Cowgirl Thrillers

by Barbara Neville

Next morning I open my eyes to see Mr. Griz pushing his nose into the ashes of our fire. He jumps back after finding a hot coal with his snout, and trots off down the crick.

  “If it weren’t tender before, it will be now,” I say.

  “Um-hm,” he says. “Wolf great lover.”

  “Not you, Mr. Griz’ just burnt his nose.”

  Wolf smiles and says, “Likely story.”

  I jump up and lay my rifle on a rock near the fire in case he circles back. Then I put the coffee on and start the rashers. Mr. Griz is still in sight, sniffing and searching the meadow for roots and grubs. Elaborately making a point of ignoring us, but sneaking a glance and a sniff now and then.

  “Bet he would love a few slices of bacon,” I say, and nod toward his slowly departing form.

  “Him not count. Brown, not white.”

  “You got spirits on the brain. Anyway, he looks more of a cinnamon to me. Make good stew.”

  I walk over to the crick for a wash up. As I reach my hands out to splash the cold water on my face, I see an especially bright white rock. I pull it out of the stream.

  “Hey Wolf, lookee here.”

  Wolf walks over, naked.

  “Rock.”

  “Well, yes, but give a gander to this side. See the crystals?”

  “Okay. Shiny rock, tiny points.”

  “See those tiny carpets of crystals? That is called druzy. And the rock is quartz. So we call it druzy quartz,” I say.

  “White spirit rock.”

  “Really? Come on, you still got spirit on the brain.”

  “No,” protests Wolf. “Yes, but spirit work that way. Spirit girl lead us to spirit buffalo which lead us to spirit rock maybe.” He shrugs and continues, “Spirit Cave made of rock. After breakfast we scout around.”

  “Hallo, the camp.”

  We look up. Spud and Mose are walking in through the trees.

  “Brothers,” says Wolf as he stands up to give the pair hugs. “What up?”

  “It’s not good news,” says Spud looking downcast. “Soames is back. They caught Painter agin.”

  “What?” I ask. “How?”

  “Dumb kid. He done it agin. Thinkin’ with his cock. They swooped in and jumped him in the alley behind his gal’s house,” says Spud.

  “Mm,” says Wolf. “Time for permanent solution.”

  “I’m thinkin’,” says Spud.

  “Hey,” I ask. “How did you get here? I never heard a thing. It’s like you beamed in outta nowhere.”

  “Naw, be nice wouldn’t it?” says Spud. “Sky brought me in his puddle jumper. We picked up Mose on the way.”

  “I’se kin take y’awls stock back to my camp. Y’awl gotta save thet kid agin,” says Mose. He touches Wolf on the shoulder and says, “You saw the white buff, brother?”

  Wolf nods, preoccupied.

  “Hurry?” asks Wolf.

  “They was talkin’ lynchin’ afore we left. Gettin’ the town folk riled up, even,” says Spud.

  “Fuck,” I say.

  I start out to catch the horses fer packin’ ‘em up.

  “I kin do thet, Annie. Y’awl go get my fav’rite boy,” says Mose. “We had a good time them winters him an’ I run traps together.”

  “Thank you, Mose,” says Wolf as we leave.

  “Be sure to look at them white rocks in the crick, the ones with the druzy crystals,” I say over my shoulder.

  We run over to the opening where the jumper landed and hop aboard.

  “Yo, Sky,” says Wolf.

  “Wolf, Annie,” says Sky, ducking his head, fiddling with knobs and giving her the gas.

  “I thought that Rock folk all stuck together,” I say as we belt in.

  “Most. Especially the country folk. There’s some newer folks in town don’t know us so well. They especially ain’t familiar with Painter, he is a country lovin’ boy ain’t ever been to town much. That is, ‘til he met this gal. Yore basic teenage boy. Thinkin’ with his dick,” says Spud.

  “Arrgghh,” says Wolf. “Hard to stay Zen.”

  “Sorry, but I need snipers.”

  “Mm-hm, no problem,” says Wolf. “Wolf just disappointed in little brother.”

  I say, “I don’t know, I remember bein’ a teenager. Got in a scrape or two myself. One of of ‘em included Spud here.”

  Spud grins.

  ‘Sides.” I poke Wolf with an elbow. “We found your white buff just in the nick of time.”

  “Weather closin’ in, too,” says Spud, peering out the window at the sky. “Don’t you think?”

  “Yes,” says Wolf. “Need to get horses home.”

  “I kin he’p. Soon’s we get Painter freed,” says Spud .

  “Mm-hm,” says Wolf.

  Not too much later, we disembark at Sky’s landing strip. He has a cute little mortared rock shack there with a ‘Sky Air’ sign hanging crookedly off the porch overhang. Coati and Kit ride out in front of it leading horses for us. We mount up and head for MadDog.

  “Thank you for coming,” says Coati.

  Spud says, “Any news?”

  Coati shakes her head.

  “Okay,” says Spud distractedly.

  Wolf looks over at me and murmurs, “Spud planning. Likely make his head hurt.” Then he smiles mischievously.

  Eventually, we ride up to a big old timey looking wood barn. It has a hay loft door with a hoist and all the usual fixin’s.

  Spud dismounts, hands me his reins and says, “Be right back.”

  He looks through a knothole first, then slips into the barn through a man size door. He opens the big horse and buggy size door from the inside, looks out at us and says, “All clear, bring ‘em in.”

  We ride on into the barn and dismount.

  Coati says, “You go, Kit and I will care for the horses.”

  Kit and Coati step over and gives us each a hug. We head out the side, careful not to be seen, and cross the alley to Charley’s log house.

  She has been watching for us. She lets us in the knotty pine door, hugs us each and says jokingly, “You come much more often, I’ll have to start chargin’ rent.”

  Sir Jacob is waiting in the kitchen with Buzz.

  “The Centrists are getting restless,” he says.

  “Buzz,” says Wolf warily.

  Buzz responds, “Mr. Wolf.”

  “Lord,” I say. “You two need to get drunk together.”

  They look dismayed. The rest of us laugh.

  “Okay,” says Spud, as he puts on his Sheriff’s badge. I’ll go see what’s up.”

  He looks at me and adds, “I need Bob to join me, soon as he’s dressed.”

  “I suggest you include Buzz, also,” says Sir Jacob.

  Spud looks skeptical.

  “I realize you haven’t been acquainted with him long,” adds Sir Jacob.

  “And fer most of thet time he’s been unconscious,” I add.

  Sir Jacob looks at me and says, “Quite. However, he is invaluable at assessing a situation. Please trust my judgment.”

  “Wolf can assess,” says Wolf.

  Jacob looks at Wolf, “Of course my good man, but Buzz has a few different skills. I would also wager that Spud needs you elsewhere.”

  “Buzz, your health?” asks Spud.

  “I have recovered almost fully,” says Buzz. “As yet I am unready to run a marathon, but am certainly capable of light surveillance or the occasional sedentary point and shoot battle.”

  “This yore first day out of bed?”

  “No, I have taken light constitutionals three days running now. My strength returns.”

  “Okay, you walk over to the Sheriff’s office with Annie after she changes into Bob. I gotta get,” Spud says and heads out the door.

  Buzz looks at me, confused, “You have the power to morph?”

  “You’ll see. I’ll be right back,” I say. I head into Charley’s bedroom to ‘Bob’ up.

  19 The Rope