by Ralph Hayes
Sumner glanced at the horses again. ‘How long have you been out here?’
‘Oh, I come last night. I didn’t want to miss you.’
‘Good God, kid. You didn’t have to do that. A stage comes past here this afternoon, and I have enough cash to get on it.’
Corey looked Sumner over, too. He was wearing the work clothes he had come there in years ago. The shirt looked a little tight on him. Corey assessed the tall, athletic look of Sumner. The broad shoulders, the muscular frame.
‘Where would you take a stage to?’ Corey asked him soberly.
‘I didn’t have that worked out yet,’ Sumner admitted.
‘Well. My sister – that’s Janie – thought you ought to come home with me. Till you get things figured out.’
Sumner smiled. ‘Oh no,’ he protested. ‘I wouldn’t think of it. I’ve always preferred to be on my own, kid. Must wait here for that stagecoach. It will take me somewhere.’
Corey looked frustrated. ‘Look, Sumner. This ain’t just between you and me. If I don’t show up with you this afternoon, Jane will lay into me something fierce. Do you want to see that happen to your old cellmate on his first weekend out from behind them bars? I’d be mighty pleasured if you’d spare me that.’
That prompted a light chuckle in Sumner’s throat. He cast a slow look on that earnest, freckled face and decided he liked the boy.
‘Now this sister. Jane, you call her? She isn’t going to keep a gun in her apron, is she? Because of who I am?’
Corey grinned broadly. ‘She might pick up a frying pan, though. But I reckon it would be me she’d go after. You’ll come then? Our farm is only two hours’ ride south. We can be there in early afternoon.’
Sumner sighed. ‘OK, kid. I’ll ride there with you. But then I’ll be moving on. I might keep the horse and pay you for it later if that’s OK.’
‘Don’t pay that no mind,’ Corey told him. ‘Janie’s got a little chestnut mare she keeps for her buggy. Shall we ride?’
Sumner clapped him on the shoulder. ‘Let’s get away from this place,’ he agreed.
A few minutes later, they were headed south. Sumner’s stallion shied on him when he first climbed aboard, but then became accustomed to his smell and feel. They rode leisurely through arid Texas back country on that early spring day, surrounded by prickly pear and jumping cholla, and passing under plane and mesquite trees. At one point they saw a small herd of cattle bunched up against a low butte, chewing their cud into the wind, and Corey identified the ranch and indicated they were just five miles from the farm.
They were riding side by side. ‘How long have your parents been gone?’ Sumner asked him, tuning in his saddle.
‘Almost three years,’ Corey said, staring into the distance. ‘It sure changed our lives. We inherited the farm jointly but we didn’t know much about working it. Of course, Jane knew how to keep house. But I had no idea really how to manage a farm. She didn’t, either. We grow some corn. And there’s the swine and chickens to look after. And the milk cow.’
‘That doesn’t seem enough to keep you going,’ Sumner suggested.
‘Oh, Janie does laundry for a rancher. And a different one gives me odd jobs to perform. We get along. But I doubt anybody hereabouts will hire me now.’
‘You never know. Some men are willing to let the past lie where it is.’
At that moment a small farm house came into view, as they crested a low rise of ground. ‘Well, here we are!’ Corey announced.
They rode up into the dirt yard and Sumner looked the place over. The house looked well kept, with ivy growing on one side of a small porch. Chickens ran free around the yard, and Sumner could see a low barn behind the house, with a pigsty beside it. An open buggy sat off to one side of the porch.
‘She keeps that for town,’ Corey said, seeing Sumner eyeing it. ‘Blaneyville is only five miles off. We get our supplies there.’
‘That’s where you got into trouble?’ Sumner said.
They both dismounted. ‘There’s a saloon there. A lot of cowboys come there. They don’t mean no harm.’
‘I reckon you ought to try to get along with them for a while now.’ Sumner grinned at him.
They swaddled their reins over a short hitching post near the porch. Corey was about to respond to Sumner when a girl emerged from the house and stood facing them on the porch.
‘Oh, there you are!’ her melodious voice came to them. ‘I’ve been watching for most of an hour!’
Sumner released his hold on his reins and just stared for a long moment. He hadn’t seen a young woman for several years, and this one took his breath away. Jane Madison was obviously not much older than Corey and she was nice to look at. Her hair wasn’t as reddish as her brother’s, more of a subdued auburn, and it hung straight to her shoulders. She had bright blue eyes and a strong chin and a perfectly chiseled face, with high cheek bones. Her figure, in a blue gingham dress, was slim and curvaceous.
‘Good Jesus,’ Sumner muttered.
‘We’re back, sis!’ Corey was calling out. ‘I got him to come!’
Corey led Sumner up onto the porch, where Sumner got an even better look at Jane. She was probably, he thought, the prettiest girl he had ever met.
‘Jane, this is my friend Sumner,’ Corey announced happily. He turned to Sumner. ‘I told her all about you,’ he added confidentially.
Jane was staring at Sumner, appraising his good looks. She extended her hand to him, as a man would. ‘Pleasured, Sumner. I’m Jane Madison.’
He liked the way she seemed to take charge. ‘The pleasure is mine, believe me.’
Her face colored slightly. ‘So you and Corey spent some time together. Behind bars.’
He wasn’t sure if there was an indictment in the last words. ‘Well. A few days. I enjoyed his company. He made the time go fast.’
She finally smiled at him. She acted just a little scared, and she was wondering if she had made the right decision in suggesting Corey bring him home. ‘He can’t quit talking about you.’
‘Janie!’ Corey frowned at her.
‘We wanted to give you a place to sleep while you decide what you’re doing,’ she told Sumner.
‘I’m very much obliged, ma’am,’ Sumner told her. ‘This made today a whole lot better.’
She smiled nicely. ‘We’re glad to help.’
‘Come on, everybody,’ Corey said. ‘Let’s get inside, I’m so thirsty I could drink swamp water from my saddle bag! I’ll unsaddle the horses later.’
‘I have some stew on the stove,’ Jane told them.
It was less than an hour later when they were all sitting at a table in the centre of a dining room just off the parlour. It was a comfortable-looking house, and Jane took good care of it. Jane had served them her beef stew with thick slices of bread, and Sumner thought how much better it was than prison grub. When they were all about finished, Jane turned to Sumner. She had been eyeing him surreptitiously throughout the meal.
‘Corey says you had to kill some men.’
The abruptness of it surprised Sumner. Corey saw the look on Sumner’s face and scowled silently at his sister.
Sumner picked up a chunk of homemade bread. ‘Yes, ma’am.’
Her blue eyes were somber. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’
That seems like a hundred years ago, ma’am.’
‘Call me Jane.’
‘All right. Jane.’
‘But you gave them a chance to defend themselves, of course?’
Sumner set his fork down. ‘No, Jane. I just shot them down. No warning. No notice. But I did identify myself. I wanted them to know who was sending them to their Maker.’
Jane looked even more somber. ‘I see.’
‘For God’s sake, Jane,’ Corey protested. ‘These were cold-blooded killers. Sumner wanted justice. Not a shooting medal.’
‘It’s all right, Corey,’ Sumner said quietly.
‘But doesn’t that make you a cold-blooded killer?’ Jane pursue
d, ignoring her brother.
‘Goddamn it, Jane!’
Sumner regarded her narrowly. ‘That’s what the law said,’ he said evenly. ‘Some nights at three in the morning, that’s what I think.’
Jane looked down at her plate.
‘If this makes a difference to you, I’ll ride out today,’ Sumner told her. ‘I wouldn’t want to cause you any trouble.’
‘Sumner is no killer!’ Corey spat at her. ‘If he rides out, so do I!’
Jane looked over at him, and put a hand on his. ‘I wouldn’t ask him to leave,’ she said.
‘Jane,’ Sumner addressed her. ‘I don’t know if what I did was right. But I was a hard case then. There was a fire in my belly to avenge my aunt’s rape and murder. I didn’t care much how it happened. Just as long as it got done. And I was not quite Corey’s age here when it all happened.’
‘You could have gone to the law,’ Jane suggested.
Corey rose from his chair and threw a napkin on the table. ‘I’ve had enough of this! I’m going to bed the horses down. You want to come, Sumner?’
Sumner hesitated. ‘No. I’ll sit with your sister.’
‘Suit yourself,’ Corey grumbled. Then he was gone. They heard him slam the screen door behind him.
‘You’ll have to excuse Corey,’ Jane said. ‘We’ve had these fights ever since we were three.’
‘He’s a good kid,’ Sumner said. ‘He handled himself well while he was there. He has grit.’
‘He gets his temper from his daddy.’ Jane smiled. She looked into his dark eyes. ‘So you were an orphan for a while. Like us.’
Sumner nodded. ‘My aunt treated me like a son. I miss her.’ He stared across the room, remembering.
‘I can see you have deep feelings,’ she offered.
He focused on her. Without trying, she whetted a man’s appetite. With every move. Every gesture. ‘Maybe this is too personal. But why isn’t a girl that looks like you married yet?’
She blushed slightly. She looked away for a moment. ‘There was a young man. About a year ago. I liked him. He talked some of marriage. But then he hired on to do some cattle droving and we never saw him again.’
‘He obviously doesn’t know what he missed,’ Sumner observed.
There was a long silence. Outside, one of the horses whinnied softly out by the barn.
‘I don’t think you’re a killer, Sumner,’ Jane finally said.
Sumner looked into those pretty eyes. ‘I honestly don’t know what I am, Jane. I haven’t had a chance to find out. I only know I can survive in prison. With a little luck.’
‘I’m sorry. For everything you’ve been through.’
‘I earned the last part,’ he said. ‘Now I have to figure out what the rest of it is going to be like.’
‘What would you like to do?’
He shrugged. ‘Ranch hand. When I was younger, I always thought I’d like to drive a stagecoach. Or ride shotgun.’
‘There are ranches around here.’
‘I think Corey is right about that. They probably all know where we’ve been. They might not care much about Corey. But they would shy away from me something fierce, I reckon.’
At that moment Corey came back through the house and stood beside the dining table. Looking a bit sheepish. ‘The horses are eating. Did I make a fool of myself?’
‘Of course not,’ Jane told him. ‘And everything is just fine here. I’m beginning to. . .’ She paused. ‘Like your friend.’
Corey smiled his freckled smile. Sumner was regarding Jane hungrily, and hoped it didn’t show. He felt a little guilty.
‘The feeling is mutual,’ he said quietly. Their eyes met, and Jane felt a little breathless.
Corey took his chair at the table again, smiling at their mutual reaction. He clasped his hands on the table. ‘I didn’t mention this to either of you. But I talked to a local cowpoke just before I went and got Sumner. He says there’s a rancher over in the Territory that’s hiring. I thought me and Sumner could ride over there.’
‘The Indian Territory?’ Jane exclaimed. ‘Why, that’s nothing but rogue redskins and outlaws! That’s a dangerous place, Corey. Anyway, you can’t leave me here all alone to run this farm.’
‘Sumner might find a job there. But I wouldn’t be asking. I’d try to get a letter of recommendation for one of the ranches hereabouts. Jenkins says the boss there just might do that. Then I could go to work for one of these ranches nearby. Jenkins already put a good word in for me over there.’
‘That might work,’ Sumner said. ‘But you could just apply here first. Somebody might say yes.’
‘And if they all say no, it would be over,’ Corey argued.
‘That’s a chance you’d have to take,’ Sumner said.
‘I’ll try the other way,’ Corey said resolutely. ‘And I’d like you to ride with me, Sumner. You ain’t got nothing better to do. Have you?’
Sumner sat there thinking. Jane was right. A kid like Corey could get into trouble fast in the Territory. He sighed. ‘No. I have nothing better to do.’
‘Then we’ll ride out tomorrow!’ Corey beamed.
Jane looked from his face to the sober one of Sumner. Since her brother’s mind was made up, she was glad Sumner was going, too. She sighed more heavily than Sumner had.
‘I’ll make up some grub to take with you,’ she said softly.
CHAPTER TWO
It was a two days’ ride to the Prescott ranch over in the Indian Territory. Sumner and Corey camped out on the trail overnight together, and talked about their past, and got to know each other better. Sumner was growing quite fond of the young man, and hoped he obtained a good recommendation from Hank Prescott, who had spoken previously with Corey’s friend from Blaneyville.
On the afternoon of the second day they reached the Prescott ranch. They rode for an hour on Prescott property before reaching the ranch house.
It was a big, sprawling place surrounded by plane trees. They were met on a wide veranda by a foreman, who looked them over with disdain.
‘What can we do for you, boys?’
‘We’re here to see Mr Prescott,’ Corey spoke up. ‘I’m Corey Madison and this here is Wesley Sumner.’
The foreman’s face changed. ‘Oh. You two. He knows you’re coming. Come on in.’
He led them into a grand foyer decorated with potted palms and tapestries. They could have been in a Kansas City mansion. Corey and Sumner exchanged a look of surprise.
‘You can wait for him in here,’ the slim foreman told them. ‘He’ll be right with you.’ In a sour tone.
He took them into a carpeted room where the walls held bookshelves from wall to floor. The foreman disappeared, and Corey looked around uncomfortably. ‘Maybe this was a bad idea.’
Sumner smiled. ‘Just relax, kid. This doesn’t make him God almighty. He’s probably a good old boy.’
He had just finished that thought when Prescott walked into the room. ‘Afternoon, boys. I’m Hank Prescott.’ He didn’t extend his hand to either of them. ‘I reckon you’re Madison.’ Eyeing Corey carefully.
‘Yes, sir. And this is Wesley Sumner. My best friend.’
A half smile edged onto Sumner’s handsome face. ‘My pleasure, Mr Prescott.’ He extended his hand. Prescott hesitated just a moment and then took it.
‘All right, boys,’ Presott said. ‘Take some weight off, you two.’ He indicated a sofa just behind them.
Sumner and Corey sat side by side on the sofa as Prescott pulled a straight chair over to them. ‘Now,’ he said with a small sigh. He was a big man with a pot belly and silver in his hair. ‘I understand you want to be a ranch hand, Madison.’
‘Yes, sir. I prefer to work on the Seger ranch, a few miles from my farm, over near Blaneyville.’
‘Yes, Jenkins was here. He spoke highly of you.’ He glanced at Sumner. ‘Despite your recent experience with the law.’
‘That was just a friendly hoorawing that ended up worse than it should. That ain’t
me, Mr Prescott. You could ask my sister.’
‘I’m afraid that would be inconvenient.’ Prescott smiled wanly.
Corey swallowed. ‘Oh. Sure, I’m sorry, sir.’
‘If I understand this correctly, you heard that I’m a good friend of Ezra Seger, and you want me to vouch for your character, just on the word of your friend from Blaneyville.’
Corey hesitated. ‘Well. Yes, sir.’
‘Why didn’t you go directly to Seger? He’s a half hour away from you there.’
‘Jenkins don’t know Seger,’ Corey explained. ‘But he used to work for you. He thought if you gave me a good word, Seger would hire me. But probably not if I went there directly.’
‘I’ve known the boy for a while now,’ Sumner said. ‘And I’d be honored to work with him.’
Prescott cast a narrow look on him. ‘And you’re the cellmate from that Texas prison.’
Sumner eyed him soberly. ‘That’s right.’
‘Well, you’ll excuse me, I’m sure, if I don’t give that much credence.’ Holding Sumner’s sober look.
Corey looked flustered. ‘Oh, Sumner is all right, Mr Prescott. He’s about the best man I ever met.’
Prescott nodded. ‘Well, I place a high value on Jenkins’s judgment. And I like what I see in front of me. I’d be fine with hiring you here. So I’ll send a note back to Seger that I think he should hire you. That should probably do it for you.’
Corey burst into a wide smile. ‘Thank you, Mr Prescott. You won’t never regret it.’
Prescott nodded and looked over to Sumner. ‘It’s also my understanding that you’d like to hire on here, Sumner.’
‘That’s right, sir,’ Sumner answered quietly. ‘I have a little experience on a ranch down in southern Texas. And it seems like something that would suit me.’
Prescott sighed heavily. ‘We heard about you before you got here. Your past isn’t exactly like Madison’s.’
Sumner held his gaze. ‘No. It isn’t.’
‘He tracked down murderers!’ Corey said quickly. ‘He shouldn’t never been locked up!’
‘I understand,’ Prescott answered him. ‘If it was up to me I might take you on. But I care what my men think about those they work with. I let them take a vote, and they voted no, Sumner.’
