by Tony Masero
She stared at him a moment, her eyes glazing and a cold set coming over her features. ‘I got older quicker,’ was all she said.
She plumped down in a chair opposite and watched him eat.
‘What about you?’ she asked.
‘Me?’ he shrugged and gave her a grin. ‘I don’t amount to anything of import. Just a range hand. Lost my daddy in the war, my big brother was gone so I took up whatever work I could find to keep my ma. We didn’t have no more than a shotgun shack and two-acres so it wasn’t easy going. Passable enough but nothing to shout about. Ma’s gone now and after that I drifted, joined on for a cattle drive and found it was what suited me. That’s it really, until this whole mess started up.’
‘Seems to me you can handle yourself okay. The way you dealt with those two deputies out on the lake.’
‘You saw that?’
She nodded, ‘Uhuh.’
‘Nothing else I could do, they was about to have me drownded.’
‘I know. Still took some sand to see to those two, they were a mean pair. Dumb but mean. I reckon they deserved what they got. But what was it brought you here in the first place? Dupree owed you some money, was that it? I know he was a damned mean old cuss for such a wealthy man.’
‘He’s rich alright but at my expense.’
‘How’s that?’
So he told her the whole story.
She raised both eyebrows as he finished, ‘Phew-wee! Some tale, I never known a full-blown millionaire before.’
Joe snorted, ‘Not that I’m one now, all I got is in that shirt bundle there.’ He pointed at the tied-up cash sitting on the table.
‘So,’ she said, getting to her feet. ‘You want some coffee? Then I’d best pack my bags. There ain’t going to be anything for me here now.’
‘How much did he owe you?’ asked Joe, reaching for the sack of cash.
‘No, no,’ she said quickly. ‘I don’t want your money. That’s yours by rights. It ain’t your debt to keep, I’d rather have what’s owed me direct from that wretch Dupree if I’m going to have it.’
‘Seems like he owes us both a sight more than money.’
She smiled then and he was pleased to see her face transform. The eyes sparkled and broadness came to her features that made her seem doubly beautiful to Joe.
‘Maybe,’ she said. ‘I guess that’s so. Anyways, there’s more than enough beds in this place. So when you’ve finished up here just go choose yourself a room and settle down for the night. In the morning, I’ll take you over to the stables and we can sort out a pony and rig.’
‘Who looks after the horses now?’
‘I do,’ she answered collecting his empty plate. ‘Do most things around here now the hired hands have all left.’
‘Well, let me get my clothes on and I’ll go see to the stables.’
She inclined her head, ‘Alright, thank you. I have enough to do here; I don’t like the notion of leaving this place in a mess, even if I ain’t coming back. Just follow the track on down, there’s a corral there and small storeroom with feed and you’ll get water from the lake.’
‘Okay,’ said Joe, reaching for his dry shirt.
He found a couple of sturdy looking stallions in the corral. A hurried departure by Dupree had left the gate ajar but the animals had stayed where they were and not wandered off and Joe was glad of that. He fetched grain from the storeroom and found plenty of tackle inside. Lifting up a bucket he made his way down to the lakeside to fetch water for the trough in the corral.
As he knelt at the water’s edge, he looked across the slickness of the black water shining in gentle ripples under the moonlight. An owl hooted in the trees on the far bank and Joe allowed that it certainly was a pleasant spot.
He was thinking of Justine just then and idly he allowed the water to slop into the bucket. Joe liked her, he had to admit it. And it wasn’t just her looks he admired; there was something substantial about the lady that he approved of. In any other circumstances Joe realized that he would have been one of those hopeful callers knocking at her door.
He wondered though quite what she had meant by the hard tone she had used to tell him that and guessed that Justine had some kind of history and probably not a pleasant one. It was difficult enough for a woman to survive on the frontier when she had a man and family about her, a lone girl in a wagon train travelling through wild country must have placed her in a deal of testing situations. It was a woman-hungry land with so few females about and he knew that many ladies had been forced by dire circumstances to become women they would prefer not to be.
Whatever her past though, Joe felt drawn to her and considered it a shame that they must go their separate ways in the morning.
He was getting to his feet when there was a sudden disturbance along the far bank and a number of birds that had settled for the night flapped skywards from the black outline of the trees. Maybe, Joe considered, that owl cry had been one of warning.
Someone was coming and Joe had left his pistol inside.
He ran back to the kitchen house fast.
‘Somebody coming,’ he warned Justine as he snatched up his gun belt and strapped it on. ‘Best get your things, I don’t think it’ll be safe here tonight.’
‘You see who it is?’
‘No, but did those two fellows have any other guards to relieve them?’ he asked, quickly checking the cylinder load on the revolver.
‘No, it was just the two of them. They didn’t need any trip to town for relief they had everything they could want right here.’
‘Maybe someone coming to check on them, I don’t reckon it’ll be Dupree coming back. He’s long gone. Best head out to the stables, get the two ponies saddled. If we have to leave quick we’ll be ready to go. I’ll hang on and see who it is.’
She made no answer but with a nod of agreement immediately ran off.
Joe made his way back to the mansion and stood at the corner of the building, hanging back out of sight and watching as three riders come across the lawn and pulled up outside.
‘Dupree! You there? Bart, Del, where are you?’
It was Soapy Smith with two of his men.
They all dismounted and stood a waiting a moment before the steps, then Soapy drew his gun. ‘I don’t like this,’ Joe heard him say. ‘It’s too quiet. One of you check around back.’
Cautiously, Soapy and his companion made their way into the house, whilst the third member of the party began to make his way in Joe’s direction.
Joe flattened himself against the shadowed wall and waited, his gun at the ready. As the figure turned the corner, Joe stepped out of the shadows and swung the pistol down clumping it hard over the man’s head.
‘Ow!’ the fellow complained, buckling to his knees. Joe swung again; slugging harder this time and the kneeling figure tumbled forward.
Hurriedly, Joe turned the unconscious man over. The moonlight shone full on the craggy features.
‘Rusthead!’ spat Joe. ‘Dammit! Couldn’t keep your damned mouth shut, could you?’
Rapidly, Joe put it together.
It did not take much to realize that Rusthead had spilled the beans and told Soapy everything and the conman had ridden out himself to discover the truth of it. Now, although the runaway Dupree held the cash Joe was still a contender and he could read Soapy’s thoughts. Joe was a threat. Dupree could be easily taken care of once they caught up with him but crossing trails with Joe, the lawful recipient of the bequest, was an interference that Soapy would doubtless prefer not to deal with. It left Joe a marked man.
‘Where the hell are those deadbeats? Bart? Del? If I catch you two sleeping it off I’m gonna bust your heads wide open.’
Joe could hear Soapy and the other man calling out and searching through the house, it would not take many minutes for them to figure out that the stables would tell them if anyone was still around. Leaving Rusthead where he lay, Joe ran off fast down the track and into the kitchen house. Snatching up the bundle of cas
h still lying on the table, he noted that Justine was not about and ran on to the corral.
He found her fastening the cinch on the last of the two ponies.
‘It’s Soapy,’ Joe called to her, swinging the gate wide. ‘And he don’t sound friendly.’
‘I’m coming with you,’ said Justine, dragging the ponies over.
‘It’s not safe with me,’ Joe protested.
‘You think it’ll be any safer for me here?’
‘They’ll question you but there’s no reason to harm you,’ Joe took the reins and mounted. ‘You’d be better off here.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Justine as she pulled herself up into the saddle. ‘Soapy is not a man to leave witnesses.’
Shouting was coming from the direction of the house and Joe realized that they had found Rusthead and it was a waste of time to argue.
‘Then let’s ride,’ he said, digging in heels and urging the pony away into the night.
Eight
They sat Rusthead up on the mansion steps and Soapy had his man run and fetch a light. The gunman, a fellow called, quite fittingly, Fetch, came back with a fancy brass candelabra from the dinning room.
By the candlelight Rusthead rubbed at the egg-shaped lump on the back of his head and Soapy tipped him forward to take a look.
‘You’ll live,’ he said. ‘No wonder you’re so dumb, must have a noddle harder than oak.’
‘Feels like I got a knot hole in it right now,’ grumbled Rusthead. ‘Son-of-a-bitch slugged me real good.’
Soapy stood tall and breathed deep. ‘They’re in the wind now,’ he said, looking out into the darkness. ‘Dupree’s gone too and Lord knows what happened to Del and Bart but I guess we won’t be seeing those two any time soon.’
‘You reckon they’re done for?’ asked Fetch.
Soapy nodded abstractedly, his mind thinking it through.
‘Fetch,’ he said, turning back to the gunman. ‘You got three men you can trust?’
‘I do,’ said Fetch, a cadaverous looking fellow with yellowish skin, who was ailing from something and did not look too well as a result. ‘Got three good boys in mind, fast with the gun and not afraid to use it.’
‘Good,’ said Soapy. ‘Here’s what you do. Get ahold of them and take off after Dupree, he’s the one we want. If this other fellow, Alberplas, gets in the way then make sure he doesn’t any more. Take Rusthead along with you, he knows both of them and can point them out to you.’
‘Well, I don’t know if I want to do that, Soapy,’ whined Rusthead. ‘I feel bad enough ratting out Joe already and then getting a knock on the head, it just don’t make me feel right.’
‘You ratted him out because I gave you ten dollars and a bottle, you old bum,’ accused Soapy. ‘You’d rat on your own mother if it served your damned whiskey head. Now, you’ll go along with Fetch and his boys and you’ll be in for a healthy portion of the shares. We’re talking a million dollars here, right? I knew that ass Dupree had something tucked away but I never knew quite how much until now.’
Rusthead nodded resentfully, and despite his misgivings the prospect of a cut put an acquisitive gleam in his eye.
‘Right enough,’ he said. ‘That old boy stole a cool million from Joe. How much would I get, Soapy?’
Soapy pondered a moment, ‘I reckon one percent would be fair. That’s ten thousand dollars, Rusthead. Think on that.’
Rusthead warmed at the thought, ‘I like it. I’m with you.’
Soapy shook his head, ‘No, you ain’t with me; you’re with Fetch here. I can’t leave Creede right now, Cap’s cutting up rough and threatening to leave the gang. Seems he never knew Reddy McCann was empty at the time he shot him, so he takes it bad he killed an unarmed man and is threatening to quit.’ Soapy shook his head again, this time in frustration. ‘Beats the hell out of me. Old Cap’s killed more men than I got fingers and he worries about a blowhard like Reddy. Still that’s the way he is, I guess. Anyway it leaves me short in town and I need to cover things right now so I’m leaving it to you fellows to track down Dupree and bring back the cash he’s carrying. We’ll all take a share in it and everybody comes away happy. Deal?’
The other two nodded agreement.
‘Okay,’ said Soapy. ‘Lets head back to Creede and get this done.’
There was only one way out of the hook of the La Garita and San Juan mountains that enclosed Creede country in a semi-circular grip. That was to follow the Rio Grande out through Wagon Wheel Gap.
Joe and Justine made it across country in the dark and by dawn were heading southeast alongside the river.
‘You sure Dupree went this way?’ Justine asked.
‘He had to; it was either that or try the mountains. Dupree was in a hurry and my guess is he would have taken the easy route. He’ll be ahead of us I’m sure.’
‘What about Soapy?’
Joe looked over his shoulder at the road behind, ‘I don’t know, he’ll probably follow the money. That’s all he’s interested in.’
‘You think he’ll be after us?’
‘Only if we get in the way.’
‘I’m tired Joe, can we rest a moment?’
Joe chewed his lip and looked at the road behind again. ‘I guess,’ he said, pulling up. ‘The ponies need a break as well. We’ll hold up here for a half hour.’
They were riding in through a deep valley populated with cottonwoods and with a creek running through and Joe noted the steam from hot springs feeding in from some volcanic rocks higher up.
‘Look here,’ he said, indicating the spring. ‘You hungry? I’ll go catch us some fish whilst you freshen up. How’s that sound?’
‘That would be great,’ she said with an air of relief. ‘I feel like we’ve done a hundred miles already.’
‘More like ten,’ smiled Joe.
‘Really! Is that all.’
‘It was hard in the dark and some rough country.’
‘Maybe we should press on then,’ she said doubtfully.
‘No, go take a break. We’ll do better rested, its been a long night.’
Joe worked his way down to the creek and taking off his boots set to hand fishing for a catch. The warm waters from the spring attracted and lulled the fish and he found the shallows held a plentiful supply of the languid creatures. It wasn’t long before he had two fine specimens and carrying them hooked in his fingers he went back to start a fire.
He came on Justine as she was stepping back out of the spring water and it froze Joe where he stood. For a moment he could not take his eyes from her. She stood naked at the pool’s edge, the water glistening on her skin and dripping in a rain of diamonds from her body. She gleamed in the morning light, her limbs long and well formed. Her flat belly and generous breasts tipped by raised nipples in the sudden cool after the hot pool. Her eye caught Joe’s presence but she did not waiver, she stared back at him from where she stood without movement. A proud look on her face, almost challenging Joe thought. Her long wet hair lay flat and dark along her back and as she smiled at him and slowly turned away, Joe saw the ripples of water run from the tail end of her hair and course down between the apple cheeks of her buttocks.
Joe thought she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
‘You going to cook those things or just stand there looking like them?’ smiled Justine, nodding at the two fish as she dried her hair with her shirt.
Joe swallowed hard, ‘Oh, yeah… sure. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to….’
‘Don’t worry, cowboy,’ she called. ‘It’s been done before. Come on up here and get in, this water’s great.’
‘I’ll do these fish first,’ Joe answered, somewhat embarrassed.
After they had eaten, Joe wondered about the woman sitting opposite him, her head thrown back to allow her still damp hair to dry in the rising sun.
She caught his glance from the corner of her eye, ‘What’re you thinking, Joe?’ she asked softly.
‘Nothing,’ he said, quic
kly looking away.
‘You like what you saw up there?’
There was a boldness to her and Joe sensed she felt she held a moment of control by the sound of her voice.
‘Lady,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude like that but I have to say you is the most beautiful creature I ever did see. Standing up there like that, well, it fair took my breath away.’
Justine chuckled, ‘Thank you, Joe. You are a real gentleman. You’d better know it though; I’m not such a lady. I’ve done some bad things in the past.’
‘I guess we all have,’ he said reassuringly.
She lay the pink edge of her tongue along her lips, ‘I ain’t such a lady, is all I’m saying.’
‘I’ve had to kill men since I started on this,’ he confessed. ‘I never killed nobody before.’
‘Life’s sure got a way of messing us up, hasn’t it?’
‘It does that,’ he agreed.
‘Where we going after this?’ she asked.
‘I reckon we’ll keep on south until we pick up Dupree’s trail. Head on along the river towards Hayes, see if we can get word of him.’
‘You’re determined then?’
‘It’s a lot of cash he has of mine.’
‘So what will you do with it once you have it?’ she asked, turning her face towards the sun again.
Joe snuffled a laugh, ‘I don’t rightly know. I’ve got two buddies back at the ranch, they think we should set up on our own.’
‘That all you want, to go back to cowboying?’
‘It’s what I know,’ he shrugged.
‘How much did you manage to pull out of that drawer?’
‘I don’t know, I haven’t had a chance to check yet awhile.’
‘Perhaps it’d be a good idea.’
Joe got up and went across to the ponies. Collecting the shirt bundle from the saddlebags, he squatted down and opened the tie and began counting the bills inside.
‘I ain’t too good with figures,’ he confessed. ‘But I reckon there’s nigh on five thousand dollars here.’
‘Really!’ she said, starting up in surprise. ‘As much as that? My, my, Dupree certainly left in a hurry, didn’t he?’