Sabrina's Man (22 page)

“Waco,” Warden Crawford said, “I've been talking with this young lady. This is Miss Sabrina Warren. She needs some assistance, and Judge Parker and I think you are the man that could help her.”

“She's not going into the prison, is she?” Waco smiled slightly.

Sabrina saw that he had very white teeth. The teeth of most of the men she met were stained with tobacco from chewing and smoking.

“No, I'll let her tell you what her problem is, and then we'll talk about it. Have a seat.”

Waco dragged a chair over and sat down facing Sabrina. He was alert as a wild animal, Sabrina saw, and there was a toughness and a wildness about him that she recognized would be excellent qualities in a man-hunter, which was what she wanted.

“I have one sister, Mr. Smith.”

“Just Waco, ma'am. I lost my mister along with other things when I came to Yuma.”

“Well, Waco then. She's very fragile and naive. She ran off with a man named Trey LeBeau and is being held captive.” She waited and said, “Have you ever heard of him?”

“I know Trey.”

“You know him? How do you know him?”

“Well, I had dealings with him a few years ago. He did me a bad turn. He's not exactly a friend of mine. What do you want me for?”

“I need somebody to go into the Territory and get my sister away from him.”

“Well, that's Judge Parker's job, or his marshals'.”

Crawford said, “You know how many marshals he lost, and those he has left are just bogged down, Waco. He just doesn't have anybody to send. He's the one who suggested we might get you to help Miss Warren.”

“How can I help her in prison here?”

“You can't, but here's what Judge Parker came up with. He said if I agreed, the two of us together could give you what is called a
conditional
parole.”

“Never heard of it.”

“Well, that's because it's never been done. What it means is this. We release you to Miss Sabrina's custody. You will help her get her sister back. When the job is done, if you've been faithful and done your best, we'll make the parole a full-fledged parole. You'll be free.”

Sabrina was interested in the workings of the man's face. She saw at once that he was interested and said quickly, “I'll also be willing to pay you to help me. My father has means, and we can pay almost any fee.”

Waco was quiet, and finally Crawford said, “What's the matter? Don't you like the deal?”

“Not that. I just can't believe it.”

Silas spoke up. “It's true enough, son. You've had some jolts along the way, but this woman's the real goods. We checked into her family. You do what Judge Parker and Warden Crawford ask you to do, and you can get a new start.”

“Well,” Waco said, sighing deeply, “I can use a new start. Sure, I'll do it, Miss Warren. Can't guarantee anything, you understand. LeBeau's a tough hairpin.”

“Well, one man doesn't seem like enough,” Sabrina said.

“It won't be one man. You're gonna have three men,” Silas spoke up. “I'm going along and so is that Indian that saved your life, Gray Wolf. He can track a buzzard over the desert floor. I swan he can. We'll be going along so that'll give us three guns. Maybe pick up some more.”

“The odds are still against us. He's got a rough bunch, Miss Warren,” Waco said. “I've met most of 'em, all killers, and they might not be as nice to you as the Denver brothers. Might not be enough to just rob you.”

“I'm going along, Waco, so don't argue with me.”

“Just sayin'.” Waco closed his mouth and nodded. “I'll take the deal, Marshal.”

“Good. I'm releasing you right now. Go get changed into some decent clothes.”

“I don't have any.”

“Well, we'll find you some. You can't go looking like a tramp.”

“Thank you, Warden.”

Sabrina smiled, went over to the warden, and offered her hand, which Crawford rose hastily and took. “I wish the good Lord to help you.”

“That's kind of you. I'll thank Judge Parker when I see him.”

“We brought a buggy, so I guess we'll take him back.”

“Might be best.”

“
Y
ou think you'll be able to get along with that woman, Waco?” Silas asked. He had come to the general store and found Waco buying supplies.

The tall man turned to him and grinned suddenly, which made him look much younger. “No, I don't reckon I can—and I don't reckon anybody else can.”

Silas could not contain his smile. “Well, you read her about like I do. She's had her own way pretty much. Comes from a rich family. Her parents probably spoiled her to death. I been tryin' to talk her out of this fool notion she's got of traipsin' around the Territory.”

“So have I, but she's stubborn as a blue-nosed mule, Silas.” Waco shook his head and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. His face was relaxed, and he was silent, staring at a hornet's nest that was built in the ceiling. “We had a hornet's nest in Grandpa's house where I grew up. I offered to get rid of it for Grandma. She said, ‘No, let 'em alone. They catch flies.' I never did get to feeling easy around hornets though.” Taking a deep breath, he said, “I'm gonna have one more try at talking some sense into her, but don't hold your breath.”

“Well, we need more men. Just me and Gray Wolf ain't gonna be enough, even with you along.”

“I talked to Judge Parker about that. He's pretty stubborn. He said he won't have any more men for at least six months. Not enough to send a band out to get LeBeau.”

Silas studied the tall man carefully. “You ever meet LeBeau?”

Something crossed Waco's face. It brought a tension, and his eyelids half dropped as if he were staring at a specimen that he didn't particularly care for. He reached up and ran his hand through his black hair and said briefly, “I've met him.”

“You didn't take to him, I guess.”

“No, I didn't. I owe Mr. LeBeau something. It wasn't only to help Miss Warren get her sister back. I've been promising myself when I got out of prison to pay LeBeau a visit. I figure he owes me something. I'm gonna take it out of his hide.”

“Men have tried that before and didn't make it. He's quick with a gun. Quick as a snake they say, and no more feelings in him than a snake either. He'd be a good one to decorate Judge Parker's gallows. Let Maledon have a hand at him. He could break his neck with one of them big knots of his.”

“That'd suit me fine,” Waco said flatly. “Here. Finish getting this list together, but watch it. I figure we'd take a light wagon. Don't know how long we'll be gone. Won't have time to run down to buy groceries every day.”

Silas took the list and shrugged. “Well, go have a shot at it, boy. Maybe you'll have luck.”

Waco left the general store and walked down the main street of Fort Smith. It was a busy day. The streets were crowded with wagons of all sizes, buggies, horsemen, and mule trains. The sounds of voices filled the air, some acrimonious and angry and others laughing. Getting to the hotel, he turned in and went to the desk. “I need to see Miss Warren.”

“Well, she's upstairs.”

Waco got the room number and walked up the stairs. When he got to the door with the number he was seeking, he knocked, perhaps harder than he had intended.

The door opened, and Sabrina Warren stood facing him. “What is it, Waco?”

“Can I talk to you?”

“I don't see any point in it, but come on in if you must.”

Waco came in, took his hat off, and turned to face her. “I am gonna make one more try to talk you out of going on this hunt, Miss Warren. It's not like you think it'll be.”

“I'm a good rider. I've been riding since I was twelve years old.”

“I'm sure that's true, and I admire that in a woman, but there are other things besides riding a horse. It's gonna be a hard trip, and when the marshals go out it wears them down, and they're about the toughest men on earth.”

Sabrina shook her head. “I'm not going to argue about this. We've settled on a price. I'm going, and you can just move on out now and let me get some sleep.”

Waco, for a moment, seemed inclined to argue, but he saw the hopelessness of it. He stood for a moment staring at her, wondering what it would take to break her spirit down. He knew that there was a pride in this woman that could sweep her violently and set off a blaze in her eyes. He had already seen it more than once. He, more or less, admired the fire in Sabrina. It brought out the rich, headlong qualities of a spirit otherwise hidden behind the cool reserve of her lips. She had an enormous certainty in her, a positive will, and if things had been different, Waco felt he could have been drawn to her. But he had a job to do and he was not interested.

“We'll be leaving early.” He turned without waiting for a word, stepped outside, and shut the door. He put his hat on, walked downstairs, and crossed down the street until he found Silas making the last purchases. “Well, that ought to be enough, Silas,” Waco said. “It looks like we're going on a vacation instead of a manhunt.”

“Never know how these things will turn out. We might be out there two months just huntin' for LeBeau. He's harder to find than a flea on a long-haired dog.”

“You got that right. All right. We'll pull out real early.”

“Gray Wolf is movin' around town here. I'll see if I can find him. We'll be ready when you say, Waco.”

A voice broke into Sabrina's sleep, and at first she did not know where she was and thought perhaps she was home again with her father speaking to her.

And then the voice spoke again. “Time to get up, Miss Warren.”

Instantly Sabrina sat up, all ideas of sleep gone. Moonlight filtered through the window, and she saw the tall form of Waco Smith standing beside her bed.

“What are you doing in my room?”

“You told me to get you up when it was time to leave.”

“Can't be time to leave. I haven't slept more than a couple of hours.”

“Well, we're leavin'. If you want to stay and sleep, that would probably be a good idea.”

“You get out of my room!”

“Are you goin'?”

“I'll be there. Give me time to get dressed, and don't you ever come in my room again!” Sabrina waited until the door closed behind Waco, and then she leaped out of bed and began dressing. She was angry that he had intruded her privacy. “He's a beast! No more manners than a grizzly bear!” she muttered. She dressed, got her personal things in a small canvas bag, and went downstairs. She was hungry but knew that the restaurant would not be open.

The three men were standing beside the wagon, three horses tied to the back. “Well, you ready to go this nice, cheerful morning?” Silas asked.

Sabrina still felt the gritty sensation in her eyes that came from a sleep interrupted. “Why are we leaving at this ungodly hour? What time is it?”

Waco answered her. “It's about two o'clock, I reckon. I got a lead on LeBeau and his bunch. We're gonna go check it out. May be a false alarm. You could just stay in town here, and when we find out if it's true or not we'll come back for you.”

“No, I'm going, and I don't want to hear anything else about it.”

“Well, all right. Get on board then.” He climbed up into the driver's seat of the light wagon.

Sabrina scrambled to get into place, tossing her bag in the back. She saw the wagon was filled with supplies, including extra rifles.

“Be mighty nice if you stay here and rest up,” Waco suggested.

She did not answer him. She knew he was trying to discourage her, but she was determined not to complain.