by Tell Cotten
They also fixed us up with two hats. Brian was given a huge sombrero, and I received a worn out looking hat that looked like a broken tent.
The old Mexican also had plenty of firearms and ammunition. Brian picked out a Colt six-shooter and a rifle, and I got a rifle. We also bought plenty of ammunition.
Next, the old Mexican gave us two brand new pairs of boots. We didn’t ask where he got them, and he didn’t say. He even threw in two pairs of spurs and two canteens.
I pulled out the sixty dollars from my pocket and gave it all to him. He said it was too much, but I insisted. Then, we went and saddled the horse.
I was still leery about the horse, but he stood perfectly still as I saddled him. I led him around a little, but he wasn’t humped up at all.
We stuffed our food and few belongings into the saddlebags, and then I stepped into the saddle. The horse seemed fine, so I offered a hand to Brian and helped pull him up behind me.
“Thank you, amigo,” I told the Mexican.
He nodded, and we took out, going west.
***
I was surprised at how well the horse traveled.
Big as he was, he had no trouble carrying us. He also stopped on a dime and handled very well.
The country flattened out, and was very open. We traveled along in a slow trot and made good time.
“I think this might be the smoothest traveling horse I’ve ever ridden,” I commented.
“Seems like,” Brian agreed.
“I wonder why he was so eager to sell him?” I asked. “This horse is worth some money.”
“Mebbe he didn’t know what he had.”
I grunted in response, and we traveled on.
Occasionally Brian’s big sombrero would hit me in the back of the head, and I frowned irritably.
“Soon as it’s possible, I suggest you get rid of that hat,” I complained.
“I don’t like it anymore than you do, but it’s better than a sunburn,” Brian replied.
“I reckon it is,” I agreed.
“Where are we headed?” Brian changed the subject.
“I’ve been pondering that,” I replied. “I think it’s time we paid Ike a visit.”
“What for?”
“I’m ready to end this once and for all,” I grumbled. “I’m tired of going after the small fry. I want Ike.”
“But Yancy said he wanted the entire outfit.”
“We cut off the head of the snake, and the rest of the body will die,” I declared. “Besides, I don’t care what Yancy wants. What I want is to get Jessica’s hotel back.”
“And killing Ike will do that?”
“Him, and some others.”
It was silent as Brian thought on that.
“All right,” he finally said. “I’ve gone this far; might as well see it to the end.”
I nodded, and we traveled on.
The day passed quickly, and we covered a lot of ground. By late afternoon some brush started showing up, and the ground got rougher.
There was a draw in front of us that was covered with thick mesquite trees. As we trotted up I searched the bank, looking for an open spot.
Normally, a horse will slow down naturally when he comes up to some brush, but our horse didn’t. Instead, he plowed right into the brush, and the sharp thorns tore at us.
“What in the world!” Brian exclaimed.
The thick brush stumbled the horse, and he almost fell.
He lunged forward to keep his footing, and the jump caused Brian to fall off. He landed in the middle of a mesquite bush and yelled as the sharp thorns tore at him.
Meanwhile, the horse regained his footing, and I pulled him up and dismounted.
“What’s wrong with that horse?” Brian scowled as he gingerly picked his way out of the brush.
“I’m not sure,” I said.
I moved up beside the horse’s head, and he just stood there calmly as if nothing had happened.
I studied his eyes, and there was a grayish tint in them. I waved my hand in front of his eye, but he showed no reaction.
I frowned and moved my hand closer, and when I was a few inches from his eye he finally saw my movements.
“This horse is almost blind!” I announced, and added bitterly, “That Mexican tricked us.”
Brian groaned and shook his head.
“It wasn’t a trick,” he muttered. “He said ‘he no look so good’, remember?”
I pinched my face in thought.
“He did say that, didn’t he,” I grudgingly admitted.
“He sure did.”
It was silent as we thought on that. I was irritated, but Brian chuckled. I finally had to chuckle with him, and we climbed back on the horse and took off.
***
I found out real quick that traveling through brush was going to be difficult. Usually, a horse just naturally makes his way through the brush. But, with a blind horse, it was up to me to make every decision. I had to guide him every step of the way, and we had to slow to a walk.
We went a few miles, and I sighed loudly.
“What’s the matter?” Brian asked from behind me.
“Plenty. We’re two ex-jailbirds, wearing somebody else’s clothes, riding double on a blind horse. That is what’s the matter,” I said sourly, and added, “It can’t get any worse than this.”
“I wish you’d quit saying that,” Brian grumbled, and then he pointed out, “At least we’re not in prison anymore.”
“I reckon so,” I reluctantly agreed. “But still. Less than a month ago, we were the owners of the fanciest hotel in Texas. Now look at us. What went wrong?”
“I’d say a lot.”
“All I know is that it’s Ike’s fault, and he’s going to pay for it,” I declared.
I felt Brian’s sombrero hit me in the back of my head as he nodded, and it fell silent.
We traveled a few miles, and I heard Brian chuckle softly.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“Nothing much. This blind horse just reminds me of a story I once heard.”
“Let’s hear it,” I said to pass the time.
“Well, there was this blind porcupine that fell in love with a cactus-.”
“Never mind,” I interrupted with a sigh.
Chapter fifty-five
We named the horse No-see-ums, and the name sort of stuck. Gentle as he was, it was hard not to like him.
We took turns riding in the saddle. It was tense work, guiding No-see-ums along, and we had to pay attention.
We traveled for several weeks. We wanted to avoid any people, so we circled any towns that we came across.
Whenever we needed food we would just stop and hunt. There was plenty of deer around, and we’d cook up enough meat to last a few days. When that ran out, we would just stop again.
We finally reached Empty-lake, but we didn’t ride in. Instead, we circled the town and headed towards Ike Nash’s headquarters.
I had a strong urge to ride in and see April and June. I missed them both, but I kept my feelings to myself.
We camped that night about a mile from Ike’s headquarters. We were now on Ike’s range, so we didn’t risk the chance of a fire.
We were in no hurry, and we slept late the next morning. We sipped water from our canteens and chewed on some deer meat, and then we saddled No-see-ums and took out.
We had only ridden about a hundred yards when we spotted a rider. He was trotting briskly, coming from the direction of Ike’s headquarters.
He spotted us, and he changed his course and headed in our direction.
“This can’t be good,” I frowned.
I felt Brian’s sombrero hit me in the head as he nodded.
I placed my gun hand on my Colt handle as the rider drew close. He was looking at us curiously, and I suddenly recognized him.
“That’s Ross Stewart!” I hissed in surprise.
“Sure is,” Brian said.
Ross trotted on up to us, and we could tell th
at he was wary. But then he recognized us, and his eyes grew wide.
Ross was visibly shaken, and he stared at us with his mouth open. First he studied Brian, and then he looked at me.
“What happened to you two?” He finally asked.
“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.
“Where have you two been? Rondo’s been worried sick.”
“We’ve been around,” I said, and my face was emotionless.
“What are you two wearing?”
“Clothes,” I said matter-of-factly.
“Last I knew you two were going after Brock and Amos, but then you just disappeared!”
“We had a little run of bad luck.”
“I can see that,” Ross said, and asked, “Did you hear that Yancy and Cooper arrested Brock and Amos?”
“We heard that,” I nodded.
“Word just came that they escaped from Huntsville.”
“You don’t say,” I said, and Brian and I tried to look surprised.
Ross started to say something else, but I cut him off and changed the subject.
“What are you doing out here on Ike’s range?”
“I was delivering a message.”
“You’re running errands for Ike now?” I frowned disapprovingly.
“Not usually. But, some big politician from back east is in town,” Ross explained. “Feller named Ron Gallegan. He asked me to come tell Ike that he was staying at the hotel, and Rondo thought it was a good idea. He figures Brock and Amos will head this way, so this gave us an excuse to look around.”
“Did you find them?”
“Nope.”
I nodded and asked, “How’s April and June?”
“They’re fine,” Ross replied. “April is still working at the hotel. She and Jeremiah have become friendly.”
“Friendly?” I scowled.
“Sure,” Ross nodded “Jeremiah has been real nice to her. June too.”
“I bet he has,” I grumbled, and my face turned dark.
“Are you boys riding into town?” Ross asked.
“No, we’ve got some business to take care of first.”
“Oh? What business?” Ross looked suspicious.
“Nothing much,” I replied nonchalantly. “You go on to town. We’ll be along directly.”
Ross didn’t like it, but he still nodded.
“I’ll see you boys later,” he said.
We nodded, and he kicked up his horse.
We watched him leave, and then I kicked up No-see-ums. He broke into a gentle trot, and we headed towards Ike’s ranch headquarters.
Chapter fifty-six
It was early in the morning when Ross Stewart rode up to Ike’s headquarters. He looked around curiously as he walked his horse up to the main house, and Butch Nelson met him at the porch.
Ross delivered his message, and then he left, going back towards town.
Butch went inside and entered the study. Ike was seated at his desk, eating breakfast and studying a map.
“Morning, Ike.”
“Butch,” Ike nodded, and he gestured at the map spread out before him. “Come look at this.”
Butch walked over to the desk and peered down.
There were little circles drawn all over the map, representing the ranches that Ike owned. Ike placed his finger on one of these circles that was to the west.
“I just bought this ranch last month,” Ike reminded.
“The Johnson’s place,” Butch nodded.
Ike moved his finger north and tapped his finger on another circle.
“I bought this ranch last year.”
“I remember,” Butch said. “He didn’t want to sell at first.”
“Most of them don’t.”
Butch nodded, and Ike moved his finger back to the south and tapped again between the two circles.
“If I owned this ranch, then all three ranches would be connected.”
“That would be a big spread,” Butch agreed.
“Go talk to the owner, and see if he’s willing to sell,” Ike said as he leaned back in his chair. “Leave a few men here, but take the rest. Seeing all our men might help convince him to sell.”
“I’ll leave soon as the boys finish their breakfast,” Butch said.
Ike nodded, satisfied. A few seconds passed, and Butch cleared his throat.
“There’s news from town.”
“Oh?”
“That politician friend of yours. He’s at the hotel.”
“Good!” Ike said, pleased. “Have somebody saddle my horse. I’ll ride in and see him after breakfast.”
Butch nodded and started towards the door.
Ike watched him leave, and he grunted in satisfaction. He took a swig of coffee and returned to his map.
Chapter fifty-seven
Ross was curious and concerned as he rode into Empty-lake. He dismounted at the jail, tied his horse to the railing, and hurried inside.
Rondo Landon sat at his desk, going over some papers. He looked up and was surprised to see Ross.
“Back so soon?”
“I got here quick as I could.”
“You found Brock and Amos?” Rondo looked hopeful.
“No, but you’re going to be surprised when I tell you who I did see.”
“Who?”
“Lee Mattingly and Brian Clark,” Ross announced, and Rondo jumped in surprise.
“Where are they?”
“They were headed towards Ike’s headquarters,” Ross said, and then he explained about their meeting.
Rondo frowned in thought and asked, “I wonder what happened to them?”
“I don’t know, but they looked horrible. They hadn’t shaved in weeks. In fact, the only thing that looked good was their horse,” Ross said, and asked, “Why would they go to Ike’s headquarters?”
“I don’t know, but we’d better find out,” Rondo said somberly as he stood. “Let’s go.”
Ross nodded and followed him out the door.
Chapter fifty-eight
We rode up on a hilltop that overlooked Ike’s ranch headquarters. We pulled up and studied the layout.
Things were busy. There were around twenty men a-horseback, and they were leaving headquarters in a brisk trot, going west.
I squinted my eyes at them. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like Butch was leading them.
We watched as they disappeared over the skyline, and then we turned our attention back to headquarters.
I spotted a saddled horse, tied to the hitching rail at the main house, and there were also at least four men down at the barn.
“You know we could get killed down there,” Brian spoke up.
“It’s possible,” I agreed. I sighed and added, “The sad truth of it, Brian, is that it just doesn’t matter much to me anymore.”
“It matters to me,” Brian objected. It was silent, and then he sighed. “Well, nothing lasts forever.”
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but I’ve enjoyed it,” I said, and I turned in the saddle and offered my hand.
Brian shook my hand firmly and nodded.
“You ready?” I asked.
“I’m as ready as I’m going to get,” he said.
I smiled faintly. We checked our weapons, and then I nudged No-see-ums forward.
***
The men at the barn spotted us as we trotted down the hill. They grabbed their rifles and walked towards the main house.
Ike Nash appeared from the porch. He was headed towards the saddled horse, but he stopped abruptly when he spotted us. His four men joined him, and they spread out into a line as we rode up.
“Stop right there,” Ike said gruffly.
“I’m stopped,” I replied, and I pulled up No-see-ums.
Ike’s eyes grew wide when he recognized us.
“What happened to you two?” He asked.
“Oh, a little of this, and a little of that,” I replied.
“What are you doing here?” Ike wanted to know.
&nbs
p; I didn’t reply as we dismounted. I dropped my reins and stepped forward, and Brian stood by my side, holding his rifle with the barrel pointed down at the ground.
I heard a soft click as he pulled the hammer back, and my hand hovered over my Colt’s handle.
No-see-ums didn’t move. Instead, he dropped his head and snipped at the grass.
“We came here to see you,” I finally said.
“What about?”
“You made a mistake, taking our hotel.”
Ike frowned thoughtfully, and several seconds passed.
“You rode all the way out here just to tell me that?”
“No. We came here to get it back.”
Surprise showed in Ike’s face.
“I see,” he said thoughtfully. “Did you bring any money with you?”
“No, you already have all our money.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I think you know,” I replied.
Ike nodded slowly and asked, “What if I don’t want to give the hotel back?”
“That would be another mistake.”
“No,” Ike smiled wolfishly. “You’re the one who made the mistake.”
“How’s that?”
“You didn’t bring any men with you.”
I smiled at that.
“That’s the difference between you and me.”
“What’s that?” Ike looked curious.
“I don’t hire my killing done.”
Ike grunted, and a pleased look crossed his face.
“Is that all you think I am?” He asked.
“Pretty much.”
“I don’t wear this Colt just for looks,” he said. “I know how to use it.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
Suddenly, Ike’s face turned dark.
“You were there when my son Tanner was killed.”
“I sure was.”
“Well then, I should be thanking you.”
“For what?”
“I’m a patient man, and I’ve been waiting for a chance to get back at you, Ross, and Rondo. And now here you are, trespassing on my land.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
It was silent then, and every second seemed like an hour. I stared into Ike’s eyes, and my nerves, muscles, and guts inside me were bunched up tight in anticipation.