The Western Justice Trilogy

by Gilbert, Morris

  Raina put her hand on his arm and felt the muscular structure. He was a strong man. She studied his face. She found herself wondering what it would be like to be married to a man like this. He had definitely established jaws, and his eyes were sharp and restless. He had high cheekbones and minute weather lines slanting out from his eyes across a smooth and bronzed skin.

  “I don’t know what to think,” he murmured.

  Raina instantly was filled with compassion for him. A strong man who did not know what was happening to him. “I’m sure if God wants you for something, He’ll let you know what it is.”

  “Maybe so.”

  Raina was aware that trouble had painted its shadows on Ty’s eyes and weighted silence on his tongue. It had touched his solid face with a brand of loneliness, and he was looking at her with some sort of question that she could not quite understand. She simply sat beside him, noting he was a limber man with gray eyes half hidden. There was a looseness about him, and all of his features were solid. But his expression held a dark preoccupation, and she knew he was in misery.

  Finally the silence grew between them until it was almost palpable, and then Ty said, “Did George come out and speak to you?”

  Raina was surprised. “Yes, he did. How did you know?”

  “He told me he was probably going to do it, that in fact he already had asked you to marry him, and he just wanted to see if you had an answer for him.” He smiled slightly. “I think he was asking me for my permission.”

  “And what did you tell him?”

  “I told him it was your decision.”

  “Well, he did ask for my answer.”

  “What did you say? You see him as a husband?”

  “No—at least I don’t think so.”

  He said, “It would be an easy life for you.”

  “I’m not looking for an easy life.”

  “I’m surprised.”

  “That I wouldn’t marry George?”

  “Most women would jump at the chance.”

  “Well, I’m not most women.” She saw a strange expression on his face. “What are you thinking, Ty? I can’t read you.”

  Ty shook his head slightly and then said evenly, “I love you, Raina. I have for a long time. I just couldn’t understand it, but we couldn’t ever marry.”

  “Why not, Ty?”

  “Well, if this dream means anything, I may wind up being a preacher, but I’d never be a city preacher in a big church. I’d be like your pa. That’s what I see about Jesus. He went to the poor and the outcasts. Maybe preaching here in the territory to the bad men and the Indians that are sullen and resentful wouldn’t be a happy experience. I don’t know much, but I do know that would be too much to ask of a woman.”

  In a sudden, desperate move, he reached out, took Raina in his arms, and kissed her. She could not speak, and there were tears in her eyes.

  “I’m not asking you for anything, Raina, but a woman should know when a man loves her, and that’s all I have to offer.”

  She started to speak, but he shook his head. “Don’t say anything, Raina. Maybe God will tell you what to do, but He hasn’t told me.” He turned, went to his horse, mounted, and rode off quickly.

  Raina went inside and found her father sitting at the table doing his book work. “Ty’s just left.”

  “What did he come for?”

  “I think he came to ask me to marry him, but he didn’t.”

  Pa leaned back and studied her. “I don’t know what to say, daughter. Do you love this man?”

  “I’m confused, Pa,” Raina said. She bit her lower lip and shook her head with confusion in her eyes. “George asked me to marry him—and now there’s Ty, both good men. How am I going to choose between them?”

  Pa studied her thoughtfully, and with wisdom in his eyes and certainty in his voice, he said, “You’d better let God make your decision, daughter.”

  She turned and left the house, knowing she was as uncertain as she had ever been in her life. As she got on her horse and rode out, she thought about nothing but the two men who had sought her as a wife.

  Clark Simmons had been hired by Aaron Jordan to handle the excess of cattle that he had accumulated. He was not a good hand, but Jordan couldn’t afford to be picky. What he didn’t know was that Simmons had been hired by Honey Clagg to keep track of Ash Jordan. His instructions had been, “I want you to isolate Ash Jordan for me. When he goes out sometime by himself, I want you to get word to me.”

  “How much is this worth to you, Clagg?”

  “A hundred dollars.”

  “That’ll do it. You gonna shoot him?”

  “That’s none of your business. You just get me word.”

  Simmons kept his ears opened, and it was late in the afternoon when Aaron Jordan told Ash, “You take the wagon tomorrow and go to town and get some supplies. Here’s the list.”

  “I may stay over for a while.”

  “No, you come right back. I need you here.”

  “All right, Pa.”

  Simmons left at once. It was a hard ride to the outlaws’ hideout, but he found it. He got Clagg off to one side and said, “Ash is going to leave to go to town tomorrow.”

  “Will he be alone?”

  “I reckon so. He didn’t say anything about takin’ anybody. He’s takin’ a wagon in to get some supplies.”

  “All right. You did your job.”

  “How about that hundred dollars.”

  Clagg dug into his pocket and came out with it and said, “How will he get to town?”

  “Same road he always takes. There won’t be no witnesses.”

  “Okay. You forget about this. Just keep your mouth shut… if you know what’s good for you.”

  Clagg’s evil grin told Simmons all he needed to know to be sure he would never tell a soul about this.

  As Ash crawled into the wagon, suddenly Benny came to say, “Reckon I’ll come to town with you.”

  “What for? Pa wants you to stay here and work.”

  “Aw, all he thinks about is work.” Benny climbed up and sat down. “I need a break every now and then.”

  The trip was boring for most of the time, but when they got to a pass between two hills, suddenly all that changed.

  Benny saw a man step out into the open. “You need some help, mister?” he asked. From the look on the man’s face, Benny felt a prickle of fear run down his back.

  The man said, “Okay, Ash, you killed Johnny Taylor, Garth Taylor’s brother, so that’s it for you.” Without warning he raised his rifle and got off a shot.

  Benny was caught off guard, but when Ash slumped over, he pulled his pistol and emptied it. He saw that one of the shots grazed the gunman.

  The man rode off, yelling, “We’re going to wipe out your whole ranch!”

  Benny turned and said, “Are you all right, Ash?”

  But Ash had been hit in the chest, and blood stained his shirt.

  Benny was so shook up, he didn’t know what to do at first. But he quickly came to himself and put his brother in the back and whipped the horses up. “I’ll get you to a doctor, Ash. I’ll get you there as soon as I can.”

  The horses broke into a dead run, and dust traced his flight across the range. He feared that Ash was dying and thought of how his pa would take it. He was afraid that his father’s answer would be to spill blood all over the territory until those responsible lay dead… or Aaron Jordan himself did.

  Heck was in his office when Larry Dolby came in, saying with excitement, “Heck, it’s some trouble I hear. You’d better come.”

  Heck was used to trouble coming, and he came up out of his chair and hurried outside. He saw the buggy pulling up and walked over quickly. “What’s the matter, Benny?”

  “It’s Ash. He’s been shot. We’ve got to get Dr. Stapleton.”

  “Let’s take him down to his office. How’d it happen?”

  “Let’s get Ash there and then I’ll tell you.”

  The doctor’s office was o
nly a few doors down. They brought Ash in.

  Dr. Stapleton immediately began stripping Ash’s clothes off. “He’s got a pretty bad gunshot wound here. That bullet’s got to come out,” he said grimly.

  “Is he gonna make it, Doc?” Benny asked, anxiety scoring his face.

  “Can’t say, but I’ll do the best I can.”

  “How’d this happen, Benny?” Heck said. He listened as Benny told him the story of how they had been ambushed. Heck shook his head. “Had to be the sheepherders.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” Benny said. “I saw who it was, and it wasn’t one of Vernay’s men. In fact, he said something about shooting Ash because he had killed Johnny Taylor, Garth Taylor’s brother.”

  “He must be one of Garth Taylor’s band. Johnny must have been the one that Ash shot when that gang tried to run some of your cattle awhile back. You know, when they captured Holder.”

  “I bet you’re right. I think he was gonna shoot me, too, because he threatened that they would be coming to get all of my family. But I got my gun out and emptied it at him. It was a long shot for a pistol, but I grazed him, I think. At least he turned and rode away.”

  Heck shook his head. “Your father will go after the sheepherders. He’ll think it’s them.”

  Ty had come in and was standing beside Heck. “It couldn’t have been them. I was at their camp all morning.”

  “That won’t stop Jordan, not if his son may be dead.”

  Benny said, “I know it’s Taylor’s gang.”

  Heck said stolidly, “Everybody knows Garth Taylor is a low-down outlaw.”

  Ty said, “We’d better get Garth and that bunch. It’s the only thing to keep Aaron Jordan from killing every sheepherder in the territory.”

  “We’ll have to get him word. He’ll want to be with his boy.”

  “Now, what are we going to do about Garth’s gang?” Ty asked.

  “We’re gonna have to go after ’em.”

  “He’s got at least seven or eight men in that band of his,” Ty said. “At least that’s what I hear.”

  “Well,” Heck said, “we’ve got me and Larry Dolby and you.”

  Ty said, “That’s not enough to handle Garth’s bunch.”

  Heck Thomas thought for a moment then said, “We’ve got to go after him. Maybe we can get a few more men.”

  Benny said at once, “I’m going, too.”

  “Well, that’s four of us,” Ty said.

  “That’s still not enough. I reckon Garth will know we’re comin’,” Heck said. “But it’s maybe the best chance we’ll have.”

  Ty was surprised to see Aaron Jordan ride in, his horse lathered, and step off at Dr. Stapleton’s office. He came inside, and when the doctor turned, he said, “How’s my boy?”

  Stapleton nodded. “He’s going to make it, Aaron.”

  “I’ll kill every sheepherder in the country!”

  “It wasn’t the sheepherders that shot Ash,” Ty said.

  “How do you know that?”

  “Benny was with him, and he heard the shooter claim to be part of Garth Taylor’s band. They want revenge for Ash killing Johnny Taylor. We figure he was the other one shot when that gang came after some of your cattle awhile back. He also threatened the rest of your family, Aaron.”

  “How did you find out about Ash so quickly, Jordan?” Heck asked.

  “I was actually coming to town as I forgot to tell Ash to get a couple of items we really needed. When I arrived, Larry Dolby told me what happened. Now that I know Ash is going to be all right, I’ve got to get back to the ranch. I don’t know Garth, but I bet he’s headed there.”

  “It sounds like the kind of thing Garth would do. He’ll come in and kill everything at your ranch, kill off the cattle, and burn the house. And you’re not going alone. Ty, Larry, and me are coming with you,” Heck said. “Your boy Benny insists he’s comin’, too.”

  “We still need more men,” Aaron said. “We’ve got two more hands at the house.”

  “That may make it enough,” Heck said. “We’ll go nail the whole bunch. I’ve been looking for an excuse to cut down on Garth Taylor. He’s caused enough trouble in this territory.”

  Garth stood staring at Clagg and listening as the big man told him what he had done.

  “So you shot Ash Jordan, but you’re not positive he’s dead?” Garth stared at Clagg, cursed, and then said, “I should have just done it myself. You’ve let everyone know someone’s after Ash. They’ll eventually figure out it’s me.”

  Clagg was taken aback. “Sorry, Garth, but I didn’t know his brother would be with him.”

  Garth’s thirst for revenge was still burning, and he said, “We’re going to Jordan’s ranch as soon as we can get ready. We’ve got to move now since they know someone is after them. We’re going to burn the ranch to the ground and kill as many cattle as we can. Get the men together.”

  Long Tom Slaughter said, “Maybe we better hold off on this. It’ll bring every marshal from Parker’s court down on us. We don’t want that.”

  “We’re going—and that means all of you. We’re going to wipe out the Running J!”

  CHAPTER 24

  Heck, Ty, Aaron Jordan, Dolby, and Benny rode out of town. The five of them swung toward the north and soon arrived in the Aspen Hills.

  Ty cast a glance at Heck and saw his hardness. He was as tough a man as Ty had ever seen, and he knew that Judge Parker trusted him completely.

  He turned his glance toward Larry Dolby. He was a good enough marshal, but Ty wished they had half a dozen more with them. As for Benny, he was too young for this but had insisted on coming. Even his father had not been able to dissuade him.

  They rode steadily until the sun was half down in the sky. The summer grass made a great yellow-green carpet all the way into the distance that lay before them, and heat gathered as they angled toward the height of the Aspen Hills. They passed through Little Bear Creek, followed it into a trail, and passed the first line of timber.

  As they passed the pines, Heck shook his head. “I wish we had half a dozen marshals with us.”

  “We’ll do all right,” Ty said.

  “I don’t know. I tell myself that every time I go out to take a man, but this is different. Garth’s a tough enough man. Tough as I’d ever want to meet, and he’s got the Daltons with him. I don’t know how many more.”

  “More than we’ve got, I expect,” Ty said. He was leaning sideways in the saddle, a peculiar way of riding, but it was one he always followed. “I still think we should have waited until we got some more men.”

  “That wouldn’t do,” Aaron said. “According to what that shooter said, they’ll be comin’ to burn our ranch out. We’ve got to be there to stop ’em.”

  No one spoke to that, and finally they crossed a creek and followed a parallel trail. The trees made a close stand, free of underbrush, and the five men were sweating freely. Ty saw Heck’s face drenched in perspiration, and he wiped his own face. “It’s going to be a tough thing, but if we get there first, we’ll be all right.”

  They rode steadily, and finally they came to the high points of the hills where the ranch was located. The sun burned dark red and was sinking as they rode in.

  They were met by Lottie and Leoma, who walked out of the house. “What is it?” Lottie asked.

  “We’ve got to get you women out of here,” Heck said. “Garth Taylor’s comin’ with his bunch to raid the ranch.”

  Leoma stared at her father then said, “I’ll take Ma into town.”

  As Leoma and Lottie stepped inside the house to get ready to leave, Aaron said, “I can go get Mingan and Nelly Fox. That’ll make seven of us.”

  “Better make it quick, Aaron,” Ty said instantly. “They’re going to be here soon enough.”

  “I’ll get them here quick if I have to break this horse down!” He wheeled his horse around and sped off toward the low-lying hills where Mingan and Nelly were working with the herd.

  Leoma came out of
the house, accompanied by her mother. Lottie was pale, but she had a steely look on her face.

  Leoma looked at the men and said, “We’re leaving now. Send us word about what happens as soon as you can.”

  “We’ll do that,” Ty said. “Don’t linger anywhere.” He suddenly remembered that Leoma and Lottie had no idea that Ash had been shot. In a sparse voice, he said, “Sorry to have to tell you this, but Ash was shot earlier today.”

  “Is he all right?” Lottie asked quickly, fear now in her eyes.

  Heck said, “Dr. Stapleton says he’s gonna make it. Would be a good thing if you’d go on now, ladies.”

  Heck waited until the two women got into the buggy, then said, “Ty, you go get in that barn over there. Take your rifle with you. When they ride in, we’ll wait until they’re all inside and you knock Garth out of the saddle. That’ll be the sign for the rest of us to start shootin’.”

  “You gonna kill him without warning?” Benny said with surprise.

  “You don’t warn rattlesnakes, Benny. They warn you. We know well and good,” Heck said, “what they’ll be comin’ for.”

  Benny swallowed hard then nodded. “Where do you want me, Marshal?”

  “Go into the house and poke your rifle out the window. You’ll have cover there. Larry, you join him in the house. They’ll be after that first thing. When the shootin’ starts, get as many as you can.”

  “Where will you be, Heck?” Ty asked.

  “I’m gonna get over behind that feeding station. Remember, there’s gonna be more of them than there are of us. All of them are wanted men. Any of them that live through this will be tried and hanged. Keep a sharp lookout. As soon as we see them comin’, we’ll go to our places. Be sure you’ve got plenty of ammunition.” Ty asked, “You mean what you said about knocking them out of the saddle?”

  “This is war, Ty. You know that. Those men are all killers. This bunch has been raisin’ trouble in the territory long enough!”

  The men were all fairly jumpy and everybody was looking into the direction where they expected the outlaws to come. Mingan and Nelly Fox returned with Aaron, and Heck nodded. “That’ll give us some more firepower.” He then assigned them to places close by.