Chapter 3

The diner was busy when I entered. I spotted Itea sitting at a table. Her back was to me, and I recognized the decorated buckskin jacket she was wearing, much like the one I was wearing. She was facing a young man sitting across the table from her.

The man appeared younger than me, dressed in high-quality town clothes. He was holding her hand, and she was trying to pull it from his. I walked past Itea and turned around. I was now standing beside this person.

Itea glanced up at me while still tugging her trapped hand from his. “Dave, let me loose!” She said it loud and emphatic enough so everyone in the diner heard her. All sound in the room ceased.

Dave dropped Itea’s hand as if it were hot. Her hand, now free, came out and brushed my coattail aside. My holstered weapon was in sight by some of the patrons. “Ah, rescued by my friend, Kid Abbot. Welcome. Kid, Dave was leaving, weren’t you, Dave?” I stepped forward, and Dave slid out behind me and went out a different door than the one I had entered. I never even looked at him.

Itea put her hand up, and I held it as I sat down in the seat where Dave had so quickly exited. Itea raised her coffee cup and signaled the waitress to bring me a cup. Itea began speaking. “Dave saw me come in here and came in after me. I danced a couple of times with him once, and he aggressively wanted me to be a special friend. He doesn’t even act like a man. Why should I look to him when I have you?”

“Itea, you have just answered a question about us I was going to ask. I have been missing you and haven’t had much contact with you for many months. I know now I am still a special friend of yours.”

“I was wondering the same about you. I was almost ready to rent a horse and go home to find out about us, and here you are. Is there any other reason for you to visit?”

“Yes, and I haven’t figured out how to solve a long-term problem concerning my past.”

“That’s searching for the men who killed your father, isn’t it?”

“Yes. It is Rocky’s problem as well. He promised me years ago that I would tell him when I felt it was time to leave. He intended that he would go with me when I felt ready.”

“So what is the problem?”

“He wants to ask Mable to be his wife. He doesn’t know if she will wait for him while he goes off with me.”

“Oh, she will wait for him; she loves him. That makes some of his problems hers. She has never lived as far from town as the ranch is. I can understand that I like being in town, but there is still some Indian in me, and I long to be free in the woods. I don’t want to live in a tepee again, but a cabin is fine.”

“I know what you mean. For my first fourteen years, I lived in a city. My father, mother, and I traveled and built a home, and we were beginning to live the good life when it went all to hell. We had it all. It was less than two miles to town, yet we had the freedom to live as we wished. I want to go back there, find the person who shot my Pa, and see if I can reclaim my former home.”

“I don’t blame you. We should all get together and figure out how to resolve this. I want you to be my Brave for the rest of my life. Can I become your Squaw for the same length as your life?”

“You are very young. Are you too young for that?”

“No, even girls here in town are marrying at sixteen years. I don’t know exactly when I was born, but Karen said I would be sixteen this summer. Can we take Karen and little Jack with us if we find a new home?”

“I would hope so.” Itea and I had been whispering all through this conversation. We had ordered some cinnamon rolls and had eaten them. We left the table and knew people were watching us. Itea’s hand stole into mine. I used a twenty-dollar gold piece to pay. We headed back to the Mable’s house.

“Kid, let’s go talk to Mable. Maybe we can convince her to drive her buggy to the ranch and discuss it with Rocky and Karen. She has never met Karen and Jack, and I have never heard her say anything against Indians. I’ve told her about them because Karen was my Mother for so many years.” Itea giggled and then said, “I even told her how you and I helped with the birth when Jack was born.”

Itea and I found Mable dressed in rough traveling clothes. She had on a heavy kirtle over leggings and had on moccasins. I recognized that Itea had made money working in the garden a year ago.

Before we could ask why, she said, “Itea, get dressed in your Indian clothes. I have packed a lunch and a canteen. I want to see Rocky; the only way I can is to visit the ranch alone. The Kid is here to escort us. It will still be light when we get there if we start now. Kid, hitch up the buggy with my team, and we will be good to go.”

Getting the buggy and the two horses harnessed and hitched up only took a few minutes. They were not out of the barn that often and were as excited as Mable appeared to be. Itea put Mable’s suitcase in the rear seat in the back. Itea whispered, “We will be at the ranch a few days. That suitcase is heavy.”

It was not a tedious journey, and the team was not very old and stepped right along. I was riding my horse. We reached the turnoff, heading up into the hills to the ranch over two hours into our trip. We paused there for twenty minutes, watered the horses, and ate the lunch Mable had packed. It was much slower traveling but not nearly as many more miles to the ranch.

Itea pointed out when we went by the turn-off to where she lived when I first met her. She repeated the story of how I found first her grandfather and then her and the other two squaws with a family. “We are nearly there, only a half-hour more. I’ll be so glad to see my Mother and Padzits.”

We were within two hundred yards of the cabin when someone yelled, “Help!” Just ahead of us, I saw Rocky lying under a dark bush. He had pulled the brush limbs away from him when he heard us so we could spot him.

I jumped down from the horse and ran up beside him. “Kid, I’ve been shot in the leg and crawled in here from this side of the cabin. I thought you wouldn’t be home until tomorrow, but I was hoping. Who’s in the buggy?”

“Mable and Itea.” I motioned for them to help. I gently pulled Rocky out from under the bush. He had a three-inch furrow in the meaty part of his left leg in front, six inches above his knee.

“I’m weak. I lost a lot of blood before I could rip the sleeves off my shirt and bind it up. That was about three hours ago. One hellion came looking for me but stopped before he came this far. Kid, am I glad to see you.”

“Who shot you?”

“One of the Owl-hoots I knew years ago. The outlaw knew I had a ranch and came looking for it. He isn’t looking anymore. I managed to get lead into him, and I hope he’s dead. At least it wasn’t him who was searching for me.”

“How many of them are there?”

“Six left. All the bastards are out there rustling and cutting our herd. Three men are on this end, and three more are on the other side. They are just taking last year’s heifers. I think the rest will take off if you can whittle them down. They will need at least five hands to handle the critters. We better make some plans before you move me.”

“Where are Jack and Karen?”

“In the cabin, I think, they are hiding in that hole we rigged up for them once, that’s if trouble ever came down on us. We made it big enough for Itea, but I don’t guess everyone would fit in now; everyone is bigger.”

“If Itea can get inside the bunk room, she knows how to protect herself and anyone else.”

“You mean the shotgun?”

I nodded, “Rocky, I’m armed too. I never expected to need to use it, but I’m ready.”

“Let me think a minute so everyone sit still.” It didn’t take me long to know what I planned to do. “Rocky, I will carry you through the woods to the other side of the cabin. If I set you up, can you still shoot?”

“I can handle my handgun, and I think I can handle the rifle. Luckily, you are armed with both.”

“Good. Mable, when I leave Rocky, I’ll scout to see where everyone is. I’ll look and then get you and Itea. I’ll try to clear the way for you to make it inside the cabin.”

I scooped up Rocky and worried I was making him hurt more than needed.

“Keep going, it ain’t that bad.”

I found a good place where Rocky was able if need be, to shoot from. “Go, Kid, we have to make sure the women aren’t harmed.” There were three men close by. Two were mounted, and one was near the yard.

I returned and got Mable and Itea, telling them their exact moves to get inside the cabin. I hitched the team and my horse so it wouldn’t run away.

I had Rocky set in a place where he could do me some good if I needed him to back me up with his handgun. The two men on horses were keeping a small gathering of yearlings from heading across the range to where the main herd remained. Close to the yard watching them, one man occasionally shouted an order. He stood with his back to me. I eased out from the corner about thirty feet from where he stood.

Itea, leading Mable at a run, came around in front of the building and headed for the cabin door. Maybe the noise in the yard or hearing their feet set him whirling around, seeing the women. He stared for a few seconds and then turned and shouted at the two on mounts, “Get them women, and save one of them for me, and to hell with the cattle!”

Mable and Itea went through the door, slamming it. The two mounted men spurred their horses into a run and slid them to a stop, dropping from their mounts and hitting the door with their bodies. They broke through it.

Now, I had this man in the yard practically facing me full-on. I took my attention off the cabin and drew my gun. His gun was coming into line as well. What Rocky had taught me paid off. Two seconds, maybe, and I was facing a dead man. It was close, though, for his shot dug dirt in the ground two inches from my feet.

Rocky and I could hear the men in the cabin shouting at the women in the bedroom to open the door. Not for long, though. The shotgun went off, and then a moment later, another gun fired. I ran in after shouting. I was coming in, and Mable and Itea stood at the bedroom door, looking bewildered. I looked down, and there was one man whose middle was a shattered mess. I realized I had tracked through some of him splattered all over the cabin.

Mable said, “Itea shot the one that is messed up, so he didn’t even have his gun out. I shot that man with his gun in hand, crawling on the floor. I don’t know what he intended when he started crawling to the door, trying to reach his feet, but I stopped him. Most likely, he intended to kill you if you were still alive.”

“Walk around the end of the cabin. Rocky will see you come out.” I paused to tell Karen to bring Jack and head for the tepee with Itea.

Surprisingly, this action hadn’t taken very long. Rocky shouted, “Heads up, Kid, we have more trouble coming. Where is the rifle?”

I rushed out. The two horses were standing not far from the door. One had a rifle in a sheath. I grabbed that and headed around to the end of the cabin. I grabbed my rifle, which leaned against the cabin, and ran to where I had cached Rocky.

“Riders are headed this way, three of them in a bunch. You work from the left, and I’ll take them from the right.” When the riders were close enough, I fired, and Rocky’s rifle did at the same time. I knew I had winged the one on the left, and Rocky did the same to his target. We both fired at the one in the middle.

Just before we fired, the middle rider yanked his horse to a stop. It reared up, shielding the rider, taking both bullets. The horse went down, and the rider came over its head. He lost his gun from his holster and slowly got to his feet. The two wounded now stopped and waited for us to kill them.

“Throw your guns away and walk toward us. We ain’t going to kill you.”

“Christ, we weren’t shooting at you; our guns are still in our holsters. What happened to the others?”

“They didn’t make out as well. Rocky killed your boss before I got here. I killed one and the other two who went after our women, and both are dead.”

“Are you going to let us go? We were hired to work cattle, and that’s all.”

“Nope, can’t do that, you were with them.”

“Well, tie up our wounds before we bleed to death. What kind of people are you?”

“Hey, the guy Rocky shot is a known outlaw. He pulled a gun on him, but Rocky was faster. The outlaw got lead into him, though, before we came and found him. Didn’t you hear any shooting?”

“Nope, we were sent to the herd in the far end. We were told to go past where there were some old Indian tepee poles and then head east up the mountain, and we’d find the cattle. When we heard the shooting, we stopped gathering cattle and headed where we saw the buildings. Then you bastards started shooting. You could have killed us.”

“Guess we read it wrong, sorry about that. Sit, and we’ll fix you up.”

Mable, Itea, and Karen brought water and cloth. Karen was carrying some salve to smear on the wound. She was the one to begin patching Rocky. Itea and Mable each took a wounded man to work on. Rocky was the worst wounded and had lost the most blood.”

“Hey, I’ll take another bullet to have such a pretty nurse care of me.”

“Don’t laugh, and I’m glad you aren’t hurt that bad. I’ve got a chore for you when you are able.”

“What?”

“Kid, take them inside the cabin and drag out those two dead that were after our women. They won’t think their nurses are so sweet when they see what they are capable of.”

“Good God, it’s a slaughterhouse in there.” I turned to Rocky. “There is blood all over. I will roll them up in the cowhides on the floor and bring them out that way. I’ll collect the two you and I shot and put them together. I wonder if we can find a sheriff or someone to report this. We can’t just bury them, can we?”

“I don’t suppose. I’ll ask Mable what they have for law in her town. Maybe find a doctor to check our wounds. I’m not hurting too bad. Those others aren’t either.”

“I’ll ask what they think. Tell you what, I’ll have Mable write it up in a note, and I’ll head down the mountain and pay the first person I meet to ride in and contact him.”

“Okay, by me, Kid. What about the ones that were rustling our cattle?”

“We could let them skip. They aren’t much older than me.”

“Kid, my thoughts are the same. We could say they are our hands and keep them out of what those other bastards did here. Report them, and they might end up with a rope necktie. It will be a good lesson for them to check out who they go to work for before taking the job.”

“Rocky, we could use some help. Even though we shot two, do you think they would work for us?”

“They might. I’ll talk to them. I’ll figure out how to blame the two that Mable and Itea killed for wounding them. They would have to trust us as much as we trust them, which might work.”

“Okay. We had better talk to Mable and Itea and get them to agree. Ask Mable to write up what happened here for the Law to read. She’s a good, solid citizen and believable. I’ll get those dead bodies out of the cabin. Also, I’ll see if Karen can start cooking some food; I’m hungry.”

It was well after dark when everything settled what went down today. The three cowpunchers were enthused about Rocky hiring them and keeping them on until their wounds healed. It was decided that the puncher, Dugan, who wasn’t wounded, would be the person to ride to report what had happened, carrying Mable’s account.

Mable thought about the three young men and what might happen to them if we didn’t change the story of what happened. She was all for Rocky’s decision and was happy to go along.

While supper was cooking, Mable and Itea cleaned the room in the cabin of what little blood didn’t go out with the bodies. The three new men and I filled the bunks in the cabin. Rocky, Mable, Itea, Karen, and Jack stayed in the tepee.

Dugan, the hand’s name, was saved by the horse that reared up in front of the bullets Rocky and I fired; not wounded, we settled on him to make the trip to find an officer. That is, if he could find one. Mable had told us that the Territorial Marshal often stayed in her town, where a jail was located.

At daylight, we put Dugan on the horse of the outlaw that Rocky killed. The horse was younger and larger than any horse that we owned. No one knew when or if he would return. In his note, Mable said that if a doctor was available, ask him to come too. There was an Indian Squaw here working as our housekeeper, who did appear adequate to tending the wounded and would watch each one until a doctor could arrive.

Rocky was up, but Mable wouldn’t let him move around. Rocky resisted until Karen got before him, brandishing a poker, “Sit!” Rocky sat.

I saddled my horse to ride around the cattle. Roland and Whitney, the two wounded, said if I would saddle their mounts, they would like to ride with me. When we reached where the yearling heifers gathered on the far side of the range, we found that they had already interspersed back into the herd, so what these two had done yesterday was for naught.

I asked how come they were with the outlaw bunch, and they said they were coming off a drunk, didn’t particularly care for the boss they worked for, sent word by a puncher going back to the ranch, and quit. They sat up at the bar for eye-openers, fed breakfast, and were offered jobs by the outlaws. Riding leisurely, they rode up to where they were sent, roundabout to get to the back of our herd, and began cutting out the heifers.

They didn’t suspect at all that the men we killed were outlaws. The rustlers did seem to know precisely where this ranch was. “They must have been planning this for a while based on how they talked.” I agreed.

“We thought sometime before you showed, we heard a gunshot. We felt we were mistaken when we didn’t hear any other shot. That has to be when the boss and Rocky tangled. The two other outlaws, who were out in the herd, must have heard the same as we did. They were driving a small bunch toward the cabin, and we didn’t pay any more attention until we heard more gunshots.

“That had to be you, and we could see people rushing around. That’s when we figured we had better find out what was happening. It would have been better if we ignored it all and took off.”

“You must have been inside to take down the one so messed up that we dragged out?”

“No, those two saw the women go into the cabin and went in after them. You know, I’ve known Itea since she was ten. I was fifteen then, and even then, I worried about something terrible happening to her. I taught her how to fire a shotgun. As small as she was, I knew she shouldn’t shoot from the shoulder because the kickback could break it. She remembered my warning and did exactly what I showed her: how to use it.

“The other one, Mable, shot with a two-shot pocket gun. That was a surprise to me. I didn’t even know she was armed. Rocky is sweet to her, and they may marry.”

“What about you and the girl?”

“Nothing definite, yet, but just maybe.”

“Better not let her get mad at you, especially if a shotgun is around.”

“Yeah, I’ve thought of that.”

Roland and Whitney said they guessed they would head back to the cabin because riding was bothering their wounds. “Sure, we’ll ride straight across the range.”

“I want a sandwich. Dugan hadn’t returned, so he must be making the trip to town.”

The Marshal would most likely wait until tomorrow if he had been contacted. I looked at the four dead outlaws; it hadn’t warmed much, and it wasn’t fly time yet.

Rocky was running a fever, and his leg was inflamed. I was worried. Itea said she talked to Karen, and she said this was normal.

There was still squash, potatoes, and beets to eat. The squash stayed in the tepee, which was dryer than the cabin cellar, with the root vegetables. Another two weeks would be time to plow for this year’s garden. I intended to plow the ground, then leave to take care of my business of finding who killed my father. I didn’t see how Rocky could go with me. We couldn’t leave Karen and Jack here all alone.

It was a surprise when three horses pulled into the yard. I was crossing from the tepee to the cabin. Dugan stepped off his horse, “Kid, I found the Marshal in a hamlet an hour’s ride this side of town. I told him some of what went on yesterday––what I knew of it anyway. He has the note that Mrs. Orkins wrote. He has a deputy with him. Where is Rocky?”

I waited to say a little about yesterday until the marshal approached me. “Rocky’s in the tepee; his temperature is up. Mable said that is normal.”

The marshal stepped down, facing me. “What’s your name? Dugan didn’t say anything about you.”

“The name is Matt Jenkins. I go by Kid.”

“What are you trying to hide, your name or something?”

“No. I am an orphan, and I was just a kid when Rocky picked me up. I’ve been here about six years, and Rocky has always called me Kid. Just got used to being called Kid, that’s all.”

“Where are those dead men you folks killed?”

“Over there under the tree on the other side of the cabin. Say, we were going to eat. Maybe you should eat with us before you look at the dead men. Come along to the tepee. We can make room.”

“Alright, but I want to look at them and leave before dark.”

“Bring your horses to the corral, and I’ll feed and water them. Mrs. Orkins is in the tepee. You know her enough to speak to.” Dugan said he would care for the horses, so I led the marshal and deputy toward the tent.

Mable welcomed him, standing in the open tent flap. “Come in, Marshal; we were getting ready to eat.”

“Mrs. Orkins, I’m surprised to see you here?”

“Yes, Marshal Brooks, I’m friends with Rocky Sedgewich. It is my first time here. He sent the Kid downtown to escort Itea and me to see his ranch. When we arrived, we found Rocky wounded and three men still looking for him. Two men were on horses with the cattle, shooting at Rocky’s crew. There was one other in the yard. The kid got us into the cabin, where we hoped to be safe.

“That left the Kid to face the one in the yard. The men with the cattle saw Itea and me go into the cabin and wanted to do us harm. The Kid was busy caring for one, and the other two rode in and broke into the cabin.

“When the two entered, they screamed at us to open the door. We didn’t, but they did. The Kid had prepared Itea for such an event, and she remembered him telling her what to do. We had no trouble saving ourselves. Marshal, leave that for now, and let me fill your plate; there will be coffee in a few minutes.”

Curious about the two strangers, Jack appeared and watched them eat. Karen came from the other side of the fire and grabbed him.

“Who are they?”

“Rocky’s housekeeper and her son.”

“Mrs. Orkins, my head is spinning with all these people. Where is this Rocky person?”

“He is on the other side of the tepee. He’s sleeping. His fever just left him an hour ago. He’ll be sitting up soon and wanting some food.”

Roland, Whitney, and Dugan entered, and Itea filled their plates. They turned and went outside to eat. The bandages on their arms were apparent but weren’t troubling to the marshal. The marshal watched them but didn’t say anything.

“Let’s see those outlaws, and it was a long ride.” I led the two officers past the cabin and under the tree where we had lined them up. We had covered them all under one canvas.

Dugan was helping me as we peeled the canvas off. The first one the marshal examined was the one Rocky shot. Making conversation, I said, “Rocky bragged that he had never killed a man before. He said he had wounded some seriously. Guess it was his time to break his record.”

The Sheriff commented, “It looks like he got him dead center in the heart. I know this one’s reputation. His name is Burt Rhodes. Rocky must be damned fast. Rhodes has been around for a while, and I have a flyer for him. He came out of Missouri during the war twenty years ago. Lately, he’s been known for rustling cattle. I’m not surprised. How old is this Rocky I haven’t met yet?”

“He told me he was forty-two, and that was when I came here five years ago.”

“How old were you then?”

“Fifteen, and he offered me a job. He has taught me much about cattle and how to handle a gun to protect myself.”

The marshal told the deputy to go through the pockets for identification and do it for all of them. “The next one, who shot him?”

“That was me. That one drew on me when I tried to get Mrs. Orkins into the cabin.”

“I know him as well. I have a paper on him if he is who I think he is. He is a known killer and gunman trying to make a reputation. He has been looking to pad his kill count. He won his shootings over them all till yesterday. Who drew first?”

“He started drawing when I came into the yard. His bullet was wide off my foot by a few inches. He never got his gun level. I’m still alive because of what Rocky taught me.”

“You’re damned lucky; he was the fasted gun around. You stay inside the law, son.”

“I plan to, and don’t you or the deputy tell anyone about this. I was hoping to be able when I’m as old as Rocky is to say I had never killed a man. That next one is the one that Mrs. Orkins shot. He was trying for the door, and she didn’t know if I was still alive, so she plugged him with her pocket pistol.”

“You just don’t know what a woman can do when something like this comes up, do you? What about the last one that’s covered with the cow rug?”

“That one is the one who bought it when Itea did what I told her how to stop anyone who was going to do her harm.” Dugan and I pulled the rug away, and it was evident that he was hit at close range with a shotgun. There was a four-inch, jagged wound clear through the outlaw.

“I thought she was just a young woman. How old is she?”

“She doesn’t know for sure but thought to be about sixteen. Karen the Squaw, got her when she was somewhere around three. Her Brave found her wrapped up, still alive, beside her parents, where they had frozen to death up on the Oregon Trail. He brought her home, and she raised her.

“I met her when she was ten. She couldn’t speak a word of English, just Shoshoni. Rocky and I thought she was an Indian when we first saw her. We named the Squaw, Karen because that is what her Indian name sounds like. Karen named the child Itea only because that is all the child could say when given to the squaw. The name doesn’t make sense, and there is no way to trace her parents.”

“She speaks English well; I heard her talking while we ate.”

“I had Rocky buy some kid’s books, and I taught her her first words. That is the way it was for the first year when the Squaw was asked here to live and be our housekeeper. Then Rocky got involved with Mrs. Orkins, and Mable took her and schooled her downtown.”

“That’s damned interesting. I never was up to this end of the territory. Not heavily peopled enough, I never knew a ranch was up in these hills, either. Deputy, put all you find in their hat and bring them along. Can we bunk in the barn tonight?”

“Sure. What do you want to do with the bodies?”

“Will you bury them here? They won’t need a marker or anything. If we don’t say anything about where they are, I can pay six bucks apiece for putting them in the ground; that way, they will disappear. I’ll be looking to see if any bounty will come to you. If I give it to Mrs. Orkins, I won’t have to return here again. I’ll speak to Sedgewich tonight or tomorrow before leaving.”

“Sounds good to us, doesn’t it, Dugan?”

“Yeah.”

The deputy and the Marshal were up early. Karen fed everyone. Marshal Brooks talked about different experiences in the territory while in charge.

“Marshal, I’ve missed most of what goes on in the territory since I came up here and built the ranch. It was lonely, although I had different cowpunchers until the Kid came. They were young, about the same age as the kid is now. I cherish him. Just look around you and see how busy he has been. He’s a damned talented woodworker and wheelwright, building all these farm tools we use.

“When Karen and Itea came, Itea was just a skinny little kid. The kid could see how it would be for her, not an Indian and not even a white person enough to fit in there. He took her in hand and looked at her now. Of course, when I thought about Mable, the Kid and I urged Itea to go live downtown and teach Itea about the white race. She is intelligent and turned out beautiful. Her long-dead parents would have been proud.”

“The Kid told me you taught him how to handle a gun. I feel he is about as fast as anyone I know.”

“I didn’t get to see him draw, but the Kid was trying to get the women safe and had that man in the yard to contend with at the same time. He does have to be good, or he would have been dead. All of us maybe,”

“Rocky, see, he doesn’t go bad. If he does, he will be a gun I don’t want to face.”

“I won’t. I may sell out here and head for town where Mable is. I think he may work with some wagon maker. Ask Mable what he did in making repairs on her buggy wheel. He was only seventeen when he fixed it.”