“Ma,” said a voice from the kitchen, “I’m fixing breakfast for Jamie and me before they come to the house.”
“Please do,” Myra replied. “That,” she said, speaking to Nathan, “is Ellie. She’s barely fifteen, and Jamie’s thirteen.”
“It’s none of my business,” said Nathan, “but are you ranching or farming?”
“Neither,” Myra said. “Jubal, along with Ike Puckett and Levi Odell, claim to be buying and selling horses, I believe they’re stealing and selling horses.”
“That’s a serious charge,” said Nathan. “Folks have died for less.”
Before she could respond, Jamie and Ellie came in from the kitchen. Now that Nathan was conscious, they were shy.
“Jamie, Ellie,” Myra said, “this is Mr. Stone.”
“My pleasure, Jamie and Ellie. My friends call me Nathan. This is Cotton Blossom.”
“That’s a funny name for a dog,” said Ellie.
“I inherited him,” Nathan said, “and by then he was used to it.”
“I have work to do in the kitchen,” said Myra.
“Ma,” said Ellie, “do you want me to help?”
“No,” Myra replied. “I want you and Jamie to stay here and talk to Mr. Stone until Jubal and his friends have had breakfast.”
Jubal Wells had his suspicions about the man in the house, and when he reached the barn, had a serious conversation with Ira Puckett and Levi Odell.
“Hell,” said Puckett, “it’s your house and your woman. Throw the varmint out.”
“That didn’t grab me as bein’ such a good idea,” Jubal replied. “This hombre ain’t just a down-at-the-heels drifter. There’s a brace of Colts hangin’ on the bedpost. I reckon he’s been shot and is likely still weak, but when he looked at me, he was purely taking my measure. He could be some kind of lawman.”
“Let’s have a look at his saddle and saddlebags,” Levi suggested.
The trio went to the barn and wasted no time in going through Nathan’s saddlebags and his canvas-wrapped pack, still secured to the packsaddle. Finding the leather bags full of gold double eagles, they all but shouted.
“God Almighty,” Ike Puckett said, “there must be near four thousand here. While this pelican’s laid up, we’d have time to get to Arizona, or even California.”
“Don’t be a damn fool,” said Jubal. “We got a sweet setup right here, and I ain’t one to outlaw myself for a handful of coin.”
“Haw, haw,” Levi Odell cackled, “you reckon horse stealin’ won’t outlaw you?”
“Maybe,” Jubal conceded, “but there’s a matter of proof. Not so with this cold-eyed jasper with the brace of Colts. He’s the kind who’d track you down, gun you down, and when he’s takin’ his gold off your cold carcass, consider it proof enough.”
“You’re scairt of him,” Levi said.
“Hell,” said Ike, “so am I. Look at all this.”
From Nathan’s pack he had taken copies of newspapers. Some of them had accounts of Nathan’s days with the Kansas-Pacific and of the deadly showdown with EI Gato’s renegades in Indian Territory. There were references to Byron Silver and the attorney general’s office in Washington, and finally the death notice of Ranger Captain Sage Jennings. Then there were copies of various telegrams Nathan had received, several of them from Captain Ferguson, at Fort Worth.
“Exactly what I was afraid of, damn it,” Jubal Wells said. “Right here amongst us, we got some kind of special lawman. We can’t just salt the bastard down and have him be forgot. Kill him, and he’ll be missed. That’s just what we need: some U.S. marshal from El Paso or Santa Fe, lookin’ for him and lookin’ at us.”
“So what are we goin’ to do?” Ike asked. “Let him squat here until he heals and hope he rides on? What about your woman?”
“There’ll be other women,” said Jubal callously, “unless I’m behind bars or at the business end of a rope. The less this legal coyote sees of us, the better. We’ll eat and ride south. We’ll hole up in Ciudad Juarez until we’re ready to run a new herd of broomtails across the border.”
Left alone with the Wells children, Nathan found himself in the midst of an uneasy silence. Finally he spoke.
“Jamie, do you and Ellie like New Mexico?”
“I ain’t liked nowhere we’ve been since my pa was killed,” Jamie said. “At first, I liked it here, ’cause there wasn’t no school. But there’s nothin’ else here, either.”
“It wasn’t so bad, even here,” said Ellie, “if it wasn’t for ... him. When he’s here, he’s nearly always drunk. The worst times are when he has Ike and Levi with him, and all of them are drunk together.”
“If I had a gun,” Jamie said, “I’d wait till they’re passed out and kill them all.”
“Whoa,” said Nathan. “Killing is serious business. I’d think on that some.”
“I reckon you don’t carry them for show,” Jamie said, his eyes on Nathan’s Colts.
“No,” said Nathan. “When you begin using a gun, you’re forced to carry one to stay alive. I am forever defending myself against men who are determined to kill me.”
“Why do they want to kill you?”
“To prove they’re faster on the draw than I am,” Nathan replied. “Or they want me dead because I’ve been forced to kill friends or kin of theirs.”
“That’s how you got hurt, then,” said Ellie.
“Not this time,” Nathan said. “A friend of mine was shot in the back. I went after the outlaw who did it, and when it came to a showdown, he shot me before I shot him.”
“But you didn’t shoot him in the leg,” said Jamie.
“No,” Nathan said.
The conversation ended abruptly when Jubal Wells and his companions entered the house. Their laughter was loud, and they were drunk or trying to appear so.
“Damnation, woman,” Jubal shouted, “where’s our breakfast? We got ridin’ to do.”
“He ain’t all that drunk,” Jamie whispered, “and they never ride out again the same day they come in. They’re up to somethin’.”
Nathan silently agreed. The trio had taken entirely too much time unsaddling, if that was what they had been doing. Facing Nathan, Wells had been predictably hostile. Now his attitude seemed to have changed abruptly, and the trio was anxious to be on their way.
“Jamie,” said Nathan quietly, “you and Ellie had best leave me alone. I must get up.”
“But Ma said you shouldn’t,” Ellie protested. “Besides, she told us to stay here with you until they finish their breakfast, and they ain’t finished.”
“Then close your eyes,” said Nathan, “because I’m getting out of this bed.”
“You can’t scare her,” Jamie said devilishly. “She helped Ma take your britches off.”
“Jamie!” the girl cried, blushing furiously. She kicked him in the shins and turned her back on them.
Nathan flung back the. covers and got shakily to his feet. His wound hurt, but there had been some healing, and he could stand. Quickly he donned his shirt, and by sitting on the bed, pulled on his trousers. He had some difficulty with his left boot, for the pressure strained the muscles of his thigh. When he had his boots on, he stood up and buckled on his Colts. He then spoke quietly.
“All right, Ellie, you can turn around.”
There obviously was no way out of the bedroom except through the kitchen. Nathan waited, listening, but there was no sound except the rattle of dishes. Whatever the trio had in mind, they had discussed it before coming to the house. Nathan kept his silence. If his thinking was sound, Jubal Wells would not return to the bedroom before leaving, and in that event, Nathan vowed they wouldn’t ride away until he knew his gold was secure. When the meal was over, chairs scraped the floor as the men pushed away from the table.
“We got some ridin’ to do,” said Wells.
With the sound of their leaving, Nathan pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the kitchen. Myra looked at him and spoke softly.
�
��You shouldn’t have gotten up,” she said. “They’re leaving again.”
“A mite sudden,” said Nathan, “and cause for me to wonder why. I aim to see them on their way.”
He stepped out the door, limping, taking his time. Jamie and Ellie at her side, Myra watched. As he neared the barn, Nathan Stone no longer limped, and his hands were near the butts of the deadly Colts. He didn’t enter the barn, but waited until the trio led their horses out into the open corridor. The big door at the far end of the corridor was closed, so they couldn’t evade him. When they saw him standing there, thumbs hooked in his pistol belt, they froze.
“You hombres are in an almighty hurry to be gone,” Nathan said, “and I just want to be sure you don’t make the mistake of taking something that’s not yours.”
“We ain’t taking nothin’ of yours,” said Wells sullenly, “and you got no call to come stompin’ out here like the bull of the woods. By God, there’s three of us.”
“I can count,” Nathan said coldly, “and I’ve been to skunk shoots before. Mount up and ride out, and if I find cause to come after you, I’ll kill the three of you.”
Without a word they mounted and rode south, none of them looking back. Nathan waited until he was sure they were gone and then carefully examined his saddlebags and pack. There was a slight sound behind him and Nathan whirled, a Colt in his hand.
“Sorry, Cotton Blossom,” said Nathan.
He didn’t doubt they had been through his saddlebags and pack, for nothing had been repacked as neatly as he had left it, but nothing was missing. They had to have found the bags of double eagles, and that puzzled him.
“I believe they thought you were a lawman,” Myra said.
She stood in the door of the tack room where his saddle, saddlebags, and the loaded packsaddle had been stored. He got up off his knees, groaning. The pain in his thigh was throbbing like the beating of a drum.
“They seemed mighty anxious to get away from here,” said Nathan, “but you could be right. Maybe I was lookin’ at the wrong reason.”
“Perhaps you were right and I was wrong,” Myra said, “and your confronting them led to a change in their plans. I don’t know what you have that would have interested them. Jamie unsaddled your horses and stored all your goods in the tack room. None of us bothered anything, but I could never say the same for Jubal and his friends.”
“They had already gone through my packs before they came to the house for breakfast,” said Nathan. “I’m not a lawman, but I have worked with the law on occasion, and in my pack there are some newspaper accounts.”
“That’s why they were in such a hurry to ride out,” Myra said. “After they went to the barn to unsaddle their horses, Jubal never mentioned you again. Always, following his trips to El Paso, he’s questioned me, wanting to know if riders have been here. I believe he’s ridden away for the last time.”
“Then you can’t stay here,” said Nathan. “How many horses do you have?”
“There should be three in the barn. Jubal kept six. I believe three of them were left here for relays, in case Jubal, Ike, and Levi had to outride a posse.”
“I’ll be riding on to El Paso,” Nathan said. “Why don’t you plan on taking Jamie and Ellie and coming with me?”
“That would be the sensible thing to do. I’m ashamed of myself for having sunk this low for a roof over our heads and food. I was a fool to take Jubal Wells’s name for myself and my children. My husband’s name was James Haight, and I think Haight will be our name from now on.”
With Wells out of the picture, Nathan looked at Myra Haight. She had brown eyes and dark hair without a streak of gray. She couldn’t have been a day over thirty, if that, and he found himself attracted to her. He had no idea what she thought of him, beyond the fact he had been hurt and had needed help. Reaching the house, she wasted no time telling Jamie and Ellie what she intended to do.
“I’m glad,” Ellie said, “but what will we do in El Paso?”
“I’ll find a job,” said Jamie.
“You’ll go back to school,” Myra said.
“Damn,” said Jamie.
“I hear El Paso’s a right smart of a town,” Nathan said. “Why not just wait until you get there? I’ll help you get settled.”
“Jiminy,” Jamie shouted, “are you goin’ to live with us? After Ma sleepin’ with old Jubal nigh three years, you’d be ...”
“Jamie,” Myra snapped, “go outside and stay there until I tell you to come in.”
Her face flamed red and she turned away from Nathan, while Ellie tried her best not to laugh. Jamie, who seemed honestly uncertain as to what he had done wrong, made his way to the door.
“I reckon I’d better take my weight off this leg,” said Nathan, “or it will never heal.”
“Yes,” said Myra, grateful for his having changed the subject. “Take a chair at the table and I’ll make some coffee.”
The rest of the day dragged. Myra devoted her attention to Jamie and Ellie, lest they again say the wrong thing, while they kept their silence for the same reason. Nathan wasn’t looking forward to the night because the cabin had only two rooms besides the kitchen. After supper, he had a suggestion.
“I think Cotton Blossom and me will sleep in the barn tonight. I’d not be surprised if Wells and his friends sneaked back and tried to take those other three horses.”
“Surely not,” said Myra. “It will be cold tonight and you’re still not well. You have no business staying out there.”
“I have plenty of blankets,” Nathan said.
“Whatever you think is best,” Myra replied. Clearly, she wasn’t in favor of it, but Jamie and Ellie looked as though they had suggestions for keeping Nathan in the house, and her agreeing with Nathan silenced them.
Nathan was slow in climbing the ladder to the hayloft, for his wound still pained him. Cotton Blossom settled down near the foot of the ladder. Nathan had slept so much during the past several nights, he now lay awake, thinking. What was he going to do with Myra, Jamie, and Ellie, once they reached El Paso? Tawdry as it seemed, he could see how a woman with two children might have cast her lot with Jubal Wells. Life on the frontier had to be hell on a woman, even with a man beside her. What must it be like when she was alone? When Cotton Blossom growled, Nathan sat up, a Colt cocked and ready.
“Identify yourself,” he said. “You’re covered.”
“It’s Myra,” she said softly. “Don’t bite me, Cotton Blossom.”
Cotton Blossom was silent, having growled only to warn Nathan of her coming. She quietly climbed the ladder to the loft, catching her breath before she spoke.
“You didn’t have to sleep in the barn. Jamie and Ellie already regard me as a fallen woman. As Jamie was about to point out, anything you could have done would have lifted me higher than I’ve been for the past three years.”
“The past three years are exactly what you called them,” said Nathan. “They’re in the past. You should leave them there.”
“You’re a strange man, Nathan Stone. You’re a gentleman, and I’m not used to that.”
“That being the case,” said Nathan, “I should ask you to sit. There’s a cold wind comin’ in under the eaves.”
“I noticed,” she said. “I’m only wearing a nightdress. If I’d fumbled around in the dark, I’d have wakened Jamie and Ellie.”
“I’d bet my saddle they’re awake right now,” he said, “and they will be until you’re in your bed. Hadn’t you better be going?”
“I’m not ready to go,” she said. “Besides, I doubt they could think any less of me than they do already. How is your wound?”
“Sore,” said Nathan, “and you leaning on it’s not helping.”
“Sorry,” she said. “I’ll move around to the other side. Will you share your blankets?”
“I reckon,” said Nathan, “if you don’t value your reputation.”
It was near dawn before Myra slipped back to the house, leaving Nathan alone with his conflict
ing emotions. While she had asked nothing of him, he felt obligated, and to some degree, guilty. To his surprise, breakfast was a cheerful affair. If Jamie and Ellie were aware of Myra’s absence during the night, they chose to ignore it.
“Another day,” said Nathan, “and I think we’d better be on our way to El Paso.”
He wasn’t in the least surprised when Myra came to visit him in the hayloft a second time. Again he felt guilty, as though he were building an obligation he might regret. For a while there was no conversation between them, and he thought she had fallen asleep. When she finally spoke, it was with a question.
“Nathan, after all I ... I’ve done ... am I still worthy of a decent man?”
“Let’s turn that around,” said Nathan. “I reckon you’ll have to look long and hard to find a decent man worthy of you. Most men don’t want a decent woman. That’s why, in every town west of the Mississippi, the second building to go up is a whorehouse.”
“What’s the first?”
“A saloon.”
“That’s strange,” she said. “Why the saloon first?”
“So men can get drunk enough to go to the whorehouse,” he replied.
“Have you ... ever ... been there?”
“No,” he said. “I prey on decent women, usually after they’ve made up their minds I’m a gentleman.”
“You’re making fun of me,” she accused.
“You’ve already learned more about me than any decent woman has any business knowing,” he said. “It’s time you were getting back to the house.”
“When we get to El Paso, will you ... will we ... ?”
“I expect we will,” said Nathan. “Man’s been taking forbidden fruit for two thousand years, and some woman keeps handin’ it to him. We feed our weaknesses and ignore our strengths.”
There were no saddles for the three horses Jubal Wells had left behind, so Myra, Jamie, and Ellie had to ride bare-back, each carrying their belongings in a bundle.
“We’ll take it slow,” Nathan said, “but there’ll be some sore behinds by the time we reach El Paso. I have a tin of sulfur salve in my saddlebag.”
The Killing Season Page 14