The Gunslinger (Barnett Ranch)

by Pamela Ladner

  She turned around and looked at him. “I reckon you’re right. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She popped the horse with the end of the reins and took off at a run. As soon as she was out of sight, she slowed the horse to a slow walk. She let her mind drift to memories of her brothers. Reeves had always been there for her, Craven too. Reeves was the most protective though. He’d always had her back. She wondered what he was doing right now. She was sure they had made it up to Montana by now. She hoped they would be coming back soon.

  She remembered the day before they left Reeves took her out riding so they could talk. He was worried about her staying behind. He wanted to have her come with them but their father refused. They too, had ridden through a herd of horses talking, much like she and Jax had just done. He told her to stay out of trouble, and keep safe.

  He was always looking out for her best interest. He’d saved her many times, growing up, because he never took his eyes off her. It was a promise he made to their dying mother, the day she’d been born.

  She smiled thinking about how; so many times, she would be furious with him for protecting her. She wanted to do things on her own. She didn’t want his help. She screamed at him so many times, because she was still a child. She’d matured though, and she’d earned his respect. He let her do things her own way and he trusted her judgment. Craven was the more aggravating brother. He constantly found ways to irritate them both because he loved a good laugh. Reeves was the serious type. They were two opposites, but she loved them both.

  Chapter Eleven

  The Drive

  “Stampede, stop the cattle!” Reeves yelled. The entire drive had been nothing but one complication after another. His gelding stretched out as far as he could as Reeves fought to take the lead and turn the cattle. They were running wide open. Their best bet would be to turn them and corner them at the canyon wall. His horse was breathing loudly. It was all the gelding could do to get where he needed to be. He hoped it didn’t ruin him, he was a good horse. Finally, he rounded the leaders, and shot his gun into the ground in front of them to send them to the right.

  Craven came up on the right keeping them in line for the canyon. The trail hands all fell into position one by one to keep them from turning back. Finally, it came to a stop. Reeves checked on the men, no one had been killed; this time. They had already lost three men on this drive. One youngster was hurt but he was alive and that was the most important thing. He looked the boy over. His face was bloody and cut up but he was going to be fine. “As soon as Cookie gets here with the wagon, go over and let him put a couple of stitches in that.” “I don’t need any stitches, I’m fine.” “Well maybe, although I thought you might like to keep your face pretty. The ladies love a pretty face.” “Awe fine, I’ll let Cookie stitch it up, then.”

  The kid was stubborn, but proud. Reeves knew that he was proud of his looks. The ladies all doted on him because of his good looks. Adam would do as he said, and get it stitched.

  His pa had been gone for the better part of a week. He’d struck out on his own ahead of the herd to scout it out. Reeves was, left in charge and he was tired of it already. The men were all irritable, disrespectful, mean and lazy. He really couldn’t blame them after all the trouble they’d encountered, and they were only coming from one state away. He couldn’t imagine what it would have been like had they been coming from Texas, like the other herds.

  Cattle driving took guts, and skills that most men could not mettle. You had to be made of something more than everyone else. You had to be made of pure grit, to survive out here. There were rustlers, Indians off the reservations, and disease awaiting you at every turn. The weather could turn on you in an instant. It was the most agonizing thing he’d ever done and he hoped he never had to do it again.

  He was glad now that his father chose to leave Virginia behind. She could have handled it but he would not willingly choose to have her out here exposed to the elements, the way they were. The work was dirty and every single one of them stank to high heaven. He was ready to see a creek soon, so he could bathe. Although it didn’t do much good when the cattle had already been through it, stirring up all the mud and crap in the bottom.

  Reeves gazed up at the sky. The sun was setting, and the cook wagon still wasn’t here. “Craven, send someone back to check up on Cookie. He could be having problems with that bad wheel again. It’ll be dark soon and the men will be getting hungry.” “I’ll send Pete, to check on him. He’s the strongest, and can do any heavy lifting that might need doing.” “Good, get it done.”

  Most of the men were unsaddling their mounts and setting up camp for the night. They spread their bedrolls around a fire and lay down, resting their heads on their saddles and covering their eyes with their hats. Reeves let them rest. They were all bone tired and deserved a rest. He couldn’t rest, though and he rode his mount around the herd singing softly to them. He was restless, and he missed his home and his sister. He worried about her. He prayed for her safety. He’d practically helped raise her. So many times his father left him in charge of her. His mother’s dying breath was for him to look after her. He did just that, too.

  Once she had enough of him, he had to become sneaky about how he kept an eye on her. He pretended he wasn’t watching out for her, because she needed to feel independent. She was so much like their mother. She had a way with the horses, too.

  The drive was taking much longer than it should have, because of all the problems. They should have already been on their way home now. It was becoming more evident that this drive was going to test their mettle and they would know by the end of it if they were destined to be cattlemen. Why his father chose to take the cattle to Montana instead of Cheyenne to the railway did not make a lick of sense to him. His father was a business man, and he knew the cattle business like the back of his hand. If the old man said Montana is where the money is then Montana is where they would go.

  The cook’s wagon rolled up just after dark. Pete led the way carrying a lantern to light the way. Cookie parked the wagon with the tongue pointing north and Pete unhitched the mules so Cookie could get started on supper. “Cookie, did you have more problems with that bad wheel?” “I did, but old Pete helped me fix her right up.” “I was worried about that. When you get a chance, I want you to see if you can put a stitch in Adams face. He got pretty cut up during that stampede.”

  Reeves rode off, and Craven soon joined him. Together they circled the cattle. Thirty thousand head of beef was a lot. When they got going on the drive, they stretched for two or three miles. They also had a string of a hundred horses in the remuda.

  “What are you thinking on so hard, Reeves?” “I don’t really know how to explain it, I’m worried about Virginia. I have a gut feeling something bad is about to happen. It’s the same feeling I got when she was born, and later when the Injuns came. I get it every time something really bad happens, Craven. I’m worried about her, because we’re not there to protect her, and Mama made me promise I’d look out for her. What if something happens and I’m not there?” “Don’t fret on it, Reeves. You know Virginia can take care of herself. Hell we taught her how to shoot, ride and fight. The girls got more guts than most men. She’ll be fine.”

  Reeves nodded and tried to wipe the bad feeling out of his mind. His gut refused to let it go though. They had maybe a week or two left on this trail and as soon as they were through with it, he was high tailing it back to Chugwater. He learned at a young age to rely on his gut feelings and they’d gotten him out of many a bad scrape. He knew something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones.

  Chapter Twelve

  Chugwater

  Virginia was pulling weeds out of Mrs. Ellen’s garden when Jax got there. He had a lot of wood to chop so he wanted to get an early start. She was down on her hands and knees pulling up the old plants and the weeds that had taken over. It was time to plant a fall garden, so she was going to be busy a while.

  Jax chopped wood, but it took him longer than usual due to
the fact he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the rounded behind of Virginia sticking up in the air. She had a womanly figure underneath those male clothes. He reminded himself that she was too young. Though she was of marrying age, she was still much too young for him. He would do better to find a woman closer in age. Still his body did not want to listen to his head. He grunted in frustration as he swung the axe. He needed a woman and he needed one soon.

  The women in the saloon weren’t much to look at and there were only two of them. They were sure to be used up by now, but he had to do something to distinguish his lust for Virginia. She made him crazy. It was Sunday, and most of the town would be heading to church soon, which meant Mrs. Ellen wouldn’t open until later. He would make his excuses for not going to church and slip down to the saloon then.

  He glanced at Virginia again. She was leaning back and stretching. Her small breast strained against the fabric of her shirt, and his manhood grew hard. “Awe hell,” he turned his back to her. “Did you say something?” she asked. “Just talking to myself,” he answered. He tried hard to get a hold on his lust before someone saw the evidence. He worked harder at chopping the woods forcing his muscles to strain and bulge. He chopped wood faster than he ever had before, using his muscles like he never had. He would be sore for it, but it was better than sticking around here and thinking about Virginia’s luscious body.

  Mrs. Ellen called Virginia in to dress for church. He’d never stepped foot in the church so he’d never seen her in a dress. He was making his excuses to Mrs. Ellen when Virginia walked out. He turned and had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could get out any words. She really was beautiful, and she was definitely a woman. There was no denying it anymore. She was no kid, and suddenly he couldn’t breathe. Jealousy spread through his veins like poison. He didn’t want any man to look at her like this. She was too beautiful. “You look,” he swallowed, “beautiful.” She looked at him in confusion. Her eyebrows drew together and she turned her head slightly to the left. “Really, you think so? I was worried that it was too much. I never wear dresses, even to church, but Granny insisted.” He couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

  It wasn’t just lust he was feeling. He felt like a teenager with his first crush. She made him nervous, and that wasn’t like him. He was always confident around women. Hell he’d been confident around her, until he seen her in that damn dress.

  Mrs. Ellen smiled, “Why don’t you come with us, Jax, there’s still time for you to get ready.” “I don’t have anything to wear.” “Nonsense, go on up and get cleaned up and I’ll run across the street and buy you a clean shirt. I’ve been meaning to anyway. I’m tired of seeing you in these rags with the holes in them. Now go on up the stairs, there and get cleaned up.” She turned to Virginia. “Come along girl, you can’t stay here while he’s up there getting ready. You can come with me.”

  Mrs. Ellen had been matchmaking since the day he first walked into her restaurant. She saw something in him that she liked and knew he would be a good match for Virginia. The hard part was getting those two to see it. They were so busy butting heads, most of the time, that she thought she may have been wrong. After the way he looked at her granddaughter when he seen her in a dress though, her fears were relieved. She was determined now, that they would make a good match.

  She hurried along to the general store with Virginia at her side. “Granny, I don’t feel right in this. Everyone is staring.” “That’s because they see how beautiful you are. I declare girl, don’t you know you look just like your mother.” “I’m not beautiful; they probably think I’m looking for a husband. I really don’t feel comfortable in this.” “Let them think what they want, girl. It never bothered you before, why does it bother you now?” “I don’t know, it just does.” “Listen to me, just once in your life do one thing for me. Wear that dress to church this morning. Jax will accompany us and no one will dare bother us, because no one will dare get near him. He makes people uncomfortable, when he’s around, so trust me no one will be worried about what you’re wearing. They will be too busy avoiding him.”

  Mrs. Ellen ran her thumbs through the shirts, on the table. She bought him three different shirts, and a pair of black jeans. She also suspected his underwear was probably full of holes as well, so she bought him a new pair of those also. The clerk looked at her purchases rather peculiar, but didn’t say anything lest he receive a back lashing from Mrs. Ellen’s sharp tongue. She’d been known to put many a men and women in their place with just a few words.

  When they crossed the street, Virginia felt someone’s eyes on her back, but when she turned around there was nobody, around. She suddenly wished she were wearing her guns. The unease she felt wouldn’t leave her even after she entered her granny’s house. She was glad, that they were going to be accompanied to church by Jax. The thought of him being with them eased her mind.

  Mrs. Ellen left Virginia downstairs while she took the clothes up to Jax. She knocked to let him know she was coming in and he covered himself. “I’m going to lay these clothes right here on the bed, you can put them on when I leave.” She set the clothes down and pulled the door shut behind her. Jax walked over to the clothes at the bed and looked at them. Hell, he owed her big time. She went all out and bought him everything he needed, including new underwear. She’d even got the right size it seemed.

  He put on the new clothes, shook out his black vest, and knocked the dust off his hat. He settled his gun belt around his waist and tied the holsters to his legs. He didn’t go anywhere without his guns, even church. Mrs. Ellen might be disappointed, but she would get over it.

  “There you are, now come down here and take Virginia’s arm. I want her to be accompanied, she’s worried people might think she’s looking for a husband because she’s wearing a dress. We wouldn’t want them to get that idea now would we?” Mrs. Ellen surprised him sometimes, because she didn’t care what she said or who she embarrassed. Virginia was blushing with embarrassment.

  Jax took her arm in his, the feelings that one simple task stirred in him, he couldn’t explain. “I’m glad you’re wearing your guns.” She whispered. “She wouldn’t let me wear mine. I feel naked, without them.” Jax swallowed another lump in his throat at the images brought to mind when she said the word naked. Why did she have to use that word? “I don’t take my guns off for nobody,” he said.

  Everyone stared at the three of them, but more in particular the two walking arm in arm. Virginia couldn’t explain it but she felt comfort in knowing he was walking with her and he would be sitting beside her. She hated it when people stared and she still had an uneasy feeling of being watched, but she tried to chalk it up to the fact that everyone was staring.

  They entered the church and found their way to their seats. Penelope, put her nose in the air and snubbed her as she walked past. Virginia smiled and said hey to her, anyway.

  The preacher came to town once a month, but Jax recognized him. He hadn’t always been a preacher. The man had a past, the same as Jax. Still he was a good man. As a gunslinger he was known as Preacher Man. He hadn’t been heard from in many years. He eyed Jax, who hoped the man wouldn’t reveal who he was.

  He was a good preacher, nary an eye closed except when in prayer. After church, Jax made his way to the preacher and introduced his self as Jax Tanner before the preacher could call him Angel. The preacher’s eyebrow shot upward, and then the corner of his mouth lifted in a cocky smile. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it, Jax.” “Sure has Preacher, I came here looking to settle down and go into the horse business. I see you’ve settled down some too, but I guess you still like to travel.” “I do at that.” Mrs. Ellen walked up behind him. “Jax invite the preacher over and I’ll feed him a good meal for free. I’ve got lunch slow cooking on the stove.” “Yes ma’am, well how bout it preacher, you look like you could use a good meal.” “I could and I’d be delighted ma’am.” Preacher Man tipped his hat at the older woman and smiled.

  The Preacher Man w
as thirty-four years older than Jax but they knew each other well. They’d come across each other many times. They’d even joined a posse or two together. They’d been on the same side more times than Jax could count and if there was one man in the world that he didn’t want to go up against; it was Preacher Man.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Monday morning Mrs. Ellen asked Virginia to walk with her to the bank. They waited for the banker to open his doors and let them inside. It was still early out and a lot of people weren’t even awake yet. No one saw it coming, until it happened.

  Three men piled into the bank with their faces covered in bandannas. They pointed their guns at the teller, yelling; “Put the money in the bags.” One of the men threw three saddle bags at the bank teller. Virginia used the opportunity to pull her gun and fire off a shot. She nicked one of the men in the shoulder just above his heart. If her hands hadn’t been shaking, she’d have hit where she aimed.

  Another man cocked his gun putting it in her face. “Drop it, nice and slow.” She placed the gun on the floor and stood up. The man grabbed her and put his arm around her neck, with the gun to her temple. Mrs. Ellen screamed, and the three men ran out dragging Virginia with them.

  Jax was just getting into town when she saw him and screamed for him. The men raised their guns and started firing. The sheriff fired back but was shot by the last man out the door. Jax fired one shot sending the man’s gun flying. He kicked his horse into a gallop and ran the man down, then jumped off his horse.