Several days passed without much happening, and Slocum went back to working as a cowhand. He hoped that the war was over. He wasn’t damn fool enough to quite believe it, though. He stayed alert, and old Townsend did keep the lookouts posted. Slocum could tell that Cash and Monkey were getting restless. They were longing for more action. Neither of them had chosen to go back to cowboy work. They were happy being paid as gunfighters. Slocum tried to put them out of his mind, but he was worried about young Monkey.
While Slocum was riding the range, Cash and Monkey passed the hours checking at the various lookout stations, practicing with their weapons, or drinking and looking for fights in town. One quiet afternoon, Cash proposed to Monkey that they take a ride.
“Where we going, Cash?” Monkey asked.
“Just come along with me,” Cash said.
They rode out of the Townsend ranch and onto the road. Monkey thought that they would be going to town, and that was all right with him. However, it soon became apparent that they were heading elsewhere.
“Hey, Cash, are we going to the White Hat?”
“You figured it, kid.”
“We gonna shoot the place up some?”
“Not today. I got something else in mind.”
“Well,” Monkey said, “you gonna tell me about it?”
“The White Hat ain’t come back at us, have they?”
“No.”
“I think we hit them bad. I don’t think they can come back at us.”
“You mean we whipped them?”
“Damn near. But I think if they had a chance to hire on a couple or three good gunslingers, they’d jump at it, and they’d pay better’n ole Townsend too, on account a they’re desperate. You follow me?”
“You mean—us?”
“Sure. Slocum too, if he’s a mind.”
“He won’t be.”
“Well, that’s his problem. What do you say, kid?”
“Quit ole Townsend and go to work for the White Hat,” Monkey mused.
“There ain’t nothing happening right now, is there? And the money’d be better.”
“How do we know the money’d be better?”
“Well, if it ain’t, we don’t do it. So what do you say?”
“We might have to face down Slocum, Cash.”
“Does that worry you, kid?”
“It don’t worry me, but I thought he was your pard.”
“Hey, we rode together awhile, but you’re my pard. Don’t forget that.”
“Well, hell, Cash, in that case, I’m with you. All the way. Let’s ride on in there and talk to ole Amos.”
They moved on, and when they came to the gateway to the White Hat, they found a guard there.
“Hold it,” he said.
“We wanta talk with your boss,” Cash said.
“I ain’t sure about that,” said the guard.
“You want to shoot it out?” asked Monkey.
“Well, there’s just the two of you,” said the guard. “Ride on in. I’ll ride along with you.”
At the ranch house, Bob Amos had heard the horses approaching. He stepped out the front door. He recognized Cash and Monkey immediately. “What do you want here?” he said.
“Don’t get hostile, Amos. We didn’t come to fight, and we didn’t come to make no demands. We just come to have a little chat. That’s all. Can we get down?”
“You got a lot of balls riding in here like this,” Amos said. “I know you’re fast, but you’re way outnumbered. I could have you shot down easy.”
“I could kill you before I dropped,” said Monkey.
“Yeah, well, climb on down and talk,” said Amos.
Cash swung down out of the saddle, and Monkey followed him. They hitched their horses to the rail in front of the ranch house, and Amos opened the front door. “Come on in,” he said. They stepped into Amos’s large front room, and he indicated some easy chairs. Cash and Monkey took seats. Amos got a box of cigars and passed it around. Each man took a cigar and lit it. Then Amos sat directly across from Cash. “Now,” Amos said, “what’s on your mind?”
“We’ve been waiting for a counterattack,” said Cash. “None’s come.”
“You come here to gloat?” asked Amos. “I could have you killed easy enough.”
“We done went over that,” said Monkey. “Likely you’d go with us.”
“Yeah. Well. You talk. I’m listening.”
“It’s been several days now, Amos,” said Cash. “How come you ain’t hit us back yet? Could it be you’re shorthanded? We killed too many of your men?”
“Say that was the case,” said Amos. “What makes you think I’d tell you?”
“We ain’t here to spy on you,” Cash said. “Me and Monkey here, we’re professional gunfighters. It’s beginning to look like there ain’t no more work for us around here. We’re just wondering if we have to pull up stakes and move on.”
“Has Townsend cut you loose?” asked Amos, his eyes opening wide.
“Well, he seems to think he’s gone past our kind of work. Thinks there won’t be no more need of gunfighters.”
“What are you getting at?” asked Amos. “Are you getting at what I think you’re getting at?”
“We’re just a couple of gunfighters looking for action, Mr. Amos,” said Cash. “That’s all. Nothing very complicated.”
“You’d change horses in the middle of the stream? You’ve killed a number of my men already.”
“We kill for pay,” said Cash.
“Nothing more,” said Monkey.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You want to come to work for me?”
“If the pay’s good enough.”
“What about that Slocum?”
“I figure we’ll ask him if he wants to come along with us.”
“I don’t want him. I want you to kill him.”
Monkey gave Cash a look, but Cash ignored it. “That would be most of the job right there,” he said. “Without us two and Slocum, Townsend wouldn’t have anything.”
“I’ll pay you a thousand dollars to kill Slocum,” said Amos.
“A thousand apiece,” Cash said.
Amos thought for a moment. “All right. All right. A thousand apiece. After you get rid of Slocum, we’ll talk about more permanent arrangements.”
Cash and Monkey were riding back toward the Townsend spread at a leisurely pace. They rode for a while in silence. At last, Monkey spoke up. “Cash,” he said, “I thought Slocum was your friend.”
“He helped me out of a jam once,” said Cash, “but that don’t make me his keeper.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Kid, if you want to make a living with that six-gun of yours, you can’t let sentimental thinking get in your way. Slocum’s worth a thousand apiece to us right now. That’s good pay. You ever seen a thousand dollars, kid?”
“No. I ain’t. Never.”
“Did you ever expect to?”
“No, I didn’t. A thousand dollars.”
“What do you think about Slocum now, kid?”
“Why, hell, Cash, I think I can take him.”
“Now you’re talking.”
The lookout was still on duty at the main gate when Cash and Monkey rode back onto the Townsend spread. They hailed him as if nothing was wrong and rode on in. Cash had told Monkey to make like everything was just fine. Put on the pretense that they were still with Townsend. They would watch for their chance at Slocum, but likely it would not be there on the ranch. They would have to get him off by himself somewhere.
“Just play it cool, kid,” Cash said. “We’ll get our chance.”
They got back to the corral at the same time Slocum was returning from the range. Together, they unsaddled and took care of their horses, turning them loose in the corral. Then they walked toward the cookshack.
“Have a rough day?” Cash asked.
“Not bad,” said Slocum. “How much longer are you two going to lay around getting paid for nothing?”
“Hell, Slocum, we’re being paid for looking out for this place against the White Hat. Why the hell should we bust our ass chasing cows? What the hell are you doing it for?”
“Seems like the fighting’s over,” Slocum said. “I’m just trying to give the man an honest day’s work for my pay. That’s all.”
“Well, you just go on and do that. Me and Monkey here, we’ll keep watching the trails to protect you cowhands from any danger.”
Slocum gave Cash a look, but he did not bother responding to that remark. They found their places at the table and sat down to eat. Slocum ate enough for two men. It had been a rough day, but he would not admit that to Cash. A long day of chasing half-wild animals through rugged terrain. They were about done with their meal. Most of the men had gotten up and left. Slocum had one more cup of coffee, and Cash decided that he and Monkey would stay too.
“You really think the fighting’s over and done?” Cash asked Slocum.
“We hit Amos hard three times,” Slocum said. “That’s not to mention the boys of his we got in town. If he had any strength left, he’d have come back at us by now. At least, that’s the way it looks to me.”
“Yeah? Well, maybe you’re right about that. Maybe we should go back to being ordinary cowhands, like you done.”
“What made you change your mind about that?”
“Oh, I’ve just been thinking about what you said. That’s all. You know, about an honest day’s work for the old man. I never was one to take no charity.” Monkey was giving Cash a puzzled look, but he kept his mouth shut. “What do you say, kid? Shall we go back to work? Be honest cowhands like our ole pard here?”
Monkey gave a shrug. “Whatever you say, Cash.”
Cash turned up his cup and drained it. Then he stood up. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s go talk to the boss.”
Monkey got up to follow him. Slocum sat for a moment longer over his coffee, puzzling over Cash’s behavior. Just what the hell was he up to? He was not that fond of hard work. Slocum had figured out that much about the man some time ago. He was a good man to have on your side during a fight, but beyond that, he wasn’t worth much of a shit. Slocum finished his coffee and got up to follow those two over to the ranch house.
When he got there, he found them on the porch: Cash, Monkey, Townsend, and Julie.
“Come on up and join us, Slocum,” said Townsend. “The boys here was telling me that they want to go back to work.”
“Yeah?” Slocum stepped up onto the porch and took a chair. He took off his hat. “Evening, Julie,” he said.
“Good evening,” she said with a smile.
“Slocum,” said Townsend, “do you think it’s safe for these two to go back to work the way you done? Do you really think we’ve won this war with Amos?”
“Well, sir,” said Slocum, “right now, it looks that way to me. We hurt him pretty bad, and he’s not fighting back. He could go out recruiting some more hands, more gunfighters, but we don’t know that he’s been doing that. If we find out that he is, then we can go back to the way we been doing things.”
“Well, that makes sense to me,” said Townsend.
“Uncle,” said Julie, “are you sure?”
“There won’t be nothing to worry about, miss,” said Cash, leering at Julie. “Slocum, me, and Monkey, we’ll all still be right here on the ranch. We still got guards out, don’t we? If anyone’s coming, they can get word out to us fast enough.”
“Then it’s settled,” Townsend said. “In the morning, you two ride on out with Slocum. He’ll catch you up on where he’s at and what’s going on. Well, I’m going to turn in. It’s been a long day.”
Townsend got up and headed for the door, and the others all said good night to him. Slocum stood up. “We ought to be turning in too,” he said. “Good night.”
“Good night,” said Julie.
Slocum walked down off the porch. He looked back at Monkey and Cash.
“Go on, kid,” said Cash. “I’ll be along.”
Monkey joined Slocum walking back to the bunkhouse.
Julie started to stand up.
“You don’t need to be in a hurry,” said Cash, “do you?”
“Well, no,” she said. “I guess not. Do you have something on your mind?” Cash looked at her, and it became suddenly obvious what was on his mind. Julie got nervous. She stood up. “It has been a long day, Mr. Cash. I’ll say good night.”
Cash stood quickly and grabbed her by an arm. “Don’t rush off,” he said. “We got a lot to talk about.”
“We have nothing to talk about,” she said.
“Maybe you’re right. Talking’s a waste of time.” He took hold of her by both her shoulders and pulled her toward him, bending his head to try to force a kiss. Julie twisted her face away from him.
“Stop it,” she said. “Let me go.”
Cash slipped one arm around behind her back. He pulled her close to him. She put both hands on his chest in an attempt to push him away. Cash’s other hand went behind her head and his fist closed on a handful of hair. Still, she twisted her face, but Cash pressed against her. He managed to get his lips on hers, and while she clamped her mouth tight and continued to struggle, he slobbered a wet kiss over her mouth and face.
Julie slipped one hand loose and pulled Cash’s head away from her by his hair. With her other hand, she slapped him hard across the face. Surprised, he turned loose of her, and she stepped back, glaring at him.
“Get out of here,” she said. “Stay away from me.”
“Ain’t that the way you like it?” he said, rubbing his face where she had slapped him.
“Not like that,” she said, “and not any other way from you.”
“I suppose you’ll go tell Uncle about this and get me fired,” Cash said.
“No,” she said. “I won’t do that. But if you ever touch me again, I’ll kill you.”
She turned and went into the house, slamming the door behind her. Cash stood on the porch and laughed.