josie watched the scene from Ryker’s bedroom windo
w while the doctor worked on Ryker. The bullet was removed and the doctor was patching him up. She’d seen her brother’s horse come home and Cogan check it out.   She worried that she put too much trust in him too soon.  She didn’t know him and trust wasn’t easy to come by when there was money involved.  As far as she was concerned, men and greed were untrustworthy despite what he said.  Still, they owed him.  Now with Ryker laid up, they had no protection.  She could shoot well enough, but she doubted she could take out five men like Cogan did. Despite her misgivings, they had no choice.  They needed him.

***

The next morning Josie checked on her brother.  The doctor left her laudanum to help him sleep so he could recover.  To her relief, he was able to extract the bullet cleanly and a few bone chips with it.  He said he’d heal well and should have full use of his arm in about two months.  Right now it was in a sling.  Once she got the rest of him cleaned up she saw the damage Butch’s men did.  He had a few broken ribs, his lip was split, his nose was busted and one of his eyes was swollen shut with a large purplish-black bruise that covered half his face.  It infuriated her.  How could they gang up on him like that?  Ryker was tough.  He was as tough as they come, but six against one was enough to take any man down. If she didn’t have her wits about her, she would be tempted to load up the shotgun and head to town.  However, she did know better. That wouldn’t do any good for her family because she would lose.  Butch was too heavily armed and protected.  She’d end up getting herself killed, or worse.  She shuddered inwardly.  Butch had already blatantly informed her of what wanted if he had her to himself.

She rinsed a cloth and wiped her brother’s forehead.  He moaned but didn’t wake. 
It was a good thing Ryker was drugged because he had a temper that was worse than hers.  Once he found out that his arm wouldn’t be that much use for a few months, he’d probably clear the house with his reaction.

Hattie came in at that moment with a tray of breakfast.
“Has he been awake yet?” she asked softly glancing at her sleeping nephew.  He was lying flat on his back, bare chested with the blankets covering his waist.  His arm was in a stark white sling across his midsection, and to her, he seemed comfortably sleeping.   

“No.  I was going to try.”
Her aunt was a Godsend. She had been with them since Ryker was first born.  A distant aunt of her mother’s that never married.   Josie was only eighteen, barely.  She was eight when Thomas was born and didn’t have a clue about raising a child. Hattie helped with that and Thomas was a good boy because of it. Her eyes moistened and she turned her head away so her aunt wouldn’t see. She knew she had to be strong for Thomas and Ryker during these times, but sometimes it wasn’t easy.  She was approached more than once by Butch or his men when she was alone in town.  Some of the things they said to her would have sent any other woman home terrified and in tears, but like Ryker she stood strong.  Inside she was trembling after every incident.

“You go and get your other things done Josie.  I’ll wake him enough to get some food in him.”

“If you’re sure, Hattie.”  If her aunt noticed her tears, she didn’t let on.  She was grateful.

“Very.
” She paused for a moment unsure on how to broach the next subject.  It wasn’t as if it wasn’t her place to have an opinion, because she was part of this family. However, she knew there was an enormous amount of responsibility on her young niece and nephew without bringing her worries forth. Yet, she felt like it needed to be said. “That new hand you hired is already out in the barn.  He said something about shoeing Ryker’s horse.”  She gave her niece a guarded glance as she set the tray beside Ryker.  “He’s a big man Josie, and he’s menacing.”

“He saved Ryker.  I’ll not judge him becaus
e of that,” Josie countered.  She didn’t miss the concerned look, and Hattie was right, there was something dark in the man’s eyes. There was no doubt he was a dangerous man. Yet, she’d also seen him take care of Ryker’s horse and it caught her attention. She’d easily figured out that he may be large and looked menacing, but he obviously had gentle hands. 

He’d led
the bay to the water trough and allowed him to drink before he gave him a good brush and rub to calm him down.  Not many men treated animals that well.  Most would just put him in a corral and let him work off the shock.  In that hard crust of a man was a soft heart, and she couldn’t help but admire him for the extra effort. Mr. Reid didn’t know that Ryker rescued that bay horse from a butcher.  He’d been mistreated all his life and didn’t trust anyone but Ryker, who’d spent better than six months gaining his trust.  Yet, Cogan had him as gentle as a milk fed kitten in minutes.

“
I know and I agree, but he frightens me too,” Hattie spoke breaking her thoughts.

Josie nodded.
“Yes, and I understand why, but I don’t see a need to fear him.”  She may have said those words, but it was just to reassure her aunt.  She still had the same reservations despite his care of Ryker’s horse.  He had killed five men without even batting an eye.  Yes, it was to save her brother, but a man who kills like that is someone who has killed a lot.