Chapter 23

We were outside quick and it wasn't hard to find the dogs. They had something surrounded about two hundred yards from the house. I pulled out a pistol and followed Buster to the bunch, but I didn't run like he did.

Well shit, was the first thing I thought when I saw what was causing the commotion. It was that fool Squiggly. No doubt he was drunk, and of course he was bleeding by now from teeth marks. He had a damned can of kerosene with him and I'm pretty sure he'd intended to burn something to get back at me.

The dogs weren't biting him any longer. They'd backed off and were sitting in nearly a circle around him while he whimpered. Remus was the next one to come up and a couple of the hands were with him. Remus hadn't taken time to put on a shirt either.

"Ain't that one of them carpenters that was here this morning?" Remus asked.

"Yep."

"Shore is. It's that Squiggly, the one you run off. I guess he was holding a grudge. I can't believe he was going to try and burn you out," Remus said.

"Me neither, but he's done pissed me off now. Hell, there's women and kids in that house besides me."

"That's about the sorriest thing I ever heard. We oughta string him up," Remus said.

"That'd be too easy on him. See if you can find somebody to go to town and get a deputy. I'm gonna make sure he gets a fair trial, and if they don't send him to prison then we'll string him up," I said.

It was three hours later and I'd already had half a pot of coffee before Jed came to the ranch with the hand Remus had sent after him.

"Howdy Jed," I said, when he dismounted near the spot me and the dogs were sitting around watching Squiggly.

"What'cha got there Frank. Damned if it don't look like that loud mouth Squiggly. Hey, ain't that a can of kerosene?"

"Yep, I figured he come to burn the house down with us in it. There's women and kids in there too you know," I said.

"That's what it looks like to me too. I'm just wondering why you didn't shoot him yourself, or string him up or something."

"Well, I'm trying to stay with the law on this one. Besides, a quick death just seems too easy for what he was trying. If he'd got the house lit we damned sure would have suffered a lot worse."

"You got a point there, but I'll bet it was hard not to just kill him, or have them dogs do it," Jed said.

"Naw, it weren't. I've talked to a couple of guys that done time in prison. If Squiggly goes to the pen, slight as he is, he'll be some convict's girlfriend before he's been there a week."

"I've heard such as that from more than one we've held in jail. What about it Squiggly? How you think you're gonna like a dick up your ass - and then in your mouth?" Jed asked.

"Ain't no man gonna put a dick anywhere near me," he said.

"Hell, you can talk as tough as you want to and it won't make a bit of difference to some of them big prisoners. If you fuck up and bite one of their dicks they'll just knock all your teeth out and go right back to it. You ain't gonna like prison one damned bit.

"Now, stand your sorry ass up and put your hands behind you. I brought you some jewelry to wear back to town."

He didn't move from where he was and I didn't want to argue with him and I didn't figure Jed did either.

"Buster," I said, and nodded toward Squiggly.

Buster gave the turd-head a growl that nearly scared me. Squiggly was on his feet in seconds. Jed had him chained up and gone before quick got ready. Buster and I went back into the house to see if we could get a little sleep before the sun came up. We did, but it was damn little.

Somehow the women got out of bed without waking me the next morning and since Buster hadn't been shy about taking a leak or two while we were watching the prisoner last night, he didn't wake me up either. My own bladder did though and after I got up, I took a piss, pulled on some clothes and boots and took Buster outside. By the time I got back inside Juanita had our breakfast ready. I gave Buster his bowl and sat down for a big swallow of coffee and to eat myself.

The women all gathered around to keep us company and I had to tell the Squiggly tale. Sally waited until I'd finished eating before she hit me with the really bad news.

"I know it's probably hard to believe a woman could be so dumb, but he had a wife with two young children."

"Aw shit. I'll bet they don't have a pot to piss in either," I said.

"You're right, though I wouldn't have put it exactly that way. They were renting a little shack from somebody and I know he didn't get work much," she said.

I guess you'd better tell me where they live. Somebody needs to go by and let her know what's become of her man. I sure hope she don't cloud up and rain over it.

"You probably better let me go with you. She won't miss Squiggly, but I'm sure she will break down and cry a bit over wondering what she and the kids are going to do. You won't know what to do and I will," Sally said.

"I've got no argument with any of that. If she cries I won't know what to do and if I do something it'll be wrong."

"Don't worry about a thing. I'll tell Remus to hitch up a carriage and we'll go right after you finish eating," she said, and then left the table.

And away we went. Buster came along of course and it didn't take long to find Squiggly's home if you could call it that. It wasn't much more than a one-room shack. It was obvious someone spent a considerable amount of time trying to keep it clean and tidy, but it was just as obvious they didn't have much to work with. A young woman, babe in arms and another holding on by her skirt, came out onto the porch as we drove up.

After I helped Sally down she rushed up on the porch, hugged the woman, took the baby in her arms, and then squatted down to say hello to the one hanging onto her mother's skirt.

By the time I made it onto the porch and beside Sally the little girl that could walk on her own was hanging onto Sally's skirt now. Sally stood again and introduced us.

"Barbara, this is Frank. I'm back at the ranch now living with him and some others."

"Oh. You're the one that shot Jack. Did you kill Squiggly too?" she asked, and I'll swear she looked expectant.

"No ma'am. He came sneaking around with a gallon of kerosene last night, but the dogs corralled him and I sent for a deputy. Jed took him away in irons."

"Too bad you didn't have to shoot him. He's worthless. Maybe they'll at least keep him in prison for a few years."

I felt like I'd let her down somehow and she wasn't the kind of woman I liked to disappoint. Dark black hair and deep blue eyes were a combination I hadn't seen much before, but it looked good on her, especially with that pale skin that disappeared behind her dress. The dress that was also hiding a large pair of titties. She was a little like Anita when I first met her. Barbara wasn't up to her fighting weight, but I didn't have any doubts Juanita and Mary could put it back on her.

"How long do you think it will take us to pack up?" Sally asked.

"Pack up? Where am I going?"

"You know you can't stay here, you'll have to move in with us," Sally said.

"With you? Do you have a job I can do?" Barbara asked.

"I imagine Frank can find something, after bedtime maybe," Sally said, and grinned.

I hated when they did things like that, but there was nothing I could do about it. Barbara looked crestfallen for a second and then she shook it off.

"It probably beats hell out of the only other job I knew about," she said.