by Joe Corso
Audrey hoped that by seducing Charlie last night that she could light a small flame of desire in him that in time could grow into a meaningful relationship. When Charlie told her at lunch that he was leaving in two days, she accepted it philosophically. Yes, he was leaving El Paso, but she would forever have the memory of the one meaningful night she spent with Charles Longstreet, the Lone Jack Kid.
The morning of the third day found Charlie with Ban-Chu, his wolf, loping protectively alongside him. Wild Eagle was riding point, while Rose and Marsha rode in the wagon, with Rose driving. By Charlie’s estimation, the five-hundred-and-fifty-five mile trip to Yuma would take them about two and a half weeks if they traveled thirty miles a day. It would be about the middle of November when they would arrive in Yuma, giving them a week or two to visit with Percy and his wife Janie before embarking on the five-day trip on horseback to San Diego. He still had to decide how to approach Janie’s sister Lorraine to tell her that he wouldn’t be returning to Yuma. The problem was he liked Lorraine. But he really liked all the women he had relations with.
Wild Eagle slowed his horse to let Charlie catch up.
“You need squaw, Charlie. No good for man not to have woman.”
Charlie sighed. “That’s the problem, my friend, I’m very confused. I become fond of all the women I meet and I don’t know which one to choose for my woman.”
Wild Eagle turned and tilted his head toward Rose. “That one like you. Why not take her as your woman?”
Charlie raised an eyebrow. “She just lost her husband. That’s one reason.”
“You no see clear, Charlie. When Indian die, another brave take his squaw. Why you no do the same?”
“She doesn’t want me.”
“White man is blind. Woman look at you with hunger in her eyes. Go take her. Make her your squaw.”
Charlie couldn’t believe the advice his friend was giving him. Could he be right? Could Rose really desire him? Charlie had a lot of thinking to do and he was glad it would take a while to get to Yuma. It would give him a lot of time for thinking.
He slowed his horse and pulled next to Rose. When he gazed at her, she looked sad. “How are you holding up, ma’am? I can see by your expression that you’re feeling a mite sad.”
She nodded. “I’ve had better days.” Then she decided to get something off her mind. “I noticed the way Audrey looked at you. She really likes you, you know.”
“Yeah, I know… and I really like her.”
“Oh?” Rose was clearly disappointed.
“Yeah, I like her all right,” Charlie added. “But I can’t see myself being with her. I mean… you know, being with her for a long time.”
Rose’s heart almost leaped from her chest. “You mean you don’t love her?”
Charlie smiled that boyish smile of his. “Heck, Miss Rose, I love all the woman I get close to. It’s just that I don’t think I could ever be hitched to them. Not for the long haul—if you know what I mean.”
“I guess I do know what you mean. But what if one of the women you met and liked had a child? Would that make a difference to you? I mean, taking a woman that comes with baggage… like a child. Wouldn’t that bother you?”
“Well, let me see.” He was silent for a minute. “I guess it all depends on the woman. If she had a son or daughter that I really liked, then I guess it wouldn’t matter none to me, but if she was a nagging type of woman and she had a child that was difficult—then I don’t guess she would interest me none.”
The conversation with Charlie lifted Rose’s spirits and gave her hope that maybe, if things worked out, she could have a future with him. Maybe with him she would have someone to care for her and protect her and Marsha. She needed that assurance more than anything now that her husband was gone. She needed a strong man to care for her, and it would help if they loved one another. That would help her make the transition from the life that was taken from her to the new life she would hopefully gain.
“Have you ever thought about settling down, Mr. Longstreet?”
Charlie looked up at her. “Funny you should say that. Before I got the president’s letter, I was thinking of resigning my position as Indian Agent and buying myself a small ranch somewhere and settling down. Of course, that all went out the window when I received the letter.”
Rose was beginning to think there was a chance. She knew she’d have to take a risk and be a little more aggressive if she hoped to get closer to Longstreet. Maybe if she had the guts, she could seduce him. She hated herself for having such lustful thoughts, but now that her husband was gone, she had to make the most of an unpleasant situation. She hoped she was strong enough to take advantage of such an opportunity if it presented itself. But she knew this opportunity with Charlie could disappear when they got to Yuma or, at best, San Diego. Then her thoughts drifted to her brother-in-law in San Francisco. What would he think of her taking up with another man so soon after his brother’s death? What kind of woman would he think she was? She’d have to ponder on this, but one thing was certain. She liked the idea of living on a ranch with Charlie and Marsha. Rose came to the realization that she loved Charles Longstreet, even though she tried hard not to. She had just days to try to get him to love her. Could she do it? She wasn’t sure, but she knew she had to try.
Charlie was still riding alongside the wagon. She looked down at him, and before she could stop herself, she heard herself asking, “Do you think I’m attractive, Mr. Longstreet?”
Charlie was surprised by the question. “A blind man would be the only one who couldn’t see that you were pretty, Ms. Rose.”
She accepted the compliment but asked again, “But do you think I’m a pretty woman?”
“Yes, ma’am, I surely do.”
She took a deep breath and continued now that she had committed herself. “Could you ever see yourself being with a woman like me who had a young child?”
Charlie wasn’t used to a woman asking him personal questions like these and he really didn’t know how to truthfully answer them. “Are you saying that you want to be my woman, Rose?”
“Yes, Mr. Longstreet, if you’ll have me.”
“But why me?”
“My husband is dead and I have no one to turn to. My brother-in-law told me we could live with him. But now that my husband is dead, I feel funny going to live with a man and woman I only know through letters. You’re real to me and I know you. You’re the only person who I feel safe with, and I know I can make you happy if you only give me the chance to prove it to you.”
Charlie’s heart was racing. His body ached for Rose, but up till now, he hadn’t allowed himself to think of her as anything but a grieving widow. Now, however, his thoughts became lustful and full of desire. Now that she offered herself to him, he wanted her, and if he were alone with her, he’d have her right then in the wagon. But he knew himself well enough to know that if history repeated itself, he would lie with her for days, maybe weeks or even months, but was she the one he’d want to spend the rest of his life with? Well, there was only one way to find out. He decided he’d bed her at the first opportunity and see how well she pleased a man.
That night, they made camp beside a small stream formed by water from the melting snow that ran down the side of a mountain. Wild Eagle collected pieces of dry wood littering the ground and, when he had an armful, he dropped the wood near where he planned to start his fire. He collected a number of stones and placed them in a circle, then built a fire inside the stone enclosure.
“You want me make coffee, Charlie?”
“Hell no, Wild Eagle, the coffee you make is strong enough to float a horseshoe. You make the fire and I’ll make the coffee.”
Wild Eagle nodded.
“Indian need more practice making coffee.”
Chapter 10
Eleven days later, they rode down Yuma’s main street and tied their horses to a hitching post in front of a sign hanging by a chain from an overhead wooden beam that read, “Dr. Percy Williams
, M.D.” Percy ran to Charlie and shook his hand vigorously, and then he shook Wild Eagle’s hand in friendship.
“It’s good to see you two again. When did you get in and how have you both been?”
“Whoa! Easy with the questions, Percy. We just got here and you’re the first person we stopped to see. The question is, how is your practice doing? Are you making ends meet?”
“Are you kidding? My practice is booming. It seems like I’m treating three or four people a day from gunshot wounds. I’m the only doctor around for miles and my prices are great.”
He leaned in closer to Charlie as if imparting a great secret. “The problem is I get paid in chickens, pigs, hams, fish from the river, breads, pastries, and everything but cash, and sometimes a little of that. But it provides Janie and me with more than enough food for our table. Gosh, but it’s good to see you. You know, Ned Buntline published another Lone Jack Kid book.”
Charlie didn’t know if Percy was referring to the Back East book he’d heard about or a newer one.
“What’s the name of the book, Percy?”
“The Lone Jack Kid and the Three Bushwhackers.”
“That’s the book Ned sent to his publisher then told him not to publish until we caught the three men that jumped me. So he finally published it, eh?”
“Yes, and from what I hear, it’s selling like hot cakes. Everyone in town has read it. It seems the public can’t get enough of the Lone Jack Kid. Wait till they hear that you’re back in town.”
“Just don’t be so anxious to tell anyone. But speaking of Ned, I miss that old walrus. I wonder how he’s doing.”
“He’s published another book. This one is about an army scout called Buffalo Bill Cody.”
“Yeah, I remember Ned telling me about Buffalo Bill. He’s become famous since Ned wrote a dime novel about him. But I’m kinda surprised that he still wants to write books about me. I figured that since he had a new hero to write about, he’d forget about me. Guess I figured wrong.”
Percy looked over Charlie’s shoulder at the woman and child standing behind him, which embarrassed Charlie.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was so involved in our conversation that I forgot to introduce you to Rose Sullivan and her daughter, Marsha. Rose, Marsha, this is my good friend, Dr. Percy Williams. His friends call him Percy and since you’re my friends, you are now his friend, so you can call him Percy.”
Marsha giggled. “Hi, Mr. Percy.”
Percy patted the little girl on her head. “Hi, Marsha. It’s so nice to meet you.”
Marsha giggled again and hid behind her mother’s dress.
Charlie explained to Percy how he came to be with them. He described how he witnessed little Marsha being kidnapped by a band of Apache Indians and how Wild Eagle and he rescued her. How he had Marsha show them where the Indians killed her parents. “We were very lucky with Mrs. Sullivan because we thought she was dead, and just as we were about to bury her with her husband, she opened her eyes. She had a terrible knot on the side of her head and that must have been what saved her.”
“What do you mean?” asked Percy.
“Well, the Indians must have thought they killed her when they saw all the blood. If they knew she was still alive, they would have taken her and the young braves would have used her.”
Rose shuddered at the thought.
Percy leaned closer to her. “Step over here, Rose.”
He put a lamp on and spoke as he examined her head wound. “The knot is gone and the wound is practically healed. A few more days outdoors under the sun with plenty of fresh air and Mother Nature will heal the rest of it. Might I ask where you’re heading, Rose?”
“I was going to San Francisco.” Her gaze shifted in Charlie’s direction. “But now I’m having second thoughts. To answer your question, Mr. Williams, I don’t exactly know where I’ll be going.”
“Why don’t you and your daughter give some thought to remaining here in Yuma? I can always use a good nurse and the job is yours if you want it. There are plenty of rooms for rent at a reasonable price from respectable boarding houses, and I will be here to see to any difficulties you may encounter.”
Charlie brushed the dust from his clothes, then shook his head. “Is there a Chinese laundry in this town, Percy?”
“Yes. Make a left at the end of the street and it’s the second store just off the corner.”
“Good.”
He opened his saddlebags and took out his dirty clothes.
“Could you have someone take these to the cleaners for me while I take a bath?”
“Sure. Leave ’em here, and when you finish your bath, you can change into your clean clothes in my examining room.”
Percy walked out onto the sidewalk and whistled to someone. Shortly, an old, toothless man walked into his office.
“What can I do for you, Dr. Williams?”
“Take these clothes to the Chinese laundry and tell them to put a rush on them. I need them right away.”
Charlie flipped the old man a one-dollar gold piece to cover the cost. “The change is for you, so use your bartering skills to get the most money back that you can.”
The old man’s eyes widened. “Sure enough. I’ll do just that. Thank you, Dr. Williams, and you too, stranger. I’ll wait for the clothes and bring them back as soon as they’re cleaned.”
“Thanks, Horace. Now get going. My friend needs his clothes cleaned now.”
The old man ran out the door happy as a lark, thinking of how he would spend the profit he was about to make.
“The clothes will cost about fifteen cents to clean,” observed Percy, “so Horace will be happy with his profit.”
Charlie pulled Percy aside so he could speak privately with him. “Percy, I decided not to court Lorraine. I really like her, but I think you know me by now; I always like the ladies I court. I know she’d like me to stick around here so we could get to know one another better, and if I asked her to come to my ranch with me, I know she’d agree. Trouble is, right now, I’m kinda interested in Rose, and I know she’s interested in me. She needs someone to protect her now that her husband is gone. And she told me she wants to get to know me better.”
Percy raised an eyebrow. “Wants to get to know you better? What exactly does that mean?”
Charlie was having trouble finding the right words to express how he felt. “Well, she told me she loved me and could make me happy. That she had no one else and she didn’t feel comfortable living in her brother-in-law’s home because she never met him and only knows him from her husband’s letters.”
Percy nodded as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Where is this ranch you mentioned?”
“Well, that’s another thing. I intend to buy a small ranch and settle down, but I haven’t figured out where it will be. I’ll know it when I see it, though. Look, Percy, there’s a string of women that I’ve led on and let down. I didn’t mean for it to happen that way, but it’s just that I don’t understand women… just like I don’t understand myself when it comes to them. I really enjoy being with them, but they slow a man down. I like the open road. I like to see places I’ve never seen before, and I can’t do that with a woman.”
“Why not? Maybe if you asked a woman, you might be surprised at her answer.”
“No, Percy, a woman is a female and if you look at nature, every female builds a nest. It’s only natural for a woman to want a nest of her own. A woman wants a stable home where she can raise her family and take care of the house, while her husband toils in the field or works the ranch. Rose had that life, and when her husband asked her to come west with him, she left everything and agreed to go with him. That’s the kind of woman I want. Mind you, I’m not going to rush into anything just yet. I’m not ready to buy the cow yet, not when I can get all the milk I want for nothing. I want to see if we’re compatible in conversation and in bed.”
Percy walked to his desk, pulled out a bottle of good whiskey, and poured two drinks. He handed a glass to Charlie, t
hen sat behind his desk.
“Lorraine will be crushed, you know. She thinks she has a future with you, and when you tell her you’re leaving Yuma without her, she’s going to be terribly hurt.”
“I know. Don’t you think I’ve told myself that? Look, Percy, I made a lot of mistakes, and I’ll probably make a lot more, but can’t you see that by leading Lorraine on, I’d be making my biggest mistake yet? I just want to tell her face-to-face and then I’ll leave. I still have to get to San Diego and maybe even San Francisco before I can start for Nebraska.”
“I understand, Charlie. You do what you think is right, but I want to warn you about something.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
“Jayhawkers, Charlie. There are reports of travelers on the road to California being ambushed and robbed. They rob people of their valuables, then kill them and hide in Mexico until the heat dies down. Then they return and lie in wait for a chance to rob other travelers. So be careful and don’t let your guard down, or you could find yourself dead.”
Charlie patted his friend on the arm. “Thanks for warning me, Percy. I’ll be real careful, so don’t you worry. I’ll send you a telegram when I reach San Diego to let you know we arrive safely. If you don’t hear from me, you’ll know I didn’t make it.”
Charlie motioned Wild Eagle over to him and told him what Percy said.
“Good. When we leave, I watch. If men wait for us, I will know. Then we kill them.”
Charlie rented three rooms at the Yuma Hotel. That night, he wanted to be alone, knowing that Rose would be sleeping with him. He carried her bags up to her room and, before she began to unpack, he pulled her aside.
“I’m in the room next door. This door leads into my room and you can use it without going out into the hallway. I’ll be waiting for you. Come in to see me when Marsha is asleep.”