by Tell Cotten
Jessica glanced over at the hotel. Something startled her, and she jumped in the saddle.
Stew looked over at the hotel and frowned quizzically.
There was a man in the dark shadows, but before Stew could get a good look he disappeared around the corner.
Stew shrugged and forgot about it. He had more urgent things to think about than curious onlookers.
Stew looked back at the Taylor brothers.
“Wake up!” He shouted.
They sat up abruptly in the saddle.
“I’ll get us a room,” Stew told them. “You two put the horses up in this livery stable.”
Stew gave Clyde some money, and then he dismounted and went inside. Meanwhile, the Taylor brothers tended to the horses, and they joined Stew in the room.
They all stretched out and slept hard.
Stew got the bed while the Taylor brothers slept on the floor.
Chapter twenty-one
It was midmorning when Jessica informed Cliff that she needed to go out into the bushes. They pulled up, and Jessica dismounted.
“Go take care of your business,” Cliff told her.
Jessica hesitated as she eyed her carpetbag.
“Go on!” Cliff growled.
Jessica didn’t like it, but at the moment she had a more pressing need. So, she turned and hurried off.
“Well, looks like we’re clear of the Landons,” Brian commented while they waited.
“Looks like it.”
“You said when we were clear of them that you planned on turning Jessica loose,” Brian reminded.
“That’s right.”
“Well?”
Cliff turned in the saddle and glared at Brian.
“You wanted me to leave her back there with Stew?”
Brian frowned as he thought on that.
“No, I reckon not,” he finally admitted.
“And I’m still not completely convinced that we’ve seen the last of the Landons,” Cliff continued. “I want to be sure.”
Brian nodded in agreement. It was silent, and then he glanced at Cliff.
“I’ve been thinking about Jessica.”
“What about?”
“You heard what she said. She’s J.T. Tussle’s niece.”
“So?”
“You remember how hard Tussle came after us when we stole his cows. Think how mad he’s gonna be now.”
“Is there anything you ain’t ever worried about?” Cliff scowled.
“Staying worried has kept me alive a long time,” Brian replied stubbornly.
Cliff snorted, and it fell silent. A few minutes passed, and they could see Jessica walking back towards them.
“I’ll tell you something I’ve been worrying about,” Cliff said. “When they catch up, I’m going to have to kill Stew.”
“You’re just now figuring that out?”
“No, I just thought you should know so you can be expecting it. I’m not sure how the Taylor brothers will react. I’m hoping it’ll make them stay in line, but it might not.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then we’ll just have to kill them too.”
Brian frowned thoughtfully, and Cliff glanced at him.
“You are still with me, aren’t you?”
“You’ve still got the money.”
“Good,” Cliff smiled.
Chapter twenty-two
J.T. Tussle and Jed Hawkins slept soundly as Cooper prepared to leave.
He wanted to wear his boots, but his ankle hurt too much. So, he pulled on his moccasins instead.
He saddled his horse and climbed on, and then he looked down at Tussle’s and Jed’s still figures.
Cooper smiled wryly and shook his head as he rode out.
It was well past daylight by the time he reached the top of the mesa. He dismounted, squatted on his heels, and studied the tracks.
There were three horse tracks, going north. He remounted and followed the tracks until he was sure that they were headed for Landry.
Cooper pulled up and looked thoughtfully at the country out in front of him.
He had already been shot at once and didn’t care to be shot at again. So, he decided to go a different route.
Cooper and his horse were a matched pair as they rode along. Both had been nicked by a bullet, and they were sore and stiff.
But the longer they rode the more limber they got. They traveled at a brisk trot, and they made good time.
Hunger hit around midafternoon, but Cooper didn’t allow himself to think on it. Eating would just have to wait until he got to Landry.
He did have water though, so Cooper dismounted and picketed his horse. While the horse grazed he sat under the shade of a tree and took small sips from his canteen.
He rested for about fifteen minutes, and then he climbed back into the saddle and took out in a brisk trot.
The country was mostly open with long, gentle slopes. He could see a long ways, and this pleased him. It was hard to ambush a person that was in open country.
Cooper arrived at Landry right as the sun was setting.
He pulled up on a little hill that overlooked Landry, and he reached into his saddlebags and pulled out his eyeglass.
Cooper studied the town as best as he could, and then he returned his eyeglass to his saddlebags.
He pulled out his Colt and made sure it was loaded, and then he checked his Henry rifle.
Cooper laid his rifle over his saddle in front of him, and he held it ready. He grabbed the reins with his other hand and kicked up his horse, and they trotted slowly into Landry.
Chapter twenty-three
Stew and the Taylor brothers relaxed in their room.
It was during this time that Cooper rested under the tree.
“Cliff has sure made things easy for us,” Stew told them. “With Rusty along they can’t go as fast as we can. So, in the morning we’ll ride up ahead of them and set up an ambush.”
The Taylor brothers looked excited, and Stew scratched his jaw as he thought the situation over.
“We’ll need a few more men to put an outfit together,” he speculated. “Town like this would be a good place to look.”
“How many more?” Clay wanted to know.
“One or two more fellers should do it,” Stew said as he climbed out of bed. “You two stay outta trouble. I’ll see what I can find.”
Stew cleaned up and went downstairs. There was a saloon next door, and that’s where he headed. He walked in and looked around.
It wasn’t much of a place. It was dark, and it smelled of whiskey, sweat, and smoke. The bar was just a couple of long planks laid on top of two whiskey kegs.
Stew got a bottle and a glass, and he went to the back and sat down at a table that had a good view.
As he sat there he eyed the other people in the room, looking for prospects. But, there wasn’t much to see.
He was about to give up when the outer doors opened, and in stepped a tall, rugged looking man.
Stew frowned thoughtfully. He wasn’t sure, but he looked like the fellow that had been watching Jessica from the dark shadows of the hotel.
The stranger turned, and Stew smiled when he saw his face.
It was Lee Mattingly.
Stew had never worked with Lee, but they did know each other.
Lee Mattingly was a professional gunman. Like Cliff and Brian Clark, he had also ridden with Ben Kinrich and Rondo Landon. His gun skills were legendary, and there were all sorts of stories about him.
Lee walked over to the bar. He talked to the bartender, and the bartender brought him a box of cigars. Lee paid for them, and he opened the box and stuffed a handful of cigars into his shirt pocket. Next, he grabbed a cigar from the box, bit off the end, and pulled out a match.
After he lit up Lee took a long, slow look around the room. His gaze finally came to Stew, and Stew smiled and nodded.
Lee took a deep drag on his cigar as he studied Stew. He grabbed his box of cigars and walked
over.
“Utah ‘Stew’ Baine,” Lee said with a southern drawl.
“Lee Mattingly,” Stew replied, and he nodded towards an empty chair. “Sit down. Buy you a drink.”
Lee eased into the chair and shook his head.
“No thanks. I prefer my cigar.”
Stew nodded back, and they sat there in silence. Lee took deep puffs on his cigar while Stew occasionally took a sip of whiskey.
There were fresh bruises on Lee’s face, and Stew couldn’t help but be curious. But, he thought it best not to ask about them.
“Last I heard, you was with Ben Kinrich,” Stew said instead.
“Ben’s dead.”
“I heard that too. I also heard that Rondo Landon killed him.”
“Rondo does that sometimes,” Lee smiled.
“Is Rondo around these parts?”
“Nope.”
“That’s good,” Stew grinned. “I won’t have to worry about killing anymore of those Landons then.”
“Oh?” Lee asked curiously.
Stew explained all that had happened, but he exaggerated by saying that he had killed everybody. Stew finished by explaining that he was looking for some gun hands.
Lee listened soberly and with a blank face.
“So now you’re going to double cross Cliff and Clark?”
“That’s right,” Stew confirmed. “Want in?”
Lee didn’t think for long.
“Nope.”
“Why not?” Stew asked, surprised.
“Lotta reasons,” Lee explained. “One; I used to ride with Cliff and Clark. And two; at the moment I’m working for somebody else. And three; I ain’t never liked you.”
Stew was startled.
“But you don’t even know me!” Stew objected.
“I’ve heard things, and that’s enough for me.”
“You ain’t just saying this cause you’re afraid of Cliff and Clark, are you?” Stew asked sarcastically.
“No, but you should be,” Lee replied as he stood and grabbed his box of cigars. “Well, I’ve gotta be going. By the way, which way are you boys headed?”
“Going west to Valverde’s Pass.”
Lee smiled and nodded.
“Well, be seeing you,” he said, and he turned and left.
Stew scowled as he watched him.
Didn’t need him anyway, Stew thought irritably, and he took another drink.
Chapter twenty-four
It didn’t take Yancy long to develop a deep hatred for the pack mule. He protested every step of the way and slowed their pace of travel.
Yancy camped just north of the draw where Cliff’s bunch had stopped that first night. He was up early, and by midday he had reached the dead horses.
There was a strong stench in the air, and Yancy had a hard time keeping his horses under control.
He recognized the dead horses, and his face filled with worry. He dismounted and looked around for bodies, but to his relief he didn’t find any.
It didn’t take him long to figure out what had happened. He figured the shots had come from the top of the mesa, and Yancy marveled at the distance.
“That’s a long ways,” he told his horse as he climbed on and took off.
He reached the base of the mesa and started climbing. It was slow going, and it took him the rest of the afternoon to reach the top.
That’s where he found J.T. Tussle and Jed Hawkins.
They were sitting under the shade of the same tree that Stew had used. They looked irritable, and they were breathing hard as they rubbed their sore, swollen feet. Beside them were their saddles, boots, and gear.
“It’s about time you got here!” Jed declared. “What took you so long?”
Yancy didn’t reply. Instead, he laid his reins across his horse’s neck, hunched his shoulders, and stuck his hands deep inside his vest’s pockets.
He studied them both, and his face was blank.
Tussle and Jed scowled back, and it was silent as Yancy waited.
“Is somebody going to tell me what happened, or do I have to start guessing?” Yancy finally asked.
Tussle and Jed looked sideways at each other. Tussle sighed, and then he told Yancy all that had happened.
Yancy listened quietly, and afterwards it was silent as he thought on it.
There were all sorts of things that Yancy wanted to say, but he knew that it would probably do more harm than good. So, he swallowed hard and let it go.
“Did you two learn anything?” Yancy asked instead.
“We did,” they nodded solemnly.
“Good,” Yancy said. “I reckon we don’t need to talk anymore about it then.”
“We don’t,” Jed said shortly.
Yancy watched them for a moment more, and then he glanced up at the sun.
“Be dark in less than an hour,” he figured. “So, reckon we’ll camp here.”
Neither Tussle nor Jed gave Yancy any arguments.
Yancy dismounted, and by dark they had tended to the horses, made camp, and had cooked up some supper.
Tussle and Jed ate hungrily, and afterwards they sat by the campfire and gulped down coffee.
Yancy, as usual, was thinking ahead.
“Tomorrow, you two can ride double on the extra horse I brought,” he figured. “We’ll pack the extra saddle on the mule.”
They nodded in agreement, and it fell silent.
“Hope Cooper is all right,” Tussle finally remarked.
“There’s no reason to think he ain’t,” Yancy replied.
“What do you suppose will happen if he runs into any of them at Landry?” Jed wondered.
Yancy frowned as he thought on that.
“If given the chance,” he finally said, “I ’spect he’ll be a nuisance.”
Chapter twenty-five
Stew finally managed to come up with two extra gun hands.
He wasn’t impressed with either one, but when sober they were decent shots.
Their names were Tyler Barlow and Ned Chambers.
Tyler was young, and he had a small, hard body with cruel looking facial features.
Ned was an older man that was aging badly. He had the makings of a pot belly, and his face was flushed and red.
At the moment they were both drunk.
Stew was worried that they might change their minds when sober, so he decided to get them out of town now.
Stew had a hard time getting them out of the saloon. Once he accomplished this feat, he led them over to the livery stable. He told them sternly to stay put, and then he looked for the Taylor brothers.
He finally found them lined up at the bar in a saloon across the street, drinking whiskey. To his relief they weren’t drunk yet.
“I told you boys to stay outta trouble!” Stew growled.
“We’re celebrating,” Clay drawled.
“Celebrating what?” Stew snorted in disgust.
“We stopped those lawmen cold,” Clay declared.
“So?”
“It was a big victory!” Clyde insisted.
“You make it sound like we was fighting a war,” Stew said as he grabbed their arms and pulled them towards the door. “Come on. I found us two more men, but they’re worse drunks than you two. I want Clay to take them out of town now before something happens to them.”
“You ain’t coming?”
“We need supplies,” Stew explained. “Me and Clyde will stay here tonight and get things gathered up, and we’ll join you in the morning. Make camp about two miles out of town.”
Clay didn’t like the idea, but Stew gave him no choice. They went over to the livery stable, and soon all three were saddled.
“See you boys in the morning,” Stew told them as they mounted up.
Clay nodded solemnly as he led out. Tyler and Ned were so drunk that they could barely stay on their horse, and they had to ride in a walk.
Stew shook his head in disgust as he watched them. Soon as they were gone, he turned to Clyde.
Clyde liked that idea, and they went over to the general store. Afterwards, they went to the livery stable and stowed their goods in their saddlebags.
By then it was getting dark. They walked up the street, and Stew stopped in front of the hotel.
“I’m turning in,” he said.
“Think I’ll stay up a while,” Clyde said quickly.
Stew studied Clyde with a thoughtful frown.
“I ain’t your mama, so I won’t tell you your business. But you stay out of trouble, you hear? We leave at daybreak.”
“I’ll be up in a bit,” Clyde promised.
Stew grunted in response as he went inside.
Soon as he was gone, Clyde hurried back over to the saloon. He stopped at the door and gathered himself, and then he rushed inside.
A few seconds passed, and Lee Mattingly stepped out from the shadows.
Chapter twenty-six
Jessica was troubled.
She was worried that the Landons might be dead, and she was also worried about Lee Mattingly.
Jessica spotted Lee again as they left Landry. He was watching her from the shadows of the hotel, and when they made eye contact Lee had grinned and winked.
Jessica had heard all the stories about Lee Mattingly, and they brought her no comfort. She was also aggravated with herself for showing a well-known outlaw all that money.
Then again, there was something different about that tall, rugged looking man that gave her hope. She didn’t know what it was, but she sensed that deep down there was some good in Lee Mattingly.
They made camp that night at the base of a small ridge. It was well sheltered, and Jessica was glad because there was a cool breeze.
They got Rusty comfortable, and then Cliff tended to the horses while Brian built a fire and started supper.
Jessica sat near the fire. She held her carpetbag in a bear hug as she watched Brian.
Soon supper was ready. They filled their plates, and as they ate Jessica couldn’t help but shiver.
“Sort-a cool this evening, ain’t it?” Brian asked pleasantly.
