“Wire the banker who he embezzled the money from in Llano and ask him if, after the reward is deducted, he would take half that amount returned to him, no questions asked.”
“I can do that. He will accept it. I know he thought he might not get even a dollar of it back since it is over state lines and all. How will that be split?”
“Three ways my men as before.”
“Fred Brown, welcome to my bank. You can draw money at the teller window or write checks on your account after today.”
Fred only nodded. He never said a word. Motioned he was going outside and left the room.
“That boy all right?”
“He will recover. He's never been this rich before.”
Chet found Fred later leaning against the newspaper office staring off into space.
Chet stopped before him. “You all right?”
He barely bobbed his head. “Gawdamn itâI was about ready to cry in there. I been thinking you got some money and I could borrow on you.”
“Sure, how much?”
“I don't know yet but if that Navajo woman out there at the fork of the road, going home today, is there selling blankets, I want to stop.”
“We are finished. You can go now.”
“Good. Load up. You'll see.”
Chet saw the woman's old wagon and the paint horse pulled off it and grazing on a long rope. Fred stopped, tied off the reins, and went around to squat before her to buy something. At first they had trouble conversing, but she soon removed her silver and turquoise necklace from around her neck.
He turned to Chet. “I need to borrow thirty dollars?”
“Who are you buying that for?” He dug out the money and Fred paid her.
When he turned back he said, “Well, sir, I don't know a damn thing that you need, but your wife can wear this I figure.”
“I guess I'd never thought about buying that jewelry for her. I bet she cries.”
“I didn't aim to do that.”
“She will be fine. Thanks,” he said to the woman, and tipped his hat to her.
She smiled big in return.
They drove onto the ranch grateful it had warmed up.
“Will you put it on her since she is your wife?”
“No. That is your gift. You tell her to shut her eyes and you place it on her neck.”
“You ain't much help at times.”
“Not when it's your plan and you have to pay for it.”
He reined up at the steps. A boy came running to take the team. Liz stopped at the edge of the porch.
Chet told the boy to take the team and waved Fred over. “Honey, your boy has something he bought for you today. It was solely his idea, so close your eyes. Fred, do your thing.”
Fred placed the necklace around Liz's neck. “What is it? It feels heavy.”
“It sure isn't a rock to weight you down in the water,” Chet teased.
“Fred, what is it? May I look?”
“Yes, you sure may.”
Running into the house, she stopped at the front hall mirror, the men following her in, smiling.
“Oh, my heavens. Fred, why did you buy this for me? It must have cost a fortune.”
“Liz, I never had anyone in my life open their house to me like you and Chet have. The past two weeks have sped by. He ordered me a new saddle today. I'll pay for it, but I never had any new clothes before to wear. Boots, hat, you name it. That was the only thing I could think of to buyâhe has all he wants. I wanted to really show my appreciation for everything you two have done for me.”
She hugged and kissed him. “You certainly did that. I need to show Monica. She almost has supper ready, so you guys come wash up.”
Chet Byrnes shook his head. That boy would make a real hand someday.
C
HAPTER
24
Word came by telegram. Construction could commence on the Northern Arizona Telegraph line when he got up there to Gallup. He had lots to do and a short time to get started. Hannagen had started the ordering. Next he sent word to Harold Faulk and his family who were working over at Toby's eastern division to get done on the barn and report to Preskitt. They had a line to build. He sent a young man to ride to Center Point and tell Cole he needed several teams to cut the needed poles and to find the transportation to bear them eastward for a start.
They were off and running. By telegraph, he learned part of the glass insulators were at Gallup, more were promised. The bolts to screw them on the poles had been back-ordered due to the demand of the expansion of lines all over the nation, but there were more sources where they could be gotten. Might have to string them in leather carriers like early ones did. No, Chet decided, he wanted a sure line. It all rode on when they got all the poles they needed.
Ranch calving time was on them, twenty-four-seven, and all the ranch hands were busy checking for cows who needed help delivering. Jesus, Fred, and Miguel all rode for Raphael.
Chet stayed at the house, where each day kept him busy getting telegraph wires and answering them plus placing orders. The man came back from Center Point and said they still had snow but Cole had teams of men cutting and peeling poles for shipment. He had over two hundred and fifty ready to ship east, and another five hundred in two weeks.
Chet read Cole's letter and decided that was the best he could do. He knew that when he went up there to check on things, he would have less contact with everyone at Preskitt.
He was at his desk behind piles of paper when a man came by the house and said there was a dead man's body on the mountain road halfway to Camp Verde. Jesus came by about then with some more mail from town and Chet asked him to go investigate the matter.
Chet was busy calculating the number of poles he'd need delivered to start a large crew on the east side when Jesus came back hopping mad.
“What's wrong?” Jesus never was angry.
“You know Sonny Carlisle?”
“No, who is he?”
“A damn deputy out of the courthouse in town.”
“What did he do?”
“He came along while I was gathering the information about this dead man and told me it wasn't none of my damn business, being a U.S. marshal. Then he threatened to charge me with messing with county justice. I could not tell him a thing. He had them load the corpse of the man, never took any notes about the area where he was, and took him to town.”
“What did you learn?”
“A passerby said his name was Phillips. Raymond Phillips and he lived with a woman named Caruso at Camp Verde.”
“What killed him do you think?”
“We may never know since it was none of my business.”
“I'll go in and find out tomorrow what they did. I have carefully avoided a war with the Yavapai County sheriff, but they had no business threatening you.”
“You know what I think?”
“No? What is that?”
“I think we need to go get Spencer, put his ranch-building job on hold down there, and use him on this telegraph line building. I'm not saying you can't do it, but you had Cole head the stage line business and he got it done. Spencer is the same way as Cole. He knows how.”
Chet sat back in the chair. “It took a dead man in the road to give you that idea?”
Jesus pulled off his goatskin gloves and sat down. “I've thought that for several days now. We make a good team to capture outlaws, solve crimes, like we did over east. But neither Fred, Miguel, nor I are much good at building things. I think Spencer is the man. His new wife and the children can go along. She isn't a fancy woman. She left Diablo and went up there to be with him. You can hire her a woman to help with the kids while they are camping on the road. You can supervise from here. Hannagen's men won't run over him like they tried on Cole.”
Chet frowned. “He must be two hundred miles away.”
“Take a stage to Hayden's Ferry, rent some horses, and we can be there in a day's ride.”
Chet said, “The manager Frisco can keep things going. Let's take the stage at midnight. Take saddles and get horses down there. I will get word to Miguel and Fred. We can do that. You go home now and tell Anita.”
“What is up?” Liz asked at the door.
“Jesus is going home and will meet the rest of us at the stage tonight. We are going to go get Spencer to run the telegraph crew.”
“What about his new wife?”
“Jesus suggested we get her a helper as they camp along the way.”
“Helper is fine. What if she balks?”
Jesus said, “We think she is flexible. She married him.”
Amused, Liz shook her head. “Thank you, Jesus. I get my husband back.”
“I need to get those two to come in to get ready for tonight.” He rose from his seat and headed out.
“A boy can go find them,” she said after him. “Lunch is ready. Jesus, eat with us before you leave. I will be right there.”
Chet came back. “I sent a stable boy.”
He washed his hands with Jesus. “We get smarter, don't we?”
“Yes. A few years I'd never told you that. But I know how we all operate now and it made sense.”
“With that pile of paper in there I was buried in a dust devil I could not escape. Obviously not one of my finer situations.”
“It showed.”
They finished lunch and Jesus left before Miguel and Fred came in onto the porch.
“Tell them I have lunch,” Monica said to Chet.
“Come eat. She has food.”
“Jesus was here?” Fred asked, coming in.
“Yes. He went home and we will meet him at the midnight stage. We are going to see Spencer. Jesus says we need him to build the telegraph line and let Frisco deal with the ranch house building.”
“That sounds good,” Miguel said.
“Will his wife go along?” Liz asked them.
“Oh, yes, she never had a life so good,” Miguel said. “She was a
vaquero
's widow, not a supervisor's wife. Big difference.”
Liz laughed. “You men are so sure. But I think the idea is very good. He is a construction man. My husband is a cowboy and marshal.”
“I think Frisco can keep the project going,” Chet said. “Go grab a nap, men. You will need it. We will need to move to get this job done.”
Liz shook her head. “I'd say not to worry. Hannagen and his bunch can't do it without you. They wear low-cut shoes. They did at our meeting at Windmill. A rattlesnake would bite them the first day on the drive to put up poles. Spencer will get it done. They won't and they know it.”
Chet hugged her and they went off to take a nap, Chet shaking his head about the whole situation.
One regret. He wished he'd thought about Spencer earlier. But he was the right choice for this job. Frisco could see to it that the ranch down there progressed.
C
HAPTER
25
His crew dressed for winter, they reached Hayden's Ferry in the near eighty-degree heat of mid-day. Getting off the stage they laughed. “It's summertime down here.”
Jesus went to secure horses. Chet promised to order him food at the café and they wouldn't leave without him. The stage office man agreed to watch their gear and promised it was safe there.
They ordered food in the Mexican café and told the waitress who asked about him that Jesus was coming.
Chet called to her. “I must tell you, he is married now.”
She made a sour face and then laughed. “Too late, huh?”
He nodded.
Jesus came in and told them they had four good horses this time, and the man was excited they were the men renting them. The food arrived, and the plan was to ride to Mesa and get a room for the night.
After lunch they rode, finally reaching the irrigated citrus orchards and cotton fields plowed for planting later. The wide streets of Mormon town were laid out with many empty lots. They put their horses in a livery, ate supper in a café, and went to the hotel for the night.
They were up, bought breakfast from a street vendor, and left the stables at sunrise eastbound through the saguaro desert. They crossed the Gila on a ferry and before the sun set rode up to Frisco's house on the ranch.
His wife, Rosa, came out, rang the schoolhouse bell, and laughed. “The boss man is here with a posse.”
“Rosa, you met Jesus. That is Miguel, and Fred. How is your husband?”
“Good. He must be close to coming home. The boys here will put up your horses. Come in the house. I have coffee and there is enough food cooked for all of you.”
“Thank you.”
“Something wrong?”
“We need to talk to him about loaning us Spencer.”
She laughed. “He might cry.”
Chet nodded. “I have a telegraph line four hundred miles long to span northern Arizona that needs building.”
“You are what?”
“Building a telegraph line.”
She laughed. “I see why you came. He must be close to coming here. He seldom is this late.”
“There is a horse out there,” Fred said.
“That's him.” She ran to the door and held it open. “Your boss is here.”
“Oh, tell him I am coming. Let me wash up.”
“He is coming,” she said.
He came in and hung his hat on a peg beside theirs. “Nice to be home. What can we do for you?”
“We need your help. You know there is a telegraph company that wants to build a line from Gallup to the Colorado River on the west side? I am the person they are looking at to build itâI do a lot of things but I am not a construction man. Spencer is. I need to borrow him.”
“I guess we can get along. He has some good men that can continue to do it. I will have to spend more time down there, but if you need him, yes.”
“Good. We need to go convince him tomorrow. Sorry to impose on you both this way, but things are breaking fast and I really need him.”
“I am so pleased you came to make this place a ranch. You know I support you on everything. Spencer is great man and I appreciate you loaning him to us because he cut a wide swath and I think we can take it from here and run.”
Chet's men nodded in agreement as to what was said about Spencer. They ate supper and bragged on her food. The crew even washed her dishes so she could quiz him about Liz, who she loved meeting.
He assured her his wife was doing well and she didn't come because this was such a fast trip.
“You have a new boy with you?”
“Fred Brown.”
“He looks young for such a job.”
“I was younger when I took over the family ranch.”
“You know my husband is very pleased you have taken the ranch on in away he likes.”
“We will keep doing that, I promise. I simply need Spencer's skill about jobs that I need done for me.”
Frisco rode with them in the morning to Apache Springs. Mid-morning Spencer came out of the nearly completed bunkhouse looking stronger than he did when they left him.
“Well, what brings you all down here?”
“You are making some real progress here.”
Chet dismounted. “That's Miguel. You knew him from Preskitt. The new guy is Fred Brown. Let's find a nice place to sit and talk.”
“Walk away from those hammers and saws,” Spencer said. “She's going to be a great place isn't she, Fred?”
Fred shook his head, gazing around. “They call such places oasis, don't they?”
“Yes. But this isn't a friendly inspection trip. Am I fired?”
“No. But we need you to ramrod another deal.”
Spencer frowned. “Which one?”
“I need you to build the telegraph line across northern Arizona.”
He stared at him. “I don't even know Morse code.”
“We are just building it. My steering people say you are the choice.”
“Those three hooligans?” He frowned at the others.
“Things are breaking fast. It needs to be up and operating.”
“What will I do about Lucinda?”
“I will pay for her to bring a woman to help her. If she needs more help, hire them. She, and they, can live in a nice tent and move with you.”
“She's waiting out here to live in the bunkhouse.”
“Do you think she won't go with you?”
“No. She'll go. She and I want to be together. Guys, I have been in heaven here not only because of Lucinda but, see those boys. They work their asses off for me. They respect me, and there are no jobs in Mexico for them.
“Let me go talk to Lucinda. Damn. I have a spot here where I really like getting up every morning.”
“Want me to go with you?”
“Hell, yes. And I thought I had a place where I would stay in one place for at least a year.” Spencer started laughing as he walked toward a tent.
“Honey, you in here? We have company.” She looked up in the tent's lamplight and stopped washing dishes.
“Oh, señor, why are you here?”
“Hi. I need you and your husband to go fix another problem.”
“Please sit. Move? But I have two children.”
“I know. I will hire a nanny to help you, and if you need it, a housekeeper, too. Then you can move with him down the line.”
She blinked at Spencer. “What should I say?”
“If you want help with the kids and to chase me building a telegraph line, tell him yes.”
Lucinda turned to Chet. “Yes. I will go. I love him and want to stay with him.”
“Good. I want to take you, him, and the babies to Preskitt. Show him the plans. Then, in a few weeks, move you to the starting place. We can hire a trucker to move your things up there. If Frisco has a buckboard we can take you four to Preskitt immediately.”
“You really want to get started that fast?” Spencer asked.
“Yes. We need you to make your decision. Lucinda has, and she knows it will not be easy.”
“Oh, Spencer, I think this is a big deal. He has the confidence in you. We can manage being a little rushed.”
“You will stay at our house at Preskitt where we will go over the plans. My wife will be your hostess.”
“I hope my heart is strong enough for all of this.”
“We will travel to Florence in one day. Mesa the next. Then over to Hayden's Ferry and a stagecoach ride to Preskitt.”
Very serious, she nodded. “I will get things we need ready now.”
Spencer went over and hugged her. “It will be worth the trouble. I will help you.”
Now all Chet had left to do was move them to Preskitt. His men would help. And he'd be back home in less than a week.
Traveling, he and his team learned how to feed a two-and four-year-old, rock them to sleep, change diapers on both children, and how to move them with their minimum things. The four-year-old boy was Carlos, a cute dark-eyed boy, and the two-year-old was a pretty girl named for Bonnie at the ranch.
Chet decided that he and Miguel would go a day ahead to set up for their arrival. Jesus and Fred stayed with Spencer and his family.
Finally, leaving the stage, the buckboard was waiting for them in Preskitt. “How are she and the babies doing?” Liz asked him, concerned, on the ride home.
“Better than the men are.”
She burst out laughing.
“It wasn't funny.” He clucked to the team. “They will be here tomorrow night. She is a very lovely lady. Spencer is lucky.”
“What are your plans?”
“Bring them to the house. Show him the plans and work out a way to do it. We will hire her a nanny, and by the time we start the weather will be warm. We can move her tent along with construction so she will be close to him.”
“I am glad you have it all figured out.”
“Close to doing that. Any more telegrams?”
“No just more mail. How did the new place look?”
“He almost had the bunkhouse built. Frisco says he can continue but slower. No problem about that. The men agreed it would be a fine ranch headquarters. Just sorry that because of the children we couldn't travel like the men and I did. Faster. But they are sweet kids. He found a good woman like I did.”
“Jesus found him for you, didn't he?”
“Yes. He had cowboyed for Tom on the Verde Ranch but needed more money, so he was working on building the headquarters at Center Point. Jesus saw lots of things in him. He can certainly get things done.”
“All these leaders you found started with Tom and Hampt, didn't they?”
“Sarge, too, and several good men besides them.”
“Did you ever believe you'd have all this to do?”
“No. I came here at the right time. People are still discovering the territory. But figuring how to make it pay was the next step. Arizona will have more competition in the future, but it will hold as we are until the railroad comes to north Arizona. Then we can compete with the rest of the U.S.”
“Ten years away?”
“I hope so or sooner.”
When he pulled up to the ranch, in the dark, Raphael stepped up and welcomed him. “Always good to see you.”
They shook hands. “It's getting warm down in the valley.”
“Oh, it will be hot, but we will have better weather than that. You find your man?”
“He will be here tomorrow.”
Miguel and Lisa had been kissing. He stepped over. “I am ready to go when you get ready.”
“You have at least two days of putting up with him, Lisa.”
“Thanks. I don't mind sharing him with you. The reunions are fun.” They were off.
“Anything go wrong?” he asked Raphael.
“No.”
“Then I am going to get some sleep. Talk later.”
“Yes.”
He herded her under his arm. “I wish at times I could fly. These trips take so long.”
“You might fall off the eagle you choose,” she teased.
“Probably would. But we will be getting back on track tomorrow after Spencer gets here.”
“Thank goodness.”
“I have some food,” Monica said, standing in the kitchen before her range.
“Good. I am hungry. I missed your food.”
“You're all set. I'm going to bed.”
“Thanks.”
He watched her leave. “Is she feeling bad?”
Liz nodded.
“Sorry.”
“She won't go see a doctor. Nothing I can do.”
“One more thing to deal with, huh?”
After eating, putting the dishes in the sink, he dragged himself upstairs and at last dropped into bed, hugged her, and fell asleep.
* * *
He didn't wake until noon. Took a bath, shaved, put on fresh clothes, and Liz fed him.
“Monica's in bed. That is how bad she feels.”
“Wonder what she has wrong?”
“She won't talk to me about it.”
“Should we send for a doctor?”
“She refused that twice this week. Chet, I don't know what to do.”
He saw she was crying. “She's like a mother to me. She won't listen to anything I say.”
“That is her way. You or I could not influence her.”
Liz crossed herself. “I may ask the priest to come today.”
“Do that. It would help you and maybe her, too.”
“That sounds so final.”
“It is all you can do.”
She sent a driver to bring the priest back to the ranch. The father arrived at dark and spoke to her.
His two men, Spencer, and his family arrived on the late night stage. The welcome was quiet.
Monica died in the night.
Lisa volunteered to cook breakfast with some of the other women in the morning. Liz accepted her generous offer.
Things were pretty solemn in the big house, except for the children who had no idea about the love for the woman taken in the night. Her body was carried from her bedroom, wrapped in a blanket, and taken to her church for burial that afternoon as she had directed.
The ranch's population attending the service, there at the church, had overflowed into the street. There were others there as well. She was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery and everyone filed back to the ranch on every conveyance and saddle stock they had.
Chet hired some taxis to take the others who did not have rides. Lisa and her crew had food set out in the great barn back at the ranch.
Liz took the workers aside, thanked them, and told them they were a great tribute to her friend Monica and how much she appreciated them. Lisa hugged her and told her they all loved both Monica and her, and knew how deep her feelings were on her loss.