I sure will.” The shy youngster’s mouth curled up in a smile.
Jon tipped his hat, reined Babe around and rode toward the center of town. A man’s voice barked out from the porch at the Dead End Saloon. “That’s one tough hombre! I hope I never run into him!” the man exclaimed as the crowd hurried back inside to reclaim their spots at the faro and blackjack tables.
Tired and hungry, Jon pulled a strip of jerky from his shirt pocket, bit it off and chewed it hard.
His body aching, he saw the Callahan Boardinghouse sign on down the road a piece. He gently spurred Babe toward the two-story building. The small boarding-house was right in the middle of town, just two doors down from the Dead End Saloon. Perfect, he thought as he pulled up and jumped down. As he tied up to the hitching post, a familiar voice shouted out from the darkening street.
“My oh my, sure surprised to see you in these parts! Last time I heard, you were hiding out in the Kansas Territory after shootin’ that deputy sheriff in Hays City.”
“Well, I know I’m tired, and my mind could be playin’ tricks on me, but that sounds like that nasty ole cousin a mine, Cliff Stone.” Beaming, Jon turned to face his greeter. “Well I’ll be damned, it is you! How the heck are ya, Cliff?” Jon extended his hand toward his smiling kin.
The two shook and shared a hard hug. “I can’t believe it’s you, Jon. It’s so good to see you! We had a lot of good times back in Indiana.”
“Sure did, Cliff. I’ll never forget ‘em.”
“We were just kids then—it’s been a while.”
Jon nodded. “Ya look good, cus. You’ve put on a few, but you were always a little too skinny.”
Cliff grinned. “That was quite a show you just put on over at the Dead End. I was watching from the porch of the general store. Kinda reminded me of that time back in Indiana when you took care of that bully at the county fair. I could’ve handled it, but you jumped on ’im before I had a chance!”
“Maybe so, but you were just a little shaver. I had to do somethin’, or ya probably woulda got your butt kicked.”
“That’s for sure,” Cliff laughed. “It’s quite a surprise seeing you way out here in California, Jon. What brought you out this way?”
Jon leaned back against the hitching post. “Since those Indiana days, Cliff, I’ve pretty much been all over the place. Travelin’ from town to town just doin’ odd jobs and a little gambling here and there. And I’ve been in my fair share of scrapes along the way. Never one to back down, I’m sorry to say I’ve been in a number of gunfights. Unfortunately, a few men have died.” Jon glanced at Cliff for his reaction. Cliff was calm, showing little emotion at Jon’s revelations.
Jon went on.”I only killed in self defense or to protect a friend. A good man need not fear me. But my fightin’ has bought me a reputation. That reputation wears you down after a while. You’re never sure when some coward is gonna try and put a bullet in your back.”
Jon paused, grinding his boot into the dusty road. “Years ago, I bought a vineyard near here with the money I saved in my early days at the buffalo camps,” he continued. “A while back, I decided to give up my fightin’ days and head out to that little slice of heaven. I’m almost there now,” Jon smiled.
“How about you, Cliff? I thought you’d have about three hundred head and a nice wife by now!” As Jon looked over at the sturdy man Cliff had become, he remembered the good kid back in Indiana, the one who read the Bible in Sunday School and never sassed his parents. The one the other parents wanted their ornery little cusses to be like. The kid everyone wanted to play with at recess. Jon had to admit there were times back then when he was getting a whuppin’ from his mean father that he was a bit jealous of his popular cousin.
A nervous smile broke out on Cliff’s friendly face as he replied. “Well, that was my plan all right, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Ma died of consumption about three years after you left. Pa was so lonely that he went to drinkin’ and eventually lost the farm. He died of a broken heart a short time later, so I took off. I headed for Abilene. After a short time there, I moved on to Hayes City and found a job working on the railroad. I tried ranchin’ a couple of times, but the drought got me both times. Then it happened.”
Jon’s eyebrows rose.
“I had some trouble.”
“Trouble? Why, you were the one who always avoided trouble, Cliff. What happened?”
“I went over to the Oriental there in Hays one evening to do a little gambling. Short time later, I was invited to join a game of blackjack. After several hands, I was sure one of the boys was cheating. When I called him on it, he got real mad and went for his gun. Problem was, I saw it coming. Quick as a flash, I grabbed the six gun out of the guy’s holster next to me.”
“Guy next to ya, huh? That’s impressive!”
“I blasted away at the cheatin’ dog. He fell hard to the floor. With the help of one of the whores in the bar, I vamoosed out the back door. I don’t know if I’m a wanted man or not. I just needed to get as far away from that town as I could. I rode and rode, never looking back, just keepin’ on. After a few stops in between, I ended up here in El Cabrera, and I’ve been mining ever since. Not what I planned on, but I guess that’s the way life is.”
“Well I’ll be, cousin Cliff is runnin’ from the law!” Jon chuckled as he poked him playfully in the shoulder.
“Just trying to keep up with you, Big Jon. You were always my hero, you know.”
Both men joined in a raucous belly laugh. Jon could have talked all evening, but Cliff had some things to get done.
“It’s great seeing you, Jon, but I better run. I got some errands to run before everything closes. Why don’t we get together later?” Cliff looked at Jon with great anticipation.
“Sounds good to me, Cliff—maybe we can get a bite at the Dead End later on.”
“It would take a herd of wild horses to keep me away!” Cliff said eagerly. His black mare whinnied as he reined her backward toward the center of town.
Alone and tired from his long journey, Jon couldn’t wait to meet Cliff. But first he needed to grab a room and a quick bath.
Chapter 4
“Can I help you, sir?” The lovely lady glanced up from the counter as Jon hustled into the boardinghouse. Jon slowed dramatically on his way to check-in, taken aback by the beauty of the friendly lady behind the counter. She was tall, just a few inches shorter than Jon, with dark flowing hair and a classically beautiful face adorned by gorgeous brown eyes framed by carefully manicured eyebrows. Her pink calico dress fit snuggly, accentuating her trim, curvy figure. Her smile seemed to warm up the entire room. Jon tried to collect himself and say something, but she beat him to the punch.
“I’m Maggie Callahan. Welcome to El Cabrera, Mr.…?”
“Oh…uh, Stoudenmire, Jon Stoudenmire.” A red-faced Jon went on. “Forgive me for fumbling, ma’am, it’s just that I wasn’t expecting to see a…uh…”
“A woman
