Chapter 26

Whether or not I liked driving cows I had a little bit of it to do. I was going along ok, but mostly just to watch. I intended to leave the organizing up to Remus. We had a little talk when I gave him the happy news.

I'll be taking a wagon along so a couple of my wives can come too, and I promise I'm not going to be much help. I'll be mounted and riding with you and the boys, but mostly I'll just be looking around.

"I've drove cows before Frank and I don't reckon I've forgot how," he said.

"Good. How many men you planning on taking?"

"Don't you think fifteen can hold down the ranch while we're gone. We can't expect them to do much of anything productive with the two of us gone and I doubt we'll have any kind of attack, don't you?"

"You're probably right, but I hadn't thought about it that way. I was only thinking about how many we might need to take care of the cows," Remus said.

"I'm just not familiar with the country or the Indian situation. All the men are getting paid and if we take plenty there will be less work on any of 'em. Tell Cookie to bring plenty of grub and have him hire a helper or two if he needs 'em to make sure he can get plenty of food ready for breakfast and supper. We can get by with a little trail food for lunch in the saddle can't we?"

"It's the way things have gone on every drive I've been on, except for the plenty of food at breakfast and supper part. I'll go spread the happy news we're leaving in a couple of days with three hundred head and fifty drovers."

"Good, but if you have a couple of men you have faith in leave them here to make sure nothing goes wrong while we're away. Tell 'em Charlie is in charge while I'm gone and let 'em know the one you pick is next in line."

"I don't 'spect no trouble from that direction, but I'll tell 'em just the same."

Back in the house Juanita seemed like she was trying to fatten me up before I left. She had plenty of coffee available, a cake, and two pies in case I needed a little snack. Sally and Helen were sitting at the table too and it didn't take long for Sally to start with the questions.

"How many of us will get to go along?"

"How many of you really want to?" I asked.

"All of us want to go, but we think some should stay here. We're afraid we'll just cause extra work if we go along," Helen said.

"Oh, I see. You're afraid I'll get too much to eat with so many cooks?"

"No, you know that's not it. We're afraid we'll be underfoot and we know you'll be watching us more closely than what you're supposed to be doing," Helen said.

"That doesn't worry me in the least, because all I'm going to do anyway is ride along and keep my eyes open. Remus and the hands he picks to come along are going to deal with all the cattle. I won't lift a hand unless something goes terribly wrong.

"I'll leave it up to you and the other women about who wants to come along. Just remember a wagon will only sleep four comfortably. Maybe you should just draw straws and make the losers go."

"Draw straws and the winners get to come is more like it, but that sounds like a fair way to do it. We'll choose after lunch and you can spend the next two nights consoling the one who don't get to go," Sally said.

"Whatever you'd like will suit me fine," I said.

"Good, we'd like a wagon to hold us all," Helen said.

"I can probably get such a wagon built, but I'm not sure about the roads being able to pass it. Remember, I should be back in less than a week. I feel bad enough about leaving you all here by yourselves as it is."

"Don't worry, we've been practicing with our guns and we can take care of ourselves. Sally sent a couple of men all over town and they found six more of the new Greeners like you bought before we started west. There'll be a big surprise for anyone who tries to come around here bothering us," Helen said.

I didn't say anything more then, but I was proud of Sally for thinking ahead. The Greeners had been an asset while we were on the trail, but six more of them would make the women very safe from inside the house. I felt pretty secure with the hands we had already, but it wouldn't hurt for the women to be armed and dangerous while I was away.

Lunch came along just in time and it was so good I considered sitting at the table and eating for the rest of the afternoon. Juanita finally thought I'd had enough and she shooed me outside telling me to try and look mean and important for the rest of the day.

When I got to the barn I saw Jim was working with one of the recalcitrant mounts Remus had sent over for a tune up. A couple of the dogs were lounging near him. No doubt they'd be happy to get a horse moving if it gave Jim trouble.

Buster and I headed into the barn and I decided Red needed his legs stretched first today. I saddled him then Red, Buster, and I headed out for a ride. We didn't head toward town, but away from it. There was a sort of road tending south and we went that way. After about a mile it had become nothing more than a good trail but we kept going.

It's probably punishment for previous bad behavior, but I seem to be lucky enough to find trouble wherever I go. We topped a little hill about five miles from the house and I saw three men with their bandana's pulled up to hide their faces. They had a buckboard waylaid and were pointing their pistols at a woman on the seat. She appeared to be alone and I wondered about her sanity over that, but it was obvious I needed to make a productive move of some kind.

Apparently they were too busy arguing with the woman to pay attention to anything else. I pulled one of my Spencer's out of the saddle scabbard, put it to my shoulder and made an excellent hundred and fifty yard shot. I fired again as fast as I could but instead of downing another bandit I ended up nicking his mount. Letting me know it was a smart horse, it promptly ejected the would-be robber, and without much ceremony.

The remaining mounted bandit showed he was stupid too as he turned to look at me. The damsel in distress hadn't been as harmless as he'd probably thought. I'm not sure how she could even lift the Colt Dragoon but she made a good shot to put a forty-four caliber hole between his shoulder blades. The Colt did its part too, and the hole it made leaving his body was very much more impressive.

Red, Buster, and I sprinted down to the scene of the fracas at once and we got there before the thrown bandit got enough of his wits about him to even stand up. Buster's teeth around his throat convinced him he didn't want to stand up all that badly anyway. Too bad he shit and pissed himself from fear.

"Afternoon Ma'am. Are you ok?"

"Thanks to your arrival. The one I killed was explaining what the three of them intended for me just before you dealt with the other two," she said.

"That leaves us with a prickly choice then doesn't it?"

"What choice?"

"Well, I'm a law abiding man, but I can't see the need to haul this one into town and have to go through all the questions and probably have to show up for a trial later. Besides, he stinks after he messed his pants so. If it's all the same to you I think I should just go ahead and shoot him and we can tell the law it happened in the fight."

The object of our conversation turned even more pale then and he was somehow able to piss even more in his pants while he shook and shivered in fear. Buster was still making sure he didn't enter the conversation.

"I don't know. For a while there I had a powerful urge to see them all swinging at the end of a rope. I guess it would be a lot of bother though. I'm not up to shooting him," she said.

"Maybe Buster can save us both the trouble."

"Buster?"

"My dog."

"How can he help?"

"Watch. Buster!" was all I said, and apparently he was good at reading the tone of voice I used. He ripped the bandit's windpipe out, spit it out of his mouth, and then hiked his leg and added to the growing puddle.

"Good dog, Buster. Good dog," she said, praising him.

"Please excuse my poor manners Ma'am. My name is Frank. I've lately taken over the Dunbarton place."

"It's nice to finally meet you Frank, and timely too. I have to thank you for stopping these assholes. Are we just going to leave them here?" she asked.

"I'll deal with them for now and when we get to my ranch I can send someone into town to tell the Marshal. He might want to send someone out to do something with the bodies. I don't know any of them so I can't even tell them who tried to rob you," I said.

"I don't know any of them either. I have seen one of them in town before but I don't know his name."

"Maybe the Marshal will want to find out. Would you pull your buckboard forward a little so I can gather up whatever they have on them and put it in the back. If we don't take their things now it's likely someone will come along and steal them."

She agreed and sat in the seat while I tended to the remains. I went through the pockets and was surprised there was nearly a thousand dollars in gold among the three of them. I put their guns and gunbelts in the buckboard, put all the money in one of the saddle bags, and tied the horses onto the back, then dragged the bodies off the road.

When everything was ready to go I tied Red with the other horses and climbed aboard beside the woman. She told me her name was Carolyn Norton and asked me to drive. That's what I'd intended when I got aboard but I didn't mention it, I just took the reins and we headed back to the ranch.

Carolyn wasn't a bit standoffish since she was right up against me within a minute or two. I damned sure didn't mind. She was pretty as a picture and damned well made to my way of thinking. She wasn't being obvious about it or anything, but before long we were pressed up as close together as we could get and the breeze was blowing her long blonde hair against my head and neck occasionally.