Trail Drive (The McCabes Book 5)

by Brad Dennison

He took another deep breath, closed his eyes and focused on letting the air out slowly. The way the old Shoshone shaman had taught him to do when he needed to be calm. He drew in another breath, and did it again.

  There was no gunman waiting outside the door to put a bullet in him. No sniper outside waiting to take a shot through the window. There were just the four walls about him, the mountain wind outside, and the family downstairs.

  Johnny could hear them talking. He could hear Josh’s booming laugh. Josh had apparently taken a break from the woodpile and come inside.

  Johnny took another step back from the gunbelt, and then another. Then he turned and went out into the hall.

  It occurred to him the last time he had stepped out of his bedroom without a gun tied down to his leg was...never. Except for three summers ago, when he was recovering from being shot up so bad.

  He went down the stairs to the parlor. As he crossed the parlor floor and stepped into the kitchen, he found himself hoping no one would notice. He didn’t want to have to comment about it. To share his inner battle with anyone. Jessica was aware of his inner battle—Johnny had known her only a year, and yet she seemed to somehow know everything about him. But he had never talked about it with anyone else. Not even to Ginny or Bree or the boys. Not to anyone.

  The boys were at the table. Josh was cutting into his steak, and his eggs were already half gone. Josh charged into his food like it might be the last meal he would ever eat. He always had. He embraced his breakfast or dinner the way he embraced life itself. Headfirst and without hesitation.

  Dusty ate more calmly. Dusty seemed to do everything more calmly. As though the slightest motion was something he had given deep thought to. He cut a chunk of steak slowly, deliberately.

  Ginny was at her usual spot, at the far end of the table. A muffin was on her plate and she was bringing a cup of tea to her lips.

  “Well,” Johnny said. “Breakfast sure smells good.”

  Bree sat across from the boys. She had scrambled eggs and a slice of steak on a plate in front of her. She charged into her food with an intensity that seemed halfway between Josh and Dusty. She looked at Johnny with a big smile and said, “Morning, Daddy.”

  “Mornin’, Pumpkin.”

  Temperance was at the counter, placing some dishes into the sink.

  Ginny said, “Temperance, won’t you please come and eat?”

  “I’ll be there in a minute, Aunt Ginny.”

  Josh glanced over his shoulder at Temperance. “Come on, Sweetie. I’d like to spend a little time with you. Dusty and I’ll be gone all day.”

  The back door opened and Fat Cole stepped in. Charles Cole, Johnny corrected himself. Bree wanted everyone to call him Charles. It was taking some getting used to.

  The boy was long and thin, with bow-legs and a natural swagger to match. He pulled off his hat and said, “Mornin’, everyone.”

  Charles seemed to Johnny like such a striking mass of contradictions. He was Josh’s top hand on the ranch, aside from Dusty. More and more, Charles was becoming number three in the chain of command. Whether it was riding a cutting horse, handling a rope or a branding iron, or any of the other duties that fell onto a cowhand, Charles handled them with ease. But when it came to the social graces, his feet seemed too big and he became tongue-tied.

  Though lately, he was starting to seem more relaxed. More at ease around people. Maybe a little less awkward.

  “Morning, Charles,” Bree said.

  She was flashing him the kind of smile a woman reserved for the man she loved. The type of smile Jessica gave Johnny. This was most likely the reason for the new-found confidence in the boy.

  “Morning, Bree,” he said. He looked at her with the combination of deep joy and not a little wonder that a man has when he looks at the woman he loves.

  It gave Charles a sort of sappy look. Johnny wondered if this was how he looked when he gazed at Jessica. He sure hoped not.

  Johnny went to the counter and grabbed the tin cup he had used earlier. Ginny had a set of ceramic coffee cups with matching saucers, but Johnny always preferred a range cup. The coffee pot was still about half full, so Johnny filled the cup and then took the chair at the head of the table, the chair that was waiting for him.

  He took a sip of coffee and tried to look casual. He was waiting for the comments. Pa, where’s your gunbelt? Or, Pa, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a gun. But no one said a thing about it. Josh was talking about the job waiting for him and Dusty today. They would be working on the new house Josh was building for himself and Temperance. Bree was chatting about something with Charles, but she was speaking in low tones. Ginny was saying, “I wish that girl would just sit down and eat her breakfast.” Temperance said, “Just a minute, Aunt Ginny.”

  But no one said a thing about Johnny’s missing gun.

  Jessica noticed, though. She knew him so well and never missed a thing. She said nothing, but her gaze met his and she had a sort of concerned look. He nodded and gave a little smile and she returned the smile, and that was all there was to it. An entire conversation between the two of them that no one else in the room was aware of.

  “Pa,” Temperence said. “Want your eggs same as usual?”

  “That’d be nice, darlin’. Thank you.”

  Temperance had become like a daughter to him. Josh had brought her home three summers ago, and she was now a part of this family as though she had been born to it.

  Ginny said, “Temperance, you need to sit down and eat your breakfast. I can fix the eggs.”

  Haley came through the door. Holding her hand and toddling along was little Jonathan.

  Haley said, “Why don’t you let me fix those eggs?”

  Temperance didn’t fully relinquish the stove. What happened was she and Haley started working together on the eggs and frying up some more toast. They were chattering away as they worked. Josh and Dusty were talking about working on the roof. Charles and Bree were discussing something—Johnny couldn’t quite hear over the din. Cora climbed up onto his knee and Jessica was saying to her, “Come on over here and sit down, honey. You need to eat your breakfast.”

  Johnny looked at Ginny and said, “We do have a full house these days, don’t we?”

  Ginny said, “And you love every minute of it.”

  He found himself smiling. “Every single minute.”

  Johnny gave Cora a quick peck on the cheek and said, “You go on over to your Mama and eat your breakfast.”

  She climbed down and ran over to Jessica.

  Ginny said, “Enjoy the noise while you can. It won’t be long before Josh and Temperance are in their house. And Dusty and Haley will be building a house somewhere. This place will seem empty all too soon.”

  This reminded Johnny of something. He said, “Josh, what have you got planned for today?”

  Josh swallowed a mouthful of eggs and reached for his coffee. “Dusty and I were going to work on the house. The roof is about done. We want it ready to move into by the big day.”

  Josh looked at Temperance and smiled. She returned the smile. The big day, Johnny thought. Twelve days away.

  Johnny said, “I know you have a lot of work to do on the house, but I was hoping you might be able to spare Dusty for the day.”

  Charles had grabbed a plate of eggs and steak and sat beside Bree. There was little room, so his long knees had to be pushed over to the side.

  He said, “I can come help you today, Josh. If Mister McCabe needs Dusty for somethin’.”

  Josh thought fast. In his head was an organizational plan for the ranch. What needed to be done today and tomorrow and next week, and what the goals were for the next year. Johnny had turned the reins over to him and he was handling it nicely. Like Johnny thought he would.

  Charles said, “I was gonna scout the hills for some mustangin’. But that ought to be able to wait till tomorrow.”

  Josh nodded. “That it can. Okay, Charles. You’ll be with me today. Dusty,” he slapped his brothe
r on the shoulder. “You’ve got the day off.”

  “All right,” Dusty said. “Pa, what’ve you got planned?”

  Johnny said, “You’ll see.”

  3

  Johnny and Dusty rode along the valley floor, heading down the stretch. It was spring and the nights were still cold, but sun could warm the valley pleasantly during the day. The small river snaking its way along the valley floor was running high because of spring run-off.

  “Pa,” Dusty said as they rode. “We gonna check on Zack’s ranch?”

  “Maybe on the way back.”

  Dusty gave him a sidelong glance, “You know, you could give me a little hint as to where we’re going.”

  Johnny grinned. Dusty wasn’t as impatient as Josh, but if you worked him enough, his impatience could rise to the surface.

  Johnny said, “Yeah, I could tell you.”

  Dusty waited. Johnny said nothing.

  Dusty said, “But you’re not, are you?”

  Johnny grinned. “Now, what fun would that be?”

  As they came to within reach of Zack’s ranch house, Johnny cut east and away from the trail. Dusty followed. They cut a wide swath around Zack’s, and aimed for a pine-covered ridge that began rising maybe a half mile away.

  A few head of cattle were roaming about. In the distance there was a man on a horse. Johnny couldn’t tell who it was, but the rider threw a hand in the air for a wave, so Johnny returned it and so did Dusty.

  Johnny said, “Your eyes are probably better’n mine. Any idea who that is?”

  Dusty said, “Never seen him before. Maybe someone new Ramon hired.”

  They rode on to the ridge and began to climb the slope. The summit was rounded and there was a grassy spot clear of trees. It was here they dismounted and loosened the cinches and let their horses breathe a bit.

  Johnny stood in the green, springtime grass enjoying the breeze. It was easily ten full degrees cooler up here than it had been down on Zack’s range.

  Dusty wore his buckskin shirt, and he flipped his hat off so the wind could catch his hair. His hat hung from a chinstrap and bounced against his back.

  His hair had needed cutting when he first arrived here almost three years earlier. Since then he had let it grow long like Johnny’s and Josh’s.

  Johnny’s gun was in place now, tied down for a quick draw. He was in a faded gray jacket that he had cut off at the belt so it wouldn’t hang down and be in the way if he had to reach for his gun.

  “So,” Dusty said. “We’re a far piece from the house, now. Been doing some riding.”

  “That we have,” Johnny said, but he offered nothing more.

  He was looking off in the distance, back in the direction they had come. With his side vision, he noticed Dusty following his gaze. He could see a couple thin, distant tendrils of smoke rising up and bending around and spreading thin in the mountain wind. They were from the chimneys of the farmhouses toward the center of the valley. The Brewsters, the Fords, and Nina’s family.

  Thinking of Nina made Johnny think of Jack. So often gone and yet close to his heart.

  Dusty was apparently thinking the same thing. He said, “Too bad Jack and Nina won’t be here for the wedding.”

  Jack was attending law school back in Boston. He and Nina had had a quick wedding. They wouldn’t be back until fall.

  Johnny said, “Josh and Temperance understand.”

  “Pa,” Dusty said, turning to face his father. “What are we doing out here?”

  “Resting the horses.”

  Thunder was starting to graze. Dusty’s horse Bucky apparently thought it was a good idea and was following suit.

  “Pa.”

  Johnny chuckled. “All right. You know that canyon that’s maybe a half mile north of here?”

  Dusty nodded. It was a box canyon. Only one way in. The canyon floor was flat and grassy, and a small spring provided a water source.

  He said, “I know the one. It’s where we saw that stallion, a couple summers ago. The one that ended up almost killing Josh.”

  Johnny nodded. “That’s where we’re going.”

  He said nothing more than that. He would explain everything to Dusty once they got there.

  Johnny went to Thunder and lifted the canteen from where it was slung over the saddle horn and took a drink, then tightened the cinch. The girth, he usually called it. A term he had picked up in Texas, years ago. In his saddle boot was his Sharps fifty-caliber rifle.

  “Let’s ride,” Johnny said.

  4

  They left the horses at the canyon floor and climbed one ridge. It was rocky and was covered mostly with smaller growth like junipers or short cedars. Gave it an untamed look, like God had just scooped away a layer of earth and left lots of broken rocks, and then trees and bushes started growing the best they could.

  About half way up, one section flattened out for maybe the size of five acres. White pines grew here, staggered about the small plateau.

  Johnny stood at the edge of the plateau and looked down at the canyon floor. Thunder and Bucky were grazing contentedly down there.

  He had pulled off Thunder’s saddle and left it at the edge of the clearing. He hadn’t left his Sharps rifle with the saddle, though. It was in one hand now as he stood looking off at the small canyon. He didn’t know if it was because he had been shot at one time too many, or just practical thinking. There were grizzlies in these mountains, and wild cats. He decided it was practical thinking. Always best to be prepared, his pa had said to him more than once.

  “Quite a view,” Johnny said.

  Dusty’s gaze was on the horses. “Aren’t you afraid Thunder will run off and rejoin the mountain herd, where he’s from?”

  Johnny shook my head. “He’ll come if I whistle. We have an understanding.”

  Dusty let his gaze travel along the far canyon wall. It was even more rugged than this one, and steeper. No flat edges at all. Climbing it might be possible, but just barely.

  Dusty said, “This little canyon doesn’t have a name, does it?”

  “It does now. I’ve shown this place to Jessica. We’ve ridden out here a couple of times. We’re thinking of calling it McCabe Canyon.”

  Johnny turned and walked into the pines. Not quite a forest but more than a stand. Dusty followed.

  Johnny said, “She and I are going to put a house here.”

  This caught Dusty by surprise. He hadn’t been expecting this.

  He said, “A house?”

  Johnny nodded.

  “Not as big as the ranch house. Maybe one floor. It’ll be made of logs. These trees here will provide some of them. We’ll plant maples, maybe, for some shade. We had maples around the old farmhouse back in Pennsylvania. I’ve always been partial to ‘em.”

  Dusty looked at his father. “I knew you were stepping back from running the ranch and letting Josh take the reins, but I didn’t know you were stepping this far back.”

  “It’s something I started thinking about over the winter. The things that have been happening in town are part of what got me thinking.”

  Johnny drew a breath and looked up at the tall pines. “I hate to cut a tree. They’re living things. They each have their own spirit. The Shoshone taught me that. But we need the logs for the cabin. The Shoshone believed you took from nature only what you needed, and you put back what you could. There are small saplings growing here, and I’ll transplant them to other parts of the canyon. There’s a small spring further back in the rocks, about the size of the one down on the canyon floor. We’ll run a small line of piping from it and have running water in the kitchen.”

  Dusty stood watching his father.

  Johnny said, “This seems to be a time of change, Dusty.”

  Dusty nodded. “After you left for California, Aunt Ginny was saying she felt change in the air.”

  “The little town of McCabe Gap turning into a boom town not three miles from our house is partly what got me to thinking about building out here. Th
at town will have more than two thousand people by the end of the summer, and even more next summer. I’ve always found towns and cities to be a little restricting. They make me feel hemmed in. I’ve always been drawn to the more remote areas. The mountains, especially.”

  The realization was fully settling on Dusty. He said, “You’re moving out here with Jessica and Cora.”

  Johnny nodded. “This will be our home. Jessica and I will raise Cora here. We’ll have a couple of extra bedrooms. Bree might want to stay here sometimes. And you and Josh and Jack and your families will all be welcome. But I need some space between myself and civilization.”

  Dusty said, “This place must be something like what the valley felt like when you first moved the family here.”

  “It’s somewhat close. But there are more reasons than that.”

  Dusty was listening.

  “You and Haley have been married for six months, now. You need a place of your own. A place to raise Jonathan. And any other young’uns the Good Lord brings your way.”

  Dusty looked at Johnny like he didn’t really know where he was going with this. Johnny had come to expect this when talking with people. He supposed he was just the sort who got to something when he got to it, and people talking with him just had to hang on for the ride.

  He said, “I’ve talked this over with Josh already. I had to get his say-so before Jessica and I told anyone else. She’s telling the women-folk back at the house right now.”

  Johnny drew in a breath of mountain air. It was strong with the scent of balsam. He said, “The house you and Josh have been working on, it’s really for you and Haley. It’s gonna be your house.”

  Dusty said, “But Josh said he always loved that little spot in the woods.”

  “He does, but when he heard my idea, he agreed it was best for everyone. He and Temperance are going to take the main house. That house is the headquarters for the ranch, and the ramrod should be there. Besides, Temperance has practically taken over the household management.”

  Dusty was speechless for a moment. Then he said, “This is a lot to take in.”