by Nathan Jones
In all the confusion he found himself ushered to an outdoor dining table on the ranch's front porch, while Jared, apparently of his own surly volition, took care of the horses. They'd all already eaten, but Vicky insisted on breaking out a cake she'd been saving for dessert after dinner, as well as hot cups of coffee and hot chocolate from beans grown in Northern League greenhouses.
The sharing of news continued in an unfocused torrent, jumping from one major event to the next, everyone tossing out their own stories for everything. Between telling the Hendricksons about the Mountain War and the years of rebuilding before he left, then the years of wandering searching for them, Skyler finally got some answers about what had happened to the family.
Apparently they'd all made it safely to the Northern League's borders with their small herds intact, and been welcomed in during the war. After it ended they were kicked out with everyone else, but like a lot of the prosperous and well-liked refugees the League's citizens were reluctant to see them go, and lobbied to not send them far.
So the Hendricksons joined up with a few other families of ranchers and craftsmen and set up on the grasslands just outside the border, almost part of the League but not quite, although constantly trading across the border. Then a short while after that their League friends pointed them to Lone Valley as an option for a permanent settlement, and most moved there and put down roots.
“So you and the other ranchers are the main reason the League gives such preferential trade to this place?” Skyler asked as he took a bite of cake: chocolate, absolutely delicious. Even at home he rarely had anything this good.
“Well, I don't know about preferential,” Bob said wryly. “I only thought Trapper was sharp at bartering until I met these Northern League traders.” He paused, glanced at Skyler, then added hastily. “He is, of course. One of the best I've met. But these League fellows can be absolutely ruthless sometimes.”
“No arguments there.” Skyler grinned as he took another bite. “My dad's favorite pastime is haggling with them when they come to New Emery for trade.”
“Speaking of the League,” Lisa cut in, looking on the verge of bouncing with excitement. “Did you hear their agents in South America working with the revolutionaries there finally toppled Sangue and the Panteras?”
He nodded, more than a little enthusiastic about the subject himself. “Folks were whispering about it around the Cheyenne fallout zone when I was there, just before heading to Lone Valley. Best news I've heard in a decade.” He paused sheepishly. “Aside from finding you guys alive and well after all these years, of course.”
Bob chuckled. “Guess nobody ever warned the bloodies that if they were going to try to wage a war of extermination, they'd sure as the blazes be in trouble if they didn't win.”
“Thank goodness they didn't,” Vicky said. “I'm not sad to see the end of them.” In spite of her light tone her expression was slightly troubled.
Skyler couldn't blame her; even after all these years, after what she'd suffered it was no surprise Sangue was a topic she preferred not to dwell on. He hastily changed the subject. “I haven't told you much about how the rebuilding of New Emery has gone, have I?”
Everyone gratefully allowed the conversation to segue to news of New Emery and all their friends there: the rebuilding efforts and who'd gotten married, or had kids, or had sadly died since Lisa and her family left, especially in the Mountain War.
Aunt Vicky spearheaded the torrent of more detailed questions about loved ones left behind. But at some point she got quiet and thoughtful, leaving her husband and daughter to discuss the ranch they'd helped build in Trapper's valley. How the mountain man had burned it down to keep it from Sangue, then how they'd worked hard to rebuild the place twice as big and prosperous, with Brandon and Fiona and Logan and Mer and Keri and other loved ones working alongside them.
A few minutes later, Skyler caught a glimpse of Vicky staring at him out of the corner of his eye. He ducked his head self-consciously, trying to be casual about brushing his fingers through his hair in case it was messy. He was glad he'd had a chance to clean up a bit at the Ruiz homestead, but he knew he still looked woefully trail-worn.
“What?” he asked her, trying to make his tone light.
“Oh, nothing.” She laughed, looking embarrassed. “Just thinking about one of those things that happens as you get older.”
“You're not that old!” he protested.
Lisa's mom made a face. “I could've done without the “that” qualifier, but thank you.” She leaned forward to ruffle his hair as if he was still fourteen, then settled back and resumed looking at him thoughtfully. “It's just you grow up, and then you stop growing. Then you see the babies you once knew grow up until they're adults just like you. It's a sobering bit of reality.”
Uncle Bob nodded solemnly. “It's harder to notice with your own children, but seeing you go from a young teenager to a grownup is a bit of a shock.” He glanced at Lisa, smiling fondly. “Makes me remember when this young lady was just an itty bitty toddler with eyes that took up half her face, bawling about having an accident when she thought she was finally a big girl.”
“Dad!” Lisa protested, blushing. She did that as prettily as everything else.
Skyler couldn't help but grin in spite of his glum mood about his friend's engagement. “Your parents like to tease you about stuff you did when you were a toddler, too? My mom never misses a chance, especially when Tabby's around, to tell the story about the time I had the flu and was spraying from both ends, and she spent the night trying to catch it all with only one bucket.”
“Gross!” Bryant shouted, while Conner, who probably didn't completely get it, still rolled out of his chair laughing at everyone's reaction. Aside from Jared; he didn't seem to find any of it amusing, judging by his stony expression at Lisa's side.
“This isn't the best subject while eating,” Aunt Vicky said, making another face. “Serves me right for bringing it up in the first place, I guess.” She took another bite of cake, chewing around a fond smile. “Although your mom loved to tell that story even before we left. It's wonderful to be reminded of her, even though it also hurts to miss her so.”
A somewhat awkward silence fell, until Bob cleared his throat briskly. “Well, I hate to tear us from the past to the present, but Lisa was down visiting our neighbors and found you in the first place because of this problem of possible rustling by these squatters northwest of here, closer to the mountains.”
Skyler nodded and wiped his mouth. “So what do you want to do about them? Two of those men were the sort to go after a vulnerable girl, so I doubt they'd balk at stealing your livestock, either. Although whether or not they took that goat, that many men squatting on your doorstep are almost certainly trouble. We should go to the sheriff.”
Jared snorted derisively. “What sheriff?”
He fought a surge of annoyance. The guy had to be difficult, even at a time like this? “You know what I mean. Any sort of police or law enforcement.” Everyone just stared back grimly, and his annoyance turned to disbelief. “Wait, so Lone Valley has nothing? This place is big enough to warrant something. Especially since it's got a reputation as a boomtown, drawing people from all over. Someone's got to keep an eye on potential troublemakers.”
Lisa shook her head. “With the League patrols coming by infrequently we haven't had need of a sheriff before now, not really. Mostly just small scale stuff we could handle ourselves. Henry Cartman and Robert Hancock in town have been talking about hiring or nominating one for years now, especially since word's got out that this is a good place to live, but nothing's come of it so far.”
“Well what do you do if bandits come knocking?” Skyler asked.
“They usually don't,” Jared replied. “Not in any numbers, anyway. Sangue left a lot of land empty of people, and bandits usually can't find enough victims around here with things to steal to make it worth their while. Especially since they don't want to risk operating so close to the League
's border.”
“That's probably changing now that this place is drawing settlers,” Lisa admitted. “We put together a posse a couple times, when we needed to. And once we all got together to fight off a Sangue raid. I suppose if we could convince our neighbors this group is a big enough threat, we could probably get some help dealing with them.”
Her fiancé shook his head in disgust. “Getting a posse together's like pulling teeth. Malcontents have to be practically burning down the town to get any sort of response. A dozen squatters sitting around doing nothing aside from “maybe” stealing a goat aren't going to get a response.”
Well, back to Skyler's original question then. “So what now?” The others just stared at him blankly, clearly coming up with nothing, so he sighed and stood, turning towards the corral. “Okay, then. Guess the next step is to go tell them to get lost.”
The others kept staring after him for a few stunned seconds, then Lisa rushed to get in front of him. “Are you insane?” she demanded. “There's at least a dozen men in that camp!”
Skyler hadn't forgotten that, and couldn't help but feel stupid for this decision. But it seemed like the right call. “I'll go alone, stay mounted and ready to get out of there. You guys can cover me from a distance in case things go south.”
When she opened her mouth to continue protesting, he smiled grimly and nodded to his saddlebags. “Also, I've got a flak jacket in there. Bit too uncomfortable to wear except when I know I'm going into danger, not to mention the sort of thing that's bound to draw attention. But I'll put it on before I confront your uninvited guests.”
And, depending on how that meeting goes, probably keep it on for the foreseeable future.
Everyone looked surprised at that, and Bob whistled. “You've got body armor?”
He smiled crookedly. “Yeah. My folks insisted I take it with me when I left home. Not that I put up too much of a fuss about having that extra protection out in a dangerous world.”
“I can imagine,” Vicky murmured.
Skyler clapped his hands briskly. “So . . . I'll go talk to these squatters?”
In spite of his reassurances, everyone still looked at each other with obvious reservations. He also noticed Bob shifting uncomfortably; it had probably occurred to the man that it was his ranch, and if anyone should be going to talk to the men camped out nearby it was him.
But while Skyler loved the man, and held him in the highest respect, he knew Bob Hendrickson well enough to know that even if he loaned him his body armor, the rancher wasn't the pick to go confront a possible bandit camp and intimidate them into leaving.
Something inside the older man had broken ten years ago in Newpost, when he'd forced Sangue to beat him unconscious when they came to take Aunt Vicky. Then in the following weeks, when he'd had to helplessly witness what those monsters did to her, unable to stop them.
It had taken the fight out of Bob. No one could hold that against him; it was what it was. But it had led him to flee north with his family five years ago, when Sangue first began their search for Camptown.
It might not even have been the wrong decision, considering what Camptown had suffered in the Mountain War. And looking at the ranch the family had built here, things had obviously turned out well for them. It was even possible that the intervening years may have changed things for Bob, given him a chance to recover his fighting spirit.
But even if that was the case, the fact remained that while the man might be able to do the job, Skyler had practically been born to it. Confronting groups of murderous men in defense of innocents, especially loved ones, was what he did.
So he squared his shoulders. “Get your guns and mount up. Let's go see what these guys want.”
Chapter Five
Squatters
Aunt Vicky stayed back at the ranch to watch the kids and keep an eye on the animals, leaving the rest of them to go talk to the squatters.
Skyler worried a bit about leaving her on her own, in the unlikely event the unwanted guests tried anything while they were gone. He no longer saw even a hint of the traumatized woman she'd been after Newpost, terrified at ever being left alone, but that didn't mean he felt comfortable with this situation.
At the same time, having three people watching his back instead of two could make all the difference. And Lisa and her parents all assured him that they'd carefully planned the defense of their ranch. Bandit attacks had been a reality ever since the shortages over twenty years ago, after all, and Sangue for the last ten.
The house had sturdy doors with solid locks, to begin with, and the heavy cross hatching on the windows would have to be smashed to pieces before anyone could climb through them, dealing with jagged edges the whole time. The doors on the barn and shed could be barred, and were strong enough you'd have to take an axe to them to get inside.
Where that wasn't enough to deter intruders, the family had found and improved the available defensive positions around the house, outbuildings, and surrounding yard, preparing places that provided good cover and secure avenues for retreat if necessary. They also had a few nasty surprises in the house ready for uninvited guests bearing ill intent, courtesy of careful planning and ingenuity.
On top of that, apparently a part time hand came around in the afternoons to help with chores, and they were expecting him soon. He was no fighter, but nobody who'd survived in the world since the Ultimatum was totally helpless. Aside from complete fools, maybe. In any case the man could help provide security until they got back.
So Skyler, now wearing his flak jacket concealed beneath his coat, rode out with Uncle Bob, Lisa, and Jared riding with him.
Lisa still had the AR-15 Trapper had given her at the summer retreat, before the Mountain War even began. Her dad had his old AK-47, one of those Trapper had taken from the Sangue drivers when he'd rescued the Hendricksons and the rest of Simon's convoy outside Newpost, and which Bob had carried ever since.
As for Jared, he carried a real beauty of an M-16 that Bob had purchased from the League. Similar in appearance to Lisa's rifle, along with semi-automatic fire it could also be switched to burst and automatic. Apparently Bob had loaned it to the ranch hand when he first hired him on, and since the engagement had unofficially given it to the young man as a wedding gift.
That was quite the gift, but Skyler couldn't blame Bob for wanting his future son-in-law to be well equipped to protect his daughter.
All their rifles had scopes, and while Lisa sheepishly admitted none of them would be shooting up to Trapper's standards, and with nowhere near Skyler's own skill, they could consistently hit the bullseye at a hundred yards. They also all carried pistols, Jared's apparently one Brandon had given him after rescuing him from the Sangue slave camp. Although aside from Skyler none of them were better than a poor shot with those, either.
Not exactly news to inspire confidence, given the situation they were walking into. Still, for the purposes of intimidation them just being out there covering him was what mattered most.
The squatters were camped in a copse of trees along the same stream the Ruiz homestead and Hendrickson ranch were built alongside, winding down through a narrow gully on its way from the mountains to the northwest. A quick inspection of the surrounding area showed Skyler the most open approach was from the west, since the men had put up their camp on the other side of the stream from the ranch, near the far side of the copse.
Even from the west they were still screened by a narrow line of trees in front of the clearing they'd put up their tents in. But any half competent marksman could shoot through that, especially firing from multiple directions.
Which meant hopefully his three companions could.
There were thirteen horses picketed near the haphazardly arrayed tents: mostly older, more broken down beasts with a few finer specimens among them. The presence of drifters wealthy enough for even these poor mounts, but choosing to squat on the boundary of a prosperous ranch, screamed “bandit” to Skyler, especially with the missing goat. I
t raised serious red flags for the safety of his friends, but he couldn't judge these men before at least talking to them.
He dismounted and led the way closer to the camp from behind the cover of a long, low hill, periodically popping up to make sure the men ahead hadn't noticed their approach or decided to move out on some other purpose. Everything looked quiet, so he found locations for Bob, Lisa, and Jared fifty feet apart in good concealed positions.
“If they start shooting at me, that's all you need to know about their intentions,” he told them before they split up. “If they manage to take me down, they'll be coming for you next. Take out as many as you can, but the moment they go for their horses you mount up yourselves and get out of here. Head back to the ranch and get ready to defend it . . . they'll probably be heading there soon.”
Lisa shifted uncomfortably. “If you think they're going to gun you down, maybe you shouldn't go in there alone.”
“Someone's got to,” Jared said a bit too quickly.
Skyler ignored the man and gave his friend a wry smile. “I'm not exactly defenseless, and this is definitely not my first rodeo. I'll stay at shouting distance, be ready to move fast and erratically if they go for their guns, and ride low to keep Junior's bulk between me and them if they open fire.” Although if they shot his faithful horse out from under him he was going to be pissed.
After Sulky, he'd sworn he wasn't going to let that happen again. But some things couldn't be helped . . . he'd just have to ride extra well to keep his mount safe.
Without giving his friends, and Jared, a chance to argue further, he sent them out to their positions. Then, after checking his gear, he mounted up and settled his rifle across his knees as he rode up over the hill and started down towards the camp.
He'd be lying if he said he didn't have misgivings about this. It wouldn't be the first time he'd ridden right up to a group of armed, dangerous men to negotiate, but it was never a comfortable thing to do. His mom would be horrified, and he could just imagine Tabby's expression as her desire to be supportive when she knew he needed to do something warred with her desire to see him safe.