Authors: Cherie Shaw
Both men did look impressive, as they galloped along
next to the stage. Logan grinned, and waved, when he saw Olivia watching out
of the window. She lifted her hand and gave a slight wave, but kept her chin
up. She was enjoying the ride, as it was different from the coaches in London. This vehicle was as rugged and wild as the land, and Olivia felt a tingle of
excitement, but couldn’t figure out why.
She was amused at Uncle Claude’s discomfort though.
The woman who sat next to him was definitely on the make and kept up a constant
chatter, trying to impress him. She’d said her name was ‘Lulu’, and she
constantly patted her bright red fluffy curls, and fluttered her eyelashes at
him.
Yes, Olivia’s Uncle Claude was definitely
uncomfortable.
Olivia had known ladies to pursue her uncle before,
but in a tactful way. He was a fine looking gentleman, and also was one of the
richest men in England, and obviously a ‘good catch’, even at his age. Most of
the ladies who pursued him though were much more delicate in their schemes, and
Claude had never had a problem avoiding their desires of matrimony, even the
most aggressive of them.
This woman, Lulu, on the other hand, was downright
brazen. Olivia guessed that ‘Brazen’ would have been a much better name for
her than Lulu.
Olivia’s maid, Amelia, back at the manor in the
country south of London, had been a member of society at one time, and came
from a well known, and titled family, however, circumstances had forced her to
take on the domestic position. Olivia had suspected for several years that
Amelia cared for Claude much more than she would admit to, and maybe Claude
cared for her too. Who knows?
Olivia decided to take pity on her uncle though at the
first stop. She would see about having Maria switch seats with him, that is
unless he chose to ride his horse along with Logan and Ricardo, and she was
sure he was seriously considering doing just that.
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They came out of the shadows of the desert, and one
minute they were nowhere in sight, the next minute they were lined up against
the horizon, on one of the hills. There were probably ten or fifteen of them, Indians,
and the woman Lulu, screamed and clutched Claude’s arm, then shouted,
“Comanches! Them’s renegades, Mister, you see them? Oh, I believe I’m going
to swoon.”
Their looks were impressive alright, but they just sat
there on their paint ponies, and appeared to be in a discussion among themselves,
trying to decide what to do. Olivia heard the stage driver whip the team into
a run, and yell at the horses.
She also saw Logan lift his rifle out of the scabbard,
and then untie the thong on his holster. He held the rifle across the saddle
in front of him, and galloped along right next to the stagecoach, Ricardo
keeping up right behind him. Ricardo had his rifle in his hand also, and they
both kept their eyes on the group of Comanche renegades, as they rode along.
Just as suddenly as the Indians had appeared, they
were gone.
Claude said, “They probably didn’t want to go against
so many armed men. They hadn’t expected it.” Claude had seen that the two
young cowboys, sitting on the rear seat, also had their weapons drawn and
pointed out of the rear window of the stage. He continued on, “The storekeeper
told me yesterday that they’ve had some trouble with renegade Indians lately. I
guess maybe that was some of that bunch.”
Olivia began to understand now why Logan and Ricardo
were so well armed. She guessed they knew the country better than she after
all. She’d have to tell Amelia now that she was right about Indians. Though
there were only a few, and not as many as Amelia had thought there were.
Lulu, the woman sitting next to Claude, had apparently
fainted, with her head on Claude’s shoulder, though Olivia seriously doubted
the reality of it. If the woman had known that she had her head on the
shoulder of one of the wealthiest titled Lords in all of England, she’d probably faint for real, Olivia thought to herself.
Yes, Claude was definitely uncomfortable now. Olivia
noticed perspiration on her uncle Claude’s forehead, and she didn’t think it
was from the heat. Lulu raised her head up to stare at Claude’s face, and then
let out a soft moan. She heaved a deep sigh as she realized that he was
totally ignoring her. Claude had his mind on purchasing a side-arm and gun
belt the minute they pulled into the next town. He definitely needed a weapon,
and would see to getting one. Maybe a small revolver, as well, to give to
Olivia to keep in her reticule. It was really hot in the stuffy stagecoach. He’d
probably ride his horse after the next stop. He felt it just might be safer
out there among the ‘wilds’.
Olivia tried to contain her snicker, as she noted that
Lulu had probably realized that her ‘game was up’. The brassy redhead leaned
her head against the back of the seat, and closed her eyes. She hadn’t asked
about the Indians either.
The first town they came to wasn’t really a town, and
mostly consisted of one large sprawling building that served as stage stop and
trading post, surrounded by several outbuildings, and a scattering of cabins
among a few oak trees and low hills. The weather-beaten sign over the entrance
of the trading post said ‘Beaver Creek’. “Well, at least we know where we
are.” Olivia said as the stage came to a rolling stop, amid the screeching of
wheels, and the flutter of scattering chickens that had been pecking in the
dirt off to the side of the road.
A wiry young boy dressed in fringed buckskins, who
they thought might be an Indian boy, came running from the stable as they
emerged from the stage, and immediately began unhitching the team of horses,
then led them to the water trough. The driver of the stage had no sooner set
the brake, than the team was unhitched. The boy worked fast.
Claude had assisted Maria and Olivia from the stage,
as the woman, Lulu, had been the first to jump to the ground, and grabbing her
satchel, had stalked off toward the building without a backward glance.
“Well, ladies, the driver tells me that we will have
half an hour stop here. So as soon as I see to feeding and watering my mount,
I’ll meet you inside.” Claude told them.
Olivia answered, “Maria and I will be fine, Uncle, and
we will see you inside. Hopefully we can order something for us all to eat,
while you are out in the stable. Oh my, it’s almost hard to walk after being
so cramped inside the coach.” The women were glad to stretch their legs during
the long walk from the stagecoach up to the trading post.
Logan and Ricardo had dismounted and proceeded to tend
their mounts, giving them oats and water, glad that the nourishing oats had
been set out for the horses.
Ricardo dropped the wooden bucket down into the water
well, then lifted it up, dipped in the ladle and drank of the pure fresh cool
liquid, then splashed his warm face, cooling himself off a bit. Handing the
cup to Logan he offered, “Here Señor, try the cool water. It is kept cold from
the ground. You have never tasted anything better.”
Logan
dipped the cup
in and drank deeply of the cool refreshing liquid, then said, “Gracias, amigo.
This reminds me of the cool mountain spring water from the hills of Wyoming. I haven’t had anything this refreshing for a long time.” He made sure that
Claude tasted of its coolness too, and the Englishman was fully impressed.
“By Jove, this country is looking better to me all the
time.” Claude remarked.
Ricardo then sauntered over to the Trading Post
building, his silver conchos gleaming in the bright sunshine as he walked,
though Logan and Claude remained outside to talk for a few minutes, while
watching the Indian boy as he alone hitched up the fresh team to the stage.
The boy was very adept at his job, and Claude was impressed.
After Logan’s mount had been watered and fed, he led
the horse over to the shade of the stable, and finding a grooming brush, he
began the process of brushing the sturdy roan’s soft coat. Claude following,
gently proceeded to care for his dusty black stallion with the same care.
The two men talked while they worked side-by-side, and
Claude realized that there had been a bond growing steadily between Logan and
himself, ever since Logan had first awakened from his coma, on board the
‘Silver Princess’. In his estimation, here was a man of character and with a
certain pride in knowing who he was, and where he was going in this life.
Claude had noticed that Logan hadn’t been feeling sorry for himself for what
he’d gone through the past eight years, nor did he speak of vengeance.
Logan
’s only drive now
was to return to his home again, and be with his folks, to just go on with his
life. That spoke of strength and character. Claude felt a twinge of guilt
that he was postponing the young man’s return, with this trip to his ranch in Texas, but he hoped that it wouldn’t be too much longer. Claude could also see, that in
the person that Logan was, that if he ever did happen to cross paths with the
two men who had shanghaied him on the docks of Seattle, or meet the evil
Captain Devlin again, or any of his henchmen for that matter, that Logan wouldn’t back down from a confrontation. Seeing Logan for the man that he was, now
that he was fully recovered from his mistreatment of so many years, and now had
his strength back, Claude did feel just a slight tinge of pity for Logan’s enemies, and he figured the result of such meetings would be a sight to behold.
The young Wyoming cowboy never went around bragging
about what he would do to those evil men, but Claude knew that Logan just quietly accepted the fact of what would happen should the circumstances occur.
Claude spoke to Logan, as they worked, “Young man, I
certainly would like to meet your parents, the folks who raised you. They did
a fine job.”
“Thank you, sir. I appreciate that, and of course the
offer still stands. As soon as we see to this property of yours here in Texas, we could all certainly head up Wyoming way. I told Ricardo too, that if he isn’t
returning to the sea, after Mexico, then he would always find a home at my or
my pa’s place, and be welcome. I’m still not sure what I’ll find when I
return, but I’m sure the horse property is still there anyway.”
“I won’t be certain until I speak with Olivia, and see
this ranch of mine, but for myself, I would look forward to the trip.” Claude
smiled, and shook his graying head. “I swear I feel younger than I have in
years just making this trip west.” Claude decided to speak with Olivia as soon
as possible about the issue.
After they’d all eaten a hot meal of beef, biscuits,
potatoes and gravy, the passengers again climbed into the stage, and the fresh
team of horses were eager to be off. The rest of the day was restful and
uneventful, and the surrounding terrain was turning greener, and the air a
little cooler, and Olivia noted that the ground was slanting ever upward. They
were entering the foothills of the far mountain range, though the stage made a
turn to the left, staying even with the foothills now, and didn’t climb any
higher.
“Oh my.” Olivia breathed, as she looked out the stage
window. “Look, Maria, the scenery is breathtaking now. Nothing like we’ve
been through.”
Maria laughed, “Si, Señorita. I told you. You will
never wish to leave this part of the country. It gets even better than this
further up.”
“You are right my friend.” Olivia smiled, “I just may
never want to leave. England, where is that?” She laughed, and couldn’t
believe she had said that.
Logan
was riding tall
and silent, and Olivia was impressed at how well he seemed to fit the horse and
the country too.
Maria interrupted her thoughts again, “We will spend
the night in a picturesque little town of ‘Coyote Springs’. A little higher
than the land we are traveling now, and with running streams on two sides of
the town, with grass and wildflowers growing all over the land. Ricardo and I
have been through there many times, and have always enjoyed the visit, and the
coolness of the place. You will love it there. Logan said Coyote Springs is
about three miles from this ranch of your uncle’s. He has been through here
many times and knows the territory well. He also said that we can lease a
carriage in the morning and ride out to the ranch that way.”