I Should Have Been A Cowboy Pt. 02

A couple of days later Missouri walked into town to a convenience store and bought a "pay as you go" phone so that he could keep his regular phone off and the battery out just in case Megan was able to track whenever he used the phone. Back at his camp he found he had a fairly good signal so he decided to call his erstwhile wife. First he tried the house. He realized it was still early in the day so she might be at work. He dredged his memory and finally remembered her work number and called it.

He got the switchboard and then was put through to her extension. He was surprised. She must have gotten a promotion as she never had an extension before. She picked up on the second ring. "Hello, this is Megan Free. How may I help you?"

"I am surprised you are still using my name. Why aren't you using the name of your other family, the Brooks?"

"Who is this? Is this some kind of prank call? If it is, I am not laughing."

"What, you don't recognize your own husband? Has Mark been panting in your ear so much that you can't believe it is me? I'm surprised you are at work instead of fucking your friends. Did you get a promotion to rate a separate extension number?"

Of course she ignored all his comments after his first question. "Is this really you, Kelly? This isn't some kind of prank?"

"Why would anyone call you and pretend to be me? We are small potatoes in the scheme of things."

"Every time we come to Nebraska I leave cards with my numbers on them in case someone happens to see you. Most of the time anyone who calls leads us on a wild goose chase but occasionally someone calls and tries to tell me that it is my Kelly. The first few times I fell for the joke. God I hate those people."

She must have checked her display. "Hey, this isn't Kelly's phone number. What's going on?"

"I am not using my phone in case you are trying to track me. That's not why I called. I want you to quit looking for me. I don't want to see you, talk to you, hear from you, or have any kind of dealing with you or your fuck buddies. Leave me be. File for divorce. The court will give you half of everything and I will direct my attorney to make it available to you. Just forget you ever met me, take back your maiden name or take the Brooks' name as yours."

"But, Kelly, Honey, I love you and miss you. Please come home or meet me somewhere so I can show you how I feel."

"Yeah, you love me so much you fuck our best friends and think I should be happy for the left-overs. Tell me, how long were you going to carry on behind my back? Please don't lie since I did come home early that day and you had no idea that I was going to do so."

"I don't know. I was trying to introduce the concept of polyamory but I was afraid of how you were going to take it. I guess I was right. You didn't take it well."

"No shit, Sherlock. What would have ever given you that idea? Wait, it doesn't matter anymore. I don't care why your cunt is so hungry for other cock and pussy. Your excuses don't mean a thing. Just leave me the fuck alone."

There was silence for a few moments. Missouri was about to hang up when Megan started to talk again. She was hard to understand as she must have started to cry. "I love you and miss you. I want you back in my home and my bed. Please, don't hang up."

"Why do you want me back? I provide two grand a month to help your expenses. You have to have received a boost in pay with your promotion so you don't need much of my money. You have two people who, I would imagine, would immediately move into your house and keep you warm at night. Obviously you enjoy sex with them. You don't need me, especially the way I am now."

"No, no, no, you don't understand. I love Mary and Mark but I am in love with you. They never replaced you. We don't have that connection that you and I have. We, I mean Mark and Mary, don't share dreams together like you and I did. I want and need that back."

Missouri actually made a derisive snort. "Ain't gonna happen. I don't dream about you, as a matter of fact I go weeks not thinking about you except to wonder if and when we will accidently meet up. I am still trying to decide if I will just walk away, slap the shit out of you then walk away, or decide that a little 'frontier justice' is needed."

"What do you mean by 'frontier justice'?"

"In days gone by an adulterous woman and her lover, or lovers in your case, could be killed and the court didn't care. Listening to some of the gossip here the feeling of frontier justice runs about fifty percent. The rest just feel you are a fool and need to stay in the city where fools are more tolerated. I guess I won't really know how I will respond until that very moment we are face to face. So you have been warned."

Megan continued to cry. There was some background noise but Missouri couldn't quite make out what was said. Megan covered the handset but he could hear her tell someone that she was all right and that she was just trying to talk to her husband. When she returned to talk to her estranged husband she was talking to a dead phone. Missouri ruefully told himself that he was not being very polite as he turned the phone off and went to work to prepare his mid-day meal.

He thought about his comment about how little he thought about her anymore. It was true. He was more concerned about making sure his packs were not wearing on his pack horse. He thought about his next destination. He thought about the weather and how it might affect his travels. He thought about how he could help the next rancher he came across. But he seldom wasted a thought about Megan and their marital woes except about how she had disrespected him and their vows or occasionally he tried to make the case that they should reconcile. More and more often it would be days to weeks before he gave her even a little thought.

Right at the moment he was a little angry that she was still trying to see him but his anger was fading from the white hot anger he had felt that day he stumbled into the love nest. He was also no longer bewildered and confused. There was no longer a marriage if his wife felt she could fuck others with impunity and expect him to just accept it and, worse, join in. He wasn't some college aged, hormone driven, frat boy who looked for orgies and girls with no morals. No, he was an almost middle aged man who had been intent on raising a family with the love of his life. She just turned out to be an overgrown sorority slut.

Actually his distancing himself from Megan and their marriage was doing what he had hoped it could do. Quite frankly he was rapidly getting to that indifferent stage in his feelings for Megan. He was getting over her and her actions. Soon he might just shrug his shoulders when reminded of what she did to him and their marriage and maybe give out a sigh for what might have been.

He told himself, as he finished eating his lunch, that he soon should file for divorce from her and take control away from the witch. There were some delay tactics she could employ but not keep the divorce from happening. With that thought he accessed the internet on his phone and sent the appropriate message using the new email account. Soon it would be done.

The next morning he broke camp quite early and headed south again. He intended on stopping at the Circle Bar X and visiting with Bill and Connie Blaze for a while. He was sure they would welcome him back. It was getting late in the season and he wanted a more permanent situation before the first frost made sleeping out under the stars an uncomfortable experience.

Four days saw him over half way to Hyannis when he spotted some smoke on the horizon. Damn, a wildfire here could be very dangerous. He proceeded on to try and find the seat of the fire before trying to call for help.

As he got closer the smoke was dissipating which gave him the idea that the fire was out and not building. Suddenly, when he crested a small hill he could now see what had been on fire. There was a helicopter that must have made a hard landing in the meadow below and had caught on fire. The fire seemed to have gone out and, luckily, had not caught the green grass on fire.

He wondered if there were any survivors. As he rode closer his question was answered as he saw someone moving near the wreckage. A lone female was working to drag something. When Missouri got close enough he yelled out, "Hello, the camp!" as he didn't want to startle the survivor.

The woman didn't seem startled. As a matter of fact she immediately raised up her arm and waved him in. As he came close she shaded her eyes and looked up at her rescuer. "I am so happy to see someone. We went down yesterday but figured someone would be out looking for us before now."

Missouri stepped down from his horse and dropped the reins and lead rope for his horses. They were ground broke quarter horses and wouldn't move unless startled too much.

"Are you the only survivor?"

"No, my partner, Jane, was hurt. She is over there under the shelter. I believe she fractured some vertebrae in her back on impact. The pilot is dead."

Missouri surmised this was a medical helicopter. "Where were you heading?"

"We were flying from North Platte to Valentine when we started to have some kind of electrical issue. The pilot tried to get us down but the engine stalled and we were too close to the ground to auto rotate down safely. After the impact I got out and then went back for Jane but I couldn't get to Sam before the fire started. He was unconscious so I don't think he suffered too much from the flames."

Missouri nodded. "Why were you so far west if you were headed for Valentine?" He wave toward the northeast. "It is over that way and you are not in a direct line between North Platte and Valentine."

"Oh, no, that can't be. No wonder we haven't been found yet. They will be looking for us over east. Sam said that he didn't trust the GPS after the power surge but it must have led him this way. The radio went out in the surge and we didn't have time to use the SAT phone before we went down."

"Why not use it now? You should be able to hit a satellite."

"It was in the bird when the fire started. I grabbed the survival gear and threw it out to safety and then went after Jane. It was too hot in the cabin by the time I got her clear."

Missouri nodded. They were by the small shelter by that time. He could hear the other woman moaning in pain. The first woman shrugged her shoulders. "I couldn't get to the medications either so she is hurting badly. With her injuries I can't move her any more or she might have permanent damage to her spinal cord. She is the nurse and I am the flight paramedic. I have made her as comfortable as I could."

Missouri looked around and then pulled out his pocket GPS unit. After studying it for a minute or so he came up with a plan. "Look, there is no cell service here either. I see that there is a ranch house about ten miles south of here. Unless there are a lot of fences between here and there I should be able to get there in a couple of hours and use their phone to get help out here. I programmed your location into the GPS so help should not have to search much to find you. I will leave my pack horse here as there is food in the pack. There is also a small cookstove and a tent if you need it."

The paramedic nodded. "I wish we could go with you but it is best if we stay near the bird just in case the emergency locator suddenly starts to work before you get to help."

Missouri quickly stripped the panniers off his pack horse and staked it out to get to the good grass. He then swung back up in the saddle.

Before heading off he had a thought. "Since you will surely be gone before I can ride back here, just tell the others to leave my horse and the packs here and I will be back to get them." She nodded. "Good luck to you and your partner. I will get help as soon as I can get to the ranch house."

With that he did something he very seldom did. He never wore spurs as there had not been a need to ride fast but now he kicked the horse in the slats and took off at a fast lope. It was too far for a flat out race but he and his horse would make good time to affect a rescue.

Stopping only to drop a couple of fences he made good time. His horse rested as he pulled staples and lowered the wires until they could safely cross. He didn't bother to staple the fence back up. The normal tension of the wires would have to suffice until later.

True to his estimate Missouri rode into the ranch yard a couple of hours after leaving the wreck site. Thankfully the rancher was home so he didn't have to search the house for the landline telephone. After explaining his mission the rancher made the call to the local authorities. The nearest fire department and ambulance was about thirty minutes away so the rancher and his hands took off with pickups and UTVs for the site. Extra blankets, food, water, and bandages were hastily thrown in. Armed with the location from Missouri's GPS they were soon dust on the horizon.

Missouri didn't go with them as he needed to care for his horse. He pulled the saddle off and rubbed the animal down. As he worked he also heard and saw a couple of helicopters go over. One appeared to be military and the other that might have been another medical helicopter. Both were flying on a heading that should get them to the site without difficulty. He assumed the local sheriff's department had notified the searchers where the chopper had gone down. The paramedic, whom Missouri realized he had never asked her name, and her partner Jane would soon be on the way to a hospital.

After his horse was rested Missouri saddled up and headed back to retrieve his pack horse and what was left of his supplies. He replaced the staples in the fences as he returned.

The fire department and local ambulance were on scene when he arrived at the crash site. The larger rig was parked where it could not leave tracks that would interfere with the investigation while a couple of smaller grass rigs came closer. The ambulance also stayed out away from the site.

Somehow he missed the return of the rancher and his crew as he was the lone civilian when he got to the crash site. The sheriff and some deputies were present to secure the site and keep gawkers and predators away. One of them told Missouri that the poor pilot couldn't be moved until the NTSB arrived on the scene.

Missouri shook his head at the disrespect for the dead but figured it wasn't his concern anymore. He had done what he could. He just started to pack his horse so he could resume his travels.

Missouri was packed and ready to leave when one of the men wearing a badge stopped and asked, "You know in all the excitement of you showing up out of nowhere we never asked your name. I'll bet the investigators will want to know who you are. I am assuming you are the guy called Missouri, am I right?"

Missouri nodded. "You have probably heard my story. If at all possible I would like to remain just 'Missouri' in the reports. I am not quite ready to see my wife yet so I need to put some miles between here and where I am heading. Also could you not tell them which way I am heading?" The sheriff nodded. None of the fire fighters or EMTs were close enough to hear the conversation. Later they would all just say they looked up and Missouri was gone over the nearest hill. Of course the sheriff wasn't stupid, he knew Missouri's real name and let the NTSB investigators know it but didn't relate it to the news reporters when they arrived on the scene.

Missouri didn't realize it but his travels were approaching legendary status. Megan and the Brooks were still driving all the way to the area routinely but each person they talked to reportedly had seen Missouri in a different spot, sometimes miles and miles apart on the same day. Rescues of ranchers and travelers were attributed to him. All claimed they heard from someone who had talked to someone who had spotted him and his horses. Sometimes he was seen with a clean new white hat, reminiscent of the Lone Ranger, sometimes he had his black hat on. His horses were amazingly different. A couple of witnesses swore he rode a palomino that was almost pure white, others had him on a roan, or maybe even a paint.

Each and every deed that was laid at his door gave him almost mythical status. Girls and young women swore they had given him succor when he was down. Each would give a secret smile when asked just exactly the succor they had provided him. A couple of ranchers, where he had actually stayed a few days to a few weeks, did have daughters of the right age and all claimed that Missouri was nothing less than a true gentleman in every sense of the word.

Hell, his prowess as a cowhand was also approaching legendary status. Some communities put out the story that he had even competed under an assumed name in their local rodeo and always won all around cowboy for his bronc riding, calf roping, team roping and steer wrestling exploits. He was never a bull rider or a bull fighter. No one ever really came up for a reason for that detail.

His horses were also of legendary status. Many a cowboy claimed they had been allowed to ride Missouri's horse in penning contests as well as roping and team roping events. One barrel racer claimed her horse had come up lame before her event and Missouri had demanded she ride his horse even though he had never raced barrels before and that she had won that night.

Missouri was close to the Circle Bar X when a state patrolman stopped him for a chat. That was kind of strange. He couldn't be speeding on horseback and he had been paralleling the highway but staying off the right of way. That was also in case Megan and her lovers happened to come along right then.

Anyhow the patrolman stopped at a gate and waited for Missouri to come up to him. He took note of the fact that Missouri was now wearing his .45 on his hip.

"Say, Son, could you light and set for a few moments? I would like to chat with you for a bit, if you don't mind."

Missouri hooked his leg over the pommel and around the horn and leaned back. "No, I guess not. Don't have to be any place soon. Just headed down the road a piece."

"That wouldn't be Bill Blaze's ranch, would it? Heresay is that he is a close friend of yours."

"I don't know about friend so much as mentor and boss man when I first came to the Sandhills. God, has it only been four or five months? It seems like a lot longer than that but the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder. I am hoping he will need some help all winter."

"Oh, I don't think that will be any problem. When I spoke with him last he mentioned I might run across you and told me to let you know the latch string is out for you anytime you were back in the area."

He paused. "Have you talked with your wife? She still occasionally calls us about any updates on you."

"I spoke to her once on the phone. I told her to file for a divorce and get on with her life. I have. Why is she still bothering you?"

"Well, it might have to do with the stories that are going around."

"What stories might those be?"

That was when he found out about all his supposed experiences. The patrolman chuckled as he regaled Missouri of all his exploits that the patrolman could remember.

Missouri was amazed and a little flummoxed. In this short time of one long summer no man could have done even a fraction of what the patrolman was relating and he said as much. The patrolman waved his hand. "Hell, we all know that but a little mystery, a little romance due to the mystery, and a couple of real events and things like this take a life of their own."

Missouri shook his head. "Kind of sounds like those old dime novels about the old West. I would bet that most of them were made up plots with real people being named in them."