Blue (Ben Blue Book 2) Read online

  I made sure that I got her home in time for supper because one never knew what was coming out of Rosa’s oven or off her stove.

  Chapter 15

  I spent the next few days, working with Rafe. I felt that I had been putting a lot of extra work on him, with my running hither and yon. “Rafe,” I said, “do I need to start lookin for another hand? We’ve got a bunch of cows out there and only one of you. Lord knows, I ain’t been much to help these last few months. It seems that there’s always someplace I’m heading or need to be… or want to be. And you’re here taking care of the ranch.”

  “Now that this business of the rustlers is taken care of, I’ll be around more and more, but then I’ll have to be buildin the house, and I want to go wild horse hunting in July or August, and that’s goin to take a couple of weeks at least. But horse huntin can be a big boost to the ranch.”

  “I don’t reckon I need any help at this point… there ain’t really much to do besides ridin around looking for trouble. Occasionally, I see a calf without a brand, and have to rope and brand it, but that’s all… In this big old bowl of a valley, there’s no place for cattle to go but in the canyons. There’s so much grass out there, they really don’t have need to go messin around in canyons this time of year… I keep an eye out for varmints and occasionally shoot a pig… Sometimes, I feel guilty for takin my pay, but I get over it quick enough.”

  “You’ll let me know when it gets to be too much, won’t you?” He said that he would, and I shoved the branding iron on to some hotter coals. That was one of the problems of having a big spread and a really small crew, the cattle were spread over ninety square miles and a lot of calves were missed in the spring. But since there weren’t any but mine in the valley, it was a pretty sure bet that they were MB calves. We both carried branding irons when we were out.

  I was just letting a calf off the ground when we heard a shot from somewhere far away to the east.”Sounds like Rubio just fetched dinner. It’ll go into the stewpot, but he’ll call it a cougar and finagle a couple of cartridges from you.” Rafe chuckled.

  “Oh, and don’t I know it.” I told him. “But I’d rather have him mooching bullets than not have him there at all… I believe his presence up there is enough to keep the critters at bay. It’s worth it to me.”

  We worked well together, and Rafe was twice the cattleman that I was, so I just made the big decisions and he ran the ranch. Rafe knew cattle, but he didn’t look beyond the here and now. He was steadfast and solid, but where he was working was the center and boundaries of his world. Still, I was thankful to have him.

  On the third day, I rode out that morning to see Juan Domingo. I was hoping he could recommend someone who could get me started making mud and straw bricks and help me get started on Casa del Blue. He was able to give me the name of a man who did most of the masonry work around Taos.

  I found Fernando Javier at his place of business, which was a brickyard of sorts. There were stacks and stacks of dried bricks, as well as bricks drying in the sun. They had been poured into forms and left to dry. When they were ready, the forms were removed and the bricks were stacked.

  He told me that he wouldn’t be able to take on another job at that time, but as a favor to Juan Domingo, he would help me get started. They were preparing bricks for an addition to one of the old family homes. If I wanted to come and watch for a couple of days, he would explain what was being done and how and why. I told him that was the way I liked to learn.

  I spent two days with Fernando and his crew watching and learning. I took many pages of notes and asked hundreds of questions. I also spent time in the brickyard, again asking questions and taking notes. At the end of the second day Fernando handed me a slip of paper. On it was the name Miguel Pasco. “I have spoken to Miguel,” Fernando told me, “and I think he might be able to help you… He worked for me for many years, but he can no longer keep up the heavy pace. My men have to work very fast. I use Miguel when I need an extra man or sometimes to make bricks. He knows much about building, but the years have betrayed him. If you can supply most of the muscle, Miguel can supply the skill.

  I met with Miguel Pasco, and we hit it off just fine. He was somewhat younger than Rubio, but I could see a lifetime of hard work in his face and body. He was probably five foot nine or ten, but stooped as he was, he was no more than five six. I almost felt guilty for hiring him. But he needed the work and I needed the help.

  He moved out to the ranch for two weeks, figuring that by that time I would be well along at brick laying and making to not need him for a month or so. That was his calculations, and they sounded right to me. He said that he would sleep in the tack room, and declined a place in the house. I told Rafe that he’d probably heard about his snoring.

  I don’t know if I had ever worked as hard as I did those next four or five days. Miguel was a demanding task master. He worked right along with me, but his physical strength left him by the afternoon. We were making bricks and preparing the foundation. It looked like we were farming bricks, for there was about an acre of them on the ground in some stage of drying. They were starting to make some nice stacks. Rafe would just look at us and smile, and then he’d turn his horse and ride away singing about the free and easy life of a cowboy. Rafe had a mean streak.

  Finally we got started laying the bricks. That was when Miguel became critical. He wouldn’t allow anything that wasn’t as it should be. All corners had to be square and all rows had to be level. He said, “Miguel Pasco does not build peon hovels. Miguel Pasco builds grande haciendas. Casa del Blu will be el grande hacienda.”

  Patty made several surprise visits, presumably because her horse needed some exercise. I tended to think she was making sure I didn’t have a moment of daylight wasted. Whenever she would show up, Miguel was a different person. He walked straighter and showed no sign of fatigue. When he was walking around with her explaining this or that, he didn’t seem to be aware that I existed, unless I was doing something wrong. Then I may as well been a school boy placed in the corner wearing a dunce cap. They both took a dim view of my lapses of judgment.

  About ten or twelve days into the construction, Filipe rode into the yard. He sat on his horse for a few minutes just looking at me work. I was sweating like a pig, lugging and placing adobe bricks in place. He finally shook his head with an air of pity and got down.

  I was bare to the waist and drenched slick with sweat, so I pulled on a shirt and went to the water bucket. “Benito, it grieves me to see you working so hard. But I must admit you are mui hombre.” I tossed a dipper of water at him.

  “What brings you to Taos… or did you just make a two day ride to make fun of a poor hard working peon?”

  “He smiled and said, “I would ride for a week, if it would give me a chance to, as you say, make fun of you… But no, I wanted to let you know that we picked the trail of the rest of the rustlers. We have followed them into Taos County but lost the trail where it met with other tracks.”

  “Did you let the sheriff or Claybrook know?”

  “Si. I told Sheriff Nelson, and he said he would let Marshal Claybrook know. He asked if I would send one my men out to tell you… My men…they are very busy visiting family members, or they are testing the quality of the Taos cantinas. So I came out with the hope of making some fun at you.”

  “Come on in, we’ll see if Rafe left us anything to eat, and I’ll get ready to ride back to town with you… That doesn’t sound good. Those boys aren’t the kind to let kinfolk rot in jail.”

  We went in and found some cold pork and some of Rafe’s home baked bread. It wasn’t elegant, but it went well with the half day old coffee. I washed up and didn’t worry about the three day stubble on my jaw. Putting on a clean shirt and my sixgun, I was ready to saddle up. I left a note for Rafe, and I told Miguel that I had some business to attend to and must leave with Senor Vega. I also told him to just do what he could. I didn’t want him to work himself to death.

  On the way into town, I to
ld Filipe of my fear that the gang would try to break the others out. He said he also was worried about that. Those Rafferty and Williams boys were pretty tight when it came to family. They would kick each other around, but they sure didn’t like it much when I kicked a couple of em.

  It dawned on me that the whole time we were bringing in the prisoners and while they were in jail, Tom never seemed to get upset. He was pretty cool and relaxed. He knew that help would eventually come, or he had a pretty strong hunch. I don’t think I’d have been that confident if I was facing a rope.

  Even Carver seemed confident. He was arrogant and cocky. I took that to be bravado, but I don’t think Carver was smart enough to be putting up a front. I think he just wasn’t too worried about it.

  Arriving in town, we went straight to the Sheriff’s Office. Nelson and Claybrook were already in conference. A posse was being organized to scour the area where their trail had been lost. Extra guards were arranged for the jail. According to Filipe, there were six in the bunch they trailed. That would make a formidable jail break crew.

  Our best bet would be to locate them and have it out, away from town. If we could be the aggressors and be on the offense, our chances of coming out ahead would be much improved. Waiting for them to make their move would put us at a severe disadvantage. It was likely that any attempted jail break would be between midnight and four in the morning, a time when the guards would be the least alert and the town would be completely shut down.

  Nelson and Claybrook were on top of things, so I told them that I would go to the ranch and get some things squared away, but I’d be back early in the morning. I planned to turn Miguel loose and pay him off. I needed to bring up Dusty, my best trail horse. Just in case.

  I told Rafe what had taken place and that I might be gone for several days. I’d be staying in town until we captured the fugitives or until they tried the jail. I gave him his pay a few days in advance, not knowing whether or not I’d be back before payday. As far as giving him any instructions, I didn’t waste my breath. He knew what to do and how to do it.

  Miguel said I was at a point where I could do a lot of work without him. But he would come back when I was ready to finish and put on the roof. That was pretty much the way I had it figured.

  That evening I cleaned and oiled my weapons and made sure everything was in good working order. Then I packed for the trail. If I spent the time in town, I could get along, but if I had to go after them I wanted to be ready to go.

  The sun was up and I was just tying my bedroll behind my saddle and tossing my saddle bags into place, when I heard the rattle of hooves. Someone was coming and they were in a hurry to get here.

  It was one of the townsmen, John Dayton. He came storming into the yard and slid to a stop. “Whoa, John! What’s the rush?” I asked, holding out both hands.

  “They broke the jail, Ben!.. I mean they got out. They killed the jailer, and knocked out the outside guards…. It was in the middle of the night… nobody heard nothin! You gotta come now Ben!”

  “I was just mounting up, John, let’s go.” We took off in a hurry. As we were approaching the gate, I saw two other horses coming up the slope at full gallop. One, I could tell was Patty, and the other one I figured was Charlie, one of the S-S top hands.

  I gave Dusty the spurs and we closed on them quickly. As we came together, I could see that she was in a panic.

  “What is it Patty!” I shouted, not meaning to be so harsh, but I was scared.

  “Ben, they took her… they took Linda!”

  “Who… who took Linda… from where? Patty, slow down tell me what happened.” We were both on the ground by then and she was crying against my chest, all the while she was trying to tell me what had happened. I looked up at Charlie and he told me that the rustlers broke jail and the whole gang took off. It was hours before anyone knew. By that time they’d raided the Indian school. They took the priest a nun and Linda with them and a bunch of food.

  “Get her back, Ben… please… for God sake please get her back.” She begged between choking sobs. “You can do it, Ben. If anyone can, I know you can… please.”

  Then she pulled herself away at arm’s length and looked me in the eyes and said. “Ben, if they’ve hurt her…if they’ve hurt her in anyway… kill them, Ben… Kill them all.” Then she buried her head in my chest, and I held her for a moment.

  “Don’t worry, Patty. They’re gonna get what’s coming to them.” I told her.

  I helped her on her horse, and for the first time I noticed that she was riding astraddle and wearing men’s jeans. Under other circumstances I would have thought that quite fetching, but that wasn’t the time or the place. I told Charlie to take her home and stay close by. If she goes anywhere, you go with her. I’ll square it with Sam. He nodded and bobbed his Adam’s apple as Charlie was wont to do.

  Then I turned to John and started rattling off orders. “John, go back to the sheriff and Marshal Claybrook. Tell them to meet me at the Indian school. Tell Filipe Vega to get the word to Don Carlos that Padre Paulo has been kidnapped. Have Vega also get word to Juan Domingo with the same news. Tell him that we may need riders.”

  John looked perplexed and asked, “What’s the Don got to do with this?”

  “Don Carlos is the Padre’s father…. Tell him I’m going after them…. Now ride man! Ride!”

  John took off like his horse had a butt full of bees.

  I went to Patty took her hand and said, “I can’t tell you not to worry because I’m worried. I’ll find them and God help them if they’ve harmed any of them…. I’m going across the valley to pick up Rubio and go over the ridge to the school. I should beat the posse there. We’ll need the old man’s tracking skills. Someone in that outfit knows how to hide a trail.”

  As she turned her horse to go back down the slope, she turned in the saddle and said, “I was wrong, Ben… It just never hit this close to home before… Thank you.” As they started riding, she turned once more and called back, “I love you, Ben Blue.”

  I was dumb struck, but it wouldn’t have mattered because they were already moving down the slope. I mounted up and rode in a straight line across the valley to where I figured his spring camp would be in the first hanging valley. “Dusty, old friend, I hope you’re feelin like a long ride because we’ve got one ahead of us.” He twitched his ears and I took that to mean “Let’s get on with it.”

  I found Rubio right where I expected him to be about five hundred feet up the mountain in a lush little valley. He introduced me to his new wife or his woman. I never did get the straight of it, and it didn’t matter. Her name was Ramona, and she was as Rafe described. But she made him happy and kept his bed warm, so there wasn’t much that bothered me about what she looked like.

  I told him what had happened and he was ready in a matter of minutes. He asked me if that was the school Nino went to, and when I told him it was, he practically jumped into the saddle. He gave Ramona some instructions and we were off and over the hill.

  Our way was much closer to the school than the way the posse had to come, but much of it was vertical and difficult. We still reached the school before the sheriff. I started getting the story from the older nun. She was a pale and worried face in an indescribable and shapeless garb. Her face and hands were the only flesh I saw and the only signs of life.

  Before I could find out what happened, Rubio told her that he wanted to see Nino. She told him that Nino had been hurt while fighting with one of the banditos, and that he had been very brave trying to protect his teachers and the good padre. She led the way to the sick room where Nino lay on a cot with his head wrapped and his face badly bruised. He was asleep, so Rubio sat beside his cot and we closed the door.

  The good sister told me that the gang swooped in and took over in a hurry. It was before dawn, and she, Sister Valentina, and Linda Tucker were making breakfast for the children. “They came so fast,” she said, “that there was no time to run. Padre came to see what the commotion was abo
ut and they captured him also. One of the younger ones wanted to kill him, but the big heavy one said he would be a hostage.”

  “One with an ugly red scar around his eye said they needed another hostage and took Linda by the arm. She fought him and that’s when Nino came in. He fought for his teacher, but the one with red hair grabbed him and started hitting him with his gun. Sister Valentina came forth and tried to get between the man and Nino. It probably saved his life. She told them to take her instead of Linda. The young one said something like ‘more would be merrier’ and then he laughed and pushed her with the others.”

  The scar could only be Rank. He never could take a beer mug to the eye very well. The redhead would be Russell, and the young one must be Peter or Carver.

  “The one with the scar went to the door and told one of the others to get three more horses.” She said.

  “They didn’t happen to say where they were heading did they?

  “No, they just loaded up all the food they could find and then another one came in and said that they had to get going. Then they left. I patched up Nino and put him in the sick room, and sent our handyman for the sheriff. Then I prayed until you arrived.”

  Rubio came through the door, he looked like all of hell’s fires were burning in him, and somebody was going to get singed.

  “I go.” He said flatly without expecting an argument, and he wasn’t going to get one.

  “You go ahead.” I told him. “Take some extra cartridges from my saddle bag. I’ll have to wait for the sheriff and the posse. Leave me a good trail to follow, and we’ll be along… Be careful, Rubio.”

  I settled down to wait and help calm the good sister’s fears, as best I could. I got her talking about herself. She was from Spain and had been in New Mexico for about twenty years. Her English was passable but not great so we spoke mostly in Spanish. She suddenly jumped up and said something to the effect that the children were probably still waiting for the breakfast bell to be rung. Which she immediately started it ringing. I helped her dish out some kind of porridge to the youngsters.