“Well…when I wouldn’t go back east like my pa wanted, some of the folks, mostly ladies thought kinda ill of me. And the men too because I put britches on and worked my ranch along with my pa, like a man. So everyone sorta marked me as Morgan’s wayward child. It didn’t matter to me at first, but as time goes on…it sorta does. So today, when they started shooting at me, I was just gonna keep on going. You see, Harry and most the ranchers around here are pretty good friends. And now that I put it all together, I reckon they been plannin’ this take-over for some time. It’s kinda easy to figure lookin’ back at it all. Especially the way Harry was talkin’. Because of the way most the ranchers treat me, I don’t socialize much with them, knowin’ their attitude. Oh, I try to be friendly, but they think I’m what’s the word…”
“Eccentric?”
“Yeah, that’s it. Oh maybe they seen me a time or two, but as for socializing, I just don’t have the time. My pa, he never put too many hands on, just enough to take care of the place so there has always been a lot of work to do. Everyone knows me, but not many paid me no mind. ‘Cause I’m a woman, doin’ a man’s job. It’s an unspoken law around here that women don’t have no business runnin’ a place as big as mine. They don’t think I have enough sense. But they are wrong, I’m a good rancher.”
Sam stopped again. “And you plannin’ on just leavin’ the place to this Harry fella? Just up and leave it?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head and stared at Sam, and Sam saw the forlorn look on her face. “I mean I didn’t plan all this. I have to have some time to sit down and think about what I need to do. I haven’t had time to even think on it, much, this just happened today. I’ve been more concerned with gettin’ away with my life.” She paused now and stared at the dirt he’d shoveled. “I been too busy runnin’. I figured once I was safe I could figure it out.”
“So for now, you’re just gonna walk off and leave them to it?” Sam questioned, his eyes going to her hand on his dog. “Let them go ahead and figure out how to get that land deed changed. Then you won’t have anything to come back to.”
Riley seemed to bow up at his accusation. “For now, they want to kill me. I am not ready to die, sir. I wanted to get away. Once I’m safe I can figure out something,” she insisted. “Maybe hire me a gun hand to take care of them or somethin’. You interested in that kind of job, by any chance?”
“I’m no gunman.”
She fell silent for a few minutes, eyeing his gun with curiosity.
“How far you figure you gotta go to be safe?” Sam asked, finding the situation almost funny.
“I don’t know…this has never happened before, I don’t have any idea. I haven’t had time to think of the situation enough to know what to do.”
Sam shook his head, his disgust clearly written for her to see on his face. “You don’t just walk off a piece of land and let someone have it.”
“I know…” Tears were not far from falling, he heard it in her voice. “I know…that’s true. But I haven’t had enough time to decide what to do yet. I been a little busy stayin’ alive…”
“Don’t you have anyone back there that can help you?” Sam asked, not daring to look at her as his heart began to respond to her.
“Not anyone I can trust, no. You see it’s the biggest spread in the area, and everyone wants it. I’ve even been offered money by several since my Pa died. But I refused to sell, of course. That didn’t set well with most the other ranchers. They figured on me sellin’. They killed my oldest hand, he was the only one I trusted for sure,” she explained, as one tear floated down her dirty cheek. “They put a snake in his bed, so it looked natural. No one will know what really happened but me.”
“A snake…how do you know this?” Sam expression changed now, as though he were finally taking her serious.
“I heard them talkin’ this morning as I was hidin’ out.”
“You must have hid out close, to hear everything,” Sam acknowledged.
“Oh I did, right under their noses, in fact. But I know the place backwards and forward. I knew where to go. They didn’t.”
Sam took her in, his glance going over her now. She was small and dirty and it was hard to tell if she was pretty or not. Sweat and dirt had mixed all over her face. Her hair was pulled back by some kind of ribbon, dark. Her clothes were more practical than flattering, it was hard to tell just how much of a woman she was, but Sam wasn’t looking at that. He needed to size her up, but sizing a white woman up wasn’t that easy. He’d never tangled with a white woman before. And this one was different somehow, innocent-like.
“This spread you got, you say everyone wants it?” Sam figured quickly.
“One of the biggest in the state,” she wailed. “But I don’t have it right now and if Harry has anything to do with it, it won’t be mine long. He fully intends seein’ the lawyer.”
“Good grief, they’ll be out lookin’ for you then. Makin’ sure you’re dead.” Sam shook his head and frowned. He couldn’t get involved in this. He’d be on the other side of a rope himself if he did. Somehow he had to walk away. “Until they can declare you dead or…worse…out of your head, they can’t just take it over. It wouldn’t be legal.”
“I guess,” she answered. “But Harry fully intends to get me out of the way, one way or another. And I don’t think he cares which way.”
Sam finished the grave digging and hauled the body into the ground. He covered it with dirt and sat down to build a cross over it. The girl watched him. He got two branches and tied them together with some string from his pocket and made a make-shift cross.
“You carry string in your pocket?” she asked.
“Sure do. Never know when you might need some.” Sam glanced at her.
“Lord, we give him unto You, as he died before his time,” Sam said, shoving the cross into the ground as best he could.
“Amen.” The girl bowed her head.
Nodog whined.
“You religious?” she asked out of the blue, eyeing him carefully.
“Sure, aren’t you?”
“Never thought on that too much. Dad and I didn’t go to church much, had too much work to do. But I believe in God, though. And I know why Jesus died on that cross, and I reckon that’s about all I know.”
“That’s good. That’s probably enough. I’d say you got some religion then, probably more than most.”
It was getting harder by the moment to figure out what to do about this situation. Sam prided himself on dealing with issues as they arose but this one stumped him. What was a white girl out in the middle of nowhere with no horse, no buggy and no idea where she was headed, doing out here?
He couldn’t take her along. He couldn’t leave her here.
“Look…if I loan you a horse and gun, you can get back to the nearest town and contact the Sheriff. Everything will work out fine, once you do that,” he assured her. Surely they would take the word of a woman, especially the daughter of the wealthiest rancher in the area.
“But you only got one horse…”
“That’s okay, I’ll make out. You go on and take it; you need it more than I do.”
She shook her head as she stood beside him and looked into his eyes. “I can’t do that. My daddy taught me better. Although that’s about the nicest thing anyone’s offered in a long time. But no, I can’t leave a man stranded in the middle of nowhere, without a horse or gun. Pa always said a man without a horse or gun might as well be dead. No sir, I can’t take it.”
“Look, I’ll be fine. I was raised with the Shawnee, I know how to take care of myself out here. You go on, take it. No matter, no matter at all,” Sam assured her.
“I won’t do that,” she protested as he led his horse straight up to her. “It’s uncommonly kind of you, but I can’t do it.”
“Well, right now there just aren’t a lot of choices. So go on, take it.” He reached to heft her up.
“Look, it’d be murder to leave you out here with no protection.�
� She turned so her face was staring up at him. It was the first real look he got of her and he realized she had startling blue eyes against pale skin and dark hair that shone in the sunlight. The woman was appealing as all get out and Sam squirmed at the knowledge. He didn’t want to be attracted to a misfit white woman.
Something made Sam melt inside at her concern for his safety but he shook his head. “We don’t have any choice. I’m a black man, you are a white woman. You go on now. I can’t take you with me…that’s for sure and certain.”
“But…”
With that, Sam hauled her up into his arms and thrust her atop the horse, then strapping the only rifle between them in the sling, he whipped the horse. “Go on now…I got a pistol. Besides, I got Nodog, don’t you see?”
The horse ran and she held on, looking back at him.
The whole incident looked surreal to Sam. How could have things gotten to this point, he wondered. He had to admit, there was nothing the Shawnee had taught him about being with a white woman. Yet he’d witnessed his sister and brother-in-law every day.
Sam instinctively knew that was not an option. He knew he’d done the right thing though and felt able to handle any more intrusions that might come his way. Being on foot didn’t bother him, not with as many treks as he’d made with Lee and Chase.
Well, he did know how to take care of himself. And with Nodog by him, he would be safe enough. He’d manage and he wouldn’t have her to contend with either. What was the girl thinking? That he’d leave her here alone? That he’d take her along with him? She had to see it was all impossible.
Chapter Three
Not long after he’d seen the last of her dust, Sam spotted a couple of riders. They approached him cautiously. “Mornin’,” they called.
Nodog growled and this time he didn’t relax when the strangers came near.
Sam watched him out of the corner of his eyes, he knew if Nodog didn’t trust them, he shouldn’t either.
Sam eyed them curiously from the distance, nothing strange about them, cowhands obviously, only they didn’t look him in the eye. Sam didn’t trust a man that couldn’t look him in the eye. They quickly averted glances, one sat the saddle crooked, drooling tobacco down his lower lip, the other rider had an arrogant air about him, as he aggressively approached.
Their expressions wore arrogance.
An honest man, when riding into strangers camp would look him straight in the eye, maybe take off his hat, and smile a little. These men didn’t and he knew by the bristles on Nodog’s back that these men were not to be trusted.
Sam cast them a curious glance before speaking, “Mornin’.”
After burying a man, Sam wasn’t in the mood for stilted pleasantries. He needed to be moving along.
“Nice dog. Is he dangerous?”
Sam cast Nodog a quick glance and smiled easily. “Depends on who crosses him,” Sam said matter-of-factly. “He’s part wolf so he’s a little more high strung than most dogs. As long as you don’t pull a gun or flash a fist, or bother me, he won’t bother you.”
They’d been riding hard as their horses were foaming. Cowhands didn’t usually ride their horses so hard. Most knew better than to treat a horse like that, unless there was reason. Sam saw the fresh scrapes on their chaps, how worn they were as though they’d been out in the sticks all day, their guns at their hip and their expressions wore a guard.
“Well now, you’re a stranger in these parts, ain’t you?” the arrogant older one said, as he glanced at the grave with obvious curiosity, and leaned on his saddle horn.
Sam sensed the immediate tension rising between the three of them. He didn’t flinch or show fear.
“Yes sir, I am.” His voice remained cool, but steel-edged.
Determined to give them the benefit of the doubt, he kept a relaxed demeanor.
“Don’t see no one else about; you alone?”
“Just me and Nodog…” Sam smiled.
“Nodog, is that his name?” One of them laughed.
“It is.” Sam nodded, his voice staid and exact.
Sam figured he would learn more by keeping his mouth shut. Something Chase Rivers had taught him long ago, and Lee Nelson, his brother-in-law had always advised him to listen to Chase as he knew what he was talking about.
“Who’d you bury?” the other man asked, glancing at the grave.
“I didn’t.” Sam glanced down at the grave momentarily. “I found the grave…looks pretty fresh, don’t it?” Sam squatted and straightened the cross as exasperation climbed his back once more. Their small talk was unnecessary.
“Sure does…so what you doin’ out here in the middle of nowhere?” the first man asked as he smiled at his partner. The banter between the two men was meant to intimidate, but Sam indulged them a moment longer. The conversation was taking a different turn and Sam knew it wouldn’t be fruitful.
“Just travelin’ through,” Sam remarked, not glancing at them.
“On foot?” the other asked with a laugh.
“Yes sir, lost my horse yesterday.” Sam saw Nodog bristle, and bare his teeth, a sure sign there was trouble ahead. “Snake startled him, he threw me and took off. Thought I’d see about another horse when I get to the next town. He was always a little skiddish. I been walkin’ ever since. I walked over here to stay under the shade a while and cool off. Ain’t many trees out this way.”
“Lost it. Well now, what kind of man loses a horse?” the first man asked with a chuckle yet his sarcasm carried to his friend.
“A careless one, I guess,” Sam answered with a laugh. “How far is it to the next town?”
“Ain’t no towns out this way. There’s a few places about to get some supplies, but no towns around here. What’s your name, stranger?” the cowboy asked as his fingers twiddled with a rope in his hand.
“Sam, Sam Tanner,” he answered, watching the rope. “And who do I have the pleasure of speakin’ with?” Sam gauged their actions and voices thoroughly.
“George Tatum, and my friend is John Finley. We’re ranchers. We’re lookin’ for a girl—a woman.” George eyed Sam carefully now.
“Do tell, out here?” Sam frowned up at him. “In the middle of nowhere?”
“Yeah, you see she run off. We were concerned she might get herself hurt or into trouble. You see she ain’t right in the head,” John said.
His partner snickered.
Sam squinted up at them. “You mean she’s touched?”
George snickered again and eyed his friend with a grin. “One way of puttin’ it. Her pa died not long ago, reckon she didn’t get over it as well as everyone thought. You wouldn’t have seen her, would you mister?”
“Nope, you’re the first I’ve seen of anyone in a couple of days. This part of the country is pretty desolate, don’t you think?” Sam scratched his head as he took his hat off. He gazed out over the land that stretched for as far as the eye could see.
“Desolate, huh? That’s one way of lookin’ at it. This is ranchin’ country mister and ‘bout all you’ll find for miles around.”
“Now John, don’t it strike you as funny that a growed man would be out here in the middle of nowhere without a horse or a rifle?” George snickered again. “And a freshly dug grave at his foot.”
John turned a mean frown on Sam, his vexation at Sam more obvious now. “Strikes me real funny.”
Nodog growled.
“Not surprising, my horse took off, my gun fastened onto him,” Sam explained, his movements slow and deliberate, his voice calm.
“You do have a pistol though.”
“Yeah, I got a pistol. ‘Bout the only thing I use a gun for is my supper, though. I mean, I got Nodog. Guess I’ll have to find a stream and catch me something.”
Both men looked at Nodog.
“I ain’t sure I believe you.” George circled Sam now with his horse. His yellow toothed grin aimed at Sam.
“Well, it’s the Lord’s truth. Horses can smell the dead for miles, you know,” Sam com
mented.
“And you didn’t dig this grave?” John asked as George kept circling.
“Nope, what would I dig it with?” Sam asked, eyeing George. “As you can see, my hands are clean.”
He took his gloves off.
“Maybe that’s the girl in that grave. Maybe you found her and killed her,” John said. “Maybe you bein’ a black buckm, you had your way with her and killed her.”
Sam firmed his lips and steadied himself. “One way to find out: dig it up.”
George shot him a look of disdain, then shook his head stopping right in front of Sam. “I don’t think we’ll have to do that. It’s pretty clear she’s in there and you done it. Ain’t no one else about. Ain’t no one missin’ that we know of, ‘cept her. No sir, I’d say we found the girl alright, and the man that done her in. Now, what do you think we ought to do to you?”
If she was dead, they wouldn’t chase her anymore and Sam decided to let it lie.
“Depends, did you want her back dead or alive?” Sam laughed.
George made no attempt to hide his anger as he dismounted, and Sam waited for him to come closer. Nodog edged toward him, smelling him and growling. His teeth bared back, he growled loudly. As he did, Sam pulled a knife from his boot and stabbed the man, and then he ran like lightning. Nodog had jumped the man on the horse and had almost bested him when the cowboy pulled his gun and shot at Nodog. Nodog whined loudly and lay down.
Sam wasn’t sure if Nodog was hit, but he aimed to find out.
John chased Sam and before Sam knew what hit him, a rope was thrown around him and he was being dragged across the prairie. Rocks, dirt and cactus hit him all at once. The ground was unbendingly hard. He could feel his skin tearing, smell the blood. Knowing what the Shawnee had taught him, he became very stiff and didn’t move and let the dirt and rocks tear at his skin as he was drug for some time before John seemed satisfied he was dead. He had protected his head as best he could and blacked out the pain before it began. The Shawnee had taught him well. Still he’d be some time getting over the soreness of it all.
Ask No Tomorrows Page 3
