CHAPTER 15
Chet awoke and couldn’t shake his bleary mind. He dressed and went to find the café’s back door. The smell of bacon frying and fresh biscuits coming from the kitchen’s oven woke him a little more, pushing inside.
“You must be Chet?” the tall buxom blonde in the apron asked.
“That’s me.”
“I’m Hope. That table and the chairs are for you. I guess your friend will join you soon. How do you like your eggs?”
“Over and done.”
“Got it. New coffee is coming.”
“You sound busy?”
“We do a good business. I understand your buddy’s wife helps a woman who has one in Preskitt.”
“His wife used to do that.”
“He kind of explained she now has a boy to raise.”
“My son.”
“There you are, Hope. I said he’d beat me,” Cole said as he came into the room.
“Chet, Cole told me all about you and I am pleased to have you as special company. After breakfast, you can use this table for your office and anything else we can do, we will try to help.” She set down two cups of coffee. “It is very hot.”
“Thanks, Hope. Glad to meet you.”
Cole took a seat across from him. “I wonder how our man is getting along?”
“Too early to know. I didn’t sleep last night. But I guess we will settle all this someday, hopefully soon.”
“What else?”
“I volunteered you to help a lady who says they are rustling her cattle and the law won’t stop them.”
Cole frowned. “Who is that?”
“Wanda Hampton. A widow woman. Here is her card.”
“Hey, Hope?” Cole asked her. “Wanda Hampton?”
“Oh, she is very rich. A little dramatic but I think she is all right.”
“Cattle being rustled?” he asked.
Hope turned her palms up. “How should I know?”
“Well, I will go see about her problems.”
“Good. I need to go find a lawyer who recognized me.”
“Huh?”
“No problem. He knows me from Arizona, noticed me, and sent Wanda to me.”
Cole shook his head between bites of breakfast. “You are, maybe, too famous.”
“Not that bad. I’ll look at real estate today. It may be a long visit.”
“Or Jesus and them will find something over there at Chama.”
“You can always hope.”
After breakfast, Chet went to the real estate office of Gurley Golden. The short near bald fat man in his forties was showing him ranch maps.
“This place is really great. It has water and good summer range.”
“How many cows will it run?”
“Eighty.”
“That won’t pay cowboy wages.”
“Mr. Byrnes, how big a ranch do you want?”
“Five hundred head of mother cows.”
Golden slapped his forehead and gave an exhausted sound. “That ranch would cost thousands of dollars.”
“That ranch would pay some bills.”
Golden shook his head. “I don’t have a listing like that.”
“Who has such a ranch?”
“The Mendoza family over in New Mexico.”
“Would they sell it?”
“I don’t know, but I can go down there and ask the old man.”
“When will you know?”
“I will know and be back by Friday.”
“Good . . . now we are getting somewhere.”
“Thank you, Mr. Byrnes. I will have a price for his ranch.”
Chet next went by a stationery store, wrote Liz a letter, and sealed it. The man behind the counter stamped it and promised he’d post it before the stage left with the mailbag.
Cole came back from his meeting, shaking his head. “That woman needs a foreman. All she has are some mere boys to herd her cattle, and the foreman is a good field worker, not a ranch foreman. If she doesn’t hire some tough cowboys and a real boss over them, she won’t have a ranch left.”
“What do you think?”
“All those boys she has are field help to hoe weeds. I don’t blame the sheriff for not doing anything. He can’t stay out there and keep the rustlers off the ranch. The boys she has need to have someone to show them how to do things.”
“Who have we got could do it?”
“Spencer. He’s damn tough, loves cowboy work, and he might even satisfy her.”
“Send word. Wait . . . what about Buck McCray?”
“He’s one of Tom’s best men. He could run anyone’s ranch.”
Chet thought the same but was thinking more about Spencer. “Come to think on it, I don’t think Spencer wants himself such a sophisticated woman like her.”
“Then, what about Buck?”
“He does have the experience to handle whatever comes along.”
Cole laughed. “If we take Buck, I bet we’d lose Dooley too. He likes Buck, goes where he goes, and he would make a good jingle bob.”
“You are right. He’d back Buck good and they’d be a super team. Send word for them to meet us at her ranch the day after tomorrow. That should be enough time for them to get there.”
Cole agreed. “Nothing is happening here, so I’ll go get them two myself, and by Thursday we’ll be at her ranch. You tell her what we are doing?”
Before going to see Wanda Hampton, Chet found the lawyer Skinner. Chet explained the situation and Skinner had promised him no more advertising he was in town. Next, Mrs. Hampton. He could not imagine keeping her entertained for as long as it would take for the boys to come back here, but at least he had her problem settled. The deal was fixed. He left lawyer Skinner’s office and went to find her and tell her what they planned. At least he had not heard about any more attacks on the stage line. But they were a long ways from home to hear anything.
He located her in the rose garden of her town house. She had some snippers and was cutting the roses and putting them into the tissue paper she held in her other arm.
“Ah, where is that man, Cole, who works for you at?”
“Why? You fall in love already?”
“You said he had a wife and your son.”
“He does. Cole has gone to get a man to be your ranch foreman. He also will bring his assistant, a man named Dooley.”
She rose to her feet. “I have a foreman.”
“He can go on being your foreman of the men who work around the house. Buck, Dooley, and a handful of cowboys they hire will take over and maintain the cattle herd and will run off the rustlers.”
“Come into the house.” Carrying the roses she had cut in her arm, she moved toward the house. As she got closer, a maid opened the double doors for them.
“This is Señor Byrnes. Mary Anna.”
“Good day, sir. Aren’t her roses pretty?”
“Very pretty.”
“You, my dear, may arrange them today. Señor Byrnes and I have business to discuss about the ranchero.”
The office held a great polished dark wood table and some straight-back chairs. She showed Chet to one and took another.
“Now how will this work? Your plan?”
“As I said, the Mexican boys you have now can do farming and your hay operation. For your cattle operation, I have a great ranch foreman and his segundo. They will take care of the cattle portion with a few cowboys they will hire. With them in charge no one will rustle another head of stock. Buck is his name and I will drive you out to your ranch on Thursday to meet him and Dooley.”
“How old is he, this Buck?”
“Forty-two I’d say. Smart man.”
“Does he dance?”
“Never knew a Texas cowboy couldn’t dance some. You can tune him up a little. He’ll dance with you.”
“Has he ever been to an opera?”
“Doubt it, but I bet he’d take you to one.”
“If he doesn’t, I’ll expect it anyway.”
“He is a good man and knows the ranching business.”
“Skinner was right. He said you could solve my problems.”
“Thursday. You have a buckboard?”
“Of course. I will have breakfast ready at seven.”
“I will be here.”
“May I kiss you?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t need you writing my wife that I am running around kissing widows in Colorado.”
She broke out laughing. “I would not be that indiscreet.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“Thursday morning at seven?”
“Yes, and know that I think this man is the best one I know available for the job.”
“I have no objections.”
“Good.” He left her rearranging the girl’s work at setting up the roses.
No word from Spud. Maybe there was nothing to be found. There had to be.
* * *
Thursday, the housekeeper, Mary Anna, cheerfully answered the door for him in the cool morning mountain air. She welcomed him and showed him to the dining room.
“She said your wife was Hispanic?”
“Elizabeth comes from Mexico.”
“You like Mexican women?”
“Only my wife.”
With a mischievous smile she said, “Well, forgive me . . . I had to ask.”
“I forgive you. Thanks . . . I can seat myself.”
“Ah, Mr. Byrnes, you made it.” Wanda appeared in the doorway.
“You look lovely.”
She wore a divided riding skirt and a white silk blouse. A much more attractive outfit than her other clothing. She thanked him, taking her seat across from him. “I am excited about today. Will they be at the ranch when we get there?”
“Cole will have them there.”
“I know you are here on business and I am hoarding your time.”
“No problem. Glad to help.”
“I am grateful and wish I could help you solve your problems. I fear my husband left me thinking to just go on running the ranch with my present foreman.”
“How long ago did he pass on?”
“Almost two years now. He had a heart attack and died that evening.”
“I understand such a loss.”
“Of course. You have such faith in this man that you are bringing me. Tell me why?”
“Tom, my large ranch foreman, told me he could run any ranch. Buck had been running a ranch in southeast Arizona, and the ranch was sold to a man from the east. He came to the ranch and told Buck that he considered branding inhumane. They would no longer brand his cattle. Buck quit, never found another foreman job, so Tom hired him to help him.”
“How would that other man find his cattle?”
“Wanda, I have no idea. But Buck can straighten out your problems and make you money.”
“I have no doubt you know your business. Is the breakfast satisfactory?”
“Excellent. We need to leave here shortly.”
“Oh, I am ready to go when you are.”
“Let’s go.” He finished his coffee and Mary Anna brought him his hat.
The drive in the buckboard went smoothly. The hipshot horses at the hitch rail were familiar. The house wasn’t as large as her Durango residence, but it was not a typical ranch house. Three men stood up on the front porch and removed their hats for her.
Chet introduced them to her, then a woman came out of the house and spoke to her. “I will have dinner at noon for all of you. Meanwhile I have made fresh coffee since the men told me they didn’t drink whiskey until evening.”
“Very good, Louise. This is Mr. Byrnes. He has these men on his payroll.”
She curtsied. “Nice to meet you, sir. We can go inside and you can explain this to me.”
The meeting soon became more relaxed and Chet let Buck lead the conversation. By then she had him calling her Wanda.
“Wanda, it will take me a few weeks to hire the men I want to ride for me. I have been here long enough to know there are some good men looking for ranch jobs doing lesser jobs than that.”
“Oh, I understand. This will be your job. Chet says you can handle it.”
“I have stopped rustling on several ranches I worked for. I looked around a little before you got here, and I saw that your ranch needs some better bulls. Many are old, a few even crippled. But we can handle that.”
“I will count on you to make such decisions. Anything else you see?”
“Dooley and I left our winter clothes at home.”
“No problem. I can get you the clothes.”
“You want anything shipped?” Chet asked Buck.
She waved away any concern. “Send their personal things. I will handle the rest.”
“Thanks.”
They had lunch after settling on Buck’s salary at a hundred a month and a bonus on cattle sales. Dooley moved up to sixty and the hands to be hired at thirty dollars a month. When she excused herself, Buck turned to Chet. “It was sure nice of you to think of us. I hope Tom can find some new men.”
“He can find men to sit in saddles, but I bet they aren’t you two. Good luck. Oh, and if you ever get a chance, take her to an opera. When we came back from Nebraska through Denver I took my wife to one. It really impressed her.”
Buck smiled. “Thanks. I’d have never thought about that.”
Dooley laughed. Chet knew they could handle this job.
He drove her back that afternoon and delivered her to her front door. She thanked him, kissed his cheek, and told him she appreciated him. “I also will not tell your wife I kissed you. May God go with you.”
Back in the lobby of his hotel, the desk clerk handed him his key and a letter. Not a posted mail one. He waited until he was in his room to open it.
Chet, I found the guy with frackles. He came in late last night to use a hore named Beth Ann. I am finding out where he lives. Pretty secret-like deal. I will have more info after today. Spud
This guy must really be in hiding. He wondered when Cole would be back. The café might be the best place to meet him. Going out, he left the key with the clerk, hurried down the back street in between two buildings to see if anyone tailed him. No one showed up. He ducked through the back door of the café, said hi to Hope, and took a seat at their table.
She brought him some fresh coffee. “You get Mrs. Hampton settled?”
“Settled? No, but now she has some good men to run her ranch and that made her a lot easier to help.”
“You are the good fairy.”
“Sometimes. Cole was the one who figured out her needs.”
“I am learning how much he thinks like you.”
“He was my right hand for a couple of years.”
“Now he runs the stage line and you helped him find his wife.”
“That is close to the truth.”
She laughed. “I really thought at first he was on the lookout to find a woman. He isn’t.”
“No, he isn’t. But he is a sharp man and everyone likes him.”
“You want to eat. I have some chicken-fried steaks, mashed potatoes, and gravy.”
“I’ll start. He should be here soon.”
She nodded. Hope reminded him so much of his first wife, Marge. Tall enough to kiss standing up. A good woman who treated him well. He wouldn’t trade places with his present wife, but he had had a good time with Marge. She also left him a fine son, Adam. He had been real lucky in all of his life. At this moment, though, all he wanted was Hall and his boss arrested so he could get on with his life.
Cole arrived and he handed him the letter from Spud. His man read it quickly. “What next?”
“He has to tell us what he finds.”
“I hope he isn’t in any trouble. This guy really has stayed hid.”
Chet agreed with both items. They had to be close to finding at least one of them.