Winterborn Ch. 03

"You shouldn't have interfered today. That wasn't a very smart thing to do," Cassidy said.

"Look at it this way Mr. Cassidy. I saved Miles there and Sam a terrible beating. If I hadn't have stepped in, they would have had to deal with Oso. I don't think he would have stopped at warning them."

Cassidy was surprised at Dillon's comment. "They were both armed; the two of them could have handled the big man."

Dillon gave Cassidy a smile. "I think that shooting Oso would just make him very angry. An angry Oso is not something I'd want to face." Dillon paused and added, "Get someone else to join your pack Mr. Carpetbagger."

Sheriff Jackson entered the saloon, noticed the tense gathering at the poker table and walked over to the group. "Is there something wrong Mr. Cassidy, Gallagher?"

Dillon smiled at the Sheriff and replied, "Nothing wrong. Mr. Cassidy was just telling me what a big man he is in these parts."

Jackson turned to Cassidy with a questioning look. Cassidy stared at Dillon for a few seconds and said, "No trouble Sheriff. We were just leaving. I'll see you again Gallagher."

"Look forward to it Mr. Cassidy. Just remember I'm not a 12 year old boy."

"I heard about your run in with Cassidy's men today," the Sheriff said. "Watch yourself Gallagher, Cassidy don't like to be crossed. There's gonna be trouble between you two," Jackson warned.

"Thanks for your concern Sheriff, but I can take care of myself. You might want to warn Cassidy to stay clear of me." Dillon turned and picked up his winnings from the poker game, nodded at Jackson, and left the saloon. Well it's been a real interesting day, he thought. He was a extra watchful on his way back to the boarding house.

Over the next ten days Dillon rode out to several of the ranches in the area looking for work. Most of them were full up and didn't need another hand. The three that expressed an interest quickly changed their minds when they heard that his name was Gallagher. The last one was at least honest with him about his change of heart.

"I don't need no trouble with Cassidy, Mr. Gallagher." At Dillon's puzzled look he continued, "He's put the word out that he wouldn't take kindly to anyone that hires you."

Dillon's reaction to his statement actually scared the rancher. Dillon's eyes seemed to flare and his facial expression reminded the rancher of a big animal on the prowl. After a few seconds Dillon said, "Thanks for being honest, I appreciate it."

Guess that takes care of getting a job on a ranch, Dillon thought as he rode back to Prescott. Maybe I'd better look in another direction.

Saturday morning Dillon was in the mercantile and the owner told him that he had a letter back in the post office. When he collected the letter he saw it was from his mother. Dillon smiled at the familiar handwriting and looked forward to reading it. He went to the café, got some coffee, and opened the letter.

The first few lines of the letter surprised Dillon. He read that his father's bank had been confiscated by the Northern regulators. Apparently his father saw it coming and sent his personal wealth to his wife in Boston to keep it out of the hands of the carpetbaggers with instructions that if something happened to him that he wanted Dillon to get half of his estate.

Two months after losing the bank his father was found dead on a back road outside of Richmond; it looked like he'd been thrown by his horse and broke his neck. Mrs. Gallagher wrote that she thought the circumstances surrounding his death were suspicious; as did Dillon. His father never rode horses; he felt it was beneath him and always drove a surrey or a buggy. His mother thought that he was killed when the people that took the bank found Samuel's personal accounts depleted.

Dillon's mother wrote that she would get her bank to forward the funds to Dillon's account at the Prescott Bank; the amount was substantial. The size of the bequest along with the fact that none of the ranchers would hire him altered Dillon's mind about finding work. He decided that he'd just take it easy for a while and see what turned up; at least he didn't have to work if he didn't want to.

The rest of the letter was the normal news and best wishes. Dillon folded the letter, put it away, and started the short ride back to his room. While putting Buck back in his stall he heard loud voices; he couldn't make out what was being said. The two words he did understand were "Greaser" from one voice and "Pendejo" from another. Then there were more shouts and sounds of a fight coming from behind the stable. He stepped through a door in the back wall to investigate.

Dillon saw Oso backed up against the wall of the stable. There were three men facing the big man with a fourth on the ground at Oso's feet. Oso wasn't armed and Dillon saw Cassidy's men brandishing clubs. As Dillon cleared the doorway, Miles turned and threw a club at him.

Ducking the club, Dillon quickly closed the distance between him and the three men. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Oso was also advancing toward them. Miles thinking of the previous confrontation with Dillon panicked and tried to pull his pistol but Dillon grabbed him knocking his hand away from the gun. Dillon backhanded Miles and then delivered a very short right to the man's chin; Miles went down and stayed down.

Dillon felt the impact of a club across the back of his head and he too went down. As his vision faded he heard the sounds of a shotgun being cocked and a voice said, "That's enough men." Then everything went dark for Dillon.

To Be Continued...