The Western Justice Trilogy

by Gilbert, Morris

  Raina’s eyes flew open, and she covered her mouth to keep the exclamation. “Is that you, Pa?”

  “It ain’t nobody else. Get down off that horse and let me see.” He waited until she had come up to stand before him, and he said, “Well, ain’t you a pretty one now. I always knew you would be though. How’d you find me way out here?”

  “Well, I got tired of living without seeing you,” she said, “so I heard that you were here in this country.”

  “Is this your husband here?”

  “Oh no. It’s a long story. This is Ty Kincaid. He got us here all right. It was a pretty hard trip.”

  “Well, I tell you what.” He came forward and stuck his hand out, and when Ty took it he felt the steely grip. Eddie, as he was called, was a strong man in his midfifties. “Appreciate you takin’ care of my girl.”

  “Well, wasn’t exactly like that,” Ty said. “I got sick, and she had to take care of me.”

  “Is that so? But you both made it out here.”

  “Yes, we did, but I wouldn’t want to go through it again. Would you, Raina?”

  “It wasn’t so bad.”

  “Well, come on. I want to introduce you to the hands. The cook has killed a sheep. You like mutton?”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten any,” Raina said.

  “Well, our cook is a good man. His name is Yosu. Very religious fellow. Come along now.”

  They moved toward the camp leading the horses, and when they got there, several of the sheepherders came to watch them.

  “This is Benat,” Pa said. “Benat is the strongest man we’ve got. He’s my right hand. Benat, this is my daughter, Raina, and this here is Ty Kincaid.”

  Benat did not speak. His muscles swelled his shirt out, and when he smiled there was a gentleness about him.

  “This here’s Danelle. He’s little but he’s tough. This is Mikel. He’s one-quarter Chocktaw and a fast runner. And this is our cook, Yosu. Yosu, what do you say to these people?”

  Yosu grinned. He was slowly turning the whole carcass of a sheep over a fire pit. “Are you Jesus people?”

  “I’m afraid I’m not. Are you?” Raina asked.

  “Yes. Born again. What about you, young man—you in the kingdom of God?”

  Ty obviously felt embarrassed at the suddenness of the question, but Pa laughed. “He asks that of everyone. Now, let’s eat. That sheep ought to be good enough.”

  Yosu at once began cutting slabs of meat off and putting them in tin plates. He also had some kind of stew and bread baked in an oven.

  “This is good,” Ty said. “You’re a good cook, Yosu.”

  “Not as good as the bread that came down from heaven and fed Moses and the children of Israel.”

  “I read about that,” Ty said. “My grandfather told me about it. Bread falling from heaven. That’s a good way to get it.”

  “Yes, and the Lord Jesus is now our bread,” Yosu replied. “He said, ‘I am the bread from heaven.’ You’ll have to find that out one day.”

  The visit lasted quite awhile. Ty finally said, “We’d better get back.”

  “Not me,” Raina said. “I’m going to stay out here. My pa says I can stay with him. He has a house built over the hill there. We can get to know each other now.”

  “Why, that’s fine.” Ty nodded with enthusiasm. “You’ll find she’s a good woman, Eddie.”

  “Yes, I can tell you I appreciate your looking out for her all the way on that long trip out here. Will you be coming back?”

  “Oh, sure. I’m one of Judge Parker’s marshals, so I’ll be in and out. Do you ever go into town?”

  “Once in a while to buy things. Supplies, you know.” He looked over to where Raina sat. “It’s good for you to be here, Raina. I have missed you all these years.” He grinned. “It sure is something, an old ugly codger like me havin’ a beautiful daughter like you.”

  “She is that,” Ty said.

  Raina blushed at their praise.

  When Ty finished getting ready to go, he came back to stand before Raina and said, “Well, we did it, didn’t we? You like the idea of staying here?”

  “Yes, for a while.”

  “I’ll be coming back to check on you. Anytime somebody goes to town, you go with ’em. I might be gone, but I’ll try to keep in touch.”

  “I’ll need to go soon to get the rest of my things. Would you mind packing them up for me? There isn’t much. Oh, and please tell Mrs. Mullins what has happened. I’ll go by to see her when I make it in.”

  “I’ll take care of it.” He put his hand out.

  She clasped it in hers as she stared into his eyes. “Thank you for bringing me, Ty.”

  “No problem.” Kincaid cleared his throat as if to break the spell. He then stepped into his saddle, waved at the group, and kicked the stallion into a fast lope.

  “That is one good man,” Pa said. “You were lucky to find him. You going to marry with him maybe?”

  She said quietly, “I don’t think so, Pa.”

  “Well, there’ll be plenty of men wanting to marry a beautiful girl like you. Now, let’s go to the house. I’ve got a room that you’ll like, and you can fix it up however you want….”

  “Well, you’re back again, Ty.” Aaron Jordan, along with his wife, came out of their home.

  Kincaid stepped off his buckskin and took off his hat. “Howdy, Aaron. Yeah, I’m back.”

  “Did you find the young woman’s father?”

  “You know, we did. It’s really amazing. He was the only white man there. The rest of them were the Basques.”

  “The young woman. She didn’t come with you?”

  “No, she wanted to stay and enjoy her dad. I guess I would, too, if I hadn’t had a dad all my life.”

  “Hope we don’t have trouble with them.”

  Ty looked up suddenly. “Why would you?”

  “Well, you know how it is. You’ve worked with cattle. You know what sheep can do.”

  “They’re a long way from here though, Aaron. I doubt if your paths will ever cross.”

  “As long as they keep to their ground, I’ll keep to mine. But there’s been lots of wars fought with the woolies against the cattle.”

  “Yes, we saw some good land ruined by sheep,” Lottie said. “You look tired. Come on in and spend the night.”

  “Well, I really shouldn’t. Judge Parker let me go for two days.”

  Leoma had joined them as Ty spoke. “You can catch another criminal. We probably got some working here. Come on in. I want to hear some more about this marshaling business.” She stepped forward and took Ty’s arm. “Come on in. You can watch me make a stew.”

  “Nothing better than watching a good-looking woman make stew.”

  The two went inside, and Leoma began pulling ingredients together for a stew. “I’ve got everything here I need to make you something good. Why don’t you tell me about yourself—all that’s fit for me to know.”

  “You sound like you think I’ve got a lot to hide.”

  “All men have a lot to hide.”

  Ty grinned and asked, “You speaking from personal experience?”

  “Pretty much. What’s the worst thing you ever did?”

  “Oh, I guess it was kissing Martha Fleming when she didn’t want me to, but then, I always thought she really liked me.”

  “Nobody is that pure, Ty.”

  “No, I guess not. How long before that stew is ready?”

  “I think your heart is in your stomach, Ty Kincaid. I’ve seen you eat, remember?”

  “Man has to know his strengths.” Ty grinned.

  “Oh you, go on into the dining room, and I’ll bring the food in a minute.”

  Ty went into the large room and took a seat at the oak table. While he waited, his mind wandered back to Eddie Vernay’s land. Of course he could not see Eddie, the sheep, or the herders, but he thought about Raina and wondered how she would make out with her new life.

  CHAPTER 13

&nbs
p; After Ty ate what Leoma prepared for him, the Jordans persuaded Ty to spend the night with them. “We’ve got plenty of room here.” Aaron Jordan shrugged. “Have your own bed in the bunkhouse. You’d be in the middle of the night getting back to Fort Smith. Just make yourself at home.”

  Ty was actually happy to stay. It was much better than riding all night or sleeping on the ground. And there were worse things than spending time with Leoma Jordan.

  She led him to the parlor. “Let’s sit down before the fire and get warm. It’s getting colder out there.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  They made their way to the large living area, and she stirred up the fire and put more wood on. The sparks rose upward like myriads of tiny worlds of their own.

  When she sat down, he asked, “Are you happy here in this place, Leoma?”

  “I hope to be. We needed to find a new life. We cut all of our ties at the old one.” She looked over at him. The flickering of the fire on the walls made grotesque shadows and reflections around her. “You think the outlaws will be a problem?”

  “They’re always a danger. They’re wild men, not just naughty but killers. You must be very careful, Leoma, about going out alone. Always carry a gun and take one of the men with you.”

  “You make it sound so bad.”

  “Well, it is bad. This is outlaw territory full of killers.”

  “You think there might be trouble with the sheepherders?”

  “It might be troublesome, but I think Ed Vernay is a sensible man. The funny thing is, he’s not really interested in sheep much. He’s got a plan.”

  “What sort of a plan?”

  “Well, he wants to preach the Gospel. Of course he’s not an ordained minister, but he likes to talk to people about the Lord.”

  “Did he talk with you, Ty?”

  “Sure did. Put it right up to me. And he’s got a cook who’s even more pointed.”

  The two sat there for a long time, and finally Leoma said, “This is a nice room. It’s an old house, I think.”

  “Yes, it is.” Ty watched the fire, and the sparks continued to rise with ebullience. “You never know what’s happened in a room like this.”

  “What do you mean, what’s happened? People lived here.”

  He smiled at her. “I guess I’ve got too much imagination.”

  “Have you? What do you think about this room?”

  “Well, Leoma, just think about what might have happened right here where we’re sitting. A man and a woman might have come in through different doorways, and their eyes could have met, and both of them knew right then that they were destined to love each other and spend all their lives together. They could have decided to raise their children here.”

  “You do have an imagination.”

  “Well, it could have happened. Or maybe something bad happened.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, maybe a murder took place here.”

  “A murder? What an awful thought!”

  “Well, murders do take place. On the other hand, maybe a man or a woman found God right in this very room.”

  “Have you ever found God?”

  “No, I guess I’m just a runner. Trying to get away from God takes some of my time.”

  “Are you an atheist?”

  “No, of course not! Do you take me for a fool? Let’s go outside. I’m getting too warm in here.”

  They both rose, went outside, and stood for a while on the porch. “I always liked the night.” He looked over at the trees and said, “Look at those trees, Leoma. They look like soldiers in a line, kind of in disorganized ranks. Kind of like a regiment at ease.”

  “Do you have thoughts like this a lot?”

  “I had one friend who told me I had too much imagination. But look at those tall trees there shouldering the moon out of its way before it’s gone.”

  Suddenly both of them looked up, for a star had increased its light, streaked across the darkness, and then disappeared.

  “Did you make a wish?” Ty asked.

  “Yes.”

  “What was it?”

  She laughed at him then and touched his arm. “I’m not telling. It’ll never come true if you tell.”

  “All right. You keep it. Look at that moon, just a crescent of silver. Argent is what some people call it.”

  “Argent means silver?”

  “Yes, it does.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Some of my aimless reading, I guess.”

  They stood on the porch, and she said, “Let’s walk a bit.”

  They walked around the yard, and there were the usual night sounds, a coyote howling mournfully, the cry of some sort of bird.

  She stopped and said, “You’re a curious man. What do you think about men and women?”

  “Well, I don’t know much about women. I’m no expert.”

  “But what do you think?”

  “Well, I think when a man and a woman really love each other, it’s wonderful. I’ve seen it a few times. As a matter of fact, I read a poem once. It was so sad I never could get it out of my mind.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know the name of it. Don’t even remember who wrote it now.”

  “You remember any of it?”

  “Yes. It goes like this:

  “So we go no more a-roving

  So late into the night,

  Though the heart be still as lovely,

  And the moon be still as bright.

  “For the sword outwears its sheath,

  And the soul wears out the breast,

  And the heart must pause to breathe,

  And love itself have rest.

  “Though the night was made for loving,

  And the day returns too soon,

  Yet we’ll go no more a-roving

  By the light of the moon.”

  “What does it mean?”

  “It made me sad the first time I read it. I thought about it a lot. It seems to say we’ll grow old and die.”

  “But everybody knows that.”

  “I guess they do.” He went silent.

  The two walked along the fence that kept the pasture for the rest of the horses. Some of them were stirring now. One of them came over and stuck his head over the fence.

  Leoma reached out and stroked it. “This is a good horse.”

  “You love horses?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “So do I. Something we have in common.”

  They made the circle of the house and came back, and he said, “I guess I need to get to bed. You must be tired, too.”

  Suddenly she turned to face him. “I think that woman Raina might be in love with you.”

  “No, not really. We’re good friends.”

  Leoma shook her head. She was a woman of firm convictions, and he could see it in her face. He had told the truth. A breeze ruffled the edges of her hair, and a smile made its small break along her lips. Ty watched the slight changes of her face, the quickening, the loosening, the small expressions coming and going.

  Suddenly he reached out, and the old hungers that he usually kept under firm control seemed to intensify. He saw a change go over her face as he pulled her closer. Her lips were heavier, and a warmth began to illuminate her eyes. He kissed her then. Her lips made a softly pursed line, and he felt the sweetness and the humor in the embrace and in her kiss.

  When he lifted his head, her face was as purely expressive at that moment as he had ever seen it, graphically registering the light and the shadows of her feelings. She was, he suddenly realized, a woman who was lonely and could not understand why. She seemed to have everything. She wasn’t smiling then, but the thought of a smile was a hint at the corners of her mouth and in the tilt of her head.

  “You did that very well. You’ve had lots of practice.”

  “Not really, Leoma. I had one woman that I thought loved me—-but she didn’t.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  �
��Well, it was a long time ago.”

  Suddenly she said, “There’s a dance in Fort Smith the day after tomorrow.”

  “You save me a dance.”

  “I’ll do that. Be sure you come to claim it.”

  Ty was getting ready for the dance. He was sitting in a straight chair.

  Larry Dolby, who claimed to be a barber, was cutting his hair.

  “Be sure you make me pretty, Larry.”

  “Don’t ask impossible stuff,” Dolby said. He laughed. “I just cut a hunk out that’s gonna look like you been hit with a stick.”

  “Just do the best you can.”

  “Well, it’s free anyhow. You’re going to that dance, are you?”

  “Sure am,” Ty answered. “Haven’t been to a dance in a long time. Are you going?”

  “No. I’m pretty down on women right now. I got jilted.”

  “Well, I did, too. But it was a long time ago.”

  A few of the other marshals gathered around, and Heck Thomas shook his head. “Next time let me cut your hair, Ty. Larry just thinks he’s a barber. I believe he really worked for an undertaker.”

  “I didn’t say whose hair I cut,” Larry said indignantly.

  “You mean you’ve never cut a live man’s hair?” Ty’s eyes flew open. “Why didn’t you tell me that?”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “Well, I’m going to the dance.”

  “Here. Try some of this.” Heck handed him a bottle and grinned. “It smells good. Straight from France.”

  “I don’t think I want any perfume,” Ty said.

  “This ain’t perfume. It’s lotion. All the men wear it.”

  “Well, I’m going to the dance.”

  Heck frowned. “You don’t look very dressed up.”

  “This is the best I’ve got.”

  Leaving the marshals’ quarters, Ty moved on to where he could hear the music playing. He made his way through the crowd that was growing and watched the dance. He saw Leoma. The music stopped, and a slower tune came. Ty moved quickly and said, “Leoma, you look good.”

  “You think so? This is just an old dress.”

  “Hello there, Kincaid.”