by Tell Cotten
“Speaking English again too?”
“Some.”
Kolorado nodded and looked at Jug-head.
“I see you still have that mule.”
“I can’t seem to get rid of him,” Cooper spoke up.
“Why do you want to get rid of him? He’s a good mule.”
“You want to buy him back?” Cooper asked hopefully.
“No,” Kolorado replied, and asked, “Where’s Lee? Is he riding with you?”
“He is not,” I replied abruptly.
“I always liked Lee.”
“I don’t,” I said, and then I changed the subject. “Kolorado, I’ve been looking for a feller like you. Buy you supper?”
Kolorado’s face brightened.
“Well! I’ve been looking for a feller like you too. Let’s go.”
Kolorado walked out of the livery. I looked at Cooper, and he smiled and shrugged. I frowned back, and we followed after Kolorado.
Chapter twenty
There was only one café in town.
The café reminded me some of the café back at Midway. The place was dirty and grimy, and there were only two options on the menu. Mystery stew, or fried salt pork. We all chose mystery stew, and we washed it down with plenty of coffee.
Soon as Kolorado’s stew was gone, he took a deep swig of coffee and pushed his bowl back.
“Thanks for supper,” Kolorado said, and he stood and grabbed his hat.
“Hold on,” I said.
“What for?” Kolorado scowled.
I reached into my pocket, pulled out my Texas Rangers badge, pinned it on my vest, and gave it a little pat.
“We’ve got important business to discuss,” I said.
Kolorado narrowed his eyes as he studied my badge.
“You’re a Texas Ranger now?”
“I am.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He demanded to know.
“I thought I just did,” I frowned.
“What do you want with me?”
“Sit down, and I’ll tell you,” I said.
Kolorado’s scowl remained. He studied us for a moment, and he eased back into his chair.
“I ain’t got much time, so be quick about it,” he said.
“More coffee?”
“No.”
I nodded. I refilled my cup, poured some sugar in, and stirred. Kolorado watched me with a scowl.
“Let’s start with Morgan and Boyle Gant,” I said.
“What about ’em?”
“You know them?”
“I know who they are.”
I glanced at Cooper and nodded. Meanwhile, Josie watched us with wide eyes.
“They live here,” I said.
“Most of the time,” Kolorado agreed.
“Are they here now?”
“No,” Kolorado said, and Cooper and I looked up sharply.
“Oh? Where are they?” I asked.
“How should I know?”
I frowned.
“When did they leave?”
“They rode out this morning,” Kolorado said, and added, “They had a pack mule too.”
“That’ll slow them down some,” Cooper spoke up.
I nodded, and Kolorado studied us curiously.
“You’re going after Morgan and Boyle?”
“We are,” I nodded.
“Why?”
“That’s Texas Ranger business,” I said.
“Can I leave now?”
“No,” I said, and Kolorado scowled again.
It was silent while I collected my thoughts. I reached into my pocket, pulled out the pardon, and set it on the table. Kolorado glanced at it and looked back at me.
“Kolorado,” I said in a clear, stern voice.
“Yes?”
“I know why you had to change your name.”
Cooper shot me a startled look, but I ignored him.
“How did you figure that out?” Kolorado narrowed his eyes.
“I’m a Texas Ranger,” I reminded. “I know things.”
It fell silent as Kolorado thought on that, and I waited patiently.
“I like you boys,” Kolorado finally said. “But, I’ll die fighting before I go back to prison.”
This time, it was me and Cooper that were startled. However, I managed to conceal my surprise. I glanced at Cooper and looked back at Kolorado.
“Mebbe it won’t come to that,” I said.
“How’s that?”
I explained about the Waldens, and about how Wyatt had been captured by the Indians. Afterwards, Kolorado frowned thoughtfully.
“Why tell me all of this?”
“We’re getting Wyatt back,” I said.
“So?”
“We’ll need help,” I said, and added, “Your help.”
“How?”
“You speak Apache. We don’t.”
“But she does,” Kolorado pointed at Josie.
“No Worries would recognize her.”
“What does No Worries have to do with this?”
“That’s probably who we’ll be dealing with,” I explained, and asked curiously, “Do you know No Worries?”
“Sure.”
“How do you know him? Have you traded with him before?”
Kolorado frowned and looked at me suspiciously.
“I thought you knew why I had to change my name.”
“I do know,” I lied, and continued, “Do you think No Worries will still trade with you?”
“Sure he would,” Kolorado said. “But, it’s going to have to be a good trade. Do you have any trade goods?”
I explained about Morgan and Boyle.
“You have this all thought out,” Kolorado said afterwards.
“We do.”
“And what is that?” Kolorado beckoned at the pardon.
“This is a pardon from Judge Parker,” I said. “You help us get that boy back, and it’s yours. You’ll never see the inside of a prison again.”
Kolorado frowned and scratched his jaw.
“What about my livery stable? I can’t just leave.”
“Can’t somebody else watch it for a few days?” I asked.
“Well, I reckon my wife could,” Kolorado reasoned.
We were all startled.
“Your wife?” I asked.
“Sure. You didn’t think I was married?”
“No,” I said truthfully.
“Well, I am,” Kolorado said. “Man with my looks couldn’t stay a bachelor for long.”
I didn’t have an answer for that. Instead, I changed the subject.
“How long does it take to get to Bronc?” I asked.
“Depends how fast you travel.”
“How ’bout two men with a mule?”
“Three days, give or take.”
I frowned thoughtfully and looked at Cooper.
“They’ve got a day’s start on us,” I said.
“If they reach Bronc, it could ruin everything,” Cooper replied.
“So we’ve got to overtake them,” I figured.
“How?”
“Only way is if you and I take out in the morning without Jug-head,” I said.
“What about Josie?” Cooper wanted to know.
I looked at Kolorado.
“Are you much of a tracker?”
“Depends how fresh the tracks are.”
“If we left easy sign, could you follow me and Coop?”
“I could do that.”
I nodded and looked at Cooper.
“We’ll ride out in the morning, and Kolorado and Josie can bring Jug-head and follow at a slower pace.”
Cooper frowned thoughtfully while I looked at Kolorado.
“Will that work?” I asked him.
“My wife won’t like it, me being gone.”
“You’ll have to deal with your wife.”
“Do I have any other choices?”
“No.”
Kolorado scowled, but didn’t reply.
“And i
f you try to run-,” I warned.
“I won’t run.”
“So, we have a deal?”
“We have a deal,” Kolorado nodded grudgingly.
“Good,” I smiled.
Chapter twenty-one
After our talk, Kolorado hurried home while Cooper, Josie, and I walked down to the livery stable. It was late, so we rolled out our bedrolls.
We pulled our boots off and crawled in, and it fell silent. After a while I could hear the steady breathing of Josie as she slept.
“You asleep?” I heard Cooper’s voice.
“Yes,” I wisecracked.
“Kolorado sure didn’t object much,” Cooper said as he ignored my comment.
“No, he didn’t.”
“Makes you wonder why he had to change his name, doesn’t it?”
“It does,” I agreed.
“You trust him?”
I thought for a moment.
“I’m not sure,” I finally said. “Do you?”
“I don’t like the thought of leaving Josie with him.”
“I can see how you’d feel that way,” I said. “But, we don’t have much choice.”
“I reckon we don’t,” Cooper agreed. “I still don’t like it though.”
“Josie can take care of herself,” I said. “She’s a tough one.”
“She is at that.”
“Is she still mad?”
“Not so much. She’s almost over it.”
“I’m glad,” I said. It was silent, and I asked carefully, “Does she still want to cook for us?”
“No. She said we were on our own.”
I was glad it was dark, so that Cooper couldn’t see the relieved look on my face.
“I could cook,” I suggested.
“I figured you would. You usually do.”
“It’s settled then?”
“Sure.”
I smiled, rolled over, and went to sleep.
Chapter twenty-two
It was still dark when we woke up. We rolled up our bedrolls, and I made a fire out back and cooked breakfast. Kolorado showed up, and I offered him a plate.
We ate, and afterwards we packed up everything and saddled our horses.
While Cooper said goodbye to Josie, I climbed on my horse and looked at Kolorado.
“We’ll see you in a day or two,” I said.
“We’ll be along,” Kolorado said.
I nodded, and then I waited for Cooper.
Josie looked worried as Cooper climbed on his horse.
“Be careful,” she said.
“I’ll take care of him,” I said.
Josie smiled faintly, and we kicked up our horses.
***
We trotted out of town a ways, and then Cooper rode in a big circle, looking for tracks. There was nothing I could do to help, so I pulled up, laid my reins across my horse’s neck, stuck my hands deep in my vest’s pocket, hunched my shoulders, and watched.
It took a while, but Cooper finally found the tracks. He beckoned at me, and I grabbed my reins and kicked up my horse.
“Two horses and one mule,” Cooper gestured at the ground as I rode up. “Going southwest.”
“Should be them.”
“Should be,” Cooper agreed.
I nodded, and we fell into our routine.
The morning passed. We traveled in a brisk trot, and we made good time.
The country became rougher as we rode west. It was rocky and hilly, and there wasn’t as much grass.
We rode across a stream around midday. We watered our horses and refilled our canteens with fresh water, and then we pushed on.
“Are we gaining on them?” I asked.
“Some,” Cooper nodded.
“Reckon we’ll catch them in time?”
“Not sure yet.”
I nodded, and it fell silent.
Hour after hour passed. Cooper’s eyes never left the ground, and mine never left the surrounding area.
We rode until it got so dark that Cooper couldn’t see the tracks. We pulled up and made camp in a little gully.
“How close are we?” I asked while we unsaddled our horses.
“Getting pretty close,” Cooper said. “I think we’ll catch them tomorrow.”
I frowned as I thought on that.
“Don’t reckon we should have a fire then,” I said, and Cooper nodded in agreement.
Soon as the horses were tended to, I unwrapped some leftover salt pork and biscuits. I divided it up between the two of us, and we sat on the ground as we ate.
“I’ve been thinking about Morgan and Boyle,” I said after a while.
“What about ’em?”
“If it makes you feel better, we’ll give them a chance to surrender.”
Cooper looked at me and frowned.
“I thought that wasn’t an option.”
“It’s not,” I replied, and added, “They won’t surrender anyway.”
“How do you know?”
“I just know,” I shrugged.
Cooper nodded thoughtfully, and it fell silent.
“I wonder how Kolorado and Josie are getting along,” Cooper said after a while.
“I’m sure they’re fine,” I said.
“Do you reckon they’re talking much?”
I smiled.
“That would be an interesting conversation,” I said.
Chapter twenty-three
We were up before dawn. We ate a few cold biscuits, saddled our horses, and pushed on.
I watched the surrounding landscape with care. However, there were also a lot of things on my mind, and I couldn’t help but frown as we rode along.
“What’s the matter?” Cooper shot me a curious look.
“You really want to know?”
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.”
I nodded, and then I sighed.
“Fourteen votes,” I said. “Judge Parker told me that’s all I got.”
“That’s all?”
“That’s all.”
Cooper whistled.
“When you lose, you sure lose big.”
“After all we did for the folks at Midway, I figured I’d get more votes than that.”
“Most folks have a short memory,” Cooper replied. “Wagons saved the town from burning recently, and he also killed Stew. That made Wagons an instant hero, even if he really isn’t.”
“You think Wagons really killed Stew?”
“I believe he’s dead.”
“I still say Lee Mattingly had something to do with it.”
“Do we have to go over that again?” Cooper frowned at me.
“No,” I muttered.
“So, what else are you thinking about?”
I sighed again.
“Jessica,” I admitted.
“What about her?”
“I can’t get over how she needs to see Lee.”
Cooper was silent for a bit, and then he cleared his throat.
“Lee was fond of Josie for a while too, remember?”
“He was,” I agreed, and added, “But, the best man won.”
“The best man will win this time too,” Cooper declared.
“You think so?”
“I know so,” Cooper said, and added, “Course, you’ve got to work on your conversation skills. Women like to talk.”
“Josie doesn’t.”
“Josie ain’t like most women,” Cooper said.
I frowned thoughtfully, but didn’t say anything.
Chapter twenty-four
Come midday we rode across a creek, and we stopped and watered our horses.
By midafternoon the tracks started getting fresh, and they turned to the south a bit. There was a steep mesa in front of us, and we had to ride slow as we climbed it.
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the top. We could see a long ways, so we stopped and studied the country.
Below us was a valley, and beyond that we could see the mountains in the far distance. There wa
s a creek coming from the foothills, and the creek followed the valley.
“Nice layout,” Cooper commented.
“Sure is.”
“Remarkable how fast the country changes.”
“It is.”
“Those mountains should be in New Mexico.”
“They are,” I nodded.
“How far do you reckon those mountains are?”
“At least a day’s ride; mebbe even two,” I said.
“Valverde’s Pass should be to the north.”
“Yes, and Bronc is to the south,” I said.
Cooper nodded, and it was silent as we studied the country some more.
“There’s also a pass on the south side of the mountains,” I said thoughtfully. “That’s the pass Stew used, remember?”
Cooper nodded.
“When we leave Bronc, it would probably be shorter to go that way.”
“Probably would,” Cooper agreed.
“We’ll keep that in mind,” I said, and Cooper nodded.
We sat there a bit longer, and I suddenly spotted some movement. I leaned forward in the saddle and squinted.
“What is it?” Cooper asked.
“There,” I pointed. “By the creek. There’s something down there.”
Cooper turned in the saddle, pulled out his spyglass, and squinted through it.
“I see them,” Cooper finally announced. “Two men on horses, and a pack mule.”
“There we are,” I said softly.
“‘We’?” Cooper asked, confused.
“That’s going to be you and me down there,” I explained.
Cooper frowned thoughtfully and nodded.
“I reckon it will be,” he said.
“I’ll be Morgan, and you’ll be Boyle.”
“How come you get to be Morgan?” Cooper shot me a dark look.
“I just assumed-,” I started to say.
“What if Morgan is tall, dark, and handsome?” Cooper interrupted.
“What if he is?”
“If he is, then I should be Morgan, and you should be Boyle,” Cooper declared, and added, “’Course, if he’s small and boney, then you can be Morgan. We should stay close to the facts.”
I frowned at Cooper.
“If he talks a lot,” I said, “then you can be Morgan.”
Cooper smiled, and asked, “What’s the plan?”
“They’ll probably camp by the creek.”
“I’d say so.”