by Sable Hunter
King beat it out of the house as if the devil were after him. He didn’t want to feel anything for this woman – not sympathy, not… Refusing to analyze his feelings, he made for the front door in dire need of fresh air. As soon as he pushed out onto the porch, he saw that he wasn’t alone. Reno was sitting in one of the rockers, smoking a cheroot.
“Running from something?”
“No.” He didn’t see the need to explain himself, not after everything that had happened.
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.” King sat down next to Reno, leaning forward to rest his forearms on his knees. He stared up into the stars. “I can’t believe this.”
“What? That you have friends who care enough about you to do something drastic when they think you’re in trouble?”
“Stop it. This was too much. Too far.” He glanced over at Reno, looking him square in the eye. “I’ll take her back myself, tomorrow.”
“No, I’ll do it,” Reno said. “Although, I have to ask this.” He rocked back and propped his boots on the bannister. “Why? Fancy’s not much of a looker, but she’s not the type to throw herself at you or any of us. I think she’s been knocked down so many times that it doesn’t take but one word of discouragement to dissuade her.” When King didn’t respond, Reno went on. “She’s interesting. She can talk up a storm about anything. Plus, she can cook and clean. I bet if you give her a chance, she’d be loyal to a fault. Ace could sure benefit from her presence, we all could.”
“I don’t think so.”
Reno felt compelled to continue his argument, even when it didn’t make much sense. “She won’t take up much room, that’s for sure. She’s so thin. Her clothes just swallow her up.”
“Stop trying to make me feel sorry for her.”
Reno stood up and let out a long breath. “I don’t feel sorry for her, King. I feel sorry for you.”
After his friend left, King sat there. Alone. With his thoughts and his misgivings.
* * *
The next morning, Fancy awoke early. She dressed quickly, then padded out to the outhouse to do her business. When she was through, she hurried back inside, surprised to see on the big grandfather clock that it wasn’t yet four. Knowing the men would all be up early, she decided to make breakfast. As she worked, she pretended all was well.
“Why, of course, honey. The food will be ready in a jiffy.” She laughed. “Really? Why, thank you. I think you look nice this morning too.”
From a few feet away, around a door, King listened.
“Yes, just sit down. I’ll pour you a cup of coffee and you can tell me what you have planned for the day.”
Torn between compassion and his stubborn nature, King retreated, then made enough noise for her to hear. He didn’t want her to know he’d been eavesdropping and witnessed her sad playacting.
When she heard footfalls, Fancy cleared her throat, putting the finishing touches on a pan of biscuits. Glancing over at King, she could see the look of embarrassment on his face. He’d heard her talking, he was just pretending like he hadn’t. “Don’t worry, I’m not crazy. I’ve always pretended, I did it a lot as a child.”
“Yea, so did I.” He didn’t choose to elaborate.
“I was imagining that this morning is different than what it is. Instead of leaving, I’m staying.”
“You’re not going to change my mind.” He poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot she’d brewed on the stove.
“I’m not trying to.” She laid out some bacon in a pan to fry. “I’ve suffered setbacks, I’m used to it. Are there any more eggs?”
“Ace gathers them, he should be coming in any second with a basket full.” He chuckled at the thought. “When it comes to food, he’s no slacker.”
“Good.” Fancy stared out the window, fascinated with the new dawn and how the light was slowly bringing the world into view. “The world doesn’t seem to be the desolate place I’d feared it to be this morning. I’m glad it’s not raining, that would make everything seem sadder.”
King didn’t know what to say, he was relieved when Ace came barreling in, swinging the basket a bit too robustly. “Morning, Miss Fancy!”
“Morning, Ace!” She gave him a big smile as she took the eggs before they were all cracked. “How does scrambled sound?”
“Wonderful!” As was his routine, he set the table for everyone. “What else are we having?”
“Biscuits and gravy with bacon. How does that sound?”
King watched their byplay for a moment, then rose, picked up his cup of coffee and left. When the other men came in, she had everything ready. They tried to make small talk with her, but Fancy kept her replies polite, but distant. Pretending to herself was one thing, pretending for others was a bit too painful.
As soon as Ace cleaned his plate, she handed him another plate covered with a napkin. “Take this to King. I’m sure he’s hungry.”
Fancy turned to the others. “I know you’ll all be busy with the cattle drive, but when someone can spare the time to return me to town, I’ll be ready.”
“What will you do?” Reno asked, remembering the hard times she’d told him about.
Shrugging, Fancy went about cleaning the pots and pans. “I don’t know. Will you take me to Waco? I think there’s more opportunities there than in Kingsland.” She’d probably have to stay in Waco, she had no money to buy a stagecoach ticket back to Kansas City.
“Sure.” He rose and doffed his hat. “I’m sorry about this, Miss Fancy.”
“Me too,” Domino said. “Unfortunate turn of events for everyone concerned.”
The others made their apologies and soon, Fancy was alone with her thoughts.
…Out near the river, King was sitting astride his horse, watching the Chisolm trail crew ride over the ridge and head in his direction. This trip, King’s Ransom was sending twenty-five hundred head north to Kansas.
A cattle drive was a big operation with the trail boss, a dozen cowboys, each with five horses, a horse wrangler, and a cook who drove the chuck wagon. The wagon carried the bedrolls. The men drove and grazed the cattle for most of the day, moving them in relays by night. They moved the herd about ten miles a day, so none of the stock lost too much weight. The normal wage would’ve been forty dollars per cowboy and seventy for the boss, all payable once the cattle were sold. Since Domino was going along as camp doctor, King had been able to get a reduced price. With all the expenses they’d incurred in the last year, they couldn’t agree to pay full price, not knowing what the price of beef would be at the end of the line.
By the time they drew closer, Domino had arrived to join King.
“Got your stuff together?”
“Sure do, King. I’ve got enough medical supplies to start a small hospital,” he joked. “When I get back, I think I might hang my shingle in town. Maybe man the office three days a week, that way I can still do my share of the work here, plus provide medical attention for our growing hamlet.” He waved his hand at one of the cowboys approaching. “I think I recognize Troy Hewitt. He and his wife bought a small spread nearby.”
“Yep, that’s what I learned last time I went to town,” King said, leaning forward to rest on the saddle horn. “Two other couples have made inquiries at the land office too, I hear.” He gestured toward the chuckwagon. “They’ve got Stinky Rodriguez cooking for y’all. While you’re on the trail, feel him out and see if he might want to come work here at the ranch when the drive’s done. I’ll make it worth his while.”
“Dammit, King. I never considered you to be a cruel man before.”
King jerked his head toward the doctor, only to find him riding off to meet Boone and Gentry, who were herding Ransom cattle out to meet the drive crew.
“Hell.” He wasn’t used to disappointing his men.
Over the next hour, the cowboys of King’s Ransom ran a count of their herd, checking brands, and culling out the weaker or younger ones. King made sure none of the breeding age females made it int
o the lowing throng. Getting off his horse, he went to open a gate to separate a few head he’d rounded up. Holding the reins of his horse, he swung the heavy wooden gate toward him, then remounted to begin driving the ones he’d selected to pen. Kneeing his mount, he ventured out into the uneasy cattle, spotting one large Longhorn cow he wanted to guide into the corral.
“Come on, easy now.” He soothed the horse as she picked her way between the nervous cattle. They’d sent herds on the drive before, but this group was about double the size of the last two. In the distance, he could see his men working the cattle, keeping them contained as the last preparations could be made. Managing this many animals out on the open range was a challenge. He knew the drive cowboys were anxious to get started. They’d brought their own lead steer, a veteran of the trip. The steer knew the way and once they were headed out, the other cattle would naturally follow him, and the riders would just have to deal with stubborn strays.
“There she is,” he muttered to himself as he saw big Longhorn again. The cattle weren’t as dumb as some people think, they understood when something was amiss, when something was different, and they would act accordingly. Moving into the milling mass, King urged his mount toward his target, cutting her out of the melee and urging the cow toward the corral. It took several maneuvers, because other animals kept spooking the Longhorn. The cow didn’t realize she was been selected to live instead of being driven to the feed lots of Kansas.
“All right, girl, in you go.” The big cow shook her head, on edge because of the constant lowing and stirring of the other cattle. After two attempts, King managed to get the Longhorn headed in the right direction. He didn’t know which of them was the most worked up, him or the cow. His own attention was splintered due to the turmoil caused by the young woman who’d been thrust into his life unexpectedly.
Domino’s parting words disturbed him, he’d never seen himself as cruel before either. He tried to process why he felt the way he did, but his emotions were jumbled and unchecked. “That’s it, in you go.” King gave the horse her head and she pushed forward, forcing the much bigger beast through the open gate.
“Good girl.” He jumped off his horse to close the gate, but he wasn’t fast enough. With his decreased concentration and the Longhorn’s agitation, things deteriorated quickly. As he ran to close the gate the cow charged forward hitting King broadside in the chest, knocking him to the ground. The last thing he knew, he’d hit the ground with a one-ton animal doing its dead level best to keep him there.
… “Hey, Boone, something’s wrong.” Reno rode up next to his friend, gesturing toward the holding pens. “Jericho is waving his arms at us.”
“Hell, what now? All we need is a damn stampede before this shindig even gets under way,” Boone grumbled as he turned his horse toward the confusion across the way.
They galloped over, both seeing the body on the ground about the same time. “What the fuck?” Reno shouted. “King?”
“He’s been trampled!” Jericho shouted. “Find Domino! He looks to be hurt bad.”
“Damn it all,” Reno whirled his horse around and gazed out over the milling herd. Spotting the doctor, he galloped over to get his attention. “Domino! King’s down, he needs you!”
…Up at the house, Fancy was at a loss. Without disturbing too much, she’d cleaned what she could, not out of any sense of obligation, but from sheer boredom. Not allowed to take part in the drive preparations, Ace had been her constant companion. During their time together, he’d opened up a bit, telling her about his mother and the memories of happier times. “I remember how she’d hug me up if I was sick or scared.”
“Do you?” she asked as she dusted the spines of a whole wall of books. “You’re lucky, I don’t have many of those kinds of memories.
“I suppose. And my dad was a good man too, he taught me how to hunt and fish. He didn’t lose his temper, even when I deserved it. I miss him.”
Feeling his loss, she gave the boy a hug. “I bet you’ll make a whole lot of good memories with these men. You’ve got a whole bunch of fathers, now.”
“Yea, but no mother,” he whispered. “And my sister is gone. She ain’t never coming back. She might even be dead by now.”
“Don’t say that.” Fancy felt his pain. “Until you know one way or the other, there’s always hope.”
Bang! Bang!
A commotion at the door caused them both to jump. When she saw Domino and Clay carrying King, Fancy ran to hold open the door. “What happened?”
“He got trampled and gored from the looks of it.”
Behind them came Boone and Jericho. “Let’s put him in his room. What can we get you, Domino?”
Domino looked over his shoulder as they carried King’s inert body down the hall toward his room. “My bag is already in the chuckwagon. Go get it for me, please.” Jericho headed out to do as the doctor requested.
“Fancy, heat some water on the stove, will you?”
“Of course.” Seeing King helpless made her heart hammer and her limbs weak. “Is he going to be okay?” Even as she asked the question, she was running to do the doctor’s bidding.
As she worked, adding wood to the fire and filling a kettle with water from the barrel, she listened to the men tending King.
“His chest looks to be badly bruised.” She could hear Boone talking. “Look, Domino, there’s a hoofprint forming on his skin.”
“Yea, I’m sure he has broken ribs as well as a busted leg. I just hope a rib didn’t puncture his lung.”
Jericho came running back with the medical bag. “Here you go.”
Fancy felt helpless, there was nothing more frustrating than watching water heat to boil. She stoked the fire, her hand shaking. Yes, she’d been hurt when King rejected her, but she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
“How’s that water coming?” Domino shouted.
“Not even simmering yet,” she yelled back.
“Get me some clean rags, Clay.” Domino pointed to the kitchen. “I need to listen to his lungs to see if his breathing is clear.” Using a new gadget called a stethoscope, Domino leaned in to place the metal disc on King’s chest.
“What do you hear?” Jericho asked, his hands stuffed in his front pockets.
“Just his heartbeat and clean breathing, that’s a good sign.”
“Why ain’t he waking up?” Clay squatted on the far side of the bed, saying a little prayer in his mind.
“He was kicked in the head and that damn cow stepped on his neck. It’s a wonder it’s not broken. Fancy!”
“Almost!” Fancy grabbed a rag and removed the kettle from the fire, pouring the near boiling liquid into a basin. Picking it up, she tried to keep it level and not spill any on herself. She was somewhat successful. “Ow, ow, ow,” she chanted as the hot water splashed on her hands and arms.
“Easy, here, let me have it.” Reno met her in the hall and took the basin.
Fancy followed, anxious to see how King was doing.
Domino wet a rag and began to clean the blood from the wounds on his head and neck. “Damn fool, he takes too many chances.”
“What’s the verdict, Dom?” Boone asked, knowing their options were limited.
“Well, first I’m going to set his leg, then I’ll need some linen to wrap his ribs. Fancy, see if you can find an old sheet you can cut into strips.”
Fancy immediately began to search to find where the sheets were stored. She found them in a trunk at the foot of his bed. Running back to the kitchen, she found a knife, then proceeded to cut a dozen lengths of cloth. When she had them ready, she hurried back to King’s room to find Domino running his fingers over King’s scalp.
“One danger we’ve got to watch for is brain swelling. If that happens, we’ll have to drill a hole in his scalp to ease the pressure.” He opened one of King’s eyes to check his pupils. “So far, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, but he’s got to be monitored. We’ve also got to make some splints for that le
g. I think it was a clean break, but it’s got to be kept still. When he wakes, he’s going to jerk around and try to get up. Until we get that leg braced, he’s in danger of hurting it beyond repair. All I can do right now is splint it.”
Fancy lingered near with the strips. “I know how to make a cast, but I’ll need some plaster.”
When Domino jerked his head around to look at her, he appeared to be amazed. “How? I never even saw Doc Halliday do that?”
“I lived next to a bonesetter in St. Louis. She taught me how to care for broken bones.”
“Good, you can teach me how to make a cast.” Domino nodded toward Boone. “Get me some narrow boards for splints, then take off for town to find plaster for Fancy. If they don’t have any at the mercantile in Kingsland, you’ll have to go on to Waco.”
“You can’t stay, Domino,” Reno explained. “The drive leaves today and you’ve got to go with them. If you renege, the agreement we made is off, it’ll jeopardize the whole effort. You know King wouldn’t want to lose out on this deal.”
“What about King? You all won’t know what to watch for and somebody has got to keep him off his feet. What with all the work to be done, King would be on his own for most of the time.”
“I’ll watch him,” Fancy said the words quickly, before she could change her mind. When the men looked at her, stunned, she just began to talk fast. “I know he doesn’t want me here, but I’ll only stay as long as necessary. I have experience caring for injured people, I’ve worked in a dozen homes over the years and I’ve seen almost everything. While I’m here, I’ll take care of the house and King. As soon as he’s able, I’ll go. No resistance.”
The men looked at one another. “What other choice do we have?” Boone asked. “The ranch work has got to be done and she’s more qualified to take care of King, anyway.”
Domino still didn’t look convinced. He cut his eyes toward Fancy. “What’s in this for you? Why would you want to do this? We can’t even pay you until the money from the cattle sale comes through.”
“I don’t want money. Room and board is more than enough.” She glanced at King, willing the unexplained feelings she had for the man to go away. “This will give me a chance to make other plans. I burned all my bridges when I pulled up stakes to come here.”