Ambush Valley (21 page)

Chet left him with them and took their horses to the corral. One woman on each arm, they headed Reg for the house.

“I guess your nephew arrived,” Hoot said, standing on the rise wearing his apron.

“He made it.”

“Damn, he's a lot taller than JD. He taller than you?”

Chet said, “Yes. How is it going for you?”

“It won't get no better. I can manage this job. The hands all will dig in and help me and the boy. Tom told that boy next year he'd make him a cowboy.”

“Good. You will have to meet Reg. Those girls and his mother got him now.”

“I'm looking forward to meeting him.”

“Be good to have him up here.” Chet left the cook shack. What would happen next? Things were holding fairly good on the ranch business.

Saturday night, Chet wore a starched white shirt and a new tweed vest. He was introducing his nephew to all the folks he knew in his circle of acquaintances at the dance. Marge had bought Reg a new shirt as well. When JD arrived, he left Kay with the ranch women and joined them.

“How is the ranching going?” Chet asked him.

“Kent never did much for the ranch the last few years. She needs several old cows culled and some new bulls.”

“Can she afford them?”

“He didn't have much money in the bank. His funeral and all.”

“How many bulls do you need?”

“Six.”

Chet nodded. “I can loan you the money. I'll try to find the bulls, too.”

“I'll talk to her about it.”

“Do that. Need anything else?”

“I hate to ask you. But I could use three or four ranch horses. The ones he had are all old horses.”

“Reg can take them over next week. He said he wanted to help you some. The deal on the Hackberry ranch is going through. We may work all winter building some headquarters up there.”

“Great. I get some time, I want to see those Herefords you bought as well.”

“Any time. We're keeping them over at Perkins.”

“Chet, thanks, I won't worry anymore.”

“Hey, we're all family.”

“I didn't know what you thought about me getting involved in her marriage.”

“Hey, you thought it was right. That was what was important.”

“Thanks.” He smiled, looking relieved.

Back with Marge, she asked him what he and JD had settled.

“He needs some bulls and some saddle horses. I'll buy him the bulls and Reg can take him four horses next week. He said Floyd Kent had not done much with the ranch in a few years.”

“Well, father.” Marge grinned and swept him off on the dance floor. “I think you will have a brother-in-law—soon.”

“Susie?”

“Yes.”

“Good, I knew she'd never consider leaving the ranch if she fed those men. I made her mad but she also began to think about Susie. For a change.”

“I think you are becoming the patriarch of this family.”

“I have been ever since I was sixteen.”

“I know you never got to be on your own. And now you have me to contend with. God, I wish we were on some camping trip. I'd have you all to myself right now.”

“Let's go to Gallup and sell some beef.”

She frowned, then let down. “Sure, why not?”

The next day he did some investigation at Sam Eagan's law office about where the Navajo Agency was located, and found there were several agencies at various locations.

“Each one no doubt handles their own purchases of beef,” Eagan said.

“That's a big deal,” Chet said aloud. “How would I handle it then?”

“There must be a lawyer in Gallup who handles those kinds of deals,” Eagan said. “Let me find one for you and we'll write him and ask how we need to do it.”

“Good enough. You checked the deeds and paper on this Hackberry ranch deed, and they're all okay?”

“Yes, we are going to register them in the courthouse tomorrow and release the man's money in Saint Louis via telegram. You know, don't you, these Indian agents expect some things from contractors.”

“You mean money under the table?”

“You could call it that. Most folks consider it the cost of doing business. You understand, so don't explode when you are asked for something.”

“I won't, but they do get paid for being agents. Like the one down at Camp Verde, that I got forced out over mistreating them last year.”

“Yes.” He smiled. “I simply wanted to let you know what to expect.”

“Find out about them. Ranchers around here need a good market for their beef.”

When he joined Marge later, they started home. She wanted to know all he'd learned about selling beef to Navajo agencies.

“Damn complicated. Eagan told me there are several agencies, not one. He's going to find me a lawyer up there in New Mexico and see how to do it.”

“Then we won't get to go camping.” She dropped her chin in disappointment.

“Hey, we can go anyway, to someplace.”

“Good.” She took his arm and clung to it. “Where are we going now?”

“Home for right now. I need to find JD six bulls. Tom bought some shorthorn bulls at Hayden's Mill from a man I may mail a letter to and see if he has any more.”

“You will be in the bull business in a year, right?”

“Yes, we'll have white face bulls by then for sale—but he needs bulls now.”

“So if you get the Navajo reservation contract, it could mean big herds of cattle to be driven up there?”

“Sounds big to me. But I think we've got the men and can get the livestock to handle it.”

“Sounds like a mountain to me. Did Reg take him some horses to ride?”

“Yes, he took him six head when he went down there this morning. We decided he needed that many.”

“I can't imagine her husband not doing better than that. Maybe he got so depressed was why he shot himself?”

“It's sad. I hope for both their sakes this deal works for them.”

“I thought that you acted concerned about them. You are, aren't you?”

“I have a gut feeling it won't last. I've had for some reason since it began, and I want it to work and will do all I can to help them. But something ain't right.”

“I'm glad you told me that. I simply expected it to work. Maybe I overlooked something.”

“Can't help it.”

“I have no problem, but you have lots of powers at seeing things for what they are. There is an article in the
Miner
about how Sheriff Sims solved the matter of the Artmans' lost money and how he arrested Nathan for the theft. I am certain you will be mad when you read it.”

He clucked to the horses, still mulling over the Navajo deal. Selling them beef might be more work than he wanted as well. He'd try to keep an open mind. He knew the night he told Roamer his idea that Sims would get all the credit and he would never mention his deputy who solved it for him.

The next morning, he was ready to go check on things down on the Verde. Marge didn't go along. He threw his saddle, blankets, and bridle in the buckboard, and arrived mid-morning at the ranch. First he went to the house to see the girls, and then he went to checking on the hammer drivers. The roof was shingled on the bunkhouse and they were laying out the lath to put one on the cook shack next.

Hoot met him, drying his hands. “All these afternoon showers will sure grow some grass, but it's been hell, so they roofed both of them this week.”

Chet agreed and drank a cup of coffee at the table with his cook. “All going right around here?”

“I'd say it was going damn good. What do you think?”

“Oh, I'm grateful to have a nice wife. So many hard workers and we're building a real ranch here.”

“Been a helluva year and a half for you, ain't it?”

“You don't know, Hoot. If I lived it over I'd like Heck to be alive. He was making a real man.”

“I know I couldn't believe anyone got that grown-up in such a short period of time. You going to sell some beef?”

“If we can find a market. We need that. Folks need beef but getting to them is a problem.”

Hoot agreed, then turned his head northward. “How many years till they've got a railroad up there?”

“Oh, ten, maybe more.”

“I heard the reason no one cattle ranched in this country before was they were too far from markets, so they ran sheep and sold the wool, which could be hauled down by wagon to Yuma and put on ships in the Gulf of California.”

“I bet you're right. But we'll sell our cattle for a profit.”

“I sure don't doubt that, boss man. You know they eat lots of beef down at Tombstone—of course old man Clanton has all that beef business.”

“That market may be closed.” Chet laughed thinking about it. He'd never seen Tombstone either. It was twenty miles south of Benson on the main stage line. Big place—lots of people were down there. There was also lots of talk about crooked businessmen who held all the government, military, and Indian contracts running things in Tucson.

“I need to check on a few things and get back home.”

“Lots of folks been coming by looking at that Mexican horse you call Barb.”

“He's been busy since we got here. Should be some grand colts next year.”

“I am going to look for them.”

“Where is Corey?”

“Ah, Tom lets him ride with the crew one day. It's making a real man out of him.”

“Good.” He left Hoot to his half-finished cook shack. Then he drove back to the Preskit Valley and his wife, who met him at the backyard gate. Jesus had taken the team to put up. He thanked him.

“Reg is here,” she said, as he swept her up and kissed her.

“Good. What does he know?”

“I'll let him tell you. He's excited about the upper ranch.”

“Good.” He looked up at his nephew. “Hey, how is your brother doing?”

“All right.”

“You know about ranching. Will they make it?”

Reg simply nodded.

“Let's go inside. You two can talk in there.”

“Well, it didn't rain on me today. Guess my rainmaker power is getting weak,” Chet said, herding them inside ahead of him.

“He mentioned or asked me for some bulls.”

“He needs them. His bulls are culls.”

Reg shook his head. “That probably is only half of his problems.”

They took seats in the living room and Chet told Marge to join them. “She's family.”

Reg agreed.

“What is going on?”

“Her husband hadn't done much in the past years. He had some alfalfa acreage watered by an artisan well. He must've stopped watering it. It's dead. That was horse hay, milk cow hay, and bummer calves feed. It also was their garden. Nothing.”

“I can send her produce. We have plenty.”

“I don't know, Marge. She's pretty touchy about folks helping her. Those two got in such an argument, I kinda felt out of place and told them I needed to check on some things. I hated it, but I'm kinda upset anyway and I don't need that—I love him and like her but I sure am not going to sit in the middle of all that. I hope JD understands.”

“He will in time. I don't think any of us can do much. They'll have to figure it out. I didn't want to admit it I guess, but you're right, the place has been neglected and run down. Any success they get is only going to come from getting things fixed.”

Reg looked relieved. “You two tell me about this new ranch.”

Marge beamed. “It's up on the high country. Tell him about how the man got it.”

Chet explained how the government aided the railroad in building the tracks and how the sections alternated on sides of the track and how Boxley had traded his other land for some closer to a river out there. He'd not known the Colorado River was in a deep gorge about twenty miles north.

Reg shook his head. “How did you find this place? I mean know where it was located and all?”

“First we met an Irishman who owned a store at Hackberry.”

“And he danced an Irish jig when he met us,” Marge said, laughing. “He's a neat little man.”

“He found us Lacy Wright, who is a real cowgirl, and her father Jacob, who owns a ranch up there. She showed us all over the place. There's a place up there has a big spring and would make a good ranch site. There's some sagebrush country that would make a great hay meadow close by. It is in real cattle country.”

“Sounds great, how far away is it?”

Chet looked at her and she frowned.

“Oh, a hundred fifty miles. Maybe less,” Marge said with a soft laugh. “We were on a honeymoon, Reg. Distance didn't bother us.”

“I know what you mean. Would I need a map to go up there?”

Chet shook his head. “I can get you there, then you can find O'Malley and he can get hold of Lacy and she can show you the place.”

“I think I want to see it. Sounds neat. You don't need me, I better go soon.”

“I don't know her plans but you aunt may be making plans for a wedding.”

“She talked all the way around it when I got here. That would be good for her. Yes. I don't figure in Texas she'd ever considered it,” Reg said.

“We agree on that,” Marge said.