by Iris Kelly
“I suppose we can take a little time for that,” Wade said.
“Ain’t never had no picture taken before,” one man chimed in. “My ma and pa will be right glad to see it.”
“There was a general murmur of cooperation in the air.
“Excellent. I intend to pose for one or two myself. Oh, and wages go out tomorrow, don’t they? I’d best get that ready. You all have a good day, now.”
And so the morning was spent with one man after another taking his turn in front of Mr. Wheeler’s camera. The photographer documented the full name of each of the subjects for his records. Lydia noted the progress with both relief and growing anxiety. Everything was in readiness for tomorrow’s showdown.
*****
Everyone was assembled at the Cooper Ranch: Giles, Sheriff Johnson, Lewis, Willie, Avery, Ned, Miss Mabel, Ajax, and fifteen of Giles’s men. The three temporary workers that Lydia had hired had been quietly enlightened by Ajax and given the option to stay at the Cooper Ranch out of harm’s way until the confrontation was over, one way or the other. But the prospect of secure employment soon to be available at Lydia’s ranch was too tempting a prospect. They gladly added their numbers to the fight. Lydia’s army now totaled twenty-seven. Hopefully, an intimidating enough advantage to discourage any foolish bloodshed, Giles hoped. But one could never be sure of anything. Above all, he was determined to make it through the day without so much as one hair on Lydia’s head harmed.
They quickly rode in to the edge of Lydia’s gates, then came in slowly, so as not to raise too much alarm. Lydia rode out to meet them.
“They’ve just finished eating. And Wade just handed out their pay, so they’re in a fine mood. Although why they should get any pay after all they’ve stolen . . .” Lydia said.
“We cain’t make them too desperate. You want to get rid of them. This is the way. Everybody ready?” Sheriff Johnson said.
They were. They rode toward the horse corral in a large, intimidating mass. Lydia’s ranch hands watched their ominous approach. Sheriff Johnson, Lydia, Giles, and Ajax took the front row, with others positioned carefully behind.
Wade had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, but forced himself to remain calm.
“What’s all this? You throwin’ a party, Miss Maxwell?”
“That’s exactly right. It’s a goodbye party,” Sheriff Johnson said. “You fellas are lookin’ at your last day of employment on this ranch. And in about thirty minutes’ time, you’re gonna be ridin’ out, hard and fast, to anywhere but here.”
“I, uh, don’t quite take your meanin’, Sheriff.”
“You’re fired, Mr. Callahan. All of you. Is that plain enough for you?” Lydia said.
“Yeah, that’s about the size of it. I’ve had a good look at those accounting books that you kept while you were under Mrs. Ainsley’s employ. And it don’t look good. It don’t look good at all. Looks like you you’ve been stealin’ from a helpless old widow for quite some time now.”
With a small wave of his hand, twenty-seven rifles were cocked and aimed squarely at Lydia’s thieving employees.
“Don’t think too hard about this one, lest you come to the wrong conclusion. Put your weapons on the ground. Nice and slow. All of you. And don’t get any bright ideas. There’s twenty-seven guns on you,” the Sheriff said.
One by one, the terrified men slipped their guns to the ground.
“We ain’t got anything to do with this. If Wade’s been cheatin’ you, that’s between you and him. The rest of us ain’t committed no crimes,” one surly man said.
Wade turned around and snarled at him. “All my doin’, was it?”
“That’s not what Ajax here tells me,” the Sheriff continued. “He says every single one of you was jokin’ about how you’re gonna sell sixty-five head, and only pay Miss Maxwell for sixty of them. And for the ones you did sell, you weren’t plannin’ on givin’ her anywhere near full price. And you’re hopin’ a woman from Boston is gonna be too silly to figure your scheme out. If it ever went to court, Ajax would testify against every single one of you.”
“You dirty, lousy snitch,” the surly man said, stepping forward. “You better watch your back, that’s all I can say.”
“I hope you’re not threatening my new deputy,” the Sheriff said. “Because that wouldn’t be wise.”
New deputy!? Lydia glanced over at Ajax and raised an impressed eyebrow. He shrugged proudly.
“Now step away from your weapons. Ajax here is gonna collect ’em, and I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse.”
The men complied, scowling and cursing all the way.
“You boys are gonna leave town today. And you’re gonna clear out of Wyoming Territory. I decided against puttin’ you in jail. I don’t feel like feedin’ ya. I don’t feel like lookin’ at ya. I don’t feel like spendin’ the next few weeks in court with you. And none of us here want to distress that poor widow by her findin’ out that she’s been robbed all these years. We’re lettin’ you go. Merry Christmas to you. And we don’t expect to ever see your faces again.”
The men looked warily at Lydia’s daunting band of protectors.
“No need for alarm, boys. These guns are simply here to encourage you to leave peacefully and to live to see another day. If any of you decides to hang around, you’ll become a wanted man. And I sure appreciate your posin’ for those photographs yesterday. They’re gonna make for some very effective WANTED posters, should you ignore my kindly intentioned words of warning.”
The culprits exchanged uneasy glances.
“I see we understand one another. Now, you’ve just gotten your month’s pay. Oh, I recommended that, ’cause you’re gonna need travelin’ money, and if your pockets were empty, you’d just talk yourself into stayin’ and causin’ mischief. You got half an hour to pack your things, grab some supplies, and hit the road. You stay together until you hit the border. Ajax here will be on your trail. And he will notify us if you seem to be having a change of heart.”
The surly man stepped forward. “I ain’t never been run out of town in my entire life, and I don’t aim to start now.”
His bluster was quickly cut short when a gunshot rang out and the bullet ricocheted out from a spot on the ground, just inches from his feet. His jaw dropped open upon finding Lydia on the other end of the rifle in question.
“GET. OFF. MY. LAND,” Lydia said, in no uncertain terms.
Any thoughts of negotiating or fighting, or sneaking back onto Mrs. Maxwell’s ranch to cause trouble were ended with that shot. Lydia’s face was fierce with determination; Giles beside her was bristling with outrage, the Sheriff looked as if his patience was running out, the cantankerous Miss Mabel had murder in her eye, and most of the men behind Lydia looked as if they were spoiling for a fight.
“As you see, Mrs. Maxwell is not one for long goodbyes. Neither am I. Half an hour. Get goin’,” the Sheriff said.
The guilty ranch hands quickly made a beeline for the bunkhouse to retrieve their things. Lydia’s troop stayed together for the entire half hour until the thieving ranch hands headed off the ranch, with Ajax following in the near distance.
“Barbeque over at my place,” Mr. Cooper announced.
This was greeted by loud cheers, and the best reward of all for Giles—Lydia looked indescribably happy.
*****
Fanny had been hard at work back at the Cooper Ranch preparing for the celebratory feast. She worked alongside Mrs. Bradley, the woman who would soon become Giles’s full-time housekeeper and cook after Fanny was married. Virginia was also there, mostly tending to her baby, but lending a hand here and there. By the time the victorious group returned, a delicious barbeque was at hand.
On seeing their safe return, Fanny ran straight into Ned’s arms, and he held her close and whispered comforting assurances in her ear. Giles had to admit it: there’s not much more he could have asked for in a mate for his precious daughter.
A boisterous meal was soon und
erway, where the details of the day’s events were recounted with gusto and embellishment.
“Did you see the look on his face when Mrs. Maxwell almost took his foot off?”
“Just a little more practice, ma’am. Three inches to the left and you would have nailed it.”
Lydia protested. “That was not the plan.”
Her gunshot had struck her former employees as hotheaded anger. But it had, in fact, been a well-rehearsed tactic. Giles did not want those men to think that she was a helpless lady, and that they could just sneak back onto her land to seek revenge. If they saw her as the weak link of her troop, they were forced to think again.
“I know this whole thing was more than you ever could have bargained for. How are you feeling, Mrs. Maxwell?” the Sheriff inquired.
“This was . . . the most . . . thrilling thing I have ever experienced in my entire life,” Lydia gushed.
This confession was greeted with hollers and cheers.
“GET. OFF. MY. LAND,” two of Giles’s men crowed in unison.
Everyone burst into laughter, filled to the brim with joy and victory and fellowship. The potential and real dangers of the day were long forgotten.
Lydia turned to Tommy, one of Giles’s crew. “Tommy, I’m going to be needing a new foreman. You come highly recommended.”
Tommy looked over to Giles, and Giles nodded his approval.
“It’s time you ran your own show, Tommy. Long overdue, though I’ve appreciated every day you’ve been with us. It would be good to know that Mrs. Maxwell’s ranch was in such capable hands,” Giles said.
“I’d be more than happy to, ma’am,” Tommy said, stunned but pleased.
“That’s not all she’s gonna need. So far, she only has a crew of four, and it’s gonna take her a while to hire another half dozen full-timers. And she’s gotta get her herd to market next week. So, I said she could borrow five of my men, if you’re willin’ to stay over there for a few weeks until she’s fully staffed. So, we’ll be needing a few volunteers.”
Giles had hoped a few hands would go up, but with the exception of his foreman, every single one of his crew waved their hand up—fourteen in all. He scoffed.
“Am I the one who’s gonna have to be hiring the full-timers?”
“Sorry, boss. But she’s prettier than you. By a mile,” Ellwood said.
“I think I may even have to stay on with her,” Clem said. “After all, she needs fellas she can trust, and I feel . . . it’s my Christian duty to offer whatever assistance I can.”
“Christian duty?” scoffed Ellwood. “That’s rich, comin’ from a fella who ain’t set foot in a church for twenty years.”
There was a big racket as the men held a good-natured ribbing over who was fit and who was unfit to help Mrs. Maxwell. Giles only pretended to be annoyed. He was actually quite prepared to sacrifice a few of his men permanently if it meant that Lydia would always have some reliable insiders who would protect her interests.
But Giles couldn’t help but notice Miss Mabel looking at him in exasperation and shaking her head in disapproval, and her meaning was clear—yet another person who thought he was an idiot for not making Mrs. Maxwell his wife.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It was just another ordinary day of commerce for most, but for Lydia, taking her cattle to market felt like the day that she truly became a rancher. She trailed her employees and herd as they travelled a parallel trail north of town, and then a straight path to the freight train. She wanted to stay out of the way; her men had important work to do, but she still wanted to soak it all in.
In front of them, and far behind them, other herds were visible. It was a big day for the whole region. Lydia’s group took their turn, waiting to get their herd on the train. She had, in short order, built her crew back up to ten, with the help of recommendations from Mr. Cooper and his men. And of course, Clem and Ellwood had defected to her ranch, a fact that Mr. Cooper pretended to grumble about at great length. But he was pleased to know that Lydia would never be troubled by cheating or disloyalty among her men again, with those two and Tommy keeping an eye out for her.
After the cattle had been loaded, Tommy gestured for Lydia to come over and sign for the receipt: $5160. The buyer handed this enormous sum directly to Lydia’s hand, in cash.
“Thank you, Tommy. Why don’t you hold this, and we’ll ride over to the bank together to make a deposit? And the rest of you men—get yourself over to Hank’s Café. I told him that that he should put your supper on my tab. Tommy will be over soon. And I’ll see all of you back at the ranch at about three o’clock. We’ve still got time to plant a little more feed this afternoon.”
The free meal was met with cheers. Lydia proudly made her way to the bank to make the first deposit of her life as a rancher.
*****
After the demands of market day were past, everyone’s minds were free to fixate on the next big event of the season, Fanny’s wedding. Lydia thought that her involvement would be limited to a back row seat at the ceremony, a plate at the reception, and providing a nice gift beforehand. But Fanny had other ideas. Her mother had not lived long enough to see this day, and Lydia was going to have to oblige her and fill a mother’s duties.
They had gone into town to have Fanny’s wedding dress fitted, and Lydia wanted to treat Fanny to a nice afternoon tea. It was a good place of comfortable quality, not so upscale as to turn their nose up at Fanny’s plain comfortable clothing, but fancy enough to feel like a bit of extravagance.
When the waitress stepped away to get their order, Fanny seized the opportunity to speak her mind.
“You’ve been married before, Mrs. Maxwell. I don’t have my ma here to ask such things, nor my sisters either. I’m just wonderin’ exactly what, uh, to be expectin’ . . . you know, the weddin’ night.”
Oh, dear. Lydia was taken by surprise. Surely, she was the worst person to consult on this matter. She wanted to refer Lydia to her niece, Virginia, or to Rachel, the wife of Fanny’s cousin, Willie. Both women had such gentle, adoring husbands that their experiences in the marital bed were a much better guiding resource than her own problematic experiences.
Still, in their first year of marriage, things had been rather good, as her late husband still had high hopes for an heir and treated her as the precious key to keeping his family name alive. At least she could draw on that.
“You have the most important thing in your favor, my dear. Ned loves you, and when he holds you and kisses you—yes, of course I’ve noticed. You two are the most indiscreet couple I have ever seen—It is obvious that his fondness for you and concern for your well-being will carry over into all your relations.”
“Is it gonna hurt?”
“Fanny, my understanding is that you plan on having children. Compared to childbirth, any discomfort felt on your wedding night will feel like stubbing your toe.”
They shared a laugh.
Lydia continued, “My limited understanding is that if you both take all your clothes off, and spend a great deal of time kissing, that will go a long way to mitigating any pain.”
“All our clothes off? How’s that help the pain?”
“I’m no expert, Fanny. I’m only sharing my imperfect experience. Given a husband who is affectionate and wildly in love, this may very well turn out to be your favorite part of being married. If I were you, I should ask Mrs. Carlyle to ask Mr. Carlyle to have a word with Ned. I have no doubt the quality of the wedding night rests in the hands of a calm and well-prepared groom.”
“That’s a good idea. But I’m too embarrassed; will you ask her for me?”
Lydia sighed and nodded reluctantly. She did not enjoy the thought of torturing herself by imagining the joyful intimacies that would play no part in her own future. Fanny, on the other hand, was much relieved, and with the waitress approaching with cherry tarts and caramel custards, was happy to change the topic.
“Pa says he’s gonna go with you to pick out the orphans. That’s gonna
be excitin’.”
“Yes, it is. And your father very kindly offered to come with me. I think I’m well capable of making good choices, but he was concerned that some children can cause so much grief and trouble, that it would help me if he could spot a potential troublemaker before I made a bad decision. Obviously, that’s just for the older child. The baby, and oh, I hope there’s a baby available, there’s nothing that could be wrong with any baby.”
“I think it’s gonna be good for him to be reminded of how much he likes young’uns. He does, you know. More than anything. In fact, it might be a real good idea for him to remember how much. Maybe if he does remember, he’ll start thinkin’ how nice it would be to live in a house with a family again.”
She looked at Lydia pointedly. It was hard to miss her meaning. The prospect of a household with children might be enough to lure Giles into marriage again. For just a moment, Lydia toyed with the idea. She knew how happy being a family man had made Giles. And she knew how much she would love her new children. Couldn’t they happily raise them together? Wasn’t that the full dream that she had always wanted?
But pride kicked in. She didn’t know if it was stubborn pride, or a good pride in the value of her own worth. But she did not want to have to acquire children for the thought of marriage to appeal to Giles. She wanted to be the lure. She wanted to be enough, all by herself. But if that were the case, he would have let her know before the idea of adopting children even came up. No, his heart was clearly held fast by his first wife, and Lydia would not lower herself to beg for more than he could give her. His friendship was all there would ever be, and in that capacity, she couldn’t ask for better. Fanny would have to give up all ambitions in this regard; Lydia had.
*****
Soon after, Giles drove his daughter into town for a wide variety of errands, not the least of which was to pick up the finished dress. They stopped at Lydia’s on their way, and Fanny stayed on the wagon while Giles went inside to pass on some news from the Stock Growers Association. It was a good opportunity for Lydia to be very clear on her position.