by Norman Fitts
The man with Henry was Jake. He stopped short of the corral. Henry continued on to the fence.
Martin greeted him. "Afternoon Henry, what brings you all the way up here? I thought you valley folk didn't like the thin air. Nobody left up here for you to foreclose on."
"You know why I'm here. I thought maybe we could sit down and talk this out."
"Ain't nothing to talk about. I got two thousand acres of the best mountain range in this part of Wyoming. I was raised on it. I intend to raise mine on it."
Henry had heard this over and over. He was tired of it. "I was hoping you could see reason. We've already bought up everything around you. I'm authorized to double our offer."
Henry wasn't the only one tired of hearing the same thing. This so-called Cattleman's Association couldn't seem to take no for an answer. "I know the others gave into you. They sold the land and I got nothin' to say about that. What you're standin' on is mine and you got nothing to say about that."
Henry was furious with this hardheaded mountain man. "Goddamnit, you know as well as I do, your place is the key to the mountain range. Without it the rest is just so much mountaintop. What is it you want?"
"You shoulda thought about that before. What I want is to get back to work."
"You can't stand in the way of this. It's too big. One way or another..."
Jake shifted in his saddle to make his sidearm available.
Joseph stepped around the far end of the corral. He leveled his rifle. "Stand easy mister." Everyone looked at Joseph.
Henry looked back. Jake settled back and placed his hands on the saddle horn.
Martin had heard enough. "I think you gentlemen outstayed your welcome."
Henry swung his horse away from the fence. "This isn't the end of this. You can be sure of that."
Joseph joined his father. Sarah had moved up and watched from behind the fence on the far side of the corral. They all watched Mr. Morton and Jake ride away.
***
Lawrence had done his best to keep up. She was just ahead of him, somewhere. The sound of rushing water filled the air.
Margaret, winded, stood on a rise over looking a waterfall. At the bottom of the falls was a small basin. She kept looking back for Lawrence. She was down wind and her nose said he was close.
Lawrence had slowed to a walk. The thin, mountain air had drained him. The careening sound of water was very close. He stepped out of the trees.
She sat just ahead of him. He crossed the grassy knoll above the waterfall.
He walked up out of breath. "You heard this? We must of come half a mile through the woods." He sat beside her. She was still concentrating on the waterfall. "You didn't hear this. You saw it on that map of yours"
She looked at him. "You know what this is?"
He studied her for a second. "Is this a trick question? A waterfall?"
She got to her feet. "No. It's a shower."
She held her hand down to him. He took it and she pulled him up.
The water dropped about three stories onto a shelf, and then cascaded into the catch basin twenty feet below. The mist was very cold. The river above them was run-off from the melting snow in the mountains. The noise was deafening.
She said something, but he couldn't make it out. He motioned her back from the water.
They stepped back a few yards. "What did you say", he asked?
She sat her bag down. "I'm gonna take a shower."
She sat down and started removing her boots. He stood and watched.
She looked up. "Come on, join me. Humans smell awful if they don't bathe everyday."
She certainly spoke her mind. He slipped the canteen off his shoulder and sat beside her. He started pulling off his boots. She sat and waited for him to catch up.
They stood up together and started removing their clothes. They kept glancing at one another.
He had to admit he was curious about the rest of her. She probably felt the same way about him.
"I've never taken a bath with an alien before", he said.
"That makes two of us."
He grinned. She was right. They were both aliens from different points of view. She stripped off her Long Johns and stood naked waiting for him to finish. He pushed the top off his shoulders, slipped it all down and stepped out of it. He was glad it was a cold shower they were fixing to take. Despite the few rather bizarre physical differences, she was still a beautiful woman. He couldn't help but wonder how he stacked up against the males of her kind.
They walked toward the falling water. He was cold, but he could tell it was much worse for her.
She was shivering all over. "This is gonna have to be quick. I can't take the temperature very long."
They stepped into the edge of the waterfall and began to rub themselves with their hands. In a few seconds she was ready to go. She took a step, her foot slipped and it was over in the blink of an eye.
The misstep carried her into the full force of the waterfall. She was instantly swept into the basin.
There was nothing Lawrence could do. He stepped into the clear and looked at the water below. She surfaced at the base of the falls. Her arm came up, her mouth opened and she went under.
Lawrence was already in the air. He broke the surface right beside her. The crystal clear, ice-cold water almost paralyzed him. The dive carried him past her. He arched his back and turned upward. In a matter of seconds, they were back on the surface. Her eyes were open. Her body was convulsing. He pulled her toward the water's edge. The only place he could get ashore was at the far end of the basin. He was ten feet from the edge before he could touch bottom.
It was all he could do to drag her out. She was a lot heavier than she looked. When he was several feet from the water he knelt beside her. The jerking motion in her arms and legs had eased. Her eyes were still open. He started briskly rubbing her arms and shoulders. He could see her chest rise and fall slightly every few seconds. Her breathing was shallow, but even. He moved down to her legs and continued rubbing her. He had to raise her body temperature. All he could think to do was hold her. He lay down and wrapped his arms and legs around her.
They remained that way for the better part of half an hour. When he began to sense some voluntary movement he moved off and watched her.
She rolled her face toward him and smiled. Her voice was very weak. "Thanks, that makes twice you've saved my life."
He grinned. "You’re right and it's gettin' old... Just lie quiet. I'll get our clothes."
She watched him get up and leave. He was the one. The one she was supposed to have. Somehow she had to make it work.
***
The fire was blazing. These two travelers from the future sat next to each other watching the changing patterns of light. He'd slipped on his long johns and pants. She was dressed with his shirt draped over her shoulders.
She used something from her bag to start the fire. It looked like a button about half an inch across. She scratched it with her thumbnail and tossed it on the kindling. A couple of seconds later it flashed and bingo, a fire. Her bag also provided dinner. A block of gray and green crushed something or other. It tasted sort of like raw cabbage. He hated cabbage.
Again, they weren't talking. He wanted to talk. "I understand. You don't want to talk about this, but I've got a right to know who's after you and why?" She continued to watch the fire. He pressed it. "Please, if I could die in the cross fire I have the right to know why."
She drew up her legs, put her arms around them and rested her chin on her knees. "You remember the call I got at lunch?"
"Yeah."
"Yeah... Well, it was a communication from home, my real home." She stretched out beside him and rested herself on her elbow. "My father’s the Leader of my world's government. A few days ago an old enemy tried to kill him. He missed my father, and attacked my family,” she paused, “my little brother was killed."
"I'm so very sorry." He could tell her saying the words, hurt. “You don’t have to go on
.”
"That’s alright. I think I need to talk about it. My family is safe now", she continued. "That is, everyone but me. A band of mercenaries we call the Vergon were hired to delivery me to my father's enemies." She moved over closer to him. "My father will never submit to political blackmail not even to save me, but he would give up his life to save mine. I can't let that happen."
"They'll have to go through me first." It wasn't an empty gesture. It was the way he felt even though she was better able to look after herself than he was.
She was very afraid for him. "They will... and anybody, or anything, that gets in their way. We've killed some of them. They'll never stop now. I'm so sorry I got you involved."
He leaned over and kissed her. It took her by surprise. "I'm sorta fond of that little human custom myself... Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. Besides this has the makings of, at least the most interesting vacation I've ever had, providing I survive it."
She moved over, hugged him and put her head on his shoulder.
He hugged her back. He wanted to hold her. Protect her if he could. "Come on, let's get some sleep."
They settled in together. She cuddled up next to him and closed her eyes. Between the fire and his body heat, she was finally warm.
He was on his back watching the stars and wondering how many of those little specks were watching back.
CHAPTER NINE
The morning sun was about to break above the mountains. The orange and yellow glow silhouetted the rugged peaks against a purple horizon.
Sarah was in the house. She was putting some biscuits and dried beef in a sack for her father and brother to take with them.
Martin and Joseph had gotten far enough along with the stock in the corral to give the wild herd a look today. If Joseph was right, and new mares had been added to the herd, now was the time to go after them. After running wild, they were harder to break.
Sarah picked up the food sack and two canteens and started outside. She hated this. Her whole world revolved around her home and the two men in her life. Joseph still saw it as little more than a game even though his best friend had been killed three summers back. She knew how dangerous it really was.
There were two horses tied off to the porch supports, both were saddled. Joseph tightened the chinch on his. He punched the horse in the ribs. The gelding exhaled. He took up another notch in the strap. His rifle was lying against the porch.
Sarah stepped out on the porch and crossed to the steps. Joseph glanced her way. She held out the sack. "Here..."
Joseph unhooked the stirrup from the horn and let it drop. He walked over, reached up and took the sack and canteens. "Thanks, Sis..."
She wanted to ask him not to go. She knew talking to her brother was a waste of time. She'd wait for her father.
Joseph hung the sack, and one of the canteens, on his saddle. The other canteen went on Martin's horse. The barn doors opened. They both looked that way. Martin came out. He carried two ropes. He closed the doors and started for the house. Joseph met him at the back of the horses and took one of the ropes.
Martin went to the left side of his horse. "Got what you need?"
"Yes sir", Joseph answered.
Joseph walked over and picked up his rifle. Martin hung the rope on the saddle horn and checked the chinch. It was the one he'd repaired the day before.
Sarah watched them both. "I wish the two of you wouldn't go today. I got a bad feelin'."
Joseph slid his rifle into its boot. "If you're worried about the stallion..." He slapped the butt of his gun. "I'll handle him."
She looked at her father. "Daddy, please listen to me..."
Martin looked at Joseph. "Mount up, we're wastin' day light." He looked at Sarah. "Don't expect us till near dark." Martin took the reins and stepped into the saddle. If he'd heard what she said, he didn't show it.
Joseph untied and mounted up. She knew it was useless to harp on it. They'd go. She'd stay home and worry. That's just the way it was.
Joseph and Martin swung their horses away from the porch.
"Be careful", she called to them. "I worry about both of you."
Martin looked back. "I know you do honey. You're just like your mother." He smiled and waved.
She forced a smile and waved back. Her father and brother spurred their horses to a trot and rode away from the house. Sarah watched from the porch until they were out of sight.
***
Sleeping on the ground had never been one of Lawrence's favorite things to do. Even when he was backpacking, he always carried a small inflatable mattress that he blew up each night.
Last night, how hard the ground was, hadn't occurred to him. He had too many other things to think about. He ran through his mind, everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Margaret had dozed off as soon as she curled up next to him. After coming to no particular conclusions, he simply gazed at the stars until he dropped off.
In what seemed like a moment of darkness, a noise near by woke him up. The sun was just above the mountains to the east. He opened his eyes and glanced around. She wasn't there, or at least she wasn't where he'd left her. He sat up. There was movement behind him. He looked around. Margaret walked out of the brush fastening her pants.
He stood up. "Where were you?"
She entered the little campsite. "I had to go to the... you know."
"Bathroom?" There was surprise in his voice.
She noticed. "I do have to do that same as everyone else. It's no big deal."
He felt silly and embarrassed. He followed her to where she'd left her bag. "Which way today?" he asked.
She pointed to the far side of the falls. "That way, there's a town at the entrance to the valley. It's called The Crossing." She knelt down and closed the bag.
He turned away. "I guess I'd better get dressed."
She stood up. "Hey..."
He stopped and looked back, "Yeah?"
"Thanks for getting me warm."
"I think the fire had more to do with that than I did."
"You know what I mean."
He knew what she meant. "You're welcome..."
They looked at each other for a moment. They were both thankful for the others company.
Lawrence went about getting dressed. Something was going on with her. The thought of losing her had scared the hell out of him. He'd thought about it a lot last night while she slept.
His first conclusion was simple and made the most sense. Without her, he had no way back. The idea of having to live his life out here was enough to scare anyone. After that, another thought crept in. Maybe some of it was her. His thought processes came to an abrupt halt on that one. That was crazy. That was like a dog falling for a cat. Not only were they on different levels of the food chain. They weren't even on the same food chain. Then again he'd seen her. Except for a few somewhat strange anatomical differences, all the parts seemed to be there... It was still a little crazy.
He finished dressing and picked up the canteen. She watched him. He made sure the fire was out and walked over to join her. "You want a drink? One for the road, even though there doesn't seem to be a road."
"No thanks... There is a road, a few miles from here."
He shouldered the canteen. "Well then, let's go find it."
They headed out side-by-side. She passed him another one of those cabbage-tasting things. Ah, breakfast... He gave serious thought to shooting something for lunch. After a few steps, she took his hand.
***
Joseph and his father had spent all of the morning and the early afternoon scouting the herd. There were three mares Martin decided he wanted for sure. He and Joseph both rode geldings and they had managed to stay out of sight and down wind. Even so, the stallion sometimes displayed a sixth sense for trouble. Twice he looked right at them. He snorted and stamped the ground, then went back to his harem. He mounted one of the mares they wanted. Martin decided, if he managed to catch that one he'd keep her until she dropped.
It was the middle of the afternoon before the herd had worked its way into a position where Martin wanted to try. The plan was to run them into a small draw, separate them from the stallion and keep him away until they got a rope on what they wanted.
The wind was right. Martin would wait at the mouth of the draw. Joseph would start them moving in the right direction. Timing was everything. The stallion would turn them away from the trap. Joseph, Martin and the herd had to arrive at the same time. Martin would go after the stallion. Joseph would turn the herd into the draw. Once inside, a rope across the entrance would be enough to keep them there.
Martin had no interest in catching or killing the stallion. He saw the horse as one of the last free spirits running free in the mountains. Besides, over the last few years this horse had provided a number of spirited remounts to the military and put money in his pocket.
Joseph was lying on his stomach at the crest of a ridge overlooking the grazing herd. The stallion moved in and out of the other horses. A perfect target, but he knew it would never happen.
Three years ago, the summer before his mother died, Joseph and his best friend, a boy a year younger than him, decided to run the herd. They caught up with them and the chase was on. They had no intention of trying to catch anything. They were just two boys having fun. He was on one side, his friend the other. They were swinging their ropes and yelling. The other boy suddenly found himself within striking distance of the leader. He couldn't resist the chance to use his rope. The loop found its mark. The moment the stallion felt it close around his neck he changed direction. The boy was caught off guard and went down in front of the herd. By the time Joseph got there it was too late.
It was an accident. The boys shouldn't have been doing what they were doing. His father never blamed the stallion. Joseph wanted to kill it that day. Three years had passed. The urge was still there.
He had given his father long enough to get into position. It was time. He eased back down the ridge and went to his horse. He mounted up and drew his rifle. He chambered a round. Joseph spurred his horse. He topped the ridge at a full gallop screaming and waving the gun.