I came out of the bunkhouse in the morning light and looked around. Rumbles of thunder and an occasional flicker of lightning told me rain was coming. I had a vague memory of Red leaving the bunkhouse sometime before morning came, but had assumed he was only going out to answer the call of nature. I had drifted back off to sleep and he wasn’t there when I woke up. I saw Jim walking toward the corral and headed over there myself. “Mornin” he said. He was carrying a hammer and a handful of nails. “Got some breakfast on the stove. Go in and grab something to eat, then come on back out and help me shoe a couple horses.” I glanced at the house and hesitated. “Kate’s gone for a morning ride. No problem with just going on in.” He glanced at the sky. “I hope she gets back before this storm sets in.”
We made short work of the shoeing. I held their heads while Jim replaced the shoes. They seemed to be very used to the process. Jim gave me a couple tips while he worked and we switched places so I could do the last one. As we worked, the sky overhead darkened and the roll of thunder became more insistent. A spatter of rain began. Jim stepped back and caught up his horse. “I’m going to check on the cattle in the lower pasture and look for Kate” he said. “This storm rolled in awfully fast. Can you check the high pasture for her?” I nodded and headed over to Archie as Jim rode out of the corral.
The skies opened up and the rain came down heavily as I worked my way across the lower pasture, tugging my slicker over my head as I went. I decided, for no particular reason, to work the west side of the high pasture first. I held Archie to a trot and kept my head moving from left to right, calling Kate’s name from time to time. Rain was coming down so heavily I couldn’t see for more than a few yards. I held the hood of my slicker to keep it from blowing off, squinting my eyes against the rain. I worked my way to the stream cutting across the high pasture with no sign of Kate. I hesitated and debated whether to cross the stream and search clear up to the tree line on the north, or to work my way east along the stream. Archie suddenly swung his head and snorted, and I looked around and saw a saddled, riderless buckskin horse trotting toward us, reins trailing. I nudged Archie in her direction and held up my hand, talking soothingly. She came to a stop and stood quietly while I gathered the reins in my left hand.
We worked our way along the stream to the east fairly slowly and I called Kate’s name constantly as we went. I leaned into the wind and the rain, which was falling almost sideways now. The thunder was constant, drowning me out often when I called her name. We moved east for about fifteen minutes and I knew we were nearing the fence along the eastern side of the property. I was renewing my earlier debate about crossing the stream or searching south of the stream along the fence line when I saw someone down on the ground and crawling toward the stream. A second later the long blonde hair told me it was Kate and I touched Archie with the spurs. We galloped the remaining way and I tied the buckskin’s reins to the saddle horn as I swung down.
“Kate!” She rolled over in my direction as I ran up to her. “I’m so glad…” The thunder and the wind swept away the rest of her words as I knelt down beside her. Even in the poor light and the rain I could see how pale she was, and she pointed toward her right foot. I turned and looked. It was badly swollen. I couldn’t tell if it was a break or a bad sprain. I looked back at her face, and my experience in the army told me she wasn’t far from passing out. She was shivering constantly. I gathered her up, carried her over and placed her on Archie’s saddle, then swung up behind her. The good news was that I knew we weren’t far from shelter and warmth. I told her so, and then urged Archie forward across the stream.
I was much less familiar with the entrance to the cave from the Randolph side of the property. We climbed toward the pine trees and the scattered boulders. I held the reins with one hand and cradled Kate with the other arm as she slumped against me in the saddle. The buckskin trailed along behind us. When I thought we were close to the entrance, I tied the horses to a tree, lifted Kate from the saddle and swung around a few boulders and the rocky wall of a cliff. Luck was with me and I spotted the entrance to the cave shortly. I carried Kate in and set her down on the floor, then began to rummage around in the supplies I had left there. I found the bedroll first, untied it and rolled it open, then pulled it over next to Kate and helped her move over to it. I dug into the supply of firewood and kindling I had left there. I found matches in my knapsack, along with a dry shirt and a pair of pants.
I pulled the firewood and kindling past Kate and near the entrance to the cave. I had a good fire going shortly, after which I found a couple old blankets I spread over Kate. She took in the cave and my campfire efforts quietly, though I could see there were questions she wanted to ask.
I stood back against the wall of the cave and watched as the fire and the extra blankets had their effect. Gradually she stopped shivering and some color returned to her face. She looked at me standing against the wall and patted a spot next to her on the bedroll. “Shared warmth is another way to control the shivering.” I didn’t seem to have any objections to that, so I went over and sat down next to her on the bedroll. “Thank you" she said quietly and leaned against me for a moment. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions now?” “Go ahead” I answered.
She turned to face me a little more, then leaned back on the bedroll. I pulled another old blanket under her head to serve as a pillow. “What is this place? And how did you know about it? You found it pretty quickly.” I nodded and studied her face. “I used to be your neighbor” I said simply. “I found it when I was a kid. I dragged some supplies up here before I started work at your place because I thought it might come in handy someday. I had no idea that day would come so soon.” She looked at me, searching my face, and I saw the comprehension dawn in her eyes. “The O’Reillys. So you’re Boy-o.” I nodded. “I guess I never knew your real name” she said. I nodded again.
Kate laid her head back down on the blanket and stared at the cave ceiling. “No wonder” she said. Now it was my turn to ask questions. “What do you mean?” “Well,” she said, “Dad is very slow to accept strangers and very careful about who he trusts. He seemed to take to you immediately and that is very unlike him. Now I know why.” I laid on my side on the bedroll and cradled my head in my hand. “Will you tell me how you came to be unhorsed? I assume you hurt your ankle when you were thrown from the horse. Was it the storm?” She shook her head and I could see a flash of anger in her eyes. “I woke up thinking about your comment last night about mending the eastern fence. It struck a nerve with Yates and I started wondering if he could really be stealing cows. I rode out this morning to see if I could see signs of the fence being cut and repaired. I stumbled across Yates and Red cutting the fence and stealing cows, and they saw me. I didn’t see much choice other than confronting them.” She stared into the fire. “I was so angry.”
She finished the story, telling me about Red firing into the ground and spooking her horse. When she finished, I felt the anger building inside of me. It sounded like she could have easily been dragged to death by the runaway horse. She shifted her position on the bedroll and I saw the pain in her eyes when she moved her right leg. I got up and went back into the cave, picking up a couple of old pans and a pair of pants and an old shirt. I went back to Kate and dropped the clothes beside her. “I’m going out to get some cold water from the stream. I think if we get some cold water on the ankle it might take down the swelling. While I’m gone, I’d suggest you change into the dry clothes. If you need help, I’ll help.” What I had just said started to sink in a little, and I glanced at Kate, embarrassed. She looked at me speculatively. I think I blushed. “You need the dry clothes to fight off the chill” I offered lamely, my voice trailing away. For the first time that day, a smile appeared on her face and she laughed at my obvious discomfort. “I can manage” she said. “Down, boy.”
I grabbed the empty pots and beat a retreat from the cave, pulling my slicker over my head as I went out. The thunder and lightning seemed to have subsided,
but the rain still lashed my face as I came out from the cover of the cave. I started to untie Archie, but then realized I wouldn’t be able to carry both pans of water and keep them from spilling while I rode. I bent my head against the torrents of rain and walked down to the stream, which was already almost twice its normal size. I filled both pans and made the walk back up the hill and into the cave. The warmth of the fire was wonderful when I re-entered.
I found another old shirt and tore it into strips. I came back over to Kate and placed the pans of water beside the bedroll. “I need to lift your right leg over my knee and get some cold water on that ankle” I told her. “It might hurt a little.” She made no complaint as I slowly lifted her leg and cradled the calf over my knee. I dipped a rag into the ice cold water and squeezed it over her ankle, gently rubbing with the rag. She drew a quick breath at the touch of the cold water, but lay still as I repeatedly dipped the rag and applied the cold water to her ankle. I kept it up for ten or fifteen minutes until the water was more lukewarm than cold. I pushed the pans aside, put her leg back down on the bedroll and sat back. Kate propped herself up on her elbows and tried a few slow movements with the right leg. “I think that’s better” she said. “Where did you learn to do that?” I picked up the pans, poured the water outside the cave and came back. “In the army” I told her. “The medic in our group swore by applying cold to swelling. He used ice if he had it, cold water otherwise.”
“You were in the army. During the war.” The question came out as a statement and I nodded. She laid back down on the bedroll and patted the spot beside her again. “Come tell me more about what you did after you left Cimarron.” I lay down beside her and she curled her arm around mine. I began to tell her about my trip back to New York, about my aunt and uncle, my time in the war and my experiences working at the Metropolitan Hotel. Sometimes she asked questions and I answered them with as much detail as I could remember. Gradually the questions came less and less often. I continued telling the stories until the deep, regular breathing told me she had fallen asleep. I stayed where I was on the bedroll, turning over in my mind what had happened to her that morning. How much trouble could she and her father be in for when the Carson brothers all realized they had been identified as cattle thieves? My mind turned it over and over, trying to formulate a plan. Eventually I drifted off to sleep also.
When I came to, the storm had passed and the sun was beginning to break through the clouds. I stood outside the cave and looked around me. It seemed unlikely that either Yates Carson or Red had returned to the area, but we needed to be careful, all the same. I heard stirring inside the cave and came back to find Kate on her feet but leaning against the wall of the cave. I put out the fire and looked over at her. “We should get back” I told her. “Can you ride?” “I’m sure I can” she told me, but didn’t move away from where she stood against the wall. I walked over and picked her up in my arms. “It isn’t far to the horses” I said, and we walked out of the cave, around the corner and down the hill a short way. I lifted her up and put her in the buckskin’s saddle and reached out to untie the reins. When I turned to give her the reins, I brushed against the right ankle and I heard a sharp intake of breath.
“I’m sorry!” I handed her the reins and stepped back, feeling clumsy. “Don’t worry about it” she said. She leaned over a little and crooked her finger, beckoning me to come closer. I stepped forward and she leaned a little farther, placing her lips against my ear. “I could have walked down to the horses, but it was more fun this way” she whispered. I looked up in surprise and watched the smile spread across her face. I searched my mind for what to say, but I didn’t seem to be thinking of anything. Finally I chuckled and went over to climb up on Archie. I swung Archie around and looked back at her. “I like the way you think” I said. Then I turned Archie toward the ranch house and we headed home.
Chapter Seven
The sun was nearly directly overhead as we rode out, and I was surprised to realize it was somewhere around noon. So much had happened, and yet I was surprised to see that it was this late in the day. The heavy clouds overhead had begun to break up, and patches of blue sky were showing through. Kate and I rode side by side, and she reassured me several times that the pain in her ankle wasn’t too much to keep going. She seemed anxious to get back to the house.
Shortly after we crossed the stream and worked our way toward the southern edge of the high pasture, I saw another rider coming from the lower pasture, headed in our direction. My hand dropped instinctively toward the Colt on my hip, a movement not lost on Kate. She reached out and put a restraining hand on my wrist. “It’s Dad,” she said. “I recognize his hat and coat.” I relaxed immediately and we continued on down until we met up with him. There was grim concern in his eyes and his glance kept dropping down to Kate’s ankle as we rode up. I let her ride ahead to him.
“It’s OK. Chance came along at just the right time and helped me through a bad spot. Let’s just keep riding down to the house.” Jim hesitated, then nodded and fell along beside her as they turned back toward home. I trailed along a few paces behind while she told him the story. He glanced back in some surprise when she told him about the cave where I’d taken her, and turned back and rode in silence the rest of the way to the corral. He helped support her weight to walk her into the house. I stood near the doorway just inside the house, twisting my hat in my hands while he helped her over to the sofa, put some pillows under her ankle and brought her some water. He came over, took my elbow and guided me out to the porch, closing the door quietly behind us. The concern in his eyes had given way to deep anger.
We stood outside for a few moments while he gathered his thoughts and stared out at the corral. Finally, he spoke: “First of all Chance, I’m deeply beholden to you for looking after Kate like you did.” His mouth opened and closed a couple times with no words spoken while he gathered his thoughts. “I had my doubts about Red, you know that. I didn’t think he was capable of this. Yates and Red have both been pegged as cattle thieves now. Nobody’s going to take their word over Kate’s. That makes them dangerous and puts us in their sights.” He fell silent and thought for a while longer. “I need to ask a favor,” he said at length.
“Name it.” I found myself scanning over his shoulder while we talked, looking for any movement out in the yard. Jim went back in the house and conversed with Kate in low tones for a few minutes while I kept up my watch on the corral, bunkhouse and yard. Jim returned, shaking his head slightly. “Well, I need her to see the doctor, but she’s saying she wants to stay in the house today and see how it is tomorrow. There’s a doctor that comes through Cimarron two or three days a week. Doc Chapman, he has an office near the hotel. He should be in the area now. I’d like you to ride in, see if you can find him, ask him to come out to the ranch and check that ankle. If you can’t find him or he’s out on a call, see if you can leave word at the hotel that we’ll be coming in tomorrow morning to see him. Can you do that for me?” I nodded and started toward the bunkhouse and corral, but Jim stopped me with a hand on my arm. “I’m sure she’d like to talk to you for a minute before you leave.”
Why hadn’t I thought of that? I turned and went back inside. Kate had her ankle propped up on a couple of pillows and was leaning back against the edge of the sofa. She was still pale, but I could see the color in her face was much better and she held her hand out to me. I took her hand and sat on the edge of the sofa. “I wanted you to know how much I appreciate what you did for me. I’ve had to pretty much rely on myself out here, so it was really special the way you took care of me. I won’t forget.” She gave me a quick hug, and then leaned back against the sofa. “Be careful on your way to town. Come back in and see me when you’re back.” “I will,” I said. I patted her hand and stood up. “And I’ll be sure to arrange for the doctor to see you.” I trotted out to the bunkhouse and picked up my Winchester before heading to the corral and climbing up on Archie. The miles back to Cimarron passed quickly and uneventfully. I w
ondered where Red and Yates Carson had gone.
I remembered the doctor’s office from my weeks in Cimarron, though I hadn’t seen him around town all that often. A knock on the door and a quick glance through the window told me he wasn’t in his office. I stepped in to the hotel lobby next door and was told at the desk that the doctor was making a call or two at ranches in the area and wasn’t expected back until sometime tonight. I left the message about Jim and Kate coming in the next morning, and the clerk promised me he would deliver the message.
I stepped out of the hotel and looked up and down the street, wondering whether I should go on back to the ranch or try to pick up some information on whether or not anyone in town knew about what had happened to Kate that morning. There didn’t seem to be any unusual activity in the street. I glanced up and down, noticing only that the mining supply store seemed to be closing up. I knew the owner only by his first name, Tim, from his occasional stops at the saloon. I saw a few signs about sale items, and a few things scattered on the front porch. Tim appeared in the front door, waved, and dropped a few more items on the porch. I thought about the brief side trip I’d made into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on my way down from Denver and decided to drop in for a few minutes. I crossed the street and entered the front door.
Chance Reilly Page 5
