Chapter 14

Fred Gentry sat on his horse at the crest of a low rise in the prairie. On the other side, at the base of the slope, his partner was finishing packing up their camp in preparation to drive a group of twenty-three stray cattle back to join the main herd. “Somebody’s comin’,” Fred called down to Pete Scoggins. “Looks like an Injun, but he’s all by himself. I don’t see no others.”

Pete climbed onto his horse and rode up to join his partner. In a few minutes, as the rider came closer, he stopped, obviously looking the two of them over. Then after a short pause, he continued toward them. “I ain’t so sure it’s an Injun,” Pete said. “Might be just a drifter.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Fred conceded. “The second one this week. I swear, it’s gettin’ downright crowded around here.”

It was obvious to Luke that neither of the two he saw on the rise was Bill Bogart, but since his tracks led this way, they might have seen him, so he guided the paint toward them. When they cautiously parted a few yards as he approached, he couldn’t blame them for being wary. They watched silently, each with a rifle now cradled in his arms. “Mornin’,” Luke called out as he rode up before them. “I’m lookin’ to catch up with a feller. Any chance you mighta seen him?”

“Don’t know,” Fred answered. “We ain’t seen but one feller, and that was back by the river yesterday. Was he a friend of yours?”

Luke was a little confused by the response. “You say back by the river? Was he a big man with a big bush of whiskers?”

“That sounds like him, all right,” Pete said. “How come you’re lookin’ for him?”

“He killed some folks back in Coulson and stole their money,” Luke replied.

“Damn,” Fred muttered incredulously. He shot a glance of relief in Pete’s direction. “It’s a good thing we kept an eye on that feller.” Looking back at Luke then, he said, “Hell, we ate breakfast with that feller. I’m settin’ on his horse right now.” Judging by the expression on Luke’s face, Fred guessed his confusion. “He wanted to trade horses. This one had a loose shoe. He offered me forty dollars cash to trade with him. Hell, mine was a good horse, but it wasn’t worth forty dollars’ difference. I’da traded for twenty. Pete fixed the shoe twenty minutes after he left.”

Immediately taken aback, Luke felt his mind racing with the thought that Bogart had fooled him. He had wasted time following the wrong horse—even more annoying to realize he no longer had a way to identify Bogart’s horse. Maybe luck would favor him, and the V-notched shoe would be on Bogart’s packhorse. “Mind if I take a look at that horse’s hooves?” Luke asked.

Pete and Fred exchanged puzzled glances. “I reckon not,” Fred said, “but I traded a good horse for this one, and if you’re gonna try to tell me he stole this horse, well, that’s just tough luck for the owner, ’cause it belongs to me now.”

“I don’t want the horse,” Luke said. “I just wanna look at his hooves.”

Still suspicious, but figuring Luke couldn’t pull any tricks with the two of them watching him, Fred told him to go ahead and look. He lifted only two of the horse’s hooves before he found what he hoped he wouldn’t, the shoe with the V notched in the front. There was no longer any way to pick Bogart’s tracks out from all the others. Suddenly he was struck with a feeling of dire urgency. “Which way was he headin’ when he left you back by the river?”

“East,” Pete answered.

“East?” Luke questioned. “Back the way he came from?” He didn’t like the picture that was forming in his mind.

“I don’t know which direction he came from,” Pete replied. “But when he left us, he was headin’ east.”

“What color is the horse you traded?” Luke asked.

“Red roan,” Fred replied, “a workin’ horse, built more for endurance than speed.”

Luke’s mind was racing now as something Vienna had said returned to haunt him. “It’s a good thing those two didn’t get a look at Mary Beth,” she had said. “A pretty young thing like her is liable to start men like that to thinkin’ bad things.” Bogart had gotten a look at Mary Beth, back at Fort Fetterman, and Luke could not help the sudden notion that the murderer was heading back to finish the evil business he had started. All at once, Luke was overwhelmed by a feeling that he had to get back to Coulson. If his gut feeling was wrong, then so much for the better. He had to know that Mary Beth and Vienna were safe. Nothing else mattered.

Without another word to either of the two men, Luke climbed back in the saddle and wheeled the paint back the way he had come, leaving Pete and Fred to stare incredulously at each other. “If that don’t beat all,” Fred remarked. “He’s a sociable cuss, ain’t he?”

“I’m tickled he ain’t after me,” Pete responded.

* * *

It was difficult to hold his horse to a comfortable lope, but he knew if he asked the paint for more speed, the horse would willingly oblige, and he would run the risk of breaking its wind. So he held him in the same rapid lope, pulling him back to a fast walk periodically until he thought he had to stop and rest him. The fact that he and Bogart had evidently passed each other, riding in opposite directions without either man realizing it, could only have been bad luck on his part. There were many long stretches where the trail that followed the Yellowstone was more closely akin to a common road, used by many travelers—settlers, Indians, gold miners, soldiers. But there were also many miles where there was more than one trail through thickly wooded patches and broken bluffs, and one of these patches was undoubtedly where they had passed, probably at a distance of less than a quarter mile. It only added to his anxiety to think about how close they had come.

According to what he had been told by the two drovers, he was starting out a full day behind Bogart. He hoped, by riding day and night, he could catch up to him before Bogart got back to Coulson. Since the ride west had taken two days, he thought his chances were good, even allowing time to rest his horse. On through the day he rode, stopping at dusk to give the paint a longer rest. When the moon rose high above the Yellowstone, he saddled up and headed out again, pushing on at a more cautious pace, leery of holes and gullies hidden in the shadows, knowing that if the paint broke a leg, they were both finished. By the time the moon sat down behind the hills to the west, both horse and rider were showing signs of weariness. So when he came to a suitable campsite, he stopped, unsaddled the paint, and built a small fire. After a meal of coffee and deer jerky, he closed his eyes for a few minutes’ rest, confident that sleep was impossible even had he wanted to. It was daylight when he opened his eyes again. Scrambling to his feet, he cursed his squandering of precious time. Hastily packing up his camp, he was soon under way once more.

* * *

“I sure as hell miss that boy Jack,” Vienna lamented, standing in the backyard by the pump and gazing out across the cornfield. “He used to keep that corn free of weeds. Now it looks like the weeds are catchin’ up.” She looked at Mary Beth and uttered a long sigh. “That ain’t the only reason I miss the boy, but we’re gonna have to do the work he and his daddy did—as soon as we get the houses fixed up again. It’ll help a helluva lot when Luke gets back.”

“If he comes back,” Mary Beth responded. “You know my only agreement with Luke was for him to take David and me to Coulson, so he’s fulfilled his part of the bargain.” She laughed. “Besides, can you see Luke Sunday working a farm? You might as well hitch an antelope to the plow. I’d be surprised if he came back here again.”

Vienna did not miss the faraway look in Mary Beth’s eyes when the young woman made the comment. “He’ll be back,” Vienna insisted. “He left that spotted gray packhorse he thinks so much of.” She studied her younger friend’s face for a moment, a tight little smile upon her face. “You know, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the two of you to pair up. We need a good, strong man around here if we’re gonna make it.”

The suggestion made Mary Beth blush. “Why, Vienna Pitts, bite your tongue. What a ridiculous thing to say, and me widowed for only a little over a month.”

“Out here in this country, there ain’t no time for proper doin’s,” Vienna scoffed. “A body can go under waitin’ for the proper time to pass.”

“Well, I think we have to plan on something besides the taming of Luke Sunday,” Mary Beth declared.

“Well, if you ain’t gonna do nothin’ about it, can I have him?”

“Vienna Pitts!” Mary Beth exclaimed again in mock alarm. “Don’t you have any shame?”

“I reckon not,” Vienna said with a laugh. “Never had time for it.”

“You know, there’s such a thing as two people being in love before there should be any talk about getting married,” Mary Beth lectured.

“Horse dung!” Vienna responded. “More folks have gotten themselves in trouble because of thinkin’ they’re in love. These young girls think they’re miserable without some handsome fellow they’re stuck on. They’re miserable until they can tie the knot. Then after a month or two when the honeymoon’s over, they’re miserable for the rest of their lives.”

Mary Beth shook her head, exasperated. “You can’t make me believe you and your husband were miserable all your married life.”

“Oh, hell no,” Vienna quickly countered. “Not me and Vern, ’cause we weren’t in love when we decided to get married. We talked it over and decided we could make a go of it as a team. And we did, till he up and got himself killed.”

Mary Beth shook her head impatiently. “This is all the nonsense I’ve got time for. I’m going back in the house to finish nailing that table leg back on, then see if I can fix some of the other things those animals wrecked.”

* * *

One of the animals Mary Beth referred to was at that moment kneeling just fifty yards away, watching the two women from a stand of cottonwoods on the creek bank. He was in no hurry to make his presence known, instead enjoying the opportunity to observe them as they went about their chores, unaware of the evil awaiting them. His memory had served him well, for the young one was a pretty little slip of a woman, and now with the chance to get a better look at her, his desire was stronger than ever. The only intimate relations he had ever experienced with women were all the same—give them the money first, keep your shirt and your boots on, and get it over with fast. And they usually complained the whole time about him being too rough and too in need of a bath, as if they were some kind of princess, instead of the painted-up hussies they were. Well, it ain’t gonna be like that this time, he thought. A grin formed slowly across his whiskered face as he imagined the pleasure he anticipated. The older one would have suffered the same fate if the young one was not there, but he had already learned that she could be trouble—she of the sassy mouth and the Winchester rifle. So he planned to put a bullet in her brain first thing, and that would eliminate her as a problem.

Deciding he had waited long enough, Bogart rose to his feet. If Luke Sunday was still around, it didn’t appear that he was going to show up before sundown. He felt certain that the two women were alone there, and he could deny his lust for Mary Beth no longer. About to fetch his horses, he stopped to listen. It was the sound of a horse’s hooves pounding on the hard dirt of the path from the river road. A rider was coming in, and from the sound of the hoofbeats, he was in a hurry. Bogart moved up closer to the trunk of a large cottonwood to get a better look. As the rider charged into the yard between the barn and the house, Bogart peered around the tree. At once he froze, all the blood in his body seemed to drain to his boots. Luke Sunday! Bogart pressed hard against the tree, his mouth having gone completely dry, and his heart pounding as if about to burst out of his chest. He had boasted to George Wylie about his desire to find Luke Sunday, and what he would do when he did. But now that he had suddenly appeared, he rapidly lost his nerve. The thought of facing him was paralyzing, for he could not forget his prior encounters with the white Indian.

He pressed even closer to the tree, inching around the trunk to keep it between him and the somber Indian scout as Luke rode down the path toward the house. And then it struck Bogart that Luke did not know he was there, and the opportunity he hoped for had presented itself. Sunday’s back was an inviting target, and Bogart told himself he must act while the target was in short range. To get a clear shot, he had to come out from behind the tree. To steady himself, he dropped to one knee, but he was still trembling so much that he found it difficult to hold his front sight on the broad back riding comfortably on the paint pony. This feeling of uncertainty when about to back-shoot an unsuspecting victim had never occurred to him before, and he tried to tell himself to just calm down and pull the trigger.

Inside the house, Mary Beth glanced out the front door to see a rider coming down the path that led from the river road. She immediately recognized the familiar figure on the paint pony, and with a thankful smile of excitement, went out to meet him. “Luke!” she called out to him. At the same moment, she saw Bogart step out from behind a tree and kneel to take aim at him. “Luke!” This time she screamed his name in horror at the scene before her eyes. Luke reacted at once, but it was not soon enough, for Bogart’s bullet was already on its way.

Almost beside himself with joyous excitement, Bogart realized he had won the final contest with the dangerous Indian scout as he watched Luke fall out of the saddle to land heavily on the ground. Unaware of the triumphant roar that burst forth from his mouth, he leaped to his feet. Still, ever cautious of the scout the Indians called Dead Man, Bogart warned himself to be wary of the man, although he had not moved since he had hit the ground. With his rifle still aimed at the body, he advanced slowly, alert to the possibility that Luke might be playing possum. There was no doubt that his bullet had hit Luke in the back, for he saw it tear into his shirt, but he wasn’t sure whether Luke carried a pistol in his belt or not. I’m gonna figure that you’re lying there with your hand on a pistol, he thought as he moved closer, planning to put another bullet into the fallen man.

Things had happened so fast that Luke wasn’t sure of anything at first, except the fact that he found himself on the ground and in great pain. Bogart had beaten him. This was the first conscious thought that occurred to him as his ears seemed to be ringing with the sounds of the shot, mixed with Mary Beth’s screams. Forcing himself to think, he knew that he had one chance, and one chance only, so he forced his hand down under his stomach to grasp the handle of the .44 revolver he had slipped inside his belt and waited for Bogart to come closer to gloat over his kill. But Bogart, ever wary of his dangerous foe, stopped short of the body, preferring to fire a precautionary shot at a safer distance.

Aware of the large circle of blood spreading on his shirt, the wounded man realized that his attempt to play dead had not tempted his assailant to come close to gloat. And time was now a determining factor, for he wasn’t sure how long he might remain conscious before the loss of blood caused him to black out. He knew he had to act now, even if in total desperation. Calling on all the strength he could muster, he suddenly rolled over, pulling the revolver as he did, only to find that his vision was blurry and his head spinning. With no choice but to shoot, he pointed the pistol at the blurred object standing to watch him and pulled the trigger.

Bogart ducked automatically, but then realized that the pistol shot did not come within yards of him. It was then that he fully realized Luke Sunday was helpless, and he was in total control of his death. “What’s the matter, you damn Injun lover?” Bogart roared. “Can’t see where you’re shootin’? I told you I’d fix your ass before it was over.” He raised his rifle to administer the final strike. At that moment, Mary Beth screamed Luke’s name again and ran from the porch to help the fallen man. Bogart found it amusing, and hesitated to pull the trigger, waiting to time the shot when she was only a few yards away from Luke. “You’re too late, darlin’. You’re gonna be spreadin’ them pretty white legs for me tonight.” The fatal shot rang out, but it was not from Bogart’s rifle. The huge brute’s head snapped back sharply and he staggered backward several awkward paces before crumpling to the ground, shot through the head.

“Damned if that’s so,” Vienna Pitts growled. She pulled the Winchester back from the porch railing that she had used to steady her aim and remarked, “Damn thing shoots a little high. I was aimin’ at his chest.”

* * *

“I swear, I’m right sorry to hear about John Freeman and his family,” Doc Gunderson said. “They were mighty nice folks. We don’t need to lose folks like that here in the valley. We’ve already got a gracious plenty of the other kind, like that big carcass lyin’ in the path up yonder. Me and Buster can drag him up on the bluff and dig a hole for him, so you ladies won’t have to look at him anymore.”

“We’d appreciate that, Doc,” Vienna said. “What about the other carcass we got lyin’ in the front bedroom. Are we gonna have to dig a hole for him, too?”

“Him? Nah, he’s as strong as an ox. He ain’t gonna be much use to you for a few weeks, though. He was lucky, if you can call gettin’ shot lucky. I can’t say for sure, but I’d guess that if that bullet had been an inch or two more toward the center, it’da got a lung. But he ain’t havin’ no trouble breathin’ right now. I ain’t a people doctor, but if he was a horse, I’d guarantee you, he’ll be back to the stallion he was before.” He nodded toward Buster Carter, who had come along to help. “Buster says he’s the feller that killed one of my other patients.” He laughed and shook his head. “He gave me and Buster a fright, I’ll tell you.” When he read concern in the eyes of both women, he continued. “From what you ladies told me about those two fellers and what they did to the Freemans, I don’t see any reason to tell anybody about who killed who.”

Buster spoke up then. “He’s the same feller, all right, but looks like he had reason to do what he did.” When Gunderson picked up his bag to leave, Buster followed him. At the door, he paused to offer his help around the farm to Vienna, who gladly took him up on the offer.

After they left, Vienna went back into the bedroom, where Mary Beth was standing by Luke’s bedside. “Asleep?” Vienna asked. Mary Beth nodded. “Well, looks like he might make it. At least Doc thinks so.”

“He’ll be all right,” Mary Beth said. “I know he will.”

“While you got him down, you oughta put your brand on him,” Vienna advised with a naughty grin.

“I wouldn’t, even if I wanted to,” Mary Beth replied, blushing. “I doubt you could tame someone like Luke Sunday.” She gazed at the sleeping man for a few moments before looking up to see Vienna still grinning at her.

“Hell,” Vienna scoffed, “you’d be the one to do it. They tame wild mustangs all the time. We could use a strong man like him to help us run this place. We need all the help we can get, and it don’t sound like a bad idea to have a man called Sunday workin’ for us.”

Mary Beth shook her head slowly as if exasperated with her partner. Then she took another look at the peaceful face of the sleeping warrior. “I wouldn’t count on it,” she said. But to herself, she thought, We’ll just have to wait and see.