Ben, with Maude, Evan, and Rachel, crossed the Rio Grande on the twenty-second day after the battle with the Valdes men near Mateo. Ben had caught one of the slain American's horses and overtaken Evan and the women the evening of the same day. They had traveled leisurely, enjoying their new relationships. Two days after crossing the river, they reached El Paso. Evan and Rachel turned west to Evan's parents' rancho, while Ben and Maude went north to Canutillo.
* * *
"Lester's been mad as a hatter ever since Maude disappeared," Tom Hawkins told his brother Ben and Maude.
The three of them, with Tom's wife Sally, holding her child, were seated on the porch of Tom's home. Ben and Maude had come to the house on a route that skirted the town to avoid being seen until they had the latest news about Lester Ivorsen.
"Lester didn't believe Silas's story about a Mexican carrying Maude off," Sally said.
"Silas told the truth for that's what happened to me," Maude said.
"I believed old Silas for I've never heard of him telling a lie," Tom said. "And Ben came looking for you, which he wouldn't do if the two of you had gone off together. But anyway, Lester is so damn jealous of his younger wives that he can't think straight. He's stomped half a dozen men in town because he thought they were flirting with them."
"They'd have a right to flirt with them," Ben said. "There's a new federal law that says a man can have only one wife at a time. So Lester is really married to just his first one."
"You sure about this?" Tom said.
"I was told so by someone who was back East when the law was passed and knows it's a fact."
"Sally, do you hear that?" Tom said.
"Sounds like a fine law to me," Sally replied.
"I thought you'd like it," Tom said with a chuckle. He was evaluating Ben and Maude. "Neither of you seem the worse for the trip to Mexico. You'll have to tell Sally and me about it."
"We've got a visitor coming and he seems in a hurry," Sally said as she looked down the short lane to the street.
"It's Wade Tidwell," Tom said. He raised his voice and called out. "Wade, what's the big hurry?"
"It's Lester Ivorsen," Wade said as he came to a halt in the yard. "He's set off to kill your brother Eddy." He looked more closely at the people on the porch. "Well, I'll be damned," he said. "Hi there, Ben. Didn't know you were back in town."
"Just got here. What's this about Eddy?" Eddy was Tom's full brother and Ben's half brother.
"Lester came up on Eddy talking with Alice on the street in town. He roughed Eddy up something mean. But that wasn't enough for Lester, and he told Eddy to go get a pistol for he was going to get his and come shoot him."
"Eddy's not good with a gun," Tom said. "He can't hit anything. Lester will kill him."
"That's exactly what I thought and so I came to tell you fast as I could. Just in case you wanted to do something to stop Lester."
"Where is Eddy?" Tom asked.
"Like I said before, Lester walloped him good. He got a bad cut over one eye and a smashed mouth. So he headed for Doc Shelton's office."
"I'd better go and see about Eddy," Tom said, looking at Sally. "There's no time to ride to El Paso to get the sheriff to stop Lester."
"Lester's mean, Tom, so be careful," Sally said with a worried expression.
Ben came to his feet beside Tom. "I'll just walk along with you."
"Glad to have your company."
Ben spoke to Maude. "Will you wait here for me?"
"I want to come too."
"Best that you stay here and let me and Tom handle this alone. Lester might go plumb crazy if he saw you and somehow hurt you before I could stop him."
"All right, Ben. You're coming back, aren't you?" Maude's face was strained with concern.
"I won't be long." All the forces of heaven and hell couldn't prevent him from returning to Maude.
* * *
"Lester, you have this all wrong and you've got no reason to be mad at me," Eddy said, his voice thin. Damnation, he hated the big man. The ease with which Lester had beaten him was hellishly humiliating. Adding to the feeling was the damage done to him. The cut over his eye had required four stitches and the stub of a broken tooth had had to be pulled. The taste of blood was heavy in his mouth.
Eddy had just left the doctor, and his lean body was backed up to the fence that ran in front of the office. Lester had come upon him there, and now stood in the street with his hand resting on the butt of a pistol belted to his waist. His face was grim with his intent to shoot Eddy.
"All I did was to pass the time of day with Alice," Eddy said, trying to strengthen his voice. "Just like I would with any other woman in town."
A man and woman had halted on the sidewalk halfway down the block and were now watching. A man on horseback sat observing the confrontation. Two men came out of the store across the street and stopped and cast their eyes upon Eddy and Lester.
"You're a liar," Lester shot back. "I saw the look on your face when I came up on you two. Now I'm going to do what any man would do if somebody insulted his wife."
"I didn't insult Alice. Just ask her and she'll tell you that."
"Stop whining and fight," Lester said with a sneer.
"I don't want to fight you, and I don't have a gun."
"You'll have to fight me for I'll make you."
"Lester, Alice isn't your wife," Ben called out in a voice heard throughout the street.
Lester and Eddy had been so focused on each other that they hadn't seen Ben and Tom approach. Now both whirled to look in the direction of the voice.
Ben continued to speak. "She can't be, for there's a new federal law against a man having more than one. So Eddy has a perfect right to talk to Alice. Hell, he can even take her out walking and do a little hugging and kissing."
"Hawkins!" Lester shouted, his surprise complete.
"Yeah, it's me, Lester. I think I'm the fellow you're really mad at."
"God how I've prayed to see you again and make you pay for running off with Maude."
Ben smiled, pleased at being able to redirect Lester's anger from Eddy to himself. He coiled, ready to draw his pistol and kill Lester. "Like I told you, you can have only one. All the other women you've got can go off with any man they take a fancy to."
"Are you sure about the law?" Eddy asked. "That a man can't have but one wife?"
"Yes, it's a fact. One wife for each man."
"That's a lie," Lester shouted. "I'm going to kill you, you wife-stealing bastard."
"No!" Eddy called out in a strong voice. "Lester, you started with me first. And by God you have to finish with me first."
"Then get yourself a gun," Lester snarled. "Let's get it over with so I can tend to that brother of yours."
Eddie crossed to Ben. "Loan me your pistol, Ben."
"He'll kill you," Ben said in a low tone. "Let me have him. I'll shoot both his eyes out."
"I can't do that. I want Alice for my wife, and I believe she's willing if Lester wasn't around to stop her."
"I've got a woman reason to shoot him too."
"Stop the confab," Lester called out harshly.
Ben and Eddie ignored Lester's shout.
"I know about Maude," Eddy said. "But this is something I've got to do for myself. He's beat me up twice and I can't take that. And he stands in the way of me getting Alice."
"If he kills you, I'm going to kill him."
"I'd want you to," Eddy said with a crooked grin.
Ben pulled his pistol and gave it to Eddy. "The trigger's mighty light, so watch it."
"We do crazy things for a woman," Eddy said.
He whirled and began to walk toward Lester, firing the pistol. The first bullet, fired unintentionally because of the light trigger, went into the ground at Lester's feet.
Lester raised his pistol to return the fire of the man walking with determined steps toward him. As he sighted down the barrel, Eddy's second bullet struck him in the side and spun him partially around. He turned back to the front again and aimed his pistol.
Eddy's third bullet hit Lester in the side of the neck. A fourth stabbed him in the stomach. Eddy was within a very few feet of Lester. He emptied his last two shots into his adversary's collapsing body.