Sudden--Strikes Back (A Sudden Western #1) (15 page)
Read Sudden--Strikes Back (A Sudden Western #1) Online
Authors: Frederick H. Christian
Tags: #cowboys, #western fiction, #range war, #the old west, #piccadilly publishing, #frederick h christian, #oliver strange, #sudden, #the wild west
‘
Please don’t be upset,’ he said. ‘Your first concern is to
clear your mortgage with the bank at Hanging Rock. Then you will be
financially free, and you can better assess whether you want to
sell out or stay. I take it that Green has some plans to raise the
money to pay off your debts?’
‘
Yes,’ said the girl, absently, ‘he’s going to sell some
cattle?
‘
Good,’ nodded the judge. ‘Let Green run the ranch, my dear. In
a few months, if Mr. Barclay still wants it and you still feel as
you do now, there will be nothing to stop you selling the Slash
8.’
With a
promise to come back soon and see him again, the young woman and
her escort left South Bend and retraced their trail towards the
Slash 8.
During
the ride, Dave found that he had a very preoccupied companion, and
their conversations were desultory to the point of taciturnity.
Grace had plenty to think about, and so did Dave. As they rode
along, Grace Tate reviewed her situation. She had set out that
morning hoping that her talk with the Judge would reveal some means
whereby she could exert her authority over Green and set him in his
place, instead of which, her father’s friend had made her realize
more fully her helplessness. Mainly, of course, her visit to South
Bend had been a gesture of youthful revolt—and it had fizzled out.
She grew hot as she thought of this cool, confident man who
controlled both her property and herself, and resolved to give him
no more help than was absolutely necessary. The powerful figure of
Zachary Barclay intruded upon her thoughts, and Grace resolved to
discuss her problems with him when he came to visit her at the
Slash 8.
The next
morning, as he had previously promised, the owner of the Box B
appeared on the trail leading up from the river to the Slash 8.
Sudden and Dave were down by the corral finishing mending some
bridles, and the young cowboy’s eyes narrowed as he identified the
approaching rider.
‘
Zack Barclay!’ he spat. ‘It shore riles me to see that
hydrophoby skunk ridin’ up here bold as brass.’
‘
He’s here by Royal invitation—Her Majesty asked
him,’
Sudden
reminded his friend. ‘I’m takin’ it he ain’t favored the Slash 8
with a visit afore?’
‘
Never!’ snapped Dave, then added, ‘An’ it ain’t no favor,
either!’
The
owner of the Box B came to a stop in a flurry of dust. He was a
striking figure in his well-tailored black suit, a pearly-grey
Stetson on his head. His horse was a fine one, although streaks of
blood along its flanks indicated that the rider had used his spurs
cruelly on the unfortunate beast. To the surprise of both men he
came towards them smiling. ‘Green,’ he began, ‘I wanted a word with
you.’
‘
Yu got it,’ said Sudden without expression. ‘Fire
away.’
‘
I reckon I owe yu an apology for what happened in Hangin’ Rock
the other day,’ Barclay said. ‘I want to say I’m sorry for lettin’
my temper nm away like that.’
Sudden
ignored the extended hand, and anger flushed Barclay’s
face.
‘
Yu was about to plug me in the back,’ Sudden reminded him,
mildly. ‘Yu expect to have me forgive and forget it?’
The big
rancher kept a tight rein on his temper. There was a lot more at
stake than this fool’s insulting demeanor—he could be dealt with
later. He swallowed his rage, and said, ‘I want yu to at least
allow me to tell yu I made a mistake.’
‘
I’m told,’ Green said. ‘Anything else?’
‘
Now look here,’ Barclay snapped, ‘I’m not accustomed to bein’
spoken to like this—’
‘
Then start learnin’, if yu plan to visit the Slash 8,’ Dave
chimed in coldly. ‘Yu’re here on sufferance, an’ that’s all. If it
was up to me, I’d run yu off the place on a rail.’
‘
I don’t have to listen to that kinda talk from yu, cowboy!’
glared Barclay. Dave snorted in contempt. ‘Yo’re right,’ he
said.
‘
Yu ain’t nailed to the floor, are yu?’
‘
Why, yu whippersnapper . . .’ growled Barclay, forgetting his
good intentions as a murderous rage flooded his body. He started to
dismount, but Sudden’s cold voice stopped him in the
act.
‘
Stay there, Barclay,’ he ordered. ‘Yu ain’t had any luck
backin’ down the Slash 8 so far, an’ now wouldn’t be a good time to
try it again.’ He jerked his head slightly to indicate to Barclay
that Grace Tate had just stepped on to the verandah of the ranch,
having heard their voices from inside.
‘
Why didn’t you tell me Mr. Barclay had arrived?’ she
called.
‘
I only got here a moment ago, my dear,’ Barclay called back,
all traces of his rage disappearing from his voice. ‘I’ll come
right up.’
With a
final, poisonous glance at the two men by the corral, he walked his
horse up to the house.
‘
Well, I reckon that clears the air, some,’ Dave
breathed.
‘
Some,’ agreed Sudden. ‘But I’d still like to know what friend
Barclay has on his mind. He shore ain’t visitin’ the Slash 8
because he likes our purty faces.’
‘
Wal, if yore purty face was the only reason to come to the
Slash 8, I reckon I’d a’ left myself by now,’ Dave
smiled.
‘
Yeah,’ replied Sudden, ‘but it ain’t my purty face yo’re
interested in, is it?’ This shaft was rewarded by a sudden flush
around the neighborhood of his friend’s ears, and Dave took a swipe
with his hat at his foreman’s head. Moving nimbly out of the path
of Dave’s flailing hand, Sudden asked plaintively, ‘Did I say
somethin’?’
‘
Aw—go climb a mesa!’ Dave growled, and stamped off about his
business.
Ten
From
where she sat on the verandah, Grace Tate could see her foreman
working by the corral. It was much later, after Barclay had gone,
that she realized he was never far away the whole time Barclay was
on the ranch. Unobtrusive, out of earshot; but always near. She had
divined immediately upon seeing Barclay that he had not been
welcomed by Green and David. Barclay, sitting opposite her, sipping
a long cold drink which had been served by a scowling Cookie,
noticed the frown that crossed Grace’s face as the thought struck
her, and divining the reason for it, Barclay smiled
winningly.
‘
Yore foreman don’t appear to like me,’ he told her. ‘Well, he
has a lesson comin’ to him. When I buy the Slash 8, he’ll soon
learn who’s the boss. Meanwhile, don’t yu bother yore pretty head
about him.’
Grace
smiled automatically at the big man’s unctuous flattery, and taking
this as encouragement, Barclay went on, ‘This shore is my lucky
day. Not only do I have the pleasure o’ seein’ yu again, but I
think I may be able to help yu, too.’
‘
Help me?’ asked Grace, in surprise. ‘In what way, Mr.
Barclay?’
‘
I’d like yu to call me Zack,’ he said warmly. ‘Well, this
conspiracy . . .’
Grace
Tate’s head came up, and a startled expression crossed her face.
‘Conspiracy?’ she echoed. ‘Do you think . . .’
‘
Well, maybe conspiracy is a mite strong.’ said Barclay
hastily, ‘but listen to this: I gave a lot o’ thought to what’s
been happenin’ in these parts, an’ it struck me that Green could be
spearheadin’ some kind o’ conspiracy to get yore ranch. He rode in
here mighty convenient, yu recall?’
Grace
nodded, and Barclay went on. ‘Only a few hours after his arrival,
yore old man—yore father—makes a deal with him about runnin’ the
ranch. He wanted it to be kept in a kind o’ trust for yu, which is
a fine thought for a father to have, on’y he didn’t reckon on such
a cunnin’ joker as this Green in the pack. Green suggests that, as
yo’re under age, he’d better have full control. He’s just saved
yore Pa’s life, so naturally, bein’ grateful, Tate agrees. In fact,
he’s bein’ hornswoggled. Green arranged this so-called “attack” on
the ranch—which no one else except Cookie seen, remember, an’ he
was tied up—an’ then rescues yore Pa. Yore Pa agrees to give Green
control, and sends word to Pringle according. Next thing, yore Pa
is murdered—an’ again our friend Green is Johnny-on-the-spot with
no witnesses. An’ he has control o’ one o’ the finest ranches in
the Territory. By the time yu come of age, he can milk it
dry.’
There
was something wickedly logical in the rancher’s theory, and despite
herself, Grace found the argument swaying her.
‘
But what about Judge Pringle?’ she asked.
‘
Bah!’ snapped Barclay. ‘He wouldn’t be the first crooked
lawyer I’ve heard of. For all we know, him an’ Green are in
cahoots.’
Grace
shook her head. ‘It just doesn’t seem possible,’ she said faintly.
‘Judge Pringle told me Green had the highest references—he had
checked up on him.’
‘
Naturally, he’d say that if they was in cahoots,’ Barclay
said.
‘
Did he show yu any o’ these references?
Grace
had to admit that he had not.
‘
There, what’d I tell yu,’ Barclay argued. He paused for a
moment to let that sink in, and the continued, ‘But there’s one
twist o’ the rope our clever friend ain’t reckoned on.’ Grace
looked her question and he said, ‘Yes, another way to spoil his
game. Look, girl, from the moment I first saw yu I’ve wanted yu.
I’m a rich man, an’ goin’ to be richer. With yore ranch an’ mine
combined, we could make an empire outa this valley. There’d be an
end to all this trouble. I’m figgerin’ that with his pitch queered,
we’d hear no more from Mr. Green-or from these mysterious Shadow
friends o’ his. Yu’d be a queen, girl, an’ yu could have anythin’
yu wanted. An’ if yu say yes,’ he played his trump card, ‘yu shore
won’t be takin’ orders from no crooked saddle tramp. All I have
will be yores. What do yu say?’
His hot
eyes devoured her greedily, noting the delicate color under the
faint tan on her cheeks, the curling tendrils of hair low on her
neck, the long, silken eyelashes. By God, she was a beauty! Apart
from giving him the weapon to destroy the banker, she had a
proudness which he would enjoy mastering.
Grace
sat for a moment gazing at Barclay in astonishment, although not a
little impressed by his eloquence and his ardor.
‘
Yu don’t have to answer now, girl,’ Barclay breathed. ‘Just
say yu’ll think on it. But remember—I’m not a man for waitin’. I
want us to be married right away, as soon as yu’ve decided.’
:
She
nodded, as powerless under his gaze as a sparrow hypnotized by a
snake. The clasp of his hand as he rose to leave made her blood
burn, but she was thankful that when he spoke it was of something
else.
‘
Don’t yu worry none,’ he told her. ‘I aim to show Mr. Green up
in his true colors. Remember —the only way to foil him is to marry
me.’
Without
another word he turned, and mounting his horse, rode out of the
environs of the ranch, leaving behind him a young woman puzzled,
confused, upset, and strangely impressed—as he had intended that
she should be. She had not asked what he intended to do; but
suspected in some way that he would prevent Green from achieving
his aim to swindle her. The resentment which she had felt mildly
for the laconic Green was now fanned to a fierce flame by the
insinuations Barclay had made. These blinded her to the fact that
by opposing Green she would also be working against her own
interests. Barclay’s specious story had planted a seed of doubt in
her mind, and although as yet she could not believe such perfidy
was possible, she was ready at least to be convinced by any small
thing that Green was indeed the blackguard that Barclay had painted
him.
It was
in this frame of mind that Grace Tate heard from her foreman later
in the day that he intended to drive the herd to South Bend for
sale the following day.
‘
The boys are just finishin’ roundin’ ’em up now,’ Sudden told
her. ‘I figger to get an early start tomorrow. Looks like bein' a
fine day.’
‘
When do you expect to be back?’ she asked.
‘
Thursday, all bein’ well,’ he said. ‘Oughta be a two day
drive, but it won’t take all day to get back here.’
‘
You will bring the money here?’
‘
Why naturally, ma’am,’ said Sudden, surprised by the vehemence
of the question. ‘I figgered yu’d want to go into town an’ see the
Bank about payin’ off yore mortgage. I’ll come in with yu, o’
course.’
‘
Of course,’ Grace said coldly. ‘What is the amount of the
mortgage?’
‘
Fifteen hundred dollars, yore Pa told me,’ Green informed her.
‘O’ course, there’ll probably be some interest charges. I’m hopin’
we’ll have enough over from the sale o’ the herd to pay wages an’
buy some feed.’
Grace
nodded coolly, and turned on her heel to go into the house. Sudden
pushed his sombrero back on his head and rubbed his chin
reflectively.
‘
I’m guessin’ friend Barclay’s filled her pretty li’l ear with
ideas that I’m about to head for tall timber with the money,’ he
ruminated. ‘I shore ain’t gettin’ nowhere in Her Majesty’s good
books. It’s a wonder she ain’t set the Pinkertons on to
me.’
That
night, over supper, Green outlined his plans for the drive to the
assembled men.
‘
We leave at first light,’ he said. ‘Gimpy, I want yu on the
point.’ The grizzled old cowboy nodded, and Dobbs
grinned,
‘
Trust Gimp to get the easy chore,’ he said. ‘Still, age afore
beauty.’
‘
Don’t yu believe that,’ Green told him. ‘Gimpy’s got the
toughest spot out of all o’ yu. Which is why I’m puttin’ him there.
We’re drivin’ across the mountains to South Bend.’
This
announcement was greeted with mingled astonishment and disbelief by
the Slash 8 riders, and Sudden did not fail to notice that Curt
Parr looked particularly crestfallen at this revelation.
‘
Jim, yu can’t be serious,’ Dave interjected. ‘There ain’t no
way o’ takin’ cattle across Thunder Mesa. We’d lose more’n we could
afford?
‘
Unless yo’re aimin’ to pin wings on them dogies,’ Shorty
offered, ‘an’ us as well!’
‘
Wings is about the last things yo’re ever liable to be seen
wearin’,’ snapped Dobbs. Then, more seriously, ‘But he’s right, Jim
.’
There
was a chorus of agreement, and Curt Parr asked, ‘What’s wrong with
takin’ the herd through Thunder Ravine? It ain’t easy, o’ course,
but with care we could get a small herd through an’ not too much
trouble.’
‘
Yeah, two at a time an’ lose twenty-four hours doin’ it,’
replied Sudden, ‘not to mention bein’ sittin’ ducks for any Shadows
who might happen along.’
‘
Yu expectin’ trouble, then, Jim?’ Dave asked eagerly.
:
‘
My way, no,’ Sudden replied. Drawing a piece of paper from his
pocket, he demonstrated the route he had planned. ‘She cuts due
south o’ the ranch up to that mesa yu showed me, Dave, the one yu
took the short cut down from.’ Dave grinned sheepishly at this
remark, which caused the others to guffaw mercilessly. The
adventure on the mesa was now common knowledge among the Slash 8
riders. ‘I rode back there when yu an’ Miss Tate was over at South
Bend,’ Sudden explained. ‘There’s a trail that goes up through the
mountains, an’ a pass leadin’ down to the far side. She’s not
easy—but she’s level enough for cattle?
‘
Yu mean the ol’ mine road?’ Gimpy asked
incredulously.
‘
Hell, Jim, that’s been closed years—there was too much danger
from fallin’ rocks an’ avalanches. All that blastin’ years ago
loosened the ravine walls when they was huntin’ silver up
there.’
‘
Well, I never said it was easy,’ Green grinned. ‘I just said
it was feasible. An’ I got my reasons,’ he added
menacingly.
‘
How many of us are goin’?’ Curt Parr wanted to
know.
‘
Yu, me, Dave, Gimpy, an’ Shorty,’ replied the
foreman.
‘
Dobbs, I want yu to stay behind with Cookie
at the ranch to keep an eye on things. I don’t want Miss Tate alone
here.
Sabe
?’
Dobbs nodded his understanding, and a reminder that an early
start had to be made in the morning ended the discussion and sent
the riders back to the bunkhouse hotly debating Sudden’s
announcement.