The Cowboy Code

by Christine Wenger

  “There’s nothing to apologize for.”

  “But you’re in my program, and I shouldn’t have—”

  She wanted him to stop talking. “Go, get out of the rain. You’re drenched.”

  “I’m on watch. You never know what mischief the kids can get into. Hopefully, they’re tired enough to just sleep.”

  She nodded. “Well, good night.”

  “Good night.” He turned to leave, then turned back on the next clap of thunder. “I think we have to talk to Dan the first thing in the morning.”

  “I know, and I’m dreading it.”

  It rained all night and a fine drizzle put a damper on the morning. Everything was muddy and wet.

  Maggie heard from Ronnie that a fight had broken out between two of the boys—Matt and Alex—that resulted in them rolling in the mud way too close to the horses’ hooves.

  “In my day, we’d put boxing gloves on both of them and let them duke it out,” said Quint. “But apparently the state of Wyoming frowns upon that kind of thing these days.”

  “I’m going to let a jury of your peers figure out what to do with you two,” Joe said. “The staff and I are going to butt out.” He turned to the remaining participants. “So, I’d like the eleven of you to huddle quickly and decide on an appropriate punishment.”

  Maggie stood in the circle with the rest of the participants. In direct contrast from Matt and Alex wanting each other’s blood a little earlier, the others were subdued and serious.

  After a while, they settled on a punishment. Matt and Alex would have to work together putting up everyone’s tents and taking them down for the next four days.

  Maggie thought it was fair. And when she, as the elected jury foreman, told Joe their decision, he was more than pleased.

  “I like it a lot, Maggie,” he said. “It works on many levels.”

  “What worked was your idea of self-governing,” she said, pushing back a wet lock of hair.

  “Well, we’d better get going. Maybe we can escape this rain.” He looked up at the sky with its swirling wisps of black and gray clouds. “But it doesn’t look good.”

  “We’ll do the best we can.”

  He beamed and she thought her heart was going to melt.

  But her mood dissipated when she remembered their kisses in her tent last night. It could never happen again.

  She approached Danny. “Can we talk for a minute?”

  “’Bout what?”

  “About Joe and I and last night.”

  He shrugged. “You and the boss man can do what you want.”

  “Danny, it’s not what you think—”

  “I’m not stupid, Aunt Maggie. It’s exactly what I think,” he said. “And everybody here knows what’s up. I hear about it all the time.”

  “They’re still teasing you?”

  “Yeah,” he snapped.

  Maggie laid a hand on his shoulder, and for once he didn’t pull away. “I’m sorry. Do you want me to talk to Joe? He could get them to stop.”

  He looked at her in horror. “No! Don’t do that. Don’t do anything!”

  “Whatever you want, but if it happens again, tell me and I’ll handle it.”

  He shifted from one foot to another, and didn’t answer. She knew he’d never snitch, as he’d call it.

  “I apologize, Danny. It won’t happen again. I don’t want you to be teased, and I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I have to take care of my horse,” he said, as if he hadn’t heard her.

  She dropped her hand from his shoulder. “I’ll see you on the trail.”

  “Yeah.” He turned to leave.

  “Danny…” He turned toward her. “Just remember that I’m never going to leave you, and I’m never going to pick a man over you. I love you. Please believe me.”

  “Okay. See ya.”

  It seemed that his shoulders lifted a bit, and a worry line disappeared from his forehead.

  Maggie made a promise to herself that she would always put Danny first. That’s what he deserved, and that’s where he belonged.

  And that’s what she owed her sister.

  And if her being with Joe bothered Danny, she’d have to end their relationship.

  The rain had stopped, and after breakfast Joe instructed the cowboys to move everyone out so they could get to their next camp-out point.

  He’d arranged for Danny and Maggie to ride drag with him, and motioned for them to hold back to let the rest of the train proceed.

  “How’s it going, Dan?” Joe asked.

  “Okay.”

  “Making friends?”

  “Some.”

  It was painful to talk to kids like Danny when they were tight-lipped and unresponsive. The boy had talked up a storm the day before, when they were leading the way.

  “Dan, if you have something that’s bothering you, I wish you’d tell me,” Joe pushed.

  Silence.

  Maggie made a disgruntled noise. “You didn’t like the fact that Joe was in my tent. Right?”

  Silence.

  “It’s bothering you,” Joe pushed. “Spill.”

  “How would you like it if everyone talked about you?” Danny snapped. “Called you Joe’s pet and Joe’s stepson? You wouldn’t like it either.”

  “I know it’s tough to have people call you names,” Joe said. “But what’s in it for them? Usually, they just want to press your buttons and watch you unravel.”

  Silence.

  “Do you think I’m right, or not?” Joe asked. “I’d like to hear what you think.”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Besides, what names would they ever call you? You’re big. You can beat them up.”

  “I wasn’t always this big. I was your age once, you know. And I was small for my age, like you.”

  “You were?”

  “Yeah.”

  Maggie cleared her throat. “Danny, you know I’d never abandon you, don’t you? Even if I date someone or go out with someone, I’ll never leave you.”

  “Not even if you get married?”

  “Not even then.” Maggie smiled. “You’re stuck with me, Danny. You might as well get used to it.”

  “Ignore the others,” Joe said. “If you don’t react, eventually they’ll figure out that they’re not getting to you, and they’ll stop.”

  “You don’t have to live with them. You don’t have to be in this program,” Danny said, quietly.

  “What do you think you can do to not let them bug you?”

  “I don’t know. If I knew I’d do it.”

  “Let me ask you something first. Are you enjoying Cowboy Quest so far?” Joe asked. “Or do you still think it’s lame?”

  He shrugged his shoulders.

  “C’mon, Danny. No one else is around. No one will think you’re not cool. Talk to me and your aunt.”

  Danny leaned over to pet his horse. “I—I do like Thunderbolt. And I like riding. And some of the guys are cool.”

  “But some aren’t, and that’s okay,” Joe said. “And Cowboy Quest isn’t perfect, huh? I understand that. But you like it.”

  He nodded.

  “So why don’t you accept the positive, ignore the negative and have a great time with your horse and with riding?” Joe could almost see the wheels turning in Danny’s mind, so he continued. “And the rest is no one’s business. Right?”

  Danny met Joe’s eyes for the first time. “Right.”

  “Cool. Anything else you’d like to get off your chest?”

  “Nope.”

  “If there was, you could always write in your journal. Nothing like getting things off your mind by writing them down. Journal writing helps you sort things out by yourself if that’s what you’d rather do. That’s why journaling is part of Cowboy Quest.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, Dan. Go hang out with your pals. And if you need to talk, I’m here.”

  “I’m here, too, Danny,” Maggie said.

  “Okay.”<
br />
  As Danny walked his horse forward to join his friends, Joe wondered if the boy really heard what he had to say, and if he could deflect—or ignore—the comments from his peers.

  Joe figured that he could start a general discussion about peer pressure around the campfire. Maybe it would help Danny and some of the other boys.

  He hated to single anyone out, but he knew he’d have to have another conversation with Brandon Avery. He couldn’t prove anything yet, but he suspected that Brandon let the horses loose or was behind it somehow. Dan and Rick were probably involved, too.

  “What do you think, Maggie?” he asked. “Did we reach him?”

  “I’m almost positive that you did.” She paused. “And you know, a few days ago I’d never have admitted even that. I didn’t have much faith in you or your wranglers.”

  “And now?” Joe asked.

  “Danny’s at least listening to you.”

  “Have faith. It’ll work out. Danny’s a good kid. He has a lot of potential.”

  Maggie held up a hand, fingers crossed. “I hope you’re right, Joe. I really do. I want to believe that more than anything.”

  Joe felt confident that the Danny issue would right itself, but what about Maggie and him?

  He wanted her again. But how could they be together? He didn’t want to sneak around. If they were caught, that would put her in another awkward situation with Danny and the rest of the boys.

  But he couldn’t think of any other alternative than for them to meet secretly—and hope that no one would find out.

  Chapter Eleven

  They started to see stray cattle later the next day. The cowboys showed the boys how to slap their ropes gently against their thighs to get the cows moving together so they could take them to their summer grazing grounds. Most of the cattle were branded with SRR, for Joe’s Silver River Ranch, though there were many yearlings without a brand.

  And just when she’d thought everything would dry out, it started raining again.

  She felt sorry for all the horses. They were slogging through the muddy mess, yet it didn’t seem to bother them, or so she thought. Maybe they hated it as much as she did.

  Over the slopping of the mud and the splattering of the rain, Maggie thought she heard a noise, almost like the loud crying of a baby.

  “Whoa, Lady. Whoa.” The horse stopped, and she strained to listen. There it was again. Looking around, it didn’t seem that anyone else had heard the pitiful cry.

  “Joe!” she yelled, because he was the closest cowboy to her, but he didn’t hear her. “Joe!” she yelled again. But the wagon train went on without her. She didn’t dare go off on her own, especially in this weather.

  She got a landmark fixed in her mind—a tall pine tree with a bent tip with a reddish-looking bush at its base. Then she coaxed Lady into a trot and hurried after Joe.

  When she finally got to him, she was out of breath. “I heard this noise, Joe. Like a baby. Over there, Joe. Over there, in the trees.” She pointed to an area to the left of them.

  Several cowboys and kids joined them in the search. Eventually, they found the source of the bawling: a calf stuck in the mud. It looked exhausted from the struggle.

  “Okay, Annie Oakley, it’s time for you to do your roping.” He turned toward her nephew. “Dan, how about if you lend a hand, too?”

  “I’d like you both to see if you can rope the calf. Do you think you can do it sitting on your horse?”

  Maggie nodded. Danny shrugged.

  Maggie got her rope ready, made several circles and let it fly. It missed. There was a collective “Aww” from the spectators.

  “Danny, you give it a shot,” Joe said. “Maggie, try it again.”

  Maggie pulled in her rope. “Come on, Danny.”

  Danny’s rope hit its target. When she tried again, hers did, too. Everyone cheered.

  “Now, both of you, ride close together so you can pull the little guy out,” Joe continued. “Go real slow. Let him get his footing. Slow.”

  Maggie smiled at Danny. He gave a nervous smile back. She could tell he was concentrating and didn’t want to fail.

  “You can do it,” Joe said.

  They walked their horses as slowly as possible, and a few moments later, the calf was able to walk out of the mud.

  There were cheers all around and several high fives. Danny looked like he was sitting on top of the world. He needed this, Maggie thought.

  She met Joe’s gaze, and he winked at her.

  Maggie gave her nephew a high five, and he returned it.

  “Nice work, partner,” she said.

  “Nice work,” he echoed, now grinning.

  Joe took Maggie’s rope off the calf, but kept Danny’s on.

  “Dan, slowly lead your new friend to the rest of the cattle. Maybe he’ll find his mother.”

  Danny nodded and did as instructed. When he got to the herd that they’d gathered, he got off Thunderbolt, took the rope off the calf and gave it a quick pat. It scrambled off to join the others.

  Danny looked back at her and smiled.

  Maggie’s heart swelled in her chest. Now she understood one of the components of Cowboy Quest—teamwork. That was the obvious message. The not-so-obvious one was that this little task had given her and Danny the chance to work together and do something they wouldn’t normally do. The two of them together could accomplish anything if they tried.

  Now what she needed to do was to apply this lesson to their life back home, in New York.

  Home. It seemed so far away, yet she knew they’d be heading back all too soon, and she had to make some serious decisions about what to do. The stage had always been her ultimate goal, but lately it wasn’t making her happy—not with Danny on her mind, knowing he needed her, knowing he needed a real parent. Yet she had to support them, and New York wasn’t cheap.

  She wondered again if she could make a living teaching dance and voice. Maybe, but she honestly wasn’t sure.

  This beautiful country did make her think. So did the butt-numbing days on Lady. What else was there to do but move the cattle and think? Now if she could only make some decisions as to their future as a family…and whether or not she could continue performing. Then all would be well.

  Wouldn’t it?

  They rounded up a good number of cattle throughout the afternoon. Joe thought that it would be a nice treat for everyone to stop early and take a dip—albeit a cold one—in a shallow branch of the Silver River. At least the water would be warmer in the spot that he’d picked.

  He just didn’t know what to do about Maggie.

  “That’s okay,” she said, when he explained that the cowboys and their charges would be in a state of undress. “As long as I get my turn some time.”

  That would probably be at night.

  Maggie stayed at the chuck wagon preparing the evening meal so even Cookie could go swimming.

  Joe made it a point to try and talk to Brandon. Unfortunately, Brandon did everything in his power to avoid him. According to his records, Brandon’s father was the chief of police in a small town in Montana, and Brandon was a constant embarrassment to his father. Brandon resented all authority, and acted out at every opportunity.

  Nevertheless, Joe pressed on with the boy, almost resorting to hog-tying him to get him to stay put and listen. Finally, Brandon excused himself and went to be with his friends, including Daniel Turner.

  And Joe couldn’t help but think that they’d all have to get up pretty early in the morning to fool him. He knew all the tricks. He’d done them all and more.

  Ronnie found a football and everyone had a great time diving and splashing through the water for the throws.

  “You and your Aunt Maggie did a great job this morning,” Joe said to Dan when the boy leaped for a clean catch. “That was fine roping and nice teamwork.”

  The boy’s eyes scanned the crowd, probably noting who was watching him talk to the enemy.

  “Thanks. It was…cool,” Danny said. “Wa
it till I tell my homies.”

  “I thought you might decide not to run with your former pals when you get home. You know, the ones who got you into trouble in the first place. If you get probation, you won’t be allowed to hang around with them. It’ll be one of your probation rules.”

  Danny raised his arms and moved his hands in circles. “Are you telling me that I might get probation even after all of this?”

  “Yeah, Dan, that’s what I’m telling you. It all depends on what Judge Cunningham thinks. He might decide that you need the extra supervision that a probation officer can provide. You’d get an extra set of rules, and if you violate any of them, you could still be placed. You’d lose your aunt—and she’d be devastated.”

  Danny swore under his breath. “I’m screwed if I do good or not.”

  “That’s not what I said. I said ‘might’ and ‘maybe.’ And remember that I have to prepare a report. Judge Cunningham will be looking at that. Can’t you just be yourself? Can you be the person you were before you started stepping out and getting into trouble?”

  He couldn’t meet Joe’s gaze. “I don’t know if I can.”

  “Your aunt loves you very much, Dan. She really does. She’d do anything for you. Maybe some day you’ll realize that, and give her a break.”

  Danny didn’t say anything, but stood still and listened in spite of the fact that Quint threw the football an arm’s reach away. The boy ignored it, but Joe scooped it out of the water.

  “Think about what I said. Okay?” Joe asked, then pulled his arm back. “Now, go long, Dan.”

  He shot the football, and Danny leaped out of the water and caught it.

  “Nice one!”

  The dinner bell rang, and Joe motioned for them to dry off and get dressed. Everyone hated for the fun to end, but all the activity had made them pretty hungry.

  When they got back to camp, the two boys who were on punishment for fighting were reminded that they had to put up the rest of the tents.

  “I’ll help you,” said Mickey.

  “Me, too,” chorused Troy and Nick.

  Fairly soon, all the other boys volunteered to help—with the exception of Brandon and Rick. Joe was happy that the boys were learning to work together, and made a mental note to give Brandon and Rick more cleanup duties.