‘How were the kids today?’ he changed the subject.
‘It’s much easier with three of them going to Parker’s for schooling.’
‘It’ll have to do until we figure a way to send them to a real school.’
‘Doris’ – their youngest child – ‘informed me she does not want any little brothers, because the older boys are no fun to have around.’
Don grinned. ‘Now we’ve got a three-year-old dictating the size of our family.’
‘Yes, I told her it was a good thing Dewayne didn’t feel that way, or else she wouldn’t have been born.’
‘I wish all of the kids had been as mellow as Dewayne,’ Don said. ‘In all his five years, I don’t think he’s given us a moment’s trouble.’
‘No, he was a blessing after his older brothers. They can be a handful at times – Sandra too. She and Jasper think, because they are the oldest, they ought to be able to rule the household. Mike doesn’t like that, nor Doris either.’
‘I don’t envy you, having to ride herd on them every day.’
Gayle laughed. ‘I’m their mother, Donny – it’s my job.’
‘Oftentimes I think I got the better end of our marriage.’
‘Oh, yes. Up to your elbows in blood and bones, working ten- or twelve-hour days, surrounded by the smell of death. I’m not volunteering to trade jobs with you.’
Don grew serious again. ‘I happened to get a look at the men who brought in the cattle. They are the ones from the Big M ranch. I wonder if they actually work for Pegg.’
Gayle put a hard look on him. ‘Do you think you should tell the Denver police? You said those men look like hardened outlaws.’
‘I’ve no proof of anything,’ Don said. ‘Pegg keeps all of his book-work to himself. All I have are suspicions. Plus, if I open my mouth, there goes the job and our livelihood. If you recall, things were very tight when I had the meat shop.’
‘We could always go back to Chicago.’
‘And return to one of the major slaughterhouses? No thanks. It took a month before the smell of that place went away. At least I’m in charge of the meat-cutting and packaging, and I’m able to wash and change clothes before I come home. That sweet-smelling soap you picked out even gets rid of the odor on my hands.’
Gayle snuggled in closer and put her arms around Don’s neck. ‘Whatever we have to do . . . we’ll get by. You’re a good man, and the Lord watches over them who do what’s right.’
Don kissed her, then leaned back and looked into her eyes. ‘The Lord already gave me you and the kids. I’ve got no complaints.’
‘Unless you discover you’re working for a crook who’s buying stolen cattle or something.’
Don bobbed his head. ‘We’ll stick it out and see what happens. This is the largest number of cattle brought in since I started. Must be fifty head. The other times Big M has showed up, it was only a couple dozen or so. If the number continues to grow . . .’
He didn’t have to finish. Both he and his wife knew they would have a hard time getting by without the steady income of this good-paying job. However, right was right, and wrong was wrong. There was no gray area. If he found proof that Pegg was buying rustled cattle, he would have to go to the law.
Dutch, the Barrett ranch handyman, was the only one there to meet the Valerons upon their arrival. The cook and one of the hands had gone to buy supplies, as Locke’s telegraph message had warned the ranch to expect several visitors. Wendy, having been to the Double B previously, knew Dutch. She introduced everyone and Dutch got down to business.
‘It’s pretty bad,’ he told them. ‘The bullet hit Dodge right smack betwixt his heart and lung. An inch either way, it would have kilt him sure. The Brinkerhoff kid was hit three times, so we figure he was closest to the shooters. Poor Lonnie, never got to enjoy much of his adult life.’
‘How long since you’ve heard from Reb?’ Locke asked.
‘Yesterday. He sent a telegraph message to the way station and the owner’s kid brought over the wire – along with the second from you saying you would arrive today.’ Dutch reached into his shirt pocket and removed a piece of paper. ‘You can read what Reb said, but it’s just what I’ve told you.’
Locke looked over Reb’s message and sighed. ‘I’ll take a buggy tomorrow morning and visit them both. My body doesn’t react well to horseback riding any more.’
‘Whatever you want, Mr Valeron,’ Dutch offered. ‘I’ll have you a team and the most comfortable buggy on the ranch ready and waiting.’
‘I hope you have some good riding stock in the corral,’ Jared spoke up. ‘There’s several hours of daylight left. Shane and I need to get on the trail of those stolen cattle.’
‘Max is our top hand, after Dodge. He brought in several of the best mounts we have,’ Dutch reported to him. ‘They are in the corral next to the barn.’
Locke tipped a nod at T L and July. ‘These two green cowpokes need most everything. They are new-hires to fill in for the lost young man and Dodge.’
‘Max is working about five minutes up the canyon, building a fence for winter pasture,’ Dutch informed the group. Then, speaking to Jared, ‘He can show you where we found Lonnie’s body, before you send him back to the house to get the new guys lined out.’
‘We also need to buy whatever clothes, boots, or the like, these two men need,’ Wendy told Dutch. ‘I’ll keep a tally of expenditures in the daily log and deduct it from their pay.’
‘I’ll take the two of them into town with me in the morning,’ Locke suggested. ‘I’ll help them gather what they will need for the first month. After that, they can add whatever they need on payday.’
‘Much obliged, Mr Valeron,’ July said. ‘Me and T L will do you the best job we can.’
‘I’ll saddle us a couple horses, Jer,’ Shane told his cousin. ‘You get what supplies you can find and we’ll get on the trail of those ambushing maggots.’
‘Pick an extra one for a pack animal,’ Jared replied. ‘We’ll take extra water and food enough for several days. We’ve got to make up a lot of time.’
Locke watched as Shane hurried off to get started, then he spoke to his son. ‘You know those cattle are long gone by now. No one is going to hang onto fifty head of stolen beef.’
‘Pa, if there’s a trail, we’ll follow it. If it leads us to someone involved, we’ll get the information we need to keep after the rustlers. Shane and I won’t quit until we track down the varmints who shot Dodge and killed the young cowhand. If it takes us a week, so be it. If it takes a month, we’ll still get the job done.’
‘Just don’t go trying to handle a dozen men by yourself,’ Locke warned. ‘You find those killers, you get word to us. I’ll see you get enough help to do the job.’
‘Yeah, Pa,’ Jared responded in a pacifying tone of voice. ‘I’m not Wyatt. I won’t tackle a host of rustlers on my own.’
‘Speaking of your cousin, I’ll try and track him down. He is very fond of Dodge and Reb too.’
Wendy reached over and took hold of Jared’s arm. Rather than her usual wit or sarcasm, she was deadly serious.
‘These are cold-blooded killers, Jerry,’ she said gravely. ‘Be careful . . . and take care of Shane. He’s not much of a shot with a gun.’
‘I’ll send for help when I find those coyotes,’ he promised. Then he swung his attention to Dutch. ‘You said the cook has gone shopping. How are you fixed for supplies?’
‘There’s plenty of tins of beans, some jerky, and a pork shoulder hanging in the smokehouse. I believe we’ve got some air-tights of peaches and plenty of coffee on hand.’
‘I’ll put together a few days’ worth of goods,’ Jared said. ‘We can buy more as we need it.’
‘You have enough money?’ Locke wanted to know.
‘Depends on how long this takes. I can always wire you and have funds sent to a bank or a Wells Fargo office.’
Locke dug out some money and passed it to him. ‘Keep us informed as best you can,’ h
e instructed. ‘If you need anything—’
‘Yeah, Pa,’ Jared grinned. ‘I’ll keep you posted.’
‘I’ll help you pack the stuff for your supplies,’ Wendy offered. ‘I know what a scatterbrain you can be when you get involved in something. You’d likely forget to pack the salt.’
Chapter Three
Don Larson had scribbled out an order for the butcher’s wrap and packaging supplies he needed. With so many beef to process, it was going to be a job to keep up with orders. The cold locker seldom had more than ten to twenty sides of beef at a time, but Pegg hated to spend money feeding the cattle in the holding pen. He would want to move the product as quickly as possible.
As he approached Pegg’s office, he overheard voices and stopped. Pegg did not sound happy.
‘. . . so many at one time!’ his boss was ranting. ‘I told you no more than twenty-five!’
A second voice replied. ‘For hell sakes, Pegg! You’re making a fortune here! Me and the boys need to earn enough to keep us in booze and women!’
‘Mantee, you know I have to limit the number of head I butcher this way. I only have my usual outlets in Denver and a few small trading posts to sell to. If you bring me too many head, I end up shipping the meat by rail to buyers further down the track. I make almost nothing when I do that.’
‘You’re getting the beef at a price no one else can match,’ Mantee argued back. ‘We’re only asking a fair return for our efforts.’
‘All right. It’s too late to do much else. I’ll figure a way to boost my sales for the next few weeks. Gonna be hard as hell for Ingram to render that many head. Bone meal don’t move very fast, but at least there’s a good market for the tallow.’
‘Yeah, it pains me the problems you have,’ Mantee sounded off sarcastically, ‘making a pile more money than you can spend. When do we get paid?’
‘I’ll have to withdraw some funds from the bank,’ Pegg informed him. ‘Are you and the boys maintaining the ranch like I told you?’
‘The house ain’t much more’n a shack,’ Mantee grumbled. ‘Come winter, we’re gonna have to cover the walls with cardboard or we’ll sure enough freeze our bacon.’
‘It’s necessary to . . .’
‘Yeah, yeah,’ Mantee cut Pegg off. ‘I know the whys of running our cattle ranch. I’m just warning you that we’re gonna have to spend a little money to fix it up.’
‘I’ll cover the costs,’ Pegg said. ‘And sit tight – I’ll have your money in three days.’
‘How about a little advance? Me and the boys – well, it’s thirsty work having to nursemaid a bunch of cattle for durn near a week.’
The sound of Pegg opening his desk drawer, followed by the opening of his cash box, came through the closed door. ‘I’ve got two hundred dollars on hand. That ought to keep you in good spirits until I get the rest from the bank.’
Mantee guffawed. ‘You bet, Pegg. We can get rooms in town, buy us a couple good meals, lots of liquor, and find a fun-loving gal or two.’
‘See you in three days.’
At Pegg’s words of dismissal, Don hurried around the corner in the hallway and ducked into the changing room, a place he and the other hired men kept their regular clothes. He didn’t see Everett until it was too late to change direction.
‘Hey, Ev,’ he greeted, continuing over to where he had hung his jacket and the canvas bag that contained his lunch. ‘How’s it going?’
The man grunted. ‘Gonna be busy fer a few days. I’ll likely wear out another sledgehammer before the week’s end.’
‘I don’t envy you, having to kill and skin those critters.’
‘At least Pegg let me keep the Swedish kid. Hans ain’t very big, but he’s a workin’ fool.’
‘Beats the occasional meat-wrapper he hires to help me. I usually spend more time teaching them what to do than they spend doing the job.’
To cover why he had come into the room, Don went through the jacket and pulled out some pieces of wrapped hard-candy.
‘Want one?’ he asked the burly-built Everett. ‘Butterscotch.’
‘Naw,’ he said. ‘I’ve got bad teeth. They get to aching if I suck on candy or sugar sticks.’
‘Ouch!’ Don empathized. ‘That’s gotta be tough.’
‘Last time I seen a dentist, he said my teeth would mostly have to be pulled. Said the new replacement teeth were made of some kind of hard rubber, much cheaper than the ivory ones they used to use.’
Don expressed his sympathy again, then changed the subject. ‘I’ve never seen so many cattle at one time. The holding pen looks too crowded for the cattle to even lie down.’
‘The boss got a good deal on them.’ He snorted. ‘You know Pegg – got a nose for a dollar that would beat any hound.’
‘Going to mean a lot of work for us.’
Everett nodded. ‘Pegg promised he’d get some short-time help. And Ingram has his two cousins to lend a hand with the rendering. I swear, Pegg makes more money from selling the tallow for candles, soap and glue than from the sale of beef.’
‘Not a job for me, melting down fat day after day,’ Don said. ‘It gets hot enough slaving over the cutting table.’
‘Try being inside the skinning room,’ Everett returned. ‘Freeze in winter and bake in the summer.’
Don put a couple of the sweets in his pocket. ‘I better get some supplies ordered. Hate to have Pegg climbing my back for not keeping on top of the packaging.’
‘Wouldn’t trade you or Ingram’s jobs,’ Everett said, shaking his shaggy mane. ‘Nope. Once they’s skinned, hung and split, they’s not mine to worry about.’
Don gave a nod and went out of the room. He found Pegg behind his desk, spectacles on his nose, scribbling on a pad of paper. Probably figuring how much money he was going to make from those bargain-priced cattle! he thought.
‘I’ve got a list of supplies, Pegg. After seeing the full holding pen out back, I hope I’ve ordered enough.’
The owner looked up from under a pair of bushy eyebrows. ‘Supplies, huh? Soon as Louie has the water troughs filled, I’ll send him to town. Ingram has a few things he needs too.’
Don passed over the list of items. Pegg glanced over it and gave his approval. ‘New saw blades again?’ He didn’t expect an answer, saying, ‘Looks good. I hope I can get enough orders to keep up with you and Everett.’
‘You’ve about got every market covered,’ Don commented. ‘Every eatery in town, the hospital, the stores – even the local work gangs and the prison are buying from you. And the tallow – that market seems to never run out.’
‘That’s true enough, but we’ve got fifty animals this time. It’s the most I ever had to deal with at one time. Sure can’t afford to feed them grain and hay for weeks at a time.’
‘I saw Pierce Mantee leaving just now. Are these cattle all from his ranch?’
Pegg gave a shrug of indifference. ‘It’s one of those quick turnovers. He bought the cattle from some little rancher on the Western Slope. The owner quit the business and wanted to get rid of his beef. Mantee got a good deal on them and passed them along to me. Fortunately, Mantee doesn’t know squat about the price of beef back east.’
‘I don’t think I can keep up with Everett and Hans. Any chance of the Gallegos woman lending a hand? She can’t cut meat for shucks, but she’s pretty good at wrapping.’
‘I’ll tell Louie to stop by her place. I figured you would need some help with this many critters. My father will also come in to work a few days.’
‘Oh? I’ve never met Bingham. I remember you saying it was him who started this place years ago.’
‘He retired when my mother started feeling poorly, but we have an elderly spinster close by who can watch my mother and help around the house. My pa can still cut meat and wrap, although it would only be four or five hours a day. His shoulders get to hurting if he overdoes it.’
‘Yeah, chopping and cutting is tough on a person’s arms and shoulders.’
‘I
’ll get you another helper or two if we get backed up,’ Pegg promised. ‘And I can also lend a hand whenever I get the time.’
Don thanked him and left the office. He had work to do, getting prepared for the first slab of beef he would carry in from the meat locker. One meat-cutter could not keep up when several beeves were going into the locker each day. He was in for some long days, even with a couple helpers.
Stopping at his work table, he saw Pegg had posted the days’ orders . . . and there was already enough to keep four men busy.
The widow, who insisted on being called Mildred, or Milly, had been hired when Trina Barrett had been confined at the lunatic asylum. She had stayed on when Reb and Dodge took over and was an able cook and good housekeeper. With no one close by in her life, she had a downstairs room in the main house. Fortunately, Mildred was one of those rare types who simply loved to cook and be useful. She put out a meal for the hired hands at daylight in the summer and six ‘o clock when the season changed. For the household, she often served the same food, but an hour later. With guests in the house, she enjoyed showing off her culinary talents.
The second morning, Wendy rose to the delicious smell of flapjacks, eggs and bacon. She was about to sit down to the table when she saw July Colby ride in. She mentioned it to Dutch, who usually ate with the hired help.
‘Unlucky stiff,’ he grinned without humor. ‘He drew the night watch. Max is breaking them new boys in right. Give um a taste of cattle-tending right off, so they know this is a real job.’
‘Then he didn’t get here in time to eat breakfast,’ she determined.
‘Mildred will rustle him up a little something.’
But Wendy was already going to the door. She waved to July, who neck-reined his horse over to the front porch.
‘Sit yourself down in one of the chairs here on the porch,’ she told him. ‘I’ll bring you out a plate of food.’
‘You don’t have to do that, Miss Valeron,’ July protested. ‘Max said I could . . .’
‘My father happens to be ramrodding this ranch at the moment,’ Wendy cut him off curtly. ‘I expect you to do what you’re told.’
The Valerons--Retribution! Page 3
