Chapter Twenty-One
Roscoe tossed a half cup of hot coffee down into the ground. He was fuming mad. He hated being sober, but he needed to stay away from the whiskey for the time being. “Jack, your plan might work. I ain’t sure. Carter’s got Bonnie hauled up with them Indians!”
Jack and Lucien were sitting around a small campfire with Finn tied up behind them. Roscoe had worked the cowhand over in a bad way.
“They’ll have to cut back east eventually, Roscoe,” Jack pointed out. “They’re putting some good distance between us, but if we ride all night and tomorrow, we’ll catch up to them by nightfall. Way I figure it, they’ll still be in good grazing country.”
“Yeah, but burning them out?” Lucien objected. “That’s not a smart plan.”
“Shut up, boy!” Roscoe warned Lucien. Jack’s plan makes sense. If we can start a good-sized fire and spook the herd, then one of us can ride in and grab Bonnie through the smoke. A clean take. Ain’t like Carter’s got twenty or thirty guns.
“I’m getting sick of you talking down to me all the time!” Lucien shot to his feet. “Jack’s plan ain’t smart, Roscoe!”
“You gonna do something about it?” Roscoe dared Lucien.
Lucien started to reach for his gun, but his hand stopped two inches away from his holster. “Matt is dead. I want to kill Ace Carter with my bare hands. I ain’t riding off if that’s what you want.”
“Why would I run you off when I need your gun?” Roscoe snarled.
He talks tough, but when he’s alone with me, he ain’t nothing. Never will be. Matt’s death has him all shook up, but Lucien ain’t gonna do nothing. It’s Jack I best be worrying about. He’s up to something. After I get Bonnie back, reckon I’ll have to put a bullet through his head.
“Plan is simple,” Jack continued as though Lucien hadn’t spoken. “We start a brush fire. When the smoke gets thick enough, I’ll ride in and grab Bonnie. We can’t let Carter reach Fort Reno with her. If we do, you’ll never get her back.”
Roscoe knew Jack was right, but Fort Reno was still a good ways away. He had time… or did he? “Okay, we’ll mount up and ride.”
“Yeah, all we do is ride,” Lucien complained. “Maybe I should ride back to Caldwell and?—?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I need your gun, boy! How ’bout this: I’ll let you kill Ace Carter. He ain’t worth one of my bullets, nohow.”
Even as he spoke, Roscoe’s mind was racing ahead. I’ll shoot Lucien down when I finish Jack off. Two clean kills. Then, I’ll take Bonnie back to the ranch and teach her to obey me once and for all. Once I get through beating her, she’ll never run off again.
“You boys are mighty dumb,” Finn remarked, talking through a split lip.
“What do you mean?” Roscoe snarled.
“You ain’t gonna spook the herd. Ace will just run the cattle away from the fire,” Finn told Roscoe. “Now, I can tell you how to do it right, if you agree to let me go.”
“Shut up!” Jack shouted at Finn.
“Aw, now don’t get sore at me, boy. Mr. Carver just wants his wife back, is all. I understand. I told Ace to send her off more than once, but he wouldn’t listen to me—no sir, not a word.”
Roscoe stalked over to Finn. “What are you talking about?”
Finn struggled to sit up and push his back up against a tree. “Mr. Caver, ain’t no need for us to be like this with each other. I’m just running a herd. I ain’t friendly with Ace Carter. Why, I could be working with you.”
Roscoe kicked at Finn’s legs. “Get on with it.”
“Well, the best way to go about things, in my mind, is to start a fire that’s gonna circle the entire herd, but leave one side open enough to ride in and grab your wife and ride out,” Finn told Roscoe.
“You gotta think about the wing and drag positions. When the smokes gets heavy, Ace is gonna try and get the herd free. Dallas and Clyde will be spread out.”
“Yeah, go on.”
“Just shoot your rifles over the herd to spook ’em,” Finn went on. “Wear Ace and his boys out trying to handle the herd and shoot back at the same time. When the smoke gets thick, it’ll be easy to ride in and grab your wife.”
“Easy, huh?” Roscoe snarled.
“Don’t see why not. Ace will have Bonnie riding my position,” Finn insisted.
“Since you know where she’ll be, all you gotta do is come in on her side and grab her.
But let me go, okay? I’ll make things right with Ace, and we’ll get the herd moving.
Won’t look back. No offense, but ain’t no woman worth all this fuss, Mr. Carver. ”
Roscoe stared down at the cowhand. It sure seemed like the fella was being on the up and up. “Okay, boy, we’ll let you go—but only after Jack comes back with my wife.”
“Best be quick about it,” Finn warned. “Ace ain’t stupid. He’ll ride straight for Bonnie, wait and see. Best thing to do is shoot her horse out from under her so she gets lost in the smoke. That’s what I would do.”
“You would, huh?” Roscoe rubbed his chin.
Maybe this boy has a point. He ain’t so dumb—just some poor hand looking to earn some money. Might hire him on as my own hand when this is all over.
“Yes, sir.” Finn nodded his head.
“Jack?” Roscoe called out. “You agree?”
“Well… I don’t see no wrong in what he said,” Jack answered grudgingly, but Roscoe could tell he wanted to shoot Finn dead on the spot.
“Then let’s ride. Lucien, cut this boy free. He ain’t no threat. If he turns tail, we’ll shoot him dead.” Roscoe kicked Finn’s boot. “Hear that, boy? Best not try to ride off.”
“Mr. Carver, I just want to get back to the herd and get on up the trail. I need my pay, you see, ’cause there’s this gal I like… Well, that’s for another time.” Finn struggled to his feet. “Night air will be easy on the horses, so we best get to riding.”
“I reckon so.” Carver waited until Lucien cut Fin free before going to his horse. “Got a bullet with your name on it if you try anything funny, boy.”
Finn shook his head, rubbing his wrist. “Like I said, I need my pay. Whatever’s between you and your wife ain’t my concern. Ain’t right for a woman to run off from her husband, anyhow.”
“You got that right. Let’s go.” Roscoe didn’t see any reason to not trust Finn. Boy ain’t gonna do nothing funny. He’s just working to earn some pay, is all. We best get to riding.
Roscoe and Lucien rode behind Finn. Jack rode out front. Finn rode just as easy as a fella taking his horse down to a stream to get some water. His shadow remained relaxed on a hot saddle. This gave Roscoe time to think. Jack was up to something, but what? And what about Lucien?
Roscoe was on dangerous ground?—?that much was certain.
***
Right as the sun started to set, Jack eased his horse up onto a small rise and motioned for Roscoe to ride forward. “Got some fog settling on the land tonight. There’s the herd.” He pointed down into a sleepy meadow. “Fog will help us.”
Roscoe fought back a yawn. We kept the horses moving faster than needed. Back is killing me. No matter. We made it. He eyed the herd with careful attention. “Two men watching the herd, from what it looks like.”
“Good grazing ground. Won’t be hard to start a fire.” Jack nodded his head.
Something in Jack’s voice caused Roscoe to rest his hand on his gun.
My gut is starting to fuss real bad about this attack.
Smoke gets bad enough, a fella can shoot another fella down real good-like.
He glanced at Jack for a few seconds. The man’s face was hard as stone, and his eyes were calculating some sort of plan.
“We’ll wait for tonight to attack,” Roscoe told Jack.
Jack looked at him sharply. “What for? Fog’s good cover. Mix in well with the smoke?—?”
“I said we’ll wait for tonight. Got a problem with that?” Roscoe growled.
Jack stared into Roscoe’s eyes and then looked away. “No. No problem.”
“You hear me!” Roscoe tore into Jack. “I’ve been leading my guns from day one, and I ain’t gonna stop. You ever think you’re man enough to go gun-to-gun with me, well, you just let me know!” He spun around on his saddle. “That goes for you, too, boy,” he warned Lucien.
“I’m too saddle tired to fuss,” Lucien growled, leaning heavy on his saddle.
Roscoe eyed Finn. “You’re gonna deliver a message for me, boy.”
“I reckon I can do that.” Finn rode his horse forward. “Say, I was wondering, Mr. Carver… Once I get through with this herd, maybe I can come work for?—?”
“You just worry about delivering my message to Ace Carter, you hear?” Roscoe eased up on Finn. For some reason he liked him. Maybe it was because Finn was just plain honest—at least it seemed that way.
“Sure enough.”
“You tell Ace Carter he best turn Bonnie over to me. He’s got until morning, or we’re gonna ride in hard and bloody. Got it?”
Finn shook his head. “Now, Mr. Carver, they ain’t no need for killing. We done rode hard against one gang of outlaws.”
“Deliver my message, boy,” Roscoe ordered. Then, he whipped out a few dollars from his shirt pocket. “Here, for that gal you’re fond of. Never let it be said that Roscoe Carver didn’t do right by you.”
“Well, that’s mighty fitting of you, Mr. Carver!” Finn happily took the money and then tipped his hat. “Hope to meet up with you again.”
“You best get on.” Roscoe nodded down at the meadow.
“Yes, sir.” Finn started to ride off. He pulled back on his horse. “Mighty glad you ain’t gonna start that fire, Mr. Carver. Just seems right for folks to settle their disputes without any killing.”
“That depends on Ace Carter. Now get on.”
Finn tipped his hat again and rode down into the meadow. Roscoe watched his horse move deeper into the fog and stop when he reached a tall man watching the right side of the herd.
“We’ll sit here for a bit and let them see us. If they want a fight, we’ll give ’em one.”
A few minutes passed. Three more horses joined Finn and the man he was talking to. Roscoe saw Finn point up at the rise.
“Carver!” a hard voice yelled out.
“Yeah, I’m listening!” Roscoe yelled down onto the fog.
“You ain’t getting the woman! We’ll fight it out, if needed!”
Somehow, Roscoe knew it was Ace Carter yelling up at him. “Ain’t got no right to be holding my wife, boy! A man don’t stand for such a crime! If you don’t turn my wife over, I’ll come at you and bring death with me!”
“So be it!”
“We should have started the fire?—?”
“Shut up!” Roscoe snapped at Jack. He studied the horses sitting in the fog.
Only got Jack and Lucien with me. They might turn on me any second.
I need to be real smart about this. One way or the other, I’m getting Bonnie back.
“Carter, I reckon I’ll just have to go get the law and let them settle this!
Bonnie is my legal wife! Law will make her go back with me! ”
“You can’t be serious,” Lucien snarled.
Roscoe began tapping his gun as a warning. “Anytime you two boys want to try and take me, just go right ahead. In the meantime, ride off, or do what you’re told!”
Neither Lucien nor Jack rode off.
Roscoe nodded his head. “We’ll be back, Carter! With the law!”