by Brad Raylend
Todd raised his eyebrows briefly then exhaled, as if he were already tired of a journey he had yet to really begin. “Well … like I told your husband, I’m heading west in search of my brother.”
Sarah looked over at Luke, who stared at Todd with a look that said he either didn’t like him, or was using his eyes rather than his voice to figure out what kind of man he was. She shot him a quick glare by widening her eyes. He adjusted in his seat and cleared his throat.
“I noticed you approached without a horse. Are you in need of one?” he asked.
Todd’s eyes lit up slightly “Yes! I … came out here in hopes of acquiring one actually. I was referred to you back in town.”
“Well you might be in luck, son, I’ve got a few fresh horses out in the corral in need of breaking in.”
Todd looked confused by this phrase, but nodded in agreement. “How much do your horses go for?”
Luke looked over at Sarah, who raised her eyebrows at him. He looked back at Todd and replied in a way that displayed some discomfort. “Well uh … I figure you bringing my boy home ought to cover it.”
Sarah smiled big at her husband and looked back at Todd, who pondered for a moment. He was uneasy about this, but a smile crept on to his face.
“I can’t tell you how grateful I would be.”
Luke grinned then continued cutting into the meat on his plate. Todd looked over at Jack, who appeared to have been staring at him the entire time.
“Jack!” his mother snapped. “It’s not polite to stare.” She looked over at Todd and giggled. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mitchel, he shares his father’s curious gaze.”
Todd smiled at the boy. “It’s alright Mrs. McWilliams, and please … call me Todd.”
The four quietly ate for the next few minutes. When they were finished, Sarah took their plates into the kitchen, and Jack followed her, leaving Luke and Todd sitting at the table. Todd appeared troubled. His eyes rarely held their fix on anything. He sat in silence for a while, staring at his hands folded on the table.
“Tell me about this brother of yours,” Luke said, his booming voice now soft and sincere.
Todd rotated his jaw. Without looking up, he answered slowly. “He’s … in a lot of trouble.”
“How so?”
“He’s running from some bad people and a worse past.”
Luke’s hard gaze eased and he leaned forward slightly. “How do you mean?”
“Him and I have had our fair share of run-ins with death and the evil that usually accompanies it. He more so than myself.” He paused for a moment, then looked up at Luke, who sat on the edges of the lantern’s reach. Todd went on. “There are people who care for him back where I come from. I want to make sure he returns to them safely.”
“Who’s after him?” Luke asked.
“Some cattle rustlers by the name of Moore. You know them?”
Luke nodded solemnly at him. “I know of them. They’re a young bunch … amateurs if you ask me. But dangerous nonetheless.”
Todd breathed out quickly “Well he busted up one of them pretty bad then left town. I’m not really sure where he is heading.”
“Does he know you’re comin’?”
Todd shook his head. “He has no idea.”
Luke nodded and ran his thumb over his lips beneath his thick mustache. “Your brother … he a fighter?”
Todd raised an eyebrow and nodded. “A warrior,” he said firmly.
“And you?” Luke asked; his eyes looked hard, lit by the dim lantern that hung above the table.
“He and I are more alike than I’d care to admit.”
Luke studied Todd. He didn’t want to let his feelings sway his firm demeanor or judgment. But he felt an odd connection with Todd. He was like a split image of his younger self just before he had made a turn for the worse. He could also sense that Todd was telling the truth, and his reasons for his presence at his home were no doubt noble.
Luke stood up. He towered over Todd, and his slick black hair nearly touched the ceiling. His hardened expression eased, and his brow raised. “I’ll help you find him.”
Todd looked down. “I couldn’t accept your help, sir. You have a family to take care of and this journey will no doubt be dangerous.”
Luke snickered in a way that displayed he was all too familiar with dangerous situations. He placed his large hand on Todd’s shoulder and smiled. “Danger is a lot like women. You’re better off without one in your life, but sooner or later you find you need one. Besides, my family can take care of themselves for a few days.”
Todd seemed like he wanted to argue further but stopped himself and just nodded up at the man.
“I’ll fix ya a pallet out in the large room. It’s going to be an early mornin’ tomorrow.”
Todd watched him walk over to Sarah and began wiping down dishes. She looked up at him and smiled.
Luke looked down at Jack, who seemed timid around his father. He placed his large hand on top of his head. “Little outlaw,” he snickered.
Jack looked up and smiled. Luke chuckled and ruffled his long hair.
Todd felt a warm feeling inside him growing at the sight of this family. He wondered if this was what a family was. He wondered how his life would have turned out if he would have had a father like Luke. No matter how mad Jack had been at his dad a few hours prior, he now showed nothing but admiration.
YOUNG DOG, OLD TRICKS
Luke’s large boot kicked Todd in the leg, jolting him awake. He rolled over and looked up at Luke, who seemed like a giant standing above him.
He wore long chaps with leather fringes. The sleeves of his dark blue blouse were rolled up to his elbows, baring his large, muscular forearms. His tall white hat gave several more inches to his intimidating stature. Todd rolled out of the fur pallet and stood up. Luke smiled and walked to the door, his booming steps and the large spurs making an imposing noise as he walked across the wood floor. He opened the door and stepped out into the cool morning.
Todd slipped on his boots and began pulling on his leather chaps. Sarah came into the room holding a plate of eggs and bacon.
“Here you go, Todd. Forgive Luke for his morning impatience. He likes to get an early start on things,” she said. Her golden blonde hair gleamed in the sun peeping through the window.
He rubbed his tired eyes and smiled. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Please, call me Sarah,” she said kindly. She turned and walked into the kitchen. Her stride was confident, her head up and her steps firm. She seemed like a strong woman. Yet she’d have to be, to be able to woo a man like Luke. Todd admired this family. His time with them had been brief but he had a great deal of respect towards them.
He bit off a large piece of bacon and set the plate on a small reading table beside the fireplace, then tucked his pistol and the MTX into his rolled-up duster coat. Todd looked up to see Jack staring at him from the hall that led down to his room. He looked as if he were in a trance, clearly not entirely awake yet. Todd picked up the bandana and tied it around his neck, then shot him a quick glare jokingly. Jack quickly ducked into the kitchen.
“Well, you’re actually here … I’m surprised you hadn’t gone and run off to the North Pole or something,” said his mother, who was working in the kitchen.
Todd chuckled to himself as he continued eating.
“You’re sure up early.”
“Pa walks too loud!” he said angrily, scratching his messy hair.
“Well your father is a large man,” she replied. “You better eat; your father will need your help today.”
Jack let out an obnoxious sigh and stormed out into the living room where Todd side-stepped him to hand Sarah the empty plate.
“Good morning, Mister,” Jack said bashfully. His long blonde hair stood up on his head like a rooster’s comb.
Todd still felt groggy and didn’t think through his words before he said them. “What’s up, dude,” he said as he opened the door and stepped outside, closing the door behin
d him.
Jack’s face displayed his confusion. He looked at his mother, who stood in the kitchen with a similar look on her face.
“Mama, what’s uh ‘dude’?”
Sarah shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. “I have no idea.”
Luke stood next to the corral, looking at the rising sun pouring its light through the winding valleys of the hills surrounding his land. A smooth stream of smoke rose out of his nostrils and teeth as he puffed on a thin cigar. As Todd approached, he stopped and admired the image before him: the tall cowboy gazing at the sunrise warming the cool desert scene. It looked like a painting. He stepped beside Luke and they watched the sunrise together. The two men said nothing. Luke breathed in and let it out quickly. Todd sensed something about him; he could tell a troubled past was following close behind him and, like most men of his caliber had buried it deep inside himself.
The horses in the corral paced around impatiently, as if they yearned to run freely throughout the massive land on the other side of the fence. Luke looked over at them and breathed out a large cloud of smoke.
“You see that black one? The one that stands alone from the others,” he said, nodding over to a large horse with a white diamond on its forehead.
Todd nodded, watching as the jet-black animal quietly sniffed the ground.
Luke pulled his smoke from his lips and leaned his elbows up against the fence. His large hat cut shadows through the orange sunlight. “You can always tell which ones weren’t meant to be tamed. The ones who will always be wild and free, no matter how much you govern their life. They may comply, or even appear to have been converted into something they are not, but deep down there will always be a burning desire to live outside the fine lines that simple men draw in the sand.”
The horse raised its head as if it knew the men were talking about it. Its black eyes met Todd’s.
“You and this horse … I believe have a lot in common. You’re searching for something that you feel you may never grasp.” He spat a thin stream of tobacco-filled saliva into the dirt.
“What am I looking for?” Todd asked.
“You say you’re looking for your brother, but I think you’re really looking for yourself.”
Todd held back a grin at the irony of this statement.
“I could see it in your eyes when I first saw you. You got the eyes of an outlaw. Violent men can spot their type a mile away.”
Todd wondered what kind of man Luke had been before his family had become his life. He was speaking to Todd from personal experience and from a mutual outlook on things. Nobody in the future would make such statements to a stranger. No one in the future could judge someone accordingly. They would look at the way they walked, or the clothes they wore.
Luke continued. “I found her out in the hills several miles north west of here. She was all alone, grazing out in the open. When she spotted me, she didn’t run … not at first. She watched me, studying my every move. Her curiosity of the unknown overtook her natural instinct to simply run. When I tried to lasso her, she burst into a gallop. It took me nearly an hour to finally get her to comply.” He looked over at Todd and grinned. “I’ve had her for almost a year, and I have yet to be able to break her in. Perhaps I’m not the right person.”
Todd’s eyes widened. “You mean like … ride her, right?” he asked, his hand scratching his chin.
Luke let out a hearty laugh. He looked down at Todd, cocking an eyebrow. “Man, I knew you would be green, but I didn’t figure you for a city dweller.”
Todd just smiled and shrugged. Luke chuckled. “Well, I guess there is a first time for everything.”
Todd backed up slightly, shaking his head. “Whoa, I can’t just hop on her and try and ride. I’ve never even ridden a horse. You’re the pro. If you couldn’t do it then I sure as hell can’t.”
“Do you think just because a man fishes a lot, means he catches a bigger fish? Sure … he may know some tricks of the trade, or know the best spots to cast out … but at the end of the day it was either meant to be … or it wasn’t.”
Todd gestured towards Luke. “Look how big you are! She’ll destroy me.”
Luke laughed. “Look, I’m all out of metaphors … so just take my word for it.”
Todd smiled and shook his head. He looked back over to the horse, his tongue in his cheek. “What breed is it?”
He looked at Todd and nodded towards the horse. “Mustang.”
The word brought a different form of transportation to mind. The defined muscles on the horse’s body flexed with every movement. He felt uneasy about what was to come in his near future regarding the mustang.
“You’re at least going to show me how it’s done … right?”
Luke smiled. “Yeah, I sure can’t have you dying on my ranch.”
He walked over to the gate, lifted the locking bar and stepped inside. He passed several horses without paying any attention to them and went directly to a white horse with large brown splotches on its coat. He began unwinding the rope that he carried. Letting out some slack on the running end, he slowly made his way up to the horse. Very gently, he slid the loop over its nose and around its neck and tightened it. The horse immediately began to buck and rear, trying to release the loop.
“Easy!” Luke said firmly. The horse walked briskly around the edge of the fence, shaking its head sporadically.
“Does the shaking of the head mean what you’d think it means?” Todd asked.
Luke chuckled as he struggled to keep the horse calm. “Yep, means he ain’t happy.”
The horse continued to fight the rope as Luke led him into an alternate circular fenced-in area. He cursed as the horse fought him every step of the way. Todd watched in amazement as he overpowered the clearly stronger animal.
“You can’t give ‘em an inch, you do that … they’ll take a mile,” he said, gritting his teeth and fighting the horse’s hard jerks.
Todd moved around the outskirts of the fence, watching as Luke did his best to maintain control of the horse. It shook its head violently and kicked at the rope with its front legs. It reared back strongly and he let go of the running end of the rope. The horse felt the slack and began trotting around the fenced-in area. Luke strolled over to where Todd stood, tilting his hat up and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“You giving up?” Todd asked in surprise.
Luke shook his head and looked back at the animal, which was slowing to a walk. “No, it takes a little while. You have to introduce them to one thing at a time. You go all at once, and you’ll have the fight of your life.” He walked over to the fence post where a metal bucket hung. He pulled a small cup out of it and splashed some water in his face, then removed his hat and combed his long, black hair back with both hands.
Todd watched the horse’s movements slow; Luke leaned up against the thick wood and did the same.
For the next hour, Todd watched as Luke placed a blanket on the horse’s back, only to remove it a few moments later. The horse seemed to notice it and disapproved at first. But as time passed, it was if the horse had no idea Luke had thrown the blanket over its large frame. He then carefully placed the saddle on the horse. The horse didn’t budge as he fastened the leather straps beneath the horse’s belly. He then let the horse walk around with it. He pulled out a small paper from his breast pocket and a small box of tobacco. Carefully, he filled the paper with the dark leaves and began rolling it. Licking the top edge of the paper, he sealed up the cigarette and placed it in his lips.
“Lettin’ him get used to it for a while,” he said, striking a match against a post, concealing the flame with his other hand to light the smoke.
“How long have you been doing this?” Todd asked, watching Luke breath out a smooth stream of smoke.
“Seven years,” he replied.
Todd was surprised by his answer. He would have guessed something like ten or twenty years. He figured that men in this day in age found out what they were good at early on in t
heir lives and held the same job until they were too old to continue. There weren’t too many options as far as careers in the nineteenth century. The two men watched the horse stand without a rider in the saddle, tail flicking against the flies which gathered.
“This one will be quite easy; he’s already getting the feel for it,” Luke said.
He flicked his cigarette, grabbed a leather harness, and walked back into the corral. The horse snorted as he approached. Carefully, he placed the harness over the horse’s head. It fought slightly, but he quickly placed the bit in its mouth and tightened down the buckle. Taking the reins, he pulled the horse toward him. It shook its head, trying to break free of Luke’s grasp. In one fluid motion, Luke stepped into the stirrup and flung himself on top of the horse. It began to buck violently, trying to throw him off. He held onto the reins with one hand, the other held out, keeping his center of gravity.
“Come on!” he yelled.
Todd watched in amazement, his mouth agape, witnessing two wild souls battle it out to achieve a mutual respect for one another. Luke laughed as his upper body jerked back and forth violently. With his outstretched hand, he ensured his hat remained on his head. Jack laughed from the other side of the corral. Todd looked over to see him peering through the bottom fence post, cheering on his father as the horse breathed out heavily. Its bucks began to ease as it circled the perimeter of the corral. It stopped pouncing and went into a quick trot around in circles. Luke smiled from ear to ear.
“Nothin’ to it,” he said happily.
Todd shook his head, grinning. Jack came running over to him. He put his foot up on the bottom beam, attempting to climb up, but was unsuccessful as he was too little to reach the top post. Todd reached down, placing his hands in the crooks of his arms and lifting the little boy up, placing him on the top beam. He smiled big at Todd and scooted closer to him.
“Your father is an awesome guy,” Todd said.
Jack looked over at his father, who hopped down from the horse and began leading it out of the gate and into the open field. He closed the gate behind him, then mounted the horse again. Luke spurred the horse and it reared back powerfully, then exploded into a sprint out into the open field.