Hero's Stand

by Charles G. West

  Unlike Fry, Pitt was becoming more and more in favor of making their move right away. He was no longer concerned with keeping things peaceful until spring. The first winter snows that would close the passes into this valley would be coming any day now. If they went ahead and killed the residents, then the gang could just loot every cabin as they pleased and not worry about any interference from outside the valley. This was an opportunity that shouldn’t be missed, as far as he was concerned. The greatest proportion of the valley’s population was gathered in Rufus Colefield’s tiny cabin. It would be quick work to take care of the lot of them. Fry had to be mighty persuasive to talk Pitt into holding off a little longer.

  “Afternoon,” Fry said cheerfully as Rufus and his daughter walked out to meet the intruders. Behind them, the other families filed out slowly, looking for all the world as if they had been caught doing something illegal. Fry affixed a wide smile to his face. “Days are getting a mite chilly, aren’t they?” When his greeting was met with no more than a nod, he continued. “Well, looks like everybody in the valley is here. When I heard about the meeting, I thought it might be a good idea to have the military represented. After all, we’re vitally interested in everything that happens in the valley.”

  Katie shot a quick glance in Whitey Branch’s direction. She had a pretty good notion who might have leaked the news of the meeting to Fry. Whitey immediately looked away, reluctant to meet her gaze.

  As the self-appointed leader of the community, Reverend Lindstrom decided it was his duty to broach the subject. “Well, Captain, maybe we were negligent in not notifying you, but seeing as how you’re here anyway, we might as well hear your side of it.” When Fry’s expression indicated that he didn’t know what issue the reverend was referring to, Lindstrom went on. “We’ve just found out that Monk Grissom was killed between here and the west ridge, and there’s been some discussion as to who the guilty party or parties might be.”

  Fry nodded his head thoughtfully. “Yes, that’s a terrible tragedy. In fact, that was one of the things I was going to tell you. I didn’t know you had already heard the news. It hit us kind of hard, too. I lost one of my men as well—young Hicks. He was shaping up to be a first-rate trooper. Looks like they were jumped by Indians. Grissom will be a loss to my unit. He had agreed to do some scouting for us. He and Hicks were on a special scout when they were jumped.” He shook his head sadly. “I’m afraid the Shoshonis are doing a lot of raiding, but we’ll keep our eyes open. My men and I will be on constant patrols, watching the passes to make sure nobody gets in the valley.”

  Or gets out, Katie thought. She glanced around her and was immediately dismayed by the gullible expressions she witnessed. Lock, stock, and barrel. They’re all so damn frightened that they’ll hear just what they want to hear. She realized then the folly of her hastily called meeting. There was no one here, outside of a fourteen-year-old boy and herself, who had the courage to stand up to these outlaws, and the two of them were not enough to drive them out. Seeing the looks on their faces, she was dismayed to find that the little congregation even swallowed the story that Monk had been working with the outlaws. Confirming her thoughts, she heard Lindstrom reply.

  “Injuns. That’s what we figured.” His statement was endorsed with nods and comments of agreement from some of the other settlers. Katie knew then that she was going to have to scrap her plans to organize her neighbors into a vigilante group to rid the valley of this plague. She was going to have to play along as if she accepted Fry’s version of the murder and think of some other way to seek help.

  Confident that things were going his way, Fry fashioned a broad paternal smile for the benefit of the souls huddled there. “You can all rest assured that my men and I will be on constant guard. I’ll be sending out patrols to find the ones responsible for the murders of Grissom and Hicks. I don’t think the Indians will risk coming into the valley as long as we’re here. They’re waiting outside the passes to jump on poor unfortunates like the two good men we lost. You’re all safe as long as you stay close to home and don’t go wandering outside the valley.”

  Katie, because she knew the boy so well, was the only one who noticed the fiery glint in Luke’s eye as he listened to the lie Simon Fry concocted. Luke knew what the sign had told him, and he had little patience for liars in any form, especially those of Fry’s ilk. With a slight movement of her head, her eyes locked on his, she motioned for him to remain calm. Fearful that he might challenge Fry’s tale and get himself in trouble, she frowned at him until he acknowledged her with one brief nod of his head. Although his face remained expressionless, she knew there was a fire burning inside.

  The gathering of families relaxed as first one and then another of the men agreed that Indians were the most likely suspects in the murder of Monk Grissom. But Fry and his gang remained there until the settlers began saying their good-byes. Katie, with Luke close beside her, stood watching the departing families as they filed out of the yard, anxious to return to their own homes before darkness set in.

  “Thank you for the refreshments,” Effie Spratte called out as Horace reined his horses back to permit Whitey to precede him. Katie responded with a wave. She could well imagine what her neighbors thought about what they perceived as a senseless meeting. Most of them regarded her as a rather strange woman, anyway—with her pistol on her hip and her reserved attitude. Receiving the polite nods and waves of the others as they followed the Spratte wagon out of the yard, Katie couldn’t help but picture the lot of them as sheep, blissfully awaiting their slaughter. And she was convinced that a total slaughter was exactly what it would be, because she could not imagine Simon Fry willing to risk word of the rape of Canyon Creek leaking out.

  Simon Fry waited until all of the families had turned at the corner of Rufus’s garden and headed for their respective homesteads before he stepped up in the saddle. Guiding his horse over to stand before Katie and Luke, he flashed another benevolent smile and gave them a piece of advice. “It might be a good idea if you let me know if you’re thinking about calling for any more meetings. You know, I was sent here to keep the peace. I somehow get the idea that you’re set on working against my mission.”

  Katie could not help but bristle in response to the undisguised reprimand, but she did her best not to show the sudden anger that threatened to choke her. “Well, now, Captain, I don’t know what gave you that idea. But to be honest with you, I guess I’ll invite my neighbors over any time I damn well please. And I don’t reckon I’ll feel like I have to notify anyone.”

  If her sharp response angered him, he didn’t show it. Instead, his smile widened just a bit as he glanced from her to the young boy beside her and back again. “I expect it might be a mite dangerous to be moving about the valley now, what with the Indians on the prowl. I’d advise you and the boy to stay pretty close to the cabin.” Not waiting for her reaction to his veiled threat, he wheeled his horse around. “Come on, boys,” he said as he rode past the line of men silently sitting their horses before the cabin. “Mr. Colefield,” he acknowledged as he rode by Rufus at the corner of the garden.

  Like a pack of surly wolves, the other five filed out behind him, leering contemptuously at the old man, his daughter, and the half-breed boy. They’re already dividing up our possessions, Katie thought as she stared back defiantly at the sullen faces. One in particular, the one called Wiley, caused an involuntary shiver to course along her spine. There was no mistaking the lewd gaze in those hungry eyes, and she felt a strong desire to cover herself to escape his visual fondling.

  When they had disappeared beyond the rise that ran down to the river bluffs, Katie turned to the boy and shook her head in dismay. “It’s an evil wind that blew that bunch into our valley.”

  “Oh, I don’t think you appreciate how lucky we are to have Captain Fry and his men here,” Rufus said, having overhead his daughter’s comment to Luke. “I just hope we ain’t stirred up a lot of trouble for ourselves with this meeting. The militia’s the be
st bet we’ve got for protection. I’m just worried that they ain’t enough, what with all the Injun trouble.”

  Exasperated, Katie complained, “What Injun trouble? Pa, sometimes I think you’re a little touched in the head. Luke has already told you it wasn’t Injuns that murdured Monk. Can’t you see we’re at the mercy of those coyotes? They can do what they want in this valley. And who’s to stop them?” As an afterthought, she added, “I’d bet my soul that Monk’s mare is grazing with Fry’s horses behind Jed Springer’s old cabin.” She shot an accusing glance in her father’s direction. “Probably just wandered in all by herself,” she said sarcastically.

  Chapter 8

  “Dammit, Wiley, you’re gonna git both of us an ass-kickin’ if Fry finds out about this,” Trask whined.

  “Why don’t you stop worryin’ so damn much,” Wiley replied without turning his head to look at his partner. Keeping his gaze focused upon Rufus Colefield’s cabin, hoping to get a glimpse of Rufus’s daughter, he said, “What are you worried about, anyway? Hell, we’re doin’ what Fry told us to do, ain’t we?”

  Trask looked around him nervously, afraid they might be spotted so close to the cabin. “Fry said we was supposed to keep an eye on ’em, make sure they didn’t try to send for help from some of their Injun friends. He didn’t say to slip right up to the back of the cabin.” He glanced behind him again. “Ain’t no tellin’ where that half-breed boy is.”

  Tearing his eyes away from the cabin no more than thirty feet from the old wagon bed they were hidden behind, Wiley looked at his fearful companion and grinned. “Me and you both saw that boy go inside with an armload of firewood no more than ten minutes ago, and he ain’t come out. They’s all three of ’em in there, all warm and cozy. Me and that young lady are gonna have us a little dance before we pull outta this valley. I just wanna git me another look at her right now so’s I can think about how good it’s gonna be.” He gave Trask a wink. “Hell, I might even save a little for you, Trask. That’d be all right, wouldn’t it?”

  Inside the cabin, Rufus’s dog, Bacon, suddenly pricked up his ears and listened. After a moment, he got up from his place next to the fireplace and moved over to the door. Luke, having just put new wood on the fire, turned to watch the dog. “What is it, boy?” he asked, almost in a whisper. “You hear something?”

  “Probably that old coon is trying to get in the corn crib again,” Rufus speculated. “I’ll let him out.” He got up from the table, still holding the bridle he was mending, and lifted the latch on the door. The dog pushed through and was outside before Rufus opened the door more than halfway. In a few moments, they heard him barking at something.

  “There’s something out there,” Katie said, wiping her hands on a dish towel, “but it seems to me to be a bit early for it to be that coon. He usually comes around here later in the evening.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Luke said. “I’d best go out and see what he’s barking at.”

  “Bacon’ll chase it off, whatever it is,” Rufus decided and returned to his chair at the table.

  “Take a look outside, Luke,” Katie said. Like her father, she was not especially concerned. The dog barked at a lot of noises. Still, she reminded herself, his barking had once turned up two of Simon Fry’s riffraff skulking around the place. “Wouldn’t hurt to see. You know, the Sprattes said they spotted a mountain lion sneaking around their place. He might have come nosing around over to this side of the river.”

  Outside, huddled behind the broken wagon bed, Wiley and Trask were in the middle of an argument when the dog suddenly appeared at the corner of the cabin and started barking. “Uh-oh,” Trask whispered. “We’d better hightail it before somebody comes out to see what that damn dog is barking at.” He started to back away toward the horses.

  Wiley reached out and caught his arm. “Hold on a minute, Trask. That damn dog don’t know what he’s barkin’ at hisself. He’ll shut up directly. Then I’ll just slip up to that back window and have a look.”

  “I’ll be damned,” Trask shot back. “I ain’t hanging around here for that crazy woman to take a shot at me.” He pulled his arm away from Wiley. “You know what Fry told us.” He got to his feet, remaining in a stooped posture to avoid being seen above the wagon bed. “You coming?”

  “Hell, Trask, you spook too easy.”

  “Suit yourself,” Trask replied. Not wishing to hesitate a moment longer, he started toward the horses, running as fast as he could without slipping and falling on the thin layer of snow that had fallen the night before.

  Wiley smiled to himself as he turned to watch his partner retreat. Just as he had figured, the dog saw the fleeing man and immediately gave chase, raising enough fuss to alert those in the cabin. The door opened at once, and a figure Wiley recognized as that of the half-breed boy came out to see what the disturbance was.

  The light of day was fading fast, but Luke could still see the hazy form of Trask, with Bacon right on his heels, as the intruder leaped on his horse and galloped through the cornfield to reach the wagon track.

  “It was one of those militia skunks,” Luke yelled back to Katie and Rufus. “Bacon’s chasing him back down the trail.”

  Hidden behind the wagon box, Wiley almost chuckled, tickled to think they weren’t aware that he was no more than thirty yards from them as they spoke. Easing his head above the rim of the wagon box, he could clearly see Luke standing before the open door. A moment later, Katie walked out to stand beside the boy. Wiley involuntarily sucked his breath in at the sight of the slender young woman. There you are, you little honey. I knew I’d get a look at you if I waited long enough. That’s right, just stand there with your hand on your hip. Ol’ Wiley’s gonna be seeing you before long. The longer he gazed at Katie, the more his lustful desire for the young woman increased. He could already imagine how it would be when he held her helpless before him. Wiley tore his eyes away from the woman long enough to glance back at the open cabin door, wondering where her father might be. Maybe the old man ain’t here after all, he thought. At the sound of the boy’s voice, he jerked his attention back to the two standing outside in the light snow.

  “Maybe I ought to follow him down the trail a ways,” Luke suggested, “to make sure he doesn’t circle around and come back.”

  “Maybe,” Katie replied. “But you be careful, Luke. There might be more of them out there nosing around.”

  This caught Wiley’s attention immediately, causing him to risk his entire head above the edge of the wagon bed. That’s right, boy, why don’t you go follow ol’ Trask. He felt an uncontrollable wave of excitement sweep over him as he watched Luke quickly throw a bridle on his pony and leap upon its back. In a matter of minutes, the boy was galloping off after Trask. With still no sign of Rufus Colefield, Wiley assumed that the girl was now alone.

  Wiley’s simple brain was reeling as the implication of that possibility struck him. She was alone! He allowed his mind to picture her as she probably stood by the fireplace, warming herself after being outside in the cold. The thought of it was enough to drive Wiley crazy. I can’t wait until spring, he thought, desperate to take her. It wouldn’t take long. He reasoned that he could be in the cabin, do his business, and be gone before the half-breed kid got back. Even if he wasn’t finished with the woman by then, the half-breed was just a boy, and Wiley could damn sure take care of him. He gave no more than a few seconds’ thought to Fry’s instructions to keep away from the woman. What’s it gonna hurt? We’re gonna end up killing all of ’em before we leave here, anyway. To hell with Fry and his instructions. I’ve got serious needs.

  With no concern for Simon Fry’s plans for the valley—or any other thought beyond his overwhelming lust—Wiley got to his feet and looked around him while he dusted the snow from his trousers. Everything was quiet. There was no sign of the boy. Wiley decided that the Indian in the boy would make him want to scout Trask for some time yet. There was little thought wasted on other possibilities that might hamper his
desire for Katie. Briefly, he considered the chance that her father might be inside after all. Maybe he just hadn’t come outside when his daughter had come out to see what the noise was about. Already walking briskly toward the cabin door, he discarded the thought, for the fountain of his lust was past the point of overflowing. He decided that it didn’t matter if the old man was inside. In the short time he had been in the valley, he knew what everyone else knew. Rufus Colefield offered no threat. Even Wiley and his companions knew that Rufus had turned tail and run while a war party of Utes had killed his son-in-law.

  Inside the cabin, Katie paused to listen a moment. “Bacon’s back,” she commented to her father. It was an unnecessary remark because the dog was still barking, even after Luke had sent it back to the cabin.

  “He’s still riled up after chasing that fellow off,” Rufus said. “I reckon he wants back in so he can lay by the fire. I expect I’d better let him in, or he won’t ever shut up.”

  No sooner had Rufus gotten to his feet than the dog’s shrill bark changed to a menacing growl of warning. Katie, always alert to the possibility of danger, immediately recognized the difference. “Wait a minute, Pa,” she cautioned. “He’s found something else out there.”

  Rufus hesitated but a moment, accustomed to his daughter’s tendency to be overly concerned about the possibility of hostile attacks. “Probably that ol’ coon again. I’ll take a look.”

  “You be careful. Bacon doesn’t growl like that unless he’s fixing to jump on something.” She was a little more cautious than usual due to the uninvited visit that night from Simon Fry’s man. At the moment, she had a feeling that maybe she should not have allowed Luke to trail after the man. She felt more comfortable when the boy was close by. The boy can take care of himself, she told herself. Still, there was a nagging sense of concern that would trouble her until she heard his pony return.