Diamond Buckow (16 page)

He looked the agent in the eye. “I understand you also keep the brand book for this section?”

“That's right, I do. But if you want to register a brand, it'll take more time than filing on a government claim. If you want it recognized by the other ranchers, that is. 'Course, plenty of brands are being used that aren't registered. Can't say as I know what a court of law would decide about them.”

“I don't have any cattle right now,” Diamond stated. “But I aim to have a legal brand for them when I get some.”

“Give you a suggestion? Decide on your mark and then show it to me. I know 'most all the brands for quite aways around. All you really need is the approval of the committee. If it doesn't conflict with anything I know of, I'll enter it on the books as a request. Meanwhile, you can be looking up your cattle. Might save you some time.”

“Fine.” Diamond nodded quickly. “It'll be a series of diamonds connected at the side points to make a string. I'll call it the Running Diamond. Here, let me draw you a picture.”

As he sketched, the man looked over his shoulder. “I believe you're safe. I've not seen any mark at all like that.”

Diamond left the land office feeling nine feet tall. His own ranch! The quarter section gave him grazing rights on the adjoining range, and he had a brand. The cattle would have to wait.

He thought to get some supplies to take back with him, and spent most of the day in stores seeking the best buys for his limited funds. It was late afternoon when he came to Dobbins's Hardware to finish his purchases.

The bald proprietor greeted him with a big smile. “Did you take that chestnut to the smith for shoes?”

“Yeah, left him there mid-morning. I'm on my way to get him when I leave here.”

“Good, good.” Tom Dobbins grinned again, then his face turned questioning.

“I've got a kind of proposition for you if you're interested. I think it'll make both of us some money.”

Diamond considered. “I'll sure listen to any good ideas. But why should you offer me a money-making proposal? You don't know me, you just met me yesterday.”

A thought ran through his head. What had Nancy Blough said about being able to help him? Could she have something to do with this? After all, she was staying with Dobbins's wife.

Tom was watching Diamond's face, with a kindly look on his own.

“True, we only met yesterday. But I liked what I saw then. Besides, a friend of my wife's is staying with us, and she gave you the best recommendation possible. Fact is, I've got an asset with no way for me to harvest income from it. I need an honest partner.”

Diamond was taken aback. First by the word honest, which had stuck so long in his craw. Then by a sudden panic that Nancy might have given him away. But he rejected that notion, knowing she'd never do him in.

“I don't rightly know what to say,” he ventured. “I guess maybe you'd best tell me what I'd have to do, and how this partnership'd work.”

“Had a customer some while back. A decent sort, but he ran up a bill he couldn't pay,” Dobbins explained.

“Well, I needed the money and he needed out from under. Only asset he owned was a couple hundred head of wild cattle some place south of here. So I took title to any that had a broken M brand, and I've never gotten out there to try and count 'em.”

A frown drew Tom's eyebrows closer together as he continued.

“Last spring I hired a fellow to go out and brand the calves, and give me a count. He had one hoss, and I gave him a pack horse and grub-staked him. Two weeks later he was seen in Denver selling my pack horse. He never even tried to find the cattle, much less brand the calves.”

The frown changed to a sigh, then to a crooked smile. “But Mrs. Blough says you're honest, and I still have faith in people in spite of what one drifter did to me. So I'm willing to make a deal that if you go take care of 'em, I'll give you a half interest in the increase.”

Diamond made to speak but Tom held up his hands.

“I know what you're thinking to say, but just listen a minute. You'll be doing me a favor. If I was to realize anything from those cattle through you, it'd be more than I'd get the way I'm going now.”

Diamond stood rooted to the spot. He thought how much he really liked Tom Dobbins, and that the man trusted him. He wondered how that trust would work if Dobbins knew about the hanging. The scar on his neck began to burn, and he coughed as he held out his right hand to shake.

“That's great!” Dobbins beamed. “Listen, why don't you come out to dinner tonight? My wife's the best darned cook in this town. Or any other, for that matter. It'd give us time to work out the details.”

“Sounds too good to be true,” Diamond said. “It's been an awful long time since I ate any woman-cooked food.”

Then he thought with a sudden inward jump, oh, God! Mrs. Blough would be there. But as he recalled something he needed to tell Tom, it helped him calm down.

“You know, one day I happened to ride aways southwest of where I'm homesteading. I saw a bunch of cattle with old grown-over brands. At the time I thought it was a double inverted vee. You reckon it might be yours?”

Dobbins stopped and drew his brand on a sheet from his charge book.

“Here, young fellow, it looks like this.”

Diamond studied the paper. “Yes, sir, Mr. Dobbins. That's the mark I saw. Only a few, but then, I wasn't counting. There could be a lot more. Hell of a lot of unbranded stock runs that part of the range.”

Tom's face lit up. “Glad you've got a starting place. Now I want you as a partner more than ever.”

“Thanks, Mr. Dobbins.” Diamond's tone was sober and quiet.

“First off, if we're about to be partners, you'd best call me Tom. Most folks do. Now go on and get that new mount before the smith thinks you forgot him. I'll lock up and meet you at the house in short order.”

Diamond thrust his hand forward for the second time. Then he turned and hurried to go get Bones.

It was late afternoon the next day when Diamond rode into sight of the soddy. Bones was his first animal to sport the Running Diamond brand next to its old, faded, grown-over mark. He led a pack horse marked with a Broken M.

Diamond pulled the geld up so short that the other horse bumped into him.

“Who in hell?” The exclamation slipped from his mouth and rattled in the still air.

A strange mount stood ground-hitched by the corral. Diamond's immediate thought was to make a run for it. But a man came out of the soddy, shading his eyes against the sun's glare.

No, by God, Diamond told himself grimly. This was his place now, and he wouldn't run. The stranger looked like nobody he'd ever seen before. With the new horse and face hair, he couldn't be known.

But as Diamond slowly rode closer, he saw a star pinned to the man's shirt front. A wave of fear washed over him.

“Howdy,” the intruder said.

He stood with his feet planted ready for anything, but his voice sounded friendly.

“You the fellow's been living here?”

Diamond thought fast If he got his feet on the ground, he figured he could beat the other to a gun if he had to. He kept his eyes on the man as he slid out of the saddle.

“Yeah, this is my place now. I filed on this quarter yesterday in Garden City. Name's Diamond.”

“Jed Driscoll, sheriff of Ford County. I know I'm a county and a half out of my territory, but there's no lawman over this way. And I got my reasons.”

He looked Diamond over. Diamond stood like stone.

“I'm looking for a kid who used a running iron on some cattle that belonged to the rancher he worked for. In this job, I sometimes have to do a lot more than just carry a gun and make arrests.”

“Yeah?” Something twitched in Diamond's jaw.

“'Course, I don't play judge and jury like some. This past winter I had a man working for me.
He
tried to be judge, jury, and executioner. Hanged this young fellow I'm looking for now, only it didn't take.”

Diamond tried to comment but couldn't. He prayed that the fear freezing his tongue didn't show on the outside.

Driscoll kept on. “When I found out how this deputy followed orders, I had to let him go. At any rate, this kid had some reason on his side, according to one story I got. I'm trying to get to the bottom of the whole thing.”

Diamond was almost afraid to breathe. Reason on
his
side? Who'd believe it? What kind of bluff was this?

Jed Driscoll looked into the new rancher's icy eyes. “Don't suppose you've seen a young fellow, maybe three to five years younger'n you? Riding a little grulla mare?”

Diamond swallowed. “I left day before yesterday forenoon for Garden City. Saw nobody in particular along the way, and I'm just now back.”

He took his courage in hand as a new idea came. “Look, the sun's got most of the way down while we been jawing. Why don't you put your horse in the corral and spend the night?”

The lawman studied Diamond's face and finally said, “Sure, why not? Guess I'll not find this fellow, anyways—least, not tonight”

“I got some unpacking to tend to,” Diamond said. “Why don't you set a fire, and we can eat that much the sooner?”

He turned to relieve Bones of some of the weight from his saddle. Diamond's heart was thumping like a hundred Indians' crazy war drums. But he thought, damn it! He couldn't run. He daren't act like a scared hen.

“That hoss of yours is sure shy of meat on his bones,” Jed Driscoll observed.

“Yeah, well, he'll look better after he's been with me awhile. I've not had him long.”

Diamond, trying to be casual, hoped he hadn't said too much already. He untied the ropes that held the packs in place and turned toward the soddy with a heavy load.

“If you don't mind,” Driscoll said, “I'd kinda like to see a bill of sale for that animal. And the paper receipt from your filing fee.”

“Sure, if you want to, but—”

Diamond turned back to face the sheriff with his hands full. Driscoll had his sixgun out of leather and was looking over the sight at Diamond's heart.

“Look here, Mr. Diamond. I'm just not right with a man who wears his iron tied down like a gunfighter, a stranger whose eyes bore holes through the law like an outlaw's. So until I feel easy, you unbuckle that belt and let her drop.”

Diamond recalled when Jake Strickland drew on him. He'd sworn not to let it happen again. Well, it just did. A fellow couldn't trust anybody.

He smiled with a fake coolness. “Anything you say, Sheriff. I'm not about to argue with the end of a gun. But why? You don't need to do this, I'd show you, anyways.”

He set his pack on the ground, loosening his belt and untying the leg thong with great care. It slid down around his feet.

“Just step away from the weapon,” Driscoll ordered. “That's good. Now I'll answer your question as to why, Mr. Diamond. That old brand on your hoss, all but overshadowed by the new one? It's the selfsame mark some Texas rancher advised me to be on the lookout for.”

Diamond's heart leaped into his throat as Jed Driscoll went on, staring him down all the while.

“Seems this gentleman was relieved of most of his remuda in The Strip. 'Course, I have no obligation to him. That's as far out of Ford County as this is. Still, I'll hang onto this gun 'til I've seen your proof.”

“All my papers are in my left shirt pocket,” Diamond said.

“OK. Only move one hand at a time. Take them out and hand them over. Real slow.”

Diamond obeyed with clammy fingers. He knew his papers were all in order. Driscoll had never seen him before. What in hell should he be so worried about?

“The bill of sale for the horse first.” The sheriff looked it over, his dull eyes suddenly sparkling.

“Well, I'll be damned. Why didn't you say Tom Dobbins sold you that bony heap? I know his signature well.”

Driscoll relaxed and slid his iron back into place. “I don't need to see the rest you got there.”

Diamond's mind worked hard and fast. If he could really get in good with Jed Driscoll, why, who knew what might happen? He might even feel free to go back into Dodge again.

“Mr. Sheriff, I'd be obliged if you'd look at the rest. Just so you know everything's on the up and up.”

The lawman grunted and took the other papers.

“I also got an agreement with Tom,” Diamond said. “He holds title to the Broken M brand. They's some real wild cows wearing that mark, west of here along the Colorado line. I'm to get half the increase for tending to them.”

Driscoll chuckled."I'm right sorry about this whole thing. Hope you won't hold it against me, Diamond. But I learned not to take chances a long time ago.”

Diamond looked sourly at him, then relented.

“Now, about your lighting the fire, Mr. Sheriff. The invite still holds, if you hustle up.”

Diamond sat on the knoll outside the soddy, waiting for daylight—a habit he hadn't changed since first using the place for a hideout. Only now he had yesterday's strange happenings to contemplate as company.

He wondered if he'd done right in asking Jed Driscoll to stay over. But it would have been a hell of a lot more suspicious not to, he knew. Now if he could just get that sheriff on his way without any trouble.

Of course, Diamond had to credit himself as being practical enough also to see several advantages to the episode. Could be he'd done what he set out to, which was to make points with the law in Dodge—just in case he needed to go there again. In any case, he'd learned a sight more than what information he gave away.

Driscoll had talked far into the night. Diamond never before realized he was hungry to hear so much about people that he'd not yet even met—accounts of trailhands and the kind of trouble they got into when they came in after the long drive up from Texas...funny barroom stories about some of the girls upstairs in the cribs.