He took another step toward her.
“You have a hearing problem, George?”
Whelan knew that voice.
“You heard what the lady said.”
Whelan backed away, tripping on a rock and landing in a pool of water. Now dripping wet, he got his soggy self up, slapped his wet hat on his thigh, mounted his horse, and started on his way. He knew his days as sheriff in Corpus Christi were likely finished. It was time to move on. He didn’t look back.
Elisa turned to see Luke standing above her on the path that led down to where she was. “Lucas? Thank God you’re here.” She waded out of the water and started to run up the path.
Luke was embarrassed. Even fully clothed, nothing about her was left to the imagination.
Before he could move, she was on him with a bear hug. He lost his balance, and the two of them fell back into a grassy area. Their world came to a stop as they savored the moment of reunion.
Luke felt her body against his. It was wonderful, but he knew it wasn’t right, at least not yet. He extricated himself, stood up, and pulled her up to him. He kissed her. “Lisa…”
She placed her fingers over his mouth. “I know, Lucas.” She smiled mischievously. “But I’m not sorry.”
Luke couldn’t help but smile. “Let’s see if Mike is awake.”
They walked arm in arm up to the cabin. Mike came running out headlong into Luke. “Mr. Luke! You’re back!”
Luke swept the youngster off his feet, tossed him high in the air, and then set him down. “Say, I see you finished that hitching post. Great job, Mike.”
Mike flushed with pride at Luke having noticed. “Yes, sir, Mr. Luke. Ain’t it a dandy?”
“Isn’t, young man. Isn’t it a dandy?” Elisa corrected his slang.
Luke turned his attention back to Elisa. “Got any coffee for a thirsty Ranger?”
“Of course, Lucas, there’s always coffee brewing. Are you able to stay for a while?”
“I must still chase down that Mexican, Lisa. He’s wounded right nasty and can’t ride a horse, but I need to get him before he escapes to Mexico.”
“Won’t that be dangerous?”
“Depends as to whether he got some help. Somebody helped him escape up in San Patricio.”
Elisa didn’t press any more questions about his Rangering duties, though she was curious about Scarlett. She handed him a cup of steaming hot coffee and sat beside him.
“I heard at the general store that the reward money for Cavendish had been placed in an account for me at the bank in Corpus Christi. You are a sweet man to do that, Lucas.” She half-wondered if his generosity was a hint that he was serious about courting her. It was a pretty crazy set of lines to try to connect. He sure seemed very interested in her.
“Have you spoken with the McGills?”
“Yes,” she said. “They want about seventy-five dollars for their spread. They were trying to get a hundred, but I persuaded them that the land hadn’t been sufficiently improved and I was paying them in cash.”
“Sounds like you did right well, Lisa.” He grinned at her, proud of her business acumen. “Now we’ll have to buy a few longhorns. I have a cousin with a spread west of here, and he might part with a half-dozen cattle at a reasonable price. He’s an experienced speculator, but he’d give family a good deal.”
“Lucas, I’m Irish, but not a Dunn,” she retorted.
Luke gently blew away the steam rising from the coffee and thoughtfully took a long, slow sip. “Not yet. Not yet, Lisa.”
She didn’t know quite what to make of that. What was Luke saying? Did she hear what she thought she heard?
“Lucas,” she said softly. “What did you just say?”
He just grinned.
***
Whelan headed north toward San Patricio. He was deeply despondent. He thought he might salvage some of his life if he could get the Mexican or the Laredo whore. He figured he’d need to do something more spectacular than that Texas Ranger’s exploits. Captain Dunn was building an outsize reputation, and Whelan had to admit it was impressive. Just a couple of years earlier, Dunn had been an Irish immigrant looking for work.
Whelan hadn’t been to San Patricio in quite a while. He wondered how the town was faring and whether there were lots of ladies that might interest him. He removed his sheriff’s badge and stuck it in his vest pocket. It wouldn’t do to misrepresent himself.
At least he was drying out. That scene with the Corrigan woman had been embarrassing. He was perversely grateful that he hadn’t been shot. She would have put a bullet in him if it hadn’t been for Luke. Whelan recalled hearing that she’d killed a Comanche with a single shot.
Whelan went a few miles before dismounting and cleaning his gun. The warm sun and a slight breeze hastened the drying process. His gun cleaning done, it wasn’t long before he rode into San Patricio. He didn’t especially care for the barrio, as he despised Mexicans in general. Like many Texans at the time, he saw them as subhuman. Morally, it wasn’t right, but it wasn’t about morals to the likes of Whelan. If it were up to him, they’d all be chased south of the Rio Grande.
He took a deep breath and turned down the dirt street toward the barrio mayor’s house. He looked around. Other than some young children playing and a woman carrying a large basket to market, it was quiet. He knocked on Mr. Garcia’s door.
“Buenas dias.”
The mayor saw right away that this was an Anglo. “Can I help you?”
Relieved that the mayor spoke English, Whelan tried to be friendly. “I’m looking for a red-haired woman that came through San Patricio a couple of days ago.”
“Quién es?” The mayor reverted to Spanish. This was not good.
Whelan held up a silver coin. “I’m just trying to find out where she headed.”
“Austin. Entrenador de etapa a Austin.”
Whelan let that ruminate through his brain. If she took the stage coach to Austin, she’d be a couple of days ahead of him. Still, he didn’t exactly have many options.
“Muchas gracias.” He handed the silver coin to the mayor.
“Una mas?”
The mayor nodded and held out his hand.
“Donde está Perez, el Mexicano?”
The mayor smiled broadly and held up two fingers.
Whelan produced two silver coins.
“Perez,” laughed the mayor. “Yendo a Mexico, pero con no cajones.” He burst out laughing. “La pelirroja le disparó.” He made a gun signal with his hand and pointed at Whelan’s crotch, telling the sheriff Scarlett had shot the bandit in the privates.
“Holy smoke,” Whelan said in awe. She’d done Perez far worse than she’d done to him. Whelan knew first-hand how effective Scarlett could be in disabling men. He pretended to laugh, but it was just a bit too real for him.
The mayor laughed again as though sharing the joke, “Él no puede montar a caballo.” It was hilarious to Garcia that Perez couldn’t ride a horse.
Whelan thanked Garcia, climbed back on his horse, and turned north. He winced as he thought of Perez trying to ride a horse. In any case, he was anxious to put some distance between himself and the barrio.
He wasn’t excited about going to Austin, but the whore was likely going to be easier to capture than Perez. The Mexican was probably going to be able to attract a couple of compadres despite his condition. Besides, he owed Scarlett for the embarrassment she’d caused him in Nuecestown. He headed toward Austin.
TWENTY-TWO
Strong Medicine
The alcalde in the San Patricio barrio had told Luke that Perez was headed to Carrizo, where his wagon could cross into Mexico more easily. It was a long ride, but Luke would be moving at least twice as fast as Perez’s wagon, plus could put in a longer travel day. Elisa had helped him pack plenty of rations.
He thought on her. More than that, he simply couldn’t get her out of his mind. He wasn’t getting any younger and needed to settle down. They’d have to make some decisions on his fu
ture, whether ranching versus Texas Ranger. He’d heard rumors that Rip Ford was going to assemble a couple of new Ranger companies once funding had been approved in Austin. Likely as not, it’d be next year.
She had truly grabbed his heart, and it was obviously mutual. He figured Ford would exert a lot of pressure on him to remain a Ranger. He’d deal with it all after he dealt with the Perez matter.
The weather was bone dry. He passed plenty of grazing cattle and even buffalo and wild horses now and then. He hoped those drovers he’d passed a week or so back had delivered their cattle safely. Their way of life wouldn’t be going on forever. The range was wide open, though he knew in his heart it likely wouldn’t remain that way. Folks that owned land had a tendency to possess and protect. In Texas, land was king. The Texas government even preferred to pay law enforcement and militia with land rather than cash.
For three days, Luke saw no one. He looked out across an empty prairie vista. He sang his favorite Irish tunes to while away the time and kept squeezing the bandana to keep strengthening his hand. He calculated that he was no more than a day behind Perez. Whether their paths would cross was in question. In fact, it was highly unlikely. There were no direct roads that might increase the likelihood of an intercept.
Luke figured he was better off simply heading straight to Carrizo. It wasn’t much of a town and was peopled mostly by Mexicans. With his size, he’d be quite a contrast to the shorter, darker-skinned Mexicans. Perhaps that could be used to his advantage in bringing Perez to him. At least he wasn’t worried about Perez turning the tables on him and lying in ambush somewhere. Luke much preferred being the hunter rather than the hunted.
***
Perez was still in agony. His anger was building hour by hour. He was heading in the wrong direction if he hoped to waylay the Texas Ranger or the Laredo whore. But he couldn’t even ride a horse. Frustration and anger were the twin fates he was enduring. He’d even accommodated Jorge cleaning his wound each evening.
By Jorge’s reckoning, they were about halfway to Carrizo. There were no towns or villages along their route. The Nueces Strip was still mostly undeveloped raw frontier. That was likely good news, given their vulnerability with the wagon. They were a perfect target for Apache, rival Mexican gangs, and any other outlaw that chose to make a life of waylaying underdefended targets of opportunity. Jorge had the common sense to have acquired a pistol and a couple of rifles before they left San Patricio. The rifles were old breech-loaders, and Perez was unimpressed. Nevertheless, they were better than nothing. They’d have a fighting chance defending against attackers, though couldn’t mount much of an offense.
Perez wasn’t a particularly religious man. He grew up in a family of Catholics, but his faith was more a perfunctory exercise. That having been said, he found himself praying. He worried about his wound as well as his safety. What if infection set in? What was that woman in Carrizo going to be able to do for him? It made him even more angry at the red-haired whore. As soon as he healed, he’d head back north and take care of that little tramp. His patience was wearing thin.
In a perfect world, they’d simply take the wagon across the Rio Grande and into Mexico. What could possibly go wrong?
***
Scarlett checked in to the Bullock House Hotel upon her arrival in Austin. The ride from San Patricio had taken five days, including a stopover in San Antonio. The Bullock House was fancy, but she had enough gold coin to afford it until she could get established. Austin was thriving, and she hoped to find opportunity other than her chosen profession. More important, she had put plenty of distance between herself and Corpus Christi.
She enjoyed a warm bath. Shopping would be next in her plans, as she sought an appropriately stylish wardrobe. After all, she needed to look prim and proper to have hope of finding a respectable position in the Texas capital.
Scarlett knew no one, so needed to find someone who could get her oriented to the city. Ideally, that person would be a respectable citizen of Austin. She figured that the hotel restaurant might be a good place to start.
Scarlett enjoyed a wonderful day of shopping and had done well for herself. As she entered the Bullock House Hotel restaurant at dinner hour, she scanned the dining area for possible contacts. Only two folks were sitting unaccompanied. Both were men, well-dressed and apparently middle-aged.
Scarlett had already created a cover for herself. She’d let it be known that she was visiting from Richmond, Virginia and seeking opportunity in the great state of Texas. At least, she remembered enough about the place to carry on a credible conversation.
As she ordered dinner, the younger of two men nodded to her. Before he could come over and make her acquaintance, a gentleman from an adjoining table stepped forward and invited her to join him and his wife.
“Young lady, my name is Colonel Rucker. My wife and I would have you do us the pleasure of joining us. We don’t hold with young women having to eat alone.”
Scarlett saw the colonel and his wife as the lesser of evils by far. She had a habit of getting into trouble with lone men. She did take note of the colonel’s impressively tailored uniform with gold sash and fringed epaulets. He appeared every bit the military officer.
“What is your name, young lady, and where are you from?” Mrs. Rucker seemed nice enough. Scarlett smiled as genuinely as she could.
“Scarlett,” she said with the hint of a Southern accent. “Scarlett Rose, ma’am. I hail from Richmond.” Despite Scarlett’s youth, there was still a hint of the used woman across her face. Too many men in too many places were already taking their toll.
“Oh, why, we’ve visited Richmond. What part of the city did you grow up in?” Mrs. Rucker asked.
“Actually, Mrs. Rucker, my parents were killed in an accident when I was young, so I was raised by my grandparents on the outskirts of the city. I’m afraid they are quite elderly, and I was a burden. I left to seek my fortune. I was told that Texas offered great opportunity.”
Colonel Rucker acted intrigued, but strove to not be overly ingratiating. His wife tended to be the jealous type. “What sort of opportunity are you seeking?” he asked.
Scarlett had an intuitive feeling that she wasn’t a total stranger to Colonel Rucker, though she was certain he’d never been one of her customers. It was as though meeting the Ruckers was not by chance.
Mrs. Rucker had already noticed the way the colonel was giving Scarlett the once-over. “Yes, dear. What sort of opportunity would interest you?”
“To be honest, ma’am, my skills are limited to what a young lady in Richmond might be expected to learn. I do have some education, but my skills are mostly what one might expect for housekeeping. I can sew and cook.”
Colonel Rucker glanced at his wife. She gave a reluctant nod of approval. “We are looking for a housekeeper. How are you with children?”
Deep inside, Scarlett rolled her eyes. Taking care of children was not something she found desirable. “How old are they?”
“Fifteen and sixteen.”
They were nearly as old as Scarlett. “I expect it would work.”
Mrs. Rucker spoke up. “We had an elderly housekeeper, but she wasn’t able to deal with our children. We travel a bit, so it’s important that our housekeeper be able to understand our children’s needs.” She looked over at her husband and then back at Scarlett. “Are you up to it?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Scarlett smiled again, but inside she was not as confident as she appeared.
***
Three Toes rode into the clearing in front of Elisa’s cabin. He was naturally reluctant to enter Nuecestown, given the general attitude toward Comanche and Indians in general. Mike saw him first.
“Sis! There’s a Comanche in front of our cabin!”
Elisa grabbed the Colt, slowly cracked open the door, and peered out.
Three Toes smiled and raised his hand as greeting. “I am looking for Ghost-Who-Rides.”
Elisa stepped out of the cabin, with Mike cautiously behind
. “Welcome, Three Toes. Would you care for some coffee?”
He slipped down from his pony. “Captain Dunn is a lucky man to have you as a friend.”
Elisa smiled. “I think we’ll soon be more than friends.” She extended her hand to the chief. “Mike, fetch some coffee for our friend.”
Three Toes took Elisa’s proffered hand and shook it in the Anglo way. “I am pleased you are well, Miss Elisa.”
“Lucas is headed back toward the southwest to capture Carlos Perez, the Mexican killer that threatened us. I remember how you saved us with your arrows.” Elisa smiled at her recollection. “Perez is apparently wounded and has no Caballeros Negros left.”
Mike appeared with two cups of hot coffee and handed one to Three Toes, the other to Elisa.
The chief took a sip of the steaming liquid. “I think I will try to catch up with my friend.”
“Chief, what brings you here?” she asked him. “Why are you not with your people?”
“Among the Comanche, we have vision quest. The Great Spirit sets us upon such a quest. After much meditation, I have been drawn to the strong medicine of Ghost-Who-Rides. My people will do well with Long Feathers as their leader.”
Elisa nodded her understanding. The ways of Indians such as the Comanche really weren’t all that complicated. Despite losing her father and brother to the Comanche attack, she lamented that their simple ways would spell their doom.
The Comanche were both enemy and friend. They lived from the land, befriended it wherever they traveled, yet were the enemy of anyone they deemed a threat to their way of life. She sipped from her own cup. “I think I understand what you are saying.”
Soon enough, Three Toes was ready to resume his quest. He reached into his quiver and pulled out an arrow. “Mike, this is my gift to you. The arrow flies straight and true. Always be straight and true with your life.”
Mike was totally thrilled with the gift. His face wore a thousand thanks.
Three Toes dug deep into his wampum bag. Elisa sensed he was searching for something special. At last, he drew out a beaded amulet on a necklace. “Never forget your friend Three Toes, Miss Elisa. I pray for you and Ghost-Who-Rides. May your lives be ever fruitful.” He reached out and placed it around her neck.
Nueces Justice Page 19