The Cowboys - Chet Part 16

"But I've got to defend my ranch. If people know I'm good, they'll stay away."

"Some will, others won't. It's the ones who don't care that you got to worry about. They'll come even though they know one of you is going to die."

"I gotta be good," Sydney insisted. He began putting more bullets in his gun. "I gotta help Tom." "You put that up for today, and I'll give you a few pointers tomorrow."

Sydney looked undecided. Chet wasn't sure what he would have done, but their discussion was forgotten when Speers shouted.

"It's Tom and the fellas! I can see them."

So could Chet. He could also see that someone was being carried across a saddle. Several others appeared to be nursing wounds.

"Run tell your sister somebody's hurt," Chet said to Neill. "I'll see if I can help."

Long before the men reached the corral, Chet could tell that the man across the saddle was dead. He could also tell that the man was Tom Neland. That angered Chet. It puzzled him as well. He couldn't see any reason why Lantz would resort to killing to get the ranch. It was too easy to run off horses, rustle cows, foul water holes, drive off cowhands, even pressure merchants into refusing to sell the ranch supplies. He had the men to do it, and no one could stop him. But a death would mean the sheriff and an official investigation.

"Tom's dead," Curly Green said unnecessarily. "A couple of the boys are shot up a bit, but they'll be okay."

"What happened?" Chet asked.

"It was an ambush," Curly said. "They took those horses just so we'd follow and they could shoot us to pieces. They had them back in a branch canyon. Tom made the rest of us wait while he went in first. They'd have gotten most of us if we'd gone in together like we wanted."

"Who was it?"

"Blade Royal," Curly said. "No mistake about it. He didn't even try to hide." "Cut him loose," Chet said. "We'll lay him out in the shed, then take care of the others. Just make sure you don't let the women see him."

They were too late. Melody came hurrying from the house, Belle right behind her. Neill danced around both of them like a frisky puppy. Melody blanched when she saw Tom's body, but she didn't lose her composure.

"What happened?"

"They ambushed Tom."

"Are you sure he's"

"Yes."

Belle reached them, took one look at Tom, and started to wail. "Lantz said something terrible would happen if you refused him," she told Melody.

"I can't believe Lantz would do this," Melody said.

"It was Blade that done it," Curly told her. "I saw him."

The men had begun to dismount. Some helped the two wounded men to the bunkhouse. The others stood around, waiting, anger and dejection apparent in their faces.

"But why?" Melody asked.

"He told you he'd ruin us if you didn't marry him," Belle cried, near hysterics. "He's keeping his promise."

"See if you can get her inside," Chet said to Melody.

"I need to see to the men."

"They'll all be a lot better if they don't have to listen to her."

Bernice had come outside. She helped Melody lead Belle back to the house. Melody returned by the time Chet had gotten Tom's body into the shed.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"You can help me bandage their wounds. I can do it, but they'll like it a lot better if somebody pretty does it."

"You sound like every other man I know, thinking women are just for being pretty and bandaging up the wounded."

"Every man appreciates a woman's attention, no matter what she looks like. It puts him on his mettle, and things don't hurt so bad. But that isn't all. These men got hurt working for you. You're going to need their loyalty if you want to keep this place. They'll give it a lot more readily if you're not too proud to get your hands dirty."

"I'm not like that."

"I didn't think you were. I was just explaining why you should help."

They went into the bunk house, and she poured hot water into a basin. Chet started ripping a sheet into bandage strips.

"You're going to have to take off that s.h.i.+rt so I can clean the wound," she said to Peak Larson. "I'll send for the doctor to get the bullet out."

"No need, ma'am. It's nothing but a flesh wound. Milt don't have no bullet in him neither."

"We still have to make certain it doesn't get infected."

Chet was proud of the way Melody handled the men. She didn't have as much experience as he did with wounds. She kept up a steady flow of talk while he did most of the work.

"Is it too tight?" she asked Milt.

"It's fine," he said. "I'll be back in the saddle by tomorrow." "Absolutely not. You're to stay here until you're completely well."

"Begging your pardon, ma'am, but I don't see how Peak and me can do that. With four of us down, them Royals could run off nearbout every cow on the place."

"Toby and me can ride," Speers said. "We only stayed because Tom wouldn't let us go." He looked over at the bunk that would be vacant tonight. "Now I wish I'd gone anyway."

"What's done can't be changed," Melody said. "You're going to have to help take care of Milt and Peak. What is it?" Melody asked when he kept staring at her.

"We gotta get the horses back," he said.

"I'll send some of the boys tomorrow."

"You can't wait that long. Somebody's got to go now."

"Whom do you suggest I send?"

"It's not a question of who to send, ma'am. It's a question of who's going to lead them."

"What do you mean?"

"We're all just cowhands. We're no good with guns, and we'd be no good at giving orders. You gotta get somebody to take Tom's place."

"Anybody here want to be foreman?" she asked.

Uneasy silence.

"How about him?" Speers said, indicating Chet. "Tom said he used to be foreman for his pa. Everybody knows he can shoot the eyes out of a snake. We don't know much about him, but we'd be willing to work for him until we found a reason not to."

Chet had seen this coming from the moment he realized Tom was dead. Now everyone turned to him. Some looked expectant, others hesitant or questioning. Melody looked hopeful.

"Would you?" she asked.

He didn't answer.

"I'll pay you a full month's salary even if you don't work that long."

"You can't make him the foreman."

They had forgotten Sydney.

"I know more about this ranch than he does," Sydney said. "And I know where Blade has taken the horses."

"You're too young," Melody said.

"I'm the man of the family," Sydney said, standing as tall as his five feet, ten inches would allow. He turned to the cowhands. "I want all of you who are able to mount up. We're going after Blade Royal, and we'll get him this time. He won't be expecting a second attack."

Chet could hear the uncertainty in his voice, see it in his eyes. This was a big gamble for him, a chance to show he was a man. Success meant everything to him.

The men looked at each other, then turned their gazes away.

"Saddle up," Sydney ordered. "We don't have time to waste."

Still n.o.body moved.

"You can go, too, Speers," Sydney said. "You look like you're healed up."

"I'm not riding with any boy." Speers looked around at the others. "None of us are."

Sydney turned white. "You letting Speers speak for you?" he asked the men.

He got several grunts in the affirmative.

"Sydney, you know you can't run this place," Melody began. "We ought to" "I'm going after Blade," he shouted. "Any man who doesn't ride with me can collect his stuff and get out. You're fired," he shouted at Speers. n.o.body moved. "You're all fired!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Sydney. You can't fire everybody. Be sensible. Help me talk Chet into taking over until we can find someone else."

"I won't let you hire him," Sydney shouted. "I hate him. He's as bad as you are, always telling me what to do, treating me like I'm a kid. I don't want him here. I wish Blade had killed him instead of Tom!"

Chet had the feeling it was all Sydney could do to hold back tears of anger and frustration.

"Sydney Ranson Jordan, that's a horrible thing to say. Apologize this instant."

"No! And if you ask Mama to give him Tom's job, I'll hate you, too."

"Now you are acting like a little boy," Melody said.

"I'm not a little boy," he said, stamping his foot in rage. "I'm a man. I'll show you!" he yelled as he ran out of the bunkhouse.

Melody turned to Chet, a look of entreaty in her eyes. "Won't you please help?"

Chet was tempted. He could tell from the look in Melody's eyes that she meant it. She wanted him to stay. And for more than just getting the horses back.

She wanted him.

It was the sign he'd been hoping for, the excuse he'd been waiting for to believe there was a possibility she might care for him, that he hadn't lost the chance for normal happiness. The words of acceptance trembled on his lips.

Then he remembered her look when Belle asked him to go after the rustlers. Horror. Disgust. Fear. She had turned to him because she didn't know what else to do. But her feelings hadn't changed. Once the horses were back, once she'd gotten over Tom's death, the horror and disgust would return.

He couldn't bear that. As much as it hurt to say no, it would hurt even more to see the look of entreaty turn to revulsion. He'd always considered himself a strong man, but he wasn't strong enough to stand that.

"Sorry, but I can't do it."

"Why?"

"I told you I've given up using my gun."

"You weren't slow to pull it on Lantz that first day you got here," Speers reminded him.

"Habit is a hard thing to forget."

"Why can't you forget it for a few more days?"

"I made a promise to myself. If I make an exception every time somebody wants a little help, I'll never escape. It took me a long time to reach this decision. I can't go back on it now."

"I don't see what is so terrible about rounding up a few horses," Speers said, unwilling to give up. "We'll go after Blade if you don't want to do that."

"Don't keep after him," Melody said. "It was unfair of me to ask, especially since he's not well yet."

"I'd think that would be reason enough for him to want to go after Blade," Speers muttered.

"It would be if he were a gunfighter," Melody said, "but he's quit. We ought to support his decision."

Chet didn't know why each word out of her mouth seemed to condemn him more thoroughly than the last.

"Whoever you hire," Chet said, "he ought to be willing to work with Sydney. Doing his share of the work around here will give him something to think about besides guns."

"Well, it sure can't be you," Speers said angrily. "He hates your guts."

"Another reason why I shouldn't take the job. I'll leave you boys and Miss Jordan to talk about what you're going to do next. This seems like a good time for me to start packing."