The Meeting - Chapter 1
"Billy?"
The young rancher had been on his way to the saloon for a cold drink when he turned to see who had spoken his name and noticed an oddly dressed man on the hotel steps. His clothing was stylish city fabric, not the dust-covered leather and heavy cotton worn by the cow punchers who normally walked the hot streets of Tucson. His clean, fine suit marked him as a man who was not poor – and probably not from Tucson. Billy was a common name and Blue figured the man must be calling to another Billy, so he started walking again. Besides, most folks around Tucson knew him as Blue. He hadn't been called Billy for quite a while. His mother was the last one to use his given name, but she died not long after they settled on High Chaparral.
The stranger tried again. "Billy Cannon?"
The last five miles of his trip had been hot and tiring, and a cold beer had been his most pressing need, but it would just have to wait until he found out who this man was and why he was calling his name. He turned back to face the stranger. "Yeah, Mister?"
The stranger left the steps of the hotel and approached him with a wide smile and reached out to shake hands. "I just knew that had to be you! It's great to finally see you again after all these years. How are you?"
Blue shook the offered hand and focused on the man's face. While he seemed vaguely familiar, no name came to mind. With the man standing so close, Blue could see that he was about Blue's height and carried a few more pounds. He smelled of something much sweeter than horseflesh and leather – it was even better than the stuff the barber used on him after a shave. His small-brimmed hat didn't cover his head very well so Blue could see that his hair was light brown and his eyes were blue. He guessed his age to be about the same as Uncle Buck's. "Do I know you, Mister?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. How rude of me. My name is Jasper Daniels. Annalee and I grew up together and were very good friends. You and I actually met when you were just a little boy, so you probably wouldn't remember me."
Blue's confusion was turning to curiosity at the mention of Anna Lee and he concentrated even harder on the man's face. "You knew my mother?"
Realizing that they were still standing in the street, the stranger suggested that they go into the hotel and have dinner together where it was cooler. He wasn't used to the heat of the afternoon desert. Blue quickly agreed for curiosity's sake and for the sake of his stomach, which hadn't had anything but some jerky since breakfast, and he could still use that cold drink. Pa sent him to Tucson to wait for a telegram that would bring news that everyone on the ranch was waiting for, but a late start had delayed his arrival until late afternoon. Pa always had just one more thing for Blue to do before he could leave, then he yelled about how late it was getting and Blue hadn't left yet. Blue figured he couldn't win with Pa, so he seldom argued with him. Pa saw it as weakness, but Blue considered it self-preservation. With any luck, the telegram would take a few days and Blue could spend some time in Tucson before heading back to the High Chaparral with the news. Not that Tucson was an exciting place, but he got to rest and relax a little when he was out from under Pa's thumb.
