"That's right, hardly ever," Bonnie admitted again.
"You're gonna run him off…if you don't say you're sorry." Becky cried and ran to her room, slamming the door.
Bonnie dried her hands and went to comfort Becky.
"Honey, you don't understand…" Bonnie said through the closed door.
But all she heard was sobs.
Bonnie went back to getting the chicken ready. She'd talk to her later. But she couldn't make her understand she was simply too young.
Samuel and Martin came in. They had been playing in the yard and they caught some lightning bugs and put them in a jar. They proudly displayed them to Bonnie.
"Wow, you caught a lot." Bonnie smiled as she gazed into the jar.
"Where's Becky?"
"She's not feeling well. She's in her room." Bonnie tried not to alarm them.
"When's supper gonna be ready?" They both asked.
"It will be a while yet. But you can wash up and set the table if you like. Becky's not feeling like it today."
"Ah geez…." The cried.
An hour later, everyone was gathered at the table but Becky, she had not come out of her room. Bonnie was worried about her. She so loved Dal.
"So where's Becky?" He asked.
"She's under the weather…"
"Sick?"
"No, just not feeling well is all," Bonnie explained.
"I'll check on her after supper then."
"Any signs of Banister?" Bonnie asked passing the mashed potatoes.
"Not yet. Look Bonnie, I've been thinking about building a fence. It would help in a lot of ways. I plan to start running some cattle next year, we have the land for it. But more importantly, it might help keep Banister out. He'd have to tear it down in places to get through, it would stall him off a little."
"Can we afford a fence?" She asked.
"I think it would be worth it in the long run to put one up. With a fence and the signs up, he's totally breaking the law by coming on the property. We'd be doing everything we could to discourage him. The law would see that too." Dal said as he heaped the potatoes on his plate.
Bonnie thought about that. "Are we talking about barbed wire?"
"Yeah. Afraid so. More and more ranchers are fencing their land these days. It's the only way to keep things straight as to property lines and animals."
"Then do it, if you think it will help and we can afford it. You know best about those things."
"I'm glad you agree." He glanced at her for the first time that evening. "Daniel and I could get started on that right away."
She smiled, and they all ate their dinner.
Afterwards, she was cleaning the dishes while Dal went in to see Becky.
~*~
Dal knocked on Becky's door after supper.
"Who is it?" Becky called.
"It's Dal, Becky, can I come in?"
"Sure…" She called through the door.
He saw she'd been crying and knew she was upset about something.
"Say now…you've been crying, haven't you?" He asked in a whisper.
"A little…" she admitted.
"Want to tell me what is wrong?" He asked as he put his arm around her.
"It's Bonnie…she's just so stubborn." Becky cried on his shoulder.
"Bonnie?" He glanced at her.
"If she'd just admit she loves you, everything would be alright. I just know it would." Becky cried.
He was shocked. The whole family was in turmoil because of his and Bonnie's relationship. He frowned and realized a lot of it was his doing. He'd upset things. He hadn't told Bonnie how he felt. And he was sure until he did, this wouldn't get straightened out.
"Don't you fret another minute. Bonnie and I will work this out. You'll see." Dal hugged her and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you too. I always have…" Becky grabbed him and hugged him to her.
Dal smiled. "I know you have pumpkin. I know you have. And I love you. We are a family. And we have to stay a family no matter what."
"You promise?" She asked looking into his eyes.
"I promise. Now you better go get something to eat. And I've got to get back out there to the creek. But remember, we are family. Okay?"
"Sure. I'll remember." She smiled and wiped her eyes.
Dal walked out of the bedroom with his head hung. He hadn't meant to upset Becky like that. He should have talked to Bonnie. But talking about love was not a familiar subject with him.
He glanced at Bonnie.
"Is she alright now?" Bonnie asked as she put the last pot away.
"Yeah, she'll be wanting that plate of food you saved her."
"Good. You going back out now?"
"Yeah…for a while…but I'll be back." He assured her.
She nodded and firmed her lips.
He tossed her a hooded smile and left. He'd tend to Bonnie later. When he could give her his undivided attention.
Chapter Seventeen
To his own chagrin, Dal had been right. Banister did show up that night. In full force. He heard the cattle calls, the brawl of the herd and the hoof beats. His heart hammered like thunder in his chest. They were here again, and he had to decide quickly what he was going to do about it. He was alone and if they knew, they'd quickly take the advantage.
Remembering the time Banister and his men drug him to the creek, he resolved he wouldn't be humiliated like that again.
His mind began working like a well-oiled wheel.
A lead cowboy directed the cattle to the creek. Dal could almost make him out. Of course, they needed little direction when they smelled the water. But the cowboy was to spot trouble ahead and keep an eye on everything at the same time. He knew what he was doing and he was going to outsmart him if he could.
Their boldness in approaching told Dal that they honestly didn't expect him this time. This was to his advantage.
Something had to be done quickly or the cattle would practically stampede to that water, so he picked a cow several yards away from the first cowhand and shot him. The cow fell, and the cowboy immediately responded by checking on it. Meanwhile, Dal got on his horse and went directly behind them to spook them and make them move and scatter. Some circled back behind him and were almost at the creek before he could turn them away, but all in all, Dal only shot one cow. Dust scattered as the cows bellowed from lack of direction. Horns collided with horns from the confusion. It was a lot of work as he stampeded the herd that began turning on Banister and his men. The cowboy didn't shoot, he just checked on the cow and then went to report it.
That's where he made his mistake, Dal smiled.
Dal heard voices, above all the confusion and knew he had shocked them again.
Obviously Banister wanted no gunplay. That was a good sign. Maybe in time they could work something out. But it wouldn't be tonight.
The thunder of the hoofs, the soft bellowing as they left, told Dal that for now, it was over.
By now Banister had to be getting frustrated.
Perhaps it was time for a talk.
He'd let him simmer down first, then attempt to talk to him reasonably.
All the cowboys were busy trying to pick up the stragglers and Dal had successfully thwarted their efforts once more.
It all happened so fast that no one knew where Dal was coming from because he had switched positions several times with his horse. He knew he'd need to switch sides of the creek several times and the only way to do it was to use his horse to go back and forth, the trick was not getting caught.
When Dal saw that the cowboys had once again turned back, he went to the dead cow. He'd have to butcher him himself and bury the carcass.
He was gone most of the night. When he came back to the house, he saw that Daniel had gotten back. He grabbed the wagon and got Daniel to help him gather the beef to store in the smokehouse.
Daniel had thrown on his old clothes and hurried to catch up to Dal.
"Did you have to shoot many?" Daniel asked him as
they were gathering the side of beef Dal had butchered.
"No…only one." Dal smiled. He had a time butchering the cow and showing Daniel how it was done. But they would eat beef for a while now. At one point he turned the knife over to Daniel and after showing him how to cut the skin from the cow, he let him do it. Daniel was bursting with pride.
"How did you manage that?" Daniel asked his eyes widening. "I mean just one cow?"
"Well, they had a lead cowboy, you know, one out front and he was concentrating on getting them to the creek. So I rode Choko up through the dark bushes and shot one not too far away. Close enough for him to see it fall. I went back and forth from one side of the creek to the other confusing them as to where I really was. No one shot off their guns. In the dark, they couldn't tell if it was me or another cowboy." He laughed. "The cowboys got sidetracked and I managed to turn the herd back. Banister is gonna be mad about that. Actually, I didn't just turn the herd, I stampeded them. I figured if I kept them busy with the cows, they'd forget about me, and it worked. This time. But you can bet your boots it won't the next time."
"What are you gonna do if he comes back?"
"Nothing for now. Don't worry about it, we have time to figure something else out. Right now you and I are gonna dig a grave for the cow. And on top of the grave we'll write a little message." Dal smiled at the thought.
"What message?"
"Here lies a cow that couldn't read the signs."
Daniel laughed. "You think it will work?"
"The cow is dead. The cow was on our land. What can he do?"
"It'll sure make him mad, won't it?"
"That's what I figure. But it's only one cow, he's not losing a lot in the bargain. He'll take this as a warning I'm sure of that. Could be he might not come back or he might try to bargain with us about the water. Either way, we have to be prepared." He laughed as they took the wagon home. "And I got a big project for you and me too."
"What's that?"
"We are gonna build a fence." He announced.
"A fence, why?" Daniel's face screwed up.
"We posted the signs. If we build a fence, he'll have to tear it down to get in. If he does, he's destroying private property and we can have him arrested." Dal informed him. "That's against the law, so it'd be legal. Of course, we'll have to prove its him and that's the next step of his visit. We'll rope one of the cows and use it for proof that it was his cattle coming onto our land. That's all the Sheriff cares about, it being legal. And it will be. These are all peaceable solutions to a problem that could easily get out of hand. Anytime you have an adversary, an enemy, you need to try the peaceful route first. Then if they don't pay heed, you have to ramp it up, and make them pay attention. Banister isn't dumb. He's bound to realize that in the end, it's better to be peaceable."
"Yeah, but tearin' up the fence, and we'd have to fix it over and over."
"I don't think if I have him arrested for it, he'll do it too often. That's the idea. Besides, it lets them know we are serious about the no trespassing."
"Then I guess that's good thinking. A fence. Boy, that will be a lot of work."
"Yeah, and I'm going to use barbed wire that's dangerous stuff to handle. So I'm going to show you how to handle it correctly, so you don't get trapped by it. Because it can sure tear a man up. We'll get Martin and Samuel to help us some too." Dal nodded. "But it will be worth it if Banister finally gets the message. Besides, more and more people are going to be using barbed wire to keep their cattle on their own property. The days of the Law of the Open Range is over, Daniel and progress has come of age. That's for sure."
"You think he's just gonna give up because of the fence?" Daniel asked.
"That's not just a fence. That's barbed wire." Dal glanced at him and grinned, "First time he goes to jail for destruction of property, he will think mighty hard on it. He might even decide it's time to talk, instead of act."
As they put the wagon up and unhitched the mule, Dal glanced over at Daniel.
"Well." He grinned. "Looks like you had a good time at the party."
"What do you mean?" Daniel blushed.
"Your hair's a little mussed and your cheeks are red. Did you have fun?"
Daniel looked serious for a moment. "Yeah, but I never realized courting a girl was so much work. I danced nearly every dance with her. Got her punch, helped her up and down on the wagon. And then figured out how I was gonna kiss her goodnight. It was a lot of thinkin' and a little kissin'."
Dal laughed. Then he thought about Bonnie. Daniel was right, it was a lot of work, but it could be worth it in the long run.
He had to make talking to Bonnie a priority now.
"You pretty stuck on this gal Rachel?" He asked giving him a once over.
"A little. I think she's real pretty, and she seems to like me too."
"Well, that's a start." Dal smiled and put his arm around his shoulder.
When they went inside the girls were in bed, and the house was quiet. Daniel nodded goodnight to Dal. But Dal wasn't sleepy.
He went out on the porch and glanced down at where the boards on the porch had been busted. They were now fixed, and he was proud he could do little things around the place to improve it. He knew he'd need a new roof before the next spring too. With a win over Banister, he felt confident about his future here.
Now was the time to talk to Bonnie.
He'd thought so hard on her he didn't realize she had come out on the porch and sat down on the top step.
"So how did it go. I heard them coming, and I really heard them leaving. There must have been a lot of commotion because I could see dust for half an hour or more. What did you do?" She asked.
He pushed his hat back so he could look at her.
"I shot one cow, then distracted them until I could stampede them and they took off. Somehow I think Banister is about to get his fill of fighting this. He'll soon realize it isn't worth the fight. Especially when we get the fence up. I'll need help from all the boys if you don't mind."
Bonnie listened and shrugged. "I don't mind. But Martin and Samuel might not be much help."
"That's okay, I can put them to work just handing us nails or something. Make it go faster."
"I guess you were right. He hadn't figured on you being home tonight."
"No, that's for sure. I figured he'd think that." Dal smiled.
She folded her arms over her legs and rested her chin on her knees. "You must have had quite a time out there by yourself."
"I did. It's kind of funny now, but when I heard the cattle coming, I hadn't the slightest idea what I was going to do. But…then it sort of fell in place for me. When I saw that Banister had put a man in front, to make sure it went smoothly, I knew I had to distract him first. That's when I decided to kill a cow not up front, but behind where he'd be looking, so I could do more. It all played out like some thought out routine, but it wasn't. I thank God it did. Because I was scared, it wouldn't work. Strangely enough, Banister hasn't given his men instructions to shoot first. And that's a good thing. I don't think he wants violence any more than I do."
Bonnie stared at him now. Seeing Dal exposing his true feelings about the event humbled Bonnie. "I can understand that."
"It all worked out for the best. And when Daniel got home I had him help me bury what was left of the cow. We'll have beef or a while now."
"You butchered the cow?" She glanced at him.
"Yeah, it's hanging in the smokehouse." He said.
There was a long silence as they listened to the crickets and looked out on the moonlit night.
"How did the dance go for Daniel, did you ask him?" Bonnie wished she had stayed up, but she didn't know that Daniel had helped Dal when he got home. She was proud that Daniel would do such a thing.
"Oh yeah, I asked him. And from the looks of him, I'd say Rachel must have a crush on him too. He was red-faced and smiling all night. Naturally he acted as though it was no big thing, but I knew better. He really likes that little gal."
Bonnie chuckled. "He's growing up. I guess boys start thinking about those things before girls do."
"I don't know about that. Some folks just naturally take to each other, and I’m glad he'd found a nice young girl to take to the dances."
Bonnie seemed restless.
"Well, I guess I'll turn in for the night. Thanks for taking care of everything." Bonnie said and started to get up.
Suddenly he reached for her hand, his thumb rubbing the top of her hand gently as he pulled her down close to him. "Stay with me a little longer Bonnie. We don't get many moments alone. And I've missed you…"
"Missed me…I haven't gone anywhere." She glanced into his serious face.
"You've been a bit putout with me. I could tell. Maybe I deserved it, I don't know. But…don't go yet. I-I'd like to talk to you." Dal said.
"It's kind of late…" She whispered. "Can't it wait?"
"Well, it's hard to get a private moment around here. Something I aim to change as soon as possible. But what I have to say, is just for you."
~*~
Bonnie was close. He could smell her fresh washed skin. He could see her hair shining in the moonlight. And he wanted to kiss her so bad, but he had to talk to her, and he couldn't think when he kissed her. He might not get another chance for a while.
"We been kind of at odds the past few days. I wanted to straighten that out if I could…" He began and took her hand in his. "I don't like it when we don't talk, Bonnie. We've had a close relationship all along, maybe not intimate, but close, I want to keep that."
She sat quietly, while he squirmed to find the right words. He rubbed her hands gently, staring at them in his. He looped their fingers together, then looked at her.
Her face looked flushed, her eyes sparkled.
"There's some things that need saying, Bonnie. Between you and me."
"I'm listening." She murmured. Then in a startled voice, she cried out. "You're leaving me…"
His head jerked about to stare into her eyes. He thought he saw tears in her eyes.
He brushed his knuckle under her eye and caught her tear.
Brides of the West-Part One Page 14