Bucking the Odds Page 5

  “Riders following me….bad men watch out!”

  That was all he said before he passed out. Chester managed to hold him up and got him to a wagon parked in the yard.

  His wife Ida arrived in time to help him lift the dead weight into the wagon and he yelled for his boy Jack. Jack was just sixteen, but like most boys on the frontier was more man than boy, and he came sliding to his father’s side.

  “Jack, saddle up your horse and take Will’s horse and head north for a few miles and then circle carefully around and head south to the Bronson Store. Tell them that Will is wounded and we are taking him to Fort Union…and Jack be fast, but be careful.”

  Ida went in the house to get some supplies for the trip and Chester covered Will with a tarp as he watched Jack ride off leading Will’s horse. Before he had a chance to get his mare for the wagon he saw the three riders coming down the road. He stood waiting by the wagon as they rode in hoping that Will would not moan, or even recover and move.

  “Howdy what can I do for you?”

  The older man looked carefully around the yard.

  “Well we’re looking for a man who rode in here, probably wounded, his tracks led right in here.”

  Chester noticed that all three were armed with both pistols and rifles. He knew that there was no sense lying to them because they could see the tracks that they had followed so far.

  “Well, you will have to keep riding because he rode on out of here to the north some time ago, said he was going to Williston to find a doctor.”

  Moses Decker stared at him for a moment and then he drew his gun.

  “Did he give his name, or do you know him?”

  Chester wasn’t about to give any information that they didn’t already know.

  “No, no name and I never seen him before, just wanted some water and rode right out.”

  Moses studied him carefully.

  “I believe you might be lying, I’ve been to Williston and it’s a mighty small place to have a doctor… he could be holed up in your house.”

  Suddenly the door burst open and there was Ida, standing on the porch, holding a twelve gauge Greener shotgun leveled right at them.

  “You heard what my husband said, now you put that gun away and git, or I blow you out of the saddle, I’m sure I can get a couple of you from here.”

  All three men stiffened, facing a double barreled shotgun is a fearful thing at the best of times, but one being held by a nervous woman was doubly fearful. While they were staring into the barrels of the big gun, Chester reached behind him and grabbed the rifle leaning against the wagon.

  “And whoever is still alive after that, I’ll get from here.”

  Moses slowly holstered his pistol.

  “If you’re lying, we’ll be back!”

  Chester and Ida held their ground and now Chester did the talking.

  “You do what you want…we’ll be here.”

  They swung their horses and rode out to the north, and when they were out of sight Chester ran and got the mare. Ida came out carrying two sacks, one with food for the trip and the other with bandages and material to clean and dress Will’s wound.

  It would be a full two day ride to Fort Union because they would have to take it fairly easy to keep Will from starting to bleed again. They padded the wagon with hay for him to lay on and all through the moving he never woke up.

  Chester was worried that he was dying, but Ida had been brought up as an army child and had seen and taken care of her share of wounds as a young woman, so this was nothing new for her.

  The bullet had gone clean through and she was hoping that it didn’t hit a bone or anything vital, but that would be up to the doctor to find out, all she had to do was to make sure he was alive when they reached him.

  The Deckers followed Wills horse’s trail north for a few miles and they were so intent on the trail of his horse that they didn’t notice the other tracks made by Jack. He did as his father had told him and after a few miles he turned to the west, picked up his speed and by alternating horses he was able to keep a steady fast pace for the Bronson Store.

  Moses picked up the track where he turned off to the west and now he started wondering about the other track that was paralleling it. He realized that the direction led back to the store where the boys shot the wrong man, but he knew now that he was not after the wrong man and his anger drove him on.

  Jack arrived well ahead of them and delivered the news to Julia who had Rusty ride to the ranch to get the boy’s together. As it happened Ryan was there getting some supplies for him and his workers so he stayed until Curly and Texas Jack arrived and they all talked the situation over.

  Julia wanted to saddle up and ride out right away but it was getting late in the day so they convinced her to wait and they would all ride together to Fort Union in the morning.

  Moses was watching this meeting in front of the store with the binoculars he had stolen from Lawson’s cabin.

  “Well I’ll be hornswoggled for a damn fool, we been following the tracks of an empty horse, those damn nesters pulled one over on me.”

  The boys watched on as he ranted on to himself, they had seen him upset before, but never like this, and they were afraid to say anything that might turn his ire on them. He looked back at the store one more time.

  “They’re a good bit of the way to Fort Union by now, I knew there weren’t no doctor in Williston. It’s late now and they will probably send someone in the morning, so we’ll bed down here and follow them….it’s probably Fort Union, but that way we’ll be sure…and I’ll kill anyone that gets in my way.”

  Ryan went back to the mine with the supplies and to pick up a rifle he had, thinking it might

  come in handy. He had been a sharpshooter in the war, but it was something he never talked about, the killing of men was something he was not proud of.

  When the morning came they were all ready to go when Ryan rode up. They had decided to leave Curly to look after the women and kids. He put up an argument but he also knew that these were very bad men and they might come back.

  Rusty won the argument with Julia and she relented to let him ride along so the five of them, including Jack, headed out for Fort Union. They figured the ride would probably take the wagon two days but they could make it in one day of hard riding, so they should be arriving not much later than Chester, Ida and Will.

  Chapter 6

  When Will opened his eyes he was looking at a man he didn’t know, the man looked down at him and smiled.

  “Welcome back, I’m Doctor Hensley, and I’m happy to tell you that although your body suffered a great shock and you lost a lot of blood, it appears that no damage was done to any vital organs. You will need bed rest for a couple of weeks, but you will recover nicely,”

  Will attempted a smile, but he felt almost too weak to do that, and his voice was a whisper.

  “Thanks Doc….”

  The doctor cut him off before he could say any more.

  “I don’t want you to talk for the next couple of days, I need you to have complete rest to build your strength up again. There are some people outside waiting, and I will let one of them in now to see you….but only if you promise not to talk.”

  This time Will only nodded a weak nod and the doctor went to the door and in a moment came back in with Julia. She came over to the side of his bed and sat on a chair that was there and took his hand gently in hers.

  “I know that you are not supposed to talk and you are very tired, but I just want to sit here a minute with you. Ryan, Texas Jack and Rusty all rode in with me and I’ll be here until you are able to come home.”

  He didn’t try to speak, not because the doctor told him not to or because he was too weak, he just didn’t know what to say to this beautiful woman sitting beside him. She was told by the doctor that she could only stay a few minutes, and as she looked down at his pale face knowing she would have to go now, she leaned over him and gently kissed him on the lips. When she pulled back s
he could see a slight smile on his face.

  “You once muttered that you wouldn’t make advances toward me unless I asked you.”

  She leaned closer to him again.

  “Well now I’m asking you to.”

  With that said, she kissed him gently one more time and then got up and left.

  He felt his heart soar or was it the weakness overcoming him again. He had hoped for this day secretly since the day he first saw her standing on the bank of the river. When the door closed he drifted off to sleep.

  Julia told the others about her visit, leaving out the kissing part, and said they would have their chance tomorrow. After talking with Chester and Ida they realized that these killers were not about to give up, and with Will laying helpless in what served as the doctor’s quarters when he did civilian work, he was easy prey for them if they wanted to try.

  The small group of weary riders went to the Hotel, and over a late dinner Texas Jack and Ryan decided that they would take turns watching over Will even though they were not sure if the killers would try again. Julia objected and wanted to stand guard because she was the only one of them all who could identify them. She had seen the old man clearly by the firelight but not the boys. But she did get to see them all clearly when they shot Barney.

  The two men would have nothing of it, they said they would just watch for anyone wanting to get near the building that held Will. From where they were they could not see the three riders unsaddling their horses at the livery.

  Moses, along with his remaining boys John and Matthew, were equally tired. Once Moses suspected that Will was being taken to Fort Union he decided to wait and follow the riders from the store, for he knew that they would be riding to wherever his quarry was.

  They had never been in Fort Union before and now all they had to do was find out where he was and kill him, but first they needed a place to stay. They were not used to staying in a town with this many people so the made a deal with the livery owner to sleep in the hay loft.

  From the hostler he also learned that a wounded man had been brought into town earlier and the building that held him was just across the street. Moses opened the hay loft door enough to peer out at the small building. He was all ready to climb down and cross the street when he noticed one of the men he had seen through the binoculars coming down the street.

  He was carrying a rifle, and he watched as the man got a chair from the building and sat it beside the door. In his mind this didn’t complicate things too badly because he could be killed too, but he was worried…towns and people worried him. He had always waited until he had the advantage in any kind of fight and had no qualms of killing, so he would wait.

  They waited above the livery for five days watching day and night and there always was a guard by the door. He noticed the girl and the young one coming and going every day and he felt sure that she could probably recognise him, but then a plan was coming to his mind.

  He noticed that the young boy usually went back to the hotel alone a while before his mother left and it was usually the same time in the evening. For a price, the hostler had been bringing them food, he knew there was something suspicious about the three men, but as long as he was being paid he kept quiet.

  The boys were getting real antsy being cooped up in the hay loft of the livery but he dared not let them out on the street where they might be recognised. His eyes lit up and he snapped his fingers and turned to John.

  “That’s it! John you take Matthew and saddle up your horses and wait behind the hotel and when that young boy comes by this evening you snatch him off the street as quietly as you can. I’ll wait here and watch to make sure those guards don’t move.”

  The boys jumped at the chance to get out of the loft and started for the ladder.

  “When you get him ride out the south road and wait for me. Don’t hurt him I want him alive…at least for now.”

  With the plan in place the boys headed down the ladder and rode out up the street being careful not to arouse the attention of Texas Jack who was on guard duty. When they reached the alley by the hotel they turned in and Matthew held the horses while John stood in the darkening alley. It was not long before he saw the boy coming along the sidewalk towards the hotel.

  John signaled Matthew and when the boy passed his hiding spot he reached out quickly and grabbed him, putting one hand over his mouth. Rusty fought and kicked but he was no match for the strength of this man. John tied a gag on his mouth and threw him up in front of Matthew and they rode off behind the hotel.

  Moses had watched as the boy left the building, he could not see the hotel clearly from there but he waited long enough for the boys to get the job done and then he descended the ladder and mounted his horse that the boys had already saddled.

  Now came the dangerous part for him, he rode to the hotel and dismounted and went in, he knew he had a few minutes before the girl would show up. He went to the clerk and handed him a folded piece of paper.

  “Give this to the young lady with the boy”

  The clerk took the paper.

  “That would be Mrs. Wilks.”

  That was all he said as he turned and placed the paper in a slot behind him. When he turned back the man was gone. A few minutes later when Julia arrived he called her over and handed her the note which she unfolded and read.

  “We have your boy and I am willing to trade him for the killer of my two boys. You bring him to the place where he shot my first boy by noon two days from now and I’ll let your son live. If not the boy dies. I’ll be watching and if anyone else rides with you, I’ll kill the boy and ride on.”

  Julia gasped as she read the last of the message and turned to the clerk.

  “Did my boy come in a little while ago?”

  The clerk could see she was distraught.

  “No, ma’am, just the man who left that note.”

  She turned and ran up the stairs to her room, but it was dark and there was no sign of Rusty. Now she turned and ran back to the doctor’s office and barged in past Texas Jack. He could see she was in some kind of trouble and he followed her in.

  Will had been recovering nicely and although he was still too weak to walk much, he was able to get up and sit and she found him sitting on the lounge chair. One look at her and he could tell there was something wrong.

  “What’s happened?”

  She was shaking so badly that she couldn’t speak so she just handed him the note. He read the note while she stood in front of him, she wasn’t crying but she was visibly shaking. Texas Jack was just behind her and he watched while Will finished the note and handed it to him.

  He stood up shakily and held Julia tightly in his arms.

  “Don’t worry Jule, we’ll get him back.”

  His assurance seemed to help as her shaking subsided some.

  “How? How can we get him back?”

  He was stumped for a minute as he looked over her shoulder at Texas Jack. He was making a motion for him to get Julia out of there and Will figured that would be a good thing if they were going to make some plans. Ryan showed up to make the guard change and he too read the note. Will was sitting again now.

  “Jule, I want you to go to the hotel and try and get some rest while we figure this out.”

  She snapped her head up suddenly.

  “I won’t! I won’t go! I won’t be left out of this!”

  Will and the others could see that there was no amount of talking that would change her mind.

  “OK, Jule I didn’t mean to say that this was not important to you.”

  She relaxed a bit and stood as Texas Jack and Ryan pulled up some chairs and they all sat for a minute letting it all sink in. Ryan was the first to speak.

  “What’s the country like around the area where he wants to meet?”

  Will thought for a minute, visualizing the area in his mind. He had been past that area many times on his way to the river but that was the first time he camped there.

  “It’s pretty clear fo
r quite a ways around and there is a small copse of trees beside a little flat area.”

  Ryan digested the information for a moment.

  “When you say ‘a ways around’ how far would that be, five hundred…a thousand yards?”

  Will was a rancher and a pretty fair judge of distance so he visualized the spot again, this time more carefully.

  “I’d say more like fifteen hundred yards and there is a high point a little to the west of the flat spot which would be a good place to put a lookout. That spot to the nearest trees would be about a thousand yards.”

  Ryan rubbed is hands together almost in glee.

  “That’s good, I can make a thousand yard shot, but fifteen hundred is stretching it.”

  He proceeded to tell them about his war history and that he still had the gun he used.

  Texas Jack waited his turn.

  “Well that would take care of one of them, how can you take on the other two while they’re holding the boy?”

  Will shook his head, looking for an answer.

  “Well they know I was wounded so they wouldn’t be surprised to see Jule and me in a wagon instead of horseback. So all we have to do is rig the wagon to hide someone else without being seen.”

  Texas Jack jumped up almost knocking his chair over,

  “I’ll fix that, don’t worry, it will be ready for you to leave first thing in the morning and that will give us a day and a half to get there.”

  Ryan followed Texas Jack out to give him a hand and Julia went to Will’s side.

  “I don’t know what we can do, but you don’t have to do this…”

  He cut her off before she could finish.

  “I have to do this Jule, if I didn’t go and Rusty were killed I would never be able to live with myself…or you. I should have listened to you and not rode off for vengeance. They might have given up the idea of killing me after shooting Barney, but when I killed another one of his boys I knew that he would never stop, I’m sorry Jule.”

  The doctor came in to check on him for the night.

  “What’s all the commotion going on, with people running in and out of here?”