Chapter 11

Tom looked out at the hole where the horse and rider had been, it was filling in and the rifle barrel was barely sticking out. Tom shook the rope from his saddle and threw it over the rifle barrel and tightened the loop slowly. He pulled the rifle from the mud and lay it on the ground.

“Is there anywhere I can get this stinking mud off me?” Tom asked.

“Yep, we can ride over west about a mile and the creek has a sand bottom, I need to get my horse cleaned up some too before I ride back to the house.”

“It wouldn’t hurt you to be cleaned up some too,” Tom said as he turned to try and wipe some of the muck off his breeches and moccasins.

They rode in silence as they followed the creek up stream a ways, Tom could see the change in the water, it was clear and he could see sand along the bank on both sides. The water was a little deeper too and he rode his horse out in it and slipped of his back then started washing the mud from his saddle. He let his horse walk out of the water and then tried to get some of the mud off his buckskins and moccasins. He did the best he could, but he still looked like he’d wallowed in it.

He looked at the young boy to see how he was coming along. The boy had turned his back on Tom and was washing the mud off his body. He lost his footing and fell backwards toward Tom. Tom looked at the boy doing all the thrashing around in the water. The kid stood up and his shirt was open.

“Uh Oh,” Tom said, as he saw a perfect little pair of girl teats sticking out at him.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a girl, you looked like a boy to me, covered in mud, with your hair all cut off like that,” Tom said.

The girl looked down and saw herself exposed in front of the injun and spat at him as she covered herself.

“Well, you don’t have to stand there and stare at me while I’m trying my best to get cleaned up some,” she yelled at him.

“Well don’t fret none, you ain’t much to look at anyway,” Tom said and walked out of the water.

The girl walked out to where the water came to her shoulders and pulled her shirt off. She held it up and washed it the best she could then put it back on. Then she bent just a bit and pulled her britches off in the water and washed them out.

When she tried to get them back on, she had one foot in and was trying to get the other one in, but she kept losing her balance and falling back in the water. She came up spittin’ and cussin’ again. The girl walked out to shallower water with one foot in and one foot out. She tried again to get her other foot in her britches but they were wet and her foot wouldn’t go down the leg.

She was still about waist deep in the water when she yelled at Tom, “Turn your back dammit so I can get dressed.”

“Go ahead girl, but don’t get mad at me, I not the one that rode my horse off in the mud and nearly died.”

Tom heard her splashing and walking out of the water and turned to watch her, she wouldn’t look bad if she was cleaned up and smiled a bit, he thought as he watched her stumble and pull and cuss to get her wet britches up over her white butt.

“I hope you got a good show, while I was trying to get my clothes back on,” she hissed at him.

“Well, you could make a little money that way I guess, with a little practice you’d get good at it.”

The girl started laughing so hard she fell back in the water. She looked up at Tom and laughed even harder as she rolled in the ankle deep water to get up.

Tom laughed too, they were laughing so hard they both were bent over holding their bellies.

“I guess I did look kinda awful wallowing around trying to get my pants up, with my naked butt sticking out,” she said and went into another fit of laughter.

“Well to tell the truth, your butt was the best part of the show,” Tom said and they both had another fit of laughter.

“I see now why the Indian called you people ‘paleface’.”

She laughed so hard she nearly peed. Then her laugh turned to giggles every time she thought of him calling her ‘paleface’.

When she had finally gotten out of the water, she led her horse out into the creek and stood beside her to get as much mud off her as she could. She already knew she was gonna get a tongue lashing if not a leather strap across her butt for this.

Finally she had cleaned the horse as best she could and led her to the bank where she had to try three times before she got herself pulled up in the saddle.

“Where you headed Injun?”

“Well Paleface, I was headed out to Mr. Canady’s spread when I got sidetracked.”

“Hell you say. I’m Elizabeth Canady, youngest daughter of Dale Canady, is that the stud daddy wants to breed his mare to?”

“Yep, he saw me in town and asked me to come out. I guess we’ll be spending the night in the barn, I don’t leave my horse anywhere.”

“Daddy told me about it, but he didn’t say anything about you being an injun or you being so big.”

“Well it was my horse that he wanted, not me,” Tom said with a smile.

“Hey look, thanks for gettin’ me out of that mud back there, I know I’ll get a good fussing at for that, if not a good whippin’. What’s your name anyway?”

“Tom Cooper”

“I must be really slow, are you the one daddy was telling us, about that had the gunfight at the saloon?”

“Well, I did have a little quarrel with a couple of folks yesterday.”

“Now you’re a deputy, you sure do work fast Tom Cooper,” she said with a smile.

“You got the same name as my mom, Elizabeth.”

“Really, but you’re Injun.”

“Part Sioux, don’t know what the other part is.”

“Wow a real live true half breed Sioux, my, my. How old are you. How tall are you anyway.?”

The two were riding side by side as they talked, every now and then Tom would get a flash of white skin when her shirt whipped open.

“I just turned twenty and I was six foot tall when I was fifteen. How old are you?”

“I’m seventeen”

“My mom was seventeen when she married my dad.”

“Wait a minute I thought you said you didn’t know what the other part of you was.”

“Well, I was raised by my mom and dad, don’t really know about who my real mom and dad were. A long story and kinda boring too.”

“There’s the ranch headquarters up ahead, I’m gonna lie about how I got all muddy, you can tell them that you just helped me clean my horse up, that is if you’ll cover for me?”

“I got your back Paleface.”

“You just wish you did injun Tom,” she laughed and raced ahead.

Tom could see some of the fire in this girl that he’d seen in his own mother, must be something to do with the name. So full of life and a passion about everything they do. Ready to laugh at a moments notice, even at themselves. A very fine trait to have he thought. A very fiery spirit in this Elizabeth Canady too, Tom thought as he watched her race toward the barn.

‘I’d love to see more of that Paleface’, Tom thought with a smile.

She didn’t seem embarrassed about him seeing her nakedness, she was just mad for getting in the mud. There was still a lot to learn about this boy girl stuff his dad had told him, and girls like this Elizabeth and the Sioux twins of Two Crows made the thoughts and prospects even more fun.

Tom rode into the ranch headquarters and went straight to the barn. He slid off his horse and pulled his saddle off, checking for more of the stinking mud as he looked his saddle over.

“I see ya got some of that old blue mud on ya horse and tack same as Beth Canady did,” a voice said behind him.

“Yes I did, I was wondering if there was a place I could wash the rest off me, my horse and my saddle,” Tom said as he looked over at the short, bent over little man that was looking him over good.

“Sure, ya can use the big stock tank out back, that’s what the wranglers use to clean the horse shit off their crusty asses. I’ll clean yer saddle fer ya, and yer horse too if you’ll let me,” he said.

“I’ll have to clean my horse, he won’t stand still for anyone else to touch him,” Tom told him.

“They call me Runt, I’m in charge of the barn and all the animals. I get the mares and the studs ready for the breeding around here. I’m pretty good damn with them touchy bastards.”

“I’m Tom, I was asked to come here today to let my stud stick Mr. Canady’s sorrel mare he was on this morning.”

“Tom huh, that ain’t no injun name I ever heered of. Mr. Canady never said ya was a Injun. Damn boy you a big’un too ain’t ya?”

“Maybe he didn’t notice I was part Sioux when we talked today,” Tom said with a smile.

“You git yer ass out there in that tank fore all them wranglers git in fer the day. Ya need to get that stink off ya, I’ll take care of yer saddle,” Runt told him, grinning, he already liked this tall, easy going Injun.

Tom rolled out his bedroll and took a clean shirt and buckskin breeches out then rolled the bedroll back up. He took his clean clothes out back to the tank Runt had told him about.

He saw the big stock tank made of wooden stays like a barrel only a lot bigger. He shucked his breeches off and pulled his shirt over his head as he swung his long legs over the side and picked up a bar of lye soap on the side. Tom washed off all the trail dust, stench from the mud and smell of horse.

That lye soap could make a horse smell like a handful of flowers with a slightly stronger scent. He loosened his braids and washed his long black hair from scalp to ends. Tom ducked his head to rinse the soap from his hair and splashed the warm water all over him before he stepped out on the board staging beside the tank.

Tom’s skin was even a lighter color of brown than his face and arms were.

He took his clean shirt and slipped it over his head, the tail of the shirt fit him like a long gown and soaked up what water was dripping off him. Tom pulled his tight new buckskins up over his hips and laced them tight at the waist.

He left the shirt outside the breeches and buckled his gun belt over it. He tied the holster to his leg just above his left knee. He looked down at his moccasins and decided to wear them, there wasn’t that much of the mud left on them anyway.

Tom was just picking up his clothes from the wooden staging when three men rode up from the corrals. Tom looked up to see looks of hate and contempt in their eyes.

‘I guess we’ll have us a go round here to start the visit off right.’ Tom thought as he picked up his clothes and walked to the barn.

“Who told that God Damned injun he could bathe in a white man’s water?” The larger and rougher of the three bellowed as they all came in the back of the barn.

“By God I did, he’s a guest of Mr. Canady so if you got a bitch about it, take it up with the boss.” Runt stood up as tall as he could to stare at the man.

“By God I’m the ramrod around here and me and my men deserve a clean bath when we come in at the end of a week’s work. We ain’t gonna bathe after no God Damned stinking injun has dirtied up our bathin’ water,” he shouted at Runt, kicking dust at him as he stood there.

“From the looks of you, Tom here is a might cleaner than you three. You could all do with a good bath and a change of clothes, you wear the same damned clothes for a week, smelling like a bunch of wet dogs drug through horse shit even after a bath,” Runt said, standing his ground.

“Shut yer fuckin’ mouth you ol’ dried up pile of cow shit. You ain’t got a say so about a damn thing around this place,” The man went on.

“What’s all the hell raising about in here, you can be heard all the way to the house.” Everyone turned to see Mr. Canady standing in the door of the barn.

“This Runt of yours told this stinkin’ ass Injun he could bathe in the stock tank, and we ain’t about to take no bath after a God Damned injun.”

“Mr. Roller be real damned careful you don’t over step your bounds here, Mr. Tom Cooper is a friend I met in town today. He’s also a deputy sheriff and he’s here to spend the night while that magnificent stud standing there puts a colt in my sorrel mares belly. If you or anyone else here on this ranch don’t like the arrangements I’ve made, follow me to the house and collect your pay.

“Now, I’ll stand for no more of this talk, you will do one of two things, keep your mouth shut about Mr. Cooper or spend the rest of the day and night in the bunkhouse where we don’t have to listen to it. Have I made myself clear Mr. Roller.”

“Have it your way Mr. Canady,” Roller spat and walked away.

“Tom, I’m glad to see you, my youngest daughter tells me that you saved one of my mares that had wandered off and got herself stuck in the mud up the creek a ways.”

“Well, I heard her hollering for help and did what I could Sir.”

“Well for that I’m upping the fee for your stud to three hundred dollars. Runt tells me we have another mare that’s horsing too, she’s as big as your stud and should drop one hell of a piece of horse flesh, you think your boy there can handle both of them?”

“Sir I’d put my money on him in a race across the plains or in a corral with a dozen mares, he’s a horse bred from the prairie,” Tom said.

“You mean this big animal not only has the blood of a champion he has the heart as well?”

“I’ve seen him run for half a day and not even breath hard, I’ve seen him run flat out for hours and still want to run more. I usually just let him have his head, he seems to know where I’m going and how soon I want to get there.”

“I know some friends that have some pretty good racing blood, would you be interested in hearing more?”

Tom smiled at Mr. Canady as the two men thought the same thoughts. “I’ll let you see him run in the morning, then you tell me.”

“He may be a bit worn thin by morning Tom, don’t you think?”

“Sir, you haven’t seen this horse. All you see is the way he’s put together and his color. Wait until you see his heart.”

“Tom, I think we may have us some fun if that horse is half as good as you say.”

“He’s not half as good as I’ve told you, he is twice as good, you’ll see in the morning.”

“Come with me Tom I want you to meet my other two daughters and my wife, they’re all waiting to see the man I call my new friend.”

Tom, looked at his horse, walked over pulled his head down and said something in his ear. The big Palomino shook his head and mane wildly.

He raised his head high, stuck his tail in the air and pawed the ground.

Runt and Mr. Canady watched in disbelief that this man could say something that would cause that reaction in a horse.

“What in the hell did you say to him Tom?” Mr. Canady asked.

“I told him I was gonna eat supper and for him to look out for Runt over there, he had a couple girls for him later,” Tom smiled.

Runt busted out laughing and so did Mr. Canady. Runt was still bent over laughing as the two men walked over to the house.