“Bobby!” Melissa said again, “How wonderful to see you!” “How did you know where to find me?” she asked with a big smile.
Teresa was totally bewildered. She had observed Melissa Harper’s interactions with Johnny and Scott over the past few days with growing irritation. In Teresa’s opinion, Johnny had been far too interested in Melissa, while Melissa had appeared to be thoroughly enjoying his attentions. But then their guest had suddenly seemed to be much more interested in Scott. And Scott----who could ever really tell? Teresa had fervently hoped that Scott was just being polite to Melissa because . . . well, it would be just terrible if he and Johnny were to get into an argument over her.
Suddenly this other man had appeared from out of nowhere--- Melissa had sounded frightened at first, now she seemed more than happy. Teresa regarded the newcomer appraisingly. He had to be the “infamous” Bobby Cooper, Melissa‘s former fiancé. He had nice features, very blond hair, much lighter than Scott’s, and incongruously dark eyebrows. But it wasn’t just those eyebrows which made him look angry. Melissa was still talking cheerfully about how she just couldn’t wait to tell “Bobby” all about San Francisco. <<Well, if she isn’t something. >> Teresa thought with a mixture of both disapproval and grudging admiration. <<Both Scott and Johnny paying attention to her and she’s been thinking about ‘Bobby’ the entire time. >>
“Save it, Melissa. It ain’t going to work. I’m not interested." Bobby Cooper sounded as angry as he looked.
“Why, Bobby,” Melissa actually batted her eyes at him. “Then why have you come all this way . . “
“I’m not interested,” he repeated coldly. “But my Little Brothers are.”
Melissa looked up with apprehension as Harmon and Crocker Cooper, also on horseback, approached from behind. They were leading a fourth mount. Both of them smiled---leered---- actually--at Melissa.
Bobby dismounted and walked over to the wagon, setting the brake as he looked up at Teresa. He stared at her as he removed the reins from her hands. Without taking his eyes off of Teresa, he addressed his former fiancée: “Now, Melissa, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
When Scott and Johnny found the buckboard, it was unoccupied, the two horses standing docilely in place. They both immediately recognized the significance of the direction in which the animals were facing. Teresa and Melissa had not made it into town. Therefore, whoever they had gone off with--or whoever had taken them----- had quite a head start. Judging from the tracks, there were at least three, and possibly four riders.
Neither brother stated the obvious: that “someone” should go back to the ranch to alert Murdoch and get more help. Or that “someone” should really take care of the horses and buckboard, rather than leaving them to stand for an unknown number of additional hours alongside the road. However, since neither of them intended to be that “someone”, it wasn’t worth mentioning. They simply started following the tracks, which initially were highly visible and easy to trace.
Once the prints left the road, however, following them became much more of a challenge. The brothers allowed their horses to choose their own footing over the rough terrain-----both riders with bowed heads, scanning the ground. Johnny picked up the trail the first time that the tracks faded from view, Scott the second. After exchanging compliments, they refrained from any unnecessary additional commentary, each brother recognizing that the other was rather good at this.
Sometime later, Scott observed that “We’re quite near Josh and Jenny’s place.”
“Maybe we should stop in . . .see if they’ve seen anythin’.”
“Agreed.”
When the Lancers rode up, Josh was out in front of the low slung house chopping up kindling. The big man put down his ax, brushed the hair out of his eyes and approached as they dismounted.
“Scott. Johnny, “ he said slowly. “What brings you out this way?”
Scott quickly filled him in. “Jenny!!!”, Josh bellowed in the direction of the house. “We got us some company!”
Jenny came through the door, attired in her usual jeans and plaid shirt, but without a hat on her straight blond hair.
“Hey, Scott . . . we ain’t seen you around here for a while.”
“How are you, Jenny?” Scott asked carefully. It had been Jenny who had seemed quite eager to keep Josh away from Scott.
Behind them, the barn door slid open and a drawling voice announced: “Well, if it ain’t John Madrid.”
Josh looked over towards the building, Jenny smiled at the speaker and Scott froze as he recognized the voice. Johnny kept his gun hand poised as he slowly turned to face the barn. “Gordon.”
“John.”
Jenny jogged over to the big bearded man. “Johnny, I hear you know my brother.”
Scott raised his eyebrows, giving his own brother a “you handle this” look.
“Yeah, me and Gordon go way back,” Johnny told the young woman. He tilted his head sideways: “Ya say he‘s your brother?”
Jenny put her arm around the big man--Josh and Gordon looked to be about the same height, and sure enough, the top of Jenny’s head only came up to Gordon’s shoulder.
“Now I know that we don’t look terrible much alike---”she started to say.
“I’m her half brother,” Gordon explained.
Johnny grinned at that. “Well, that sure does explain it,” he said, looking significantly at Scott. Scott’s serious expression did not change.
“Jenny?“ Josh asked, “think you could put some food on the table?”
“Could if you was willin’ to help me.”
As the couple headed towards the house, Scott quietly said, “I’ll join you,” and handed Brunswick’s reins to Johnny.
Gordon and Johnny walked towards the barn, leading the two horses. “Figured you’d be back in Canada by now.”
“Yeah. Thought since I was so close, I’d come by and see Jenny. Like to convince her and Josh to come with me.” The two men entered the barn, their unspoken plan to unsaddle the horses and provide them with some well deserved food and water.
“Where ya headed?”
“Alberta . . . we’d be Alberta bound, I guess.”
Johnny began to remove Barranca‘s saddle. “Well, you been here a while if this is where ya came after I last saw ya. Josh and Jenny must need some convincin’.”
Gordon began working on Brunswick. “Ain’t that--everything they have’s tied up in this place. . . . And I do have an idea in my head now and then. I wasn‘t fool enough to come here directly.”
“Speakin’ of fools--- ‘n ideas----- how ‘bout that gunfight --that one yours? . . .”
“Nope. . . Now I’m not sayin’ I wasn’t lookin’ for the money, John. But it was the Velasquez boys t’was lookin’ for blood.”
“Well, they sure got some.”
“Yeah.” Gordon had been riding with Gerardo Velasquez and his older brother Diego ----“Diablo” for quite some time. Not that he could in any way hold it against Johnny for shooting the two of them, under the circumstances.
“Ol’Diablo weren’t usually that stupid, least not when he was stone cold sober . . . giving that brother of yours Gerardo’s gun, well, John when I saw that I like to just . . .” the bearded man finished with a colorful obscenity.
Johnny grinned in appreciation. Gordon had always had a way with words. Now the Canadian shook his head. “You and your brother sure did have us believin’ you were never too close.” After a short pause, he added: “Figured you’d have come gunnin’ for me if I’d shot ‘im.”
“You got that right.”
“Hey John“--he extended his hand. “I’m glad it turned out for ya.” Johnny hesitated a moment, then finally shook the big man’s hand. The two of them made short work of tending to the horses and then headed into the house to join the others at the table.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
“Though we glided so swiftly, and often smoothly, down, where it had cost us no slight effort to get up, our present voyage was attended with far more danger: for if we once fairly struck one of the thousand rocks by which we were surrounded the boat would be swamped in an instant.
Stop he cannot; the only question is, where will he go? The bow-man chooses the course with all his eyes about him, striking broad off with his paddle, and drawing the boat by main force into her course. The stern-man faithfully follows the bow. “
--Henry David Thoreau, The Maine Woods
Josh volunteered himself and his brother-in-law to help the Lancers try to find Teresa and Melissa. Scott was very much averse to spending any more time in Gordon’s company, but when he tried to dissuade Josh, his friend observed, correctly, that it would only “even things up a bit”, since the brothers had indicated that they were tracking four horses. Determined to avoid filling Josh and Jenny in on the details of his previous experience with Jenny’s brother, and eager to resume the search for Teresa and Melissa, Scott very reluctantly acquiesced.
Rather than wait for morning, the four men decided to make use of the remaining hours of daylight. While they were packing provisions and bedrolls, Jenny announced her intention to ride to Lancer to inform the people there of “what Scott ‘n Johnny were up to.” When Josh objected, saying that she should stay put, Jenny informed him in no uncertain terms that she was going anyway. Johnny pointed out that Jenny would ride with the men the short distance until they picked up the trail, and then head back towards Lancer-----odds were she might even encounter someone from the ranch who was following him and Scott. In view of that, Josh was agreeable, and the five set out together.
After parting company with Jenny, the four men resumed tracking Teresa, Melissa and their companions until the approaching darkness made the signs invisible. They made camp and built a fire, settling for coffee and trail food.
When Johnny left the campfire and headed over to Barranca, Scott took the opportunity to speak with his brother alone. “So who do you think we’re following?” Scott asked him.
“Hard to tell.”
Scott gave Johnny a searching look: “I’ve been wondering. . . Johnny, did Miss Harper tell you anything about her trip to Morro Coyo?”
“Mostly that she weren’t too impressed with it.”
“I meant about the other passengers on the stage.”
“Yeah . .," Johnny said slowly; he could see where Scott was going with this. “She did say one of ‘em was a miner from Humboldt County. She weren‘t too happy ‘bout that.”
His brother nodded. “He could have been someone who knows the Cooper brothers.”
“Coulda been. Guess we’ll know tomorrow.”
Scott looked at Johnny speculatively. It was a moment before he asked his next question: “Just how far back do you and Gordon go?”
“He saved my skin once.” Johnny didn’t look directly at Scott. “When you went down, he didn’t get away--I kinda let him go.”
Since he’d been lying on the ground, struck by his brother’s bullet, there was no way that Scott could have known this. Scott recognized that Johnny knew he was taking a risk by revealing it. In the lengthening silence, Johnny added: “He never was no back shooter. . . but I don’t know for sure what he woulda done. I just couldn’t take the chance of not droppin’ ya, Scott.”
Scott nodded, but didn’t say anything. He seemed to have closed off again. Johnny wondered if it was really only hours ago that Scott had been leaning against the doorframe, wearing a big grin and saying how when he was a kid, he used to go fishing with his little blond haired brother, Johnny Lancer. . . <<But hell, it was just last night we were fightin’ ‘bout Melissa and ol’ Boston came pretty near to blowin‘ up on me>>.
When it was time to turn in, Johnny noted that his brother set up his bedroll some distance from the campfire and the other men. From past experiences on the trail, he knew that Scott didn’t sleep too good at night. More than once Johnny had awakened reaching for his gun in response to something Scott had shouted in his sleep. Something else he’d never said anything to his brother about---- didn’t plan to either. He’d heard enough to believe that many of the dreams which interrupted Scott’s sleep just might have to do with that time spent in a prison camp. Johnny wondered whether meeting up with Gordon again might not also trigger something. . . Scott was evidently thinking along those lines too.
When Johnny opened his eyes, it was morning and Scott was already up and making coffee. If his brother had called out in the night, Johnny had slept through it. The four men cleared camp quickly as the Lancers were eager to get back on the trail. The brothers continued their pattern of alternating as lead tracker, with Josh and Gordon following behind.
By late afternoon, Johnny was of the opinion that the trail was getting clearer--- that they might be gaining on whoever it was they were following. When they stopped for a short break, Scott suggested climbing up a rocky outcropping to see if anyone was in sight. He and Josh headed up, while Johnny and Gordon waited below.
“We’ve seen them,” Scott announced, when the two returned. “They’re making camp for the night.”
“Quittin’ kinda early,” Johnny observed. “How many?”
“I count three men--most likely the Coopers, though I can’t be certain.”
“Teresa and Melissa?”
Scott exchanged a worried look with Josh. “We could see them . . . But they didn’t seem to be moving around much.”
The four mounted up and continued on for a time. After they had traveled only a short distance, Scott called the party to a halt. “Here’s what we might do . . “, he offered.
“Josh and . . .Gordon can ride on into their campsite-----the Coopers won’t recognize them, as they would you and I,” he said to Johnny. Then, addressing Josh and his brother-in-law: “You two can be very friendly, just passing by. But get yourselves between the women and the Coopers. “ “Johnny, you and I will circle around on foot, get to their horses. Cut off their escape. We’ll have the element of surprise, come out nice and easy with our guns drawn, but try to avoid any gunfire . . “
“How ‘bout waitin’ til sundown?” Gordon asked.
Scott regarded the big Canadian coolly. “That thought did occur to me,” he replied. “I guess I’ve seen too many . . . friends shoot each other in the shadows. So I’d rather avoid operating in the dark.”
Johnny noted his brother’s hesitation and the way that his eyes slid over Gordon when he used the word “friend”. <<Seems like Scott “Here’s the Plan” Lancer ain’t too sure ‘bout trustin’ Gordon. Well, can‘t say I blame ‘im. >>
“Now, Josh, --Teresa will recognize you. So here’s what you’ll have to say . . “ Scott put his hand on the big man’s arm and led him away a short distance, coaching him on a greeting that he could deliver which would both acknowledge Teresa and let her know that help was at hand. “Very friendly now, Josh. Ask her to introduce you to her friends and you introduce your, . . . your brother-in-law. Say: ‘This must be Miss Harper’ . . Tell them that Johnny and I were talking to you about her. That will let Teresa know that you’ve seen us.” Scott repeated these instructions twice more, with emphasis upon the key phrases that he wanted Josh to utter.
Johnny and Gordon stood apart, listening to the exchange between Scott and Josh. “You okay with this plan?” Johnny asked the bigger man bluntly.
“Your brother sounds like maybe he knows what he’s doin’. It’s worth believin’, anyway. But I ain’t so sure about Josh.”
“Yeah, well, seems almost as if you could read my mind.” Johnny also had some concern about Josh playing such a key role in Scott’s plan. Which made Gordon’s willing participation all the more necessary, in Johnny’s view. “Just checkin’ if you got a problem followin’ Scott . . . Cause I don’t.”
Gordon gave Johnny a long look. “The way I feel is . . . that might not be a bad choice, John.”
In response to Johnny’s surprised look, Gordon added quietly: “You keep a man in your gun sights for a time, maybe you see some things.” The bearded man continued: “I surely do appreciate that neither one of ya said anything to Jenny----or Josh. . . . Anyway, John," he concluded, “I won‘t leave ya high and dry.” Johnny nodded his acceptance of that, as Scott and Josh rejoined them.
“You ready?” Johnny asked Josh.
“Yeah, Johnny, I’m ready.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Although Bobby had declared that he wasn’t interested in Melissa Harper, he still had her ride double with him. The Cooper brothers had put Teresa on the extra horse. She had tried to stay alert to the possibility of escaping, but Crocker, with the heavy sideburns and the slightly stockier Harmon,---- one or the other had remained at her side at all times.
When they were not on horseback, it had been Bobby who had stayed close to Teresa. Both Harmon and Crocker were quite attentive to Melissa--it was probably a good thing that there were two of them, because so far they had each intervened when the other one tried to get too “friendly” with the young woman. Meanwhile, although Bobby tried to charm Teresa, she was having none of it.
When he’d asked her if she was comfortable, she’d replied defiantly, “I will be, just as soon as I’m back home.”
“Now Teresa, I figured you for the type of woman who might enjoy a little traveling.”
“I’d love to travel some day, but when I do, I’ll choose the destination---- and my traveling companions,“ she replied pointedly.
“Careful, now. You don’t want to hurt my feelings.” He smiled, but Bobby Cooper’s eyes . . .there was something rather menacing about them. Still Teresa couldn’t bite back her retort. “I’m sure that you’re very sensitive.”
“I take offense real easy. You might ask Melissa about that.”
He turned his head and snapped at his “little brothers”: “Crocker, Harmon, c’mon you two, get a fire going, cook up some grub.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
After giving Scott and Johnny some time to circle around to the other side of the small clearing, Josh and Gordon rode into the Coopers’ campsite. Although she managed to hide it, Teresa was very pleased to see Josh and greatly reassured by his reference to Johnny and Scott. Josh managed to deliver his lines fairly well, with some prompting from his brother-in-law.
The Lancers were not quite yet in position when the other two men arrived. Hidden in the underbrush, Scott turned back to face his brother and raised his gloved hand to halt Johnny’s forward progress. With a movement of his head, Scott indicated that the younger man was opposite Melissa Harper’s position. Johnny nodded in understanding and stood poised, gun drawn.
Scott continued to ease forward through the brush. Johnny noted that Scott’s weapon remained in its holster since his brother needed both hands to hold the branches motionless as he edged through them. Scott was trying to position himself behind Bobby Cooper and Teresa, who were standing facing Josh, Gordon, Harmon and Crocker, who were all a short distance across the clearing from them. Josh and Gordon had dismounted and, as instructed, were standing in between Bobby’s “little brothers” and Miss Harper.
Bobby placed his arm possessively around Teresa’s shoulders. “Teresa”, he said in a smooth voice, “I’m surprised that you haven’t told your friend here that you’re going up to Humboldt County with me.” “We’re about to be engaged”, he added in a conversational tone, and when Teresa started at his words, he casually slid his hand to the back of her neck. Johnny’s eyes flitted to Scott, who was crouched motionless, intently watching Bobby and Teresa. From Scott’s nearer vantage point, he could see Cooper’s hand tighten on Teresa’s neck, as Bobby reached for her with his other hand, turning her towards him. It was only when he attempted to bestow a kiss, that Teresa began to resist.
Chagrined, Cooper looked at the other men and through clenched teeth he said, “You know, sometimes a woman just needs to be taught a lesson . .” Turning back to Teresa, he delivered a swift backhand to her face. As Teresa cried out in surprise and pain, Scott exploded from the underbrush, launching himself at Bobby Cooper.
Thinking <<so much for his plan>>, Johnny emerged immediately after, gun at the ready, and hurried across the space, only to find that Josh and Gordon had already drawn their weapons and trained them on Harmon and Crocker. “Well, hello, there Melissa”, Johnny grinned at Miss Harper, then turned to watch as his older brother continued to pummel Bobby Cooper. Scott had set Cooper up with two swift punches to the midsection, then once he was doubled over, delivered a hard blow to the man’s face. His nose was bloodied, probably broken. Bobby collapsed in a heap. Scott hauled him to his feet, removed Cooper’s gun from his holster and tossed it aside. Gordon followed suit with Harmon and Crocker’s weapons.
Johnny gestured with his own gun at the two younger Coopers. “Take him and ride on outta here. If I was you, I wouldn’t look back ‘til I was safe underground.“ Crocker and Harmon hastily moved to comply.
Still breathing heavily, Scott turned towards Teresa, who threw her arms around him and placed her head against his chest. “Oh, Scott!” He stood there with his arms around her for a moment, one hand stroking her dark hair. Then he placed his gloved hands on Teresa’s shoulders and gently moved her far enough away to get a good look at her face. Scott was just about to ask her if she was all right when he heard Melissa scream “Bobby!! No!!” and Johnny shout “Scott! Get down!” As he dove for the ground, pulling Teresa with him, Scott heard a bullet whine past in the air directly over his head. He heard, but did not see, his brother’s answering shot.
Behind Scott, the three Coopers had mounted up, but instead of quickly riding away, Bobby, his nose misshapen and bloodied, had pulled a rifle from the boot attached to his saddle and pointed it at Scott. Bobby Cooper got off one shot before Johnny’s bullet took him off of his horse. Harmon and Crocker galloped off, leaving Bobby lying lifeless on the ground, a red stain spreading across his chest.
His unhesitatingly quick reaction to Johnny’s warning shout had spared Scott, but across the clearing, Cooper’s bullet had found a mark and another man with a bloodstained shirt lay on the ground . . . .
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Scott Lancer slowly got up off the ground, helping Teresa to her feet. “Thank you, Brother,” he said to Johnny, who was hurrying towards them. Anything else he planned to add trailed off as he looked over and saw Gordon bending over Josh. Saying his name in a stricken tone, Scott moved in the direction of the fallen man.
“Shoulder,” Gordon informed him. “Tore up pretty bad, but I think that the bullet passed right on through.” Josh moaned, Scott knelt beside him and Teresa sat on the ground, taking Josh’s head onto her lap.
Johnny went over to confirm that Bobby Cooper was in fact dead. Looked like the man had been shot through the heart. Clean. He turned back to see Melissa staring at him, white-faced. Approaching the young woman and placing his hands on her shoulders, Johnny turned her away from Cooper’s body. “Melissa, you get some water we can heat up,” he instructed her. “What else we need, Scott?"
His attention still on Josh, Scott replied: “I have some things in my saddlebags.” Without another word, Johnny jogged off down the path, to where Brunswick and Barranca were waiting.
Recognizing that Scott and Teresa had Josh well in hand, Gordon backed off, and went to help Melissa start a fire. Johnny returned and tossed Scott’s saddlebags to the ground beside him. “Got your hat, too.”
Scott glanced up at his brother. “Thanks again.”
“Think it’s bad?’
Josh looked apprehensively at Scott when he heard Johnny‘s blunt question, then relaxed visibly when the blond man replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “The bullet does seem to have passed through----best to let it bleed out a little . . .” Scott began to remove items from the saddle bags. First a hunting knife, then a roll of bandaging, a sling . . .”Fortunately for you, I’m used to traveling around with Johnny, so I’m prepared for this,” he said dryly to Josh. Scott also removed a rumpled extra shirt, which he handed to his brother, asking him to tear it into strips.
For the next half hour, Scott worked over Josh, cleaning the wound, packing it to stop the bleeding and finally immobilizing the shoulder, all the while narrating what he was doing in that calm voice of his. <<Somethin’ else Scott ain’t half bad at,>> Johnny noted, <<Could come in handy.>>
Having made Josh as comfortable as possible, Scott joined Johnny and Gordon near the campfire. “He’ll need a doctor. There may be damage to the bone.”
“Don’t make much sense to head out now,"Johnny replied. “It’s almost dark. So why don’t you and the ladies see what you can find for food,"he suggested to Scott. Johnny glanced over at Gordon. “Me and Gordon will take care of him,” he added, indicating Cooper’s body.
The two men carried the corpse out of sight. With a small spade from the Coopers’ abandoned gear and some stones which they were able to gather, they constructed a shallow makeshift grave, and laid Bobby Cooper in it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Josh spent an uncomfortable night, eased somewhat with liberal doses from a bottle of whiskey which the Coopers had also left behind. The next morning, the big man indicated that he believed he’d be able to sit a horse. <<Good thing>>, Johnny thought, <<That’s enough weight for any horse, hate to see someone have to ride double with ‘im. >>
After the gear was packed up and loaded onto Bobby Cooper’s horse, the party set out, Johnny leading with the pack animal. Melissa elected to ride with Scott. Scott kept Brunswick alongside Teresa, who had resumed her position on the Coopers’ spare mount. Gordon rode close beside Josh, keeping an eye on the injured man.
When they neared Josh and Jenny’s place, Scott rode back to check on Josh. In response to Scott’s inquiry, Josh managed only a weak smile. “I ain’t feeling too good right now, Scott.”
“I know that, Josh,“ he replied with a look of genuine concern. “I promise you we’ll get the doctor as soon as we can.”
“We’re almost there,” Scott added with an encouraging smile. “And I have to admit that I‘m not looking forward to explaining this to your wife. I’m very much afraid that she’s going to call me a three- ways fool for letting you get shot and you’ll be a four-ways one for coming along with us in the first place.”
When the group arrived at Josh and Jenny’s, they found that the young woman had already returned home, accompanied by Murdoch Lancer and several of his hands-----one of whom was quickly dispatched for the doctor.
Scott had been mistaken in his prediction . . . Jenny actually labeled him a four-ways fool for placing Josh in harm’s way. Josh himself was upgraded to a six-ways fool for going along with Scott’s “plan“, whatever it had been, and then not having sense enough to get out of the way of a bullet. Rounding on her brother, Jenny then turned the air blue before she put her arm around big Josh and carefully, tenderly, guided him into the house. Scott looked embarrassed, while Johnny laughed and observed that “havin’ a way with words must be a family trait.”
“Yeah,” Gordon replied. “We used to call her ’Cotton Jenny’-----cotton cause that’s whatcha wanted to have stuffed in your ears, if she ever once started in on ya.”
After Josh was settled inside, the Lancers offered their thanks to Gordon and took their leave of Josh and Jenny. Scott told Jenny that he’d like to stop by to see Josh in a few days---if that was all right with her.
“Oh, it’s fine with me if you wanta to show up,” she informed him. “Guess I’ll decide when you git here if I wanna let you in.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Teresa, Melissa and the men from Lancer started for home. Murdoch Lancer took Teresa with him on his big horse, leaving the animal that Teresa had been riding available for Melissa Harper. Scott on Brunswick rode slowly at the rear of the group and Johnny allowed Barranca to drift back until he was beside his pensive looking brother.
For Johnny, the most meaningful outcome of the recent event had been the affirmation of Scott’s trust in him. When Johnny had yelled for Scott to “Get down!”, his brother had done so instantly; he had not paused to look around or ask a question. This was fortunate, for Scott would most likely be dead otherwise. Teresa and Melissa had been frightened, but were unharmed. Bobby Cooper was not going to be causing any more problems and it was pretty unlikely that Harmon and Crocker would show up again without their big brother. Still, something was eatin’ at Scott “Lieutenant” Lancer and it wasn’t too hard to figure out what that might be.
“Josh’ll be okay.” Johnny offered.
Scott just raised one eyebrow at him. He had assumed responsibility for the rescue attempt; he was well aware that if he had only adhered to his plan, it was quite likely that Josh might never have been injured.
“If you hadn’t gone after Cooper, I sure woulda done it.”
Scott looked over at him, then faced forward once more.
“Gordon’s trying to get Josh and Jenny to go to Canada with ‘im.”
“They told me.”
Johnny was about ready to ride on ahead. <<When Boston don’t feel like talkin’, . . .>>
“I was thinking of offering them some money for their place, so that they’d be able to go.”
“Yeah?”
Scott looked straight ahead. “I still have . . . that $1000 from Murdoch. I’d intended to return it to him, but . . . It’s just never seemed like the right time to bring it up. This might be a good use for it.“
“Sure would be . . . I’d throw mine in too, ‘cept I already gave it back to ‘im.”
Scott turned to face his brother, his surprise evident. “You gave it back to Murdoch?”
“Yeah. When I was still laid up with that bullet. Had it figured you wouldn’t be keepin’ yours, so I decided I wouldn’t neither.” Uncomfortable with the way that Scott was staring at him, Johnny abruptly changed the subject. “So now, Scott, somethin’ I was wonderin’ ‘bout----what’s your real middle name?”
<<Real??>> Scott was puzzled by the phrasing of the question, but he answered nonetheless: “It’s Garrett.”
“Ya mother’s name.”
“That’s right,” Scott said evenly. Turning towards his brother, Scott slid his hat back on the crown of his head. “Now what’s yours-----no wait“ he said, holding up one gloved hand, “Don’t tell me the name--- just give me the first letter.”
“M.”
Scott looked at Johnny appraisingly: “It’s not really Madrid?”
“Nah, not officially, anyway.”
Scott faced forward again, in a vain attempt to hide somewhat the wide grin spreading across his face. “Then it must be Murdoch----and that explains it---- why you’re his favorite.”
Johnny snorted at that. “Favorite! If he had a favorite, it sure wouldn’t be me.”
Scott turned serious once more--“That’s only because the two of you are so much alike.”
Johnny rolled his eyes--he had already heard this from his brother many times before. “Right--proud, stubborn, cut from the same cloth, ‘no give’ . . “
“It’s true.”
“Could be describin’ yourself.”
Scott squinted at Johnny and said, carefully: “On me, it looks . . . different.”
Johnny had to agree with that. <<Actually, don’t look like nothin’ Boston, cause that’s what you let folks see most of the time . . .nothin’.>> Johnny was still of the opinion that his older brother would one day lose that control of his and explode.
After a moment, Scott softly said, “I wish I’d known that you’d given back that money.”
Johnny considered that. He had a pretty good idea of what Scott’s initial opinion of him had been. “It‘s always been about the money for you" is what Scott had said once. Johnny fixed his bother with a direct look. “Well, I ain’t saying it weren’t why I came. But the money’s not why I stayed. . . Hell, Scott, seems like maybe things’ve changed some since then.”
“You got that right,” replied Scott, in a very poor imitation of Johnny’s drawl.
Johnny had to laugh at that. “Do me a favor now, Boston,” Johnny grinned at him. “Don’t go and change too much.” With that, Johnny spurred Barranca into a gallop. Knowing from experience that the lighter and quicker Brunswick would easily make up the distance, Scott waited a moment before setting off in pursuit.
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Very late on the first evening back at the ranch, Johnny undertook to return the pages of Scott’s file to the folder in Murdoch’s desk drawer. Confronted once more with the sight of his own extensive paperwork, he decided to again postpone reading any of it. He knew that he would do so at some point, if only to discover exactly what his father and brother knew about his past.
Thanks to his own investigative efforts, and no thanks to the Pinkertons, Johnny was in possession of information about Scott--information of which his older brother was unaware. Most startling was the fact that Murdoch had for a time denied the existence of his elder son; had apparently actually informed the people here at the ranch that baby Scott had died along with his mother. Or, giving Murdoch Lancer the benefit of the doubt, perhaps others had made that assumption and Murdoch had simply allowed them to believe it.
According to Maria, after Johnny’s mother had departed, with Johnny in tow, Murdoch had gone to Boston, intending to bring Scott back with him. Scott was a few years older, so Johnny figured that his brother would have been about five. Murdoch had said he’d seen Melissa Harper when she was three----- probably back in Boston, based on the conversation Johnny had overheard between Scott and Melissa. Scott would have been about eight years old then. But his brother apparently had no recollection of ever having had a visit from their father. And, however many times Murdoch had actually journeyed to the eastern city, he had obviously returned to the ranch empty-handed.
Johnny wasn’t certain what, if anything he should do with this information. Like Maria, he felt that it wasn‘t his “place”’ to inform his brother, even if asked. <<Ain’t my story to tell.>> He did however, feel much more curious about Scott’s upbringing in Boston. Johnny wondered about all those unknown people in his brother’s life, most especially his grandfather. <<Wouldn’t mind hearin’ more about that little blond haired brother of his, either.>>
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“We have advanced by leaps to the Pacific, and left . . . California unexplored behind us. Though the railroad and the telegraph have been established on the shores of Maine, the Indian still looks out from her interior mountains over all these to the sea. There stands the city of Bangor, fifty miles up the Penobscot, the principal lumber depot on this continent, like a star on the edge of night, still hewing at the forests of which it is built, - and yet only a few axe-men have gone “up river,“ into the howling wilderness which feeds it. The bear and deer are still found within its limits; and the moose, as he swims the Penobscot, and sixty miles above, the country is virtually unmapped and unexplored .“
Having finally reached the end of Henry David Thoreau’s account of his trip up and down Ktaadn, Scott was pleased to find that he still had two thirds of The Maine Woods to look forward to reading. Thoreau had also written about two additional journeys into the forests of the Pine Tree State, when he had canoed first Chesuncook Lake, and, then later the Allegash.
Scott couldn’t help but consider that, in coming out West, he like Thoreau, had made his own venture into the “wilderness”. His life out here was a journey into territory which was still largely unmapped. Melissa Harper‘s visit had reawakened Scott’s awareness of the still unexplored areas of his own past. Not only were there questions which he had not yet addressed to Murdoch here in California, but also others which had never been raised with his grandfather back East.
It had fallen to Murdoch Lancer to entertain Melissa Harper for the remainder of the young woman’s visit. By unspoken mutual agreement, Johnny and Scott each tried to avoid spending much time alone with their guest.
When the day of Melissa’s departure dawned, all three of the Lancer men and Teresa accompanied her to Morro Coyo. Scott drove the buggy, with Melissa beside him and Teresa and Murdoch in the back seat. Johnny, on Barranca, rode alongside. As they pulled to a halt at the stage depot, Murdoch solemnly inquired as to Melissa’s plans.
“I’ll spend another month with Aunt Kate in San Francisco,” Melissa replied. “Long enough to finish my studies at the institute.”
“And then?”
Melissa looked over her shoulder and smiled at Murdoch. “And then . . I think that I’ll make Daddy very happy and go back to Boston for a while.”
While Murdoch handed Teresa down from the buggy on one side, Scott assisted Melissa on the other and Johnny gathered up her bags. As they stood on the far side of the buggy, away from the others, Melissa quietly thanked Scott once again for rescuing her: “you saved me ---twice“, she smiled, her words followed by a brief kiss. Then, “Good luck,” she said.
In response to Scott’s questioning look, Melissa smiled knowingly and glanced over to where Teresa was standing, Johnny’s arm draped casually over her shoulder. “When you do go back to Boston for a visit, Scott, you really should take Teresa along with you. I know that she would like to do some traveling. And I’ve found that after a little traveling, even a woman who wants the whole world just might come to better appreciate what she already has . . . . “
Melissa took her leave of Murdoch, promising to give his regards to James Harper when she wrote her father a carefully edited account of her visit to Lancer. She hugged Teresa and gave Johnny a kiss on the cheek. Then, turning to Scott, who was waiting to help her onto the stage, she inquired, “So Scott, when will you be going back to Boston?”
Murdoch, Johnny and Teresa did not even attempt to pretend that they doing anything other than intently listening for Scott’s reply. “Actually, Melissa,” he smiled down at her, “it may be quite some time before I get back to Boston. You see, I’ve invited my grandfather to come here.”
Beside him, Johnny felt, rather than saw, Teresa break out into a big smile. He slid his eyes over to Murdoch, who was not smiling. The older man’s face had turned to stone. At the moment, his father probably closely resembled that rock formation up in New Hampshire called “The Old Man of the Mountains,“ the one that Scott and Melissa had been talking about the evening before. As his brother carefully handed Melissa Harper into the coach, Johnny thought <<“Well, whadya know . . .a visit from Scott’s grandfather . . . Now that could be real . . . interestin.“>>
THE END
SBC 2003
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