The Trail West Ch. 08

Two surprised guests showed up; they had both been invited but no one knew if they were actually coming. Jackson Slaughter, Red's cousin from Cripple Creek way rode over at Red's invitation. Ambrose Elliott came all the way from Denver to see the two little girls he'd watch grow up get married.

As the two couples turned to face their guests, Jerry spoke in a loud voice. "May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. John McCall and Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Kelly." Another loud cheer and more rebel yells rang out; then the party started.

The ceremony had started about one and was relatively short. The party however continued until close to 9 PM. Josh and Danni changed clothes, mounted Diablo and Sunny, and rode to a line shack on the northwest corner of the Lazy L. There was a Comanche moon so they could see the trail to the cabin. Red and Sarah took off in the opposite direction without telling anyone where they were going. Most of the guests returned to Fountain but a few stayed over in the newly finished bunkhouse.

Josh and Danni returned to the ranch house after three nights. They found Red sitting on the front porch leaning back in a chair with his feet propped against the railing.

"Took you long enough to get it right," Red teased. "Always knew a Texas boy was smarter than a Missouri farmer."

"Hush Red," Sarah scolded him as she came out onto the porch. "Sometimes I think you shouldn't be allowed around decent folk." She seemed upset but when Red looked at her in surprise she started to giggle.

"Dog gone it woman, I can never tell if you're serious or not."

After greetings and hellos were exchanged, the two new brides went into the house to talk. Red told Josh, "We'd better do some plannin for the trip."

"And what trip is that Red?" Sarah asked as she came back out of the house.

"Yes, what trip Josh?" Danni added.

Josh and Red looked at each other and waited for the other one to speak first. The ladies didn't sound too happy about a trip and they for sure wouldn't like this one; especially so soon after getting married. Finally Red spoke out. "We're goin back to Cripple Creek for more cattle," he said. "It's a quick way to add to the herd; lot of hard work but worth the trouble."

"And when are we leaving?" Sarah and Danni asked almost together.

"Josh and me and the hands are leavin in three days," Red replied. "And what do you mean we?"

"John McCall, you don't really think I'm going to let you ride off a few days after our wedding, do you? Danni and I are going too."

Red started to argue but he'd learned during their courtship that when Sarah called him John, that he was in trouble. He turned to Josh for help and found him smiling and nodding at Danni.

"This ain't gonna be no honeymoon Sarah," Red told her. He tried to explain how hard and dangerous the work was, how hot and dusty it would be, and the fact that they'd be sleeping outdoors without any shelter. But he could see by her face that he hadn't changed her mind. "Whatever you say dear," he said, giving up the battle.

They planned on taking Jerry, Jacob and one of the hands from the Lazy L; probably Jimbo as he had made the last trip to Cripple Creek. That would leave Daniel, Maggie, and the rest of the men from the Lazy L to run the ranch. They would make arrangements with Bill Sanders at the S Bar S to "borrow" a couple of cow hands for the ranch if needed.

"If there's all those cattle roaming around why don't the other ranchers go after them too?" Danni asked, trying to understand.

Josh grinned at her and answered, "It's hard work and there's a chance we won't get enough cattle to make the trip worthwhile. Most of the others have bigger herds and can grow just by their calf crop. We're not that established yet........but we will be one day." He paused and added, "It's a gamble but based on what we saw last year, I think it's a good one."

Three days later the "Crusade" as Danni called it started to Cripple Creek. It took them a day and a half to get to the area they wanted. While Josh and the girls set up camp, Red and the rest of the crew gathered some downed trees and built a gate across the open end of the box canyon.

Red pointed at the finished gate and said, "No one will have to baby sit the cattle to keep them in the canyon." If we can find cattle to put in there, he thought to himself.

Sitting around the campfire that evening Red and Josh explained their plans to the rest of the group. They hoped to get enough cattle to fill the holding area in five or six days.

"Don't plan to be here more than eight or nine days and we could head back before then depending on how many cattle we can round up," Josh said.

"We hoped to get a hundred head or more fore we head home," Red added.

"What can we do to help?" Sarah asked.

"The men will drive any cattle they find out onto that flat yonder; you and Danni take over and bring them back and put them in the canyon," Red answered.

Sarah glanced at Danni and at a nod from her said, "We're going to help with the round up."

"No you're not Sarah," he replied, deadly serious. "It's dangerous work chasing cattle through the canyons and the arroyos. There is a lot of scrub brush and small trees that tend to knock you off your horse."

"These cattle aren't like the ones on our ranch; these are totally wild and will fight if you corner them," Josh said. "I don't want you or Sunny to get caught by a horn. Believe me it's not much fun. Remember my run in with the buffalo?"

Danni nodded remembering how lucky Josh had been. She didn't want him to worry and she really didn't want to put Sunny in danger, but she wanted to do more than sit around the camp.

"Sunny's not made for this type of work and neither is Diablo. That's why I brought Lady and Spot to work the cattle," Josh said. Then he laughed and continued, "I can't believe I let you name my pinto Spot. Anyway those two are bred and trained for this. They're sure footed and quick on their feet. Sunny's a good horse but he's too big for this type of work."

Sarah was always the fiery one of the two and she wasn't about to give up. "I don't think I like you telling me what I can and can't do Red," Sarah said. She wasn't angry but she was serious.

Red looked at his new wife and asked, "Sarah, how long have we known each other?"

"About three years," she answered, surprised at the question.

"And how long have we been sweet on each other?"

"Almost three years," Sarah said with a little smile. "We didn't waste much time."

"In all that time, have I ever tried to tell you what to do?"

Sarah returned Red's stare for a moment and replied, "No, not that I can remember."

"Well this is the first time. If you won't listen to me as your husband, by God you will listen to me as the range boss. You two are greenhorns, on your first drive. So you'll do the work that all greenhorns do until they get some experience. Understood?"

This is a different side to Red, Sarah thought. He's very forceful when he wants to be. Sarah paused for a bit, chuckled, and replied, "Yes sir, range boss sir. Whatever you say?" She gave Red a big grin, walked over and dropped onto his lap, and hugged him.

Each morning after the cowboys left to look for cattle, the girls did the chores around the camp and took care of the remuda. For six days the men would bring two or three cattle at a time out onto the flat. Sarah and Danni drove the animals into the box canyon. The round up wasn't going well, so far they had only gathered about sixty cattle.

After the crew left the camp on the morning of the seventh day, Danni turned to Sarah and said, "They won't find any cattle for a while, let's go for a ride. I've got an idea."

Sarah knew her sister had something on her mind. "What are you thinking Danni?"

"I want to check that big clearing we passed on the way in. You know, the one with that little stream running through it. I think we might find some cattle there."

"But Red and Josh rode over there the second day we were here and didn't find anything," Sarah replied.

"I know, but if the cattle got spooked with the men riding around chasing them, maybe they'd go someplace quieter. It's not that far and besides me and Sunny are tired of sitting around the camp."

Sarah nodded and the two young women mounted their horses and rode east of camp. About midday they returned to the camp and waited for the cow hands to return for something to eat. The men came back without any cattle. After they finished eating, Sarah stood.

"Red, we'd like you Josh to take a little ride with us," Sarah requested. "Let the men and horses have an afternoon off. They've been rode hard and it's not like they're bringing in a lot of cattle anyway." She saw him hesitate and added, "Please Red Honey, come with us."

"Yes, please Josh," Danni joined in.

The men were bone weary but had to smile at their respective wives. Red knew he was lost, anytime Sarah called him Honey he pretty much did what she wanted.

"It wouldn't hurt to have an afternoon to rest," Josh said looking at Red. They agreed to go with the girls. "You boys take it easy this afternoon; we start up again in the morning."

As they neared the clearing, Sarah led them to the east side. "Have to get downwind so they can't smell us," she explained.

"So who can't smell us? Red asked but Sarah made a motion to be quiet.

The four rode slowly, stopping in the cedars at the edge of the clearing. Sarah and Danni pointed into the open space. Grazing along and around the stream were close to thirty head of cattle. The surprise on Red's face was funny and the girls had a hard time not laughing.

Danni spoke in a low voice that wouldn't carry to the cattle, "Figured the ones that got away from you in the scrub might return to a quieter place. And here they are."

Josh chuckled and said to Red, "You know partner, sometimes we're not smart enough to pour water out of a boot."

Sarah and Danni were excited and pleased that they had surprised their men. The girls rode point leading the cattle back to the corral with Josh and Red riding drag. Danni rode ahead and told Jerry to open the gate and the cattle were driven into the canyon. The hands were really surprise at the number of cattle and had a lot of questions. Explanations were made and a new plan was formed.

"That gives us about ninety head, so tomorrow we'll make one more sweep to the west and start home the next morning. On the way out we'll check Sarah and Danni's clearing again; there might be a few more head there. Good job and good thinking ladies. Don't think we can call you greenhorns anymore."

The next morning Jerry stayed at camp and loaned Sarah his horse Morgan. She wanted to experience combing cattle out of the scrub brush and rough country. Danni went also, mounted on Lady. It didn't take very long for them to understand Red and Josh's concerns for their safety. Each of the girls could have been injured as cattle charged them. The horses they rode were both well trained and stock savvy and were able to get Sarah and Danni out of harm's way.

At midday the crew returned to camp to eat and rest until early evening; they would go back as the cattle started to feed and look for water. Sarah and Danni unsaddled their horses, rubbed them down, and made sure they were fed and watered.

"Had enough ladies?" Red asked with a big grin.

Sarah looked at Red and returned his grin. "If you say I told you so I'll take a yard whip to you, but you were right Red. We don't have the experience to do that kind of work."

Danni nodded at Josh agreeing with her sister. "If I'd been on Sunny out there, we both might have gotten hurt. I got away from cattle that wanted to fight because Lady is well trained. You and Red were right, Josh."

Red didn't tease the ladies, surprising them. "Y'all are about the smartest women I've ever met. But when it comes to handling stock, Josh and I know a bit more than you. I'm glad you got to see things our way without anyone gettin hurt. Now, what's our next move Josh?"

"Reckon we've got bout all we're gonna get this trip. I say we rest this afternoon and leave at first light. On the way back we'll check Sarah and Danni's clearing for more strays. Then it's the CBC and home."

Everyone was happy and excited that they were going home. At first light the crew started driving the cattle back to the ranch. They did pick up ten more head from the clearing which gave them a total of just over a hundred animals. The whole crew had worked very hard and the trip was considered a success.

Red decided to push the cattle a little harder than the last time. They traveled from sunup to dusk and got back to the ranch in two days. This time they drove the cattle close to the new lake.

"They'll settle down and feed now," Josh told Sarah and Danni. "We'll let them fatten up until round up in September."

"If things go right we should be able to drive almost four hundred head to Colorado City," Red told them.

*******************

The owners and wranglers of the Chico Basin Cattle Company drove 378 head of cattle to the railhead in Colorado City. They left about 300 head not counting calves at the ranch. Daniel, Josh, and Red talked about not driving so many head to market but the quoted prices for cattle were too much to pass up. "The price might not be this high next year," Red said.

"We can always make another run to Cripple Creek if we have to," Josh added. "Besides a lot of the calves from the last two years will be big enough to drive next year."

Danni and Sarah were on the drive to Colorado City this year after their experience at Cripple Creek. The price for cattle was at an all time high bringing $20 a head which gave them well over seven thousand dollars for that year's hard work. The Chico Basin Cattle Company wasn't a struggling ranch anymore.

"I don't understand why the price is so high," Danni said. "I'm not complainin, I just don't understand."

"Folks back east want beef and are willin to pay for it," Red answered. "There's not much beef comin out of places like Texas and Oklahoma because of the war. Hell, there's not many cattle comin out of Kansas and Nebraska either. So the meat packers in the North are willin to pay more for cattle."

Red paused for a bit and said, "It's a Got and Want deal."

"It's the law of supply and demand, dear," Sarah told him.

"Maybe so, but we got cattle and they want em; Got and Want, don't you know."

When they got back to the ranch, Josh started making plans to cut, dry, and store the feed that he'd grown on the flat plain near the new lake. This was their first crop of corn and the second cutting of the hay.

"You're pretty smart for a Missouri farm boy," Red teased as he and Josh harvested the corn. The whole crew of the CBC including Sarah, Danni, and Maggie were helping. "This corn and the hay we cut earlier will help get more cattle through the winter."

"I guess I'm smart enough, but I've learned a lot from a feisty Texan I met up with," Josh replied.

The men of the CBC started to gear up for the cold weather. A wagon trail was built out to the lake; with the natural grass land there and the feed they had stored, it was a good place to winter the stock. Apparently Diablo agreed that Lady Guinevere was a good mate for him as she was going to have a foal. Queenie got into the act too, she mated with Spot; it would interesting to see the color of that foal, Red thought. There would be two new horses for the ranch come spring.

The big ranch house at the Lazy L had plenty of room and both young couples lived there. The converted bunkhouse was kept for guests like Daniel and Maggie when they visited. Josh and Red had offered it to Mr. Swede but he said he rather stay in the bunkhouse with the other hands. "It'd be too quiet for me," he said.

Josh and Red built an addition at the back of the house. It was basically a roofed room without walls; it would be used by Mr. Swede for cooking during the hotter summer months. The Chico Basin was a high plain but it still got plenty warm during June, July, and August.

The cold weather and snow storms were a little easier to take with Sarah and Danni both at home. No more time apart and trips back and forth to town, Josh thought. He had to chuckle because they had a mild winter.

Red kidded that now he had to spend more time with Sarah, he didn't have an excuse to get away from her. Josh laughed at his friend and said, "I couldn't pry you two apart with a branding iron Red."

"Yeah, but don't let Sarah know it," he replied laughing.

Josh was able to spend time training the horse he'd bought when he got Lady and Spot. He called the horse Colorado because his coat was a reddish chestnut. The horse wasn't as big as Sunny but was sturdy and very gentle.

Maggie was surprised and touched when Josh gave her Colorado at Christmas. "A fine steed for a fine lady," Josh told her. She kissed Josh on the cheek and hugged him. Maggie stayed down at the barn with the horse for so long that Daniel sent Jacob to get her.

In addition to the normal gifts and surprises at Christmas, Sarah told Red she had a special gift for him. He sat in the kitchen at the Maggie M and waited for her to give the present to him.

"I won't be able to hand your present to you for about seven months," Sarah told him.

"What kind of present will take you that long to come up with?" Red asked.

"In seven months or so I'll be able to hand you our first baby honey," she answered with a huge smile.

"What? I mean how......I mean when?" Red stuttered and stammered, not quite sure how to react. After a bit he jumped up and hugged Sarah. It was obvious he was happy about becoming a father.

********************

March came quietly to the high plains of Chico Basin. It was a very early spring and the days began to grow warmer. The CBC had lost very few cattle during the winter and prospects for another good drive in the fall looked promising. The spring calf crop in late April was very good. The CBC was growing and maybe there would be no need for another tough and dangerous trip to Cripple Creek.

It was early June, Josh and Red were riding over the range checking on the new calves and the rest of the herd. They heard a shout and saw young Will Stinson, one of their hands riding toward them at a gallop. Josh and Red rode to meet him.

"Miss Danni and Miss Sarah need up you to the house," Will told them.

"What's wrong Will?" Red asked with a worried look. "Is something wrong with Sarah?"

"No sir. They said to tell you there's some people at the house that they need help with."

Josh saw a little smile playing around Will's face and wondered about it. Red had already started for the house at a gallop so he spurred Diablo and gave him his head. They had been about three miles out; it took Diablo less than two hundred yards to pass Red mounted on Jasper. Josh started to pull up but Red waved him on.

"Go on I'll get there as fast as I can," Red yelled.

"Let's go big guy," Josh said to Diablo. The big horse resumed his run toward the house.

Red had to admire the speed of Diablo. Never seen a horse that big move so fast, he thought.

As fast as Diablo was it still took five minutes before Josh pulled up in front of his home. He jumped off Diablo before he came to a stop. Josh pulled his pistol and stepped onto the porch, noticing a strange surrey standing in front of the gate. If I scare anybody or insult them with the pistol I'll apologize later, he said to himself. But I'd rather have it ready if need be.

Josh went to the side door and entered the ranch house. He figured if someone was waiting on him they wouldn't expect him to come in that way. He could hear people talking in the front parlor and he quietly stepped toward the front of the house. Josh was almost to the entry of the parlor when he heard a man talking, apparently to Danni.