The Western Justice Trilogy

by Gilbert, Morris

  “I don’t know if I’ll have a job when I get back.”

  Ty was busy folding the blankets. He tied them on with some rawhide thongs and then tied the grub on top of that. “Well, this is more important than a job.”

  “I don’t know what I’ll do, Ty.”

  “You’ll find something.” He looked at her and said, “You ready?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “I’m surprised you trust me.”

  Raina shook her head. She was feeling apprehensive. “I don’t have any choice, Ty.”

  Ty came over and took her by the arm and led her over to the horse. “Here. I see you got that riding skirt on that you made on your way out here. That’s good. Let’s go.” He helped her onto the mare, handed her the lines, and then he stopped long enough to say, “Raina, don’t be afraid. I owe you, and I always pay my debt. Now, let’s get as much daylight as we can between us and this town.” He swung into the saddle, nodded, and then moved off into a slow walk.

  As soon as they were out of town, he said, “Let’s speed it up.” He touched the buckskin and started out at a lope. He saw that Raina was a good rider and was keeping her seat well.

  “Ty,” Raina said, “I was feeling pretty bad, but I feel better now. Thank you for coming, for helping me.”

  “Why, it’s nothing, Miss Raina. Let’s go find that man and see if he’s the one you’re looking for.”

  “I—I really appreciate your help, Ty.”

  “Glad to do it, Raina, and if we don’t find him on this trip, we’ll go looking until we do. He’s got to be somewhere, hasn’t he?”

  “Yes, but I’ve been discouraged, Ty.”

  “Natural you might be, but there’s two of us looking now, and there’s over a hundred federal marshals. I’ll talk all of them into keeping their eyes open.”

  Ty’s words encouraged Raina, and she felt a lift in her spirit. I was wrong about Ty. He’s a good man—just like I first thought he would be.

  CHAPTER 12

  “How far do you think we’ve come, Ty?”

  Turning sideways in the saddle, Ty looked back. “You getting tired?”

  “I guess I’ve lost a little bit of my horsemanship doing nothing but washing dirty dishes and bedsheets. Back on the trail I thought I did pretty well.”

  “You did, but you lose it easy, too. Oh, I expect we’ve come around fifteen miles.”

  “How much farther is it to the river?”

  “See that low-lying ridge over there? Just on the other side of that there’s a canyon. There’s a nice camping spot, too. I’ve stayed there once already. Can you last until then?”

  Raina flashed him a smile. She was weary, but the more she had thought about it, the more she was grateful to Ty. She knew he was tired and had come in from a difficult hunt, although he made little of it. “I’m hungry,” she said. “As soon as we get a place, we’ll eat supper.”

  “That would go down right good.”

  The two rode steadily until the land began to lift. The ridge was not over seventy-five or a hundred feet high, but Ty’s horse was tired, for he had come a long way. Ty said, “You know this is a tough horse. He’s a stayer.”

  “He’s not much to look at.”

  “Why, most horses and men aren’t much to look at. Then you take ladies, they’re the ones with the looks. Take you, for instance.”

  She suddenly laughed. “Never mind that. You’re just along to shoot any outlaws that bother us.”

  “I doubt if we’ll see anybody out here. I think I’ll—” In a quick movement, he drew his gun from his side and extended it. The shot broke the silence of the badland.

  “Did you hit anything?” she asked.

  “Jackrabbit. We’ll see if he’s got enough meat on his bones to make it worth skinning him for.”

  They stopped fifty yards later, and he said, “This is a nice plump mama jackrabbit. I guess that makes her a doe rabbit. She’ll make a good stew. There’s the river along that line of trees. Come on.” He stepped in the saddle again and led her down the hill, and when he came to the river, which was no more than twenty feet across, he said, “It doesn’t look like much, but the water’s good and clear. Spring fed, I think. Let’s tie these horses out, and we’ll make us a house for the night. I wish I had brought that tent I used to have.”

  “We’ll make out.”

  “If it doesn’t rain.”

  She followed him down, stepped off her horse, and tied the lines to a sapling. Ty came over and pulled their blankets and the food from behind the saddle and said, “I brought some hobbles. The grass isn’t too bad here. They’ll need to eat, too.”

  She watched as he put the hobbles on the front feet of the horses. They made no attempt to run away but bent over and began chomping at the grass, which was thin and a sort of brown color. Evidently they found something that they liked.

  He said, “I brought some grain. We’ll give ’em some first thing in the morning. Let them eat what they can here.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Raina said, “if you’ll build up a fire, I’ll skin this rabbit. We’ll make us a fresh rabbit stew.”

  “Well, I brought some meat, but it’s not much. I’d like to have something fresh.”

  “You build that fire, and I’ll show you how to cook jackrabbit.”

  As the sun was setting, Raina finished cooking the jackrabbit stew. She dipped out some of the meat into a deep dish and gave it to Ty. “Dinner’s served, such as it is.”

  Ty had sat down and was poking at the fire, adding a branch from time to time. He took the dish she offered. “I bet I’ve had worse.”

  “So have I. Smells good. I wish I had some pepper.”

  “Oh, I got some in my saddlebag and some salt. Let me get it.” He went to where his saddle was on the other side of the fire, rummaged through it, and came back. “Got several different things here. Got some spices. I like to try different things.”

  The two sat eating, and he said finally, “I’m glad you thought to bring that bread. It’d be hard to make biscuits out here in the open.”

  They finished eating and slowly drank the water from the river. “This is good, cold water,” she said.

  “See those mountains? I guess the stream that feeds this river comes from there.”

  When all the food was gone, he said, “I’ll wash the dishes.”

  “No, I’ll do it. You just sit back and relax. I know you’ve had a hard day.”

  “About usual.” He watched her work for a while. “You ever miss your home?” he asked.

  “You mean the saloon in La Tete. I guess I never really considered that home.”

  “But you lived there with your mother at one time, right?”

  “I lost my mother. And my sister and I weren’t very close. I’ve been all my life looking for somebody and don’t even know if they exist. Hope I can find my pa.”

  He was quiet for a moment, then looked up and said, “Look at those stars. Aren’t they pretty?”

  “Yes, they are.”

  He turned to look at her. “You know, your pa might not want to be found.”

  “I know. But it’s my only chance at a family.”

  “That’s not so. You could marry and have a husband and some kids.”

  “I don’t think about that much. Most married couples I’ve seen don’t seem to care for each other.”

  Kincaid stretched his legs out and studied the sky thoughtfully. “I guess we’re alike. I’ve been alone, in one way or another, all my life, just like you. You know, I saw an older couple once in San Antonio. They were walking down the street. Both of them had silver hair. Must have been in their sixties at least, and you know what? They were holding hands.” He sighed and shook his head. “I’ve never forgotten that. I almost ran after them and asked, ‘What’s your secret? How do you keep love alive?’”

  “Did you do it?”

  “No. I wish I had. I’ve wondered about it ever since.”

  The two sat there
talking for a time. He told her about the Jordans and their ranch. He planned for them to stop there before they continued on. They fell quiet and soon the weariness of the ride caught up with them.

  Ty said, “Let’s wrap up in these blankets. I’ll keep the fire going. It’s cold.” He grinned. “You stay on that side now and don’t bother me.”

  “Don’t worry about that. You stay on your own side.”

  “Well, I think we’ll get to the ranch tomorrow. That map shows a lot, but it’s a big country.”

  “I think we’ll find him, but what if we don’t? I told Mrs. Mullins I’d be back in two days.”

  “I told Judge Parker the same thing, but if we get hot on the trail, we’ll just follow it out. Okay?”

  “All right. Good night.” She spread the blankets on the ground and drew them up around her, fully dressed. She could hear the sound of his breathing as he lay down, and for a moment she thought, What if he tries something?

  The thought troubled her, but she knew at once that she was safe with him.

  Dawn came, and they both rose and cooked bacon and some old biscuits. They fried the biscuits in the bacon grease and again drank the river water.

  After they finished eating, Ty said, “I guess we’d better get on the way. I’ll saddle the horses and take the hobbles off. You pull everything together.”

  “All right, Ty.”

  The two made their preparations quickly, and in ten minutes they were loping out. Ty had fed the horses some of the grain, and they had a spirited attitude. “These horses like to run,” Ty said. “That’s good sometimes.”

  “You like horses, don’t you?”

  “Most of ’em. I had one—a pinto—she’d be good for two months just to get a chance to kick me.” He laughed and cast a sly glance at her. “Like some females I’ve known.”

  “I’ll bet you have.”

  They rode steadily until Ty said, “Somebody’s coming.”

  Raina had been looking down at the ground, but now she lifted her gaze. Still a good distance away there were three riders. “Do you think they’re outlaws?”

  “Could be. There are plenty of ’em out here. We need to stop for a bit.” He pulled his horse up.

  Raina did the same. She was surprised to see him pull his rifle out.

  He waited until they were in shouting distance, then hollered, “Turn around and go the other way!”

  The leader of the band yelled, pulled out his gun, and shot. Ty at once lifted the rifle, took careful aim, and with one shot dropped the man’s horse. He chambered another shell and began peppering the three.

  “I think they’re running,” she said. She watched as the man, who now had no horse, got on behind the other. They then headed off in another direction. “Why did you do that?”

  “You didn’t see the man in back. He pulled his gun out as soon as he saw us. I don’t trust anybody in this territory—not when they come at us with a gun.”

  Raina did not comment on that, but she was thinking what a dangerous life Ty had chosen for himself. She finally asked him about it. “There must be other jobs you could do that pay more and aren’t quite so dangerous.”

  “I guess there are, but this is where I’ve landed, and this is where I’ll stay for a while.”

  “You know, sometimes I wonder what it’s like to have a family, a place. I never felt secure when I was growing up. We moved a lot, and my sister’s husband was a cruel man. Made life miserable for me, and for lots of other people, too. I was always surprised somebody didn’t shoot him.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Why, I couldn’t shoot anybody.”

  “No, I guess you couldn’t. But if we run into him, maybe I can make a gentleman out of him.”

  “That’s not likely. We won’t be seeing them anymore.”

  By noon they started seeing cattle.

  “Look at that brand.”

  “What brand, Ty?”

  “There on that cow. See, it’s a running J.”

  She saw that the brand was indeed a J with a tail on it that looked like a running river.

  “You know that brand?”

  “Yes, it’s that family I told you about who came in not long ago. Remember, their name’s Jordan? We’ll stop here. You can meet them, and I’m sure they will help us with some more supplies. Maybe they even heard something about your pa.”

  They rode into the ranch, and as they approached the house, what appeared to be a man, his wife, and his daughter came out.

  “Why, hello there, Mr. Kincaid,” the man said. “Good to see you.”

  “Good to see you, Mr. Jordan. I’d like for you to meet a friend of mine. This is Miss Raina Vernay.”

  “Glad to know you, Miss Vernay. I’m Aaron, this is my wife, Lottie, and this is my daughter, Leoma.”

  “You didn’t come out just to see the scenery, did you?” Leoma smiled. She was looking carefully at Raina. “You’re not eloping, are you?”

  “No, she’d have to be crazier than she is to take a galoot like me.” Ty Kincaid grinned. “No, she’s looking for her pa. As a matter of fact, we came out here together.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “His name is Ed Vernay.”

  “Don’t know the name, but then, we’ve only been here a few weeks.”

  Lottie Jordan said, “We’re just about to sit down and eat. Be glad to have you take a bite with us.”

  “Well, I’m in favor of that,” Ty said.

  “What about you, Miss Vernay?”

  “That would be an imposition.”

  “No, it wouldn’t,” Leoma said. She smiled then at Ty and said, “Come on in. We’ll see if your appetite is as good as the rest of your skills.”

  Thirty minutes later they were all seated around the table. The women had fixed steak, boiled potatoes, and some canned vegetables. There was also fresh-baked bread.

  Ty said, “This is as good a baked bread as I’ve ever had, Mrs. Jordan. You’re a fine cook.”

  “Why, of course she is. I wouldn’t marry a sorry cook,” Aaron said. He reached over and pinched his wife on the shoulder. “No, I would have married her if she couldn’t cook a bit.”

  “You’re looking for your father, Ed Vernay?” Leoma asked.

  “Yes, I am, Miss Jordan. He left my family a long time ago. Wasn’t entirely his fault. As a matter of fact, he tried to take me with him, but my mother wouldn’t let me go.”

  “How long ago was that?”

  “I was just a little girl.”

  Leoma seemed to sense Raina’s discomfort with discussing her family, and she changed the subject. “How did you and Ty meet up?”

  For a moment Raina was embarrassed, but then she began to tell a few of the details.

  “You’re not telling it right,” Ty said. He was dipping into a dish of blackberry preserves and said, “I got sick, and she had to take care of me. Nearly died. We nearly froze, too, didn’t we, Raina?”

  “It was a hard time.”

  “Well, it’s fortunate you met up with a good nurse,” Leoma said.

  “You can say that again,” Ty said cheerfully.

  The talk went on for some time. Aaron finally shook his head. “Well, as far as I can tell, there’s nothing in that direction for the next hundred miles but some Basque sheepherders.”

  “What’s Basque?” Ty asked.

  “They are some kind of foreigners. I think they came from Spain a long time ago. We had some trouble with them back in Texas once.”

  “What sort of trouble?” Raina asked.

  “Well, miss, you see, cattle and sheep don’t go well together.”

  “Why not?”

  “When the cattle eat grass, they leave some sticking up. The sheep will go right down past the dirt and eat the root, just about ruining the grazing ground, so we had some trouble over boundary lines. Well, it wasn’t the most pleasant time in my life.” He sighed and shook his head. “I hated to see those Basque herders.”

  �
��Are they violent men?”

  “Not at all,” Lottie said. “Most of them are very gentle, but of course that doesn’t mean anything to people who are losing their land.”

  “Well, I guess we can go ask them if they’ve seen Raina’s pa.”

  Aaron Jordan was still thinking about the situation. “I can’t help you much in direction, but if you just head east of here, you’ll probably run into them.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll move on. That was a fine meal, ladies,” Ty said, smiling at them.

  “Yes, it was. I’ll stay and help wash dishes,” Raina said.

  “No, there’s no point in that. We have plenty of help around here,” Lottie said.

  Ty and Raina rode out shortly after that. She said, “They seem like nice people.”

  “Yeah, one of the boys is a little bit rambunctious. His name is Ash. He’s the oldest boy. They’ve got another one named Benny.”

  “Mr. Jordan seems to think that there’d be trouble with the sheepherders.”

  “Nearly always is. He was right about one thing. Sheep can tear up rangeland. You need a lot of acreage to carry sheep.”

  “Why do they raise sheep instead of cattle?”

  “More money in it, I hear. You get the wool until the sheep get old, and then you sell the meat.”

  The two fell silent after a while, and the silence was broken only by a few observations by Kincaid. Finally he said, “Look.” Raina turned and said, “What is it?”

  “It’s a herd of sheep. See how white they look.”

  “They just run wild out here?”

  “No, there’ll be some sheepherders, and they’ll have some dogs.”

  “They use dogs to herd the sheep?”

  “They sure do. Smart dogs, too. These folks just seem to know how to get the best out of ’em.”

  They slowed down when Ty saw a man coming toward them on foot. He had a long staff in his hand with a crook on the end. “Looks like a welcoming committee,” Ty said. He greeted the man and said, “Hello, neighbor.”

  “Hello to you.” The man had a large-brimmed hat that shaded his face, but he was obviously a white man. He walked slower and finally came to a full stop. He was staring at Raina, and finally she got a complete shock when he said, “I’ll bet your name is Raina, ain’t it, miss?”