Chapter 24
After the dance broke up, Chet and Margaret stood holding hands. He felt like a bashful sixteen-year-old boy, standing facing her, gripping her long fingers in his own calloused ones. The campfire’s red glow shone on her face and her eyes danced with excitement.
“Thanks for the evening,” he said. “It sure beat reading the Police Gazette for the fifth time.”
“Maybe we can do it again—sometime. I know you’re trying to get things settled so you can go back to Texas.”
“I have to do that. My family isn’t safe back there.”
“I hadn’t polkaed in such a long time, I thought I had forgotten how. Whew, I am still dizzy. But don’t you dare feel sorry for me. That was great. Dad has a place here for me to sleep tonight. I’ll either come after the team or send a worker. It won’t stain your reputation like me sleeping at your house might.”
“My rep ain’t that good. Why don’t I drive them by the ranch Monday morning when I go in to Preskit? I can tie a horse on behind.”
“Do you like fried chicken?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Come by the house about noontime and I’ll have some Southern fried chicken ready for you to eat.”
“Sounds great. Do they always call you Margaret?”
She cocked her head to the side. “You can shorten it to whatever you like.”
“Is Marge alright?”
She leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. “Wonderful. I loved the entire evening. Thanks for accepting my invitation.”
Chet let go of her fingers. “My pleasure. Now I need to go get the team.”
“My fault. I talked you out of bringing your horse.”
“No problem. I see some of my hands are ready to ride home with me. So I won’t be lonely after all.”
“Lonely? Why, Chet Byrnes, I bet you haven’t been lonely for a day in your life.” Then she laughed until she looked embarrassed, and then patted his arm. “Sorry, it simply sounded too funny.”
“No problem.” He could see the young stable hand had the horses hitched and ready. Hampt rode up about then, and dismounted.
“Take my horse,” he said. “I’ll drive that rig.”
Chet frowned, but he knew the big man had a purpose—only he wasn’t certain what it might be. Margaret hugged him, and on her toes, kissed him softly in front of his ear. “It turned out wonderful.”
“I’ll be there Monday to eat chicken,” he promised her.
Margaret waved, and he fell in with the crew member. When they were a good distance away, Chet turned to Wiley. “What’s the deal?”
The cowboy twisted in the saddle as if to make sure no one was close. “We think Ryan is going to try and stop you tonight.”
“You hear anything to make you suspicious?” Chet frowned in the starlight at the three of them.
“Roamer warned us earlier. He was trying to arrest him, but never connected. Ryan had bragged somewhere that he’d have that ranch back in a few days. And Roamer figured the only way that could come true was for him to kill you. He said that tonight might be his best chance since it was common knowledge that you drove her over here in that fancy surrey.”
“Why’s Hampt driving it instead of me?”
“His head’s clearer than yours. You kinda took a shine to her and we didn’t want you distracted. Me and the boys think if you can’t convince that gal to come from Texas, well, Margaret might not be such a bad deal.”
“Hmm,” Chet snuffed out his nose. “I sure have a different impression of her now from the one I had riding on the stage with her.”
“You need anyone to go along with you to Preskit Monday?’ Bixsby asked in his hoarse voice. “We figured the fried chicken she offered you will be some of the best in the land. It’ll damn sure be better than any you’ve had lately.”
Chet held his hand up to stop them. In the half moonlight, all he could make out was a man’s outline ahead of them. His right hand sought the butt of his gun.
“Boys, don’t shoot,” Roamer said aloud.
“It’s Roamer,” Wiley said, checking his horse.
“What’re you doing out here?” Chet asked the deputy.
“Trying to keep a rancher friend alive.”
“I appreciate that, mi amigo. You have any trouble up here?”
“Naw, but when Ryan’s bunch figured I was watching them, they lit a shuck.”
“Come on to the ranch. Hoot will have some food ready, and we can find you space to sleep.”
“Might as well. I won’t make it back to town tonight. Thanks,” Roamer told him.
“No problem. I have to go in to Preskit Monday morning and check on a few things myself.”
“Good, I’ll go back with you then. Beats riding alone.”
They rode home with the crew teasing Bixsby about some plump widow woman he’d taken a shine to. Chet guessed that he must have danced some with her and then they disappeared for some time, which brought on much suspicion about what they might have done out of sight. Bixsby was shedding their words like a duck did water on the subject of his involvement with Mrs. Kelly O’Brian, and simply rode along.
“She’d sure keep you warm snuggled up to her in the winter,” one of the men said, and they all laughed at the man’s expense.
“Why, she’d be like having a big furnace all to yourself,” someone else promised him.
No matter how hard they tried, Bixsby never gave them one word of satisfaction to settle their questions or his guilt. Chet mused about how the cowboy had simply Indianed up on the matter.
At the ranch, Hoot had a big kettle of hot beef stew on the stove and welcomed them all back. Heck and the new boy, Cory, got up and joined them. The crew was waving spoons around eating stew, still intent on Bixsby’s romance, and also told the stay-at-homes about the threat of Ryan’s that had never emerged.
“What are you going to have to do about him?” Hoot asked. “Ryan, I mean. I know you can’t break up this romance with Bixsby.” His words drew a knee-slapping laugh from the rest.
Chet simply shook his head. “Can’t do much about either one.”
The funning crew finally dragged themselves off to their cots and found Roamer one, too. On his back on the bed Chet’d chosen for himself, he stared at the dark ceiling for a long while. What could he do about Ryan? How was everyone in Texas doing? Could he ever bring Kathren out here? His chances looked slimmer and slimmer. Not that he didn’t want her, but he worried about all the problems she’d have over leaving the hill country. Damn.