Ask No Tomorrows (11 page)

“
That’s how I want it.” Sam cleared his throat and began
walking again.

“
Alright, I’ll respect that, Sam. I was terrified after all.
But I gotta say this just once, I have never been kissed so
thoroughly in my life.”

“
Well, it took your mind off the storm, didn’t it?”

“
Oh…yeah. It sure did. If that’s why it happened, then it
worked.”

“
Well, don’t tell anyone, but I thought we were goners when
that door came off.” Sam laughed.

“
I
can’t believe you’d be scared of anything. Or that you’d admit
being scared.”

“
Well, nature isn’t something man can control. And if it can’t
be controlled, it scares me.”

“
Never thought about that, but I guess that’s true. I wouldn’t
mind sayin’ I hope you get scared again, Sam.”

“
Yeah, well…”

It was easy to
see where the tornado had cut a path through the valley with
litter, uprooted trees and land that looked as though it had a
curry comb taken to it. But the earth did smell clean, Sam
acknowledged.

An hour later,
they came upon the horse and Sam’s mood seemed to lighten. Nodog
sniffed about and whined a little, but he wasn’t favoring his leg
as much now.

“
What’s his name?” Riley asked as she petted the animal, glad
that they had found him.

“
Moonlight,” Sam replied.

“
Moonlight?” Riley questioned. “That’s kinda romantic, don’t
you think?”

“
Naw, I don’t think. See that star of white between his eyes?”
Sam asked.

“
Yeah.”

“
I
figured it looked like a streak of moonlight on him,” Sam
explained.

“
Well, I guess you’re right. It does. He’s a beauty of an
animal,” Riley said. “And obviously well trained if he didn’t run
no further than this.”

“
I
guess. Lee trained him mostly, and gave him to me as a goin’ away
present.”

“
You talk about this Lee a lot. You must have been very
close.”

“
Lee was my brother-in-law. He taught me how to be a man, how
to live right. I love him like a brother, as I do Chase
Rivers.”

“
Chase Rivers, now that’s a name. Was he an Indian?”

“
Yeah, he was a breed actually. His mother was a white captive,
his father a chief of the Shawnee,” Sam informed her. “And I guess
he knew everything about survival.”

“
And his wife?”

“
Another breed. Katherine didn’t know ‘til much later in life
that she was not all white. She was raised white. But when her and
Chase met up, they was bound to be together.” Sam smiled,
reflecting on the memory of his friends. “At least that’s how Lee
tells it.”

The horse
stirred and neighed when Riley pet him again. “He’s a right pretty
animal, Sam.”

“
He
is; that’s a fact. You can ride for a while…” Sam
instructed.

She nodded and
waited ‘til Nodog followed.

“
If
we should stumble upon people along the way, Riley, I want you to
react to them like a kid. A boy; can you do that?” Sam asked. “It’s
for your own protection.”

“
Well, I’ll try.” Riley nodded. “Daddy always said I was
child-like. But I’ve never tried to act like a boy
before.”

“
In
some ways I reckon you are child-like,” Sam added. “But you listen;
it’s important, Riley. You bein’ a boy makes things easier for me.
At least this way, maybe they won’t hang me.”

“
I
wouldn’t let anyone hang you, Sam,” she whispered, then stared into
his surprised eyes. “And if they tried, they’d have to hang me
too.”

“
Don’t talk like that, Riley.”

“
What if we run into somebody and they want to take me with
‘em?” Riley asked.

“
I’d tell them I was taking you to Dallas to meet up with your
folks. Most folks wouldn’t volunteer to take you out of the way of
their plans,” Sam argued. “Unless you’d rather go with them. In
that case, I’m shed of you.” Sam turned away.

“
No, I think I’ll stick with you, Sam. I trust
you
.” Riley wasn’t paying attention to him now
as they moved on.

“
I
don’t know why you trust
me
.”
Sam shook his head and glanced up at her. “You hardly know
me.”

“
Oh, I know you, Sam…” she whispered aloud.
“
Now
!”

He stared at
her. “Yeah…I reckon you do.”

Riley seemed
to study that thought. “Besides, you’re a Christian man. You buried
that man back there and you didn’t even know him. You could’ve left
him in the tree, still hangin’. You told those cowboys I died, or
let them think I did. That helped me. You didn’t have to do that.
You gave me your horse and your gun. You didn’t have to do that,
but you did. You done nothing but help me since I met you. So I
trust you.”

“
Any decent man would have buried him,” Sam
reproached.

“
Maybe. But for now, I’ll stick with you.” Riley smiled at him.
“Besides, I’d like you to kiss me again…I mean when I’m not scared
out of my wits. And when you really want to.”

“
Riley! You got to forget that…”

“
I
know I should, but I know I won’t too. I know…we aren’t gonna talk
about it. But I shore won’t forget it, Sam… will you?”

Sam looked
away. “Naw…I guess not.”

She pinked and
smiled but didn’t look at him.

Sam moved
away, putting distance between them.

“
You know this idea of getting a big lawyer might not work out,
Riley.” Sam concentrated on the path they were going.

“
I
know. But I got money, Sam. I can pay them to work for me. Maybe I
need a gunman.” Riley reached in her satchel and pulled it out.
“And I need to get back to the ranch ‘cause some of my pa’s money
is buried on the land.”

“
Buried? Well, I hope you know where.”

“
I
do, and they don’t.”

“
They declare you dead, someone can get the money in the bank.
Don’t rightly know who, but someone is bound to touch it. They
ain’t gonna let it just sit there forever.”

“
They elect a guardianship, if I remember correctly. That’s
what they called it when the money transferred to my name. That is
until the will was read.” Riley seemed to study the thought for a
minute then looked at Sam. “Sounds like bein’ dead has its
drawbacks, don’t it? Maybe I should just go back, get my money and
leave.”

“
Well, at least they ain’t lookin’ for ya,” Sam scolded her.
“But I don’t think I would just walk away from your ranch. Your
daddy must have worked hard to build it. Can’t let all that hard
work go for nothin’ now can you?”

“
You’re right about that. I guess I’m safe, for now.” Riley
smiled. “But sometimes, I get to thinkin’ I would like to leave,
get a fresh start somewhere else. You know, where people don’t know
me. Be a real lady.”

“
Maybe someday you can. Stow that money Riley, someone might
see it.” Sam barely looked at her and the money. “Ain’t nothin’
brings out the bad in people like money. Startin’ over is fine for
those that need to start over, but you ain’t done nothin’ wrong to
start over from. You’re a victim and we gotta straighten that out
as best we can. If you go to a lawyer, a good one, you can tell
them everything, and then let them do the work.”

“
You
don’t seem
very interested in the fact that I’ve got money. I find that
strange and wonderful too. I never met anyone who wasn’t interested
in my money. It’s all my pa ever talked about: having things,
money, property. Bein’ somebody. I never shared his ambitions
though.” She laughed. “I just wanted to live on my ranch, and not
worry about anything. I’d rather be happy than rich.”

“
Your money is not mine, got nothin’ to do with me. I make my
own way. And you…well, it’s in your favor not to be gloatin’ over
the money.”

“
That’s why I’m going with you, Sam. You’re honest.”

“
But there are those that aren’t and we gotta watch out for
those, Riley. Some would knock you in the head for what you got in
your pockets right now,” Sam added, glancing at her. “That’s why
I’m goin’ with you to Dallas, ‘cause I want to see you get there in
one piece, and I don’t want to worry about you.”

“
Thank you, Sam…” Riley sighed. “I knew you cared about
me.”

“
Think nothin’ of it Riley, I’d do it for anyone.”

“
I
think you would Sam, I think you would.”

Chapter Eight

Just the other
side of Waco, Sam spotted a wagon moving east. It seemed peculiar
to see a wagon headed east instead of north or west. The closer
they got to the wagon the more curious Sam grew. Most wagons were
headed west, and coming from the east. Nodog ran ahead and sniffed,
barking and running about the wagon. He growled once then dashed
back toward Sam and Riley.

As they come
up to the wagon, Sam saw a Negro woman driving the team of horses
and three kids peeking out behind her. Surprised to find a woman of
color, Sam studied her long and hard then a slow smile lit his
face. The way she slanted her eyes at him, and moved her well built
body toward him, made him smile. The swell of her breasts beneath
the plain dress she wore brought his gaze front and center, as she
licked her lips and flashed her dark eyes at him. He looked about;
there was no one else about.

“
Mornin’,” Sam called as he strode straight up to her, and let
Riley lead the horse in.

“
Mornin’,” the woman said, eyeing him cautiously and then Riley
and Nodog.

“
Where ya headed, ma’am?” Sam asked as he stopped in front of
her wagon.

“
Other side of Dallas,” the woman replied, still eyeing him
with open curiosity. “And you?”

“
Dallas.” Sam nodded.

“
Well now, that’s interestin’,” the woman suddenly smiled,
showing a set of white teeth and sparkling black eyes. Her curly
black lashes batted straight at Sam. Nodog went to the rear of the
wagon and sniffed about.

“
The name’s Sam Tanner, and this here is Riley,” Sam
explained.

The woman
nodded to Sam with a warm smile and then to Riley.

“
Nice to meet ya, Sam,” she said as her smile faded when it
landed on Riley. “What you doin’ with a white boy?”

Sam’s smile
faded slowly. Nodog came back around, growling a bit. Sam glanced
at him. “Easy, boy.”

Riley spit on
the ground.

Sam turned to
look at Riley. “Riley’s father was hung, I run into him on the
trail. He was alone, so we teamed up. Are those your
children?”

“
That’s right, Dorothy is my youngest, then Tate, he’s the one
just turnin’ into a man, and Mabel, she’s my oldest and my biggest
help along the way.”

“
Don’t see no man around, how come?”

“
He’s dead…” the woman replied.

“
Sorry.”

Sam studied
the children who looked wide-eyed at Riley. “So why you headed east
if I may ask?”

The woman
twisted reins and spread her knees to lean on them, her dress
spreading wide to accommodate. “We lived out west Texas way, got
attacked by Indians too many times, our well dried up, my man got
kilt so we are movin’ to my sister’s place over the other side of
Dallas way.”

“
Last I seen, there wasn’t much out that way for miles,” Sam
said.

“
That’s what my sister said in her letter.” The woman smiled at
Sam again. “But she’s got a place of her own out there, and needs
help to work it, so me and my kids are headed there. Better than
being alone.”

“
What’s your name?” Sam asked when she didn’t introduce
herself.

“
Mavis, Mavis Potts.” She frowned at Riley once more, and then
glanced down at the dog. If her expression was a clue, she had
little use for Riley or Nodog, Sam surmised.

“
He’s part wolf, ain’t he?” Mavis curled her lip slightly in
distaste.

“
Yes ma’am. He’s been a fine dog, a good companion.”

“
I
don’t have much use fer a dog lessin’ they are hounds…to hunt
with.”

“
He
hunts, when needed.”

Sam stared
hard and long at Mavis, taking in the full figure of the woman, and
the way she curled her lips at him when he looked at her. She was a
right smart looking woman, Sam thought as his eyes strayed to the
ample cleavage she seemed bent on displaying to him. The top two
buttons of her dress seemed to strain to contain her, but Sam
wasn’t complaining any. After all, this was a black woman. A woman
of his kind. A woman he could probably have if he wanted her. At
least that was the impression she was giving off.

“
Well, since we’re all headed for Dallas way, maybe we should
hook up,” Sam suggested.

“
Won’t a wagon slow us down?” Riley asked almost
immediately.