by Lou Bradshaw
I thanked him and with the use of a cane, I walked to the hotel. My gear had been sent to the hotel by Carson, and he’d told them to reserve me a first floor room. My clothes had been washed, but they were pretty much shredded by the ordeal I’d been through. Opening my duffle, my intent was to change into something slightly less destroyed. When I did, I saw my city suit all black and sparkling clean. That was just what I needed to make me feel better.
So I shook it out and laid it on the bed. There were some wrinkles, but they’d be all right once I started moving about. Then I brushed off my boots as best I could and did the same for my hat. After a shave, I got dressed and looked at myself in the mirror. A little pale under the tan, and I’d lost some weight, and I could use a haircut, but all in all it wasn’t too bad.
The cane was still necessary, so I picked it up and started for the door, when I saw my rifle in the corner with the rest of my gear. My Colt was there my holster wrapped up by my gunbelt. I hadn’t even known where it was until just then, so I put it on just to feel fully dressed. Looking it over and spinning the cylinder, I saw that Carson had taken care of it for me. I’d bet the rifle was ready for action also.
It was coming on to twilight and I was ready for supper. The desk clerk directed me to an eating establishment on the next block. It wasn’t far and wouldn’t be too much strain on my leg so I walked on up and went in. It was one of those places where you can get a family style meal with bowls of food being passed around the table. Or you could get a nice meal at a small table brought by a waitress.
The cute little waitress gave me a sweet smile and led the way to the back of the room. As we walked between the tables, I saw Emma sitting at a table with a tall handsome young man just getting ready to join her. She looked up and saw me and held my gaze. I would just keep going. I didn’t need any more hurt from her.
As we were almost even with their table, she looked up at the young man who was in the process of pulling out his chair and said, “Maybe another time, Carl, but I really need to talk to this gentleman.”
Carl was shocked and turned to me with murder in his eye, but he decided that blood wouldn’t look good on his new suit. I was staring back at him with murder and mutilation in my thoughts.
“Miss Emma.” I said as I removed my hat.
“Ranger Tate, won’t you join me?”
“It would be my pleasure.” I said as Carl pulled the chair out for me.
“Thank you, Carl,” I said, “don’t go far. This won’t take long.”
The cute little waitress turned back smiling and waited to take our order. When she took Emma’s order she said, “That’s two good choices you’ve made.” and gave her a wink as she left.
We sat in silence for a moment, and then we both started to speak at once. Since she had just called me a gentleman, I let her go ahead.
“Truman… oh… I’m sorry… I don’t even know your real name.” She said, holding her hand to her mouth.
“It’s James, Ma’am, but most folks know me as JL.”
“JL… this afternoon after you left the clinic, my father gave me… well he gave me what would amount to a verbal spanking for being such a spoiled little girl. He reminded me that if it hadn’t been for you and Ranger Carson, we would both have been killed weeks ago… or my own fate could have been worse.”
“He also told me that you and Carson didn’t approach him, but rather he recruited you both… I was blinded by the thought that you had lied and connived to send my father back to prison…. I’m so sorry for the way I acted.”
I sat looking at the empty table in front of me for a few seconds before I spoke, “You have no idea how many times I agonized over the lie I was telling, but the state of Texas had a claim on the gold, and I was sworn to do my duty… Carson, who is in essence my boss, told me afterwards that your father was never in danger of going back to prison, unless he broke the law again.”
“I don’t blame you for the way you felt, or for the way you acted… I was in an unfortunate position, and I’m terribly happy things worked out for you and your pa… I learned to like him along the way.”
“I had my school girl dreams of my rugged and dashing young cowboy swooping me up and riding into the sunset… I think I was hurt the most when I realized it wasn’t going to happen than all the rest.”
“We’ll be leaving soon for California and a new beginning. Would it be possible for me to write you from time to time?”
“Yes Ma’am…” I started to say, when she interrupted me.
“Please, JL… call me Emma.”
I smiled a sheepish smile and said, “Yes, Emma, please do write. It would mean a lot to me. Just address them to me at Ranger Headquarters in Austin, Texas. They’ll get it to me, wherever I may be…. I might be the only law west of the Pecos… Except for Judge Bean, that is.”
Contrary to what I had told Carl, what wouldn’t take long, lasted over two hours. It was two hours of some laughter and some tears… hers. Rangers don’t cry. We realized they were trying to close out this section of the eating house; I asked for the bill and left a healthy tip. The cute little waitress thanked us and gave Emma another wink.
Walking through the front door, we found it had grown quite dark and only the lamps hung by the various businesses provided what light there was. Emma took my arm and we headed back toward the hotel.
We hadn’t gone more than five paces, when a figure stepped out from between two buildings about thirty feet away. The light was behind him, so I couldn’t see his face, but I could see the shape of a big Dragoon Colt coming up and it was pointed right at the lady on my arm.
All I could do was shove her with the arm she was clinging too. My gun was coming up, but Emma had a tight grip on my arm, and I was pulled off balance by her weight… as small as she was. The flash and the pain both caught me at the same time. My Peacemaker bucked in my hand twice and then again. The first shot missed, the second .45 slug turned him, he stumbled backward, and the third shot slammed the man into the corner of the next building. He bounced off the building and tumbled into the space from where he had come.
Emma still hung on my arm, but she had slid half way down the door she had come to rest on. Holstering my pistol, I helped her up with my good arm. My bad leg and my freshly wounded arm were both screaming at me to get into another line of work.
I could hear boots on the boardwalk, and they couldn’t get there too soon. The first to arrive was a Deputy Marshal waving a pistol around looking for someone to shoot at.
“Between the buildings!” I called out while trying to get Emma up before I went down. “I think it’s Tom Blaze.”
Others were arriving, and some helpful soul slid a hand under my arm to hold me up, while the majority was making sure that Emma was alright. I turned to look at my benefactor and said, “Well, I thank you again, Carl.”
“Don’t thank me, Ranger. You probably saved my life tonight.”
The Deputy came back and told us, it was indeed Tom Blaze. “I seen him around town for a couple of days, but he won’t be around no more.” He told us.
The doctor came and took me to his office to add to bill he would give to the Captain at the end of the month. I began to worry that the Rangers might boot me out for being too expensive. The last I saw of Emma, she was being escorted back to the hotel by a number of armed and able citizens.
I figured Blaze wanted to hurt the two men he hated most, Clayton and me. Killing Emma would have done that, even though he would most likely have died doing it. His mind wasn’t all there.
It was a clean shoulder wound, and the doctor patched me up nice and neat. He was just finishing up when Emma and her pa came through the door followed by Captain Dugan. The doctor told me this would mean I’d have to be out of action a little longer. And that made Emma smile… I guess I could look forward to some extra nursing before Burley was able to leave for California.
“Son,” the Captain said, “I never knowed a Ranger worth his salt wh
o didn’t have a few bullet holes here and there… Hell at this rate, you’ll be an officer in two years.”
The End
Author’s Note :
The character, Bob Lynn was a real person. Bob left us in December 2014, which was much too soon for those of us he left behind. The character in the story defined my friend in that he came into my life, made me a better person, and then he was gone leaving a hole in our lives.
Rest well, my friend, you are missed, but not forgotten.
Acknowledgement:
I wish to thank Pat and Renee Lynn, wife and daughter of Bob Lynn for allowing me to include Bob in this story.
About the Author
It might be said that Lou Bradshaw is a late bloomer, but in reality, he has been a story teller his entire life. Lou was making things up from the time he was old enough to put two words together and form a simple sentence. To tell someone of a happening was not just a statement of fact. It became an adventure in embellishment and hyperbole. He just didn’t start writing things down until he was 64 years old.
According to him, all he ever wanted to be was cowboy, but in the small town where he lived there weren’t any cowboy jobs to be had. And when he married the lovely Avon Thomas, she really didn’t want to live in a bunkhouse. So he turned to his second career choice, that being a commercial illustrator. After years in the graphic arts industry, he worked himself into management positions. Deadlines, employee relations, budgets, and many other problems meant many sleepless nights. He found that creating stories in his head helped him fall asleep. Soon, those stories became so complex and expansive; he had to write them down…. The rest is history.
When asked why he hadn’t started sooner he replied, “Nobody ever told me I could write… Then I realized that nobody ever told me… I couldn’t.”
Remember: “Life is much too important to be taken seriously.”
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