by Danni Roan
The usually blustery banker hobbled along next to the stout cattleman as obediently as a small child, all the wind knocked out of him.
Breaking away from his father, Rafe trailed the riders along the street toward the jailhouse at the other side of town. It disturbed him that one of the outlaws had slipped away, but for now, he would have to hope that the Sheriff could track the man and bring him to justice.
He also lifted a prayer for Janine and her safe return.
“What a’ ya think it means, Rafe?” one of the crew of the ranch asked.
“I don’t know, but I reckon Ferd will tell us more when we get to the jail. Then we can head up into the hills to see if we can help.”
The other men chatted among themselves in agreement.
“I see they caught a few of them bad men,” Polly Esther called from her rocker on the front porch. She was bundled up against the cold air as she surveyed the town.
“Yes, ma’am,” Rafe answered. “We’re gonna go speak with Ferd and see what we can do to help.”
Polly nodded her head sagely, but did not stop them as they turned toward the jail.
“I sure am happy to see you Rafe,” Ferd spoke as the young man stepped through the front door. “We’ve got them fellas locked up, but they don’t seem to know nothin’.” He ran a hand across his face wearily.
“What can we do to help?” Rafe offered. “I’m afraid we were all a little distracted with what happened to my future mother-in-law.” He smiled, offering a bit of brighter news into the mix.
Ferd smiled. “Congratulations, son. Which girl are you sparkin’?”
“Sara.” Rafe’s chest filled with pride. “But we’ll deal with that later; now tell me what you need.”
“What I need is a hot meal and a warm bed,” the other man replied. He had been a few years ahead of Rafe in school and had never wanted to be anything but a lawman.
“Dobbs, why don’t you run across to the Grist Mill and put in an order for some grub,” he started, and then looked up at Ferd for any requests.
“You’d better order five meals,” the deputy suggested, “like it or not we have to feed these scallywags.”
Rafe handed off some money to Dobbs then turned back to Ferd. "You mind if I have a talk with them?" he asked, nodding in the direction of the cells.
"No, you go on, just holler if you need me." The young officer slumped into his chair, pulling a paper and pen across the desk.
Rafe stood in front of the two iron-barred cells, examining the four outlaws slumped on narrow cots.
"You fellas seem to be in a real pickle," he said causally, "at least you'll be eating some decent food tonight." He let his words settle a bit before he continued.
"I reckon it was all worth it, though, for ten thousand dollars."
Four sets of eyes turned on him, glimmering brightly in the dim cells.
"What ya mean ten thousand?" a paunchy man spoke, eyeing Rafe suspiciously.
"I was with the banker a few minutes ago and he assured everyone that the sum taken was ten thousand."
The miscreants looked at each other, before the same man spoke again.
"Frank tol' us it was only five thousand and give us each one thousand." Paunches snarled. “He cheated us."
Around him the other men growled and grumbled. "Dirty rotten turn coat” and “filthy rat” drifted around the space.
"I don't know about you fellas, but if someone had double-crossed me like that, I sure would like to get even."
"That's right," another man spoke, “we'll git us some justice." Apparently, the irony of his words had no effect on the outlaws.
"Sounds about right to me," Rafe agreed, stirring up the feelings of ill will toward Frank even further. "I think I'd try to find a way to get even is what I'd do," he mused.
"But what can we do?" a third man wheedled, "We's in the pokey."
Rafe scratched his chin thoughtfully, turning his head slightly to look up at the low ceiling. "I reckon if I was you I'd set the law on him. I mean, if you're here, he should be too, right?"
All the men agreed with him, nodding and calling ayes. They were quite animated in their approval.
"Why I figure he should get an extra dose of the law, simply for cheatin' you on top of robbing the bank."
Again, the men agreed, their voices growing strident.
"Now if only I knew where he could be," Rafe pushed his hat back and scratched his forehead waiting.
"I don't know where that no good, side-windin', yellow-bellied, trollop chasin', crook is."
"That's too bad," Rafe shook his head, "shame he didn't say where he came from or talk about any city he was partial to." He eyed the men again. "At least that would be something."
"Seems he mighta' mentioned something about Laramie once or twice,” a skinny man with greasy brown hair said.
"Yeah, he said he liked Laramie," Paunchy agreed.
"You reckon he'll take the girl there?" Rafe asked. "He must like her company if he stole away with her."
The other men all looked abashed at the statement, for the first time showing any remorse about their lawless act.
"We all tol' him not to take that girl," the paunchy man said. "We don't hold with mistreating' women folks."
"My old ma'd haunt me for real if she knowed I kidnapped a woman," the skinny fellow agreed, sniffing and rubbing at his nose.
"When did Frank make a break for it?" Rafe knew he was pushing now, but he had gotten them talking, and maybe somewhere he could find a clue of where to find Janine.
"We was all sleepin'," a different man spoke up. "We was gonna let that filly loose in the mornin', soon as we had a little rest, and then go on our separate ways."
"Yep,” the fourth man finally spoke, his voice high and reedy, "we woke up when that posse rode in on us and Frank and that girl was already gone."
The sound of heavy boots on the short hall made Rafe turn his head. "Looks like grubs up," he said, watching his cowhands carrying in trays of steaming food. "You fellas don't let Frank get away with how he treated you," he said quickly. "You tell the deputy if you think of anything."
The other men flicked their eyes between the stacked trays and Rafe, nodded and reached for their food.
Chapter 7
"I'm cold, Bruno," Janine's voice broke the steady silence they had been keeping as they trudged slowly downward beneath the tall pines.
"There's a blanket on the front of the saddle," Bruno said, stopping Smoke and reaching for the roll.
The little mustang had stopped limping and his head did not nod with each step anymore. "We'll give Smoke a little more time, but soon you can ride for a while," he said, untying the saddle strings.
The sound of a pistol cocking made the hair stand up along the back of Bruno’s neck and his fingers froze.
"You stand real quiet there, now," a deep voice growled. "Step away from that pony and you might live to see tomorrow."
Bruno raised his hands and took a careful step away from Smoke.
"Bruno?" Janine's voice was pained.
"Step over here," the voice continued as Bruno turned and looked into the hard eyes of the outlaw with the black hat who was holding Janine by the arm.
Bruno's blood boiled in his veins at the look of pain and fear on Janine's face.
"Turn her loose and you can have whatever you want," he said, keeping his voice steady with effort.
The big man in the black hat only chuckled. "Her?" He shook his head, his fingers digging into Janine's arm despite her heavy coat. "I don't think so. I reckon this chit is my insurance card. I take her with me and if anyone gets too close..." He clicked his tongue, "She'll be pushin' up daisies come spring time."
Janine's bright eyes were wide with fright as the outlaw dragged her along toward Bruno, who stood helpless in the sights of the gun.
"Pick up them reins," Black-hat snarled, looking at the lines where they dangled on the ground.
Bruno eased himself forward,
reaching carefully toward Smoke's reins. A soft, whooshing sound, a thump and everything went black.
"You horrid man!" Janine wailed, "What did you do that for? He was doing what you asked."
"Shut up," the outlaw barked, "or you'll get the same!"
But Janine's anger had driven out her fear. "You low-down coward, hitting an unarmed man!" she screeched. "You probably eat babies for breakfast, too."
Growing frustrated, the big man pulled hard on Janine's arm, then shoved her backward, mercilessly throwing her to the ground.
Janine screamed, landing in a heap on the frozen earth, her red hair falling over her face and arms in a cascading pool of scarlet.
"You'll get worse than that if you keep your catter-wallin' up," Black-hat snarled again. "Now get up here and git on that horse, or I'll fill your boyfriend there with holes."
Sobbing slightly, Janine pushed herself to her feet, holding her battered hands and arms close to her coat.
The evil man beside her chuckled at her weakness. "You sure can squall, but you ain't much good..." His words ended abruptly as the heavy rock in Janine's bruised hand connected with his skull, toppling him to the earth.
Casting the rock away from her, Janine raced to Bruno, lifting his head into her lap. "Bruno, Bruno, wake up!” she called frantically. "You have to wake up!" Her heart raced, fearing he was already dead.
Smoke moved closer, breathing softly on her hair as he snuffled his owner.
"Janine?" Bruno spoke, groggily. "Janine, are you alright? What happened?" He seemed to revive suddenly, pushing himself upright.
"I'm alright," Janine said, helping him to his feet.
"Where's?" He stopped, seeing the outlaw sprawled on the snowy earth. "What happened to him?"
Janine huffed, jutting her chin. "I hit him with a rock. He is not a nice man."
Bruno reached out and pulled the haughty girl to him. "You're something else," he whispered against her hair, breathing deeply to settle his racing heart.
"Go get his horse," he finally said, releasing her and rubbing the lump on the back of his head as he pointed into the trees.
Janine moved into the trees where a fast-looking bay stood, head drooping.
Carefully Bruno picked up the outlaw’s pistol, shoving it into his belt, and retrieved the rope from his saddle.
"We'll tie him up and leave him here," he said, putting action to word. "When we get to town we'll tell the Sheriff and he can come and fetch him." He resisted the urge to kick the prostrate man in the ribs, barely.
"Good," Janine said. "Last night he was going to leave me, so now I can leave him."
Bruno smiled at the spirit in the fiery girl. "You ride Smoke since you're lighter," Bruno said, still grinning at Janine as he took the reins of the outlaw’s horse.
"Only if you help me up," she agreed with a smile.
Almost as an afterthought, Bruno tossed the blanket he had been taking from his saddle onto the outlaw who lay, trussed like a Christmas turkey, across the trail.
***
"I know it's getting late," Rafe Dixon's voice was firm as he called out to the men gathered around him, "but we need to get up in the hills and help the Sheriff."
The assembly agreed, mumbling their commitment in an even buzz.
"Ferd says the best thing we can do is take these supplies and extra horses to the men who are already up there looking," Rafe continued. "We don't need to be heroes to do our part."
"That's right, son." Harlan stepped up onto the boardwalk where Rafe was speaking. "Me and Jasper here," he gestured for the banker to join him, "are keepin' close to home so's if Janine comes,"
Jasper Williams cleared his throat loudly. "Don't you mean when, Janine comes home?" he said, his voice somewhat shrill.
"Yes, yes. When, Janine comes home, she'll feel safe."
"Now you fellas do what Rafe says, and..."
Harlan's voice faded into the last rays of a retiring sun as his eyes grew round.
Before him, the other men looked at each other confused, then one by one turned in the direction Harlan was staring.
The soft shuffle of horse's feet indicated riders, and they all squinted into the bright rays of day’s end to see who was coming.
"Daddy!" Janine Williams’ voice was joyous as together she and Bruno shifted from silhouette to substance.
"Janine! Janine!" Jasper nearly fell getting off the stoop, but strong hands buoyed him, helping him hurry along toward the gray pony that carried his girl.
"Are you alright? I've been so worried!" Jasper cried.
Janine swung down from Smoke's back and raced into her father's arms. "I'm fine, Daddy. Bruno found me," she said, stretching an arm behind her to indicate the young man. "And he has that bad man all tied up out in the woods."
"Bruno." Rafe looked up, smiling at the young man as he swung down from a lean bay horse.
Bruno pulled his hat down tighter, trying to cover his embarrassment. He had only done what he needed to. He couldn't leave Janine; he'd never been able to leave Janine, no matter how many times everyone had told him to.
"You caught the outlaw?" Mr. Williams asked. "Did you get my money back as well?"
"I don't know about the money," Bruno spoke, his voice soft. "You can check the saddle bags on this horse we took, but Janine's the one that took out that no account bank robber."
All eyes turned to Janine, who looked uncomfortable.
"What's he talking about Janine?" her father asked.
"That terrible man was being mean," Janine said. "He hit Bruno over the head and so I hit him with a big rock."
Jasper Williams face visibly paled. "You could have been killed," he scolded. "Whatever made you act like that?"
Janine's eyes fell and she only shrugged, but her father turned his eyes on Bruno. "A fine rescue that must have been," he snapped, "Getting yourself knocked out. That man could have taken Janine away forever."
Wrapping his arm around his daughter, he scowled at Bruno. "We're going home, Janine," he barked. "Now come along and we'll get you some nice cocoa."
Together they began moving down the street toward their home, but Janine cast a glance behind her at the shepherd, standing backlit by the dying sun.
"You look half frozen," Rafe said, stepping up to Bruno and slapping him on the back. "Why don't you come on over to the Grist Mill and we'll get some dinner while you tell us what happened."
"Come on, Bruno," others in the crowd encouraged.
"Let me put up Smoke," Bruno said, running the reins of his horse's bridle through his hands.
"You go on and get some grub, Bruno," Ramey the blacksmith spoke, stepping away from the group. "I'll see to your pony and put him up at Byron’s livery."
"He fell earlier," Bruno called as the others gathered him up and swept him along to the café and some hot food.
"Someone better fetch Ferd," Harlan said as the group moved toward the town’s eatery.
Bruno sat in the Grist Mill for hours, telling and retelling the story of finding Janine. It seemed that no one could believe the banker's daughter had clouted the outlaw with a stone.
The deputy had come and gone, getting directions to where Bruno and Janine had left the outlaw leader.
The money had been recovered from the saddlebags and returned to the bank, and Biders Clump had settled down to a cozy supper.
"You're still head over heels for the girl, aren't you?" Rafe asked as the other men drifted homeward.
Bruno smiled; he didn't think he even needed to answer the question.
"Maybe now her pa'll let me court her properly," Bruno said; after all, he'd been the one to rescue her initially.
"You can take her to the Valentine's Dance next week," Rafe agreed. "I know I can't wait to be able to dance with Sara properly," he added with a grin.
Bruno smiled, happy for his friend. He just wished he had as much to offer Janine as Rafe had to give Sara.
"You look worn out," Rafe finally said, pushing his
chair out. "Why don’t you get home and get some sleep?"
Bruno stepped out into a crisp starry night, turning toward the livery. He dreaded heading back to his cold, empty little house.
Chapter 8
"You'd better put on a fresh pot o' coffee, George," Polly called down the hall as she gazed through the screen door. "Bruno's leavin' the Willams' place again."
"That boy sure is persistent," George called back. "You get comfy and I'll bring the coffee." His voice was concerned.
Polly watched as Bruno swung up on his gray horse and turned along the street. For the past four days, she had been greeting him as he rode past her house and today would be no different.
“You on watch tonight, Bruno?” she called as Smoke moved over the dusty street. A chinook had moved in over the town and the warm bright sun felt good on her face.
“Yes ma’am,” Bruno replied, drawing to a stop politely.
“Why don’t you climb down and have a cup of coffee with a couple of old folks; we get a bit lonely ‘round here, you know.”
Bruno grinned, despite his heavy heart.
“Well lookie who’s here,” George said in mock surprise as he walked onto the porch, a heavy tray of coffee, mugs and cookies in his hands.
“Mr. George, you don’t need to pretend,” Bruno laughed, “you and Polly have been having me in for coffee every day this week.”
George chuckled, “Well when you get to be our age, ya like a little company.”
Soon the trio was seated on the porch, the elders ensconced in bent wood rocking chairs and the young shepherd perched on the porch rail.
The hot coffee warmed Bruno’s middle as the sun warmed his back.
“Old Jasper still not lettin’ you see Janine?” George finally asked as he munched on a chewy oatmeal cookie.
Polly shot her husband a disapproving look, but leaned forward to see what Bruno had to say.
“I thought that rescuing Janine would make her pa realize I was fit to court her, that I cared enough about her to be worthy,” Bruno said, warming his hands on his mug.
“Jasper Williams always has been a little funny when it came to that girl of his,” Polly said. “She was tiny when her ma passed and I think he was always scared something would happen to her.”
