Brady had taken me to breakfast and I wasn't about to turn down a free meal. Joe was a good sort, somebody you'd want as a friend if you were inclined to stay in one place and acquire those. Fairly tall and rangy, he had short, curly hair and friendly eyes. He also had a fledgling business in need of an employee, but I didn't know that at the time.
"Tough luck tonight, Bart. I didn't know you could have a bad night like that. Hope my deuces didn't get you in too much trouble."
I took my time answering – it isn't easy to respond quickly when your mouth is full of food. Besides, I wanted to word my answer just right. "I've been in worse spots, Joe. But it just might be time to replenish the coffers away from the poker table. I need a bigger stake if I'm gonna meet my brother in Amarillo."
"Amarillo, huh? When are you supposed to be there?"
"A couple weeks. Maybe a little longer. Bret's telegram sounded like he's got all the Maverick luck at the moment."
"I thought you didn't believe in luck."
"Oh, but I do. The lady is certainly real – it's just that I don't count on her for help. If she happens to show up, it's great. It's even better if she shows up for me. But I had to learn a long time ago to play poker without countin' on her participation on a regular basis. And sometimes she doesn't give me a look at all, and I end up like I did tonight."
"What are you gonna do?"
I resisted the urge to throw my hands in the air and wail and moan. Mavericks hate work with a passion, and I was a full-fledged hater of the first order. I gritted my teeth while picking up my coffee cup. "Look around for somethin' I can make money doin' for a week or so. Just enough to get back to the tables."
I finished my breakfast and didn't see the wheels turning in Joe's head. We sat and drank the black liquid for a few minutes before my poker nemesis spoke again. "I might just have something that would fill the bill. Sure you just don't want me to lend you a new stake?"
Not working was a good thought and I appreciated the gesture, but I didn't want to leave Lubbock owing anyone money, and I had no idea when I'd be back this way. "Nope, but I do thank you for the offer. What have you got that needs a hand?"
"Did I tell you I own a stagecoach line?"
That was news to me. "Uh – no."
"Just a small one. We've got three coaches and they run regular routes between here and Abilene, Amarillo and Midland-Odessa. Things are goin' pretty good, and we just got a contract to ship mail and bank business back and forth. Matter of fact, there's a special shipment goin' to Abilene, and that's my problem."
"How's that?" I asked.
"My regular shotgun rider on that route broke his leg and can't make the trip. How do you handle yourself on top of a coach?"
That was a question I definitely hadn't been asked before. "Pretty fair," I finally told him. "Only one problem – one run won't make me enough money for a poker stake."
Joe seemed highly amused. He definitely knew something he hadn't yet shared with me. "That's just it. This is a special run; the Bank of Lubbock is transferring forty thousand dollars to the Bank of Abilene, and they're payin' a big premium to get it there in a hurry. This one run pays a five hundred dollar bonus, and I'm willing to split that. It won't be an easy trip; the whole town knows what's bein' shipped. Nobody wants the job. That's why the bonus."
The description made me pause. I'd done some things that were crazier for a lot less than two hundred fifty dollars. That would give me enough time and enough money to make myself a good stake before meeting Bret. But was it worth the risk?
I thought about it for a minute or two. I didn't see any other way around the situation I'd gotten myself in, and I made my decision. "Where and when?"
Joe looked quite serious. "Are you sure? I don't wanna talk you into somethin' you don't wanna do."
I nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm sure. This will be a lot easier than some of the things I've done for money. And it solves your problem."
Joe slapped me on the back and almost knocked me over. "Thanks, Bart. This is an awful important trip for the stage line. I won't forget what you've done for me."
Little did I know, neither would I.