by Duane Boehm
“Joann,” Chance said.
“We’re going to have fun while Mommy is gone, aren’t we?” Joann said to her brother as she draped an arm around her sister.
“I’m going to go saddle Snuggles and get to town,” Abby said and kissed each of her children.
Abby prided herself on her horsemanship and she put Snuggles into a lope after the animal’s muscles were warmed. She loved the feel of the wind blowing her hair back and the freedom from motherhood for a few hours. Locking into the rhythm of the horse, she lost herself in daydreams.
The group of women had originally met at Sarah’s cabin, but after Doc had refused to allow Mary to travel while pregnant, they had moved to the back room of the saloon. Ethan preached on Sundays and the news that Sarah could be seen going into the saloon on a weekly basis had all the old ladies in Last Stand wearing themselves out with gossip. Sarah had never been one to care what anyone thought about her and made jokes about her notoriety.
Mary and Sarah were already sitting at the table sipping coffee as Abby slipped down the alley and into the saloon from the back door.
“It’s about time that you got here,” Sarah said. “We were about to attack the cookies without you.”
“My babysitter is moving a little slower these days,” Abby said.
“Oh, yes, how is Grandma Johann going to keep our get–togethers going after the new arrival?” Sarah asked.
“Sarah Oakes, don’t you dare call me that. I’m too young to be a grandma. That baby is going to call me Mimi. I know that I’ll love it like all get out, but it could have waited a few more years to make its appearance and I would have loved it just as much,” Abby said as Mary and Sarah laughed at her.
“That’s what happens when you have a baby so young. They grow up and have babies too,” Sarah said.
“I had enough lectures from my parents on that to last a lifetime. Gideon wooed me and I didn’t know any better,” Abby said with a laugh.
“How is Joann feeling?” Mary asked before biting into a cookie.
“Good. You and her both look so cute pregnant. I wish I were having a baby. Joann, Winnie, and Chance are all so far apart in age that they never got to have a true playmate,” Abby said and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“I don’t want to hear it. At least you got to have three. I surely would have liked to have had more than Benjamin, though I consider him a miracle. Now that he’s older, he doesn’t need me like he used to when he was younger. You still have a little one to hold,” Sarah said.
“I know, but I feel old knowing that those days of having babies are probably gone for good and a new chapter is starting. And you can come get Chance any time that you want. He about wears me out,” Abby said.
“Enough about us. How are you feeling, Mary?” Sarah asked.
“I feel good. The baby kicks me all the time and Finnie about wears me out worrying, but compared to losing one, this is easy,” Mary said.
“How is the restaurant doing?” Abby asked.
Finnie and Mary had bought the shutdown Lucky Horse Saloon the previous fall and converted it into a restaurant with elbow grease and more expense than they had ever intended.
“Business is getting better all the time. Especially after we figured out that Delta couldn’t work there. Ladies don’t like retired whores serving their husbands their meal. They seem to have forgotten or gotten over the fact that I was one. Delta’s past is still a little too fresh, I guess. We keep Delta here behind the bar and let Charlotte work the restaurant. If I had known that I’d get pregnant again this quickly, I would have waited, but we can’t change that now,” Mary said.
“Now that we have all that out of the way, it’s time to start complaining about our husbands,” Abby said before grabbing a cookie from the tray and taking a bite.
“It won’t be long before Abby can tell us what it’s like to sleep with a grandfather,” Sarah said, making Mary snort with laughter and Abby to spit cookie.
Chapter 4
As Kurt Tanner cut a calf from the herd, Ethan sat back on his mount and watched with admiration as the rider and horse worked together flawlessly. Kurt had arrived in Last Stand during the winter needing a job. The feed store had hired him and he soon earned the reputation of a hard worker. After Zack decided that he could only work part–time for Ethan, the rancher had hired Kurt to replace him. The arrangement had worked out well. Two men could not keep up with all that needed tending to on the ranch, but with Ethan and Kurt working full–time, and Zack part–time, the ranch ran like a clock.
Kurt sent his rope sailing over the calf’s neck and Ethan lassoed the rear legs. As the ranch hand threw the animal to the ground, Ethan placed the brand against the hide. The pungent smell of burning hair and hide wafted through the air. Ethan never got used to the smell. On some days, it nearly gagged him and he gladly tossed the brand to the ground, happy that they were finished for the day.
“Let’s call it a day. Sarah said that she planned on making dumplings. Why don’t you have supper with us tonight?” Ethan said.
“Thank you, Mr. Oakes. I’m much obliged. That sure sounds good and my belly is telling me that it’s ready for some food,” Kurt said.
The two men rode back to Ethan’s cabin where they found Sarah standing at the stove cooking and Benjamin reading a book at the table. After Gideon and Zack had arrived in Last Stand, Benjamin had idolized the two men and they adored him. The same could not be said for his relationship with Kurt. The young man’s attempts to bond with the boy proved so awkward as to be painful to watch. Sarah, on the other hand, had been smitten by Kurt. The twenty–one–year–old man had obviously not had much of an upbringing and Sarah felt determined to help him smooth out his rough edges.
“You two look good and hungry. Supper will be ready by the time that you wash up,” Sarah said.
Ethan and Kurt scrubbed their hands and returned to the table.
“What are you reading?” Kurt asked Benjamin.
“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” Benjamin answered.
“Oh,” Kurt said. He could barely read and had never heard of the book. His mind went blank on what else to say.
Sarah ordered Benjamin to set the table and when the boy finished, she brought the steaming dumplings to the table and dished a helping into each of the plates. Ethan gave the blessing and they all began eating.
“So how do you like Last Stand?” Sarah asked Kurt.
“I like it pretty good and the people are nice. Everybody seems to have accepted me,” Kurt said.
“That’s good to hear. Maybe you’ll find you a girl and settle down in Last Stand one of these days,” Sarah said.
“I don’t know, ma’am. I don’t cross paths with too many girls,” Kurt said.
“You need to come to church with us on Sunday. There’s some fine young ladies that come to hear Ethan preach,” Sarah said.
“I’ll have to think about that, ma’am. I’ve never been much for church and such,” Kurt said.
Ethan looked at Kurt. “Don’t let Sarah talk you into something that you’re not ready to try. You’ll know when you are ready. Sarah is always trying to marry off every bachelor in the county and she tries to grow the church with the results,” he said.
“Ethan Oakes, I was just trying to tell Kurt where he could find some girls of high moral character,” Sarah said.
“You just want everybody in the chains of marriage,” Ethan said and grinned at his wife.
“I’ll make you think chains of marriage when I chain you to a raft and send you down river. The ocean probably wouldn’t take you,” Sarah said.
“She likes to show off,” Ethan said.
“I appreciate Miss Sarah looking out for me. I really do,” Kurt said before concentrating on eating his food and trying to stay out of the conversation.
Benjamin began entertaining with the tales of Tom Sawyer. He had everybody laughing and envisioned himself an adult with his newfound command of the dinner table.
He watched his ma and pa as they listened to the stories and felt like their equal.
Sarah covertly watched Kurt eat. He held his eating utensils like shovels and attacked his plate as if he were digging for gold. She really liked the young man and hoped that she would have the opportunity to refine his manners. In her mind, all Kurt needed was a little guidance to become a respectable part of the community.
After the meal, Kurt quickly excused himself and rode to the cabin that Ethan provided for him. He had moved there after Zack and Joann had left the place to live in their new cabin. Retrieving a bucket of water from the well, he went inside and washed himself before putting on clean clothes. Plopping down onto his bed, he drifted off to sleep for an hour and then rode to town. Most nights he frequented the Last Stand Last Chance Saloon.
Kurt walked into the saloon and Mary smiled from behind the bar when she caught sight of him. She liked the cowboy and his harmless flirting with her. He seemed like a nice young man that had managed to raise himself above a difficult start to life. Nobody in Last Stand could relate to humble beginnings more than she could with her childhood spent in an orphanage.
“You get prettier every time I come in here,” Kurt said. “I’ll have a beer if you please.”
“You must like the looks of a woman with child then,” Mary said as she retrieved a mug.
“You look happy. That’s what matters,” he said.
“Yes, you are right about that. I am happy. How’s working for Ethan going?” she asked.
“Good. That’s a fine family and Ethan is easy to work with. I’m terrible with kids though and I haven’t exactly won over Benjamin,” Kurt said.
You’re probably trying too hard. Just be yourself and don’t treat him like a little boy. Benjamin is mature beyond a normal eleven–year–old,” Mary said.
“I’ll remember that. I do like him,” Kurt said.
“We all think he’s pretty special,” she said.
“I heard that your husband and the sheriff killed the men that murdered that sheepherder,” he said.
“Yes, unfortunately they had no choice. Three people are dead and nobody has anything to show for it,” Mary said.
“That is a shame. At least they solved the murder and made things safer around here,” Kurt said and took a sip of beer.
“That they did. It just doesn’t do poor old Colin Young any good,” she said.
“No, it doesn’t. It’s always nice talking to you, Mary. I think I’ll go see if I can rustle me up a card game,” he said before walking over to a table where a couple of other ranch hands sat and pulled up a seat with them.
Mary had noticed that Kurt always avoided the high stakes games with seasoned players. He instead chose to play against ranch hands for little pots that he nearly always won before the night was finished. Kurt certainly didn’t get rich off his winnings, but he made enough to pay for his evening and he was smart enough to buy the players a drink when the game finished.
Gideon walked into the saloon. He had ridden to town in the afternoon after spending the morning tending to his herd. On days that he came in late, he liked to stay in Last Stand into the evening so that the town knew that he occasionally worked nights.
“I figured I’d see you in here,” Mary said and poured Gideon a beer without him asking.
“I figured if I didn’t work tonight, I’d have to listen to your husband complaining in the morning about how he has to carry me,” Gideon said.
“That sounds about right,” she said.
“Where is Finnie?” Gideon asked.
“He’s upstairs. I have no idea what he’s doing,” Mary said.
“I guess I should be happy and let my ears rest,” he said.
“Be nice. You’d be lost without him,” she said.
Gideon grinned. “Like you don’t pick on him too and you’re married to that gabby little man,” he said. “What do you think of Kurt?”
“I like him. He kind of reminds me of myself. I can tell that he’s had a rough childhood and he’s trying to make something of himself. I think he’s a good one,” Mary said.
“I don’t know. There’s something about him that doesn’t strike me right – as if he’s hiding a secret. Just a feeling I get,” Gideon said.
“What’s the matter? Are you afraid that Ethan is going to get a new best friend and replace you?” she teased.
Giving Mary a condescending look, he said, “No, just an intuition I have about Kurt.”
“Gideon, I’m the one with intuition about people and I’m always right. You, not so much,” Mary said.
“Yes, Mary, we all know how you can size up the good or evil in men with a single glance. You remind us enough,” Gideon said.
“You are never going to get over the fact that I can always tell what you’re thinking or know when something is troubling you, are you?” she asked.
“Probably not. It’s annoying. You’re annoying,” Gideon said and grinned.
“But you love me anyway,” Mary said.
“I have to. You did save my life,” he said.
Finnie walked down the stairs and Mary spotted him.
“Hey Finnie, Gideon wants to hear all about our plans for the baby. I need to sit down and rest. Delta can bartend,” Mary said and gave Gideon a devilish grin before retreating to the back room.
Chapter 5
Having made a morning walk of the town, Gideon headed back towards the jail. As he neared his office, he saw the rancher, Carter Mason, enter the building. Gideon quickened his pace and found Carter sitting in a chair and Finnie talking with him.
“Hello, Carter. Is Colin’s flock on you again? I asked Leo Stewart to take them,” Gideon said.
Carter looked agitated and started twisting the end of his mustache. “No, Sheriff, something worse. I have a herd missing. They were grazing on the east side of the ranch and we hadn’t checked on them for a few days. I’m no tracker, but the boys and I think there were three sets of horse tracks,” he said.
“I’m sorry to hear that. You’ve had a run of bad luck lately,” Gideon said.
“Not as bad as Colin did, but bad enough. Nothing riles me up like rustlers. I’d hang them on the spot if I caught them,” Carter said.
“So you don’t really know what day they went missing?” Gideon asked.
“Not really. We don’t check each herd every day,” Carter said.
“Finnie and I will ride out there with you and you can show us where the herd was,” Gideon said.
“Much obliged, Sheriff. I hate being such a burden, but I didn’t see much choice in the matter,” Carter said.
“That’s why they pay us. Keeps me in a job,” Gideon said.
Carter led them to the corner of his property where the herd had last been grazing. After following the tracks far enough to get away from the marks of Carter’s crew, Gideon concluded that Carter had been right in his count of three rustlers. The rancher headed back to his home after having to be convinced that he no longer was needed.
“We’re going to spend all day riding and end up at the railyard in Alamosa. I’d bet on it,” Gideon said.
“I thought that too. We’ve seen it before,” Finnie said.
“I thought our rustlers had moved on or Colin’s killers might have been them, but this looks like the same thing we saw this spring. And I still think that the livestock clerk that works for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad is a crook. He’s either part of some rustling syndicate or he takes bribes to look the other way. Same for that railroad detective they’ve got running around there. He’s as useless as tits on a boar hog,” Gideon said and spit on the ground.
“I think that detective just don’t like us because he fought for the Confederacy and we fought for the Union. He’ll never quit fighting that war,” Finnie said.
“Either way, we’re not going to get any cooperation when we get there and there’s never enough evidence to get a warrant. And the two times that I wired the Denver sheriff to check the
railyards there for the brands of stolen cattle, he came up empty. I just don’t know,” Gideon said.
The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad had reached Alamosa, Colorado in 1878 and had been a boon to everybody in the vicinity. Ranchers could now ship their cattle to market if they so desired instead of making cattle drives, and storeowners had a much easier time getting goods from Denver. Unfortunately, riffraff, gamblers, rustlers, and other undesirables always followed the railroad tracks.
“Do you think we’re in for a run of trouble?” Finnie asked.
“I wouldn’t doubt it. I’ve seen this happen before. The railroad comes to town and so do the thieves and such. After a while, either the town gets fed up with the crime and the sheriff straightens things up or a group of vigilantes will hang a few of the worst ones. Some of Alamosa’s finest hooded citizens just hanged a couple of men that killed a blacksmith. They decided not to wait for a trial. Every town needs a good smithy and they apparently got riled up when they lost theirs. The next thing you know, some of the riffraff will hop the train for greener pastures and some will wander out to a nearby town. That town could be Last Stand,” Gideon said.
The trail the herd had been driven down ran parallel to the road between the towns, but always stayed out of sight of the thoroughfare. Most of the land was open range pasture with some ridges and valleys to navigate. Mountains jutted out to both the north and south.
Gideon noticed that one set of horse tracks veered off back towards the road. He watched for another mile to see if the tracks came back to the heard and could not find any sign of them.
“One of the riders went to the road and either rode back to Last Stand or on to Alamosa,” Gideon said.
“What do you think that is about?” Finnie asked.
“I couldn’t really say. I’d guess they either went on ahead to make arrangements or they needed to be back in Last Stand,” Gideon said.
“This is all a bit queer,” Finnie mused.
“Let’s push on into Alamosa and to the railyard. That’s where these tracks are headed,” Gideon said and put Buck into a lope.
