“Sure feels nice,” said Cal as he sat. He leaned back and got comfortable with his arms behind his head and his feet up on the desk. “Now, Mayor McKillop, do ya have any orders for me?”
“Keep the peace, Sheriff Sullivan. Just keep the peace.”
They laughed as Bob looked at his watch and said, “I think I need to get back to greet the supply truck when it comes into town.”
Cal stood and fixed his hat as he agreed with him, “I’ll go with ya an’ grab a few of the boys along the way.”
As the two men walked along the sidewalk, a vision from the past came towards them in the middle of the street. Tim had hitched up one of the horses to the wagon that had been stored in the barn and drove it slowly towards them. He stopped the rig in front of the men, tipped his hat and said, “Care for a lift, gents?”
Bob and Cal grinned like kids as they inspected the wagon. The wheels were just greased and all cobwebs removed as well as a few old nails, which were replaced by new ones.
Bob looked up at the cowboy and asked as he shaded his eyes from the sun, “Is this the same wagon that was in the barn?”
“Sure is, partner,” answered Tim, “They made them ta last back then. All done by hand and they were craftsmen.”
“Boy, Tim, ya sure work fast,” said Cal patting the horses’ rear. The horse just stomped a foot and swished his tail as he stood patiently.
“An old trick o’ mine, Cal. Treat them nice an’ feed ‘em sugar as ya hook them up an’ before they know it, they’re broken in.” He held the reins lightly in his hands but kept his foot firmly on the footbrake as he tilted his head towards the wooden seat next to him and said, “Hop up, boys. When that truck gets here we can load this rig up an’ drop off them supplies wherever they need droppen’ off.”
Bob started to climb up and Cal and Tim both took an arm and hefted him up and into the seat before he even thought of rejecting their help. Neither man said anything other than about loading the wagon and Bob felt as though his leg didn’t matter among these people…somehow he was one of them. Anne would really love this, he thought until he got a hold of his thoughts.
Before they started, Tim pushed back his hat and with a squint, looked Bob in the eyes and said, “Partner, I know ya ain’t got yer heart set on riden’ a horse, but let me give ya a few tips on handling a horse that’s hooked up to a wagon. Never can tell when it might come in handy.” Rightly taking Bob’s shrug as a yes, Tim showed him how to hold the reins, make the horse turn left or right and come to a full stop.
Between them, they drove the rig back to the beginning of town and Bob was amazed that the passing townsfolk just nodded and waved as though seeing a horse and wagon drive down Main Street was an everyday thing for them.
Finally they sat talking about the old west as they watched the horizon for the supply truck.
The sun was at its highest when a dark speck appeared on the horizon and soon they could make out a large diesel truck weaving its way around cactus plants and ruts as it slowly came along the hard packed sand towards them. Finally it stopped and a young man dropped down from the cab, his dark glasses up on the forehead of his baseball cap.
“Phew!” he said with eyes wide as he looked at the rig, the three men and the town behind them. “Man! I heard of this place and now, after six hours I’m finally here. Man, what a ride! Who is…“ he looked at a manifest and went on, “Bob McKillop?”
Bob stepped forward, “That’d be me.”
“Well, I got some goodies for you and please tell me that this town has a walk-in refrigerator cause I got a whole bunch of ice in the truck.”
“Nope,” answered Bob, “but we got the next best thing: a straw insulated ice cellar.”
The young man lowered his sunglasses from his hat, put them on and asked, “A-A what?”
Cal laughed and said, “Just an everyday cellar that has no windows and when you cover the floor and ice with straw, the temperature drops and it acts like a refrigerator in there. Really simple an’ been used for years.”
Bob looked back at the town where the road gets better and asked, “Can you bring the truck closer to town?”
The young man looked at the road to town and answered with conviction in his voice, “Yeah, I’d say so. Let me just walk the road and check it out first.” He wiped the sweat from his brow and started to walk down the road he was to drive on, as a group of men from town came over to the wagon. “Boy,” said the young man, “looks like a cowboy reality show of sorts.”
In a short time the wide truck was parked as close to the town as it could get and Cal set up a line of men to remove the ice, straw and food from the truck and load it into the wagon which, when it was full, took the load to its destination in the ice cellar and Community Hall where it was parceled out to the waiting families.
It was three-thirty when the job was done and Bob insisted that the driver stay overnight instead of driving in the unfamiliar terrain in the dark. He agreed and a quick satellite call to Pearl’s let her know that he was in good hands. Josh Fisher, who had taken charge of the Silver Inn Hotel, told the driver that he could take his room for the night and he’d bunk down in the tavern.
Up at the well, another line formed as the men who had unloaded the truck used the wooden bathtub after the women made a privacy curtain hooked onto the steel uprights that Bill Hampton had made for it.
After his bath, Bob found himself tired and picked Samson up and went home. As he stepped into the living room, the aroma of baked fish got his attention and Jean shouted from the kitchen, “Dinner is ready when you are, son. Cal is using the privy and he’ll be right back.”
Bob went into the kitchen and without thinking about it, kissed Jean on the top of her head. She turned and smiled. “Like I said before, it sure is nice having another soul around. Now, if you’re all washed up, sit. I’ll fix up somethin’ for the pup.”
She made Samson a dish and casually said as she set the table, “Is your mom and daddy still with us, son?”
Bob shook his head and said, “Dad passed and mom remarried.”
“They livin’ in New York?”
“Nope, Florida.”
“Sure hope ya get ta see them often.”
Bob sighed, “Not as often as I should.”
Jean looked in his eyes, “Havin’ a hard time with yer new pa?”
Bob answered with a slight grin, “Guess you could say that.”
She stopped and said with a nod, “Ya probably miss yer daddy. Right?”
Bob’s quiet nod told her that she was right and she said as she patted his head, “Remember, son, we only get but one mama.”
Cal came in and they sat at the kitchen table as Samson took the easy chair and a nap. Bob enjoyed the dinner of baked Swordfish, carrots and peas, whole baked potatoes and hot, buttered cornbread. He insisted on helping clean up and later they enjoyed lemon aid on the porch.
“Want ta see a nice sight, son?” asked Jean.
“Sure,” said Bob, “What is it?”
“Lets the three of us take a walk to town and I’ll show ya.”
Cal lit the Coleman and they walked the short distance to town but he lowered the light as they stepped onto Main Street.
“Let’s take a stroll, fellows,” said Jean as she held both of their hands.
It took a moment for Bob to understand what was different but then it hit him like a ton of bricks. The town was alive! Every home, storefront, hotel, tavern and even the barn had the warm, yellow glow of an oil lamp hanging out front as the soft light from their fireplaces poured out their windows illuminating parts of the street. The silhouettes and shadows of people sitting out front or gently rocking in their rocking chairs on this warm evening and their murmurs plus the soft music some played, told Bob that his dream had come true. He looked at Jean and Cal and saw that they were smiling as they looked back at him. They strolled to the end of town and back before turning in.
Bob slept like a baby.
A
s usual the breakfast was outstanding and as they sat sipping their second cup of coffee Cal asked, “So, what’s the damage for the food, partner.”
Bob shook his head as he put down his cup of coffee, “No charge. It comes with the town.”
Cal’s mustache flopped back and forth as he shook his head and said, “No way, partner. The tour group pays its way. Mighty nice try, but no.”
“Listen, Cal. I’m happy to take care of it. I really am.”
“Nope! The tour group takes care of it. I appreciate it, but that’s the way it’s got ta be.”
Bob nodded and went to his room. He soon returned with the bill and passed it to Cal who folded it and put it in his boot. “I’ll take care o’ this, partner. And any more that might pop up.”
Bob spread his hands, “How are you going to pay it? I mean, there’s no bank in town.”
Cal asked back, “Well, how were you gonna pay it?”
“I’ve got an account with Pearl. She knows I’m good for it and when I go to town, I’ll take care of her.”
Cal nodded and said with a shrug, “I gotta figure this out. Now, I promised Tim that I’d catch up with him. Be right back, Jean.” He looked at Bob and added, “Comin’ ta town, partner?”
Bob shook his head and said as he looked at Samson scratching himself, “Not yet! Samson has been playing in too many mud holes and I plan to give him a bath out in the yard. You go ahead and I’ll catch up with you later.”
Cal left and Bob filled a washtub with water and scrubbed the unhappy pup that kept trying to jump out. Finished he poured the dirty water out and watched as the beagle shook himself free of the offending water. Bob placed the tub out to dry when Cal returned with twelve men on horseback and himself on the wagon.
“Wh-What’s going on?” Bob asked.
“Come on, partner. We’re going ta town.”
“Town? What town?”
“Bransville, that’s what town. Now, come on an’ hop up.”
“But, that’s about a five hour trip.”
He suddenly felt embarrassed as the men looked at each other and Cal said, “So? We got canteens an’ bandanas ta keep the sun off our necks.”
“Well,” Bob stuttered, “I mean, well, isn’t that a little far? Why don’t we just hop into the SUV?”
Cal looked around and said, “Don’t think we’ll all fit, partner.”
Bob rolled his eyes and went on, “I know that. I just meant…“
Cal relaxed the reins as the horse nibbled on some tumbleweed. “Ohhh, I see. Well these gent’s are still set on goin’ ta town so we might as well just ride along with them. What do ya say?”
With all of his excuses exhausted, Bob shrugged and said, “Let me put the pup in the house and change my clothes. Be back in a minute.”
Five minutes later the fourteen men started out two abreast with the wagon in the middle. The New Yorker was surprised that the buckboard took the trip so well and when he mentioned it, Cal said, “Don’t know why you’re surprised, partner. This here model been around for years an’ it made it clear across the U.S. carrying the settlers an; our history books says that they made it…most times, anyway.”
Bob found that the bandana around his neck and the wide brimmed Western hat protected his neck and face from the hot sun and that the horses were surefooted. He also found out that Cal was an expert driver who always seemed to just miss the ruts and crevasses, and never once sank into any of the soft sand. He was also surprised to find that going to Bransville by horse was faster than by car and they made it to the highway in two hours. A few cars passed them and all slowed down to see a part of their past as they went by.
Bob turned and asked cal, “I thought that you guys didn’t like going into a town once you are in a ghost town?”
“Well, partner, we don’t. But a few of the new folks left some items off the shopping list so we decided ta make a trip of it.” He looked at Bob and laughed as he added, “Heck, son, we don’t want any o’ the little ones ta not have their candy canes, do we?”
The group of riders entered Bransville at two o’clock in the afternoon and tied up at Pearl’s parking lot. Cal took a pair of saddlebags from the rig’s rear and tossed them over his shoulder before he and Bob entered the air-conditioned store. A young boy behind the counter went into the back and returned with his boss, Pearl.
“Bob McKillop!” she said as she wiped her hands on her apron, “I didn’t know you were back in town. How was the delivery? The driver said he had fun playing cowboy.”
“Everything was fine, Pearl.” He turned to Cal and said, “Pearl this is Cal Sullivan, a friend of mine and he wants to pay the bill.”
“Howdy, ma’am,” said Cal with a twinkle in his eyes as he tipped his hat.
She rolled her eyes, pushed back an escaped strand of her hair and with a shrug, took the bill and said, “A real gentleman! Nice to make your acquaintance, Cal.” She put on a pair of glasses and said, “Now let me see this.” Pearl went behind the counter and asked, “How do you want to pay this, Cal? Visa, Amex?”
“I got cash. Is that good?”
“Sure,” she said looking around, “just funny that anyone carries that much cash around anymore.” She watched as Cal took the saddlebags he had over his shoulder, opened one and took out the money. Pearl counted it and put it in the safe beneath the counter. “Paid in full, gents. Anything else I can do for you?”
Cal pushed his hat back and answered, “No, thank you anyway, ma’am.”
She rolled her eyes again and Bob said, “Thanks again, Pearl. See you soon.”
With their spurs jingling, the men walked into town and all who saw them just stared in awe as a piece of their folklore walked by.
“Say, Cal,” asked Tim as he looked around, “where is everybody? It’s only three o’clock and there’s hardly anyone around.”
Cal glanced at Bob for an answer and Bob quipped, “Most people stay in their air-conditioned house, office or cars. They don’t go out much in the sun.”
Tim shook his head, “Too bad. It’s a nice day to do some shopping.” They all agreed and went into the stores that lined the town’s main street, paying in cash and making a commotion wherever they went.
Bob’s cell phone rang for the first time in a long time and he saw that it was from Anne. Reluctantly, he let it go to message and it was then that he saw there were many other messages from her that he hadn’t seen as he was always out of cell phone range. He did as he had learned to do over the years: allow his mind to change the subject. He turned to Cal and asked, “What time were you planning on going back to Rattlesnake Haven?”
Cal hunched his shoulders and said, “Whenever we get around to it. Why? Do ya have somethin’ to do back there?”
“No, I just thought that you would want to go back in the daylight.”
The cowboy raised his dark glasses and looked at Bob, “Heck, partner. I brought the Coleman along and the moon is full so there ain’t any reason that we can’t ride at night. Been done many times before.”
“Okay. Then why don’t you guys let me buy us all a steak dinner at Mortimer’s Steak House? It’s the best around.”
All agreed and after their buying spree, they went to Mortimer. They insisted on eating at the bar and standing there with their six guns and spurs on, they fit right in with the décor. Each of the cowboys ate two steaks each and a happy manager brought them a few rounds of drinks and asked them to come back soon. It was eight-thirty when the group rode out of town and with the combination of Tim in the lead holding the lantern and the bright moonlight to guide them by, they rode into Rattlesnake Haven at midnight, unloaded the supplies and turned in.
The next morning Bob was woken by the usual smell of bacon, eggs and coffee and the light of the rising sun. He entered the kitchen to see the table set and Samson eating out of his bowl. Coming down the stairs right behind him was Cal.
“Mornin’ all,” he said as he rubbed his lower back, “almost forgot how dr
ivin’ a wagon can give a man a stiff back.”
“Good morning,” Bob said as he primed the sink pump and was rewarded with cool water. He grabbed the bar of brown soap and washed up, then drying off with the towel, said, “As usual, Jean, it smells great.”
“Well,” she answered as she loaded their plates, we need ta eat fast today as we need ta be at the church in forty minutes.” She looked at Cal and said as she shook her head, “Cal Sullivan, after we eat you go on up an’ get a string tie. It’s Sunday an’ I want ya to look like ya care.” She eyed Bob and added. “An while yer at it, why not bring one down fer this young man as well.”
After breakfast Bob became a willing participant in a line of churchgoers as the entire group, dressed in their Sunday best, walked towards the church at the end of town. Smiles came upon all of their faces as the single bell in the bell tower started to peal, calling all to service.
Once inside, Bob wondered if he had been in the building at all but then realized that, although he had given the church his usual cleaning, now every one of the wooden pews and all other woodwork was highly polished. He was pleased to see that the morning sun came through the stained glass windows in a rainbow of colors that bounced from the polished floors to the gleaming brass candleholders.
Jean guided him and Cal to an open pew close to the front and once there, Bob saw the minister standing by an open door at the side of the church. The frail-looking man nodded to all who spotted him and when the last person sat, he stepped out to the small altar and watched as two young men lit the long candles in the two candleholders. They left the altar and the minister walked up the three wooden steps of the pulpit and placed an open prayer book down.
Looking out, he said in a loud voice that made a baby in its mother’s arms cry for a moment, “Good morning, my friends and any newcomers we may have joining us here in our humble church. This is a momentous day as we meet once again where we have started. I would like to start my sermon by thanking all the fine folks who helped me spruce up our church and for the foresight of Mayor Robert McKillop for sprucing up Rattlesnake Haven.” He clapped and the group joined in, not stopping until Cal and Jean urged Bob to stand for a moment. He did and many just assumed that the deep red color on his face was because of the newly cleaned stained glass windows.
Romance in a Ghost Town Page 26