Rebellion in the Valley Page 11

  Other men dismounted as fast as they could, but the canyon walls offered no footing to lower themselves down. The edge fell as straight as a waterfall, branches and small trees jutting out here and there.

  Two of the men shouted commands to nobody at all, wanting to do something, anything, to retrieve Bruce while one of the others could only cuss and fling his arms about his head, caught in the throws of an emergency without any idea how to handle it.

  Duffy screamed, “O my Lord! What’s going on here? This wasn’t supposed to happen! Who’s gonna fix this now?”

  Tobias shoved the coward out of his way for not offering to do so himself.

  “Get me some rope, hurry,” Tobias hollered out to anyone who had their wits about them. “Tie me to a tree and lower me down. Maybe I can get to a point where I can do something!”

  Adrenaline racing through his entire body, he glanced toward the men.

  “Someone needs to go find Doc Amerley right away, and bring the sheriff, too!”

  “Sheriff Anderson’s got that gear in the back of his barn! Gather up as many men as you can find and get back here fast as you can,” he told those who were already climbing back on their horses.

  “Hey, Tobias,” the youngest one called back. “What about Hailee?”

  Tobias ran a hand through his hair. Crud!

  “Oh, I don’t know. Don’t tell her anything. Let me be the one…just stop by long enough to tell her there's been an accident. But do not tell her any more than that, you hear me?”

  The man waved his arm in agreement and turned in a flash, the dirt of the road kicking up behind the horses as three men rode off.

  Shouting over the edge and praying to be heard, Tobias cupped both hands around his mouth and let out a loud call, assuring Bruce he was on the way down.

  “Hang in there, I’m comin’ down!”

  Tobias looked Duffy square in the eye as the men lowered him down over the canyon wall. He caught an empty glare in return; it sent a chill down his spine. Their eyes remained locked until Tobias had been lowered out of view, but Duffy’s gaze stayed focused in the same spot for several seconds before a slight grin began to tug at the corner of his mouth.

  Chapter 14

  “Lower me down faster, will ya,” Tobias hollered over his head. He could still see their faces clear as day, and that wasn’t good; he was hoping to have been closer to the creek bottom by this time. As he kicked at the side of the canyon wall to move the stray branch out of his way, all he heard was a tearing sort of noise; the rope attached to his waist began giving way. He looked up to see a fray in the cording and the dangling man’s heart skipped a beat. He felt the sweat beading up on his forehead and for a split second, lost the tight grip he held on the rope. Feeling himself jerk as he began to sway backward, the man tilted his head upward and swallowed hard.

  “Hey! The rope’s gonna snap! Pull me back up - and make it quick, too,” he added.

  It didn’t take long for the group of men to realize the most efficient way to get Bruce out of that creek bottom was going to be on foot. They were gonna have to get down there and pull him out on horseback.

  One of the ranch hands gave a quick look around for straight branches that could be used to form a cot to carry him out of there on as the ranch hand wearing the red flannel pulled on Duffy’s coat sleeve. He pointed at the darkening skies over the canyon and shook his head. “It’s gonna hail-that breeze comin’ in is pretty darn cold. We best get crackin’ here or Bruce is gonna be in for loads more trouble than we can get him outta.”

  Duffy snorted, mostly to himself.

  Tobias yanked his own flannel shirt’s collar a little bit higher around his neck and squinted his eyes as he looked up. He knew his friend was dead right about the coming storm.

  “All right, men. Saddle up and let’s get this done already! We gotta get the boss outta there right now! Duffy, you take up the rear and see to it that everyone gets down there. I’m taking Epoenah and headin’ straight in.”

  He was gone before Duffy could make any protest.

  “Always suckin’ up to the ranch master, that one is,” he grumbled just loud enough for a couple others to hear his words.

  They both cocked their heads and looked at one another in astonishment; Duffy had been coming up with some stuff recently that left the men wondering where he’d gotten it from. But this was not time to be airing differences, so they chose to shake their heads and carry on in silence instead.

  Just as Duffy figured those cowards would do.

  “Ain’t nothing’ but a green whisppersnapper, and he figures he got the world by the tail, he does! I ain’t never seen the likes of that one just walkin’ in and takin’ over like he owned the place,” he continued on with his rant.

  The more the anger built up inside the man, the louder he got.

  The other two men shook their heads again. They weren’t about to tackle him, not alone and back in the hills with nobody else to witness what they said or did.

  The trio set out on the dirt road and pulled the brims down tighter on their heads; raindrops pelted in quick, stabbing insults as if to mock their situation.

  P

  Tobias almost didn’t wait for Epoenah to halt before he dismounted her; in a fluid motion, one leg swung up and over the flanks of Hailee’s mare while the opposite hand pulled on the few medical supplies he’d thought to bring along in the canvas bag tied together with a leather thong. It pulled away from the rear of the saddle as fast as he’d hoped it would.

  His boots hit the grass underfoot with a thud and the .45 in his holster jostled from the impact. Instinct drew a hand to the black powder rifle strapped to his back and another to the ammunition to make sure he plenty on hand.

  With darkened eyes squinted and only the back of his hand to shield himself from the oncoming hailstones, Tobias struggled to dodge a couple of heavy, dead cottonwood branches from swinging down on top of his head.

  Puma Canyon, scattered with debris from the aspens and pines so common in the area, left an almost overwhelming scent when combined with packed, wet leaves. Hailstones smacked up against pine needles, inviting them to open up and offer the canyon an even deeper whiff of pine.

  Tobias and Epoenah stepped with careful, yet swift strides to ensure their footing wouldn’t slip in the mud and grass. Not having been down in the canyon itself for a couple of years now, it became apparent the old pathway he’d been on before had long since grown closed. Forced into pulling her hooves up higher than usual in order to get through the muck, Epoenah whinnied her own opinion of having to do so. The farther they trudged forward, the man grimaced, concern filling his mind that Bruce might be unable to shelter himself from the storm...or any other intruder.

  Shaking his head, he scolded himself. No need to think the worst; Bruce is just downstream somewhere, waiting to be patched up and carried off, that‘s all.

  His hike into the canyon proved Bruce had toppled over the edge at the exact spot he thought; he could see a distinctive line of broken branches trailing down the canyon wall on the left-hand side.

  “That’s it,” he told Epoenah. “Here we go, girl.”

  Together, they pulled on another eighth of a mile when Tobias called out loud enough for his voice to echo downstream a way.

  “Bruce! Hey, Johnson, where are you?” he called.

  No answer.

  “I’m comin’ after ya, Boss. You just sit still til I get there. Holler at me, would ya?” he almost begged. “Boss!” his voice echoed throughout the canyon.

  A stirring of birds overhead swayed in golden branches of aspen boughs, the clicking of pine needles and the whoosh of hail thundering down through the canyon.

  Requiring no invitation to join Tobias when he tucked up under a rock embankment to wait out the hail, the mare nuzzled up next to him as if she were asking for a hug around her neck.

  He closed his eyes as an arm encircled the mare.

  Something was not right and somehow he sm
elled Duffy all over it…

  Chapter 15

  “Look up at the sky. It’s been bustin’ loose a few miles over that way and we’re fixin to get it here before nightfall, I bet. A good ‘n hot stew sure goes down better when it’s chilly outside, don't you think?” The ranch hand opened his eyes wider and asked Richard if there might be any buttermilk biscuits included with their meal as he reached over and grabbed a couple of apples to snack on while he finished his chores for the afternoon. “And Hailee,” the added off the cuff, “you might wanna know there’s been another rat in the feed bins; I shooed him out but I know how you get,” he teased her.

  She tilted her head, sticking her tongue out playfully. Last time she found a rat out in the bin, the only reason it scared her was because the dumb thing jumped up and ran across her arm.

  “Ya know,” Richard broke in, “a nice hot stew simmering all day just might give this girl and me a chance to play a few more rounds of cards out on the front porch. I'm not about to let you walk away from this thinking you're a better card player than me.”

  She chucked a dishcloth at his head.

  “I sure wish Daddy was home. And Tobias, too,” Hailee blushed.

  “Well, near as I can figure, they ought to be home any day now. That cat couldn’t have gone too far out. They’re probably on the way back now,” he reassured her.

  She tossed her pile of carrot chunks into the pot and grabbed a couple of potatoes.

  “You know what they’re gonna want when they get back, don’t you?” she asked over her knife.

  Richard grinned.

  “Yep. They’re gonna be starvin’ for steak and taters, as Tobias puts it. And your pa is gonna be in the mind for a big ole chocolate mess cake, I know that much,” he laughed. “You reckon we oughtta get the pans out and ready before bedtime?”

  She nodded and felt a surge of excitement at the thought of seeing Tobias again after so many days.

  “Funny,” she said out loud, “how a girl’s life can change in just a matter of a few words.”

  “Oh? How’s that?” Richard inquired.

  She tilted her head and continued to peel the potato.

  “Well, I realized how I felt about Tobias a while ago, but I didn't have anyone to talk to about all these things going on in my head. Then in a matter of a few seconds, really, I accidentally let the beans slip.”

  “You know, you still haven’t told me how this whole thing came to light between the two of you. Wanna spill the beans just one more time, to catch an old man up to speed?”

  She nodded and tossed her contribution of potato pieces into the stew pot and laid the knife down so she could concentrate better.

  “I sort of told a lady he was my husband when we were in town...and then I kind of related that conversation to Tobias.”

  Richard’s jaw dropped, and then when he remembered who was telling the story, he let out a low chuckle.

  “Yeah, that’s a Hailee thing to have done; bet it took him by surprise, huh?”

  She thought about it before shaking her head.

  “You know, it didn’t take him back as much as I was afraid it would have. He wasn’t shocked, anyway, if that’s what you mean,” she reflected. “He just sort of looked at me. When he didn’t say anything right away, I'll admit it scared me. But it was too late to take anything back, and I honestly didn’t even want to take it back,” she gushed. “He just sat there looking at me like he was trying to think of something to say. I thought he would either laugh at me or give me some long speech I hadn’t prepared myself to hear.”

  Richard tapped a finger on the counter top after she stopped for a breath of air.

  “I bet you a plug nickel that boy’s insides were churning when he heard those words come outta you, girl. I see more than you know,” he shrugged before continuing. “And I know that man’s been sweet on you for a year and a half now, maybe more’n that.”

  She dragged a few more vegetables toward her cutting board. Just as she sliced through the center of a brown potato, Richard stopped and pulled her toward the window as he noticed dust and dirt being kicked up in the distance.

  “Guess we should put on a little more stew - looks like your Pa's home,” the cook laid his carving knife down as he busied himself in the baking cabinets, pulling out a couple of the cake pans he’d planned on getting out later in the day.

  By the time he’d pulled them out and rearranged the others back into their places on the shelves, Hailee already stood at the door, eyes scrunched up tight and trying to make out who could be riding up first when she caught sight of just three riders, certain none of them were either her father or Tobias; she frowned.

  “Oh, snicklefritz!”

  She lumbered back into the kitchen and gave the report to Richard. “Not Daddy yet. Or Tobias.”

  A few minutes later, the back door to the kitchen slammed open and the youngest ranch hand popped his head in the house.

  “S’cuse me, I don’t mean to show no disrespect, but there’s been an accident and we’re here just to grab some supplies and get Doc Amerley and the sheriff. Just wanted to let you know.”

  In the young man’s face, Hailee caught his deliberate attempt at hiding the facts. Her heart dropped to her feet and knew in an instant by the unsaid, it must be her father that had been injured.

  With one swift motion, Hailee grabbed the edge of the counter top and let out a low moan.

  “No! Daddy!”

  She felt the urge to vomit; sensing her father's danger, she spun around for Richard’s face to have something to gauge her own fear scale on and didn’t like what she picked up as he stepped to her side and shook his head at the inexperienced ranch hand. He gave the young man a questioning look, and received the answer he silently asked for. Bruce was in a mess of trouble.

  “What can I do to help?” Richard wanted to know right away.

  “Some extra food might come in handy, anything you got to throw in a knap sack would be nice. Not sure how long we’ll be gone for, but I’ll be back for it in five minutes. I gotta run out to the barn for some things.”

  The kitchen door slammed behind him as he raced for the barn without one more word to either of them.

  With Hailee’s mind in a swirl of what could have gone wrong, she began to shove apples and pears, chunks of bread and carrots - anything within grabbing distance, into the sack she found hanging on a nail near the door.

  When the ranch hand returned with sweat pouring off his brow, she sensed the level of emergency even more. She gave way to the notion that his forehead had been brought into a wrinkled state she'd only seen on the face of someone much older.

  And although she wanted to, she did not beg to go along with him. Instead, Hailee only handed the man a filled sack and told him, “Tell him I love him.”

  He looked his boss' daughter straight in the eye and almost opened his mouth to say something, but resisted and just gave her a nod of his head. There was no need to say anything with the look he gave her; the rancher’s daughter knew everything he wanted to say, deep down in her gut.

  She tried to convince herself this wouldn't turn into anything awfully serious as her eyes watched the young man and the door shutting behind him.

  Chapter 16

  Hailee sat at the kitchen table, head held firmly in place with both hands. She stared at the tablecloth, not blinking. Images of her father in places and positions she would have rather leave her imagination altogether, refused to budge.

  Are his legs broken? Is he cold? Did he get under shelter before that storm hit? When did he last get a bite to eat? And the question that haunted her heart: what about the cat?

  She prayed her father found that thing before it found him; Bruce had always been Hailee’s protective hand, the one who had never shown any signs of weakness. It was unthinkable for him to ever be anything less.

  “Hailee. Eat a few bites of soup; you getting sick ain’t gonna do your daddy no good. He’s gonna be needing you more than
ever once he gets back home. You’re gonna hafta tend to animals, help run this ranch. Just tryin’ to live up to his expectations is gonna leave you plum tuckered out, girl. Eat,” Richard tried to encourage her.

  She lifted her head to reveal a tear-streaked face and bloodshot eyes. Just as Richard expected to see.

  “I know you’re right. Daddy’s going to want to get back to business as usual, and we’re going to have our hands full just keeping him in bed. I just feel so guilty to sit here in the home he owns and operates, eating hot stew from food he worked hard to grow, while he is God-knows-where, probably cold and I don’t know what else,” she explained and then muttered under her breath, “I don’t even want to think about the ‘what else’.”

  “I understand. But you hafta know that your daddy wants you to be safe and healthy, too. Eat, Hailee.”

  She nodded and downed two bowls of stew plus a chunk of sourdough buttermilk bread with a thin layer of sweet butter as they discussed everything they might be doing over the following few days, weeks, even into another month ahead. Concerning the chore of keeping Bruce Johnson in the house and out of the barn, their joined opinion was simple: this wouldn't be an easy haul for either one of them.

  Good thing they had Tobias Logan on their side.

  P

  Duffy seemed eager to get ahead of the others. Too eager. His attitude had been one of pure arrogance, voicing his displeasure at being left behind with the other couple of men while Tobias took off straight ahead without anyone else.

  “He don’t need to act like he’s the boss man’s best friend,” he spat once again, the words frothing out of his mouth. “He’s already pretty much got the run of the house and don’t nobody even say nothing to him about it! If someone don’t do something about it -,” he was cut short by one of the other men.