Chapter Twenty-Two
“We’ll move the herd through the night,” Ace said in a hard voice as he watched Roscoe and two other men ride off. That snake ain’t going to get the law. He’s digging a trap.
“I could ride all night and all day.” Clyde clapped Finn on his shoulder. “He’s tore up some, but not too bad. Just mighty glad to have my partner back.”
Finn smiled. Yeah, Roscoe had worked him over pretty good, but he’d live. “Done told you I gotta be at your wedding when you marry that gal.”
“Yep.” Clyde seemed happier than a buck being set free. His best friend was back at his side.
“Let’s get the herd moving.” Ace started to ride off toward the front of the herd with Bonnie, then stopped. “Mighty glad to have you back, Finn. If something had happened to you… well, I reckon Heaven would’ve gained a real good man.”
Finn tucked his head to the side. “You getting soft, Ace?” he teased. “I figured you’d just as soon leave me to the buzzards.”
“Thought about it a time or two…” Ace grinned. Ain’t no need to keep my distance no more. Finn and Clyde are good fellas and brave guns. They done proved that. “Let’s get the herd moving.”
“Okay…” A tired breath left Bonnie. She was obviously having trouble.
“We can’t make camp, Bonnie,” Ace warned.
“I know.” Bonnie looked toward the rise and then gave her horse an easy kick. “Move on.”
A hard night lay ahead. Ace knew that. The herd and the horses were tired.
So be it. Roscoe’s probably gonna try to circle back and come at us during the night.
Best to keep the herd moving. Finn said they’ve been riding a mighty long time.
Might wait to run at us after getting some rest. Best to try and put some distance between us, and hope they don’t come at us tonight.
Ace got to the head of the herd and got moving. When the sun began to peek its head up for a new day, the herd passed through a thick copse of trees and came up on the Cimarron River.
“Whoa,” Ace called out, spotting a wagon and some horses beside the river.
Two armed men rode up to him. One of them looked familiar.
“Ace Carter?” he asked, peering through the fading darkness. “Why sure enough, it is you!”
“Daniel Wheeler!” Ace threw his hand out.
Daniel shook Ace’s hand. “Ain’t seen you in good stone’s throw.”
“Last time was in Wichita—three years ago, if I recall.”
Daniel had a strong grip. Ace respected that. The man was no slouch on the saddle, either. He ran a hard bunch of hands and had killed his share of cattle thieves.
“I’m out here with my son and wife. Got paid to scout out some good grazing land that leads up to the rails.”
“Railroad hire you?” Ace asked.
Daniel nodded his head. “Gonna look for good grazing land that puts the panhandle up into Kansas. Can’t trespass on the Choctaw. Trail up to Wichita has some good land, but I gotta head northwest when I cross the river. You’ll be heading northeast, I take it?”
“Got a small herd to get up the trail.”
“Yeah, I see that. Well, come on in for some coffee and biscuits. Annie Marie almost has breakfast done. You remember her, don’t you?”
“I remember Richard.” Ace nodded his head at a young man sitting strong on his saddle. “You were a bit younger the last time I saw you.”
“Reckon I was. Ma feeds me pretty good, Mr. Carter.” Richard’s voice came out friendly and respectful.
Daniel looked past Ace. “See you got a woman with you. Your wife?”
“No…” Ace looked back at Bonnie. “We’ve got some trouble. That woman is running from a real mean rattler who will likely try to kill her if he ever gets her back.”
“Lots of those around.”
Ace saw Bonnie ease her horse closer to the herd and pull her hat down, ducking her head. The sound of the river flowing, wind through the trees, and early morning birds singing seemed to pull her out, though.
She’s tired and ready for some shuteye. Maybe I can strike a deal with Daniel. “We’ve been riding all night?—?”
“Say no more. Me and my boy will watch your herd,” Daniel assured Ace. “We weren’t planning on crossing the river till tomorrow, anyhow. Mighty pretty spot right here. Good place to just breathe some and spend some quality time.”
“Amen to that.” Ace raised his right hand up into the air. “Move the herd forward and then settle down. Daniel and his boy are gonna watch the herd while we get some shuteye!”
A lovely red-headed woman walked up, rubbing her hands on a brown apron. She looked directly at Bonnie. “It’s good to see another woman!” she called out. “Putting up with menfolk all the time weighs on my soul!”
“Very funny, Annie.” Daniel shook his head.
Annie smiled. “You best go get me some more flour. This group looks mighty tired and hungry.”
“We are, ma’am,” Ace promised.
And just like that, Daniel helped them move the herd toward a shallow ford in the river. Annie took to Bonnie like they’d been friends since birth.
Annie’s company seemed to put Bonnie at ease. Annie gabbed away as she helped Bonnie wash up. Bonnie wasn’t saying much, but Annie didn’t seem put off.
Annie’s the type of woman that has more sense in her little toe than most people do in their entire body. She can tell Bonnie is plumb worn down.
Moving downstream from the women a ways, Ace and his companions took the time to wash up—well, Ace did. Clyde seemed more intent on play than anything; he splashed Finn, making even Dallas laugh, though the old fella was obviously about dead in his boots.
Finn sputtered, then splashed Clyde back. “I ain’t needing no bath!”
“Do, too!” Clyde sloshed one last wave Finn’s way, then clapped his friend on the shoulder. His smile faded a bit. “Sure had me worried. Ain’t gonna let you out of my sight no more.”
“Aw, you ain’t got no need to go worrying yourself sick, Clyde. I played Roscoe Carver, real smart-like. Made him think I liked him and all. Done such a good job, he gave me a few dollars.” Finn showed Clyde the money Roscoe had given him. “Gonna get us some good tobacco with this here money.”
“Well I’ll be!” Clyde looked like he could barely believe his eyes.
Dallas whistled. “You are a smart one if you managed to convince that snake into giving you money.”
“Yeah, but that don’t mean that rattler ain’t out for blood. He’s one of the meaner ones—I’ll say that much. He wants Bonnie, and he wants her real bad.” Finn shook his head. “If he gets Bonnie, you best believe she won’t live to see a ripe old age.”
Ace walked over to Finn, Clyde, and Dallas. “You sure Carver only has two guns with him?”
“Yeah, just the two. And Ace, you better know Carver’s got trouble on his hands.
Both of the guns he’s riding with done got plans of their own—I can say that as I sure as I’m standing here—but that don’t mean Carver can’t get more guns.
He ain’t the type to get kicked and walk away.
I looked straight into his eyes. That rattler has a temper meaner than any I’ve ever seen. ”
Ace wiped his hands on the sides of his britches and looked upriver.
Bonnie was standing with Annie a few feet into the river, up to her ankles in water.
She’s riding hard. We can’t stay at this spot forever.
Gotta keep moving. Soon, she’ll have to say bye to Annie…
Then, she’ll be back on the trail again, worrying herself sick.
Ace almost called Daniel and asked if he would take Bonnie in, but decided against it. If Carver found out about the switch, he’d go after Daniel and his family. Can’t do that to him.
“What’s the plan?” Dallas asked Ace. “We ain’t gonna outrun Roscoe, and you know it.”
“Cherokee territory is close. They charge ten cents a head to move through their land, but it’ll be worth it if they’ll help us guard the herd,” Ace explained. “Ain’t likely Roscoe will follow us into Indian territory.”
“Sure, but he’ll just ride around,” Dallas pointed out.
“That’ll take time.” Ace bent down and splashed his face with river water. He was tuckered out. A hot biscuit and some shuteye sounded real good. “We’ll run the herd right through the middle.”
“Herd will still slow us down,” Dallas insisted. “Roscoe will catch us up sooner or later.”
Ace didn’t need Dallas to tell him what he already knew. A fella can’t outrun a bullet. That’s a fact. I doubt we can make it to Fort Reno before Carver catches up to us. Just gonna have to let the trail stay bloody.
“We’ll fight it out,” Finn declared before Ace could reply. “Ain’t no other way around it.”
“Yep.” Clyde nodded his head in agreement. “Just the way the trail is sometimes.”
Ace glanced at Dallas. Was the old-timer up for a fight?
Yeah, Dallas will fight. He’s got fighting in his blood.
I see it in his eyes. “Fellas, I ain’t much.
Just a trail hound who runs cattle. I did my share of fighting in the war.
Didn’t come home to much. Just trying to find my way, is all.
But I got an honest gun and a hard back.
That’s all I ask from any fella I ride with. ”
Finn looked around. “Ace, you ain’t riding with soft hands.”
“Nope.” Clyde clapped Finn’s shoulder. “We got Bonnie to look after. Enough said.”
“Enough said,” Dallas agreed. He locked eyes with Ace. “We done killed together. Ain’t turning back now.”
For a minute, Ace felt like he was back in the war, standing on a foggy battlefield in formation as they waited for the fighting to start.
All the men standing to his left and right were brave soldiers.
Not a single one of them was standing yellow in his boots.
At moments like that, he’d felt plumb proud to be a Southerner.
Win or lose, live or die—they were gonna fight the Yanks and give the enemy a good whipping.
Roscoe Carter was a bloody killer. That was for certain. So be it. Ace and his men weren’t going to back down from the fight. “We’ll run the herd to Wichita no matter how bloody the trail gets,” he said firmly. “We’ll look after Bonnie, too.”
“Bonnie comes before the herd,” Clyde pointed out.
Ace nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, Clyde, Bonnie comes before the herd. Now, let’s settle down and get some shuteye. Tomorrow morning will be here before we know it.”
“You don’t got to tell me twice.” Dallas rubbed the small of his back. “If my snoring scares the herd, don’t wake me.”
“Same here,” Finn added. “Let’s go, Clyde.”
Ace stayed next to the river for a bit longer, watching his friends find a bite to eat and then settle down. Bonnie didn’t immediately join them. She stayed close to Annie near a cookfire after washing up, talking.
“You’re more than welcome to stay on with us,” he heard Annie urge Bonnie.
“I’m mighty grateful, but I’d just be putting you in danger. Roscoe Carver is out for blood, Annie, and he intends to kill whoever stands between me and him.”
Bonnie is scared. I think she believes that, in the end, Carver is gonna get at her. I ain’t ever gonna let that happen.
Ace finally went to lay down. A few minutes later, Bonnie settled down next to him. She didn’t say a word—but no words were needed.