by Tell Cotten
“That’s all it was,” I said sharply, and asked, “What gave you that idea?”
“Only what I saw.”
I snorted, and it was silent while I searched for the right words.
“She’s had it rough this past year. But, she’s also a nice lady, and June’s a good kid too,” I said. “As much as they’ve been through, I figured they needed a friend. That’s all.”
“If you say so.”
“I say so,” I said firmly.
Brian nodded and took a swig of coffee.
Chapter thirty-eight
We were up early. We cooked some breakfast, and afterwards we unpacked our shovels and buried Brock and Amos.
After that we turned our attention to the livestock.
We messed around with their horses, and we discovered that they were both extremely gentle. So, we decided to use them instead of the mules to pack the rifles. We packed them down, and they didn’t give us any trouble.
We turned the mules loose. We figured Miguel’s mule would drift back home, and the other mule would probably go with him. We reckoned Miguel could have the extra mule for his troubles, plus the crippled mule.
There was nothing else to tend to, so we packed up camp, climbed on our horses, and took out going north.
***
It took us eight days to reach Bronc. We traveled mostly in a slow trot, and we made good time.
The loss of our hotel still stung, and we didn’t talk much about it. I figured the pain would ease as time went along, but it didn’t. Instead, anger slowly built inside me, and I was more determined than ever to bring Ike down.
I also missed my morning breakfasts with June and my conversations with April. I tried hard not to think about them, but their faces refused to leave my memory.
We camped that final night about a mile from Bronc. We unsaddled and picketed the horses, cooked up some supper, and afterwards we sat around the fire and made plans.
“Morgan would probably recognize me,” I said, and Brian nodded.
“I think it would be best if we pulled them away from town,” I suggested. “Be less witnesses that way.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“You could ride into town and meet them, and then bring them back here.”
“Then what?”
I smiled, but didn’t reply.
Brian studied me thoughtfully and nodded.
“All right,” he said. “I’ll ride into town in the morning.”
I nodded and took a swig of coffee.
Chapter thirty-nine
Brian Clark woke at sunup. After breakfast he saddled his horse, said goodbye to Lee, and took off towards town.
He traveled in a slow trot. It was a clear morning, and the warm sun felt good on his back.
He was still hesitant about going up against the Gant brothers. If it had been up to him, they would have forgotten about Ike and drifted on.
But Lee was twenty years younger and more impulsive. Lee was also his friend, and Brian had always been loyal to his friends. So he would stay with Lee until the bitter end, whatever that might be.
Brian had never been to Bronc, and he was surprised at how small it was. There were only three buildings. There was a livery stable, a trading post, and a cantina.
He felt uncomfortable as he rode in. The street was dry and dusty, and little whirlwinds swirled around him.
The street was empty, except for two horses that were tied to the hitching rail in front of the cantina.
The horses looked familiar, and Brian frowned as he tried to place where he had seen them. But he couldn’t remember, so he dismounted and tied his horse to the hitching rail.
He stepped up onto the front porch. He reached down and felt his Colt, and it gave him a reassuring feeling. He breathed deeply and walked through the swinging doors.
He paused inside the doorway. He let his eyes adjust, and then he glanced around.
The cantina wasn’t much of a place. It was dark, and it smelled of whiskey, sweat, and cigar smoke. There were a few tables spread about, and the bar was two long planks laid on top of two whiskey kegs.
A fat Mexican stood behind the bar. He looked unconcerned and uninterested.
Two men were seated at a table in the back corner. There was a dark shadow that fell across their table, and he couldn’t see their faces very well. However, he could tell that one was big and wide shouldered, and the other one was small and hard bodied.
There was a coffee pot on the table, and they both held cups. The cup partly hid the smaller one’s face as Brian walked towards them.
Brian finally got a good look at their faces, and he stopped midstride. His mouth fell open, and he was visually shaken.
The men at the table were studying Brian, and they frowned curiously when they recognized him.
“Well now,” Cooper Landon said calmly. “If it isn’t Brian Clark.”
“Sure is,” Yancy Landon agreed, and he frowned curiously at Brian. “What are you doing here?”
Chapter forty
To wait can be the hardest part, especially when you’re expecting trouble.
But morning came and went, and Brian didn’t return. I was confused, because I was close enough to town to hear any gunfire, but so far there hadn’t been any.
Still, I knew something had gone wrong. I saddled my horse, checked my Colt, stepped into the saddle, and trotted towards town.
I had an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I felt a coldness coming over me like I’d never felt before. I don’t know how, but I sensed that a danger like no other was waiting for me.
I pulled up at the outskirts of town. I studied the lone street, and I spotted Brian’s horse tied beside two others at the cantina. Other than that, the street was empty.
The livery stable was the nearest building. I rode over to it, dismounted, and tied my horse to the hitching rail. Then, I walked slowly towards the cantina.
My face was hard as flint, and my heart thumped wildly. My mouth was dry, and my legs trembled in anticipation.
I was halfway to the cantina when I heard the livery stable door open behind me. It made a slow, eerie sounding creak.
“Lee Mattingly,” a cold, stern voice said.
I stopped in the street. I turned around slowly, and my gun-hand hovered naturally over my gun handle.
Yancy Landon stood in front of me. His face was emotionless, and he looked ready to draw. I also noticed a Texas Ranger badge pinned on his vest.
The wind was blowing some, and little dirt devils swirled around us.
I was surprised to see him, but I managed to hide it. A few seconds passed as I thought on it, and I smiled and chuckled as I came to a decision.
“Hello, Yancy,” I drawled.
“Lee.”
“You’re a Texas Ranger now?”
“I am.”
“How did that happen?”
“It happened,” Yancy said, and declared, “You’re under arrest.”
“I don’t think I want to be arrested today.”
“I don’t care what you want.”
“Where’s Cooper?” I asked.
“He’s around.”
“How about Brian?”
“He’s with Coop.”
I nodded, and with my left hand I reached up and scratched my jaw.
“What are you doing here, Yancy?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
I nodded and smiled sadly.
“I messed things up.”
“I can see that.”
“Have you seen Jessica?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“How is she?”
“Fine.”
I chuckled.
“You’ve never been one to talk much.”
Yancy ignored my remark.
“I’m taking you in, Lee.”
“No,” I shook my head. “You’re not.”
“I don’t want to kill you.”
“I know,” I said sof
tly, and added, “I think we’ve both known that someday, it would come to this.”
“Unbuckle your gun belt,” Yancy tried again.
“Can’t.”
“Why not?” Yancy looked at me hard.
“There’s always been an unanswered question between us,” I explained.
“What’s that?”
“Who’s best.”
“That’s a bunch of foolishness,” Yancy retorted.
“It ain’t for me.”
Yancy glared at me, and I smiled back. He studied me a moment more and narrowed his eyes.
“You do what you think is best then,” he said, and I nodded.
“If you live, tell Jessica I’m sorry,” I said.
“Sorry for what?”
“She’ll understand.”
Yancy nodded, and it fell silent.
My heart thumped as we stared at each other. Several seconds passed, and then we grabbed for our Colts.
My hand hadn’t even touched my handle when a thunderous boom bellowed out, and I felt a hard kick hit my shoulder.
The impact twirled me viciously. I hit the ground hard, and a pain shot throughout my body.
I grimaced and shook my head to clear the cobwebs. But it didn’t work, and then I heard running footsteps.
My head was swirling, and I was disorientated. I closed my eyes and moaned as I passed out.
Chapter forty-one
I woke up with a soft groan. The first thing I realized was that my shoulder was hurting and throbbing.
I heard somebody arguing, and I recognized Yancy and Cooper Landon’s voices.
“Don’t you ever – and I mean ever – do that again,” Yancy was saying.
“You mean save your life?” Cooper asked calmly.
“It’s not my life you saved; it’s his.”
Cooper’s reply was muffled. I groaned again, and I heard footsteps walking towards me.
“He’s waking up,” Cooper commented.
I forced my eyes open, blinked, and looked at my surroundings.
I was in the livery stable, lying on my back next to a stall. Yancy Landon stood next to the gate, and he was watching me with an emotionless face. Meanwhile, Cooper squatted on his heels beside me.
“How you feeling?” He asked.
I didn’t answer. Instead, I continued to look around, and I spotted a boy standing in the corner. He was around twelve or so, and he was watching me with a somber face.
I stared at him for several seconds, and then I looked at Cooper. He was waiting for a reply, so I swallowed and licked my lips.
“I feel like I’ve been shot,” I managed.
“That’s cause you were,” Cooper said. “Josie’s already looked at your shoulder. She says it’s not too bad.”
“Josie’s here?”
Cooper nodded.
“She’s out looking for a stick,” he said.
“What for?” I narrowed my eyes.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Cooper grinned.
I was confused by that remark, but I was too tired to try and figure it out.
“Where’s Brian?” I asked instead.
“He rode out to pack up your camp. He should be back soon.”
“You let him go off by himself?”
“We trust him.”
I grunted, and then I winced as my shoulder throbbed with pain.
A few seconds passed, and then I nodded at the boy.
“Who’s that?”
“This is Wyatt,” Cooper smiled at him. “Me and Josie have adopted him. Ain’t that right, Wyatt?”
The boy nodded, but that was all.
“He doesn’t talk much,” Cooper informed me.
“So he and Yancy have something in common,” I smiled weakly.
Cooper smiled back, and I breathed deeply and looked at Yancy.
“Well, you got me,” I said quietly.
“That is correct.”
“I always thought I was faster than you, but I didn’t even touch my gun handle,” I muttered.
“Neither did I,” Yancy said.
I frowned at that.
“What?”
“It wasn’t me that shot you,” Yancy informed.
“Oh? Then who did?” I asked, confused.
“Cooper. He shot you from the cantina window with his rifle.”
I looked at Cooper, and he nodded.
“Why’d you do that for?” I scowled.
“I’d like to know that too,” Yancy added as he shot his brother a dark look.
Cooper smiled as he stood from his crouch.
“Someday, I just might tell you,” his eyes twinkled.
“Tell me what?” I demanded.
Cooper didn’t reply, and Yancy and I scowled at him.
***
Brian Clark rode back in, and he looked relieved to find me awake.
“Are you all right?” He asked.
“Not really,” I replied.
He smiled faintly and started unsaddling our horses.
He was almost done when Josie walked in, and she carried a long stick.
Josie was small and slim. She also had a sharp, young-looking face with long, brown hair.
She and I had some history together. A while back the Oltman brothers captured her from the Indians, and I ended up with her soon after that. I sort of looked after her, and for a while I was very fond of her. But then she chose Cooper, and that was that.
“Josie,” I nodded at her. “How are you?”
“Good.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Josie gestured at my shoulder.
“I fix.”
“That’ll be fine,” I smiled and nodded.
Chapter forty-two
Josie patched me up, and it was one of the most painful experiences I have ever gone through.
She built a fire in the back, and she whittled down one end of the stick. She placed the whittled end in the fire, and then Cooper and Brian got ahold of me.
Yancy didn’t help any. Instead, he and Wyatt just stood there and watched. Yancy had an interested look on his face, like he knew what was coming.
Using Cooper’s knife, Josie dug the bullet out of my shoulder, and that was painful enough. But then, without warning, she pulled the stick out of the fire, and it was bright red and glowing. She firmly pressed the burning end into my wound, and it made a hissing sound as the heat seared my flesh. It hurt something awful, and Cooper and Brian had to keep a firm grip on me.
After that she packed my wound with mud, and the wetness cooled the burning sensation some. After the mud dried, she cleaned my shoulder and bandaged it.
I was surprised to find that it wasn’t bleeding anymore. But it was mighty painful, and already my shoulder was sore and stiff.
“Feel better?” Cooper asked me.
I grunted in response, and Cooper grinned.
“You’ll heal quick enough, but you’ll have a nasty scar. I know from experience.”
“I think it would have been better if Brian had just stitched it up,” I grumbled.
“Possible, but it’ll heal faster this way.”
“I didn’t know I was in such a hurry.”
“You might be,” Cooper said.
“And why is that?”
Yancy cleared his throat, and I looked at him.
“While you were unconscious, Brian told us why you came here. He also told us about losing the hotel, and about Brock and Amos.”
I frowned at Brian, but his face remained blank.
“All right; you know why we’re here,” I said as I looked back at Yancy. “What are you doing here?”
“We killed the Gant brothers a while back,” Yancy announced, and I was startled. “We came here, posing as the Gant brothers, to capture Brock.”
“We were hoping to talk to him,” Cooper added. “We had a deal to offer.”
“What sort of deal?” I asked curiously.
“Ike has several men working for him, all ove
r Texas,” Cooper informed. “He also has a man inside Huntsville prison. Every time one of Ike’s men gets sent there, they escape.”
“In exchange for a full pardon, we were hoping to send Brock to Huntsville to find out who Ike’s inside man is,” Yancy added.
“Brock would have never agreed to that,” I said as I thought on it. “He was too loyal to Ike.”
“It doesn’t matter now,” Yancy said sourly.
An idea suddenly occurred to me, and I pinched my face in thought.
“How ’bout sending me to Huntsville?” I suggested. “I could take Brock’s place.”
Yancy was startled, and he narrowed his eyes as he studied me.
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Ike Nash humiliated me,” I explained bitterly. “I’ll do whatever it takes to take him down.”
Yancy glanced at Cooper, and he scratched his jaw as he thought on that.
“I could go with you,” Brian spoke up. “You could be Brock, and I’ll be Amos.”
“Are you sure?” I frowned at him.
Brian nodded, and I was humbled by his loyalty. I nodded back, and then we looked at Yancy.
“All right,” Yancy finally said. “I’ll offer you two the same deal. Find out who Ike’s man is, and you’ll both receive a full pardon.”
I nodded and asked, “When do we get started?”
“We’ll stay here until you can ride, and then we’ll send you to Hunstville,” Yancy replied.
“I’m sure you’ll enjoy that,” I said sourly.
“I think I will,” Yancy replied, and he smiled a rare smile.
Chapter forty-three
We left Bronc eight days later.
My shoulder was still sore and stiff. But, it had healed for the most part, and I could ride.
We rode south to El Paso, and Yancy turned us over to a company of Texas Rangers.
We couldn’t risk telling them who we were, so we were treated like actual prisoners once we reached El Paso. They shackled our hands and feet, and it was a somber feeling.
Yancy and Cooper left us there, and they headed back to Midway. They took our horses and gear, and Cooper said he’d look after our belongings while we were in prison.
