The New Beginning:
Rawhide Ranch 1
written by AllTrekkedUp and RowdyClara
A/N: This is the first installment of a series that my good friend (you rock!) AllTrekkedUp and I have teamed up to write. :) We hope you enjoy it!
* *R*R* *
The end of another drive; I can't tell you how many this has been. I'm tired. I've been thinkin' this past week, sittin' here in Dodge City; I've had enough of this always-movin'-on life. Yep, I reckon I've come to that place again in my life where I wanna settle down. Yeah, settle down for good.
I'm Gil Favor, -
* *R*R* *
Gil Favor walked down the street in a light tan shirt and black pants. It was dry in Dodge City and dust ruled the daylight hours. But it was still only second fiddle to the sun, which beat down with blazing heat, killing that which was not tough enough to survive.
Gil was looking for two of his men; his scout, Pete Nolan and his cook, G. W. Wishbone. He had to talk to them. Get what he was thinking out of his mind and into action...or at least, he hoped, into action.
He had stuck his head in over a dozen saloons and still hadn't found them. He stopped in front of another one with a sign that read "Beercat Saloon". He made a face and shook his head at the sign before looking in to see some of the boys inside. Hey Soos, Joe Scarlett, and Teddy were there, but no Pete or Wishbone. He sighed, letting go of the swinging doors as he turned to go.
"You looking for somebody, boss?" asked a voice. Gil looked around, but saw no one he knew.
"Here, boss," said the voice again. Gil then looked into the horse trough where there lay a half-drunk, and fully-wet, Jim Quince.
"Jim?! What in the-! No, I don't wanna know. Do you happen to know where Pete and Wishbone are?" Gil asked him.
Quince, who was in a full suit, reached up and wiped some wet hair out of his face before answering. "Well...you know somethin', boss?"
"What?" Gil asked.
"I don't reckon I do," Quince said.
"Oh!" Gil pushed Quince down in the trough, but as he walked away he had a slight smile on his face.
He tried two other saloons before he found them. They were in a poker game in a saloon called the "Royals". They, along with Rowdy Yates and two other men, one of whom looked like a local gambler and the other was perhaps a cowboy from another drive, were playing.
Gil walked in and over to their table. Taking a stand behind Rowdy, he knew by his first glance that it would take the Good Lord's help for Rowdy to win that game. He then moved behind Pete; he had a fair hand. The trail boss looked over at Wishbone's; it wasn't too bad either.
"Pete, Wish, I need to talk to you," Gil said. His deep, baritone voice was unexpected and it startled the whole table. Rowdy dropped his cards. The cowboy jumped, shaking the table and causing the gambler's whiskey to be spilled, along with Wishbone's beer, into Pete's lap. Everybody looked up at Gil.
"I said I need to talk with you two. And you might as well come along too, Rowdy. You were losin' anyway," Gil said. Rowdy looked up at him from the floor, his jaw slack and eyes asking why he would give away his bluff.
"I knowed it!" said the cowboy, grinning. Gil gave him a look that wiped the smile off his face and he got up to leave. "Sorry, mister!" he said as he retreated out the saloon doors.
"Ah, ye-ah, well, are ya'll comin' or ain'tcha?" Gil asked.
"We're comin', we're comin'!" Wishbone fussed.
Gil walked out on the street and waited on them. They came out one by one. Rowdy, first, in his checkered suit; then Pete, in his tan suit; and Wish came out last, carrying his coat and wearing a white shirt, gray pants and a black top hat.
"What's the matter, boss? We were havin' a good game in there. Well, save Rowdy I guess," Pete said, stealing a look at his young friend who made a face.
"Let's go over to the hotel lobby," Gil said. The hotel was across and up the street a ways. They walked in silence, wondering what their boss was up to.
Once inside the hotel and sitting down, Gil spoke. "Well, I've been thinkin' on somethin', and you all know I've thought on it before, but this time I mean it. I'm gonna buy a ranch down in Texas. I've heard of a spread or two down West Texas way and that's where I'm goin' tomorrow," he said. The three men were shocked; Rowdy a bit more than the others.
"Well, boss, I'm glad for ya. But why are you tellin' us? I mean, you made a point to find us." Wish said.
"Well I'm gettin' to that. I want you to come with me. As many of the boys that want to; be my crew for the ranch. Because you've been with me over the years, through the drives; sure, we've disagreed, but you're the best and I want nothing less," Gil said.
Wish and Pete were smiling, but Rowdy was quiet. He took this as shocking news. He thought he knew his boss, but this news came from the left and hit in the face. Many things were running through his mind; like, what would happen to him in the change? Where would they end up and what kind of job would he end up with? A thought that never entered his mind, though, was not going. If he knew nothing else, he knew he belonged wherever Gil Favor was; he was his boss and it seemed to Rowdy, he always would be.
"Hey, I'm with ya, boss!" Pete said, lightly slapping Gil's shoulder.
"Me too! And Mushy!" Wish said.
Gil smiled and looked around. "Say, where is Mushy?" he asked.
"Oh, he's been down by the corral for hours lookin' at a black and white paint horse" - Wish rolled his eyes - "like he could ride such an animal!" he said. Gil grinned.
"Let's go tell the others!" Pete said. He and Wish lit out of the hotel, leaving Rowdy and Gil sitting.
"Well, boy, what of you?" Gil asked, turning his attention to his young ramrod.
Rowdy met his eyes. "I reckon...I'm with ya, boss. All the way," he said. Gil surveyed Rowdy's face a moment, trying to read what he was really thinking, but the ramrod gave a half smile.
"Come on, boy," Gil said. They got up and walked to another saloon.
They spent an hour together, nursing their beers and not saying anything. But both of them were thinking when Pete and Wish came in followed by Teddy and Collins.
"All the Boys wanna go with ya, Mr. Favor, but it might be hard to get some of them goin'. They're pretty under the table, but we'll get 'em along one way or another," Pete said.
"Good, good, we're leavin' on the 12:15 to Serenity," Gil said. And , somehow, that made it final. The wheels were in motion and there was no turning back.
* *R*R* *
Rowdy Yates sat back in his seat as the train gave a lurch and began its journey forward. Part of him was excited to be beginning a new journey; to still work for Gil Favor but on a ranch instead of a drive. The other half of him was hesitant. He didn't know what would be expected of him. What job would he have? On the drives, he'd always been the ramrod. Gil Favor's right hand man. He liked the idea of being second only to the boss.
All of them were lucky enough to all get seats in the last car together. Jim Quince and Joe Scarlett were playing a game of poker across the aisle on a book they'd laid across their laps. Pete Nolan was leaning on the back of Jim's seat studying his cards. Several seats ahead of Rowdy and Gil, were Wishbone and Mushy. Mushy was looking very pale...and green? Wishbone caught Rowdy looking at them and he rolled his eyes and mouthed, "Motion sick."
Click-clack, click-clack. The train's wheels pumped steadily and was maintaining a good speed now. Rowdy fiddled with the stampede strings on his hat, which was now sitting in his lap. He sighed. He never could sit still for very long.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
Rowdy looked up from his hat at Gil who was seated beside him. "Naw."
Gil raised an eyebrow. "You've been sittin' there fidgetin' like a nervous schoolboy ever since we got on the train. Now what's eatin' at you?"
"Aw, you know...it's just...You'll be gettin' your own ranch an' everything. No more drives, no more ramrodin'."
"Is that all?" Gil chuckled a little. "Ranching'll come natural to you, boy. Just like on all those cattle drives."
"Yeah...yeah, I guess." Rowdy sighed again. He didn't want to spoil the boss's favorable mood with what was really on his mind. It probably seemed petty to anyone else but himself. It had been on his mind ever since Gil had dumped the news on them. Who would Gil make his foreman? Rowdy thought for sure the boss would pick him. He was most likely, he thought. After all, who had been his ramrod on all those drives? But something in the back of Rowdy's mind kept bugging him. What if he didn't pick Rowdy? After thinking on this a moment he thought, 'Reckon I'll find out soon enough.' He then turned his attention to the window across the way,and the land rolling beyond.
Gil stretched in his seat and looked at his pocket watch. He must've dozed off. It had been several hours since they'd boarded the train. "We should be in Serenity in about an hour. I think I'll go get some fresh air before we pull in the station."
"Alright, boss." Rowdy moved out of the way so Gil could get out of his seat.
Gil walked to the back of the car. The swaying movement of the train caused him to be slightly off balance so he had to put his hands on the seats to steady himself as he walked. Soon he was standing in front of the back door of the railway car. He opened it and walked outside. He breathed in the fresh air and leaned against the railing.
Gil watched the train tracks below and thought about his destination. He was excited about it to say the least. Owning his own ranch had been his dream for some time now; and it was finally coming to be a reality. The Lord sure had been smiling on him when he found his crew too. Nowhere could he find better men. They all made mistakes but they were only human and they were good men to work with.
It must have been 20 minutes later when Gil decided to head back inside. He opened the door and stepped inside, only to bump into someone who was obviously heading out at the same time.
There was a startled "Oh!" from the woman as she bumped into the tall cowboy. She started to bend down to pick up her silk gloves that had dropped to the car floor.
"Oh, no, please allow me, miss." Gil bent down and picked them up. He handed the gloves to her. "I'm terribly sorry about that, ma'am. I guess I wasn't looking where I was going." He smiled apologetically.
"It's quite alright. But I'm afraid it was me who wasn't looking where I was going." She smiled. "I was fumbling with my gloves when you opened the door."
There was an awkward silence before Gil finally shook himself and tore his eyes away from hers. "Uh, I guess you were headin' out when I bumped into you, weren't you?"
"Yes, yes, actually I was." She said,still smiling.
Gil opened the door and moved out of the way. He bowed his head and held the door for her. "Ma'am."
"Thank you," she said to him and stepped outside.
Gil shut the door behind her and made his way back to his seat. Rowdy was reading a dime novel with an intent expression on his face. Gil cocked his head and leaned over slightly, reading the title. It read, "The Rip-Roaring Adventures of the Two Most Successful Outlaws in the History of the West: The Unscrupulous Hannibal Heyes and the Daring Gunman Kid Curry."
Gil looked at the empty seat behind Rowdy and then back at Rowdy who was engulfed in the blowing up of a safe. The trail boss got behind Rowdy's seat and quietly pulled the gun from his holster. "Stick 'em up!" He said and at the same time pressed the cold steel barrel against the back of Rowdy's neck. Rowdy jumped and dropped the dime novel. His hand went for his gun and he turned.
By this time, Gil was chuckling and replacing his own gun. "Why, Rowdy! You're so jumpy!" he joked.
Rowdy made a face and put his gun back, then picked up his dime novel from the floor. He was about to answer with a snappy retort when the porter came through the car. "We'll be in Serenity in thirty minutes, folks. Serenity in thirty minutes!" the porter announced.