Rowdy Rides to Glory (1987) (2 page)

Over a year later, Rowdy Horn had discovered, quite by accident, the identity o
f
the old man he had befriended. And he had learned that Cleetus was one of the wealthies
t
sheepmen among the Navahos, and one of the first to introduce Angora goats into th
e
lonely desert land where he lived.

Vaho laughed merrily when she heard the story.

"That's like him. So like him. Did he ever return the horse?"

"No," Rowdy said drily, "he didn't. That was a good horse, too. "

"He's a strange man, Rowdy," she said. He was glad, some how, that Vaho did not stan
d
on ceremony. He liked hearing her call him by his first name.

"Maybe he could use a good man with his flocks," Rowdy suggested, a little bitterly.

"I'm sure going to be hunting a job soon.,
,
She looked at him quickly. "But you have this ranch? Is that not enough?"

Rowdy did not know just why he had an impulse to tell this girl, a stranger, hi
s
trouble-but he did.

`hrugging, Rowdy explained and Vaho Rainey listened at tentively, watching him wit
h
her wide dark eyes. She frowned thoughtfully at the receding water.

"There must be a reason for this," she said. "There has always been water here. Neve
r
in the memory of the Navaho has this water hole been so low."

"Sure, there's a reason," Rowdy said glumly, "but what is it? Maybe there's somebod
y
takin' water before it gets to this pool, but who and where? I always figured thi
s
water came off the Rim, somewhere."

"Or from under it," Vaho said thoughtfully.

That remark made no impression on Rowdy at the moment, although he did recall i
t
later, and wondered what she had meant. Right now, his interest in this tall, dar
k
girl was quickening. There was warmth in her, understanding, and sympathy for hi
s
problems-all the things that he had missed in jenny.

He glanced up suddenly. The sun had slid behind the mountains, and it was growin
g
dark.

"You'd better be getting home!" he warned Vaho. "Riding in the mountains at nigh
t
is no good."

"Not when you know them as I do," she said, smiling. "Anyway, I've not far to go.

Some of our people are camped only a few miles from here. I shall go to them."

When he had watched her ride away into the dusk that lay thick among the dark pines
,
he swung into the saddle and turned the steeldust down the road home. But he wa
s
conscious of a strange excitement, and the memory of that tall, dark girl was lik
e
a bright fire in his thoughts. He was remembering the curves of her lips and th
e
way she had moved, how her laughter had sounded an echo in his heart. With a quic
k
start of guilt he realized that in his mind he was being a little disloyal to jenny.

Despite his guilty feeling, though, he would not forget that girl from the canyons
,
or the strange warmth she had left with him.

He had ridden home and had stripped the saddle from th
e
steeldust, when he heard a man's voice inside the stable. For an instant he hesitated.

It was dark inside and he could see nothing. Then he saw a subdued glow, and steppe
d
quickly to the door. "Who's there?" he demanded.

A man who had been kneeling to examine Cub's leg got to his feet. As he stepped ou
t
of the door Rowdy Horn could see him plainly-a tall, thin man in a battered hat no
t
of western vintage, and a shabby suit of store clothes.

"How are you?" he said. "I hope you won't think I'm butting in. I stopped to as
k
for something to eat and a place to sleep, but finding nobody at home, I walked aroun
d
a little. Then I found your horse with the bad leg. What happened to him?"

"Stepped into a gopher hole. My roping horse. I'd figured on riding him in the rodeo."

"Too bad." The man hesitated. "How about that grub?" "Sure. Come on up to the house.

I haven't eaten myself. You passin' through?"

"Uh-huh. I'm a tramp printer, Neil Rice by name. My doctor told me if I expecte
d
to live I'd better get West. I'm not really sick, but he told me that any more o
f
that city air and I would be, so I packed up and started West."

"Broke?" "I am now. I ran into a poker game back in Dodge, and I'd played a lot o
f
poker with other printers. Those Dodge people played too fast a game for me."

Rowdy chuckled. "All right, Rice. I know how that is. I'm Rowdy Horn. You huntin
g
a job?"

"Any kind of a job. I know a little about horses, but not much about cattle. An
d
I can cook."

"There's what you need," Rowdy said cheerfully. "Let's see what you can do. I a
m
probably the worst cook who ever died of slow poisoning from his own cookin'. I'
d
hesitate to ask a stranger to eat it."

Two hours later, with a good dinner behind their belts and pipes lighted, they sa
t
back and stared thoughtfully at the fire. Rowdy by that time knew most of Rice'
s
troubles, and the printer was aware of the precarious situation on the Slash Bar.

"This fellow Luby," Rice said thoughtfully. "Has he always lived around this country?"

"Here, Texas, New Mexico, and California, as far as I know. He seems to know a goo
d
bit, though."

"I wouldn't be surprised." Rice hesitated. "Is there any wa
y
in which I could get my hands on that deed? And the will? I know a little about suc
h
things."

Horn shrugged. "Not that I know of. Maybe I can figure out a way. Why? Are you
a
lawyer?"

Rice chuckled. "Just a printer, but I know a little about documents. I wouldn't promis
e
anything, but it might be that if the deed was faked and if the will was forged
,
I could tell. How, I don't know, and I couldn't promise anything. I'd have to examin
e
them, and preferably have them for a while."

"That's tough. Luby wouldn't turn loose of them. We'll see, though, for it's sur
e
an idea." He scowled. "You can't forge a deed, can you? This one's got a big sea
l
on it. I gave up when I saw that."

"Well," Rice said, "that might be the very reason it's on there. Did you have a goo
d
lawyer look at it?"

"Lawyer?" Horn exclaimed. "Man, there's no lawyer in Aragon but old Hemingway, an
d
he's drunk most of the time. I don't think he knows much law, anyway."

The following day, Rowdy worked hard, roping and tying calves, roping horses, an
d
attempting to improve his own speed and skill, though the steeldust wasn't nearl
y
the horse Cub was. Neil Rice had taken right hold, had cleaned out the house an
d
organized the cooking situation. Then he had handed Horn a list of supplies. Rowd
y
had grinned at it.

"All right, Rice," he had said, "I reckon we might as well eat and leave this plac
e
on full stomachs anyway. I'll head into Aragon and pick up this stuff."

With a packhorse Rowdy Horn headed for Aragon. All the way to town he was studyin
g
ways and means of getting the documents into his hands once more. There must be som
e
way. During their talk at breakfast Rice had told him that it was often possibl
e
to remove the seal from one document to another, that such a thing had been don
e
in more than one place.

Aragon was crowded when Rowdy rode down the main one of the town's three streets.

Banners were hanging across the street, and the town was bright with posters heraldin
g
the coming Stockman's Show and Rodeo. News had got around about the injury to Cub'
s
leg, however, and everywhere he went he found the odds on his winning first mone
y
had dropped. He was no longer given an even chance to win, for everyone had know
n
how much trust he placed in Cub, and all had seen the horse perform at one time o
r
another.

He called at the house for Jenny, but she was out. He
r
mother smiled at him, but her eyes looked as if she were disturbed.

"I'm sorry, Rowdy," Mrs. Welman told him, "Jenny's gone out. You may see her downtown."

He walked back down the street, telling himself that he was foolish to feel irritated.

Jenny had had no idea he would be coming in, and there was no reason why she shoul
d
be at home. He laughed at himself, then strode back downtown and went to the Emporiu
m
where he began buying groceries. He was packing them on his lead horse when he hear
d
a familiar voice, and glancing up, saw Bart Luby. Clinging to his arm was Jenny Welman!

Rowdy's face flushed, and he looked away, but not before Luby had seen him.

"How are you, Horn?" Bart said, making no effort to conceal his triumph. "Sorry t
o
hear about Cub! I was looking forward to the chance of beating him."

Jenny looked at Rowdy, paling slightly. His eyes met hers for an instant then h
e
looked away.

"Think nothing of it, Luby," he said, "but don't count me out. I'll be there yet."

"A man can't do much good on just a fair horse," Luby said, "but come along in. B
e
glad to have you."

Jenny hesitated. "I didn't know you were coming to town," she said.

"I see you didn't," he said, a little wryly.

Her chin lifted and her eyes blazed. "Well, what do you expect me to do? Stay hom
e
all the time? Anyway," she added suddenly, "I'd been planning to ride out and se
e
you. I don't think-well, we'd better call this off. Our engagement, I mean. "

He had a queer sinking feeling, but when he lifted his eyes, they revealed nothing.

"All right," was all he said, calmly. Her blue eyes hardened slightly. "You certainl
y
don't seem much upset!" she flared.

"Should I be?" he asked. "When a girl tosses a man over the first time he gets i
n
a tight spot, she's small loss."

"Well!" she flared. "I-!"

"Come on, jenny," Bart said. "You told me you were comin' out to my place to loo
k
at the sorrel mare." He grinned at Horn. "Out to the Bar O. "

Stung, Rowdy glared at Luby.

"Better enjoy the Bar 0 while you can, Bart," he said.

Bart Luby froze in midstride and for a second stood stock still. Then slowly he turned
,
his face livid. "What do you mean by that?" he barked.

"Nothing"-Rowdy grinned-"nothing at all! Only-" He hesitated, then shrugged. "You'l
l
know all about it soon." "Oh"-Jenny tugged at Bart's arm-"don't pay any attentio
n
to him. He's always fussing about that ranch."

The remark was intended to appease Bart and get him away. It had the effect of addin
g
fuel to the man's uncertainty after Rowdy's veiled comment. Bart Luby stared dow
n
at Rowdy as he stood in the street, and watched him finish his diamond hitch.

"If you're smart, you'll leave well enough alone!" Bart said then, carefully an
d
coldly.

Rowdy smiled, but he felt warm with triumph. Luby was worried, and if that deal ha
d
been straight, why should he worry? His sudden remark had brought a greater reactio
n
than he had expected, yet suddenly he was aware of something else. That had bee
n
a dangerous thing for him to say, for now Luby knew that the loss of the ranch wa
s
not a closed matter to Rowdy Horn.

In the saddle on the way back to the Slash Bar, Horn began to feel the letdown. Despit
e
his immediate reaction to jenny's sudden breaking off of their engagement, and despit
e
the fact that he realized she was small loss, he felt sick and empty inside. He fel
t
so low that he took no notice of the ride he had always loved. The great wall o
f
the Rim did not draw his eyes, nor did the towering mass of cumulus that lifted abov
e
it, nor the darkening fringe of the pines against the distant sky.