Split Trails Ranch

We'd sent word ahead, a couple of letters from the lawyer that included a copy of the transfer of ownership, a letter from the U.S. Marshall detailing how it all happened, including my numerous attempts to avoid gunplay. I sent the widow a letter with instructions from the lawyer, that incuded forms to make the ranch a corporation, guaranteeing nothing like what had just happened could happen again. I thought it protected everyone's interests.

We'd cleaned up a little before we arrived, so we wouldn't look like trail bums. I was trying to make the best impression I could for someone who had shot her husband. I dismounted, turned to Jess and lifted her from the saddle. The little girl seemed fascinated by her.

"Ma'am, I'm..."

One of the blonds, a beauty with hard eyes and a sharp nose, screamed out. "We know who you are, you murdering bastard! You killed my brother! Get off his ranch, right this instant!"

"Henrietta! We talked about this! If you can't keep control of your temper, perhaps you'd like to retire to the parlor." The blond never said another word, stalking away, her posture rigid with hate.

The woman turned, and I got a glimpse of amusement in her eyes. "I'm sorry. She hasn't taken the death of her brother very well, or the news of what he lost dying. I'm Mrs. Claire Benson. I believe you met my husband."

She certainly didn't seem to be too shook up by his death. I bowed slightly. "I apologize for the circumstances of our meeting, madam. I'm Zeke Walters. The man to my right is my brother Brad, and this fine young lady is my daughter, Jessica."

"Oh, so you're married? Will you wife be joining us?"

"I regret to say I have never married, although I hope to find a wife in the future. No, this is my daughter by choosing, and I have to admit she did the choosing and just dragged me along."

Jessica just grinned, and gave a nice curtsey. "It's a work in progress, ma'am. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Well then. I'ts very nice to meet you, Miss Walters. Please allow me to introduce my sisters. This is my oldest sister in age, Paris Johannsen."

The blond did a little curtsey, not speaking. When she introduced the redhead, she had plenty to say. Her name was Courtney, and I found out later her nickname was Corky, because she was bad to pop off. That girl had a temper on her.

"Welcome, Mr. Walters, to you and your family. It is probably no secret that I despised my brother in law. You did the world a huge service by removing him from it."

"Courtney! A civil tongue, if you please. And this little lady is Sabrina, my baby sister, although I often think of her as just my baby."

She did a small curtsey as well. At least they had manners. She seemed too shy to speak, so I grinned at her. "It is very nice to meet you, Miss Sabrina."

Claire turned to her. "Sabrina, why don't you take Miss Jessica to your room to freshen up a bit? Lunch will be in one hour. Mr. Walters and I can use the time to discuss business."

Well, she was direct if nothing else. In a few minutes we had settled into the ranch office. She had Paris with her, and I had Brad. Claire sat behind the desk, hands clasped together as if in deep thought. Se spoke suddenly, in a dull, flat voice.

"My husband was a foolish, reckless man, convinced of his own rightness, and that others should bow to his bidding. The problem was he surrounded himself with companions that stroked his ego, until he was firmly convinced everyone else were idiots. It proved to be his undoing. You hold the cards here, Mr. Walters. When would you like us to leave? I would ask you give us a month, to find lodging. Maybe we will go back home."

The idea that they would leave surprised me. "I have no intention of forcing you from your home. If you wish to leave, I will pay you a fair price for your share of the ranch."

"That is very generous of you, under the circumstances. If we chose to stay, may we continue to live in this house until we can build something to suit our needs?"

She could see the surprise in my face. "Why would you leave this house? It's yours, and I have no intention of taking it from you. I can deed it to you, if you like. We will be the ones building, not you."

I was almost cetain I saw a small tear on her cheek. Paris had more than a few, snuffling quietly in the background.

"I must say I'm surprised at your generosity. Building won't be necessary. You can have the west wing for yor needs, it's standing empty and it needs to be used.Tell me, what do you expect from us in exchange?" There was a hard edge to her voice, and it hit me what she was asking. They were a pretty attractive bunch, but I had no intentions of taking advantage of them.

"I would hope that you would help me run the place. After all, you have a vested interest in it's success. We need to take a trip into town, so I can add you to the bank account. I don't expect you to work the range, but I do expect intelligent conversation and suggestions for the betterment of the place. I saw some things on the way in that were disturbing."

Both the women were looking at me like I'd grown two heads. The fact that a man would seek out their opinions was a totally new concept to them. They were both smiling.

"I need to tell you the truth, Mr. Wal..."

"Please, if we're to be partners, call me Zeke."

"As you wish. You may address us by our given names as well. My husband was not much of a rancher. He was lazy, inept, and atracted like men to his side. I suspect he may have been invovled in illegal pursuits, especially since he was so adamant about keeping our stock on such a limited range when we had plenty of land to rotate grazing. It is time for lunch, though. Maybe we can continue the discussion afterwards?"

They rose, as did we. I pulled her chair back and opened the doors for her. "It is quite refreshing, Zeke, to spend time with a man who has manners. Who taught you?"

"My mother. She was from an old Tennessee family, who lost everything in the war. My father was an officer assigned to the area. They met, fell in love, and when the conflict was over he took her home to Texas."

"I'd love to meet her."

"Sadly, it cannot happen. There was a cholera outbreak, and she tended the ill until she became infected and passed. She left a hearbroken husband, five sons, and an infant daughter."

Claire could tell I had difficulty talking about it, and took my arm. "I'm sure she was a wonderful mother. I regret she passed before I had the pleasure of making her acquaintance. Mine, on the other hand, is very much alive but refuses to go past the Mississippi. I think perhaps if I see her again in this life I will have to visit her. I couldn't go before, for a variety of reasons. Perhaps when you're settled in I'll visit."

I didn't really know how to respond to that as the others entered the room. Brad and I offered to seat them, and all seemed grateful except Henrietta. She huffed as she seated herself. Frankly I was surprised she was at the table at all.

Sabrina and Jessica came in giggling and whispering. I looked at Brad and he grinned, and I knew what he was thinking. I was just barely handling the concept of raising one daughter, and now I had another young girl in the mix. Looked like I was fixing to live through some pretty interesting times. I seated Jess, and Brad seated Sabrina.

"Thank you, Daddy."

She grinned as Sabrina shyly thanked Brad. Courtney flounced in, all flaming hair and attitude, but Claire directed a few words her way, and she settled down. Conversation was stilted until Sabrina brought up the supply wagon. It seemd the late and unlamented (mostly) Buck was a bit stingy, and the ladies were wondering what he had missed, again Before I could answer Jess jumped in.

"I think you will find my father a bit more sensitive to the needs of his business partners. Perhaps Sabrina would like to help me inventory some of the items this afternoon?"

She agreed instantly as the older women looked on, wondering what caused the smirk on Jessica's face. The food was good, it seems they had an Irish lady who cooked and kept house, with the help of most of them. Henrietta thought it beneath her dignity to do labor of any kind. I decided I was either going to bring her into the real world, and if she gave me the least amount of grief I was going to give her a small stipend and point her towards the East. I think she understood some of what I was thinking when she directed a small tirade towards me.

"Ladies, with the exception of Sabrina, I will require you all meet me in the office at three this afternoon. It's time to thrash out the details of this partnership, and what we expect of each other going forward. You don't have to like me, but you have to accept me. If you make it too difficult for me to function as managing partner, I will put my portion up for sale and let you deal with whoever buys me out. He or they may not be so understanding of your plight. Claire, thank you for lunch, it was quite good. You cook is to be commended. Ladies, if you will excuse us?"

I strode out, Brad, Jessica, and Sabrina close behind me. I was already aggravated, so I headed towards the bunkhouse, steering the girls towards the supply pantry. There were at least a dozen men lounging around in the middle of the day, and it was plain they weren't in any hurry to do any work.

"You lot want to tell me why you're not out working?"

The self appointed leader grinned. "We had an agreement with Buck. Since you've replaced him, we figure if you know what's good for you you'll stick to it."

I got right in his face. "I ain't Buck. I don't see anything in writing and I see no reason to pay wages to anyone who doesn't work. If you're not out on the range in an hour, I'll consider it your notice."

Some were mumbling, and the leader, Tom Stuart, went red with anger. "What if we decide we like the way things are just find. You gonna be able to buck us all by yourself?"

"What made you think I'd be by myself? I've got a few boys around, and my brother isn't too shabby in a scrap. You don't think I'm serious? Ride out to the treeline on the East side of the ranch. That feller thought he could buffalo me with better numbers and tough talk. Take a look and tell me if it worked out like he had in mind. Ask the boys who rode with him if it's a good idea to push me or insult my family."

There was a little grumbling. The boys riding with the loudmouth had gone straight to the bunkhouse and gathered their stuff, going out to the horse pasture and wrangling their personal mounts. I paid them for the time they had worked, and wished them a good life. "A word, boys. You already tried bucking me once. If I see you on this range again, I will consider it an insult and you a danger to my family. I will take steps to resolve the situation immediately. You boys get my drift?"

The man bound for California grinned. "I'd almost like to hang around to watch the sparks fly. I've never met a man before who has such a polite way of threatening my life. I like breathin', though, so I'm gone. If you ever do run into me somewhere down the line, I can assure you it will be by complete accident, and I will make it a point to keep my hands where you can see them. Luck to you mister. You're gonna need it."

One of his partners decided California sounded like the promised land, filled with milk, honey, gold lying around loose on the ground, abounding with beautiful women, and rode out with him. The other two drifted into town, to wait and see what happened.

I turned around, going to my meeting with the ladies. The hands had had their timeline and I was pretty sure after laying it out for the women my attitude would still be sour. If push come to shove, I'll shoot first and let the chips fall where they may.

SPLIT TAILS RANCH

Part four

I walked around for a few minutes to calm down, damning Buck Henson straight to hell for creating this mess. I should have been in Texas by now, with my family. Instead I'm stuck here, hated by almost everyone I ran into to, including the attractive women who surrounded me. I couldn't regret it though, because of Jessica. All that little girl had to do was bat her eyes at me and I was in a good mood.

Speaking of angels, I walked around the house to be met by Jessica and Sabrina. "There you are! Everybody is already in the office waiting for you. I know it's early Daddy, but you need to go in there and make everything all right. Please? Oh, and thank you for letting me share the contents of our surprise with Sabrina. She has something she wants to say."

I looked at the child, obviously scared to death, taking in her almost threadbare clothes. I noticed she had her hair done up just like Conchita had taught Jessica to do. She even had new ribbons in her hair that matched what Jess wore. I also noticed a smudge of what looked a lot like chocolate on her cheek. They had found the candy, then. I'd almost bought the store out while Jess was with Conchita, hiding it among the supplies.

"Thank you, Mr. Zeke." It was said so softly I almost didn't hear her. I rubbed her cheek, smiling, knowing another piece of my heart had been claimed.

"You are very welcome, Miss Sabrina. You look very nice in your new hairstyle and ribbons. Let's get you into some new dresses, and I won't be able to tell which one of you looks better."

She blushed and I noticed a little tear, so I brushed it away, telling her not to cry. She jumped into my arms in a full on hug. Jess decided she was horning in on her territory so she jumped in, hugging me from the other side. A very nice feeling.

We broke, and they each took a hand, delivering me to the office. There were some wide eyes and startled expressions when they noticed each child had a hand, then Claire grinned.

"Ladies, it appears our new business partner has exposed a weakness, one we must exploit in our negotiations. Every time we feel he is being unreasonable or stubborn, we will turn our junior members loose on him. I'm sure after a few hugs he will be helpless to resist us. Girls, you may go now but stay close, in case we need you. Sabrina, your hair looks lovely, and those ribbons set it off. Another thing we must thank our partner for. Jessica, you are now a full fledged sister in the organization. Welcome."

Jess grinned, stuck her tongue out at me, and took Sabrina's hand, tugging her along. "Come along, Sabrina. We still have boxes to unpack."

They walked out, looking back and giggling. Claire had the first real smile I'd seen from her on her face. "Once again I find myself in your debt, Zeke. Sabrina has led a lonely life, and the appearance of your daughter has cheered her immensely. The ribbons helped. How did you think to bring them?"

"I didn't. After this meeting, those who are interested should check out the things Jessica insisted I buy. She is responsible, and she is the one you should thank."

Henrietta ruined the mood, spitting out her usual bile. "Ooh! The nice man brought us pretty ribbons! Let's all bow down to our new lord and master."

Just like that, my sour mood was back. I drew a breath to calm myself. "Miss Benson, what exactly is your role here? What expertise do you bring to the table? If it bothers you so much to be here at this ranch, or in the room with me, why don't you leave? I certainly would not want you to stay in a place that makes you so miserable. I'm truly sorry that I killed your brother, the taking of a life is no small thing no matter who it is. But truth be told I can give you a town full of witnesses that will tell you I gave him many opportunities to avoid bloodshed. It was his choice to turn them down. The wager for the ranch was my last attempt to deter him. He refused and died for his decision. So, if all you're going to do is make snide comments and disrupt this meeting, please leave. I'm sure one of the others will fill you in on what is discussed."

She had progressively gotten paler. Maybe I was getting through to her. Then Courtney spoke up. "I hope you throw her out! I'm tired of living with a bitch! Nothing is good enough yet she refuses to get off her ass and do anything to make it better. Her asshole brother let her sit around and act like a princess while he tried to have relations with every other female in his house. I hope it was painful and he suffered horribly before he died!"

"Miss Courtney, that is quite a revalation. I can see by the look on Miss Claire's face she was unaware of this. But, yet again, why didn't you leave if the situation became unbearable? Please contain yourself and if you find it impossible, leave the room."

It was her turn to grow paler. In the end both stayed but were very subdued. Claire sighed. "The truth of the matter, Mr. Walters, Zeke, is that we're all stuck here. My father passed and left us in dire straits. I had married Buck, he seemed very nice and had a big ranch, so they came to stay with us. The same is true for Henrietta. Her parents passed and Buck was the only family she had left. She has no money of her own, no one she can turn to. She feels trapped, because she truly is."

She sighed once again. "I feel I should be frank with you if we're to truly be partners. The fact is I made a mistake when I married my husband. Oh, he was charming and I thought I loved him. In retrospect I believe it was more infatuation. His attitude changed when we got here, he was more lord and master than loving husband. I think his frustration with me grew when I didn't bear him a child. Perhaps there was something wrong with me. Perhaps it was him. We'll never know now, will we? I still long for children, perhaps, if I ever remarry, I will be blessed. Sorry, back to business. The fact is we're all stuck here, Zeke, and all pretty much at your mercy. Perhaps if you would tell us what you expect, and we shall see what we can do."

I had to think about it for a minute. Then it came to me. "I expect you to help me make this ranch a thriving business. I see trouble ahead, the amount of hands your late husband has is almost twice what it would take to run this spread, and most seemed disinclined to work. I will handle that, as soon as I find out why there are so many. I suspect it has connections to criminal enterprises. I hope one of you has some training with treating wounds."

For the first time since the meeting started, Paris spoke up. "I was studying to be a nurse when we were forced to move out here. I'm not afraid of the sight of blood."

"Well then, Miss Paris, you are the official doctor for the Split Trails Ranch. Make a list of medical supplies you might need and I will see that you get them."

She was still stunned when I turned to Courtney. "What skill set can you bring to the group, Miss Courtney?" She was still trying to process my request, started to smart off, and thought better of it. "I'm afraid the only things I can offer are domestic skills. I will admit I'm a very good seamstress, and I have a good eye towards making a house homey."

"Very good. I appoint you directress of domestic affairs. It appears you could all use new dresses, so make that your priority."

Henrietta finally admitted, after prodding, that she had no skills at all. "Very well, then. You'll be the spare hand, assisting where needed. Understand?"

She nodded, not knowing if she was going to like it or not. That just left Claire. She grinned. "I've had some business training, with my late father and at school. I've a good head for figures. It used to irk me no end that Jack wouldn't let me close to the books. After he passed I understood why. There weren't any."

"Very well then, you are the new business manager. Again, if you need supplies, tell me and we'll acquire them."

"What about Sabrina?"

"Sabrina has a full time job being a child. I don't know what kind of education she has, but she needs to be able to read, write, and do sums. I would like her to have as much knowledge as possible. I expect each of you to instruct both her and my daughter according to your strengths. Are we all agreed then?"