So I Tamed a Texan (2 page)

"You better hurry then," she said, "He heard there was more rustlers on the north range and h
e and Mr. Randy are getting ready to take after them."

I left my breakfast where it was sitting and ran out the door. I saw them up on their horses about to leave.

"They are leaving now!" I thought in a panic, "I've got to see dad; tell him I won't be here when he comes back, that I'm returning to the East." I ran out in front of them hoping to seize the bridle of dad's mount.

"Dad. Wait! I must talk to you!"

"Mary! Out of the way, you'll get hurt. Have you gone loco daughter?" he said as he swerved his horse to avoid hitting me with his horse. His horse stumbled and fell. Dad was knocked off and fell a few feet away from the horse.

I screamed, "Dad! Help him
someone! He'll be killed!" I ran to him and held him in my arms. He wasn't awake. "Dad! Oh Dad! It was my fault. Oh please, don't let him be dead!" I prayed. Soon the other ranch hands gathered around him and Randy bent down and examined him. I looked at Randy, hoping he would say dad looked okay. Randy answered my question before I had to a chance to ask "Can't tell much yet. Looks like a broken leg and maybe a concussion. One sure thing, he'll have to go to the hospital in town."

Another hand said "I'll g
o call the hospital now Randy."

"Oh Daddy," I moaned, "Can you ever forgive me?" I was sobbing but I didn't care. I couldn't lose my father.

Dad recovered consciousness just then and the men helped him up and into the car to go to town. He spoke to me as they were walking. "Don't blame yourself daughter. It was just one of those things. You're in charge now, and Randy is foreman. Promise me you'll get along with him. No fights! At least 'til I get back."

"I p-promise dad. Don't worry, everything will be al
l right here"

I watched them as they drove off. I spent the rest of the day in a daze. I was worried about dad and worried how I could manage the ranch while he was gone. It was a long night, but I finally got to sleep.

The next day, Randy met me as I was leaving the ranch house after breakfast. He was wearing his pistol and carrying a rifle. I looked at him quizzically. "I thought you should know Miss Roper. I'm taking some men and heading north after those rustlers again. Would have gone yesterday but for what happened to your father." Randy said.

"You didn't ask my permission Randy. I don't like you riding off like this. Might need you around here" I said with my arms crossed and a mean look on my face. "So I'm Miss Roper now, am I?" I thought.

"Just the same, I'm going. My job is to take care of your father's cattle and I am to do it. If you don't like it you can fire me Miss Roper" Randy said indignantly.

"All right!" I screamed, "Go on, stay away as long as you want Randy Hilton" I ran away before h
e could see the tears welling up in my eyes. I ran up to my room, slammed the door and stayed there for the rest of the afternoon. A few hours later, I received a telegram by phone. "Arriving on 3:15 to accept your invitation. Looking forward to seeing you. Signed, Ronnie Featherstone" A mechanical voice spoke to me.

"Thank you" I said without thinking. "Oh gosh, Ronnie is coming out here!"

Ronnie was a man I had met back east while I was in school. We met one night while we were sitting in the same coffee house listening to bad poetry. Our eyes met, I rolled my eyes mockingly. He bought me a coffee and we spent hours talking that night. We went out on a few dates and I found that we had a lot in common. I told him about my upbringing on the ranch and he seemed very interested. Almost as interested as I was hearing about his upbringing in the city. Before I left school, I had invited him to come to the ranch any time he wanted.

I looked at the clock beside my bed and realized it was two o'clock. I need
ed to get going if I was going to make it to the train station by 3:15. I grabbed the car keys and started driving toward town. The drive was long so I had plenty of time to think about why he chose that time to decide to come. It hadn't been that long since I had saw him last. "It was a surprise" I thought, "but I'll be happy to see Ronnie. He's nice, a perfect gentleman. One of the nicest men I met in the East. It'll be fun." I made it to the train station early. I got out of the car and walked around for a bit. When the train pulled in, there was Ronnie. Handsome, and as well groomed as I had remembered him. I ran up to him and gave him a friendly hug. Ronnie was the exact opposite of Randy. He was a little shorter, his hair was black and perfectly groomed. His mustache was as well groomed as his hair. He smelled of soap and cologne and was dressed in a three piece suit.

"Ronnie! Welcome to Circle Bar, you..you tenderfoot" I smiled and teased.

"Hello, you lovely creature. And did you say bar? Lead me to it. This is arid country" He said in his most elegant voice.

I showed him to the car and drove to the only cocktail lounge in town; aptly, called "the lounge". We were seated at a very nice table by a window where we could look out while we talked and I
could tell him a few interesting facts about the town.

"Didn't think I meant it when I promised to visit you, did you? Well, here I am for a nice, long vacation; far from the maddening crowd" Ronnie said as soon as we sat down.

There was a slight twinkle in his eye, like he knew he had really surprised me; and he had.

"No, Ronnie!
I didn't think you would come, but I'm glad you did" I said with a laugh.

Ronnie could always make me laugh. It was one of the things I liked about him. He was so easy going an
d fun to be around. Not to mention, he was so handsome! We sat and talked for a few more hours. He was catching me up on the city life back East. I found that I was missing some of that life. It was always so fun. I filled him in on how things worked in Texas and how things were going at the ranch. Finally, I realized that we better get back home and we got up and left.

All the way back to the ranch, I couldn't help noticing the contrast between Ronnie and Randy. Ronnie was suave and cultured, a perfect ex
ample of poise and good breeding. Randy, well, I still thought Randy was an uncouth and dirty. Ronnie, broke my musings by saying "Lovely country Mary, but I'm mixed up. which way is the Mexican border?" I wasn't sure if he was serious or just joking. I chose to believe the latter. He had never been to this part of the country after all.

"To your right, due south. And not so far, either, our ranch ends at the Rio Grande you know!"

We drove the rest of the way making small talk. I pointed out the mesa and some markers so he could find his way around if he needed to. I got him settled into the guest bedroom of the house and got to work making dinner. We ate that night and then settled into our respective beds.

I lay awake most of the first night still compa
ring the two men in my life and wondering what would happen when Randy finally came back home.

Ronnie adjusted to the ranch rather quickly. He insisted on seeing everything on the ranch. H
e was so fascinated with everything, it seemed. I was glad that I finally had something else to take my mind off of Randy and the fact that he was still out chasing the rustlers after a week. One day Ronnie came to me and asked to borrow the car. He had a bundle in his arms wrapped in a towel. "Ronnie! What on Earth have you got in those packages? Sending my ranch home piece by piece?" I said smiling. Ronnie gave me a big grin and said "Just some souvenirs for my friends back East my dear.. May I borrow your car please? I would like to take them in and post them." As he was driving away, he called out the window "I'll be right back Mary. Wouldn't miss that steak dinner for anything" I waved as he pulled away from sight and thought "Ronnie is so nice! He's never mentioned marriage or even tried to kiss me. But if he does ask me, I think I will accept" The car was barely out of sight when Randy galloped up beside me. He looked tired!

"Randy," I said in surprise, "Did you get the rustlers?"

Randy scowled, "No such luck. The varmints got away. There's something mighty funny going on up on that north range. These ain't ordinary rustlers either." He got down off the horse and led him to the barn so he could get some rest. Poor Randy, he looked so tired that I forgot I was angry at him and took him into the house for a drink. We settled in the kitchen and I poured two big glasses of iced tea. Randy was still lost in thought but suddenly, he spoke again. "Something else is going on besides rustling. I'm sure of it. It's some kind of decoy. I'm thinking, something to keep us up on the north range when we should be looking somewhere else, Mary"

"Huh, I'm Mary again." I thought but aloud I said, "Then why haven't we heard of any trouble except up north?"

Randy was lost in thought again. He stayed that way for a good ten minutes before he got up and started gathering his stuff to leave. Just before he walked out the kitchen door, he looked at me and said "I heard you got a dude friend out here Mary. That maybe you're aiming to marry. I still love you Mary Roper. and I still want you. So keep that dude out of my way." With that, he walked out the door before I could even form the words to yell at him. I set to fixing the steaks for Ronnie and I and soon I had forgotten Randy's words. Ronnie and I shared a nice dinner and had a nice conversation.

I forgot all about Randy until the next morning at breakfast. Ronnie came down the stairs and sat the kitchen table. His eye was blackened.

"Good Grief, Ronnie!" What happened to your eye?"

"I couldn't sleep last night so I took a walk. I was having a smoke when this fellow named Randy attacked me. "

I didn't say a word. I went straight to the corral. Randy was there cleaning his horse and getting ready to go check on the cattle. I marched straight up to him and stuck my finger in his face. "You're fired! Get out right now. The very idea... striking Ronnie because you are jealous."

Randy was taken aback and it took him a full two minutes to speak. "But, Mary! It didn't happen that way
at all. Caught him snooping around and when I asked him some questions, he got nasty" He said with his hands up in surrender.

"I don't beli
eve you, Randy. He is a gentleman, not a ruffian! Please leave at once!" I said angrily and stomped out of the barn.

The next day, I stayed most of the day in my room. I just couldn't believe Randy would make such allegations against Ronnie. Randy had left early that morning; I was assuming to hunt for the rustlers again. I was sitting at my window staring out when I
noticed Ronnie leaving again with a bundle wrapped up in a towel. "There goes Ronnie off to mail some more souvenirs home. Must be costing him a fortune. All those!" I thought it was strange but decided he must have his reasons and let it go. I stayed busy the rest of the day so I would not have to think about all my problems.

Later that night when I was laying in bed I heard tapping on my window.

"What? Someone tossing stones against my window, but who..at this hour?" I got up and looked out the window. "Randy, What are you doing here? Please go away!"

"No time to argue now Mary. Get dressed and come down quick. Something I want to show you. Bring a gun with you and you better dress for the saddle too"

I thought it was really strange, Randy was never usually that insistent on things. I knew something must have been really wrong for him to act like that. When I got down to the corral, Randy was already waiting with the horses ready.

"Now what is this all about Randy Hilton. I wouldn't have come except yo
u sounded so... so"

"So serious," Randy interrupted. "Well I am! And so is this business I roped into tonight. But let
’s get started and I will show you."

I hopped up on the horse and we started riding. "We're heading south, toward the river. The Rio Grand
e" I said in surprise.

Randy looked serious still as he said "Yes, I was right when I told you that petty rustling was a blind. It was meant to keep us busy up north while certain other folks kept busy in the south; across the border"

We kept riding and eventually came up to a hill. Randy turned to me and said "Shhh… don't talk! Just look. Watch those men when they cross the headlights of that car and tell me who you see" I squinted my eyes as the men walked around. About a minute passed and then one of the men stepped into the long flow of the cars lights. It was Ronnie!! I couldn't believe it. I felt betrayed, angry and hurt all at the same time. Suddenly, Ronnie spoke "That's all for tonight. Let's clear out. I'll meet you at the same time day after tomorrow."

I spoke before I realized what I was doing, "Ronnie! It's Ronnie
... but why..."

"Leaping cactus Mary! Quiet! You want to get us drilled full of holes!" Randy whispered angrily.

All of a sudden, Randy was knocked back and then I heard the report of the shotgun. I heard them shout down below "Spies! Plug 'em!"

Randy screamed, "Uhh...
winged me! My gun hand! Don't let them get away Mary!"

"Randy! Darling! They've hurt you!" I was in
shock but I knew I had to recover quick if I wanted to make it out of this alive. "Some of them might get away," I thought. "But not Ronnie! I'll see to that. He made a fool out of me; almost as big a fool as I made myself!"