Trouble Comes Lookin'
The sunlight started to shine through the window in the bedroom. Buck Wilmington adjusted his shirt. "Darlin', I gotta go. But don't you worry none, I'll be back in a week, and we can pick this up right here," he said to the pretty brunette standing in front of him in a corset and petticoat. His eyes glistened with a promise of laughter, and he smiled broadly. Then, he reached out and pulled her to him, dipping her, and giving her a passionate kiss. "Don't you forget about me, now," he whispered.
"How could I forget about you, Buck?" she said coyly back at him.
"Good point," he said as he donned his hat. He tipped his finger to it in salute. Then he left the room.
JD Dunne was waiting for him outside. "Buck, you sure you don't want no company?"
Buck put on an expression of mock irritation. "JD, I'm just going to Brownsville. I'll be back in a week, first think in the mornin'. Maybe you ought to take advantage of this situation and find you a lonesome lady. 'Cause, you know once I get back…." Buck grinned at JD's exasperated expression and walked down the boardwalk toward the livery.
JD rolled his eyes and went to the sheriff's office. He looked up a few minutes later and saw Buck ride past his window.
Josephine Campbell strode across the open yard toward the barn. The chickens scattered as she passed, each clucking and squawking their disapproval at being disturbed. But Josephine paid them no mind. Today, she had finished everything she had to do before Bobby got back from the makeshift school run by one of her neighbors, and she had finished early enough that she had time to do something she had not done in a long time. Something she enjoyed immensely.
She had time to ride Fire, her beautiful Palomino mare.
'Besides,' Josephine thought, 'Fire needs to be exercised property if she's going to remain in good shape.' Actually, she had listed "exercise Fire" as one of her "things to do" today. It was gorgeous out.
Bobby would get home before she got back, but he would start on his chores, and she would be back in plenty of time to fix his dinner and help him with any homework.
Josephine looked at the barn as she saddled the excited Fire. She was going to have to hire someone soon to fix the roof. Bobby wasn't old enough to do it. No doubt about it, no matter how hard she worked, the farm was slowly beginning to deteriorate. She was beginning to think that maybe she shouldn't take Fire out for a ride today, after all. Everywhere she looked, there was work that needed to be done. But worse than that, it was work she couldn't do.
'Maybe I should have listened to Marcus's mother,' she thought, remembering for the thousandth time the conversation she had had with her husband's mother, shortly after his death.
They stood at the train station. Marcus's mother was going back to New York. She had come with Josephine had telegraphed that Marcus was ill. She had arrived in time to say good bye and had stayed and helped Josephine through the initial loss. Mrs. Campbell, who had always been a wonderful mother-in-law, hadn't wanted to leave Josephine alone, but she had had to return to New York. So she tried to persuade her to come back.
"Josephine, I know you are a strong woman who doesn't like to give up, but dear, even you must admit that this farm is too much for one woman alone."
"No, ma'am, I don't have to admit that. Marcus loved this land. It is where he is buried, and I am not going to sell it to some stranger."
"'Phine, come home. Either come with us, or go to your parents. I have no doubt that you believe you can do this. But you have to raise Bobby and do everything you did before Marcus died, in addition to what he did. That is a lot of work for one woman-no, one person, to do."
"I know that, Mrs. Campbell. I appreciate it. But I have to at least try, you know? I can't quit before I even try."
Mrs. Campbell smiled at that. "Well, dear, if you need any help, you send for me. I'll see what I can do to help you, okay? And if you find you can't do it, don't be afraid to come home. We won't hold it against you." And with that she gave Josephine a hug. "You keep in touch. I want to know how my grandson is doing. Okay?"
"Okay. And I won't be afraid to come home if I need to."
"Good."
Little as she liked to admit it, and Josephine didn't like to admit defeat, this farm was slowly beginning to defeat her. 'Not yet,' she thought defiantly. 'And I am going to take that ride.'
She had always been able to relax while riding. Fire was spoiling for a good run, and she gave her more rein. They rode off to the west. The wind whipped past Josephine's face, slowly loosening the tight style she wore her hair in. Gradually, her honey-brown hair started to fly behind her, and she was beginning to feel young again, able to take on the world once more.
That was when she saw the gray horse standing still, looking at her.
The saloon was crowded, which wasn't unusual for the time of day. Most of the patrons sat at tables, drinking whiskey or beer. Ezra Standish, however, was working; he had a jovial smile on his face as he conversed with the other gentlemen at the table over inconsequentials. But while he was talking, he was also paying close attention to the other players' expressions.
JD Dunne assaulted Ezra Standish in the middle of his poker game. "Have you seen Buck?"
Ezra did not look at the young man. He quietly stated as he rearranged the cards in his hand, "My dear Mister Dunne, I am sure it has not escaped your attention that I am otherwise engaged at the moment. Furthermore, I am not in the general practice of keeping tabulations on the whereabouts of every gentleman in this town."
"Huh?" JD's expression was one of exasperation and worry, showing he wasn't inclined to translate Ezra's comment.
"I am not Mr. Wilmington's keeper," Ezra drawled without further elaboration. He went back to his card game.
"Ezra, I'm serious! Buck rode out a week ago, and he hasn't come back yet!"
"Has it occurred to you that perhaps he found a diversion?"
"He said he would be back this morning. I'm worried. Besides, if he wasn't gonna keep his schedule, he'd have sent word." JD moved closer to Ezra and turned the gambler to face him.
Ezra looked at the irritated young man, then looked at his shoulder, where JD's hand was placed. JD moved it quickly. "It is obvious that you are going to persist in this intrusion." Ezra put his cards face down on the table. "Gentlemen, you'll have to excuse me while I assist my young friend here."
The other players nodded in understanding as Ezra stood up from the table. Ezra turned back towards JD. "Let us locate Mister Tanner and Mister Larabee and ascertain if they possess any additional information regarding Mister Wilmington's whereabouts."
"'Bout time!" JD said as he headed towards the bat-wing doors with Ezra following behind him.
Vin was at the stable, brushing down his horse as Ezra and JD walked inside.
"Mister Tanner, our young friend here is concerned about Mister Wilmington's lack of visibility this afternoon. Might you have any information to put his mind at ease."
Vin's eyes sparkled and the left side of his mouth threatened to smile. Ezra certainly had a way of complicating things. It probably served him well in his … hmmm… other profession. JD, however, did look very concerned.
"Buck? No, I ain't heard from him lately. Don't reckon he's come back from scouting yet."
"Vin, he was supposed to be back this morning, wasn't he?" JD put in.
"Yeah, but you know Buck; he prob'ly found him a pretty lady," Vin said with a smile.
JD ran his hands through his hair; his eyes rolled. He took a deep breath and started pacing. No one was taking his concern seriously.
Vin walked over to him. "Tell ya what, JD. If he ain't back by sunup tomorrow, I'll go look' fer him."
It was the best JD was going to get from this group. JD nodded. "Thanks, Vin."
Chris walked into the stable right then.
Vin looked up at him. "Buck ain't back yet."
"He can take care of himself," Chris said.
JD shook his head. "You're always saying that! And then, it turns out that whoever it is, can't! For once, can't you just get a little bit concerned about someone? Jeesh. I swear, sometimes I don't understand you people." He stormed out of the stable and went looking for Nathan and Josiah. Usually, they exhibited some form of common sense. They weren't always trying to prove they were tough.
"That, gentlemen, is a very troubled young man. And troubled young men always have a way of locating more trouble," Ezra offered before leaving the stable.
Vin and Chris looked at each other and shrugged.
Josiah was on the roof of the church, exactly where JD had expected to find him.
"Buck's missing," JD called up to him.
"Is he?" Josiah mused. "I'm sure he knows where he is."
"Fine. You don't care either. 'Buck can take care of himself.' Fine." JD turned and walked away.
'He's gonna do somethin' stupid,' Josiah said to himself, but he didn't dwell on it. He could be wrong. Josiah went back to pounding the nails.
Vin, Ezra, and Chris left the stables and headed toward the saloon. JD watched them from the sheriff's office in disgust. One of their friends could be in grave danger and all they were concerned about was drinking.
'That's it,' he thought and headed for the stable. With or without the others, JD was going to find Buck.
"Actually am a little concerned, Chris," Vin Tanner said as he leaned up against the bar, a glass of whiskey in his hand. "Brownsville ain't all that far away. He should've at least sent word if he wasn't comin' back. Maybe he ran into some trouble."
"I'll tell you what Buck ran into, Vin." Chris drank the whiskey in his glass and poured himself another. "A woman." There was a note of vexation in Chris's voice. Buck was being irresponsible.
"Shouldn't we make sure of that?"
"And while we're out 'rescuing' Buck from that woman, this here town is gonna find a way to have trouble. Buck can take care of himself," Chris said again. He was irritated. He knew they weren't overreacting to Buck's lateness, but he also knew Buck. Buck 'could' take care of himself. But there was a niggling little voice inside his head saying, 'What if Buck was in trouble?'
Josephine rode Fire over to the gray. As she got closer, she could see that there was blood on the saddle and down the horse's right flank. But the horse didn't seem to be injured, so the blood must have belonged to the rider. That's when she started looking for the rider.
He wasn't far from the gray. He was lying face down on the ground. Blood was pooling around him. Josephine hoped she wasn't too late. She knelt down beside him and rolled him over. He groaned, but didn't open his eyes.
He looked like a nice man. She hoped he was, because she couldn't leave him out here to die and she hated the thought of bringing an outlaw into her house.
Now all she had to do was find a way to get him home.
The gray had come over to where the stranger lay. "Aren't you a beauty, hey, girl? Can you help me get him home, hmm?" Josephine, over the last year, had developed a habit of treating all the animals at her farm like they could understand her. They usually responded pretty well to that, and besides, what did it hurt.
'Before I do anything though, I better stop this bleeding.' She was covered in dust, and she didn't have anything clean she could use to bind his wounds. She went to the man's saddlebags, looking for something semi-clean. She did have water with her and was prepared to wash a little, if necessary. He didn't have any clean rags in his saddle, but he did have a knife.
Josephine was, above all, a practical woman. Lacking anything else to use to bind this man's wound, she decided her petticoat would have to serve; it didn't have dust on it. So she hiked her skirt a little and cut a segment of her petticoat. Then she cut it into strips.
With water, knife, and binding in hand, Josephine braced herself to tend to the man's wound, hoping it wasn't too serious.
She didn't look at his face; it was a nice face, warm and friendly, if a bit hard. He reminded her so much of Marcus. She didn't need to get distracted now; this man needed her full attention.
Stopping that line of thought before it went anywhere, she unbuttoned his shirt and cut away his undershirt to expose the wound. It was definitely from a gunshot. She didn't have the time or the supplies to remove the bullet. It was going to have to say until she could get him home. Hopefully, the journey wouldn't be too hard on him.
First she splashed some water on the wound to rinse away the dust and dirt. Then he put some folded strips of cloth on the wound and started to tie it down with the other strips. When she struggled to sit him up for a minute, the man jerked and opened his eyes.
"Who are you? And what are you doing?" he sputtered, a bit dazed.
"Josephine Campbell. Trying to save your life. Can you stand?" She was a bit relieved he had come around when he did, because she had had no idea how she was going to get him on his horse. "You have a gunshot wound, and I need to get you to my house to get the bullet out. Quite frankly, I don't think I can pick you up. But first, let me get this tied. Can you hold your hand on this?" She put his hand on the compress and watched him try to hold it in place. Josephine put her arms around his waist and brought the strip of cloth around. "Hold steady." She tightened the strip and tied it off.
"Good thing I met up with a field doctor." He smiled at her.
"Let me help you up." She bent down and he put an arm around her shoulder as she gripped his waist. Although he was weakened and unsteady, he managed to stand.
"Ho, Beauty, c'mere," he called to the gray horse.
"I thought Beauty was supposed to be black," Josephine commented as the horse came over.
"And I thought angels were supposed to have wings," he responded as he unsteadily mounted the horse. "I hope you don't live too far away." He started to slump in the saddle, as if all his effort had been concentrated on getting there, and he hadn't saved any strength for the ride.
"Not too far," she responded. "Are you sure you can ride?"
"No ma'am, but I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Josephine shook her head as she said, "Not really. But my name is Josephine. Not ma'am. I don't like ma'am." She liked him, even weakened as he was, he had been polite, flirtatious, and humorous. "Now, what am I supposed to call you? Mister?"
The man smiled and his blue eyes twinkled.
'They must be heart-melting at full force,' she thought.
"Call me Buck."
Josephine worked hard at keeping him talking during the ride to her farm. Once there, he could rest, but she needed to keep him conscious until they got him home. But she was also keeping an eye on that binding, and it kept getting redder. All this movement was keeping the wound fresh, and Buck kept getting paler.
She felt greatly relieved when her farm finally was within viewing distance. Then she remembered how worried Bobby was going to be. She should have been home hours ago, but Buck couldn't ride very fast in his condition. It was taking all his strength to remain in the saddle at this slow pace.
"That's my farm, Buck. We're almost there."
"Goooood," he slurred, and then slumped forward. She caught Beauty's reins and nudged Fire closer, trying to keep Buck in the saddle until they got to the farm. She could see Bobby at the gate.
She picked up the pace a little bit, trying to get home sooner. When she got within earshot, she called out to her son, "Bobby, go fill a bucket with water for me."
Without questioning, Bobby ran off toward the pump.
She steered the horses toward the house, and kept Buck in the saddle until Bobby had put the water in the house.
He came over and saw the man unconscious in the saddle. "You're gonna need some help, aintcha, Ma?"
"Aren't and yes, I am." She smiled. He was a bright, good lad. "Hold him stead in the saddle until I get over there. We're both going to have to carry him in the house." Drag was more like it; there was only so much weight a nine-year-old and a petite woman could handle.
She checked his forehead; it was cold and clammy. "Bobby, I need you to do two things. First, put that water on the stove to boil. And second, unsaddle and water the horses."
"Water's already on the stove, Ma."
He went outside, and came back in. "The gray's gone."
'Great, when he wakes up, he won't have a horse,' Josephine thought.