CHAPTER 26
Denny didn’t see anything of Steve Markham for a couple of days after that and supposed that Cal was keeping him busy around the ranch.
She had seen the way Brice had looked at Markham and knew the deputy marshal wasn’t fond of the cocky young cowboy. It seemed to be an instinctive reaction on Brice’s part, and while Denny wasn’t vain enough to think it was prompted entirely by jealousy, neither was it unreasonable to think that might be part of the reason.
Denny had always been a straightforward sort of girl. She didn’t have any interest in toying with men’s affections or playing them off against each other. She would be lying, though, if she claimed that having both of them interested in her didn’t make a little thrill of pleasure go through her.
At supper one evening, Sally announced, “I’m taking the buckboard into Big Rock tomorrow to pick up some supplies and visit with friends. Does anyone want to go with me?”
“I do,” Brad answered enthusiastically, without any hesitation at all.
“One of the hands could pick up the supplies,” said Smoke.
“I know,” Sally said, “but the Ladies’ Aid Society is having a quick, informal meeting, too, to go over some last-minute plans for the next town social. It’s coming up quickly, you know. This Saturday, in fact.”
“Well, I don’t reckon Cal or any other members of the crew would have any valuable advice about that,” Smoke said with a grin, “so I guess you’d better handle it.”
“And I’ll come along to keep an eye on the kid,” Denny volunteered with a nod toward Brad.
“Hey!” he objected. “I don’t need anybody to keep an eye on me. Big Rock’s not Tombstone or Deadwood, you know.”
Smoke said, “Big Rock’s seen its share of trouble in the past. So even though I suspect Denny really wants to go along just to get away from the ranch for a while, it’s a good idea for the two of you to kind of keep an eye on each other.”
It was Denny’s turn to protest. “I don’t need a chaperone. Especially a nine-year-old one.”
“It’s settled. You’re both coming with me,” Sally said.
“Can I ride a horse?” Brad asked.
“Well . . .”
Smoke said, “Rafael can find a horse that’ll be safe enough for you to ride, Brad.”
“How about Blaze?” asked Brad, referring to the horse Rafael had been working with recently.
Smoke shook his head. “I was just talking to Rafe about him yesterday. He’s not ready yet, but we’ve got some nice, gentle saddle mares.”
“Oh.” Brad looked a little disappointed, but he summoned up a smile and went on. “I guess that’ll be all right.” Then he turned to Denny and asked, “Are you gonna ride Rocket?”
“No,” Denny, Smoke, and Sally all answered at once.
Denny knew she could have ridden on the buckboard with her mother, but when she emerged from the house the next morning, she was dressed in boots, hat, and range clothes. She wore a gun belt buckled around her trim hips, and a .38 caliber Colt Lightning revolver with an ivory bird’s-head grip rested in the holster.
Denny had put in a lot of hours practicing with that gun and was fast and accurate with it. She didn’t anticipate running into any trouble in Big Rock, but it never hurt to be prepared.
Her mother might have something to say about her packing an iron in the open like that, but Denny knew there would be a Winchester in the buckboard. Sally Jensen didn’t believe in being taken by surprise, either. Jensen women didn’t go around unarmed.
Denny went to the barn and found Brad already there with Rafael de Santos. Rafael was supervising while Brad saddled a gray mare that was easy to handle. He had to stand on a stool to place the saddle onto the horse’s back, and he grunted from the effort required to lift it. Denny would have offered to help him, but she knew he would have refused. She would have done the same if their positions had been reversed.
“You want me to saddle a horse for you, Miss Denny?” asked Rafael.
“No, thanks. I can handle it,” she told him.
From the look on his weathered face, he had known that she would refuse the offer, too. She and Brad had the same sort of independent streak.
When she got her saddle on a rangy lineback dun she liked to use as a saddle mount, she and Brad led their horses out of the stable. She saw one of the cowboys bringing the buckboard around from the shed in which it was kept and realized the puncher handling the team was Steve Markham.
One of the horses from the Sugarloaf’s remuda was saddled and tied on at the back of the vehicle, as well. The sight of that made Denny frown a little as she thought about what it might mean.
Markham smoothly brought the buckboard to a stop in front of the ranch house, looped the reins around the brake lever, put a hand on the seat beside him, and vaulted lithely to the ground. He landed gracefully and looked up to grin at Denny and Brad as they walked toward him.
“Mornin’,” he greeted them. “I heary’all are goin’ to town.”
“That’s right,” Denny said.
“So ’m I,” Markham announced.
That was what Denny had thought he might say, based on that saddle horse being tied on behind the buckboard.
He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and went on. “Cal—I mean, Mr. Woods—gave me this order for some fence posts and wire I’m supposed to give to Mr. Leo Goldstein at the store in Big Rock.”
“I can do that.” Denny held out her hand. “Let me have it. I’m sure you have better things to do here on the ranch.”
Markham pulled the paper back and stuck it back in his pocket. “No, ma’am. The foreman done give me an order, and I intend to carry it out to the best of my ability.”
“I think you’re just trying to get out of actual work.”
“It wasn’t my idea,” Markham insisted with a shake of his head. “You can go ask the boss about that if you want.”
Denny wasn’t going to waste her time standing around arguing with him. “Just tell me one thing . . . did Cal ask for volunteers for this little job?”
Markham’s smiled widened. He admitted, “Well, he might have. And I might’ve been a little quicker to speak up than the other fellas.”
“All right. You do whatever you want, as long as you stay out of our way. Isn’t that right, Brad?”
The boy looked a little puzzled by the conversation, but he said, “Sure, I guess, Denny. But what are we gonna do?”
“As a matter of fact, I thought we might stop at Mr. Goldstein’s store ourselves. He has a pretty good selection of candy, you know.”
“I know! I look through that glass counter at it every time I’m in there. My ma lets me get a piece every now and then, but not every time because she says too much candy’s not good for me.” Hopefully, he added, “It’s been a while.”
“That’s what I figured.”
Markham said, “I wouldn’t mind havin’ a peppermint stick myself.”
“You can pay for your own,” Denny told him.
Sally came out of the house then, pulling on gloves for handling the buckboard’s reins, so Denny’s sparing with Markham came to an end. Sally looked at her daughter and said, “I’m not surprised to see that you’re riding horseback, Denny. Are you and Brad ready to go?”
“I sure am,” Brad said.
Markham moved quickly around the buckboard, saying, “Let me give you a hand, ma’am.”
“That’s not necessary, Mr. Markham,” Sally told him. “I’ve been climbing onto and off of wagons by myself for a long time.” She demonstrated that by stepping up onto the buckboard before Markham could reach her. As she settled herself onto the seat, he untied the saddle horse from the back of the vehicle, prompting her to ask, “Are you coming into town with us?”
“Yes, ma’am. Mr. Woods gave me a job to do there.”
“We’ll enjoy your company then,” Sally said with a smile.
Denny wasn’t sure about that, but there didn’t seem to be any way of avoiding it, that was for sure. She swung up into the saddle, aware of Markham watching her movements with admiration in his eyes.
Sally slapped the reins against the backs of the two horses hitched to the buckboard. They started off smoothly and the buckboard rolled away from the house. Denny nudged her dun ahead, and Brad fell in beside her. The two of them led the way along the trail that after half a mile passed under the arched entrance with the Sugarloaf’s name on it and joined the main road to Big Rock. Steve Markham brought up the rear. Denny didn’t look back at him, although she thought at times she could feel his eyes watching her.
Maybe she was just imagining that, though. She wasn’t sure if she hoped that was true or not.