The old doctor was also watching, and he was glaring with disgust. His daughter dancing with a cowhand.
But Johnny was seeing none of it. For him, there was no one in the world but himself and the girl in his arms.
After the dance, they stepped outside. Out where Matt’s fight with Cabot had been.
She said, “My name’s Lura.”
The first words she had spoken to him.
He nodded. “Johnny McCabe.”
Then he realized, Dang! He had given her his real name.
“Johnny Reynolds, actually. It’s a long story.”
“Whatever the story, it’s safe with me.”
“Lura. That’s a nice name.”
She smiled, and then looked downward for a second. As though she was hit with a sudden bout of shyness.
She said, “My last name’s Marker. But I know they call me Lura Buzzard behind my back.”
Johnny couldn’t help but grin. He said, “I’ll never call anyone so beautiful a name like that.”
That’s when the old buzzard called out from the doorway. “Lura!”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Papa?”
“Come with us. We’re going home.”
She gave Johnny a long look, then left to join her parents.
Her mother was about Lura’s height and Johnny could see the resemblance. But, he thought, she sure doesn’t look like her father.
Doc Marker scowled at Johnny and said, “Stay away from my daughter.”
Then he turned and stormed away down the boardwalk.
Lura looked back at Johnny and threw a little wave at him and a look that said, I’m sorry.
He smiled at her and gave a return wave with one hand. She smiled.
Joe walked over to Johnny. “Are you being smart?”
“Trying to be. Mighty danged hard thing to do, though.”
Joe nodded. “Always seems to be.”
Johnny said, “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
They fetched their horses from the livery and started along the dark trail back to the ranch.
Johnny said, “I shouldn’t have danced with her. It’s not fair to her. But it was like her spirit was somehow calling to me. When we danced, it was like...it was like I had somehow known her all my life. Without even a word being said between us. It was like she was where she was meant to be, in my arms. And I was meant to be where I was.”
Johnny grinned and shook his head. “Sounds foolish, doesn’t it?”
Joe was silent a moment. Then he said, “No. I felt the same thing once. That Cheyenne girl I mentioned.”
Johnny nodded.
They rode along in silence, each with his own thoughts.
90
Ern Cabot had driven Verna to the dance in a carriage from his ranch, and now she had no ride home.
Matt said, “I have nothing as grand as a carriage to offer. But you can join me on the back of my horse. I assure you, the horse won’t turn into a pumpkin.”
She smiled. “I assure you, I’m hardly a princess.”
“You are in my eyes.”
And so Matt let her have his saddle, and he sat behind her. He wrapped his arms around in front of her and held the reins. She nestled back into him as they rode.
“You aren’t exactly dressed for horseback riding,” Matt said. “I hope this doesn’t ruin your dress.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll survive.”
As they rode along, they talked, about nothing and everything. The kind of light chatter that fills the time between a man and a woman.
“I suppose a woman as beautiful as you has never been without gentleman callers,” Matt said.
“I would hardly call Ern a gentleman. I thought so, until tonight. I’m starting to think he was only interested in my father’s money. That’s what Mother has said from the start. His father’s ranch is successful but nothing like the Bar M.”
“I assure you, I’m not after your father’s money.”
She looked playfully back over her shoulder at him. “Oh? Are you a rich man, then?”
“Not in money, no. But in the things that really count.”
“So, what do you want in life? How do you define success?”
He said, “Success to me is a good wife, good children. A hearth to rest by when the day’s work is done.”
“Do you think you’ll know the right girl when you meet her?”
“I might.”
She said in a whimsical, teasing way, “Maybe you’ve already met her.”
“Maybe.”
He reined up by the front door of the ranch house and jumped down from the horse. Then he reached up and helped Verna to the ground.
He walked to the door with her.
“Verna, I don’t mean to be forward, but may I see you again?”
She nodded. “Tomorrow night? For dinner?”
He gave a big smile. “I’ll be there.”
“Five o’clock.”
“Five it is.”
She laid a hand aside his face for a moment, then she stepped inside. Matt stood and waited until the door had fully shut.
He took the reins of the horse and began leading it toward the barn. He could scarcely keep from leaping in the air.
Once his horse was taken care of, he walked along toward the bunkhouse with his hands in his pockets. He had a bounce in his step, almost like he was dancing along to the rhythm of his own happiness.
He found Johnny and Joe at the bunkhouse.
“What’re you boys doing here?” Matt said. “I didn’t think you’d be back yet.”
Johnny was pouring a cup of coffee for himself. He said, “I guess we both had enough of the dance.”
Joe was sitting at the table, sharpening his knife on a small whet stone.
Matt said, “I rode home with Verna. I told everyone I would be the one leaving with her, and I was.”
Joe nodded. He said nothing.
“She invited me for dinner tomorrow night. Can you believe it? I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. Not even that Filipino girl I mentioned. Johnny, I think Verna could be the one.”
Joe said, “Do you think this is smart?”
Matt blinked with surprise. “Smart?”
Johnny said, “She’s kind of high profile, Matt. The idea is not to draw any more attention to ourselves than we have to.”
“What about that bounty hunter you shot down a couple months ago?”
“Couldn’t be helped. But if you go around courting the daughter of the most successful rancher in Calaveras County, you’re gonna draw attention to yourself.”
“Courting her? Why, Johnny,” he slapped his hands together. “I’m going to marry that girl.”
Joe looked at him with his perpetual squint. “Marry her? You cain’t go marryin’ that girl.”
“And just why not?”
Joe looked at Johnny. A cup of coffee waited in front of Joe, but he said, “I think I need somethin’ stronger.”
He got to his feet and shambled over to his bunk. His saddlebags were stuffed underneath. He pulled them out, then reached into one of them and came out with a bottle of whiskey.
Johnny said, “How long have you had that?”
“Clearly not long enough.”
Joe pulled the cork and took a belt.
Johnny said, “You know, there’s rules against drinkin’ on this ranch.”
“You’re the ramrod. Mister McCarty gives you full authority. You can waive the rule for tonight.” Joe handed the bottle to Johnny.
“I hereby officially waive the rule for tonight,” Johnny said, and he tipped the bottle.
Matt said, “What do you mean I can’t marry her?”
“Think about it,” Johnny said. He held the bottle out to Matt, but Matt shook his head.
Johnny said, “We have reward posters out there with our names on them. And the reward is for a lot more money than I would have thought. We’re only here on this ranch until someone learns our real name.”
Joe returned to his chair and stood the bottle in front of him. “Like with that bounty hunter. We’re lucky he didn’t actually mention our real names.”
“Our names get mentioned, and we’ll have to pack and run.”
“That’s why I keep my saddlebags packed. At least with the stuff I need.”
“We’ll have to run, and then start over again somewhere else. Oregon. Northern Nebraska Territory. Maybe Canada. Or maybe down in Mexico somewhere. Sonora has some good cattle country.”
Joe held the knife in his hand and the small whetstone in the other. “It ain’t fair to the girl. Start buildin’ somethin’ with her, when tomorrow we all might be havin’ to high-tail it out of here. You might not even get a chance to say goodbye.”
Johnny reached for the bottle and took another pull from it. “You don’t think I’d like the chance to do the same? There’s a girl in town. She’s not like any girl I’ve ever known before. Not even Becky Drummond.”
Matt said, “Doc Buzzard’s daughter.”
Johnny nodded. “I allowed myself one dance with her. And I know she’s the one. The one for me. But it wouldn’t be fair to her.”
Matt was silent a moment. He started pacing a little to one side and then to the other. Johnny stood the bottle back on the table.
Then Matt said, “No. You’re both wrong. There has to come a point when this ends. Mister McCarty knows our real names. You told us so. He said he’s not going to do anything about it. Time passes by, and things get forgotten.”
Joe said, “When you marry this girl, what name is she going to take? O’Toole? Even her married name will be a lie.”
“We’ll figure that out when we get there. She knows the truth about us. Apparently she has, all along. We’ll figure something out.”
“Matt..,” Johnny said, not sure exactly what to say.
But Matt’s ire was getting raised. He said, “No.”
Johnny said, “No?”
“That’s right. I’m going to take a more optimistic approach. It’s time to stop running. A life is being handed to me. An open doorway. All I have to do is step through. You have such a morose way about you, Johnny. Did anyone ever tell you that?”
Matt stood a moment and stared at Johnny.
Then Matt said, “I’m happy. I’m really happy. Can’t you just allow me that? Can’t you just be happy for me?”
He left the bunkhouse and slammed the door.
Johnny looked at Joe. “Do you think I’m morose?
Joe said, “Don’t really know what that means. But you do seem kind of gloomy a lot.”
91
Johnny said to McCarty, “I’m thinking on taking some men back into the mountains to do a little more mustanging. The Army needs horses, and even though this is a cattle ranch, there’s money to be made in horses. It’s said I’m a fair judge of horseflesh. Joe is too, and Matt has learned a lot over the past year or so.”
It was Monday morning. Johnny was sitting in front of McCarty’s desk with a cup of coffee and a saucer.
The old man said, “You taking your brothers with you?”
“I’ll leave Matt here. I’d hate to have Miss Verna upset with me.”
McCarty grinned. “Don’t you worry about her. Leave her to me.”
“Besides,” Johnny said, returning the grin, “I don’t want to risk Matt or Corry getting hurt up there. As you are more than aware, mustangin’ can get a little dangerous. If we’re going to get into the horse ranchin’ business, we need to keep our bronc-busters healthy.”
“Horse ranching, eh?” McCarty rubbed his chin in thought. “I always focused my business on cattle. Other ranches in the area always provided their own horses.”
“Times are changing, sir. The Army has a bigger presence here, now. And there are a lot of folks in towns like Greenville and Camanche who don’t know a lot about horses. Even as far away as Stockton. We get enough mustangs, we can undercut the competition. There’s a lot of wild stock in those mountains.”
McCarty nodded. “I like the way you think, son. Go to it.”
“I’ll need some money for a larger corral.”
“Just tell me how much.”
“I appreciate the confidence you have in me, sir.”
Johnny took Joe with him, and Evan and Quint.
Johnny said, “I’m leaving you in charge, Matt.”
Matt said nothing. He was at the table in the bunkhouse.
Johnny said, “What, are you not speaking to me, now?”
“Got nothing to say to you. Other than, while you’re gone, I’ll get that pen and paper and write that letter to Ma and Luke.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Well, like you said, they’ve been too long without hearing from us.”
Johnny nodded. He strapped on his leather leggings and then grabbed his bedroll and his rifle.
He said, “You know, Matt, it’s not that I don’t want you happy. It’s just that I don’t think you’re being careful enough.”
“And maybe it’s time you started looking to your own affairs and keep out of mine.”
Johnny nodded. He opened the door.
“Johnny,” Matt said. “Don’t get yourself hurt up there in the mountains. You and Joe, be safe.”
Matt grinned. Johnny returned the grin. “See you in a few days.”
Branching out into horse ranching would bring a lot more money to the Bar M, Johnny thought.
And maybe a week in the mountains would help get his mind off of Lura Marker.
He found it wasn’t so.
They roamed canyons and ridges, following the unshod tracks of mustangs. They cornered a few and used the box canyon where Cooper was killed as a natural corral.
By day, Johnny had enough on his mind. Two days in the mountains, and they had six mustangs.
He thought about that stallion Cooper had been obsessed with. They had found the carcass in the canyon where it had fallen, and there was little left of it. Wolves and other critters had torn it apart. It was now mostly hide and bones.
When it had been alive, it was the most magnificent horse Johnny had ever seen. He and Cooper were of one mind on that. But Johnny didn’t think that horse could ever have been tamed. It would have wound up injuring or killing the bronc-busters and would have had to be put down anyway.
But at night, when wolves were calling from somewhere in the darkness, and Evan was working on his harmonica and Joe was taking smoke from his Indian pipe, Johnny would sit by the fire and think of Lura.
On their fourth night in the mountains, with eighteen head of horses in the canyon, Joe looked over at Johnny and said, “You all right?”
“Yeah, I was just thinking about tomorrow’s work.”
Joe said, “I know what you’re thinking about, and it ain’t tomorrow’s work.”
Johnny gave a grin that he hoped wasn’t as sad as it felt. “No. It ain’t.”
92
Johnny had hoped a week in the mountains would get his mind off of Lura. It didn’t work. Being away from her created a pain deep inside him that almost haunted him. He had ridden away from Becky Drummond twice, and neither time had it brought a pain like this.
On the Sunday after Johnny and the others returned from mustanging, Matt rode into Greenville with the McCartys to attend church. Johnny knew Ma would want all of her boys at church on Sunday morning, and Johnny had attended a few sermons at the Methodist church in town. But on this Sunday, he remained behind and drank coffee.
Joe said, “Maybe he’s right. You’re bein’ morose. I found out what that means.” He gave a little grin. “But I cain’t criticize. I been through the same thing you’re going through, and I didn’t handle it any better’n you are now.”
The family returned from church. Matt announced that he and Verna had picked a wedding date. It would be in September.
Her mother wanted them to wait until the following June. Matt said, “She thinks weddings in June are so romantic. But Verna and I
are in love, and we don’t want to wait any longer.”
Johnny was at the bunkhouse table. His tin cup was empty and he was considering filling it with something stronger than coffee. Waiving that no-drinking rule again.
In Texas, before he had gone home, he had been known for going on what Zack Johnson had once called spectacular benders. He was starting to think he was on the verge of such a thing now.
“So,” Joe said to Matt. “Where’s your beloved now?”
“She decided to go out for a ride. She said she sometimes likes to ride the countryside alone. She’ll be back for dinner. Mister McCarty said I’m practically a part of the family now, so I have a standing invitation to dinner.”
Johnny didn’t know if it was the pain he was feeling over Lura, or the idea of having Verna as a sister-in-law, but the idea of going on a bender was becoming more appealing by the moment.
He decided to instead saddle up Bravo and just ride.
He wore his guns, like he always did, and he tucked his Hawken rifle in the saddle scabbard.
There was a light breeze, and the air had the dry, light feel it seemed to always have in California.
He let Bravo have his head and just hung on for the ride. Bravo would canter along for a while, then slow to a walk. He stopped at one point, looking about sniffing the air. Then he continued on.
Johnny tried to turn his thoughts to nothing but the terrain about him. Mostly grass, and gently rolling hills. A little scrub oak. He was vaguely aware that Bravo was taking him in a northwesterly direction.
Bravo stopped again and looked around like he had heard something. Johnny guessed they were probably two miles from the ranch headquarters, but he really wasn’t paying attention. About a hundred feet to the left was a stand of scrub oaks, and the land was open off to the right. Really beautiful country, but he wasn’t in the mood for beauty right now.
He found himself wondering if maybe Matt was right. Maybe he was being morose. He wondered if Matt had the right idea. Just embrace the moment and let tomorrow take care of itself.
That was when he became aware of a rider moving out from behind the stand of oaks and leveling a rifle at him.
Johnny McCabe (The McCabes Book 6) Page 42
