Sins of the Father (7 page)

heriff Mark Steele was sitting in the jail with his two deputies along with Frank Reedy and his two deputies. They were talking small talk and just passing away the time waiting for something to happen. It had been quiet for the last few hours since Rance Madden had stormed out of the jail.

“Well, Sheriff,” asked Reedy, “do you think maybe Madden has changed his mind about this whole matter after seeing this U.S. marshal’s badge?”

Steele shook his head negatively. “After seeing his reaction today after we let him out of jail, I don’t see a chance of that. That old cuss is too mean to know when to quit. He might wait a while but he will definitely start more trouble with Thornton. He might wait a day or two but you can be sure he will eventually do something stupid.”

“I figured as much. I’ve seen a whole lot of Rance Maddens in my days and they are all just about the same.”

Tex broke into the conversation. “I just hope it’s me who gets to plug his sorry ass when it comes time for it. I’d like nothing better than to screw that mean bastard into the ground, and that’s the only way to bury that man, he’s so damn crooked.”

Reedy laughed at that. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it put quite that way before, but you do have a point, that’s for sure. You know what, Sheriff?” Reedy said as he turned his attention back to Steele. “Maybe I should go out and meet this Thornton fellow and give him the same warning as I did Madden. It might help if he finds out that a U.S. marshal is in town.”

Steele thought about it for a minute. “It sure can’t hurt. Why don’t you take Buck out with you and your deputies?”

“Me and my two deputies here can handle it. After all, we’re just going out to talk and you told me that Thornton is the more reasonable of the two.”

“Yeah, but I like the idea of showing more force. Four badges are better than three. I’ll keep Tex here with me. I don’t think Madden will try anything tonight. He’s probably back at his ranch plotting with his hired guns, and I figure that will take him a day or so to actually do something.”

“You’re probably right. I’ll take Buck along with me, but he has to understand that he must follow my orders when he’s with me,” he said, as he looked at Buck.

“I understand, Marshal. I have no problem with following the orders of a U.S. marshal,” said Buck, before Steele could even reply.

“Well, let’s saddle up and take a little ride out to the Thornton ranch,” said Reedy, as he and everyone else stood up.

Reedy, Torrey Abel, Hal Banks and Buck Hern all walked out and over to the livery. It wasn’t more than five minutes before they rode out of town heading for the Thornton ranch. Steele and Tex took a stroll around town, checking for any signs of trouble. Finding none, they decided to go and have an early supper and sample some more of Pattie Nate’s fine cooking.

HAT WAS ONE MIGHTY FINE
meal,” remarked Sheriff Steele, as he patted his stomach as if he was testing a watermelon for
ripeness.
“Yep,” added Tex, “it was good and tasty, and
that bean and ham soup was the best, and that’s a
fact.”
Pattie Nate was collecting the plates from the
table. “You two sure ate enough. You’d think you
both believed this was your last meal or something,”
said Pattie. “You two want some more hot coffee?” “Yeah, that sounds good,” answered Steele. “Me
and Tex here are going to sit a spell and then go
make a round after dark.”
Pattie went and fetched a fresh pot of coffee and
brought it out and left it on the table with some fresh
cream and sugar. “Where is your friend, Mr. Reedy?”
asked Pattie, as she sat down with them for a minute. “Reedy took his two deputies and Buck out to the Thornton ranch to give the same warning to him as he did to Madden.”
“Thornton ain’t your problem. That no good Rance Madden is your problem,” replied Pattie. “To a certain degree, I suppose that’s true, but Thornton has hired his share of hired guns.”
“He was forced to by Madden. Thornton never caused any trouble the last ten years he’s been here. It wasn’t until Madden bought the old Mason spread and started all the trouble over water.”
“I agree, but we have to try to treat them both as fair as we can. That’s the law and I’m sworn to uphold it.”
“Well, I think you should just go out and arrest Madden and keep him in jail until he rots,” said Pattie sternly, as she got up from the table and went back into the kitchen before Steele could reply.
“I just love hearing you two going at it,” said Tex, filling his coffee cup.
“I’m glad you find it amusing.”
“Well, what else do we have for entertainment? Things haven’t been a whole heap of fun since this all started and if you ask me, she’s right.”
“About what?”
“About locking Madden up and letting him rot in jail.”
“You know we can’t do that. We have to have a reason or else the judge will just let him go free and then it will be us who will be in hot water.”
Tex grinned. “Well, then why don’t you let me go and plug that sorry ass from a hilltop and get this whole thing over with before any other good men get killed, and that includes anyone wearing a badge?” “I can’t let you do that, either.”
“Well, I had to ask and consider it an open offer.” “I’ll keep that under my hat,” Steele replied as he picked up his coffee.
“You know what else?” asked Tex with that wide grin.
“What?”
“I think Pattie is sweet on you.”
“Don’t start on me about that again. She just ain’t ready quite yet.”
“Yeah, well, maybe she’s saving herself for old River Bend Bill,” Tex said sheepishly, knowing that would get immediately under Steele’s skin.
“You just had to go and spoil this fine meal by bringing that old codger up, didn’t you.”
“Well, I’m just trying to encourage you,” Tex replied.
“I can just tell that this is going to be one long night with you. Now shut up and drink your coffee.”

rank Reedy and the three deputies arrived at the Thornton ranch just before dusk. They never got off their horses. They waited out in front of the house until Thornton came out, followed by six other men, all hired guns, Reedy figured.

Thornton knew Buck but he had never seen the other three before. He didn’t miss the fact that one of the three men was wearing a U.S. marshal’s badge, and the other two were wearing deputy U.S. marshal’s badges. “Why am I being visited by a U.S. marshal today?” asked Henry Thornton.

“I’m here to deliver the same message I delivered to Rance Madden this afternoon,” answered Reedy.
“And what message is that, Marshal?”
“I’m here to stop the war brewing between you and Madden and from this moment on, anyone breaking the law will have the full weight of the U.S. marshal’s office on their shoulders. This will be the only warning you will get, so heed it carefully. Have I made myself clear?”
“I’m not the one who is starting this war, Rance Madden is. Arrest him and all the problems will stop. I’ve only hired these men to protect my life and my property from that greedy bastard. Keep him off my property and away from my water and you’ll have no problem from me. I will, however, protect what is rightfully mine and will do so by force, and you know I have that right, Marshal.”
“I understand the law, Mr. Thornton. I’m not here to get a lesson, I’m here to give one to anyone who breaks the law from hear on in. I have two deputies with me and I can have a dozen more here in a matter of days. I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your evening, gentlemen,” said Reedy, as he turned his horse around, all three deputies following his lead.
Thornton and his men stood on the front porch of the house until Frank Reedy and his men were out of sight. One of Thornton’s men, Toby Hewett, was the first to speak. “I know that Marshal. He used to be a bounty hunter and he ain’t someone to be messing with. He don’t take no for an answer and once he’s on the trail of a man, he don’t quit until he gets him.”
Thornton didn’t respond right away. He kept looking out towards the trail leaving the ranch as if he could somehow still see the marshal and the three deputies. “Well,” said Thornton, “I’m glad that he’s here. Maybe he can finally convince Rance Madden to back off.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” replied Hewett, “Madden is as stubborn as they come.”
“I say we try to stay out of the way and see if the marshal and Sheriff Steele can handle the problem. If not, we’ll hire some more guns to protect this ranch and the water.”
Frank Reedy and the three deputies rode in silence for the first mile or so back to town. Reedy was trying to size Thornton up and figure what kind of man he was. His conclusion was that Thornton wasn’t the problem, but that Thornton would fight back with everything he had if cornered. There was no doubt in Reedy’s mind that Rance Madden would be the problem.
“What are you thinking about, Frank?” Banks asked.
“I’ve just been thinking about Henry Thornton and what he might do to protect his water rights.”
“The way I see it, Thornton will fight when pushed too far,” replied Banks.
“That’s the way I see it, too.”
“Me too,” added Abel, as he turned to Buck, “Buck, what’s your take on this? You’ve known Thornton for some time. Are we right?”
“I’ve know Thornton as a decent man who never started a fight. I agree, though, that he will fight when forced to and he will go to great lengths to protect that water and his land. If this war gets started, it will be a bloody one, and that’s a fact,” answered Buck.
“I’m afraid you are exactly right about that,” said Reedy. “We might as well start planning for the worse.”

uentin Unger and Gregory Timmons rode into Timber just before dusk. They went into Jed’s Saloon to get a drink and as luck would have it, they found the sheriff and one of his deputies sitting at a table drinking coffee. Now that they could identify the sheriff, they could move along with their plan. Their plan included starting a fire in a small shack at the end of town that was vacant. That would cause a distraction and would most definitely bring the sheriff out into the open.

“What about him? We’ve been paid to kill Steele, not the deputy.”
“Yeah, I know that, but once we shoot the sheriff, we’ll have his deputy on our trail before we can put some distance between us. I say we shoot the deputy, too. I didn’t see any sign of that U.S. marshal or his deputies in town.”
“Maybe you’re right. If we shoot them both, we can probably get a good head start. I’ll take the sheriff and you take the deputy,” said Timmons.
Sheriff Steele and Tex were still relaxing and drinking hot coffee when one of the townsmen ran into the saloon. “Sheriff, that old shack down the end of the street is on fire.”
“Well,” said Tex, “so much for a relaxing night. Next thing you know, we’ll have a gunfight and who knows what else.”
“I’m sure glad you look on the bright side of things, Tex.”
“Trouble always comes in pairs, the way I see it.”
Sheriff Steele and Tex walked out and headed down toward the fire. Men were already throwing buckets of water on the shack, but they were quickly losing the battle. Steele and Tex were about two hundred feet from the fire when a bullet hit Steele from behind, whirling him around from the impact, a second bullet slamming into him before he hit the dirt. A fraction of a second after the first bullet hit Steele, two bullets slammed into Tex, the first one in his left shoulder and the second one in the right leg, just below the hip. The two men fell into the dirt at the same time. Quentin Unger and Gregory Timmons were on their horses not more than five seconds after that and making a full run south of town, both dragging an extra horse.
With all the commotion and yelling about the fire, it took a full minute or so before anyone came to the realization that shots had been fired. Jed, who was still in the saloon, had heard them. When he ran outside, he spotted Sheriff Steele and Tex lying in the dirt. He yelled over to the dozen or so men who were still valiantly fighting the fire. “Hey, forget about that fire, the sheriff and Tex have been ambushed!” he hollered.
The men who had been fighting the fire stopped and one of them ran for the doctor and the rest of them ran over to where Steele and Tex were. Steele was unconscious and Tex was moaning and groaning, holding his left shoulder. Doctor George Hammond came running carrying a big black bag. He checked out the sheriff first.
“How bad is he, Doc?” Jed asked.
“He’s been hit pretty badly. He took one shot in the back just above the right shoulder blade and the second bullet went straight through his left side, just below the lung, I hope. You men get him on my table right away while I check on Tex.”
Four men picked up Steele and headed for the doctor’s office and when they did, Pattie Nate came running out of Jed’s Saloon and let out a scream at the sight of Steele being carried into the doctor’s office.
“What happened to him?” Pattie asked, visibly shaken.
“Someone ambushed the sheriff and Tex while we were trying to put out the fire,” one of the men answered.
“Who did it? Who shot him?”
“No one knows. Everyone’s attention was on the fire. We didn’t even hear the shots above all the commotion over the fire. It was Jed that heard them.”
“Is he still alive?”
“Well, he’s still breathing, but he’s unconscious. He’s been hit twice and the doctor said it was pretty bad.”
Pattie had tears running down her face as she watched the four men gently place Steele on one of the two tables in the middle of the room. They left and headed back to where Doctor Hammond was still checking out Tex. Pattie gently cradled Steele’s face in her hands; some of her tears falling onto the sheriff’s face. She kissed him on his forehead. “Damn it, don’t you die on me Mark Steele. You hang on, you hear me?”
There was no response from Steele. Pattie knew that the doctor would need plenty of boiling water and cloths, so she immediately began the chore. She was putting the cloths into the pots of water when the doctor and Jed came into the room with four men carrying Tex who was moaning from the pain. They laid Tex onto the other table.
“Well,” said Doctor Hammond, “I’ve got to work on the sheriff first since he’s bleeding so badly. Pattie, get those cloths boiling as quickly as you can. One of you men go out back, get some extra firewood for the stove, and stoke it hot. It’s going to be a long night.”
The bullet that hit Steele in the back just above his right shoulder blade bounced off the bone and exited out of the top of his shoulder. Doctor Hammond probed around, removed some bone fragments, and cleaned the wound. All the while he was doing this, Pattie was holding bandages on Steele’s left side, trying to stop the bleeding as much as she could.
The Doctor finished up with the first wound and started working on Steele’s side. “Looks like a straight through and through. I don’t think it hit any vital organs or bones, but one more inch and it would have hit the lower part of the lung, and that would not have been a good thing.”
Doctor Hammond thoroughly cleaned out the wound from both the entry, exit point, stitched it up, and bandaged it. “That’s all I can do for him now, Pattie. He’s lost a lot of blood and I think he might be in a coma. I’ve got to work on Tex now.” Pattie nodded, tears still streaming from her now blood-red eyes. She held onto Steele’s left hand.
The Doctor went to work on Tex who was still moaning and groaning with pain. The Doctor gave him some laudanum for the pain, but he knew it wouldn’t help all that much. He started on the shoulder wound and that’s when he noticed it. The bullet had bounced off the deputy’s badge before entering his shoulder. Two men had to hold Tex down while the doctor dug around and found the bullet and a chunk of metal from the badge. He cleaned the wound and bandaged it up, and then he went to work on Tex’ right leg. The bullet had bounced off the bone and exited out the side of the leg. The doctor dug out several bone fragments, cleaned the wound, and bandaged it.
“Well, he’ll live, but he won’t be able to walk on that leg for a while. He didn’t lose as much blood as the sheriff did, so that is certainly in his favor. Damn sure will be sore for some time. I’m worried about the sheriff though,” he said, as he turned back toward the table that Steele was lying on. He checked on his bandage job and was satisfied with it. “He’s lost a lot of blood, and I’m going to have to change those bandages everyday and clean the wounds. I’m worried about infection setting in and in the weakened condition he’s in from the loss of blood, it might kill him.”
Pattie looked up at Doctor Hammond with a determined look. “We are not going to let that happen, Doctor. I’ll stay with him night and day and tend to him if I have to, but we can’t let him die.”
“We’ll do all we can, but I can’t guarantee that he’ll make it, especially if he doesn’t wake up in the next few days. He’s going to need nourishment to get his strength back. I believe he’s in a coma and that might last a few days or weeks, there is no way to know for sure.”
“I’m staying here for the night, Doctor. I want to help as much as I can.”
Doctor Hammond nodded in agreement. Pattie got herself a chair and sat there holding Steele’s left hand. She could hear Tex moan once in a while, but he didn’t say anything.