“Oh, my Lord,” Lida exclaimed loudly as she put her hands on her cheeks. “Are you trying to get us run out of here for sure?”
“Someone has to stop those men,” Gabriel wailed in his defense. “If they keep killing our sheep, we won’t have any left to sell.”
“Get down off that horse,” growled Buster.
“But, Pa…”
“I don’t want to hear another word out of your mouth,” he said as he went to help him off Sharps. Gabriel huffed loudly to show his anger, but he said nothing. Lida looked at him and saw the new clothes, boots and hat.
“Please tell me you didn’t steal these new clothes,” she said worriedly.
“No, he bought them for me,” he explained pointing up to Jess. Buster looked up at Jess as he shook his head.
“He can’t keep those things,” he said somewhat shamefully. “We don’t have money to pay for things that aren’t absolutely necessary.”
Jess looked at the clothing that Lida and Buster were wearing. Lida’s dress was old, ragged and the color was fading. Buster had no shirt, only a pair of pants held up by suspenders that looked like they were about to fail any moment. Neither of them wore shoes.
“Listen, he really needed those things and I could easily afford them,” Jess told them as he slipped from the saddle.
“Yeah, he can,” said Gabriel. “He got paid by Sheriff Burke this morning.”
“For what? I don’t understand,” said Lida.
“I’m a bounty hunter by trade and I took down a bad one in town earlier. I’d been tracking him for a few weeks,” he explained. Lida looked at the new clothes and scrunched her face up.
“Well, he sure needed them badly, but we can’t pay you for any of it,” she said, her face flush with embarrassment.
“Do you have coffee and something to eat?” Jess asked as his stomach growled.
“We don’t have any coffee, but we have lamb stew on the stove and Lida just made bread,” said Buster. “It’s not much, but we’ll surely share it with you.” Jess moved to Sharps and pulled a bag of Arbuckles’ coffee out of the saddlebags and pitched it to Buster. He licked his lips as he ogled the bag.
“I haven’t had this in a while,” he said, smiling at first, but then a serious expression took over his face. “I’m sorry, but we don’t even know who you are.”
“The name is Jess Williams,” he said as he shook hands with Buster.
“Well, come on in,” said Buster. “It ain’t much, but it’s home.” Jess followed them all inside.
The place was very small and sparsely furnished. There were some blankets and a pillow in the corner of the living area where Gabriel slept since there was only one bedroom. Jess peeked through the doorway and saw a broken-down mattress on the floor of the room. Lida waved for Jess to sit in one of the chairs at the table. She set about making coffee and heating the stew some more.
“I’m sorry we don’t have more, but things have been really tight this year,” said Lida.
“The stew smells wonderful,” he told her as she handed him the peppermint stick from the bag of coffee. Jess looked over at Gabriel, who was already eyeing the candy. He pitched it to him and the boy quickly stuck it into his mouth.
“Don’t eat the whole thing today,” Lida told him. “You’ve got supper coming soon.”
“I’m so sick of eating lamb stew and lamb steaks,” groused Gabriel. “Hey, I almost forgot, I got you steaks earlier in town.”
He ran out to Sharps, untied the bag of his old clothes and pulled out the cloth with the steaks wrapped in it. He ran back in and handed them to Lida. She unwrapped them and her eyes went wide with surprise and excitement.
“How on earth did you get these?” she asked.
“He said I could have anything on the menu, so I ordered three steaks,” he replied. “I saved those for the two of you.” Lida’s eyes fell to the dirt floor.
“Why, Mr. Williams, I don’t know what to say,” she said as her face flushed again.
“Say you’ll throw them on the stove and cook them,” he told her. She did and Buster walked over and watched them sizzle.
“That’s gonna be good,” he said. After everyone ate, Jess brought in a bottle of fine whiskey. Buster savored a glass of it while Gabriel put some more wood on the fire. Buster looked up from the amber liquid.
“So, where are you off to next?” he asked Jess.
“I’m not sure. I have wanted posters for some more men and there are several towns where I might need to look for them.”
“So, you just go around looking for wanted men and kill them for the bounty?” asked Buster.
“Yeah, only I don’t hunt horse thieves or cattle rustlers. I only hunt the worst of the lot,” he explained.
“Sounds interesting and dangerous,” said Lida from the stove where she was still cleaning.
“It can be. But tell me about this problem you have with the cattle ranchers.” Buster hung his head slightly.
“We came here five years ago with a herd of sheep and started a ranch of sorts,” said Buster. “At first, it weren’t no problem, but as my herd grew, the cattle ranchers started pushing my sheep off the public grazing lands. We tried to fight back, but there are too many of them. They think that public land is theirs because they used it first, but it ain’t. It’s for anyone to use. They’ve taken to killing off my herd whenever they come across them grazing with their cattle. If I lose many more, I won’t be able to stay in business. We’ll just have to sell out and move somewhere else.”
“But Pa, we’ve done that twice before,” wailed Gabriel. “We can’t just keep moving every time some cattle ranchers tell us to get out.” Buster looked at his son and frowned.
“You stay out of this, son, especially after what you did today,” he told him firmly. “Who knows what they’ll do after you tried to kill one of their fancy hired guns? Mr. Malvern ain’t going to let that go, so you sit there and keep your mouth shut.” Gabriel moaned and popped the peppermint stick back into his mouth.
“Tell me about this Mr. Malvern,” said Jess.
Buster took a sip of the whiskey and sighed.
“Well, he’s the lead rancher around these here parts,” explained Buster. “His herd ain’t the largest, but he’s become the mouthpiece for all the other cattle ranchers in the area. I guess they took a vote or something, I don’t know. I expect a visit from him in the morning, ‘cause he ain’t the kind of man to be pushed, if you know what I mean.” Jess rubbed his chin and pursed his lips.
“I know all too well about men like that,” he told him. “It’s getting late, so I’d best be going.”
“You’re welcome to stay the night here,” offered Buster, with a strange and hopeful look in his eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. You can throw your bedroll on the ground by Gabriel’s,” said Buster.
“All right, I’ll go get my things,” he said as he stood up and walked out. He loosened the cinch straps on his horses and watered them. He got his bedroll, went inside and put it out by Gabriel’s.
“Breakfast at sunrise,” said Lida as she and Buster went into the bedroom.
Chapter five
Jess finished breakfast with the Roddys. Lida was standing at the sink washing dishes when she looked out the window and saw a group of men riding toward their place.
“Buster, I think we have trouble coming our way,” she said. Buster stood up, grabbed the rifle and the box of shells Jess had given Gabriel earlier and started shoving rounds into it.
“It’s gotta be Malvern and his men,” he said as his blood quickened with fear.
“You shouldn’t go out there with that rifle,” cautioned Lida as she wrung her hands fearfully.
“What do you want me to take out there, woman, a skillet?” Buster asked nervously as he dropped a shell on the ground. Gabriel went to the front door and opened it.
“Get in the bedroom,” hollered Lida as she moved to the door and grabbed him
by the collar.
“Why does everyone keep shoving me around,” he complained as she hauled him to the bedroom and closed the blankets that covered the doorway.
Jess walked to the open door and peered around the corner to see six men riding their horses at a slow gallop toward them. He moved back inside and pulled out his two short cut-down shotguns from the back of his holster. Buster’s eyes glanced up from his hands, which were shaking as he finished loading the rifle. Jess smiled at him knowingly.
“You’ll never get off more than one shot anyway,” he told him.
“You know, this ain’t your fight,” Buster told him.
“Who said I was fighting yet?”
“You’re holding two cannons in your hands.”
“I like to be prepared.”
“I’m warning you, you can’t talk any sense into that man.”
“Hey, I’m just going to listen is all; and don’t point that rifle at him or his men unless you intend on pulling the trigger.”
“Okay,” said Buster as he levered a round into the chamber and threw it across his right shoulder. “I’ll go out first.” Jess nodded and Buster walked outside and waited.
Malvern rode in the front and the five men behind him rode abreast. The reason became evident when Buster saw the dead sheep being dragged behind their horses. Malvern rode up to the front of the house and stopped. Reid and Blair untied the ropes from their saddle horns and rode up next to Malvern, who was a short man with a pudgy stomach that overlapped his belt. He sat in the saddle glaring at Buster, who stood there trembling.
“Where is that boy of yours?” Malvern asked imperiously as a leering smile inched across his thin lips.
“He’s with his ma,” answered Buster. “If you have a problem, you have it with me.” Malvern turned in the saddle and looked at the two dozen dead sheep.
“I brought you some more of your maggots that were grazing on my land,” he announced as he turned back to Buster. “Think of it as a repayment for your boy trying to kill one of my men yesterday.”
Reid saw the two horses and frowned as he leaned over to Blair.
“Whose horses do you think those are?” he whispered to Blair.
“Who cares,” he whispered back.
“You couldn’t have just herded them here alive?” asked Buster.
“We ain’t sheep herders,” bellowed Malvern. “And the next time I have any trouble out of you or that boy of yours, I won’t be dragging dead sheep through the grass, if you get my drift.”
“You can’t keep pushing us around like this. We have rights,” argued Buster.
“You ain’t got nothing but one rifle, an ugly wife and a troublesome boy,” Malvern told him nastily. “I’ve got hired guns and all the money I need to keep pushing you out until you’re gone for good.” Jess walked out holding the two short shotguns in his hands and a cold look on his face.
“He has more than that. He has a new friend,” announced Jess as he looked at Malvern and his men, who all started reaching for their pistols as soon as they saw the shotguns.
“You best tell your men not to reach for any iron, ‘cause if they do, the first barrel is coming straight your way,” Jess told him directly.
“Who the hell are you?” demanded Malvern. Reid leaned over to him, the leather on his saddle creaking as he did.
“That’s the man I told you about yesterday, boss,” explained Reid. “That’s Jess Williams.”
“That’s who you think we should be worried about?” asked Malvern.
“He can be a handful of trouble, boss,” warned Reid. Blair scoffed and made a face.
“He’s only one man, for cryin’ out loud,” huffed Blair. “Boss, you just say the word and I’ll plug him where he stands.” Jess grinned at Blair and then looked back to Malvern.
“Yeah, why don’t you give him the word and see what happens next,” Jess told him as he tapped the shotgun on his holster. Malvern put his right hand up.
“Everyone, just sit still,” he ordered as he glared at Jess.
“Who do you think you are showing up here and interfering in our business?” demanded Malvern.
“He already told you who I was,” Jess told him candidly. “As for interfering in your business, you’re the one who showed up here with two dozen of this man’s sheep lying dead behind your men. I’d say you owe him some money for those sheep.” Some of the men started chuckling and Malvern had a stunned look on his face.
“You honestly think I’m paying him one red cent for those maggots back there?”
“You admitted they were his and your men killed them, so yeah, I think so.”
“And what if I refuse?”
“Then you can tell your hired gun over there to go ahead and start throwing lead. I’m sure me and Buster will bite the dust before it’s over with, but you can be certain about one other thing. You’ll be heading to hell with us after you find out what’s in these barrels.”
“You’re a crazy man,” bellowed Malvern. Jess took one step closer to him.
“Some might say that, but I think I’m just a man who doesn’t like men like you pushing yourself around like you own the world. Now either pay him for the sheep or tell your man to start the lead party.” Malvern looked over at Blair who had his hand on his pistol and a wolfish sneer on his lips.
“Blair, don’t do it,” Malvern cautioned him.
“Come on, boss, let’s kill this smart mouth,” Blair pressed.
Reid looked anxiously at Malvern. “Don’t let him do it, boss,” he said hastily. “I’m telling you, Williams will fire those cannons. He ain’t crazy, he’s just not afraid to do it.”
Malvern looked over at Blair. “Move your hand away from your pistol. That’s an order,” he barked as Jess started raising the two shotguns, which unnerved everyone even more.
“Are you ready to die?” Jess asked Malvern as he tilted his head slightly and aimed one shotgun directly at him.
“Okay,” hissed Malvern as he shifted nervously around in the saddle. “Everybody just take it easy now.” Jess lowered the two shotguns and stepped back next to Buster, who was still trembling with fear. Everyone calmed down a little and there was whispering going on between the men.
“I’m waiting,” Jess told Malvern firmly.
“For what?” he asked.
Jess turned to Buster. “How much are two dozen sheep worth?”
“Oh, I suppose about two dollars apiece, so I guess forty-eight dollars or so,” Buster said, unsure of himself at the moment.
Jess looked back up at Malvern. “Pay the man forty-eight dollars,” he told him. Malvern reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. He counted out forty-eight dollars and threw it on the ground.
“This ain’t over with, Williams,” carped Malvern. “I’m going to speak with the sheriff and it won’t go well for you after I do.”
“Do I look worried to you?”
Malvern didn’t respond; he simply spun his horse around and rode away. His men cut the ropes to the sheep and followed him. Blair and Reid didn’t move.
Blair kept staring at Jess through baleful eyes. “I ‘spect before this is over, you and me will be doing a lead dance,” he threatened.
“If you’re wanting a shortcut to hell, you’re looking at it,” Jess told him.
The two men turned their horses around and rode away. Buster let out the long breath he’d been holding in. He walked over and picked up the bills and shook his head.
“I just made my first money in months, but I agree with him,” declared Buster.
“On what?”
“You’re plum crazy,” he said as politely as he could.
Chapter six
Gabriel and Lida came walking out after a few seconds. Lida saw the money Buster was holding in his hand.
“He paid you money?” she asked.
“Jess made him do it,” announced Buster, his hands still trembling. “I can buy you that new dress now.”
“No, y
ou need boots to work in,” she told him. Jess tucked the two shotguns into the back of his holster.
“Do you think he’ll come back today?” Jess asked Buster. He shook his head.
“No, not after the embarrassment you just caused him in front of his men,” he replied. “He’ll probably call for the sheriff to come and see him and then the sheriff will be payin’ me and you both a visit.”
“Then I’ll head into town,” said Jess. “I need to send out a few wires right away.”
“You comin’ back tonight?” asked Gabriel.
“Not tonight. I have some things to do,” he told him. “But empty my saddlebags of all the canned goods and take them into the house.”
Gabriel went through the saddlebags and picked out cans of beans and peaches. He found bacon and salt pork and Jess told him to take those inside with the canned goods. Buster and Lida kept objecting, but Jess insisted. When Gabriel was finished, Jess climbed up in the saddle.
“I’ll be out to check on you again, and Gabriel, no more shooting at Malvern’s men,” Jess said firmly.
“But I got bullets now,” he said.
“Use them to hunt rabbits since you’re tired of eating lamb,” Jess countered.
“Okay, but make sure you come back.”
Jess tipped his hat and spun his horses around, heading back to town. When he arrived, he rode past the jail and noticed it was locked. He headed for the livery and stabled his horses. He gathered up his things and went to the hotel. When he walked in, the clerk peered up at him through bespectacled eyes.
“Do you need a room, Mr. Williams?” he asked.
“You know me?”
“I do now. Everyone is talking about you.”
“I need the best room you have.”
“How long will you be staying?”
“That depends on how things work out,” Jess replied without explanation.
“Room seven upstairs is my best room.” The clerk handed him the key.
Jess put twenty dollars on the counter and picked up the key. He went to the room and dug into his saddlebags and pulled out all the money he had stashed in them. He stuffed it into his pockets and headed out. His first stop was the telegraph office. He sent out two wires. The operator looked suspiciously at him when he looked at the second one. Jess paid him and walked out when he was finished sending them.
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