The Last Buckaroo (2 page)

“
Count
on it!
”
Yancey returned and
watched him leave before going back to the bar to retrieve his hat.

“
My
God, Yance, what was that about?
”
Katie
said angrily. 
“
Were you really going
to shoot him?  Clyde was just funning at first, but you had to make a big deal
out of it, didn
’
t you?
”

“
You
wouldn
’
t
understand,
”
he
said, dipped his head into the hat, slipped the two shot derringer into a
rawhide loop inside the right boot top and walked for the door.

“
Oh,
Yancey, don
’
t go,
”
Katie pleaded, having
had a change of heart. 
“
Preston will be here
any moment now
…
 
He
’
ll
want to know what prompted me to make that call.  You know how angry he gets
when it
’
s
a false alarm.
”

Yancey
hesitated as the people outside, now that Clyde was gone, began filing back
through the door.  He then turned and reseated himself at the bar.

Pleased,
Katie hustled to get him another whiskey and refill the mug.  Serving it up,
she said,
“
Thank you,
”
before going to wipe up the spilled beer on the bar.

Moments
later, the sheriff came through the door.

CHAPTER
TWO

Blazedale,
since it was the county seat, had never had a police department, but instead
relied on the sheriff and his five deputies to keep the peace in the three
hundred population town, as well as in the twelve hundred or so population
county.  And Preston Ames, as longtime sheriff, did an adequate, if not
overzealous, job of doing just that.  He wasn
’
t
a large man but he didn
’
t need to be.  He hadn
’
t
lived to become old and white haired by being slow on the draw.  He
’
d
been sheriff here for the past thirty-three years and made it through some of
the very wildest of times at the beginning, years before Montana had officially
gained statehood, in eighty-nine.  Now at sixty-four all he wanted was peace
and quiet, and if that was unnecessarily disturbed, everyone including the
devil may be called on to pay the price for his discontent.

“
Don
’
t
anybody move
…”
Preston
Ames yelled as he charged through the open front door, both silver Colts drawn
and swinging wildly from side to side.  Just then a young deputy came into the
room from the back, likewise with a gun filling his hand.

“
What
goes
…
?
”
 
Preston
’
s
ample white hair flowing beneath a large white hat swished from side to side as
he panned around at the stern faces, all glaring back at him.
 
“
Would
somebody mind telling me what the hell goes here?
”
 
His eyes instantly went
to Katie, behind the bar. 
“
Young
lady
…”
 
He holstered the guns and marched
toward her.

“
Well,
Sheriff
…
 
Clyde
…”

“
Clyde
Banyon?  Was Clyde in here causing trouble again?
”
he asked, coming
closer.  
“
What
’
s
that?
”
 
He pointed past Katie
to the hoof nippers, handles embedded in the wall.

“
Well,
Clyde
…”

“
Did
Clyde throw those at you, Katie?  Striker!
”
he yelled, turning to
the deputy. 
“
Go get Clyde.  I want him here,
now!
”

The
deputy departed as if somebody was shooting bullets at his feet.

“
Well,
actually, Sheriff,
”
Katie injected,
“
he
threw them at Yancey.  And that was after he threw a bar rag knocking Mister
Burke
’
s
hat off.
”

Hearing
that, Sheriff Ames moved down the bar. 
“
Yancey,
”
he said,
“
did
Clyde knock your hat off?
”

“
Yeah,
he did,
”
Yancey said, figuring
that a dumb question since Katie had just told the old fool
…

“
Then
what happened?
”

“
Well,
Sheriff, where I come from if a man messed with your hat, it was considered
disrespectful
…
  It was also call for a fight.
”

“
I
agree.  So what
’
d you do?
”

“
I
went for him.  That
’
s when he doubled back
and threw those hoof nippers, there.
”

“
But
he missed
…”

“
He
did.  I guess I ducked.
”

“
So
that was it?  Nothing more happened?  Clyde skedaddled?  That doesn
’
t
sound like Clyde,
”
the s
heriff
said gruffly.

“
No,
sir,
”
Yancey said. 
“
Him,
and his three friends, all picked up chairs.  That
’
s
when I pulled my boot pistol
…
  They left
then.  They must have known you were on the way, Sheriff.  I think they saw
Katie make the telephone call
…
 
That scared
‘
em.
”

“
Why
didn
’
t
you shoot him, Yancey?  The man just tried to kill you
…
 
I
’
ll
bet you wanted to
…
didn
’
t
you?
”
the sheriff accused.

“
No,
sir!  Not at all
…”

“
Give
me that boot pistol, Yancey,
”
Preston ordered, and poked out a
hand to receive it.

“
I
hate to part with it,
”
Yancey said, but got off the stool,
stooped for it anyway. 
“
I
’
ve
had it since Texas.  Comes in handy, Sheriff.
”
 
Once, a timber wolf that
’
d wondered down from
Canada jumped him in some thickets, knocking him from his horse.  It was about
to get at his throat when he got hold of the derringer and shot it through the
heart.  And that was just one time in many the treasured gun had saved his
life.

“
I
’
m
not taking your gun away from you, Yancey.  I just want to see it,
”
Preston said and took
it from his hand. 
“
Hey, this is an old
timer.  There
’
s no safety on it.  What keeps you
from blowing your goddamned foot off, Yancey?
”

“
I
’
ve
had no trouble, that way.  Just make sure it
’
s
not cocked while in the boot.
”

“
You
do know we have a no carry ordinance in Blazedale?
”

“
I
guess that slipped my mind, Sheriff.  It
’
s
always there in the boot
…”

“
Don
’
t
let it happen again,
”
Preston scolded, broke the gun open,
removed the two cartridges and returned the derringer and the bullets to him.

Yancey
put the pistol back in the boot and the bullets in his pants pocket.  He then
watched as the sheriff rounded the bar, walked behind Katie and yanked the hoof
nippers from the plaster wall, leaving two thumb size holes where they
’
d
been.

“
You
’
re
a lucky man, Yancey,
”
Preston said, hefting the heavy tool. 
“
If
these had hit you in the head, you may be dead now.
”

“
Well,
come to think of it, Clyde could use some practice if that was his intention,
”
Yancey said
truthfully. 
“
They came at me a little high,
Sheriff.
”

“
Hitting
ain
’
t
important in the eyes of the law, Yancey.  The question is: was it his
intention to kill you?
”

“
I
believe not
…”
Yancey
said.

“
That
ain
’
t
for you to decide.  Only a jury can make that determination.
”

Sheriff
Ames was questioning others in the barroom when Deputy Striker returned and
meekly said,
“
He ain
’
t
nowhere to be found, Sheriff.  There
’
s
nobody at the livery.  And he ain
’
t
at his house behind either
…
 
I searched it myself.
”

“
Get
on back to the office then and fill out a warrant.  Make sure to get Judge
Samuels over at the courthouse to sign it, before he leaves for the day.
”

“
Yes,
sir,
”
Deputy Striker said. 
“
What
’
s
the charge?
”

“
Attempted
murder,
”
Sheriff Preston Ames
said, and the two of them walked toward the door. 
“
I
’
ll
fix that Clyde Banyon!  He
’
s been a thorn
in my backside for ten years now
…
ever since he came here from only God knows where ...
”

Thinking
that over, Yancey turned to see Katie
’
s
eyes on him. 
“
I think that
’
s
a little harsh, don
’
t you
…
attempted murder?  I wonder what the punishment for that is?
”

“
Clyde
’
s
been asking for it for a long time, Yancey.  You
’
re
not in town often enough to know what that man is capable of.  Nearly every
week he gets into it with somebody in here.  I tried to get Helmer to block him
from coming into the tavern, but you know how he is.  It
’
s
all about the money.  I guess I can
’
t
blame him.
”

“
At
ten cents a beer, I suppose that does add up the way Clyde puts them down,
”
Yancey said with a
smile. 
“
But
now that you brought up Helmer, will you give him a ring and order me a steak
from next door?
”
  Not only did Helmer
Jergen own the only drinking establishment in town, he owned the only eating
place as well.  They were separate buildings, but side by side: Jergen
’
s
Eats and Jergen
’
s Tavern. 
Jergen
’
s
Tavern was simply named Saloon before Helmer bought it and changed the name. 
It was then he put Katie, who was a waitress at the eatery, in this place to
run it.  In Yancey
’
s opinion she was a
perfect fit.  She was not only attractive, spunky and smart, she got along
great with most in the community.

“
I
’
ll
order you a T-bone, Yance.  They
’
re
the freshest.  When I came at noon to open up, the ice wagon from Billings was
out back stocking the cooler next door.  I saw a case marked T-bones going
inside,
”
Katie
said. 
“
In
fact I think I
’
ll have one of them myself.
”
 
She headed for the
phone.

“
Then
let me buy for the both of us,
”
Yancey offered.

“
Now
just why would you want to do that, Yance?
”
Katie said over her
shoulder.

Dropping
his eyes to her shapely rump, in the tight fitting dress, as she moved to the
end of the bar, Yancey said,
“
I can
’
t
think of a good reason
…
other than I dislike
eating alone.
”
  That, however, was a lie.  Yancey
Burke had always preferred eating away from others at the various ranches he
’
d
worked.  But where Katie Peck was concerned, he would make an exception
…
 
He liked her company.