Chaparral Range War (9781101619049) Read online

  “Yeah, now. One of Whitmore’s gun hands rode out to Ted Rawlings’s place with two men. Carl Ruth told his men to search the ranch for evidence that Rawlings killed a Whitmore steer. That’s illegal; he had no search warrant or even the authority. Words came to action, and they gunned Rawlings down. He has some bullets in his body and refuses medical attention, since his brother died on an operating table in El Paso over bullet removal. I told Rawlings he’d die.”

  “My God, he will.”

  Guthrey shook his head. “Nothing me or Noble could do.”

  “How bad off is Ruth?”

  “Doc says he’ll probably live to stand trial.” Guthrey lowered his voice. “Cally can’t come to see you until Friday. That all right?”

  “Sure. Something else wrong?”

  “The Mormons want to talk to me at the dinner-dance Saturday night about taking over as sheriff.”

  Dan nodded. “I’m not surprised they want you to take the sheriff job. Are you going to do it?”

  Guthrey nodded. “We’ll see.”

  “That would put you right in front of Whitmore’s guns.” Dan frowned at him. “Let me know what they say when you talk to them.”

  He agreed and clapped Dan on the shoulder. “Keep healing. We’ll keep cowboying.”

  “Thanks and be careful. You too, Noble.”

  Noble had made his way into the back bedroom. “I will, Dan, don’t worry about us. We’re going to get to the bottom of all this smelly business.”

  “You get well,” Guthrey said, fatherly-like. “We’re going back tonight. I don’t like Cally being alone up there.”

  “I’m fine here. You take care of your business, and I’ll look for you two when you get time.”

  Guthrey and Noble took the tied-up guard to the jail. When they got there, a grizzly faced old man woke up in chair behind the desk and frowned at them.

  “Who in the hell are you two?”

  “We have another prisoner for your jail,” Guthrey announced. “His partner is over at Doc’s being treated for lead poisoning. You will need to jail him too when he wakes up tomorrow.”

  “By God, I’m about to run out of room and places to put them.”

  “Well, pappy, you may need to build a larger jail to house them all.” Guthrey took the rope off their prisoner, and when the old man opened the cell, he shoved him inside.

  “Hey, there ain’t no bed left in here,” the man grumbled.

  “Sleep on the damn floor,” Noble said. “You wouldn’t be in there if you’d minded your own damn business.”

  The man shook a fist at him. “I get out of here, you old galoot, I’ll stomp your ass.”

  “You can try, but then they won’t need room for you except in a box at the cemetery.”

  Guthrey laughed at Noble’s promise and went out to the telegraph part of the building. He used a piece of paper and addressed it to Judge Collier.

  Judge, the man we jailed last night (John Doe—he wouldn’t give us his name) was involved with wounded man (Carl Ruth) who’s now at Doc’s after terrorizing a rancher, Ted Rawlings, who will die from the gunshot wounds they gave him while he was protecting his wife and family. Two others were with Ruth on this raid. I will try to apprehend them. Phillip Guthrey.

  He left two bits on top of it for Tommy to deliver the message to Collier in the morning. Then he and Noble headed back for the ranch under the stars. The sun was peeking over the eastern horizon when they reached the lighted house. Cally rushed out to hug Guthrey, and the Rawlings girl stood back in the doorway.

  “How is Ted?” Cally asked, burying her face in his vest.

  “They shot him, but he won’t let a doctor look at his wounds. So he’s going to die.”

  Cally glanced up and blinked at him. “He what?”

  Guthrey told her the story and Eva, his daughter, added, “I believe you’re right, Guthrey. He just hates doctors.”

  “So you saw Dan in town?” Cally asked. “How is he?”

  “Fine. He said we were excused from coming back until after we talk to those men at the dance. But he wants to know how that works out and what their plans are.”

  “I will have the food ready shortly. When did you two eat last?”

  He hugged her. “How long, Noble?”

  “Maybe a week.” They all laughed.

  “You two put those horses up, then clean up. Eva and I will fill your hollow bellies.”

  They took their mounts to the corral. Unsaddling them as the day burst open, Guthrey’s eyes burned in the bright light. A good sleep would be a big deal he’d enjoy. The muscles in his legs and back felt stiff and sore as he tossed his saddle on the corral rail.

  “I don’t know about you,” Noble said. “But I’m about caved in.”

  “Me too. After we eat I’m going to sleep for two days.”

  He and Noble headed for the house. How much more would Whitmore try? He was no doubt a long ways from being through with his business of running folks off the land. How could he be stopped? What would come from him next?

  At this point Guthrey was too tired to even think about it.

  TWELVE

  GUTHREY’S AWAKENING WAS slow. He had been sleeping on Dan’s cot and emerging from hard sleep; he sat up and rubbed his eyes.

  “You said to wake you up,” Cally said, seated on the edge of the narrow bed.

  He nodded. His nakedness was covered by the blanket, but he wondered where his clothes were at. His gun and holster hung on the nearby ladder-back chair. He could still recall her soft kiss that had awoken him. Sweet of her, but she was a good person.

  “I have some breakfast ready.”

  “What time is it?”

  “About six in the afternoon.”

  He nodded. “I’ll be down there in a few minutes.”

  “You all right?” She rose and looked at him with concern.

  “I’ll be fine. Just slept too hard.”

  “Eva went home to try to convince her father to go see a doctor.”

  “Good, she might convince him. He was set too hard for me to move him.”

  “I’m making you uncomfortable. I can tell. Sorry, I just wanted to be with you by myself for a few minutes.”

  He nodded. “I know, and I really appreciate you.”

  “I’m going, I’m going.” She hurried to the doorway. “Thanks. You make me happy.”

  “I’ll be out there quick as I can dress.”

  “Good.” And she was gone.

  He threw back the blanket and quickly pulled on his pants, then stood and caught his shirt. In a few moments, he pulled on his boots and strapped on his gun. His hat on, he left the shed and headed toward the house.

  When his hands and face were washed, he dried them on a flour-sack towel. Cally brought him some coffee and he accepted it with a kiss for her efforts. “Whew, I am still sobering up.”

  “We have a few days before the dance. What do we need to do?” She set the plates out for him and herself. “I let Noble sleep.”

  “Good idea. He’s a tough old man.” Guthrey sipped on the hot coffee, the rich fumes going up his nose. Nice to be back in her company to watch her swish around, setting the table for their breakfast.

  He took his place and she joined him. “Well, will you stay and be sheriff if they support your election?”

  “I wish I had that answer. If they’re serious, I imagine I’d probably run for office. But that doesn’t mean I’d be elected. I’d still have to convince the voters. Some voters would consider me a Texan and not vote for me. So it would be no shoo-in deal.”

  “I think everyone is ready for change.”

  “Oh, I’m not that sure.”

  She reached over and grasped his wrist. “Why not?”

 
“We’ll simply have to see.” He lifted her hand and kissed it.

  She blushed more than usual. “Yes, we will.”

  Noble slept on. So after the meal, she sat on Guthrey’s lap and fussed with him. For Guthrey it was a neat time. They were alone and acting kissy-faced. He hadn’t ever shared such a peaceful time with any other woman he could recall.

  “Maybe Kathryn was right. We do need a chaperone,” he teased.

  She threw her arms around him. “Oh, I’d hate that.”

  He agreed.

  They parted company near midnight. He went back to Dan’s cot and soon fell asleep. Sometime before dawn, Noble woke him.

  “We’ve got some company,” Noble whispered.

  “Who?” Guthrey asked, rising onto his elbows. A moment of shock had gripped him.

  “I think they’re Apaches.”

  “Oh, hell, what are they doing?”

  “Roping some of our horses right now. They woke me up doing that.”

  “Go to the house. Wake Cally and be certain that she’s all right. I’ll go see about the horse thieves.”

  “I can do that. You be damn careful.”

  “No problem.”

  Quickly getting dressed, he checked his Colt and was satisfied it was loaded. All he could do was hope that Noble could protect Cally. He slipped out in the starlight and could hear the horses being chased. Obviously the Apaches either needed fresh mounts or simply needed horses to ride.

  In the starlight he could see that one of them was on foot and had a horse on the end of a lariat. The horse was fighting to escape. The Indian must have smelled like an animal of prey to him.

  Guthrey fired his pistol in the air. “Leave my damn horses alone!”

  The Apache released the rope, horse and all. Another showed up on foot and shot at Guthrey with a rifle. Guthrey returned fire, and that silenced the shooter. Three braves on horseback swept in, picked up the two on foot, and raced away with them. Were they going away or planning to regroup?

  Guthrey hurried toward the ranch house, keeping a lookout behind him until he reached the front door and Cally let him inside.

  “Everyone all right?” he asked, taking the rifle she handed him.

  “Yes, we’re fine. What are they after?” she asked.

  “Horses. I expect they needed some to get to Mexico.”

  “They have never done this before.” She shook her head in the soft flickering candlelight.

  He hugged her shoulder to comfort her. “Times change. People like that get more desperate as time goes on.”

  After a short while he went back outside under the stars to listen for any sign of the raiders. The rifle in his hands, he worked his way from shed to shelter building until he was satisfied they had left. What in the hell would happen next?

  At sunup, three Apache army scouts and an officer arrived at the ranch. By then, Guthrey and Noble had counted the horses and knew the braves had only managed to rustle one. Guthrey considered their losses minimal.

  “They were here trying to steal horses a couple of hours before dawn,” Guthrey told Lieutenant Grayson as they all squatted on the ground by the corral. “I think they were mere boys.”

  “Yes, they are teenagers, but deadly.”

  “Oh, yes, they shot at me.”

  The officer nodded. “They killed a ranch couple north of here yesterday.”

  “Noble woke me, like I said. I found one of them had roped a horse that was spooked enough he was fighting his captor. Then another boy on foot shot at me. I shot at him and he ran like hell. Then three riders came and swept up the two on foot and left. We later determined they’d stolen a single horse.”

  “If we capture them, we will return the horse. If we can’t recover him, you can apply for compensation from the government office for his value.”

  “Thanks. We’d like to have him back, but we understand.”

  The triangle rang, and the three went to the house to eat the breakfast Cally had prepared. Guthrey saw that the officer was clearly attracted to Cally. He acted very proper but left after breakfast, thanking her graciously.

  Noble had gone to check on the irrigation water in the garden. Alone with Cally, Guthrey teased her about the lieutenant’s interest in her.

  “I have been to Fort Grant several times, and I cannot see myself as an officer’s wife, thank you.”

  He laughed, and she brandished her fist at him. “Don’t try so hard to get rid of me.”

  “Oh, I merely saw an opportunity I was afraid you might have missed.” He waved at her and went to check on Noble’s progress at changing the water set. Noble was just finishing up.

  “This irrigation system Cally’s father laid out for the garden really worked,” Guthrey said to Noble. “The little spring fills the small pond, then the system uses the head pressure so the water flows down the small cemented ditch with enough force to fill three rows at a time. The move is simple enough and utilizes the water available to keep this big garden so well watered.”

  “Danged if it don’t work well,” Noble agreed.

  “He must have been smart,” Guthrey said. “All of his spring setups on the range for watering stock work well too.”

  “Real smart. He never wore a gun. They killed an unarmed man when they shot him. Do you know why he didn’t wear a gun?”

  “No, why?”

  Noble dropped his head. “Told me he’d kilt enough men in the war. He wasn’t fighting that battle again.”

  “So they couldn’t provoke him into a fight and instead they simply murdered him.”

  “That’s about the measure of it.”

  “What else?”

  “It wasn’t like he didn’t have any guts. With his fists, he beat the hell out of one of Whitmore’s men for insulting a lady in town one day. Mrs. Green was practically assaulted by some hand named Bob James. Course James was drunk, like lots of them boys get. He had her bent over, kissing her and mauling her awful open-like. She was a real lady, and I guess Bridges knew that too. He came running over, tore James loose of her, and beat that damn drunk to a pulp.”

  “James still work for Whitmore?” Guthrey asked.

  “I reckon he does. I seen him a time or two since then.”

  “Did you ever think he could have shot Bridges to get even?” Guthrey asked.

  “Damn, Cap’n, I never put that together. He might have been the one. Now, why didn’t I put him down in my mind as a suspect?”

  “You see him, will you point him out to me?”

  “Boy, I mean Bridges beat him up. I believe his eyes are still black-and-blue from that beating.”

  “How was Mrs. Green after that event?”

  “She was all right. It was a big shame that she happened to be on the boardwalk when James staggered out of the cantina.”

  “The law should have arrested him.” Guthrey shook his head in disgust at the notion of a respectable woman being openly assaulted on the street of a town.

  Noble shook his head. “Now, as long as you’ve been here, have you ever seed any law in the Crossing?”

  “No, but they need some law so those drunk rannies walk the line when they’re in town. Can we ride up where Bridges was shot this morning?”

  “Sure, it’s up in Congress Canyon. Not much up there but a spring he developed.”

  “I want to look the site over.”

  “I’ll just tell Cally to watch the water set. No need to tell her where we’re going. It would only upset her.”

  Guthrey agreed, and they went to the house to tell Cally they were going to ride for a bit and might be back late for lunch.

  It took almost an hour to reach the opening in the side of the mountain that led to Congress Canyon. There were lots of tracks of animals and stock that
used the pathway.

  The canyon walls began to tower over them, and the way narrowed as they rode into the darker shadows. From the times of flash flooding, the narrow walls showed the high water mark, head high on the two riders. Damn sure not the place to be after a torrential rain fell in the mountains. The country soon widened out and some cottonwoods grew on the banks of the wash with potholes of water in the bed.

  They rode up to a stone-mortar dam, and Guthrey could see the water spilling over its lip. Both men dropped off their horses and let them drink. Noble gave a head toss for Guthrey to follow and he dropped his reins and led the way.

  There was a pipe coming out of the hillside and it came near half-full of water where it spilled into Harold Bridges’s pond. The man had spent some time building all this, and, like the rest of his water setups, it was neat and very strongly built.

  “Tell me something,” Guthrey asked, still looking over the situation. “You have to come in here by that trail and go out that trail to get away from here, right?”

  Noble nodded.

  “So the shooter must have been up here in waiting or else he came after Bridges.”

  “No one saw him or any others come or go.” Noble shook his head. “But I reckon that Dan came up here after dark and discovered him. His body was facedown when Dan found him. Right here.”

  “Was Bridges doing anything? Like repairs or anything?”

  “Best I recall, all he came up here for was to inspect the setup.”

  “Who would have been here, then?”

  “Damned if I know.”

  “Is there any gold or precious metals up here?” Guthrey looked at the high country surrounding them.

  “Why would you ask that?” Noble shook his head.

  “Let’s check around. We’re looking for signs of some digging around up here.”

  “Hell, they’ve dug up a big part of China looking for another Tombstone in all these mountains and canyons.”

  “Dan once told me that they owned lots of land. His dad bought several homestead parcels that were patented. What if there was gold or silver, even copper up here, and Bridges caught someone working it?”