handling it so well.”
“Handling what?”
“We almost died a few days ago,” Jessica reminded. “Our friends were killed. Murdered. And yet everyone acts as if nothing happened.”
Yancy nodded, almost apologetically.
“I reckon it’s because we’re all so accustomed to death,” he said. “Coop and I have been around it since before the war.”
“How can you ever get accustomed to all the killing?”
“Repetition helps,” Yancy replied matter-of-factly. “First time I killed a man, it bothered me for a while. Now I don’t mind so much. Especially if they need killing.”
“How do you decide if they need killing?” Jessica looked at him.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“Most of the time, it’s easy to tell.”
“Like when they attacked the ranch,” Jessica said.
“Yes, like that.”
Jessica nodded as she thought on that.
“Well, you are good at it,” she said. “You, and everybody else.”
“We’ve had plenty of practice.”
“Do you plan on being a lawman forever?” Jessica changed the subject.
Yancy was surprised by the question.
“Never really thought on it much,” he admitted.
“It’s a dangerous life.”
“It is, sometimes,” Yancy agreed, and added, “Punching cows can be dangerous too.”
“But cows don’t shoot at you.”
“No, but they can sure run you over.”
Jessica laughed. It was silent for a bit, and she suddenly smiled.
“This is the longest conversation we’ve ever had,” she pointed out.
Yancy was startled.
“Yes,” he said thoughtfully. “I believe it is.”
“Maybe we can do it again sometime,” Jessica suggested.
“I’d like that,” Yancy said. A thought occurred to him, and he asked, “How ’bout tonight? There is something I’d like to discuss.”
Excitement filled Jessica’s face.
“After supper?”
“That’ll be fine,” Yancy agreed.
He tipped his hat at her and kicked up his horse.
Jessica watched him go, and she smiled to herself as she moved over and pushed up a slower moving yearling.
She glanced at the sun and frowned impatiently.
Supper couldn’t get here fast enough.
Chapter thirty-eight
Rondo rode back in as it was getting dark, and he passed by the herd on his way to camp.
Sim and Josie were the night-riders, and Rondo frowned at that. He nodded at Josie as he trotted by.
After tending to his horse, he filled his plate with beans and sat down. He sipped his scalding hot coffee and looked around camp at everyone.
“We made good time today,” he commented.
“I’d say so,” Yancy agreed.
“I rode several miles ahead,” he said. “Grass is good, and there’s plenty of water.”
“See any tracks?” Tussle wanted to know.
“Some.”
“Injuns?”
“Looked like,” Rondo nodded. “But, they were several days old and moving to the south.”
Tussle grunted his approval as he put more wood on the fire.
“Sure is a pleasant night,” Cooper commented from across the fire. “I hope the weather holds for the next few weeks.”
“My aching joints tells me it’s going to rain,” Lee spoke up.
“Aching joints?” Brian looked Lee and scowled. “Live another twenty years, and then come talk to me about aching joints.”
“Lee does have a point,” Cooper spoke up. “I killed a rattlesnake today, and he turned belly up.”
“Not that again,” Yancy sighed, and he gestured at the clear, black sky. “It’s not going to rain tonight, I can tell you that.”
Rondo smiled at the conversation. He stood, walked over to the fire, and poured another cup of coffee.
“I noticed Josie is with Sim,” Rondo commented.
“That’s right,” Tussle nodded.
“Wyatt’s about to relieve her,” Cooper spoke up. “She wanted him to eat some beans – I mean – supper first.”
Tussle scowled at Cooper but didn’t say anything.
“I hadn’t had the chance to mention it, but I think we should keep an eye on Sim,” Rondo said.
Everybody nodded in agreement, except for Lee
“Handling what?”
“We almost died a few days ago,” Jessica reminded. “Our friends were killed. Murdered. And yet everyone acts as if nothing happened.”
Yancy nodded, almost apologetically.
“I reckon it’s because we’re all so accustomed to death,” he said. “Coop and I have been around it since before the war.”
“How can you ever get accustomed to all the killing?”
“Repetition helps,” Yancy replied matter-of-factly. “First time I killed a man, it bothered me for a while. Now I don’t mind so much. Especially if they need killing.”
“How do you decide if they need killing?” Jessica looked at him.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“Most of the time, it’s easy to tell.”
“Like when they attacked the ranch,” Jessica said.
“Yes, like that.”
Jessica nodded as she thought on that.
“Well, you are good at it,” she said. “You, and everybody else.”
“We’ve had plenty of practice.”
“Do you plan on being a lawman forever?” Jessica changed the subject.
Yancy was surprised by the question.
“Never really thought on it much,” he admitted.
“It’s a dangerous life.”
“It is, sometimes,” Yancy agreed, and added, “Punching cows can be dangerous too.”
“But cows don’t shoot at you.”
“No, but they can sure run you over.”
Jessica laughed. It was silent for a bit, and she suddenly smiled.
“This is the longest conversation we’ve ever had,” she pointed out.
Yancy was startled.
“Yes,” he said thoughtfully. “I believe it is.”
“Maybe we can do it again sometime,” Jessica suggested.
“I’d like that,” Yancy said. A thought occurred to him, and he asked, “How ’bout tonight? There is something I’d like to discuss.”
Excitement filled Jessica’s face.
“After supper?”
“That’ll be fine,” Yancy agreed.
He tipped his hat at her and kicked up his horse.
Jessica watched him go, and she smiled to herself as she moved over and pushed up a slower moving yearling.
She glanced at the sun and frowned impatiently.
Supper couldn’t get here fast enough.
Chapter thirty-eight
Rondo rode back in as it was getting dark, and he passed by the herd on his way to camp.
Sim and Josie were the night-riders, and Rondo frowned at that. He nodded at Josie as he trotted by.
After tending to his horse, he filled his plate with beans and sat down. He sipped his scalding hot coffee and looked around camp at everyone.
“We made good time today,” he commented.
“I’d say so,” Yancy agreed.
“I rode several miles ahead,” he said. “Grass is good, and there’s plenty of water.”
“See any tracks?” Tussle wanted to know.
“Some.”
“Injuns?”
“Looked like,” Rondo nodded. “But, they were several days old and moving to the south.”
Tussle grunted his approval as he put more wood on the fire.
“Sure is a pleasant night,” Cooper commented from across the fire. “I hope the weather holds for the next few weeks.”
“My aching joints tells me it’s going to rain,” Lee spoke up.
“Aching joints?” Brian looked Lee and scowled. “Live another twenty years, and then come talk to me about aching joints.”
“Lee does have a point,” Cooper spoke up. “I killed a rattlesnake today, and he turned belly up.”
“Not that again,” Yancy sighed, and he gestured at the clear, black sky. “It’s not going to rain tonight, I can tell you that.”
Rondo smiled at the conversation. He stood, walked over to the fire, and poured another cup of coffee.
“I noticed Josie is with Sim,” Rondo commented.
“That’s right,” Tussle nodded.
“Wyatt’s about to relieve her,” Cooper spoke up. “She wanted him to eat some beans – I mean – supper first.”
Tussle scowled at Cooper but didn’t say anything.
“I hadn’t had the chance to mention it, but I think we should keep an eye on Sim,” Rondo said.
Everybody nodded in agreement, except for Lee
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