Ranger's Revenge (Texas Ranger Jim Blawcyzk Book 7)

by James J. Griffin

  Ranger's Revenge

  Other Texas Ranger Novels

  By

  James J. Griffin

  Trouble Rides the Texas Pacific

  Border Raiders

  Trail of the Renegade

  Ranger Justice

  Panhandle Raiders

  Big Bend Death Trap

  Ranger's Revenge

  A Texas Ranger Jim Blawcyzk Story

  By James J. Griffin

  Copyright© James J. Griffin 2008

  Cover Design L. J. Washburn

  Western Fictioneers logo design by Jennifer Smith-Mayo

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This collection is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used in a fictional manner. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  First Edition June 2008 Silverjack Publishing

  Second Edition: 2013 The Western Fictioneers Library www.westernfictioneers.com

  For Debbie McConnell and her mustang, Joya, my Horse Patrol and trail riding pards.

  As always, I express my gratitude to Paul Dellinger for his invaluable suggestions.

  Prologue

  "Jim, where are you going? It must be two in the morning."

  Julia Blawcyzk looked at her husband Jim, a lieutenant in the Texas Rangers, as he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of their bed.

  "I think Candy's about to have her foal," Jim answered. He fumbled for a lucifer, struck it, and lit the lamp on the bedside table.

  "What makes you think that?" Julia asked. "You said this evening she probably wouldn't have it for another day or two."

  "Listen."

  "I don't hear anything."

  "The horses are restless out there, and I heard Sonny whinnyin' a couple of minutes ago." Jim tugged on his jeans and socks, pulled on his boots, and shrugged into his shirt. "Why do they always have their babies in the middle of the night?"

  "Women have been asking that same question for years," Julia said laughing. "You'll recall Charlie arrived at four in the morning. It was a warm night when he decided to enter the world too, just like tonight."

  "And Charlie kept waking us up at four in the morning for weeks afterwards," Jim said grinning.

  "He surely did. I'll make some coffee and bring it out to you."

  "You don't need to go to that trouble," Jim answered. He jammed his Stetson over his unruly shock of thick blond hair. "This might just be a false alarm. I'll come back and let you know once I'm certain. There's no point in both of us losing sleep."

  Tiptoeing to avoid waking their nine year old son, Charlie, Jim crossed the kitchen and stepped onto the porch. Outside, he increased his pace. When he neared the stable, two handsome paint horses in separate corrals lifted their heads and neighed to him.

  "Looks like you're gonna be a dad soon, Sonny?" Jim said to the sorrel overo stallion pacing back and forth. Jim patted the horse's nose when the big stud came up to the fence and nickered to him. He paused at the next corral to stroke the neck of the palomino splotched tobiano gelding hanging his head over the fence and whickering to him. Sam, his Ranger mount and equine partner of many trails, was a one-man animal whose sharp teeth and hooves had saved his rider's life on more than one occasion.

  "You just take it easy, pard," he told Sam while the horse nuzzled his shoulder. "We'll be back on the trail soon enough."

  Jim headed into the barn, took a lucifer from his shirt pocket and struck it. He removed a lantern from its wall bracket, lifted the chimney, and touched the match to the wick. Once the light took hold, Jim held the lantern toward a roomy stall which held a sorrel mare. The horse was stretched out on her side in the final throes of labor. She groaned with her efforts.

  Jim knelt alongside the mare, stroked her neck and whispered to her. "Easy, Candy. It won't be long now." Jim remained with the mare, continuing to stroke her neck while the contractions intensified and became more frequent. He turned at a slight sound behind him to find his wife and son standing there.

  "How close is she?" Asked Julia balancing two mugs of steaming coffee in her hands. Beside her, Charlie stood wide-eyed.

  "Any minute now," Jim answered.

  Candy nickered with pain, and then her body shuddered as it was wracked by the strongest contraction yet.

  "Here it comes," Jim said when the foal's head appeared. A few moments later a sorrel colt with overo markings made his entry into the world.

  "It's a stud colt," he said.

  "And he's a real beauty," Julia added.

  "Wow!" was all Charlie could manage.

  Candy went to work licking and nuzzling her newborn son, urging him to his feet.

  Once the newborn stood on wobbly legs and began nursing, Jim said, "Let's leave them alone for a while. We'll turn them out in the corral for a bit come morning."

  "Which it already is," Julia said.

  "I reckon it is." Jim smiled. "Well, later this morning."

  After a couple more hours of sleep, Jim rolled out of bed and trudged back to the barn where he fed the horses and checked on Candy and her new son. Satisfied all was well he returned to the house for breakfast. Once he and his family had eaten they headed for the barn.

  Jim haltered the mare and led her, with her colt following along, to the corral behind Sonny's, where he turned her loose. Sonny whinnied proudly as he watched his new son take a few tentative steps around the corral. The long-legged foal was a handsome sorrel color which glistened in the bright Texas sun like a newly minted copper penny. He had a bald face, white stockings to his knees on his forelegs and a white marking on the inside of the left foreleg between knee and shoulder. His hind legs were white to the hocks, with the white continuing up the front of the legs to his flanks. Large white patches extending from his belly up his ribs, midway on his right side and just behind his left shoulder, contrasted with the bold sorrel coloring. A white spot resembling a downward pointing arrowhead on the left side of his neck, in front of the shoulder, completed his unique markings.

  Already feeling bold the colt scampered away from his mother and headed straight for Jim to tug on the Ranger's shirtsleeve with his gums. When Jim broke out laughing, the colt raced away. He ran along the fence before heading back to his mother to do some serious nursing.

  "That's going to be your horse, Jim," Julia observed.

  "Better not let Sam know," Jim answered. His long-time trail partner was pacing in his own corral and whickering to his rider.

  "He needs a name," said Charlie.

  "How about you giving him one?" Jim replied. "Do you have anything in mind?"

  The colt backed away from his mother, kicking up his heels and dashing around the corral.

  "He runs so fast he sizzles," Charlie said, "And it's a sizzling hot day already. His name's gonna be Sizzle."

  "Then Sizzle it is," Jim agreed.

  Chapter 1

  Four Years Later

  "Just about time to quit for the night. Your mom should have supper almost ready," Jim told Charlie. He and his son had been working all day at getting a wagonload of hay into the barn's loft before an approaching storm hit.

  Jim jumped from the now-empty buckboard. He untied the bandanna from his neck to wipe sweat from his face and chest. Charlie did the same. He worshipped his lawman fath
er, and often imitated Jim's every move. In the blistering late July heat, father and son had removed their drenched shirts and hung them from the buckboard's tailgate. It was far more comfortable to work stripped to their waists than with the heavy, sweat-soaked garments clinging to their backs. And out here on the JB Bar, their small horse ranch, it was highly unlikely any "proper" society woman would happen by to be shocked at seeing the bare-chested pair. In fact, Julia had noted that very fact when she brought out their noontime dinner.

  "Jim, do you realize you and Charlie would horrify most of the town women if they saw you two parading around half-naked like that?" she had teased.

  "Do you have any objections to us bein' shirtless?" Jim had answered.

  "Why, none at all." Julia had touched a finger to the tip of Jim's nose, letting it trail down through the thick blonde hair covering his chest. "In fact, I'm enjoying the view. I suspect most of those so-called proper women secretly would too. Now you enjoy your dinner. I've got some mending to do."

  With the day's work now over, Jim smiled at the promise he'd seen in his wife's eyes and felt in her gentle touch.

  "What're you grinnin' about, Dad?" Charlie asked.

  "Nothin' in particular. Let's get to supper," Jim answered.

  "It's about time, Dad. I'm starved." Charlie grinned.

  At the age of thirteen, the boy had shot up over the past few months. He now stood nearly as tall as his six-foot plus father. Though his muscles still had the stringiness of early adolescence, Charlie's approaching manhood had begun to thicken his lanky frame. With blonde hair and clear blue eyes that were exact matches for his father's he could almost be taken for Jim's kid brother.

  "Let's wash up," Jim said.

  He and Charlie hurried to the pump and wash bench between the house and barn. They began cleaning up, ducking their heads in the cool water of the trough. Without warning, Charlie punched Jim playfully in his belly.

  "C'mon, Dad. Let's wrestle. Bet I can take you this time," he challenged.

  "Maybe later," Jim answered. "Right now I'm ready to eat."

  Charlie punched his dad in the belly again, a bit harder. "What's the matter, Dad? You gettin' old? Turnin' yella? Afraid you'll lose?"

  "Not a chance of that," Jim replied. He returned his son's favor, sinking his fist into Charlie's gut just hard enough so that the boy doubled over a little bit. Charlie's knees buckled, and Jim wrapped an arm around his neck.

  "Now we'll see who's yellow," Jim growled in feigned anger. "Get ready to be pounded into the dirt, kid."

  Charlie shot a backhanded slap to his father's stomach and twisted out of Jim's grasp.

  "You'll have to catch me first, Dad," he taunted. Charlie raced across the dusty yard with Jim in hot pursuit.

  Charlie made it almost to the fence before Jim caught up with him. The big Ranger's diving tackle sent both of them plunging to the dirt, rolling over and over. They came to a stop with Jim on his back, his son sprawled across his stomach.

  "I've got'cha, Dad," Charlie yelled, twisting around to pin Jim's shoulders.

  "Not so fast, young 'un." Jim pushed hard against Charlie's stomach, flipping the boy over. Jim scrambled to drop across his son's chest. "Now who's got who?" he rumbled. "Give up?"

  "Not yet." Charlie wrapped his arms around Jim's back and rolled.

  For several minutes they battled, neither father nor son able to gain an advantage or willing to give an inch. They were so engrossed in their battle that they failed to hear Julia approaching until she dumped a bucket of cold water over them.

  Jim and Charlie yelped with shock when the icy water hit their overheated flesh.

  "Mom! What'd you do that for?" Charlie remained flopped on his back.

  "I've been calling the both of you to supper for the last fifteen minutes, but you were so engrossed in your horseplay you never heard me. That was the only way I could get your attention. Y'all are impossible. One of you could get hurt."

  His chest heaving as he gasped for breath, Jim pushed himself to his feet. Trying to look sheepish, he tried one of his crooked smiles on her. "We were just havin' some fun, darlin'. There's no harm done."

  "There's no harm done as long as you don't mind eating a burnt roast and dried out potatoes. Supper's ruined."

  "Aw honey, you know I like things cooked until they're almost burnt anyway. I'm sure the roast will be just fine."

  Jim tried to wrap his arms around his wife's waist.

  "Don't even think of that," Julia said, glaring at him. "The two of you are filthy from rolling around in the dirt while you're all sweaty. You must be covered with an inch of mud. You'll both take a bath before either of you come into my clean kitchen."

  "But the tub's in the house, Mom!" Charlie protested. "And by the time we drag it out and fill it supper will really be cold."

  "Who said anything about using the tub?" Julia answered. "You two can just scrub in the stock tank by the windmill. I'll bring soap and towels out to you."

  "But Mom, the horses drink from that tank. We can't get soap in their water."

  "That tank's full, and it's going to rain tonight, so the water will be fresh by morning," Julia pointed out. "And you've bathed in that tank before, Charles William Blawcyzk. Of course there's always the stream. It's up to you, and your incorrigible father. But you're both taking that bath."

  "We can't win, Charlie," Jim said with a sigh. "All right, Julia, it's the tank for us."

  Later that evening, Julia and Jim were sitting in the porch swing, listening to the rain spattering on the roof. As Julia rested her head on Jim's shoulder, she idly ran a hand through his thick blonde hair.

  "You seem awfully quiet tonight, Jim," she said. "Is something bothering you?"

  "Not a thing," Jim answered, "I'm just listening to the rain. After the dry spell we've had it's a wonderful sound."

  "Jim, we've been together too long for you to try and fool me. There's something on your mind."

  "It's just that with Charlie's collie dying last month and us going to get him a new puppy tomorrow, well, that's got me to thinking."

  "Thinking about what, dear?"

  "About Sam. He's getting on in years, and I'm going to have to retire him soon. I still haven't found the right horse to take his place. And Sam's sure not going to be happy the first time I ride out and leave him behind."

  "What about Sizzle? That horse adores you, and you said yourself he's got the makings of a good Ranger's horse.

  Over the last four years, Sizzle had grown into an exceptional animal. At sixteen hands high and powerfully built with long legs, the horse showed speed, staying power and high intelligence.

  "I know," Jim agreed. "But he's too mellow. Nothing seems to bother him. With Sam I always knew if anybody was around, like maybe a bushwhacker waitin' to put a bullet in my back. Sizzle doesn't look for anything like that. He's so easygoin' nothing fazes him. And he's just too doggone friendly. He wants to visit with everybody he sees. Plus he's such a handsome fella he catches everyone's eye. Add to that his speed and strength and he's horse thief bait. He'll get himself stolen before we're on the trail a month."

  "Jim, I would think after all those years of riding that ornery Sam it would be a pleasant change having a mount you didn't have to warn everyone away from." Julia snuggled up closer to her husband. "I know you and he have been together a long time, but Sam's temper must make things difficult."

  "It does, but Sam and I have been trail pards for so long I just can't face the thought of being out there without him." Jim closed his eyes and sighed. "Of course, the livery stable owners would be relieved. So would most of the other Rangers."

  "I wouldn't worry too much for now," Julia said. "You'll know the right horse when it comes along. And it will be some time yet before you have to leave Sam behind."

  "Yeah, I reckon so."

  "I'll take your mind off that problem for now." Julia pressed her lips to his but received no kiss in return.

  A lightning flash ill
uminated the porch for a split second, followed by a huge clap of thunder. "The wind's gettin' stronger. Rain's pickin' up too," Jim said.

  "Thunderstorms always are exciting," Julia answered. "And you can't do anything about a horse tonight anyway. Let's just sit out here and watch the storm."

  Jim fretted as a heavy gust rattled the windows. "I just hope the windmill doesn't tear itself apart in this wind. I didn't realize it was going to be this hard of a blow. I should have disconnected the mechanism."

  "You can't do anything about that either," Julia pointed out.

  "I guess you're right."

  "You know I am," Julia whispered. She snuggled closer.

  Chapter 2

  The previous night's storm had settled the dust, giving the land a just-washed appearance. A light north wind gave the air an earthy tang. Jim noticed something amiss as soon as he went to feed the horses. Despite the breeze, the windmill was not turning. Jim crossed the pasture to examine it.

  "Doggone it," he muttered when he looked up at the mechanism, "Storm must've loosened one of the gears, maybe the pinion. Looks like it bent a couple of the blades too. I'll have to get right on this."

  Julia was standing on the porch as Jim hurried back for some tools. "Jim, breakfast is just about ready," she called.

  "It's gotta wait a while. The windmill's busted. I've got to fix it."

  "A half hour while you eat won't make any difference. Or would you rather have cold hotcakes?"

  "I reckon you're right."

  Jim washed up and headed inside to join his wife and son for the morning meal.

  Once breakfast was finished, Jim and Charlie got the needed tools from the barn and headed to the windmill.

  "We're goin' for my new pup today, aren't we Dad?" Charlie asked on the way. "You promised."

  "We sure are, Charlie." Jim grinned and tousled his son's blonde hair. "Soon as we get this contraption workin' again, we'll saddle the horses and head over to Mr. Hines' place."