Jodi's Journey (13 page)

“All right.” Jodi didn't argue. “You know, I
like him.”

“Yeah, me too.” He grinned warmly at her.

≈≈≈

Somehow, she had managed to be civil during
the ceremony and now she found herself respecting the fact that he
was as cautious. The men in the saloon had been loud and rowdy last
night. She had heard them herself. She'd heard them cuss, shoot,
and crash bottles while Hunt was over there.

If she hadn't remembered that Hunt was a
coward, she might grow to care for him. It certainly seemed as
though her opinions of him were changing. Problem was, these days,
it was harder to remember exactly what Hunt Johnson was. He didn't
act the part of a coward. But there was more to worry about than
even he knew and she needed to take care of her problem soon.

She yawned and put away the food and prepared
the chuck wagon for another day. Soaking some beans and checking
her supply of dried jerky, she satisfied herself that all was well
and waited for Matt to return to the wagon.

There was a storm brewing, to make matters
worse, and everyone seemed on edge.

The lightning lit up the prairie, sometimes
boldly, sometimes only in one little spot. The streaks touched the
tips of the longhorns, making them want to mill. Perhaps it was the
warning from Hunt, or maybe just good judgment, but no one let down
his guard. Lightning was known to kill man or beast and every
cowboy knew it. It wasn't something they could defend themselves
from so easily.

At mid-day Concho rode up and helped them
make camp. He was skilled at handling such things and Jodi welcomed
his help. Hunt recruited Matt to help drag once he saw Concho
helping her. Jodi knew instinctively that Hunt felt better about
Concho being with her now. After all, Matt as still very young and
didn't offer much experience. There was only so much bluff in a
twelve-year-old kid, she reasoned silently.

“There is a storm brewing from the north,”
Concho mentioned as he helped her prepare the meal, both of them
scanning the north sky with uneasiness.

“I know, Concho,” she said, ignoring the
skittish movements he was making. “The cattle are restless.”

“The boss man, he is good. He knows of the
dangers. He is ready. You were wise to get him for the drive,”
Concho added.

“That was Clem's idea, not mine,” she
corrected, turning a bright red when Concho stared at her.

“I've been on trail drives before, Señora,
and many boss men have not been prepared for things. Bad things
happen when the boss man doesn't suspect. This one, he is good. He
knows…”

She turned and faced Concho. “You like him,
don't you?” The surprise in her voice had Concho frowning at her
momentarily.

“Si, I like him.” Concho finally smiled at
her.

She turned a curious look on him. “Even
though he is a coward?”

“Si Señora, I do not think he is a coward.”
Concho's smile faded as he stared at her yet again. He seemed to
read her thoughts and it embarrassed her a little. After all, she'd
married him just last night.

“Then why did he come home before the war was
over?” The idea that Concho might be right fermented in Jodi's
mind. Could she have been wrong? Could a whole town be wrong about
one man?

“I do not know, but I do not think he is a
coward.” Concho looked her straight in the eyes and said it. A dim
light rippled through her mind. “I feel it in my bones. You know,
Señora, when the Alamo fell, some say one man, he leave before the
battle. Most say that man was a coward. But I ask myself, why would
a man do such a thing? He must have had a reason. How could he call
himself a man? Perhaps there are things we do not understand. A
coward is a man who will not fight; he won't stand up for the
rights and the wrongs of things. Señor Hunt is not such a
man!”

Jodi considered what Concho said, but until
he could prove it to her, she wouldn't be giving him the benefit of
doubt. Clem had been right. Hunter Johnson was the only man for
this job, but she'd never admit it aloud. Her opinion of him still
remained the same. Only she'd give him his due; he was a good cow
man.

Right after eating, the wind began to change,
and tension mounted to a climax. One wrong move, one loud noise, is
all it would take. Jodi sighed to herself. The cattle became
restless, harder to keep on course. Hunt signaled to the men to
keep them tight. Everyone worked them as best they could. But it
was work!

Concho came up beside her, smiling.

“So, you marry the boss man?”

“Yes, we're married.” Jodi felt her cheeks
grow warm.

“Ah, si, the bride, she blushes.” Concho
laughed.

She knew he was merely trying to take her
mind off the weather.

“So, Señor Boss is not so bad? Si?” Concho
chuckled again.

No, Hunt wasn't so bad, her mind agreed
silently.

Jodi smiled, but the air tingled with
electrical tension. Flashes to the north were coming closer. The
tension mounted; no one relaxed. Everyone knew something was
brewing and they all prayed it was just the weather.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Hunt kept his eye on the wagon till it was
out of sight, but the uneasy feeling didn't let up. He hated that
eerie feeling of something bad about to happen, but he'd had it all
day and he couldn't get rid of it. He sought Willy out several
times to reassure himself all was well there. It seemed the cattle
were picking up on the environment so Hunt began to sing. He was
too busy to notice how far ahead Jodi might be. About the time he
scanned the horizon, a gunshot resounded against the backdrop of
weather, and the cattle reverberated with a quick and decisive
stampede.

The earth rumbled, dust flew, and man and
beast were on the run. Hunt tried to keep them bunched and crowded,
but it was of no use. No one could bunch them now. All they could
do was ride. The sound was deafening. Horns clashed with horns,
cattle moaned, and blood gushed. Lightning played on top of their
horns like a musical instrument. The smell of burnt brimstone
wafted through the air. They were at a full run. Only the lightning
lit their path. Hunt let them have a lead at first, wanting to tire
them. But cattle could run for miles without a sign of giving
out.

Hunt calculated his move. Then, instantly, he
switched. Instead of retreating and letting them have their heads,
Hunt took the lead and began cutting the leads off, mushrooming
them into a circle slowly so they never realized what they were
doing. Cattle had no mind of their own, only action.

There was little time to figure out where the
shots were coming from, or who fired them; during a stampede the
only things to worry about were the horses and the cattle. Hunt
concentrated on his main job, turning the herd, if he could. In the
dark, it was hard to see a prairie dog hole, or a rattlesnake. One
wrong move could be a problem for a cowboy on horseback. But as
fast as they were riding, it didn't matter. What mattered was
keeping up with the lead cows.

He rode till the sweat broke on his horse,
and slowly the herd began to turn willingly. Matt, Dutch, Brady,
and Jose, seeing his movement, copied him. Willy had a job all his
own, but he was staying up with Hunt. He was a darn good horseman,
Hunt acknowledged to himself proudly.

Hunt and Jose spent nearly the rest of the
day trying to reroute the herd into a circle and bunch them. The
others did their job. Only seven men were too few. It took half the
day to get any relief. As the cattle began to calm, Hunt sang out
in a loud voice. It was as if they recognized his voice. The cattle
responded with a tempered lull. From the looks of it, they were at
least thirty cows short. Hunt made notes quickly once they settled
and bedded down for the night. He had a plan.

The men had been running on pure adrenaline
during the stampede, some half asleep in the saddle as they began
to bed the herd down for the night. The discipline of the cowboy
was to stay in the saddle, no matter what.

“Dutch and Brady, double back to check for
the strays. We lost thirty, at least. I want them back,” Hunt
called to them as they rode up in full gallop. No time to worry
about the fact that no one had slept in hours.

Signaling to him, they rode out as fast as
they rode in.

Hunt finally breathed a sigh of relief as
Jose joined him. Rolling a cigarette, he glanced up at him.
“Thanks,” he smiled.

“Si, Señor. Just doing my job. I thought we
would never turn them.”

“Yeah, me too. We need more men. Another
stampede like that and we'll lose half the herd. I've got to get
more men. We still got the Trinity and Red.”

“Si, more men.” Jose looked about. “I have
not seen Señora Johnson since the stampede, have you?”

Hunt glanced about, his eyes scanning the
darkening horizon. There was nothing up ahead but darkness. He knew
Jodi always kept a lantern going in bad weather to light the way to
camp. There was no light. “No. As a matter of fact, I was looking
for her just before all this started. She went ahead, but I haven't
seen a light. We better go see what's going on. Wait, here comes
Matt. Maybe he knows what's happened to her.”

“Si…”

Matt tore into the new camp with a vengeance.
“They got her, boss. They knocked Concho out and took her.”

“What are you talking about?” Hunt demanded,
his frown growing more serious with each word.

Matt took a deep breath as he dismounted and
came up to Hunt. “She said you would probably need me, and that
Concho was staying with her. That's the last I saw of her. I rode
north when you got the cattle turned to try to find them. I found
Concho and he told me what happened. Everything was fine till these
men with guns rode up. They were lookin' for Willy. When they
wouldn't tell them anything, they knocked Concho out and took her.
They took a few head of cattle, not many. They are the ones that
done the shooting, stampeding the herd. They took her at gunpoint,
Boss. I tried to turn back, but I was already moving with the herd,
and I couldn't circle around at that point. I figured the best I
could do is get back to you. Concho's on his way in now. He should
be behind me.”

“You did right, Matt. Where's the wagon?”

“Couple of miles back.” Matt looked
helpless.

Hunt nodded.

Now the stampede wasn't his only worry.

“All right, then it is up to me to find her.
I was hoping it was a gopher hole, or rattlesnake.”

“Si, a two-legged rattlesnake.” Jose
frowned.

“Yeah,” Hunt agreed, his lips firming in a
hard line. He met their wide-eyed gazes. “While I double back, I
want you men to keep the herd bunched. Dutch and Brady are already
back tracking for strays. When that's done, stay on the trail. I'll
catch up, and just so you know, that wasn't Indians.”

“The jayhawkers?” Josh asked with disbelief
as he rode into camp.

“Probably, Indians would have taken the
horses first. And Jodi is used to this country; I don't think she
got hurt in the stampede. But it's still possible that she got
away, somehow. Anyway, I think it might have been those fellas in
the saloon last night. From the looks of that bunch, there were
enough of them to start anything. They were after Willy. They knew
we had cattle. They might have done this. I hadn't planned on
spending any time chasing them. They probably cut a few head and
took Jodi with them. For some reason, God only knows. Jose, you'll
lead until Concho gets back. Keep moving them north. Lull them as
much as possible; keep them calm, just like we have been doing.
I'll catch up in a few days. If not, take them to the Kansas
railroad and get that money back to the folks in Esser Crossing.
Don't forget Mr. Williams either. While I'm gone, Concho is in
charge. He's the most experienced. No arguments.”

“But you'll need help, Boss,” Concho
concluded as he rode up behind Matt. “You can't take them all by
yourself.”

“Unless I miss my guess, it's just a handful
of deserters. Like as not, they'll be celebrating with whiskey. A
sober man has an advantage then.”

“You are not afraid?” Concho asked as all the
men gathered about.

Everyone eyed him with a new respect.
“Afraid, no. Apprehensive, yes, I'm not sure I can pull it off, but
they aren't going to get away with this, if I can help it. That's
my wife they've got, and I aim to bring her back as quick as I can.
And we're going to get the herd through, just like we planned.”

“But we'll go with you…” Josh began.

“No. Jodi wouldn't want to lose the herd. No
matter what. It's my place, my wife. Besides, I'll be back.”

Josh stepped forward. “I was wrong about
you,” he began. “Will you shake?”

Hunt nodded with a tired smile and shook
Josh's hand. “Just keep going with the herd. The way Jodi wants
it.”

With that, he nodded to the men and left. It
would be miles before he could actually track them because of the
stampede, but he knew they wouldn't go toward the signs of the
Indians, nor back to the way they’d come. That only left the north
or the south, and they wouldn't be following the herd so he knew
they had to head south.

He rode like the wind for a couple of hours,
then slowed and began to try to find signs of them. He was almost
sure it was jayhawkers, and he knew exactly what they had in mind
for Jodi. He knew, too, what they would have done to Willy if they
had caught him. His stomach knotted, and his face was set to a grim
frown. If they touched her, he'd kill them. Every last one of them,
and he wouldn't ask questions, just kill them. Men like that didn't
deserve trials. And not a man in his camp would blame him for it
either.

Then he sighed heavily. No, that was emotion
talking. He wouldn't be killing them. Then with a grin, he nodded
to himself. But he could sure make them wish they were dead.