No Place for a Lady (27 page)

"Rusty, I figure after we cross the river, we can push on into
Bear Valley tomorrow and then into Denver. Grazing should be
good there:" Luke scratched his head before donning his hat.

"Whatcha figure? Two days? Three maybe?" Rusty picked up
the reins of his horse, preparing to mount.

"No more, unless we run into trouble:" Luke reached into his
vest pocket, pulled out a stick of peppermint, and handed it to
Crystal. "This'll help your dry throat"

Crystal took the stick of candy, broke it in three pieces, and
popped a piece into her mouth, then offered some to Rusty. She
reserved a small piece in her shirt pocket. "Mmm ... I hope this
is not going to be lunch," she joked. Impulsively she bent over to
splash water on her companions, bubbling with laughter at their
surprise.

Luke splashed back at her while the drovers slapped their thighs
and poked one another with enjoyment, causing more fracases
that led to a few being thrown into the creek, all in good-natured
fun.

"All right, stop the lollygagging, and let's git them dogies cross
the creek by noon" Rusty shook his head. "Just like a bunch of
young uns.

Crystal smiled sheepishly at Luke, who shrugged his shoulders
with resignation.

"He's right. Men, let's git them dogies movin: We'll stop just
the other side where Sourdough is already set up and have our
lunch." He threw a sweet smile toward Crystal, who smiled back,
her sunburned face even pinker now.

The cowboys followed the Yampa River, then veered east across
the valley, pushing the steers. Here they would pick up the Colorado River. And what a sight it was. Today was a sparkling, fresh
morning, the kind that gives one joy at being alive. The jagged walls
of the red-rock canyon rose up from the Colorado River, towering
high above the riverbed, while the cowboys were careful to pick
their way over rocks and bunchgrass along the river's edge.

Once they were between the canyon walls, darkness belied the
sun, though it was mid-morning. Luke had scouted ahead, knowing exactly where they would cross downstream after the whitewater rapids mellowed out. White water could make crossing the
river a nightmare, something they could all do without. He did not
want a repeat of Curly's unfortunate incident. He knew that once
they crossed the river, a lush meadow lay on the opposite side not
too far ahead. That's where they would stop for their noon meal.
Looking at his surroundings now, he knew they were in the best
place for crossing and motioned with a circle of his arms for the
crew to split into even numbers on each side of the herd.

Luke reined Buck in, tilting his hat back to watch the small band
of cowboys urging the cows on either side to ford the river. He
had to admit to himself that Crystal was carrying her weight on
this drive, and he was secretly proud of her. She rode her mount
in one fluid motion like one bred to horseback, never minding
the splashing water and danger of a steer's horn. Watching her
was a stunning thing. She yelled and waved her hat along with
the others, encouraging the cattle into the river's edge.

She had become an asset to the trail drive, and her skills amazed
him. Would April be as adept? April was an excellent horsewoman,
but if she was working with steers, the dust, and the danger of
being on the trail, she probably would not have held up as well
as Crystal.

He enjoyed the fun they'd had earlier. He liked that about Crystal. She had a playfulness about her that was sweet and innocent.
Now he was poignantly wishing he had met up with her before
he'd met April.

Well, it was a done deal now, no matter what his feelings were.
He and Jim McBride had made a deal. Luke would get the property
he wanted on the Blue River. Luke would miss Crystal once she
went back to Georgia, but that fellow Drew would probably be
waiting for her. Besides, he figured that it didn't matter what he
thought. Better that he keep his mind on the chore at hand.

Though it took a full hour, it couldn't have been a smoother
crossing than if Luke had drawn it out on paper. The cattle, now
tired and thirsty, entered the cold river. It wasn't long before the tail
end of the herd crossed to the other side without a hitch, fanning
out now in the meadow to graze in a comfortable fashion.

The remuda was a little less inclined to cross, but Slim was skilled in horse handling. He used gentle pressure from the lead
reins to coax the horses to swim and then led them to the other
side.

Lunch was a quick affair of beans and biscuits, but Sourdough
promised them a cherry pie for dessert, which gave the drovers
something to look forward to. Weary and bedraggled, the men
got fresh mounts again, eager to get on the trail to finish out the
day.

The sun beat down on Crystal, scorching her back and shoulders through her shirt. Up ahead, she saw Luke reclining on a
huge boulder, taking a break, and she decided to do the same.
Dismounting Rebel, she started toward Luke but stopped dead
in her tracks. There on the boulder right behind him slithered a
copperhead snake, obviously enjoying the warmth of the rock.
While Luke wiped his face, he watched his men off in the distance
dutifully pushing the cows and rounding up any strays.

Crystal looked around. There was not another cowboy in shouting distance. Crystal knew she would have to take matters into
her own hands. Could she make a clear shot from this far off?
She would have to try. She took a deep breath.

Shaking now, Crystal pulled her pistol from her saddle and
stepped closer with as much ease as she could muster without
making a sound.

"Luke," she whispered, "don't move a muscle" She pulled the
trigger back and prayed that she would hit her mark, then fired
at the coiled snake now poised to strike. Her mark was dead
center.

Luke jumped three feet at the sound. He sprang off the boulder
just in time to see the snake flail, momentarily spring up as if hit
by lightning, and fall back down onto the rock. It slid lifelessly
to the ground. "Jumping jackrabbits!" He stared down into the
grass. "Lucky for you that was a good shot. You could have killed
me, Crystal"

Crystal was rooted to the spot, amazed at her own skill. "It was
nothing;' she joked, a nervous giggle bubbling up. She leaned over
to make sure the snake was dead. "I hope he was a poisonous
snake. I've never shot one:" Crystal laughed again. "Other than
at practice, I've never shot anything"

"He was poisonous, all right. I'm glad you came up when you
did just now, or I'd be pushing daisies instead of enjoying that
cherry pie Sourdough promised. I reckon he liked sunbathing
on that warm boulder."

"Yes, well, this sun is just about to bake my brains right through
my hat."

"Crystal, thanks. I guess Rusty taught you well. I owe you:"

Crystal blushed under the deep glow of her tan and replaced
her gun. "You don't owe me a thing. Glad I was able to save your
skinny hide."

Aw ... I didn't know you cared:' He patted his hand over his
heart. Turning aside, he kicked the limp snake with the toe of his
boot. "He was a big one"

"I can't afford to lose my foreman now, can I? Not this close to
the end of the trail. There's the ranch at stake here:' Crystal allowed
him to assist her back up into the saddle. Everything about him
sent warning bells off in her head with his nearness. His shoulder
briefly touched her leg once she was in her seat.

"What was that shootin' about?" Rusty came rushing over at a
fast clip, reining in his mount to spin around in a semicircle.

"Crystal just saved my hide, that's what"

Rusty shook his head. "That could have been a deadly situation. Atta girl, Crystal. I told you she was a quick learner" He
glanced at Luke.

"Guess I've earned my piece of pie tonight, huh?" The mere
prospect of such a rare delicacy on the trail made Crystal
smack her lips. She hoped it would meet her standards of pie
making.

`All right, enough yakkin' about it. Let's hit the trail so we can
wind this afternoon up before dark. I'm bone tired:' Luke mounted
Buck, signaling the conversation was over.

True to his word, Sourdough had pies cooling off to one side
of the chuck wagon as the cowboys hurried through their usual
meal of stew and johnnycakes. Later, Crystal enjoyed assisting
Sourdough in cutting and serving generous slices of pie along
with strong cups of coffee.

Each night the air was colder, but the campfire was a welcome
spot as they sat around licking the last specks off their forks. The
conversation naturally turned to the day's events, with the incident
of the snake being the hot topic.

"I hear tell that was mighty fine shootin' out there, Miss Crystal;' Kurt said.

Crystal was a bit uncomfortable with all the attention she was
receiving, but she sensed they all had come to respect her endurance after grueling days in the saddle. Holding on to the ranch was her driving force, and without it she didn't know if she would
have been able to complete the trail drive.

"I would have done it for any one of you," she said. She collected plates and placed them in sudsy water, then tried to change
the subject. "Sourdough, that was almost the best pie I've eaten
in a long time."

Sourdough shuffled over to the washtub, beaming as he cleaned
up. "Almost? Do I take that as a compliment, missy?" But the
cowboys continued their teasing, and Crystal didn't have a chance
to respond about the pie.

"Did you feel that bullet whiz behind you, Luke?" Slim teased.

"Matter of fact, I did. I wasn't sure if she was shooting at me
or something else" That brought a round of laughter from the
men.

"I always said it's good to have a woman at your side;' Jube
added to their comments. "I think you should show your thanks
to Crystal by putting her up in the best hotel in town when we
get to Denver, instead of that tiny Evening Shade, where we always stay."

Crystal raised her eyebrow with interest at the talk of accommodations.

Rusty added, "That would be the Oxford, across the street from
Union Station. I heard they have fine dining too:" He winked at
Crystal.

"That's true. They opened up last October. It's a grand building:"
Kurt threw a glance in Luke's direction.

"How about it, Luke?" Crystal's aching body cried out for the
softness of a real bed, but she thought it would be selfish to have
a bed when the other cowboys didn't.

Luke seemed to know when he was beaten. "Okay, I owe you ...
but just one night. If you want to stay longer, you're on your own:"

"Ooh ... I can hardly wait" Crystal pulled her arms overhead
to stretch her back muscles. "But tonight I'll just settle for going
to bed early." She turned to retrieve her bedroll, then laid it out
neatly not far from the fire. Night temperatures dipped in spite
of the warm days.

Jube pulled out his harmonica and played haunting tunes while
the rest agreed on who would have certain watch times. They divided up carrying out various nightly duties. Crystal's eyes became
heavy as she snuggled down into her quilt, thinking pleasantly of
the bustling streets of Denver.