Alexis: Book Five:The Cattleman's Daughters

by Danni Roan

  "Are you two youngin's gonna' bring me that horse, or are you just going to stand there all day and jaw?" Benjamin Smith's sardonic voice echoed across the trampled grass of the prairie, where he stood watching them.

  With a smile, Lexi pushed Gabe into an easy lope and quickly delivered the fresh mount to her father's oldest friend, waiting for him to throw his saddle over the new horse before turning toward town.

  The trio was nearly to Casper before they caught the slow moving wagons. Benji glared down at the three men now sitting silently in the big red wagon, and if looks could kill, the men would surely have been reduced to ash right where they sat.

  Chapter 6

  Casper, Wyoming August 1890

  "Benji, you're telling me that your crew brought this bunch of no-goods all the way from the Broken J to Casper?"

  The sheriff of Casper, Wyoming ran an agitated hand over his thick mustache. "Do you know who these fellas are? The big one there is Makin' Mayhew, and the wanted poster I have on him says he's killed three men to date."

  The tall man with the tin star on his vest shook his head in wonder.

  "We didn't know who they were when they came to the ranch," Alexis chimed in, feeling that the officer’s chastisement wasn't fair. "They turned up to the ranch and we just thank the good Lord no one was hurt. When Reg and I set out to bring them to Casper, all we knew was that they were bad men."

  For a moment it looked like the thick brown brows of the sheriff were going to climb clear up to his hair line as his eyes grew wider and wider on every word.

  "Are you telling me that you two young people brought these men to town all on your own?" The sheriff was a brave man, as brave as any lawman in a lawless country, and yet he was shaken.

  "No, we only got them as far as the herd and then joined the drive."

  Sheriff Johnson plopped into his chair with a groan. "God looks after fools and children," he said so softly that the others were not entirely sure they heard him correctly.

  "Sheriff, we just did what needed to be done." Lexi's voice was growing heated. "There wasn't anyone else to do it, so we got it done." The deep scowl furrowing her brow showed her irritation at the man's tone.

  Stretching out a gentle hand, Reginald Ogden laid it softly on Lexi’s sleeve. He'd never really touched her before and was surprised at the heat that seemed to emanate from her; she must have been more annoyed than he realized.

  "Sherriff, what's done is done," he said sensibly. "I suppose my brother and I could have brought the men in, but we didn't think it was a good idea to leave Mr. James and the other women on their own at ranch."

  "Well, I reckon you're right, what's done is done," the sheriff finally acquiesced, tipping his hat back on his head as he leaned into his chair. "I'll send off to the Marshall and see about the reward."

  "Reward?" Reg's eyes grew large at the words as he looked between his companions.

  "I just told you Mayhew was wanted for murder, there's a reward on men like him. Now let me see…" Leaning forward, mustache prickling, the sheriff rummaged through the papers on his desk. "Here it is," he called as he pulled a yellowed script from the file and showed it to the three people before him. "See, five hundred dollars for that particular no-good."

  A bright smile spread across Reginald Ogden's angular face, making his eyes sparkle.

  "Boy howdy!" He proclaimed. "With that I can bring Ma out here right away." He looked between Benji and Alexis, his features growing serious again. "Oh, but I need to calculate my share first," he added, looking abashed.

  Lexi watched as Reg grew serious. Something in her wanted to reach out to him, but she couldn't understand why. The money would have made a big difference in his life, but of course it was only logical that it would have to be divided among those involved in the capture of the outlaws; she had just opened her mouth to speak when the door behind them opened and a very tall, square-boned, older woman stepped through.

  "Where's my son," the woman called without preamble, "some old codger over at the boarding house said he was here with the sheriff." Her mouth snapped shut on the last words as Reg slowly lifted his head and turned.

  "Ma?" His word fell like a lead weight in the quiet room.

  "Reginald!" The woman exclaimed, her whole face brightening with a smile as she reached out and pulled the lanky redhead to her.

  Alexis cast a glance at her uncle, the question clear in her dark eyes, but it was met only with a simple shrug.

  "Ma, what are you doing here? How did you get here? Is everything alright back home?"

  "Everything's just fine," the woman replied, pushing her steel gray hair back in place and straightening her brown traveling dress. "Can't a woman come to visit her sons?" The words were terse, but a bright twinkle gleamed from her smoke colored eyes.

  Suddenly remembering the others in the room, Reg turned back toward Benji. "Ma, I'd like to introduce you to Benjamin Smith and Alexis James, and this is the Sherriff, of course."

  "Pleased to meet you," Mrs. Ogden said, first taking Benji's hand then turning to Alexis. Her sharp eyes took in the girl’s unorthodox attire and long, dark braid as she held Lexis' gloved hand for perhaps a second too long, before greeting the Sherriff.

  "If you're done with your business here, Reggie, I'd like to catch up on what's been going on since your last letter. It seems like things in this part of the country have a way of moving rather fast." She offered a smile to the rest of the room, then reaching out a hand, took her son's arm and turned toward the door.

  For a moment, Alexis watched the pair move out onto the boardwalk before turning to Benji with a raised brow. The old cowpuncher lifted his elbow with a nod of his head, then with a halfhearted "Thank you sheriff, we’ll be in touch," he led the girl out into the warm afternoon sun.

  "Uncle Benji," Lexi began as they walked arm in arm down the boardwalk, "did you know Reg and Taylor's mother was coming to Casper?"

  "No, but I'm not surprised. The boys had both mentioned wanting to bring their mother out once they got settled. Maybe Taylor sent a letter telling his mother to come out."

  "I'm sure Issy would have told me if he had. Do you think it will be a problem?"

  Placing a weathered hand on hers, Benji patted the young woman's hand affectionately as they walked. "I'm sure everything will work out just the way it should," he offered reassuringly.

  Lexi watched the receding backs of the couple before her and wondered if Benji truly believed what he had said.

  Mrs. Bicks' boarding house had recently expanded again, adding two rooms onto the gray frame structure that faced the main drag through Casper. The once small cabin was quickly becoming one of the largest structures in the small town, as more and more people came looking for a new beginning or even going on to Yellowstone to see the sites.

  Casper was still a rough town with nearly half of it made up of Saloons. The steady stream of immigrants crossing the North Platte River on their way to California or Oregon, holiday makers headed to Yellowstone, and wranglers from sheep and cattle ranches, ensured a transient population and an element of the plainly no-good.

  The building they had just left, the jailhouse, had been one of the first true structures built up in the few years that the one-time fort could truly be called a town. Since the 1850's, wagon trains had crossed the river to move on through the Rockies to their westward destinations.

  When the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad arrived in 1888, more business men saw an opportunity to meet not only the needs of the travelers, but the cattle ranches that had sprung up in the area and decided that Casper should become not just a trade station but a town.

  Alexis often wondered what the future held for the burgeoning town and its people. When her father had first stopped in Wyoming, the fort and bridge had been subject to attacks by the Sioux, Cheyenne, and other tribes native to the area, but these fears were few and far between in 1890. For just a moment, she wondered if the trials of the western plains were behi
nd them.

  A gentle tug on her arm brought Lexi to a halt, and she looked up to see Mrs. Ogden staring at her with great interest from the boardwalk that connected the boarding house to the rest of the town.

  "So your twin married my Taylor did she?" the woman stated more than asked, as she looked over at the girl before her like some prize animal.

  "Ma!" Reg groaned.

  "Oh hush boy. This is no fluffy little chit who doesn't have a clue about the rest of the world. I can see that just by looking at her, and besides she's pretty as a spring meadow."

  The nod she directed at Lexi caused heat to infuse her cheeks.

  "Now, how about some lunch?" Mrs. Ogden stated again, stepping up to the house and walking through the door.

  Chapter 7

  The first thing that Lexi noticed as she stepped through the door of the small inn was the old chuck wagon cook, Billy, as he jumped to his feet and trotted around the table to pull out a chair for Mrs. Ogden.

  What was striking, however, was not his act of chivalry, but his appearance. The usually grizzled old cook's white hair was slicked down and parted on the side, he wore a new, bright blue shirt and his boots had been polished, but most disturbing were the pungent waves of some sort of cologne that seemed to emanate from him like a haze.

  Reg stepped back to where Lexi still stood in the relatively fresh air of the front porch and blinked as his mother was seated at the long table that took up the entire front room of the house. He could not help but grin at the sight of her wrinkled nose.

  A few minutes later, they were all seated around the table as Mrs. Bicks and Cathleen placed a variety of dishes before them.

  Benji, eyeing Billy skeptically, took a seat at the end of the table next to Isadoro and bowed his head for grace.

  "Mrs. Ogden," Lexi's wiry grandfather began as the dishes were passed around, "I'm very glad you could join us and I'm sure you are thrilled to be here with your son." His precise, slow English was clipped, moderating his mild Italian accent.

  "Thank you Mr. Leoné." She looked around the table, giving the group a nod. "I'm very pleased to be here and so happy that I can travel to the ranch with you. You've already been very kind and I certainly don't want to be an inconvenience."

  "You ain't no inconvenience a'tall," Billy chimed in. "Matter o' fact, you’re a treat's what you are." He grinned cheekily at the woman, who replied with only a raised brow.

  It seemed that everyone who had come to the boarding house first had already met Mrs. Ogden and that she would travel back to the Broken J with the family and crew.

  "How was your trip, Ma?" Reg spoke up as the conversation started to lag.

  "It was fine and amazing to see so much of this beautiful country that I'd only ever learned about in books. I can't wait to see more." The woman's voice was pleasant but her features still seemed imposing to Lexi. Yet, somehow she found a great deal of pleasure in the undue attention that Billy paid to the tall, serious looking woman.

  "We'll be gettin' supplies in the next day or two," Billy offered in explanation of how the crew would proceed. "Might even be here a couple days 'afore we light out fer home," he added with a toothy smile.

  Mrs. Ogden raised a brow at the small white haired man who twinkled at her with interest.

  "I see," she replied coldly. "I suppose that will give me some time with Reggie, then." She turned her eyes toward her son, who colored at the gentle slight.

  "Well, won't that be nice then," Billy piped cheerfully. "I reckon between the two of us, me and Reg can see you around the town a bit." Then without another word, he dug into his lunch with gusto.

  "We'll be pretty busy over the next few days,” Benji spoke up. “Is, Isadoro, I mean, Cathleen and I are headed to the general store after lunch to collect supplies for the ranch. You're welcome to come along with us if you'd like."

  "Uncle Benji, I'm planning on going over to Mr. Progers’ place to see if he has any new books. I was telling Reg about it and we wanted to go if you don't mind?"

  "Sounds alright to me," Benji replied.

  "Fiona and I are headed over to the Doc’s place," Hank rumbled from the far end of the table where he sat next to a tired looking Fiona and an excited Eric.

  "Eric, would you like to come along with me and Reg to the book store?" Lexi offered before anyone pointed out that the young boy might not want to go to see the doctor with his parents.

  "Sure, Aunt Lexi," the boy replied. "I've been learning to read real good and Grandpa Josh gave me a whole quarter of my own." His bright blue eyes twinkled as he pulled the coin out of his pocket, making everyone smile.

  "Reg, how about me an' your mother traipse along with you, then mebbe we can stop for some pie on the way back." The old codger added a wink that absolutely no one missed.

  Reginald Ogden looked from Lexi to his mother then back again, unsure what to say to Billy's request.

  "That sounds just fine, Billy," Lexi quickly replied, “as long as Mrs. Ogden isn't too tired to come along." She glanced toward the older woman, giving her an opportunity to decline the invitation if she wanted to.

  Mrs. Ogden was silent for so long Lexi thought she would actually refuse, but finally she replied. "That sounds lovely," she said, again studying the young woman. "I'm surprised to hear that such a town as... small as Casper has a book store."

  "If you all don't mind, I'll change first," Lexi finally said with a bright smile. "It's one thing to wear trousers on the trail, but I don't think I'd like to wear them about town if I can avoid it."

  Half an hour later Reg, Billy, Alexis, Eric and Mrs. Ogden stepped out into the bright afternoon sun. Reg offered his arm to his mother politely, but she shook her head.

  "Why don't you and Miss Lexi lead the way," she said sensibly, looking toward Billy where he stood with his hands resting on Eric's shoulders. In an instant the older man was at her side, sticking out a bony elbow so she could take his arm.

  "How long you been in town, Mrs. Ogden?" Lexi heard Billy's voice from behind her shoulder as she took Reg's arm; she could not help but smile. For some reason she didn't quite understand, she was starting to think that Billy was smitten.

  "The book store is this way," she said, smiling at her companion. "I'm not sure you'd actually call it a store, but Mr. Progers buys books from people passing through and sells some from his front room."

  "I wonder if he has any more Verne," Reg asked as his boots clumped along the boardwalk. "I keep thinking of Around the World in Eighty Days and wondering if someone could ever really do it. The age of steam has sure made it a small world."

  "Oh, yes. Trains have made it possible to cross the US in only days instead of months, and boats cross the oceans so quickly now it's possible to transport fresh produce in some areas."

  "Lexi?" Eric called from his side.

  "Yes, Eric?"

  "After we look at the books can we go to the general store?" She could see him toying with the shiny coin in his pocket and knew it was burning a hole there.

  "I'm sure we can," she said, smoothing his blonde hair off his face. "If we're careful I'll bet we can even buy some candy. Just don't tell Nona." Her smile showed him that she was teasing and he smiled back.

  Reg could not help but notice the exchange and smiled at how she was with her young nephew. "Maybe we can stop by the store first," he suggested, looking to Lexi for confirmation.

  "What a good idea. What do you say Eric?" The young woman looked into the bright face of her nephew and knew where they would go.

  Alexis walked along the streets of Casper holding Eric's hand and thinking about children and candy and all of the good things in her life. She loved seeing Eric happy and wondered what his life would hold. He was so young and everything was so interesting. "What do you think you'll buy?" she asked, giving her young companion a dazzling smile.

  "I like licorice best," Eric replied, "but Ma likes peppermint lately. I thought I'd get her some of that."

  A minute later, th
e little group entered the general store and gazed around. It looked like most stores of its type at that time. Small tables were stacked with supplies ranging from shirts to shot guns, while floor to ceiling shelves supported a wide range of tinned goods, jars, and just about anything else someone might consider a necessity. Barrels of flour, sugar, salt and even crackers were lined up in nearly every other empty space, allowing only a narrow path for shoppers to navigate as they searched for wares.

  Eric made a bee-line for the rows of large glass jars set in rows on the clerk’s counter at the far end of the store, his eyes growing round at the large selection of sweets available. Bright yellow lemon drops, long red and white striped peppermint sticks, whip thin licorice wound in tight black coils, and so much more.

  Not truly interested in any particular item in the store, Lexi hung back by the door observing Benji and Cathleen arguing with the store’s owner over the price of the cheeses Cathleen had made and brought to sell at the store. Her grandfather Isadoro was busy going over a list of items with the clerk at the counter, obviously ordering supplies for the ranch in his steady, quiet way.

  With so many people in the store, the already crowded place seemed full to the brim with people. Seeing her grandfather leaving the list with the clerk and walking toward Eric, she was sure she could leave him and step back out into the warming summer's day. She did not notice Reg move toward her as he slipped silently through the door.

  "Miss Lexi, is everything alright?" the young man asked as he moved into the shade of the building.

  "Oh, I'm fine. It was just very crowded inside." Her dark eyes took in the busy street of the small town. The building had no cover for the low, wooden walkway that ran the length of the street, and she shaded her eyes with one hand.

  "Do you want to head on over to the book store? I can tell Ma."

  "That sounds like a good idea," the girl's smile was soft and thoughtful, and Reg was sure she was thinking of how much more practical it would be to go down the street instead of staying there and waiting on the others.