Brothers in Blood

by Dusty Richards

  Cole whistled. “Me and Jesus here may go on a spree with that much money.”

  “Could I get married?” Jesus asked.

  “Do you have a girlfriend somewhere?” Chet asked. He’d never heard his man even mention one.

  “Yes. She is in Sonora. I have sent her letters and she has answered them.”

  “We can get you a small house up at the Preskitt place. What’s her name?”

  “Carmellia. I can still ride with you and Cole if I am married?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  “Good. I will write her when I get home.”

  He nodded and went back to his coffee. By the next day he’d have those three in Simms’s jail. Before they left, he’d send his wife a telegram they were coming home on the stage, and for her to have Roamer there to take the prisoners to jail.

  When he drove them out of the livery, he gave Jesus money to eat on and for ferry charges. No telling about the quicksand in the river crossing down there, they’d better use the ferry.

  The horses were used to each other and drove easy down the hard-packed main street past the mill to the ferry.

  Two trips across and Jesus was on his way home. He could stop to rest at the stage stops and use their corrals for the horses. He should make it home in three or four days. In a few hours, they’d pass him in the stagecoach.

  Cole rode inside the stage with their prisoners, and Chet rode on top with the driver named Lum. They crossed the river on the ferry with his big horses impatiently stomping the barge’s floor as they hand-cranked them over the Salt’s low winter flow.

  In a cloud of dust, Lum sent them north through the desert and back toward the small town called Phoenix. There, they went through more irrigated land before heading north through the flat desert toward the Bradshaw Mountains.

  At New River Station they changed to fresh horses and pushed on to Bumble Bee. They’d make Preskitt by eight o’clock that night. Jesus would be three days making the same route. He’d have to send a few men from the ranch to meet and help him.

  The rocking stage climbed higher in elevation, and despite the sun Chet put on his jacket. A tall cloudbank hung up in the northwest. At Bumble Bee, deep in the canyon, it wasn’t visible, but when he and Cole took the prisoners to the outhouses behind the stop it looked like snow was headed for them.

  “Be our luck, huh?” Cole smiled as they waited outside the open doors of the stinking outhouse. “Maybe we can ski home.”

  “Maybe we’ll have to.”

  Weary of the prisoners, Cole shook his head. “I’d shut these grumbling bastards up. They sure get tiresome to listen to, and that kid is crazy as a loon.”

  “Just keep thinking that they’re worth over three hundred dollars to you. That’s damn near a year’s wages.”

  “I know, and I’m going to buy me a small place.”

  “What then?”

  “I know it’s crazy, but either of those girls that works at Jenn’s would have me, I’m going to marry one of them.”

  “Bonnie and Valerie, huh?”

  “Yes. I know all about their past. You think I’m crazy?”

  “No, but they may not want to be housewives.”

  “If they turn me down, I’ll still have me a place.”

  “Personally, I like both of them. They’re attractive and they’ve been abused. I can only wish you good luck.”

  “Thanks. Ah, hell, we’ll see, huh?”

  “Right. We better load up. Lum will be ready to leave.”

  He’d never considered either of the young women as a possible wife for anyone. But they had every right to be. While searching for Jenn’s daughter Bonnie, he’d found both her and Valerie and brought them back to find themselves a place in this world. He hoped Cole could make a good marriage with one of them. JD’s efforts with Kay had left him a sour apple, and he’d probably never change.

  Valerie might be the best choice. She gave it up long before Bonnie. But it wasn’t his problem. He simply wanted the best for a man he considered as almost his son.

  They arrived home in the dark. Roamer had a buckboard waiting to haul the prisoners on to jail. He also had another deputy with him cradling a shotgun. And when Marge ran over to hug him, it began to snow like their reunion had caused it.

  Chet gave Roamer the wanted poster on the three and said, “The reward money goes to Jesus and Cole.”

  “They must be happy to know that.”

  “Hey, they slept on the ground long enough to earn it.”

  Roamer shook his head. “You three are relentless.”

  “How is Henry?”

  “He’s doing fine. Said you were a doctor, too.” Roamer laughed, holding his hands out to ward Chet away. “I ain’t sick, Doctor. We better get them locked up. We can talk tomorrow or the next day. Good to see you, Marge.” He tipped his hat and drove off in the buckboard for the jail.

  “What’s this doctor business?”

  “Oh, Henry was bleeding bad and I poured black powder in his wound and ignited it. That stopped his bleeding.”

  She made a face at him. “My, that was severe.”

  “It worked and he’s alive. Jesus is bringing the horses back. I’ll send him two of Raphael’s men to help him.”

  “Good. I’m always so glad to have you back.”

  “Me, too. Let’s go home. Who drove you here?” Chet looked around for her driver.

  “I drove myself here before dark. I’m not a cripple.”

  “Don’t tell me I have to have those two galoots with me and then you drive to town all alone.”

  He motioned to Cole. “Get in back. We have no horses to ride.”

  “This is fine. Good to see you, Marge.”

  “Thanks for bringing him home,” she said.

  “You’re welcome. I’m so glad they have to listen to that crazy kid I’ve heard for the last ten hours. Bad situation.”

  “Why was that?” Marge asked Chet.

  “Too long to tell. Raft Boone said the kid was crazy. Before long, we decided he knew him well.” Chet laughed.

  They rode easy through the snow. In the darkness, the flakes obscured his vision of the road, but he trusted the horses to find their way back to the ranch. At last, the house lights, filtered through big snowflakes, welcomed them.

  Marge offered to feed Cole, but he went to the bunkhouse. He told them he’d drive in for their saddles and gear the next day. Chet figured that would give him the chance to speak to Bonnie and Valerie. He was happy he had Marge and they were going to bed where he belonged.

  In the morning, he had Raphael send two men south to meet Jesus and help him distribute the horses where they belonged. The Boones could have the extra ones. Jesus knew their horses, and he’d bring them home in the four inches of snow on the ground.

  Monica fixed them breakfast and she sounded happy. “So you rounded up more bad guys, huh?”

  “Three of them. They were wanted in Utah, too. Cole and Jesus will get a big reward. Jesus wants to bring a young lady up here and marry her.”

  “Oh, yes, he has one in Mexico. She writes him letters, or has someone write them for her.”

  “Carmellia is her name.”

  “Robles is her last name. Marge and I have seen his letters.”

  “I told him we’d build a small house for them.”

  Marge agreed. “Sure. He’s a big part of our lives.”

  “Is Cole going to marry someone, too?” Monica asked.

  “He says he wants either of Jenn’s daughters, Bonnie or Valerie.”

  “Really? They are pretty women—” Marge stopped and frowned.

  “I thought the same thing. But I’d give either one a chance at having a real life.”

  “We need to find him a big farm girl,” Marge said. “Like Robert from the mill is going to marry soon.”

  They laughed.

  He shook his head at his wife’s solution. “She is pretty and she does look more like what Susie thought my wife should be.
”

  He spent the day reading the newspapers. A story about the Boone shooting incident never mentioned his involvement, but said the sheriff was looking for leads to the shooter and the party that stole the horses.

  He went on to read about the mining activity at Horse Thief Basin. A new mine opened down there and claimed its gold and silver excavations were producing ore worth over three hundred dollars a ton. Their stock on the Denver Exchange was selling for eighty bucks a share. Mining was not his game. There were some fast and furious deals made in that business, but he wanted no part of it.

  David Ellis had listed his EKO ranch west of Preskitt for sale. He had three sections of deeded land and ran two hundred mother cows. Price negotiable.

  Maybe JD would want that place. He’d send word to Bo to look it over. Money wasn’t floating around and it might be what JD needed for a place of his own. No telling. They may want way too much for it. Plus, he didn’t know the situation or the range conditions, either. Oh, well, he’d let Bo look into it.

  “Did Roamer say anything about his job last night?” Marge asked, standing in the doorway drying a plate.

  “I guess he still has one. Have you ever been to Dave Ellis’s ranch?”

  “No, why?”

  “It’s for sale.”

  “Just what you need. Another ranch to worry about.”

  “Hey, I thought it might work for JD.”

  “As sugar-footed as he is, in six weeks you’d have to run it.”

  “I’d like to give him a chance to do something he likes.”

  “I know, but he’s not dependable enough today to turn over a ranch to him.”

  “We’ll see how things go. They may only want to see what people will offer and have no plans to sell. People do that all the time to find out their ranch’s worth.”

  “What would you sell this kingdom for?”

  “Hell, I don’t want to sell. I love all this country we own.”

  “No, give me a price.”

  “A million dollars.”

  She shook her head. “No one will pay you that for it, which is good. I won’t have to pack and move.”

  “Me, either. I’m still not over the tough time we had coming here from Texas.”

  “No, really. Where else would you even consider going?”

  “Eastern Kansas, where the bluestem grows six feet tall and cattle get fatter on it than eating corn.”

  “You never looked up there for a place?”

  “No, there’s too much resistance up there to southern drawling folks—left over from the Civil War. There’s folks up there still fighting that battle. I saw and heard lots of their hatred when I took the first family herd to Abilene five years ago. They aren’t through fighting it, either. But it’s a swell country for cattlemen, best grassland I ever saw.”

  “I understand. No need to leave one fight for another.”

  “That’s why I came west.”

  “You ever consider California?”

  “I’m far enough from Texas here.”

  She laughed. “I can see I’m not budging you one inch.”

  “No, that baby of ours will be a native of this place. I hope our children will take care of all these places we’re fixing and see this territory become a state.”

  “What do you plan to do next?”

  “Sit around here and enjoy my married life.”

  “That sounds good. Then, tomorrow, what?”

  “Aw, you beat all. I don’t know if the snow is melting yet. I may get ready to check on things around the circuit.”

  “One day is enough to sit around the house, isn’t it?”

  “I’ve got some sharp men looking after our interests, but we can always do better.”

  “Hay operation shaping up?” She took a seat on the end of the long couch.

  “I still need some stout horses for that job. Rose is bringing some from California and he seems like the best source to supply them. All these folks around here have to sell are bangtail mustangs.”

  “I know. But you’ll have them ready to mow next spring. Is Hampt going to grow more?”

  “I think him and Tom both have plans to plant more acreage.”

  “Who will run the new place with the orchards?”

  “Leroy Sipes, I think would be a good man. They can barely eke out a living at their small place. Maybe he and Betty Lou would take it over. She could oversee the cabins and he could help harvest the orchards and berries and plant the food crops. There’s plenty of water up there. We could grow a lot of food up there and can it to feed the ranches next winter.”

  “When are you going to talk to them about it?”

  “Tomorrow. Cole will be back and we can ride up there and see them.”

  “Where did you learn so much about people and what they’re good at?” Marge asked.

  “I guess dealing with them. Leroy drove that big shire team down here, no trouble. He never complained one minute and helped my men at every stop. I watched him and he’s good. I had no place for him then, but I will in a few weeks.”

  “Who will build the cabins you’re planning?”

  “The crews at Windmill won’t be done in time. I want the cabins finished so we can stay in them next summer. Leroy may have ideas on that. You do a drawing of a floor plan for a cabin that each of our families could camp in.”

  “How many will we need?”

  “Say, three, and a bunkhouse for help and single men to stay in. I may have to expand the main cabin. They have kids.”

  Marge looked up at the copper ceiling tiles for help, shaking her head. “Do these ideas swirl around in your head like millers at a light?”

  “I guess so. We can spend more time on things like that as these ranches settle into operating.”

  “You going to learn to fish?” she asked.

  “I may do that, too. Do you think Ray and Ty should go to college back east some day?”

  “No, not really.”

  “I disagree. I think May could teach them, in addition to their regular schooling, and get them smart enough to do that.”

  Marge nodded her head. “You’re right. I bet she has enough education to do it too. Wouldn’t that be something, to have a Byrnes really educated?”

  “There’s time enough left in my lifetime to see it, too.”

  “Chet Byrnes, you can imagine and make up some of the wildest schemes and make them come true. I never thought you’d do any good at selling the Navajo agencies your cattle. But you did.”

  He scooped her up in his arms. “Monica has things to do. Let’s sneak off upstairs and have our own private talk.”

  She shook her hair back and smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Jesus wasn’t back yet, so Chet and Cole went to town. Bo was hunched over his desk in the land office, working on some land transaction, but looked up at the two men. “The Arizona Rangers are here,” Bo said to his helper.

  “Where’s the other one?” the young man asked.

  “Bringing our horses home and the ones the outlaws stole.”

  “I guess Simms knew you were after them. He said he was looking around for them. Maybe in the garbage cans behind the Palace. What can I do for you?”

  “The Dave Ellis ranch was for sale in the Miner.”

  “Way overpriced,” Bo said. “Two hundred thousand. What would you pay?”

  “I’d have to look. Thirty to forty thousand, if it’s real.”

  “I say thirty.”

  “Good. Look at it for that. If he really wants to sell, we might buy a ranch. Oak Creek going through all right?”

  “You bet. His heirs back east accepted the eight thousand I offered.”

  “I’ll try to hire a man today to run it.”

  “So soon?”

  “He may turn me down, but I’m going to ask him.”

  “I’ll look at that ranch you mentioned and get you more details.”

  “That’ll be fine. Good to see
you two,” Chet said.

  When they left the land office, they rode out to see Leroy and his wife. He was busy busting firewood with an axe, and the yard was littered in split wood. He looked relieved to see them.

  Betty Lou came to the door. “How nice to see you two. Come in. I heard you three got the outlaws that shot Henry Boone. You’re life savers. Where’s Jesus?”

  “He’s bringing all the horses back. We brought the outlaws back by stagecoach to get rid of them.”

  “When will folks stand up and elect you sheriff?”

  “Not my job. I’m here to talk to you two about moving up to Oak Creek. I bought Mr. Kemp’s place. I haven’t been there yet, but they say it has lots of fruit trees and berries. Plus water to grow vegetables.”

  She nodded. “I know the place. We were up there a few years ago and bought apples from him to resell.”

  “Would you think about moving up there and running things?”

  Leroy looked at his wife. “Well, Betty Lou, say something.”

  “That time we were up there, you said you’d love to have it.”

  “I did sure enough. We work hard, but this place of ours doesn’t yield much.”

  Chet decided to throw in an incentive. “I would pay you so much a month and a percentage of the profit on the rest. We’re going to build some cabins up there for my families to camp in. I’ll hire a crew and want them done by summertime. You could move in anytime you want. Take your cow and chickens. Act like it’s yours.”

  “We finish our term of school the first of February and we can go anytime after that,” Betty Lou said.

  “We can move you. We have farm wagons to do that.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “I’m going to start you at forty bucks a month.”

  “That’s sure acceptable,” Leroy said.

  “I’m looking forward to you two working with me.” Chet shook his hand and hugged Betty Lou. “Don’t be worried. It will all work out. Would a twenty-dollar advance help you two out?”

  She looked at Leroy for his answer, and he nodded. She said, “That would be wonderful.”

  After Chet gave him the advance, they rode back and had lunch at Jenn’s where Valerie waited on them.

  “You have a job here in Preskitt,” she teased.