“Find out how much damage was done to Donovan’s store and I’ll make it good.”
“What about the whore?”
“What about her?”
“It cost her two dollars to have the doctor look at her. Plus, she ain’t goin’ to be makin’ a lot of money as long as she’s got a broke nose and two black eyes.”
Quentin took out a twenty-dollar bill. “Give this to her,” he said. “This should be enough, don’t you think?”
“Yes, sir, this ought to more than satisfy her,” Marshal Dawson said.
“Now, turn Billy Ray loose.”
“I hope I didn’t get you upset none by me puttin’ him in jail.”
“When I get upset with you, Dawson, you’ll know it,” Quentin said.
“Wilson,” Dawson said to his deputy.
“Yes, sir?”
“Go back and let Billy Ray out of his cell.”
Quentin walked over to the wall and stared at the wanted posters for a moment as he waited for his son to be brought out to him.
“What you should be doin’ is lookin’ out for people like this, instead of wastin’ your time puttin’ my son in jail,” Quentin said. He leaned over to examine two of the posters more closely. “I’ll be damn,” he said. “No wonder he had enough money to bid against me.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“These two men here, Jason and Stu Sinclair. It says here there was a five-hundred-dollar reward on each of them.”
“Yes, sir, there still is.”
Quentin shook his head. “Not anymore there isn’t,” he said. “That’s how come Jensen was able to go as high in the bid as he did. He had that reward money.”
“Are you saying someone has collected the reward on those two?”
“Yeah. Them two got themselves killed by Smoke Jensen.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it happened back in Colorado Springs while I was there,” Quentin said.
At that moment, Deputy Wilson brought Quentin’s son out.
“What the hell, Billy Ray. Can’t you stay out of trouble?” Quentin asked.
“Them boots didn’t fit, Pa,” Billy Ray said. “I paid good money to have him make ’em special, and when I tried ’em on, they was too little.”
“That didn’t give you cause to tear up his place. It’s going to cost me a couple hundred dollars just to make things right.”
“He should’a made the boots the right size.”
“Where’s your horse?” Quentin asked.
“I don’t know. Last I seen of him, he was tied up in front of the New York Saloon.”
“He’s in the stable out behind the jail,” Marshal Dawson suggested.
“Come on, let’s get your horse and get back to the ranch.”
Chapter Eleven
Big Rock
It was dark when the train pulled into Big Rock, but Cal was at the depot to meet them.
“Look at him, Cal,” Sally said as Prince Henry was led down from the private cattle car. “Have you ever seen a more magnificent-looking animal?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t reckon I have,” Cal answered.
“And here I thought you came down to the depot to meet us,” Smoke said. “Little did I know you were just here just to meet Prince Henry.”
“Well, I came to meet you two also,” Cal said.
“Also?”
“Uh, well, I don’t mean nothin’ by that. You know what I think of you an’ Miss Sally.”
“For heaven’s sake, Smoke, quit teasing him,” Sally said.
“That’s all right, Miss Sally, I know’d, uh, I knew he was just teasin’. Say, don’t you wish Pearlie was here? He’s been after you to buy a champion bull for nearly a year now.”
“I think he would approve,” Smoke said.
“Do you think Pearlie will come back?” Cal asked.
“I’m sure he will,” Sally said.
“He’s the best friend I ever had,” Cal added.
“You loaned him your silver hatband, didn’t you?” Sally asked.
“I sure did.”
“Well, when a friend borrows something from another friend, don’t you think he will bring it back? Especially if you are best friends?”
Cal smiled. “Yes, ma’am, I expect you are right about that. But I don’t mind tellin’ you, I sure do miss him.”
“We all miss him, Cal,” Sally said. “He’s like a part of the family.” She smiled, then ran her hand through the young man’s hair. “Like you. You are part of the family.”
“Let’s get this bull home,” Smoke said.
“Did you have to pay a lot for him?” Cal asked.
“Look at the confirmation of that animal,” Smoke said. “Yes, sir, he is a champion all right.”
“How much did you have to pay for him?”
“Can you imagine the calves we will get from him? Why, we’ll have a fine herd of Herefords in no time at all.”
Sally laughed. “Do you get the hint, Cal? He doesn’t want to tell you.”
“Yes, ma’am, well, truth to tell, it ain’t none of my business nohow.”
“Fifteenhundreddollars,” Smoke said, speaking so quietly and running the words together so Cal couldn’t understand.
“How much?”
“Fifteen hundred dollars,” Sally repeated, saying the words clearly. “Which is exactly twice as much as he intended to spend.”
“Yes, but…I came into a little extra money while I was down there.”
“How?”
By now, all were mounted and they were leading Prince Henry toward the ranch. As they rode through the night, Smoke told the story of the break-in at his hotel room.
“If them boys had known what room they was breakin’ into, they would of never done it,” Cal said. “They ain’t nobody can beat you.”
“Cal, haven’t you ever heard the old cowboy adage?” Smoke asked.
“No. Uh, what’s an adage?”
“A saying.”
“I don’t know, I’ve heard lots of cowboy sayings.”
“Try this one,” Smoke said. “There’s never been a horse that can’t be rode, and there’s never been a cowboy that can’t be throwed.”
Cal laughed, then said, “I don’t get it.”
“It means you should never think that you can’t be beaten.”
“Oh,” Cal said. “Oh. You mean there might be someone somewhere who is better with a gun than you?”
“Maybe.”
“Let’s don’t talk about this anymore,” Sally said.
Los Brazos
It had been two weeks since the attempted holdup of the stagecoach. The last ten runs had been tiring, but without incident. It was dark when the stage returned from its round-trip run to Chama, and it rolled down the main street with its corner lanterns gleaming.
“I tell you the truth,” Ben said as he handled the reins. “I’m so tired I don’t even plan to eat supper tonight. I’m going to go right to bed, soon as I get home.”
The coach passed in front of the cantina and as it did, a burst of laughter spilled out into the street. Pearlie turned in his seat to look toward it, and Ben chuckled.
“What is it?” Pearlie asked. “What are you laughing at?”
“Here I am so tired I’m going to go bed without even eating supper, and you can’t wait to get to the cantina.”
“I thought I might drop in for a little while,” he said. “I’m not ready for bed yet.”
“That’s because you are still a young man,” Ben said. “Wait until you are as old as I am.”
“Ben, I don’t mean anything by this, but what’s a fella your age doing driving a stagecoach anyway? Couldn’t you find something a little easier to do?”
“You think I’m too old to handle the ribbons, do you, boy?”
“No, no, not at all,” Pearlie said. “I didn’t mean anything like that. It’s just that—”
Ben laughed. “Don’t get all in a twitter over it. I’m just teasin’ you. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. I know I complain about getting tired, but driving a stage is what I do. I’ve been drivin’ one for thirty years. Wouldn’t know how to do anything else. Wouldn’t want to do anything else.”