Chapter 5

Two and a half weeks later we rode into Carver’s Gulch, about fifty miles South of Cherry Creek. It was a boom town, tents as numerous as buildings and construction going on everywhere. Bob and the girls held the herd back while we rode in with Miz Parsons. She’d taken the time to primp a little, wearing a divided riding skirt and a nice blouse and jacket. It caused a little stir because women, beside the occasional prostitute, were pretty scarce. If she’d ridden in with her daughters she would have caused a riot. We were in town for three hours and she got four marriage proposals. She politely declined them all.

It didn’t take us long to decide the town was not for us. One family seemed to own everything. The prices in their store was outrageous, as well as in the butcher shop. We decided to skip trying to trade there and move on to the next town twenty miles away. Somebody had seen our herd though, and word was out.

He was about fifty and looked like he thought a lot of city living. He was overweight, wearing a tight suit and sporting a derby. He stomped up to us as we were trying to digest the food in what passed for a restaurant. “You the outfit with the cows?”

I could tell by the way Zeke smiled this wasn’t going to end cordially. “If we are?”

“I’ll take ‘em. How many you got?”

We told him and he offered about a third of what they were worth. Miz Parsons smiled. “I undertand you’ve lived away from civilization for a while sir but you have to know our beef is conservatively worth over twice as much. I think we will decline your generous offer and try our luck in the next town.”

He was appaled we turned him down and let a woman speak for us. He looked over at Zeke. “This your woman?”

“She is not sir. What she is is a business associate and owner of those cattle. It’s up to her to make a deal but she’s a pretty shrewd woman and will not be taken advantage.”

“If she ain’t your woman you got no say in this. I’ll be out to pick up them cows tomorrow morning. You’ll take what I offer and be glad to get it.”

Miz Parsons just sat there smiling.

“I don’t think you understood us fat man. She’s a business partner and we have a vested interest in those animals. So pull them short horns in and run along.”

He finally noticed me for the first time. I don’t think he was impressed until he saw the double barreled shotgun. It wasn’t pointed directly at him but in his general direction. His face got redder and somebody laughed. It triggered him off.

“God Damn It! You listen to me youngster. We’re getting them cows if we have to take them so just shut up and go along. I’ll kill you if you mouth off one more time.”

The shot gun was definitely pointed at him now. Zeke had rose up and shifted over to the side. Miz Parsons had casually stood, bringing the Peacemaker out of the folds of her skirt. We’d seen her shoot when she first got the pistol and she was damned good. I grinned.

“Know what? I’m going to lay this shotgun down. Then me and you are going out in to the street. You threatened to kill me mister, and I got the right to defend myself. Now shuffle your fat ass out into that street so we can get this over with.”

He was between a rock and a hard place and knew it. Suddenly he wasn’t so loud. “Boy, you got no idea who I am.”

“I don’t. Don’t really care but why don’t you tell me so I can put it on your grave marker?”

He had two men with him, also dressed in city clothes. One was sliding his pistol out. The sound of the hammer going back was loud in the little diner and he froze. Miz Parsons spoke quietly but everybody heard her. “Don’t get foolish son. You don’t want YOUR tombstone to say ‘shot by a woman while trying to rob her ‘, now do you? Why don’t you and your friend slide those pistols out and lay them on the table? I think everyone would be a lot more comfortable if you did. Oh, and if case you’re wondering what would happen if you don’t I’ll tell you. I’ll kill you before you clear leather and no one will say a thing. They’ll think you deserve it for drawing on a woman. Your choice.”

He didn’t look anybody in the eye as he slid his pistol across the table. His friend did the same a few seconds later. She smiled. “Good. Don’t you feel a lot better? We can...”

That was all she got out before the derringer popped out of his sleeve. Two shots rang out and he slumped to the table, lying over it slowly as a red stain covered the tablecloth. Only one was for him. She shot the other man as he grabbed for his pistol. “Oh dear. I’m sorry about the tablecloth, Ma’am. We’ll pay for it, I assure you.”

Zeke, never the most tolerant of people, finally had enough. Two pistols came out like they had a mind of their own. “Miz Parsons please excuse my language but this shit has gone on long enough. We come here in peace to trade and run into this? Not what I had in mind. I think after Brad concludes his business with Mr. Chubby here we should leave. You, out the door now or I’ll shoot you down myself.”

The fat man in the derby was startin’ to sweat a mite. Seems he didn’t like the direction this thing was going at all. “Now hold on there! I got sixteen men who’ll...”

“Not give a damn once your fat ass is dead. Who’s gonna pay ‘em? I bet they ain’t about to fight for free. Outside, now!”

“My sons will make your pay.”

“Your sons best leave things be. We didn’t ask for this. You reap what you sow asshole and I’m thinkin’ it’s harvest time.”

I’d walked up and pushed him, hard. He shot out the door into the street landing on his ass in a cloud of dust. Nobody lifted a finger to help. I took it to mean he wasn’t real popular.

“You gonna get up or do you want shot while you’re on your fat ass?”

Sweat was running down his face, cutting ruts in the dust that coated it until he looked kinda striped. He heaved himself up slowly holding his hands out. “What can I do to avoid this?”

“Not a damn thing. I let you go you’ll have to gather your people and come after us to save face. Zeke here has a saying he favors from our Pa. Never leave a live rattlesnake behind you. In case you don’t follow you’re the snake.”

I saw it in his eyes. He was dead, knew it, and wanted to take me with him. He was still trying to talk us out of it when he drew. I was a little surprised at how fast he was but he made a mistake. He cleared leather first, but his aim was way off. While his bullet kicked up dust twenty feet from my feet I shot him twice in the chest and once in the gut. He collapsed like a ballon when the air is let out slow. He’d dropped his gun but was still alive when I got to him. He was tryin’ to say something but nothing came out of his mouth but blood. Finally he just rolled over on his side and shut his eyes.

I stood there thumbin’ fresh shells into my pistol. “Somebody get the undertaker. I’d pay for the funeral but it looks like he had enough coins to handle it. You tell his friends and sons if he weren’t lyin’ to leave it be. He made his play and lost. We’ll be leavin’ now.”

Miz Parsons spoke up. She picked out a young boy and called him over. She gave him three silver dollars. “Here, son. Take two of these dollars to the undertaker. I’m paying for the markers on the ones inside. You keep the other for your trouble. You tell him he better put ‘shot by a woman he was tryin’ to rob’ on those markers. You tell him I’ll be back this way one day. If I go to boot hill and don’t see those markers I’ll be looking him up. You understand me?”

“Yes’m.”

She patted his cheek. “Good boy. Well, off you go.”

I stood until Zeke was in the saddle, then mounted up, waiting on Miz Parsons. I had the shotgun in my hand and they both had their Winchesters shucked. “We’ll be leavin’ now. It would not be a good idea for anybody to follow us but you’re more than welcome to take your chances.” We backed our horses about halfway down the the street until we turned one by one and cantered away.