“Talk is, they’re not selling any more stock in the mine. Don’t know why, I guess they must have had a cap of how many stocks they wanted to sell to keep the profit margins higher for anyone who bought into it or something.”
“Huh,” Bruce pursed his lips. “I never knew they limited mine stocks. Is the same true for the Querida and Humboldt mines, do ya know?”
The man shrugged his shoulders. “No clue. I wonder if they limited how many shares each person could buy; sounds like whoever got in on it might make a pretty fair profit if everything turns out right. Hey, Boss,” the man turned to Bruce, “You ever know anyone who struck it rich? You know, just some ordinary fella?”
Duffy couldn’t resist the urge to chuckle to himself as he imagined this conversation taking place about him in the near future - what a day that was going to be!
“Nah,” Bruce shrugged. “All I’ve ever known was hard-working men who met their maker owing the bank a little something. If anyone in these mountains ever struck it rich, though, I bet that man would become well-known in a short time.”
“Yeah! I’d like to be friends with a rich man,” came the comment from the hatless man.
Duffy sat up a bit taller in his saddle, content to ride in his silence and dream about all the cash he’d be able to stuff in his pockets soon as those stocks paid off.
“I don’t mind telling everyone that my bottom side is beginning to call out for a little bit of mercy,” Bruce announced to anyone who wanted to listen.
The other men chimed in with their own versions of agreement, adding in which parts of their anatomy deserved immediate attention.
“There’s that holler up the way a bit, we’ll camp there for the night. With the rains we’ve had lately, there oughtta be a nice sized pool back in there. Course, I haven’t been up this way in a couple of years now, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Cutting into the conversation, one of the men offered some good news. “I wandered up this way some six months back and the water was running down the wall then. Stopped and waded in it, too,” he teased the other men.
“No kidding? Well,” Bruce nodded, “in that case, these boots are coming off tonight, boys!”
P
The Puma Canyon road, tending to appear even steeper and narrower once the night tied a blanket of pure black through the deep chasm walls, breathed a sigh of relief as the first flames of the campfire glowed in the center of the holler and bounced off the cascading water falling down the inside of the circular wall.
As their horses drank from the pool, the men parked themselves near the fire and warm grub and exchanged thoughts on the day’s journey.
“We woulda been begging for disaster, had we been forced to keep going in the dark,” the group agreed.
Joking, one of the men mentioned that if the fireflies were any bigger, “They might come in handy if we strung the little buggers all together.”
Sliding another bite of his cheese sandwich into his mouth, Bruce had to laugh at the idea.
“I’m trying to picture the family getting together on a summer night, with grandma stringing thread on needles for everyone to poke through a mess of the poor critters. You suppose that could become a new pastime around here?”
“Bug-stringing? I don’t think so,” the man laughed back. “Now, playing checkers with ladybugs and beetles? Ya might have something there,” he teased.
Bruce shook his grinning head. “I have to say one thing. You men sure provide the entertainment; it wouldn’t be the same without you along to keep me company.”
With a couple of sandwiches in his hand, Duffy made his own message clear by stomping off to a boulder over by the pool: he did not want to be disturbed by all their foolish talk.
A couple of the men gave each other the shake-of-the-head once Duffy’s back had properly turned against the lot of them and mouthed with palms facing up, “What’s wrong?”
Problem was, nobody knew what that man’s malfunction was or when it even started.
Tobias handed a second cheese sandwich to Bruce while he bit off a healthy chunk of his own and motioned for the men to put Duffy out of their minds while they finished their food and made with more small talk to pass the rest of the evening.
“Hey, Boss,” Tobias nodded. “How many apple trees you figure on planting this time around?”
Rubbing his chin as he calculated in his mind, he replied with, “Oh, I imagine we might plant two or three dozen trees. That’s about how many I ordered anyhow. Figured it out with Richard and if all the trees bear fruit the way he’s counting on, there should be more than plenty to feed the bunch of us plus some to sell.”
He grinned. “And that girl of mine wants three trees planted right close to the barn so the horses can have a treat and the rest of us have plenty to snack on, too, as we go about our chores. Sounds like a right good plan to me.”
Tobias bobbed his head in agreement. “Sure does. You are aware of the fact that she is serious about those sheep, right? I’m thinking we best get some pens built here pretty quick, cause if I know that girl at all, she already has names picked out for them.”
“I’m with you on that one,” her father nodded. “I don’t suppose we could talk her out of one for dinner once she’s done with its fur, could we?”
The hatless man raised a hand in the air. “I would leave that one alone if I were you; who remembers that turkey she got attached to last year?”
The men chuckled when Tobias held a finger to his throat and pulled it slowly.
“She still doesn’t like to eat turkey near as much as she used to after that, now that you bring it back up,” Bruce recollected.
Duffy’s eyes squinted off in the distance as the other men’s laughter filled up the recesses of the holler and echoed off the inner walls of their home for the evening. His curious glances did not go unnoticed by Tobias, who stood up at just the right moment to stir up the fire pit a bit.
A nudge in Bruce’s ribs once Tobias sat back down drew his attention.
“Don’t reckon you caught that, huh?” Tobias grinned, glancing toward Duffy. Bruce caught Tobias’ hint and replied in hushed tones.
“Nah, I reckon I got me a mess of things on my mind tonight. What did I miss this time?”
“Just a heads-up,” he rolled his eyes backward. “Someone’s not happy again.”
“I’ve been asking everyone the same thing: have you and Duffy been having words back at the ranch? Or has he had any recent runs with anyone that you know of?”
“Now that you’re coming out and asking, me and Hailee have seen him back at home...being…different.”
Bruce looked downward and shut his eyes. How could this situation be happening right under his nose and never have even seen any of it coming, he asked Tobias. “I’m starting to get the same answer everywhere I turn.”
Shaking his head as if to soften the blow, Tobias added, “Not that either of us felt he was contemplating doing anything mean to either of us-to anyone-it’s just that he’s been watching the both of us lately.”
Tobias squeezed his eyes together and thought twice before adding, “Hailee isn’t comfortable being around him these days, Boss. He gives her the willies.”
Bruce dropped his head.
“Aaah, I had no idea,” he sighed out loud. “How long has this been goin’ on?”
Tobias shook his head, assuring Bruce that he wasn’t trying to stir up any problems between the two men. “I know he’s been around the ranch longer than I have, Boss, but Hailee talks to me a lot and tells me things that are on her mind; I reckon you could say that we’ve gotten close to each other because of it.”
There. He’d said it.
Bruce nodded his head. He wanted to say something to Tobias but decided that wouldn’t be necessary; instead, the men resumed conversation with the others as they all finished off the coffee before turning in for the night.
P
Pre-winter mountain air bit at noses
peeping out from under bedroll blankets and hats, causing a stir within the camp as men rolled over on the cold ground and twisted around to work out the night’s kinks; the whiff of fresh-brewed coffee pushed them to their feet.
The familiar scent of sausage and potatoes caused their eyes to focus immediately on the fire ring as fists rubbed the life back into their eyes. A second rubbing became necessary for final confirmation once the identity of the do-gooder revealed himself.
Duffy sat on one of the large stones near the fire with what appeared to have been at least a second cup of coffee and a slight grin on his face.
“Mornin,’” he offered with a nod of his head. “Figured I might as well get the day started, seein’ as how I was up first. The sausage and bacon might look off-kilter, cause I think I lost some of my meat saws along the way. Horses are saddled up.”
Stunned the man was even speaking to them, the men exchanged looks of shock, almost afraid to even get out from under their blankets. Had Duffy laid a trap for the whole lot of them?
He stood, smoothed a wrinkle in his shirt and gave a second nod before walking off toward the same boulder he’d sat on the night before. With a startling contented grin pasted on his face and a cup of coffee in hand, he made his way to the rear of the holler to consume his morning beverage.
While the majority of the men shrugged and grinned, Tobias and Bruce still eyed the strange man with caution.
Chapter 13
Duffy hung his head over the side of the boulder and shoved a fist into his belly before he doubled over to make way for the contents of his breakfast to come spilling out over the side of the massive rock, leaving the man’s knotted body slumped over to one side.
Just as his mind and body relaxed enough to drift off in an early morning nap, the clanging of pots and pans being loaded back onto the horse drew him back to reality and he knew he had to pull himself together. There would be no turning back at this point.
With a deep breath, the man pulled the fist from his stomach, forcing himself into a sitting position; it took all the energy he still possessed to urge himself to a standing position, but it was only from habit that he found the way to his own horse.
“Sure was nice of you to get the coffee on this morning. We sure do appreciate it,” Bruce complimented him with a hearty pat on the shoulder..
“Least I could do,” he muttered and turned to stick his foot into a stirrup.
The men watched as their breath produced visible clouds in the early morning air, demonstrating how the temperatures had dipped so low during the night.
“This is the day it’s gonna change, Boss! I can feel something different this morning,” Tobias commented before lowering his voice. “And it has nothing to do with the fact that Duffman switched saddles on us, either,” he hitched a thumb at their horses.
Bruce nodded in acknowledgment, attempting to keep his voice down.
“I noticed it, too. He must have gotten them confused so early in the morning. It can be a bit on the dark side, especially out here. I was hoping nobody pointed it out to him; it’s almost like he’s trying to take a stab at making amends, and I’m all for that.”
“Yeah,” Tobias nodded, his eyebrows furrowing. “But I still don’t trust him.”
Glancing over his shoulder, Bruce nodded his agreement. “Neither do I, but it’s all we have to work with right now,” Bruce gave a tug of his head. “We’ll just keep our eyes and ears open. The truth always finds a way of showing itself.”
“Alright then,” Bruce clapped his hands together as he turned to the group of cowboys. “Let’s get up this hill and get some business done today!”
Tugging back on the reins, three men slowed their horses down some in order to to allow a couple others the space to pass by; it had been decided the men carrying rifles in the best condition should lead the way that last bit of incline. A level spot in the road lay not too far ahead, giving the group of riders the promise of a less uncomfortable journey than it had been the day before.
Holding a hand up to his eyes to block the early morning glare of sunlight as he peered upward, Tobias reached down to his saddle bag and drew out a plug of chewing gum to keep his mouth moist, then tugged his hat down some.
He and Bruce started upward, Bruce offering to take the outside ledge so he could peer over the side and bring a full report back to his beautiful and inquisitive daughter.
“Yeah, she’s gonna want to know what the canyon looked like, smelled like, and all the details you can remember about everything along the way, isn’t she?” Tobias chimed in. “She gave me a list of things to watch for with that horse of hers. I’m supposed to tell her goodnight for Hailee every night-which I have only done twice. But if you tell her I admitted that, well, I’ll just have to deny it!” he laughed.
Bruce laughed. “Your secret is safe with me, Son.”
Taking an amount of pride in the wording Bruce chose to use, he sat a mite taller in his saddle. Son. If he only knew…maybe since the day had begun so well, this could be the day he would try to talk to Bruce a little bit about his feelings and intentions with Hailee if nobody else was within earshot of their conversation. Deciding he would do just that, Tobias glanced over at Bruce again.
The concerned look on his face caused Tobias to tilt his head some and scan the man, the horse, and then Bruce’s face once again.
“What’s the matter, Boss?”
“Ah, nothing. I thought I felt my saddle slipping. I don’t feel like getting down and fixing right now. It’ll last til we stop for lunch and I’ll check ’er then. Hey, Duffy!” he hollered back behind himself. “You made a pretty decent breakfast. What are you planning for lunch?”
Duffy shook his head. “It’s a surprise!” he replied out loud. Then he mumbled to himself, “and that ain’t no joke, neither.”
P
“I had an aunt who knew all of ’em,” Bruce announced, referring to the foliage.
“All I really know is, they sure are green. Well, most of ’em,” Tobias told him. “Some of ’em, I learned can be used for curing a cold or for eating when the getting gets rough. But I don’t know all that much, really.”
Dust kicked up under hooves and an eagle swooped down low enough for the men to take in a good peek.
One of them pointed toward the sky, eyes scanning for one more look at the beautiful bird.
“We don’t get to see that very often around here,” he observed. “There’s a nest of them over on the Arkansas River, right in that area where the road swishes back and forth. Kinda surprised to see her over this way.”
Twisting in his saddle, Bruce clenched his jaw and all but halted his horse.
Thinking the cat had been spotted, a couple of the men followed suit and Tobias allowed his eyes to follow the line of boulders and hidden crevices a little more carefully. Once he realized the air smelled crispy clean, he turned his eyes toward Bruce, who continued to fidget on top of his horse.
“Boss, what's going on over there?”
“Eh, I’m gonna have to stop once we get up this stretch,” his head nudged toward the clearing just up ahead. “Something don’t feel right here.”
The men continued on, resuming talk about the eagle and her nest over on the Arkansas. General consensus agreed there must be a few more mouths to feed or maybe the river had gotten a bit over-picked for her to have been flying in this area.
“Tobias!”
The young ranch hand’s neck snapped toward the sound of his boss’ sudden cry of his name.
But the call for help turned into a grunted yelp as one of Bruce's ranch-roughened hands reached out to grab his saddle horn, stark confusion and fear on his face as he gave a desperate attempt to steady himself and prevent the fall he knew would be inevitable.
When the loud snap of his leather cinch strap sounded out over the canyon walls, it proved to be no safety net for either Bruce or his horse.
With a last-ditch effort to save himself from tumbling over the embank
ment and into his own his deathbed, Bruce gave an instinctive thrust of his shoulders upward, as if that single motion would somehow reposition his entire body a full foot in the opposite direction.
It didn’t.
In an instant, the saddle heaved itself to the right of the horse, promptly stumbling the massive beast over the side of the narrow pathway; man and beast both spiraled down the Puma Canyon wall.
Just as his right shoulder smashed against the loose dirt and gravel clinging to the edge of the embankment, Bruce felt gravity kick in and the weight of his body shifting once again. His head lifted to avoid the impact he knew would be coming. His eyes darted upward, landing square in focus with Tobias’ eyes.
Bruce’s heart thundered in his chest when saw the look of utter terror in Tobias’ eyes, who sensed the unintentional message of grave danger he felt himself in.
Not reassuring.
An echoing whinny vibrated through the canyon as the horse attempted one last desperate attempt to regain its footing. The sound of Bruce crying out for help as his body snapped one limb after the other blended as one continuous sound while rocks tumbled down and pelted his body.
Still perched atop his horse, Tobias felt his lips move, but his mouth felt frozen while his throat squeezed the very breath out of his lungs. A sudden fear-inducing adrenaline rush pounding through every inch of his body caused his brain to fuzz for a second or two.
“Boss! No!” Tobias called out far too late.
A thundering crash came with every tree limb the horse and Bruce fell through, and he could feel the flesh ripping away from his arms, face, and back as he tumbled over thick limbs and prickly scrub oak poking out from the canyon wall. Bits of debris stabbed him in his eyes, and all he could see was a blur as he felt himself tumble, smash against the side of the wall, and then fall airborne once again. He could barely breathe as terror filled his brain. Bruce was close to losing consciousness - and worse. He knew it.
It was no use. They had fallen too fast and too far to do anything but watch in horror.
Tobias dismounted in such a hurry, he felt the impact jar his knees. But it didn’t slow him down a bit; he scrambled to the edge and slammed to his knees, pressing the palms of his hands deep into the dirt and gravel.
Rebellion in the Valley Page 10
