Showdown
The next day, all that anybody on the ranch thought of or talked about was the meeting with Neil that was supposed to happen that night.
Well, that wasn’t strictly true. Maria did some daydreaming about a certain blond cowboy who won high scores at the rodeo.
And she, Jessie, and Rob still had to get the boys fed.
But other than that, the ranch had one focus today.
Maria didn’t know who was included in the group that was going to meet Neil, if he showed up. Would Tim let her go with them? She wouldn’t try to be a hero, but she wanted to know whether her and Tim’s scheme would really work, and she didn’t want to hear third-hand retellings afterward.
She got her opportunity to ask Tim when he showed up late in the dinner line.
“Tim!” she hissed at him, as soon as he got within hearing distance.
He smiled at her. “Ma’am.”
“Is it all right if I ride along with you guys tonight?”
A pained look crossed his face. “I want you to stay safe at the ranch,” he said. “If Neil brings guys with him, this could get ugly. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
It was probably due to the natural male instinct to hide women and children under hatches in times of trouble, and Maria couldn’t fault Tim for it. Still, she wanted to come.
“What if I watch from a very far distance?” Maria asked. “Neil won’t even know I’m there. I used to go with my dad on ride-alongs, and it was always possible there could be trouble.”
He surveyed her, his eyes fixed on hers. “You’ll bring your gun? And you promise to stay far away?”
“I promise,” Maria said. “I won’t get hurt, and if some freak accident happens—like I’m out there on the range and I get hit by lightning—let it be known to everyone that it was my idea, and I take full responsibility for it.”
He burst out laughing. “All right,” he said. “If we’re out there and I see a thunderstorm coming, I’ll give you a waiver to sign.”
“Good!” Maria piled Tim’s plate with brisket. “Then I’ll meet you whenever the other ranch hands are getting together to go out there.”
“Eight PM,” Tim said. “In front of the bunkhouse. I’ll see you there.”
§
Eight PM brought Maria down to the bunkhouse, wearing what she hoped was effective camouflage—an olive T-shirt with beige jeans.
It was the closest she could get to the color of the prairie grass.
She wore sneakers. If something happened and she had to run, she wanted to be prepared.
She checked again to be sure her concealed carry pistol was secure.
Ranch hands young and old were gathered in front of the bunkhouse when Maria pulled up in her ATV.
Tim’s height made him easy to spot. Elijah openly wore a gun.
Grandma Austin, who Maria devoutly hoped was not coming with them, stood talking to Tim.
If the situation got ugly, Grandma Austin couldn’t run, and as the landowner, she would be the first choice for a hostage situation.
Maria approached the crowd of guys, standing as tall as possible.
Probably the ranch hands were wondering what she was doing there.
Maybe they figured she and Tim were an item—Tim had been pretty obvious about singling her out at the barbecue.
And she couldn’t blame them if they thought she was just here to see Tim off and pray for his safety.
Maria couldn’t ride, she didn’t know much about ranches, and she wasn’t directly involved in the sabotage.
But the letter had been her idea, and she wanted to see what would happen.
Tim tipped his hat to her. “Maria,” he said. “We’re working out everyone’s positions. I’m gonna put you with Will and Luke on top of a hill. You’ll be able to see everything, and you’ll be backup in case anything happens, but you won’t be in particular danger.”
And Tim was going to stand out there by himself, right in the middle of whatever danger there was, with his left arm out of commission.
“Do you think there will be shooting?” Maria asked.
“I hope not,” Tim said. “If Neil recognizes me, he’ll know the Rocker A knows about him. If he were to shoot me, there’d be all kinds of trouble.”
“You be careful out there, young man,” Grandma Austin told Tim, her eyes bright and intense. “I want this man caught, but I don’t want you hurt again.”
“I’ll be careful,” Tim promised her. “And a lot of good guys have my back. Right, men?”
He did have a sturdy-looking group. Will, Danny, Luke, Blaise, others—Neil’s guys couldn’t possibly compete.
“Well then.” Grandma Austin patted Tim’s arm. “I’ll be up at the house saying a rosary for you all.” She walked briskly away.
“Well then,” Tim echoed. “Let’s map this out.”
He pulled a folded paper from his pocket. “Gather round, boys,” he said. “We’re gonna go over the lay of the land one more time.”
Elijah bustled over. “What are you doing here, Maria?” he asked. “Tim, you told Annabelle she couldn’t come. You’re not letting Maria come, are you?” He looked down at Maria, and Maria faced him with every inch of her five-foot-three frame.
“It was my idea,” Maria said, “and I can shoot. Besides, I’m going to be well out of the way.”
Elijah shook his head. “Annabelle’s gonna be mad,” he said.
“Annabelle and Neil were just dating.” Tim pushed his hat back. “That’s why I told her to stay home. She’s gone through enough stuff lately—I didn’t think she needed to see her ex-boyfriend get arrested.”
“Fair enough.” Elijah rubbed his chin. “Where am I supposed to be, ramrod?”
§
Will and Luke, normally loud and chatty ranch hands, were quiet and focused as they and Maria surveyed the southwest corner of the ranch from the rise where Tim had stationed them.
Maria lay on her stomach in the tall grass—she should have thought to wear long sleeves, as the grass was prickly—and watched Tim, standing alone by the old ponderosa pine.
His horse, Capitán, waited nearby, not tethered, the rein thrown over a tree branch.
Tim looked relaxed, but he must know he was a splendid target for bullets.
What if Neil’s guys started shooting? What if Neil saw through their plan, and countered with an ambush?
Tim had hidden his own people well. It was a good thing this part of the ranch was uneven with sagebrush and bushes—from the Baldwin ranch, the men would be invisible.
Seen from the hill where Maria was, they were obvious—Blaise, Danny, Dale, various others.
Maria understood now why people talked about having the high ground in a fight. Hopefully this wouldn’t be a fight.
This felt more risky than riding along with Dad—it might be the 21st century, but Neil’s guys had shown they still thought it was the Wild West. Maria’s mouth was getting dry, and she felt to make sure her concealed carry pistol was still in its holster.
It was almost nine o’clock. Where was Neil? Waiting for a possible showdown was tough. If he’d just appear, they could get this whole thing over with. Had he even gotten the letter? Was he not the guilty one after all? The what-ifs had Maria’s head pounding with tension.
Maria had better start praying. She fixed her eyes in the direction from which Neil ought to be coming, and prayed—for safety for everyone, especially Tim, and to catch Neil if he was in fact the saboteur.
Finally, an ATV approached in the distance.
“That’s him,” Will said, low.
“Of course he isn’t riding a horse,” Luke replied.
The ATV was maddeningly slow. It probably wasn’t really any slower than usual, but the anticipation made it seem like an eternity. As it got closer, Maria could make out Neil’s sharp features.
He stopped shy of the Rocker A’s fence and got out, calling something Maria couldn’t hear. Tim approached, going toward the cattle guard that served as a gate between the two properties.
It was too bad they were too far away to hear what was being said. From his body language, Neil seemed agitated—surprised, maybe? Did he know the minute he saw Tim that this was a trap?
Tim seemed to be showing Neil that he was unarmed—turning out his pockets, slapping his hip. Maybe Neil had asked.
Neil pulled something out of the neck of his shirt. A piercing whistle cut through the evening air. That was one loud noisemaker.
Three guys rose up from hiding places on the Baldwin ranch, probably the thugs Tim had dealt with before.
“Tim said not to do anything unless he takes off his hat,” Will said. “If this is all they’ve got, they’re outnumbered.”
The three guys converged on Tim, all brandishing pistols. What were they planning to do, shoot an unarmed man? Maria forced herself to stay low in the grass, her heart feeling like it could jump out of her chest. How could Tim just stand there calmly?
Had the thugs seen the Rocker A people? Maria hoped not. She was starting to shake, flooded with adrenaline. Why couldn’t she do something? She had her pistol, but she was probably too far away to be of help. Will and Luke, who had rifles, might be more helpful.
Tim held up his good hand in surrender. Was he letting the guys think they were taking him? Wouldn’t that make them suspicious that he had yielded so easily? Who knew what kind of fast talking he was doing down there. Hopefully he knew what he was doing.
Well, he hadn’t taken off his hat. So he must feel he had the situation under control.
Tim was still talking. Maria couldn’t stand the suspense, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
He turned and walked toward the fence, the three guys with him. What was he doing? Was he going to the Baldwin ranch? If he went too far, the Rocker A guys wouldn’t be able to catch up easily.
Tim hopped the fence casually, with no effort, approached Neil, and took off his hat.
That was the signal. The Rocker A guys below all stood, approaching Neil and his guys, surrounding them from the outside.
“Drop it!” Elijah’s bark, aimed at the gun-brandishing thugs, could be heard up on the hill where Maria was.
The Rocker A had way more men. The thugs would be stupid to try to fight. Still, Maria pulled out her concealed carry pistol.