Chapter Eighteen
Bonnie was shaking mad—and scared. Roscoe had ridden off. That wasn’t his way. No. Roscoe’s way was murder. He’d rather set up an ambush than fight out in the open like a man.
Roscoe is a yellow-belly coward. He bullies, threatens, and intimidates. But he’s fast on the draw. That makes him dangerous.
“Ace?” Bonnie was riding next to Ace. She was too afraid to ride swing alone.
“Yeah?”
“Where are we heading? We’re off the trail.”
“Choctaw land,” Ace answered.
Bonnie’s heart jumped. “No?—?”
“Bonnie, I ain’t up to arguing. Carver ain’t gonna give up. He rode off to make a plan of some sort. I got friends. The Choctaw are friendly toward me.”
Bonnie sure didn’t like the idea of being friendly with Indians. Of course, the only Indians she ever had encountered were the Comanche and Apache. Both tribes were bloody and savage in her eyes. Were the Choctaw any different?
Ace better know what he’s doing. Many an innocent woman has been defiled by an Indian… then again, plenty of innocent women have lost their innocence at the hands of white men, too.
Roscoe’s cruel, disgusting face appeared in Bonnie’s mind. She could almost feel him slap her across the face and then shove her onto a bed. “Don’t resist me, woman! You’re my wife now!”
“I ain’t ever gonna feel clean!” Bonnie had yelled back, provoking Roscoe to snatch her up and beat her some more. He’d hit her so hard that she nearly blacked out—which would’ve been a mercy. Then, he was on top of her.
Bonnie had just closed her eyes and prayed without feeling a thing.
Roscoe must’ve known somehow, because he’d always scowled and spit in her face afterward. “You’ll learn!”
“You ain’t no man!”
After that, Roscoe had beat Bonnie unconscious.
She’d woken up bruised and bloodied, but that had eventually become normal.
One time, I made him so mad that he beat me unconscious before he laid on me.
That was the last time he violated me, and he’ll never do it again.
Not sure if Ace is right about the Indians, but I’d rather be scalped and killed than go back to Roscoe.
The land was open. Lush meadows appeared, along with tall grass.
Perfect grazing land. Ace kept the herd close to the river, even after the trail veered away.
That’s how it had to be. The Choctaw people needed water.
The river was their life source. The white men running the trail understood that, too.
That must be why men like Ace respected the Choctaw, Bonnie reckoned, and understood how to keep the peace.
“Well,” Bonnie told Ace, “if you say so. I ain’t got no choice but to trust you. Don’t see no reason why you would put us in harm’s way.”
“Just wish you’d told me about Roscoe from the start.” Ace sounded annoyed.
“I was afraid.”
“I get that, Bonnie, but I could’ve asked for help back at Fort Arrow if I’d known.”
“I’m sorry.” Bonnie didn’t like being barked at. Barked at? No. Ace wasn’t really barking; he was just worried. Still, Bonnie wasn’t in the mood to be fussed at. “I can ride off.”
“Ride off? Is that all you can say?” Ace asked. He stopped his horse short. “So ride off.” He pointed southeast. “Go back to Carver.”
“You know I can’t?—?”
“Then ride up to Wichita.”
“But I’ll just—”
“Then stop talking nonsense,” Ace ordered. “I ain’t sitting here because I’m looking for a picnic spot, Bonnie.”
“No need to bark at me like that.”
“I ain’t barking.” Ace got his horse moving. “I’m just plain mad.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“I ain’t mad at you, Bonnie. I’m mad at myself. I don’t like being pushed around like this. It’s just that I got the herd to look after…”
“And me,” Bonnie finished.
Ace nodded his head. “Never lost a man on a drive before. If Finn ends up dead, it’ll take me a long time to forgive myself.”
“Ain’t your fault.”
“I’m the trail boss.”
Before Bonnie could say another word, three riders appeared in the distance, their horses walking slowly through the tall grass. “Ace?—?”
“I see them,” Ace told Bonnie. “They’re friendly. Don’t do anything foolish like reaching for your rifle.” He turned around on his saddle. “Dallas, Clyde—leave your rifles be and follow my lead!”
“Fine!” Dallas called out from the back of the herd.
Clyde waved, signaling that he’d heard, too, and would do as Ace wished.
After seeing Clyde wave, Bonnie turned her attention to the riders. As Ace gave the order to stop the herd, Bonnie brought her horse to a standstill and waited.
A few minutes later, three Choctaw Indians rode up. To her surprise, one turned out to be a beautiful woman, and the two men wore clothes that she wouldn’t have considered out of place on a white man’s ranch: brown britches, button-up shirts, and sturdy boots.
“Wicasi, Kai, Nodin,” Ace greeted them in a friendly, welcoming voice.
The man Ace had called ‘Wicasi’ looked to be the oldest of the three, around fifty or so. Bonnie couldn’t be sure, but Kai and Nodin seemed to be his son and daughter. All three looked her up and down, but not in a way that made her feel insulted or violated.
“You bring herd,” Wicasi said in a deep voice, speaking the white man’s tongue.
“I got a herd, yes,” Ace nodded his head. He pointed at Bonnie. “This woman is in trouble. Bad men are after her.”
Bonnie tensed up as Wicasi looked at his companions. They began to talk in what must be their native tongue, because Bonnie didn’t understand a lick of it.
Finally, Wicasi turned his attention back to Ace. “We see bad men, yes.” He met Ace’s eyes. “We see you kill man.”
“You were watching…?” Ace’s voice trailed off.
“Been watching,” Wicasi said, nodding. “Always watch when white man is on trail near reservation. Many white man not friendly like you.”
Bonnie found herself astonished to hear Wicasi speak so plainly.
He didn’t resemble a bloodthirsty savage at all.
In fact, he looked rather calm—peaceful, even—if tired.
His eyes held no threat or desire for violence.
Such a man would hunt and kill game, yes, and protect his people when necessary—but fight and kill men without cause? No.
This fella don’t seem bad at all. The way he speaks is amazing. Didn’t know Indians could speak our tongue.
Wicasi pointed at Kai and Nodin. “My daughter and son are like the wind. You never see or hear them. They are best trackers in tribe. Learn from me.”
So Kai and Nodin were Wicasi’s children. Good, Bonnie thought. If their pa is friendly, they’ll be friendly, sure enough… at least, I hope.
“Wicasi, I want to bring my herd through your land and circle back to the trail,” Ace explained.
“Herd ain’t big. Won’t eat much grass. Just need to put some distance between me and the man who is after this woman.
If you’ll let me cut through your land, that’ll put a good day between us. Maybe more.”
“Ace has never been an enemy to the Choctaw. You bring good medicine when my people were sick.”
“Wasn’t much.”
“Your medicine helped save lives of my people,” Wicasi insisted. “Choctaw try to make peace with white man, but we are a brave people. We defend land.”
“I know, Wicasi. I respect the Choctaw.”
“You are a friend to my people. Wicasi will help you.” Wicasi turned to his daughter and son and said something Bonnie didn’t understand.
“What did he say?” she murmured to Ace.
“I’m not sure.”
“I told them to help,” Wicasi explained. He pointed at the herd. Kai and Nodin nodded their heads and rode off. “We will bring herd close to village. You will rest there until a new sun arrives.”
“Stay the night?” Bonnie asked, dismayed. She didn’t like the idea at all, but she liked the idea of sleeping out in the dark with Roscoe prowling around even less.
“We’ll be safe,” Ace assured her, then thanked Wicasi. “I’m grateful, my friend.”
“You are a brave fighter,” Wicasi told Ace, “but Choctaw must be careful. If Wicasi kill white man, others will cause trouble for his people.”
Bonnie stared into Wicasi’s eyes, seeing him in a way she would never have expected. Why, he’s no different than Ace, really—just worried about his people, is all. Can’t come right out and fight because of the army, I reckon. Guess he just wants us to be on our way as soon as possible.
“This is our fight,” Ace said. “Ain’t likely the bad men will come onto your land.”
“If they do, we will run them off. We have that right. This is Choctaw land.” Wicasi studied the herd. “We will ask for three head for payment.”
Ace nodded his head. “Consider it done. I’ll cover the loss.” He sounded relieved. “In fact, I’ll give you five head.”
It seemed like an awfully small price to Bonnie, but she supposed meat could be hard to come by out here. Wild game was difficult to hunt. To the Choctaw, good beef was probably a treat.
“You are kind to Wicasi.”
“No, my friend, you’re kind to me. I’m in a bad way right now. Well, I was. Are you sure there are only three men left?” Ace asked.
Bonnie waited to hear the answer. Is Roscoe losing his guns? I heard Lucien, Matt, Jack, and Roscoe back at the river. Ace killed Matt. Does that mean Roscoe is down to just three guns? Are those snakes the only ones on the trail?
“When the leader rode to his camp, there was talk,” Wicasi explained. “Three men rode off. Four men stayed behind.”
“Did you see which direction the three who left went?” Ace asked.
Wicasi crossed his arms. “They rode east. The men did not seem patient when they rode off. Maybe some of talk spooked them.”
“Did you hear what was said?”
Wicasi shook his head. “Choctaw stay out of sight.”
Ace looked at Bonnie. “What do you think?”
“I think Roscoe ain’t stupid. He might have gone off to get some more guns,” Bonnie told Ace.
“Could be.”
“What’s going on?” Dallas called.
“We’re about to get moving—follow Kai and Nodin!” Ace yelled back. “We’re settling the herd down for the night.”
Bonnie looked around. Where was Roscoe? Would he dare come onto Choctaw land? Nah. Roscoe don’t like Indians. He’s afraid of them from what I’ve seen with my own eyes. He was nearly scalped alive when he was a boy. Too bad he wasn’t. Sure would have saved me some trouble.
“Let’s move,” Ace told Bonnie.
“Fine.” Bonnie looked at Wicasi. “Thank you for being so kind.”
“You are a wounded woman,” Wicasi told Bonnie. “Your eyes hold much pain. I am sorry for that. The white man causes his own kind pain, just as he has caused my people pain.”
“The man who’s after me will have the hounds of hell after his soul soon enough,” Bonnie told Wicasi. “Soon, my pain will be over.”
Wicasi turned his head and made a curious expression, but he didn’t say a word in reply.
He didn’t need to.