Part 28 (1/2)

The Rainey boys were sleeping under the wagon. Both had dropped like rocks once they dismounted, oblivious to wet clothes and too tired to be interested in food. The Raineys liked their sleep, whereas the Spettles could do without it. They seemed unaffected by the strenuous night-they sat apart, as silent as always.

”I wish they'd talk, so we'd know what they were thinking,” Sean said. The silent Spettles made him nervous.

Call was annoyed with Gus, who had still not returned. Pea had reported seeing him just after dawn, riding east in evident health. Call noticed the Texas bull, standing about fifty yards away. He was watching the two pigs, who were rooting around a chaparral bush. Probably they were trying to root out a ground squirrel, or perhaps a rattlesnake. The bull took a few steps toward them, but the pigs ignored him.

Needle Nelson was scared of the bull. The minute he noticed him he went to get his rifle out of his saddle scabbard. ”If he comes at me, I aim to shoot him,” Needle said. ”He'll never live to cross the Yellowstone unless he leaves me be.”

Lippy, too, disliked the bull, and climbed up on the wagon when he saw how close the bull was.

”He won't charge the camp,” Call said-though in fact he was not so sure the bull wouldn't.

”Why, he charged Needle,” Jasper said. ”Needle had to get going so fast he near forgot his dingus.”

At that there was a general laugh, though Needle Nelson didn't join in. He kept his rifle propped against a wagon wheel while he was eating.

The bull continued to watch the pigs.

34.

AS SOON AS THE SUN got high enough to be warm, Lorena spread their gear on trees and bushes to dry. It seemed astonis.h.i.+ng to her that she was alive and unhurt after such a night. Her spirits rose rapidly and she was even reconciled to having to ride the pack mule. But Jake wouldn't hear of that. His own spirits were low.

”I hate to squish every move I make,” he said. ”It ain't supposed to get this wet in these parts.”

Now that the scare was over, Lorena found that she didn't mind that things were damp. It beat being hot, in her book. The only awkward part was that the few foodstuffs they had brought had been soaked. The flour was ruined, the salt a lump. At least the bacon and coffee weren't ruined, and they had a little of each before Jake rode off to look for her horse.

Once he left, she went down to the river to wash the mud off her legs. Then, since the sun was already hot, she found a gra.s.sy place that wasn't too wet and lay down to have a nap. Looking up at the sky, her spirits rose even more. The sky was perfectly clear and blue, only whitened with sun over to the east. Being outside felt good-she had spent too much time in little hot rooms, looking at ceilings.

While she was resting, who should come riding up with her mare but Gus.

”I hope there's still some coffee in the pot,” he said, when he dismounted. ”I've usually had ten biscuits by this time of day, not to mention some honey and a few eggs. Got any eggs, Lorie?”

”No, but we got bacon,” she said. ”I'll fry you some.”

Augustus looked around with amus.e.m.e.nt at the muddy camp.

”I don't see young Jake,” he said. ”Is he off preaching a sermon, or did he wash away?”

”He went to look for the horse, only I guess he went in the wrong direction,” Lorie said.

Augustus took out his big clasp knife and cut the bacon for her. For a woman who had spent the night being drenched she looked wonderfully fresh, young and beautiful. Her hair was not yet dry; the wet ends were dark. Occasionally a little line of water ran down her bare arm. Bending over the fire, her face was relaxed in a way he had never seen it. The strain that always showed in Lonesome Dove-the strain of always holding herself apart-had disappeared, making her look girlish.

”Why, Lorie,” he said, ”I guess traveling agrees with you. You look pretty as the morning.”

Lorena smiled. It was funny. Out in the open she felt more at ease with Gus than she had in the saloon.

”How long has Jake been gone?” he asked.

”Not long,” she said. ”He rode down the river, looking for tracks.”

Augustus laughed. ”Why, Jake couldn't track an elephant if he was more than ten steps behind it,” he said. ”I guess we ought to call him back before he gets lost.”

He drew his pistol and fired a couple of shots into the air.

A few minutes later, as he was finis.h.i.+ng the bacon, Jake came galloping into camp, rifle in hand. Lorena was going around from bush to bush, collecting the clothes, which the hot sun had already dried.

”Gus, I didn't know we was gonna have to have you for breakfast every day of the whole trip,” Jake said.

”You was never grateful for nothing, Jake,” Augustus said. ”Here I returned a fifty-dollar horse that you couldn't have found in a week, and all you can do is gripe about my company.”

”Well, there's such a thing as too much of your dern company,” Jake said, looking to see if Lorie was out of hearing.

”Are you jealous, or what?” Augustus asked.

”Why wouldn't I be, when you've tried to poke every woman I ever looked at?” Jake said.

”Whoa, now,” Augustus said. ”I'm just eating my bite of bacon. But I will say you should have brought a tent if you mean to take a sprightly girl like Lorie out in the weather.”

Jake didn't intend to spend any time bantering about women with Gus. It was good they had the horse back, of course. ”I reckon we'll pack up and move on to San Antonio,” he said, just as Lorena came back with an armful of dry clothes.

”I don't want to go to San Antone,” she said. ”I been there.”

Jake was taken aback. ”Why, it's a good gambling town,” he said. ”We ain't rich yet. It wouldn't hurt us to stop for a week, while the boys get the herd started good. Then we can catch up.”

”I don't like to go back to places,” Lorena said. ”It's bad luck.”

”Yes, and it would be worse luck to get up the trail and run out of money.”

”That's all right, Jake,” Augustus said, flinging the dregs of his coffee into a chaparral bush. ”I'll be glad to keep tabs on Lorie while you run into town and lose your wad.”

”What makes you think I'd lose it?” Jake said, his face darkening.

”You'd lose it if I was around,” Augustus said, ”and if I wasn't handy, you'd probably get in a sc.r.a.pe and shoot another dentist. Besides, if anybody with a badge on is trying to hunt you up, I'd think the first place they'd look is San Antonio.”

”If anybody with a badge on comes looking for me he's apt to find more of me than he wants,” Jake said. ”Let's get packed, Lorie. We might make town tomorrow, if we push on.”

”I don't want to go to San Antonio,” Lorena said again. She knew Jake hated to be contradicted, but she didn't much care.

Before she could think, he whipped around and slapped her-not hard, but it was a slap.

”Dern it all, I guess you'll go where I say go,” he said, his face red with anger.

Lorena felt embarra.s.sed to have been hit in front of Gus, but he seemed uninterested in what she and Jake did. Of course he was just being polite-what else could he do?

She remembered all the money Xavier had pressed on her. It was lucky she had it.