Her One Desire

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"What happened Steve?" Jake asked his friend when he rode in with most of Chads cowhands one of them noticeably wounded in the shoulder as he slumped in his saddle. Chad soon joined them near the bunkhouse to find out what happened.

"We were checking on the cattle and horses by the spring and someone fired on us from the trees. Whoever it was knows how to use a rifle to hit what he wants cause we were out in the opening where he could have picked us all off one by one if he wanted to", Steve replied as he dismounted. "I sent Jason and Will into town for the doctor."

"We hate to do this to you Mr. Garrett but none of us want to end up shot like Bert here or worse killed so were leaving as soon as we pack our things," Charlie told Chad as he spoke for the others.

"I understand," a dejected Chad replied. "I'll have your wages for you when you are ready to leave."

Chad watched the last of his men enter the bunkhouse taking the injured Bert with them. With no hands the horses and cattle he had left would soon disappear and all he'd have left would be the land and the buildings.

"I'm sorry Chad," Jake told the man wishing there were ten times their number here to help Chad.

"You all have done the best you could," Chad replied. "It won't be long before all the cattle and horses with be gone too."

"What if we shipped them all to Providence? Then once this is over with we could ship them back here," Dusty said. "Then all we have to defend is the buildings right here there would be no need for us to ride out and check on the cattle."

"Yea, we wouldn't be targets out there trying to look after the cattle and horses," Steve added liking Dusty's idea.

"But we would still be targets trying to round them up," Luke told them his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned up against the corral fence.

"I have an idea how we can do it," Jake told them. "But first we need to convince your men to stay for at least one week. Our goal is to get the cattle and horses rounded up and shipped out and hope in a week your sister and Nate will have discovered whose name is on that deed so we can go after them."

"That will take some doing to convince the men to stay," Chad replied.

"Money has a way of convincing people," Jake told him smiling. "Leave it to me. Then we need Sam to send off a telegram but not from here. Dusty you and I will take a trip into town tonight to see our wives once we talk Chads men into staying at least one more week if not longer."

* * *

Later that night Jake passed Buck a note for Sam when he paid for his and Dusty's beers at the bar while no one was watching. Buck quickly deposited the money and note into the cash box below the bar.

"Heard another one of Garretts men was shot today," Buck said to them. "Everyone in town was talking about how the doctor was summoned to the Garrett ranch earlier in the day."

"Yes, but Bert will heal up in no time," Jake replied wanting their wives and Buck to know it wasnt one of their group and that the wound was not serious.

"Glad to hear that," Dallas said as she came to stand behind the bar. "I hope you find out whose doing this. We've heard about all the trouble Mr. Garrett is having out there since we arrived here in town."

After several more tunes were played Sam took a break and came to the bar for a drink hoping to have a few words with her husband. She'd been relieved when both he and Dusty entered the saloon to see it wasn't one of them that was wounded after the news traveled around town late that day but was still worried it might be Luke or Steve.