by Nathan Jones
On the plus side, all the spots the Hendricksons had prepared had excellent avenues for retreat, so Skyler instructed the others on the system of signal whistles Trapper used. Or at least refreshed Bob, Vicky, and Lisa on them, since his dad had used that same system since the disastrous trip to Newpost a decade ago. With that system he could hopefully direct them in falling back to other positions, as well as making sure they were defending in the right directions.
He hoped all these precautions weren't necessary, but his gut told him they would be, and sooner rather than later.
If Skyler's less than friendly meeting with Randall's gang hadn't been enough warning of their ill intentions, he had confirmation of them a few hours later when Jeb noticed that the stream running through the yard had been fouled.
“Don't see many animals producing such big turds,” the part time ranch hand said sourly. “Bet any amount of money that's humans who should know better dropping number twos to float on down to us.”
“I'm sure they know exactly what they're doing,” Uncle Bob replied, expression grim at returning to this bad news. Especially since he was bringing back plenty of his own after visiting the other ranchers; just as Jared had predicted, they all intended to look after their own property and leave the Hendricksons to handle any attack on their own.
Skyler nodded. “They're probably hoping to deny us that water, maybe even give us dysentery or the like. Soften us up for whatever they're planning. Or they're just doing it as a poke in the eye, out of sheer mean-spiritedness.”
“Whatever they were hoping for it's a waste of effort, if a disgusting one,” Aunt Vicky said with a quiet smile. “We hired a team from the Northern League to drill us a well with a good strong pump last year. We only use the stream to water the garden these days.”
Jeb had been shifting uncomfortably throughout the conversation; for that matter, he'd looked nervous from the moment Skyler and the others returned from talking to Randall's gang. “Listen,” the ranch hand abruptly said. “I hate to be like this, but I was hired on to help with chores and handle livestock. I don't much like the idea of getting in a shootout with a baker's dozen bandits. No job's worth that.”
Bob looked a bit put out at the man's announcement. “We're well set up to defend this place if they come,” he protested. “And I could offer you some sort of hazard pay.”
The wiry older man snorted. “It'd have to be a whole cow, to put my life on the line like that.” From the uncomfortable silence that followed it was obvious the Hendricksons had no intention of agreeing to such an outrageous suggestion. Jeb shook his head. “Nah. You're decent folks, and I hate to leave you in the lurch like this. I'm grateful for the generous employment you've given me, but I won't die for this place.”
Skyler supposed he couldn't blame the man. Even Trapper, one of the bravest men he knew, had refused to fight for Simon's convoy back on the trip to Newpost, when he'd only been hired on as a guide.
This wasn't Jeb's fight, it was only reasonable he'd bail until the danger was past.
Assuming his job was still here when Skyler and his friends, and Jared, successfully fought off Randall's gang; the Hendricksons might understand the hired hand's position, but still have a hard time putting the fact that he'd bailed in their hour of need behind them.
Jeb gathered his things and headed south, looking somewhat shamefaced but also stubbornly resolved. “You should think about taking your livestock into town and staying there for protection until these bandits move on!” he called as he left the yard. “No sense dying in some pointless last stand.”
“And leave our ranch and everything we've worked so hard to build for them to loot and then burn down?” Lisa demanded, although her words weren't directed at the ranch hand, who was already out of earshot. She looked around at all of them, eyes blazing. “We can't leave this place undefended!”
“We shouldn't need to,” Skyler said, then paused. That is, they wouldn't need to if the four remaining adults with him had all been as good in a fight as he was. And if he was willing to risk the lives of his friends, and Jared, when they were outnumbered almost three to one.
But they weren't, and he wasn't sure he was, even if they were all determined to defend their home. “On the other hand, we abandoned the ranch back in Utah when Sangue came,” he said reluctantly. “Trapper even burned it down after the bloodies occupied it, to keep them from using it as a base of operations. We were able to rebuild.”
“A home we can rebuild, death's a bit harder to come back from,” Vicky agreed quietly. She shuddered slightly. “Among other things.”
The others all nodded grimly at that, looking sick. Skyler noticed even Jared had a haunted look in his eyes; he'd obviously suffered something horrible in his past as well. Which was no surprise, since Lisa said Brandon had rescued him from a slave camp.
But whatever vulnerability his friend's fiancé showed swiftly vanished as he cleared his throat. “Rebuilding's all well and good, but there's no telling whether this Randall and his bandits wouldn't just attack us in the middle of driving the livestock to Lone Valley. It's more than an hour away, and we'd be slow and vulnerable the entire time. At least we're set up to defend this place.”
That was, unfortunately, a good point; even Skyler had to concede it.
Bob nodded grimly. “You're not wrong. I don't like the idea of a last stand, but unless we want to risk losing everything we might need to fight. We can always get the horses and escape with our lives at the last extreme.” He turned to Vicky, expression firm. “Although I think you should take the kids and ride hard for town to try to drum up some help, raise a posse. Also radio for aid from the League if you can. And even if no one's willing to help us, maybe you'd all be better off in the safety of Lone Valley until this is over.”
“And leave the rest of you to defend this place?” she protested heatedly. “We could catch up to Jeb, have him take our sons to safety. Tess should be happy to watch them for a few days, especially once she knows the situation. And he could ask for help in town, too.”
The older man took his wife in his arms. “You're no fighter, V,” he said gently. “And I can't risk putting you in danger. Not ever again. Especially if it means leaving our boys as orphans.” He cleared his throat, voice turning brisk. “Besides, we do need someone to go find help. Folks might not listen to Jeb if he asked, but they'll listen to you.”
In spite of her protests and obvious reluctance, Aunt Vicky didn't end up needing much convincing. While the rest of them continued their preparations to defend the ranch, she packed up necessities for herself and the kids. Then she got them all mounted on a strong but gentle looking mare, Bryant seated behind her holding tight around her waist while she clutched Connor to her chest with one hand and held the reins in the other.
She set off at a brisk pace, Bob riding along with her just long enough to be sure that none of Randall's men suddenly burst out of their camp and came galloping after her in pursuit. Skyler kept his own wary vigil as they rode off, gripping the strap of his trusty AK-47 slung on his back.
Anyone who tried to ride past him to get at Aunt Vicky was going down with a killing shot, no hesitation. He and his mom had followed Trapper's warning and left their friends behind when those Sangue monsters attacked Randall's convoy, then spent years witnessing the tragic aftermath.
Now that he had the skills to defend them, he meant to. Those squatters would harm his friends over his dead body.
Chapter Six
Sentry
It obviously chafed the ranchers, especially Bob, to waste good hay on the livestock sitting safe in the barn when they could be out grazing. And even more so that they all had to be positioned around the ranch as sentries guarding against attack rather than getting necessary chores done.
But throughout the afternoon as they made as many preparations as even Skyler could think of, none of them voiced any complaints about the necessity.
In an irritating but unsurprising move, Jare
d insisted on taking the sentry position closest to his. And whenever Skyler's preparations required an extra hand, the man offered his sullen assistance before Skyler could ask for help from Lisa. It was obvious his friend's fiancé was doing his best to keep them apart, which just showed how much confidence he had in the strength of his relationship with the woman he was about to marry.
Skyler didn't like it, but he couldn't protest without looking like a jerk. Still, he kind of wished that if anyone had decided to be his watchdog, it would've been Uncle Bob; he wanted to spend more time with the man, have more opportunities to catch up after five years.
But no, he was stuck with the one person on the ranch who obviously hated his guts.
Eventually Skyler got tired of the oppressive silence, so while he and Jared were busy filling sandbags for one of the new positions he cleared his throat. “I suppose congratulations are in order on your engagement. Lisa's an incredible woman, you're lucky to have found her.”
More lucky than you deserve.
The unspoken sentiment must've sounded loud and clear, because the scrawny ranch hand snorted bitterly. “Aw shucks, Graham, no need to gush.”
“Well, I know my arrival's made things a bit awkward. I just figured there was no need to be a dick about it.”
Jared threw down the shovel he'd been using to fill the bag Skyler held and straightened, expression darkening. “Oh no, you've been a joy to have around. The prodigal son returned. I'm surprised Bob hasn't picked out one of the calves to butcher.”
Skyler set down the bag and stood as well, struggling to keep his temper. “Look, however you feel about me being here, these people are practically family to me. I've known them most of my life. I won't apologize for being overjoyed to see them, or that they're happy to see me too.”
The other man was slow to answer. “You know, Lisa's talked about you, along with the rest of your family and her other friends from Utah. She never had anything but good to say about you, and I'm not blind to the fact that she was probably in love with you when she left. Maybe still loves you, at least in some way.”
His voice hardened. “But she loves me, too, and I love her. So the question I have to ask, Graham, is are you the sort of worm who'd try to ruin a relationship and steal a woman with a ring already on her finger?”
I gave her a ring first, Skyler thought resentfully, thinking of the ring he'd given Lisa so long ago, as she was riding out of his life. He wondered if she still had it, if Jared knew about it. If it still meant anything to her. “Lisa isn't married yet,” he said stubbornly.
Jared scowled, eyes flashing. “Well, now I've got an idea of the sort of man you are. So let me tell you the sort of man I am.” He leaned forward, not quite threateningly. “I was a slave for almost a year. The bloodies caught me six years ago and . . .” he hesitated, expression tightening. “Well, let's just say they did the same stuff to me they did to a lot of other kids they caught.”
Skyler flinched. If that was true, no wonder Lisa had been so willing to get close to him; she'd spent half her life around people dealing with that sort of pain, and her well of sympathy for their plight was bottomless.
“But the thing is, I fought them every time,” Jared continued in a hard voice. “No matter how often they beat me, or starved me, or found other ways to punish me for it, I never gave in. Even at the end, they knew I'd bite off anything they put near my mouth, even if it meant I took a bullet to the head. Even if it meant they'd do something even worse to me instead.”
He leaned forward, and this time it was threatening. “I've lost everything in my life, Graham. Lost it, and spent years clawing my way back to having some sort of life now. Lisa's the first good thing I've had since before Sangue first caught me, and if you think you can just swoop in and take her without a fight, you're about to learn a hard lesson.”
Skyler met the man's gaze with quiet resolve. “Isn't that up to her to decide?”
“Of course it is.” The ranch hand shoved a finger in his chest. “I can just imagine you being an underhanded git about it, though. So if you really care about her, don't try to complicate things when she's already happy.”
Apparently satisfied, Jared stooped to pick up the shovel.
They got back to work, the silence even more awkward than it had been. It was a relief when Lisa called them in for dinner a few minutes later; Skyler practically bolted for the house, eager to escape her fiancé’s hostile company.
Jared was hot on his heels, of course, but to his surprise when they arrived the man asked his fiancée to wrap his food. “Someone needs to keep an eye on things while the rest of you are eating.”
Skyler was a bit shocked that after dogging his heels all afternoon, the ranch hand was suddenly giving him an opportunity to be alone with Lisa. He figured Jared was just trying to score points with her, remind her that he was the one who could protect and provide for her.
Considering he was an employee of her ranch using a gun borrowed from her dad, the behavior seemed a bit like strutting. But maybe Skyler was letting his dislike of the man color his opinion.
Or probably.
As soon as they were settled around the table with their food, Lisa began pumping Skyler for more stories about life back in Utah. It proved a far more pleasant discussion than his confrontation with Jared, and honestly it was nice to think about his loved ones at home. He'd been missing them more and more over the last few years, only his stubborn determination to find the Hendricksons keeping him from returning for at least a visit.
Maybe he'd head back after this. It would be good to see his family again, and the Gerrys and Williamsons and all his other friends. And Tabby. Even if she was already married, even if she already had a kid, it would be good to see her.
Or maybe it wouldn't. Seeing Lisa with someone else was tearing him apart inside; could he stand to see the same with the woman at home he loved just as much, maybe more?
He really had made a dog's dinner of his life, hadn't he?
It must've been obvious how much Tabby was in his thoughts by how often he mentioned her during that conversation, because not long after Bob excused himself to go check on the animals Lisa abruptly brought it up.
“You realize just how much you talked about Tabby while telling me about back home?” she asked point-blank. “While at the same time trying to avoid talking about her at all . . . what's going on there?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “We became good friends after you left. She cheered me on with everything I did during the Mountain War, supported me even when she thought I was making a mistake. And she comes to help out my mom all the time, or at least did before I left. Mom even made her Miles's godmother, since she loves that little guy with all her heart.”
Skyler paused, realizing Lisa had gone strangely quiet, and finally noticed her expression. “There's nothing between us though,” he added hastily. “She knows how I feel about you, and she was supportive about it.” At least until I left to look for you, he thought morosely.
Just like always when he thought of Tabby, a surge of miserable longing swept over him. That's why he'd done his best to avoid thinking about her these last two years, guilty as that made him feel. She'd been his best friend, and could've been so much more. She deserved better.
“So let me get this straight,” Lisa said slowly. “You've been pining after me openly all these years, even though Tabby's been right there, and in spite of that she's supported you and stayed by your side through everything?”
Skyler shifted, embarrassed. “Yeah, she's been a great friend.”
Lisa leaned across the table and slugged his arm. Hard.
“Ow!” he protested, leaning away and rubbing at the spot. “What was that for?”
“A great friend?” she demanded. “She's a blasted saint! Any sane man would've realized how lucky he was and never let her go.” Skyler had finally let his hand rubbing his sore arm drop, and she took the opportunity to hit him in the same spot again, just as hard. �
��And you reward that loyalty by moping after another girl, one you might never see again, right in front of her the entire time? How could you do that to that sweetheart?”
That didn't seem very fair, considering she was the girl he'd been moping after. And he hadn't been moping! “I made it clear from the start how I felt about you. She was the one who was fine with being my friend until I finally left to look for you.”
“You think that makes it better?” Lisa demanded furiously. She threw up her hands. “Mom always talks about how stubborn your family is, but I'd almost forgotten. Why would you do this to yourself, to her?” She looked on the point of grabbing him by the collar and shaking him.
“Why are you making such a big deal out of this?” Skyler asked, failing to completely hide his sullenness.
“Because I just found out my two best friends from my old life could've been happy together all this time, and because of me they're not!” She jumped to her feet and began pacing furiously. “Instead of a tearful goodbye when I left five years ago, I should've slapped you silly! We would've both had an easier time moving on then.”
His head jerked up, thoughts screeching onto another track. “Wait, you had trouble moving on?”
“Of course I had trouble!” Lisa shouted, still in full rant mode. “You've been my best friend since we were toddlers, including through one of the worst times in my life. I was in love with you for years after I left, Sky!”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth she froze, turning to stare at him with huge eyes.
Skyler slowly stood too, a flood of emotions grabbing his heart and crushing it in a vise. “You did?” he asked quietly.
Rather than answer, she snatched up what was left of her dinner. “I'm going to go eat with my fiancé.” She might've stressed that last word a little.
