Texas Blue

chapter 27



LEWT PATERSON WALKED INTO THE ROADHOUSE called Three Forks. The place might have been a ranch headquarters fifty years ago, but this owner had found selling supplies and sin far more profitable than cattle or crops. The original house looked like it had been added on to several times without any consideration given to the architecture.

He’d seen worse, but it had been a long time since he’d played cards in a place like this. Most of the men looked like they hadn’t had a bath in months, and the girls working the room for drinks and opportunities didn’t look much better. The floor was filthy and needed a good fight to mop it up. From the looks of it, men had given up even trying to hit the spittoon. The place reminded him of a saloon in Fort Worth that was so bad they didn’t clean up from a gunfight until the body got to smelling worse than the floor.

The gambling hall at Three Forks was big, several tables in play and a roulette wheel just inside the door. There was no stage or music. Men who came here came to drink and gamble. Along the back wall was a long bar and a wide door that opened into what looked like a café. Thirty or forty men were in the place, and most, including the two guards at the door, looked like they were long past drunk.

There were no social drinkers here, and he guessed the card games were not played for sport either.

Lewt turned slowly, noticing everything as he stretched and complained to the bartender about how it had taken him forever to ride in from Texas.

He counted six exits, but except for the double doors at the front, all looked like they went farther into the building. One was probably the women’s quarters, and from the number of men walking in and out, the girls were doing a good business tonight. Men usually paid for an hour but needed only five or ten minutes. He heard a girl laugh once and say she worked a forty-hour day one night.

Another door, up a few steps of stairs, was probably where the rooms were rented for the night. A sign over the opening said, BED—ONE DOLLAR, BATH—TWO BITS, SEE BARTENDER. Two small doors were near the back of the bar. One might be the direction to the outhouse; another probably served as a pass-through to a kitchen.

Lewt almost missed a catwalk near the top of the high ceiling. It ran half the way around the saloon, a plain balcony fashioned to blend into the ceiling beams. One old woman, dressed in rags, stood watching like hell’s guardian angel. Lewt had a feeling she missed little, from men cheating to bartenders pocketing cash. She reminded him of a buzzard on a perch.

“First drink’s on the house,” the bartender said in English as he shoved a whiskey in Lewt’s direction. “I’m guessing you came to gamble.”

“That’s right.” Lewt took a swallow of the terrible whiskey. “I heard there’s money to be made here for an honest man who likes to bet.”

“Keep it honest and you’ll stay alive. Most of this crowd wouldn’t hesitate to fire first and ask questions later.” The bartender pointed with his head. “Slip that man in the chair by the door a few dollars and he’ll sit you at a good table. There’s no charge to play other than the money you lose, but we collect for the food and drinks when we deliver. That way we don’t have anyone go broke owing a tab.”

“Food any good?” Lewt asked, to pass the time. He wanted to get a good feel of the place before he sat down at a table. “I don’t see any samples sitting out on the bar.”

“Best we’ve had in years. Made to order until six, then you take what’s left in the oven. What would make you happy?”

“What you got?”

“Thick steaks. We got our Texas beef cheap. Any dessert they bring you, don’t turn it down. This late the menu’s light, but the food’s great.”

“Sounds good. I think I’ll play awhile, then have a meal.”

The bartender nodded. “You’re like most. Can’t wait to lose. Be sure and save enough for a meal because once you’re broke, you’re out the door. Toledo’s got a dozen guards to make sure all’s square with the house when you leave.”

Lewt laid ten dollars on the bar. “This should cover dinner in an hour and breakfast at dawn.”

The bartender took the money. “I’ll hand you your change when you leave.”

Lewt paid one of the guards for a chair and sat down to a table of cutthroats who looked like they’d committed every crime on the books and were bored with talking about it. He knew better than to make small talk. They were here to play.

Lewt was good at cards, but tonight he was careful never to win a big pot. He had a feeling the poor losers and the big winners both went out of this place feetfirst.

When the bartender brought his steak, it gave Lewt a chance to sit out a few hands and listen to the talk around him. He moved to a little table in the middle of the place so he could hear several conversations.

Lewt spotted a few other men he knew to be professional gamblers. They were men he’d seen in the rougher saloons before he worked his way up. They looked much the worse for wear. Gambling, for the most part, was a young man’s game and an old man’s pastime. Somewhere in the middle, a gambler would be smart to step out and take a few years to breathe fresh air.

Lewt had that all planned. Or at least he thought he had. A week ago he thought he’d marry a rich wife, settle down, and take his winnings to build a business and become part of the day world. No more all-night games, no more sleeping in the back of saloons with one eye open so he would wake up with his winnings still in his pocket. He’d planned to have a house, a real house with his name on the deed, and an office he could go to, and a wife who’d have supper ready every evening. He wanted to walk with her on his arm to church every Sunday morning and vote in the elections.

Except nothing had worked out like he’d planned. The only woman on Whispering Mountain he’d been attracted to was a long-legged mean-talking girl. He smiled and added in his mind, who had to hold his hand when it got dark. He hadn’t thought her even pretty, but she had a way of growing on a man. When he kissed her, the whole world seem to stop, and if he could get her to look at him he swore she had the bluest eyes in all of Texas.

One of the saloon girls circled by, letting the sleeve of her dress, dipped in cheap perfume, drift along his arms. “Want some company later?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said, thinking of Em. Even when she refused to talk to him, she was company to him. Maybe because he wasn’t trying to impress her and she wasn’t flirting with him. He and Em settled comfortably into silence when they were together. Even though their days riding the hills of Whispering Mountain had been hard work, he missed them. He missed her.

When the saloon girl circled back by to ask for the time he’d prefer later, he added quickly, “I have a game that may take me the night. How about waiting awhile?” He noticed that the girl looked exhausted.

“All right,” she pouted, “but tomorrow is going to be busy, what with the auction and all the men riding in from miles around. So if you’re interested, you’d better decide when.”

Lewt forced himself not to look up from his food, but he shoved a chair out for her. She’d just told him more information than he’d gotten in an hour of sifting through every conversation around him.

She took the offered seat and ordered a drink, knowing that if she sat at his table, he’d be charged for her drinks.

“I don’t like the idea of you being too busy. Are you sure it’s going to be packed tomorrow? There’s times I like to spend a while with a lady like yourself and not be hurried by someone waiting outside her door.”

The girl shrugged, and half her dress slipped almost to her waist. Her revealed breast wasn’t particularly big or pretty, but she’d gotten him to look and that had been her purpose. She leaned back and crossed her legs as she downed her drink. “The old witch who runs the joint has a Texas Ranger trapped somewhere around the place. She claims he’s a murderer, and no one here argues with her. Everyone on the wrong side of the law has a relative or friend who was killed by the rangers. The witch, Toledo by name, is holding an auction to see who wants to be his executioner. She calls it ‘helping him get home,’ but we all know whoever takes the ranger won’t be sending him nowhere but to the grave.

“Those who have the money are planning to bid. Those who don’t will bet on how the ranger meets his end. The favorite way is hanging or maybe firing squad, but a few are placing money on the more unusual ways.”

“Doesn’t sound like a bet I’d want in on.” Lewt motioned the bartender to bring the girl another drink. She’d earned it.

He wanted to ask more questions, but he had a feeling her lips were just as loose talking to the guards as to him. The last thing he wanted was to draw attention. “Good food,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting it to be.”

The girl smiled as she took her new drink. “That it is. Toledo found two women wandering around down here about six months back. They said they were murderers on the run. We all thought they were touched in the head. Appears they’re sisters. Walking proof craziness runs in families. Toledo offered them a job in the kitchen ’cause the food was so bad the pigs wouldn’t eat it.” She raised her empty glass and continued. “The sisters were so good, she fired the worthless cook she had and kept them on. Pays them a good salary but charges them for board. They’ll probably never make enough to get out of here, and even if they did, where would they go?”

Lewt smiled as he finished off his meal. “Aren’t you afraid they’ll murder you one day? After all, women don’t usually kill, but once they pick it up, it’s something they tend to make a habit of.”

“No. Even if they thought of it, Toledo keeps a guard in the kitchen.”

“Why?”

The girl shrugged. “I don’t know. None of us have been allowed in there for a week. We take our meals at a table behind the bar. The guards are the only ones allowed to eat in the kitchen, and they take full advantage. Every last one of them is getting fat, and the rest of us feel like all we ever get is the leftovers.”

Lewt didn’t have to ask more. He knew where Duncan was. In this country, Toledo would have wanted him close. In the barn, it would be too easy for someone to steal or kill him. And if she had him here, it made sense there would be a guard near.

“I better get back to the game, honey, but when I finish, I’ll book some time with you if I have enough money left. Until then, why don’t you have a bottle on me and rest a spell?”

“Sounds good,” she said. “I might just call it a night. I’m in room three, so just come on in if you’re interested in a little fun later. If I don’t wake up, leave the money.”

“I’ll do that,” he said, thinking that after kissing Em he never wanted to sleep with a woman who didn’t ask or care what his name was. In fact, even if all he ever did was kiss Em, that would be far better than sleeping the rest of his life with someone like this.

He gave her money enough to buy a bottle and watched the girl go to the bar, pick up a full bottle, and disappear down the hallway to her room. He knew he wouldn’t see her for hours, and when he did she’d be too hung over to remember him or anything they’d talked about.

Lewt stood and returned to the game. He played through the night, losing a little more than he won. He watched everything around him.

The old lady on the walk above disappeared about ten and never returned. The guards became far less interested in their jobs once she’d vanished. A few ordered drink after drink. About two in the morning one of the guards pulled a saloon girl into his chair by the door and satisfied his lust with her. He looked like he might have a heart attack, and she looked bored. Few in the bar bothered to notice.

Lewt had watched such acts all his life and was surprised when he heard a man call it making love. Nothing about it seemed to involve even mild caring. Lewt wasn’t like some men who treated women like objects to own, or worse, like pets to keep around just to play with, but he’d never really thought of a woman as standing on equal footing. He’d heard a few men talk about their wives or mothers as angels, but he’d seen little of that in his life. More than anything, women were a mystery to him. A mystery he hadn’t had time or opportunity to study.

Or, maybe he hadn’t wanted to until now. Until he met Em. Lewt wished he had a few nights or months to think about it, but right now he had to play poker and keep his eyes sharp. Duncan was close, he could feel it. Getting his friend out of this mess might cost him his life if he didn’t play every card right. Yet as the hours passed he couldn’t ban Em from the back of his mind.

By three there were more men asleep or passed out in the bar than awake. Lewt stood, stretched, and headed out the back door to the outhouse. No one seemed to even notice he’d left.

Once outside he circled around to the well as if just wanting a drink, then walked to the nearest entrance. He didn’t go in but peeked in the window. Sure enough, he’d found the kitchen.

One guard appeared to be leaning against a bolted door. He looked sound asleep.

Lewt walked back to where he’d tied his horse and disappeared into the night without making a sound.

Less than thirty minutes later he was waking everyone up at the camp, and none seemed too happy about it.

Wyatt rolled awake with a gun in his hand. Sumner seemed to crawl from sleep one limb at a time, and Em sat up rubbing her eyes like a child.

Lewt stared hard at her, needing to erase all he’d seen tonight. Needing the purity and plainness of her with her braid and work clothes and no makeup or frills.

“We’ve got to go in tonight,” he said as the others gathered around the dying campfire. “I think I know where he is, but it’ll take two to go in and get him and another two to stand guard, one with the horses, one on a rise about a hundred yards away from the house. It’ll provide cover and an easy getaway into trees.”

Sumner nodded, knowing his job would be as one of the two lookouts. “Does it have a clear view of the entrances?”

Lewt nodded. “From the rise a shooter can see the back entrance and, more important, the open area to the barn and corral where all the horses are kept.”

“We have to get in and out before the cooks get up to start breakfast.” Lewt fought the adrenaline already rumbling through his veins. He’d never thought of himself as brave, and now, somehow, he had to lead the charge. “So I’m guessing we have until a little before dawn to get Duncan out. This doesn’t look like the kind of place where anyone gets up early.”

Showing little sign that he’d been asleep, Wyatt stood and picked up his rifle. “From now until the first hint of sunrise it’ll be darkest. I’m not sure they’ll be able to follow us if we get a quarter-mile start, and Sumner and I scouted out a few routes besides the main trail that will get us home.”

Lewt nodded, and they all stepped into action.

Sumner and Em scrambled, collecting their things. Wyatt had left his horse saddled, but he helped Lewt load the packs. He saddled one of the extra horses they’d brought and walked the pack horse into the trees, saying they’d come back for the animal later.

“Any word how hurt he is?” Wyatt’s voice was low as he stood beside Lewt. “Do you think he’ll be able to ride? If we have to take him out by wagon, we’ll have to fight all the way to the border.”

“No, but the old woman is planning to have the auction tomorrow. I figure he’s as good as he’s ever going to get, and tomorrow night will be too late.”

Wyatt agreed. “Sumner won’t admit it, but his hand shakes a bit. How about I go in with you while Sumner and the girl cover us? The old man will do best with the horses. She can cover us from the rise. That will keep her out of the fight as much as possible, and with luck she won’t have to fire a shot.”

“Sounds good. You tell Em.”

“Not on your life. You’re the one who can cuddle up to her. She gives me looks like she’d shoot me if I burped.”

Lewt knew it was a waste of time to argue. He moved over to Em and put his hands around her waist to help her up, but he didn’t lift. “Em,” he whispered just behind her ear. “I want you to stay close to Sumner.” He could feel her stiffen, preparing to argue with him, so he hurried on. “If it comes to a shoot-out, I need to know you’re close to him and can take care of you both. I’ll get Duncan. If he’s hurt I may have to carry him, and I don’t think you could do that. Wyatt’s a fighter. He’ll blast away and be fine if we’re attacked. I won’t worry about Sumner if I know you’re keeping an eye on him.”

He could feel her debating and knew she’d as soon fire up at him as go along. She’d come to save Duncan, not hold the horses or provide cover if something went wrong.

He kissed the spot just below her ear, hoping a change of subject might settle her. “When this is over, I’m coming for that kiss. It may be the only one you give me, so I plan to make it last.”

Moving his hand around her, he brushed the side of her breast, hoping to distract her. She felt so soft beneath her shirt that he almost forgot his own name, and he realized his plan was backfiring.

“I’ll watch Sumner,” she whispered as she shot into the saddle without his help. “I’ll also be close enough to cover your lying, no-good hide. Now, Mr. Gambler, I’ll thank you to keep your hands off me.”

Her words were so cold they shocked him. He fought down an oath and climbed on his horse. As they rode through the night he tried to figure out how a woman could run so hot one minute and so cold the next. She could cut him to the bone with her words and make him feel on fire with her kiss. He didn’t know if she was crazy, or if she’d driven him over the edge.

By the time they were within sight of Three Forks, Lewt decided he should marry her and keep some other poor soul from going mad. Any man who married her would need armor to survive a year.