Chapter 32

Adam pulled up his horse. "Look, Hoss. Even I can see those are fresh horse tracks."

Hoss leaned down from his horse to see the pile of leaves and other debris that had decayed to such a point that they formed a muck. "Yeah, that's not quite dried up enough. That rain they had yesterday was a boon. Makes it easier to track 'im, that is if it is him."

"It's him. I can feel it. How far ahead would you put him?"

"Maybe six, seven hours. He's not movin' very fast. Might even stop for the night up at Eagle Hollow. If I was goin' to bed down and feel safe, that's where I'd do it."

Adam agreed and kicked his horse to move faster. Judd was traveling along the path Adam thought the man would—too narrow for wagons but a trail long ago blazed by Indians and Army scouts. It wouldn't be long now until he met up with Judd and he felt excitement rise, the same excitement he felt when hunting destructive bear, thieving coyotes or cunning wolves. He like the feeling of being of turning the predator into the prey and hunting them to the ground. His heart thumped with expectation. He would avenge Sylvia and himself and even Hoss wouldn't be able to stop him.

They rode for a few more hours until Hoss stopped.

"What?" Adam asked, pulling up his horse and turning in his saddle.

"I'm 'bout near starved to death. Let's eat and rest the horses. We been pushin' them hard."

"I have a feeling we're close to him." Adam looked ahead. "He's probably stopped for lunch and rest and if we keep going, we'll catch up to him."

"Dang, Adam, don't you care 'bout nothin' but gettin' Judd?"

"At the moment, no." Adam sat still and his horse, threw its head, not with impatience but rebellion; it wanted to stop. "All right. We'll stop and eat—but not for long."

Hoss grinned and was about to dismount but stopped.

"What?" Adam said. "What's the problem?"

"Just wanna make sure you get down too—that you won't take off without me. I don't know that Chubb here could catch up with Sport—not with them long legs on him and Chubb as worn-out as he is."

"And having to carry you," Adam added. "I just happen to like long legs on my horses and my women," Adam said dismounting. He tried to keep things light so that perhaps wouldn't guess his intent. He dropped his horse's reins and loosened the cinch and Sport blew out his stomach and then began to pull up the fresh grass; the rain had been good to this area.

"Hoss climbed down from Chubb's back and loosened the saddle's cinch as well. "Long legs on a woman, short legs, I don't care—they all come together at the same place. Kinda like a wishbone ain't they? I know that many a desire of mine done been granted there."

Adam laughed and pulled the bread, jerky and cheese he had bought in Cooperville from his sadllebag. He sat on a fallen log and Hoss pulled off his canteen. He then pulled out the bag of gum drops he had bought at the mercantilist's in the town. He crouched and took the jerky and bread Adam offered.

"Don't know how you can eat that cheese. Got kinda a bitter taste to me."

"Ah," Adam said as he bit off a piece of one of the thin wedges, "it's like solid milk."

"Solid sour milk."

"You like curds, don't you?"

"Yeah, but not by themselves. I like 'em rolled in that breading and fried in a Dutch oven of melted lard like they make in that restaurant in Carson City. I could eat those like candy."

"This," Adam said, holding out the cheese wedge, "is delicious melted on just about anything you can think of eating. When I was back east at school, there was this one place that served cheese melted over wide hot egg noodles—it was one thing I could afford-plenty and cheap and delicious."

Hoss curled his lip at the idea. "Just cause cheese is melted, it don't get me to eat it."

Adam chuckled but the whole time his mind was churning. He wondered how Sylvia was and Ezra, especially now that Fiona was gone. His anger toward Fiona had subsided somewhat but due to what had happened to Sylvia, he still felt the embers of rage. The child that neither he nor Sylvia knew she carried was an abstract to Adam—he hadn't been able to build up any hopes or dreams yet for the unborn child so he knew he didn't feel the loss as deeply as Sylvia must; he hadn't been carrying it and suffered such with the physical as well as emotional pains of losing it. But he would avenge Sylvia-he would make Judd and Darby pay for every tear she had shed.

Adam finished eating and rolled the paper back around the bread and the pieces of cheese. He closed up the sack that held the jerky. "Let's get going."

Hoss rose and groaned. "My back needs a longer rest. I swear I'm gonna get me a long hot bath and maybe visit Chinatown for one of them massages. You know, the ones that Hop Sing's always takin' about—those baths and such." He popped another gum drop into his mouth and held out the bag to Adam who declined. But before Hoss put the bag back in his saddle bag, he held out two of them to Chubb who readily took them.

"I swear…you and that horse. A match made in heaven. Now loosen your belt after all that candy and tighten your horse's and let's go. We've got to close the gap."

Sylvia sat up in bed, pillows propped behind her, reading a novel that Adam had ordered from England, A Tale of Two Cities, but she couldn't keep her mind on the troubles of the protagonists; her own kept pushing themselves to the forefront of her mind. She began to envy Dr. Manette of the novel and his shoe-making as a way to distract himself from his thoughts; she hadn't yet found a way—not with needlework, not spending time with Ezra—nothing worked as her mind just went around and around and over the same ground like a mill wheel. Sylvia closed the book and then slid back down in bed, letting the downy pillows comfort her. She even wished that she and Fiona were friends as they could gossip and talk and that would distract her. Instead she was alone with her thoughts and they tormented her.

That morning, Ben had brought Ezra in to see her. He said that he and Joe had arrived home early in the morning and that the two fugitives hadn't been found.

"What about Adam and Hoss? Did you find them?"

"No," Ben said as he held Ezra's hands as the child attempted to walk on the soft mattress. "Don't worry about them, Sylvia. They'll be fine, I'm sure."

"But you said that the posse returned because of the conflict between jurisdictions. If Adam's gone into another territory, if he's…"

"Sylvia," Ben said, smiling. "Don't worry—please. Now I have some business to discuss with you and I hate to burden you with anything but you know how Adam dismissed Fiona?"

"Yes."

"Well, I couldn't take her into town because I joined the posse. I can take her today but Hop Sing told me how she helped out yesterday. She's ready to go—assumed she's going today but….do you want me to take her or wait until you're stronger? Hop Sing and I can probably manage but, well, there's a lot to do on the property—the mine, the mill, the logging and then the cattle. Joe's her all alone unless I go to help him until Adam and Hoss return…" Ben smiled in the hopes that Sylvia wouldn't detect his fear that something awful would prevent their return. "Right now it's just the two of us—Joe and me managing it all. I don't know that Hop Sing can handle Ezra by himself. He took care of Hoss by himself when Hoss was a baby and such but that was almost 30 years ago; he's a bit older now." Ben smiled again. "Yet, if Fiona's still here when Adam returns, he won't be happy."

Sylvia put her arms out for Ezra and Ben handed him over but even though she tried to hold him in her arms, he squirmed to be free. "I'll deal with Adam—explain things. I would appreciate it if Fiona could stay until I'm stronger. Yesterday was a bad day—I lost ground and I feel wrung out today. He'll understand." She kissed Ezra's plumps cheek and then let him go and Ben stood and swung his grandson into his arms.

"All right," Ben said as he stood the boy on the floor. Ezra immediately took off for the open door. "Whoa there, pardner," Ben said swooping down and swinging Ezra up over his head. Ezra chortled with delight and then Ben held Ezra in his arms horizontally and he laughed with delight. "Let me take Ezra to Fiona and I'll go out and take charge of the tree-cutting. You rest easy and get better."

The house was quiet now but through the open window, she could hear Ezra laughing and Fiona talking to him. From what was said, Sylvia decided that they were playing ball, one of Ezra's favorite games. She sighed heavily again and curled up to try to catch up on her lost sleep. And as she drifted off, the voices from outside, the songs of the birds and the normal sounds of the countryside became a dull background noise as she drifted off into what was a surprisingly pleasant sleep.

It was Hoss who first smelled the frying bacon "and beans. Beans with molasses," he confirmed as he sniffed the air. Then Adam smelled the campfire, the burning wood.

"It's him—Judd." Adam dismounted. "I can smell his stench over everything else. Hoss, tie the horses off back there. I don't want them to give us away."

"Glad you included me in that." Hoss rode up and took Adam's horse's reins and backtracked about fifty feet and then tied both horses to a tree limb to keep them from following him like a loyal hound. He pulled his rifle from its scabbard and then joined Adam.

"You go around to the side but don't do anything until I approach him," Adam said. "Just wait and hold your rifle on him."

Hoss watched Adam's jaw work. "You ain't gonna just shoot him dead on sight, are you?"

Adam snorted. "Now what kind of satisfaction would I get from that?"

"This ain't 'bout satisfaction or vengeance—it's about justice. You gotta keep that in mind."

Adam smiled sardonically. "Oh, that's foremost in my mind—justice. Now go and come up on him from the side. If things go as I plan, well, you might enjoy some bacon and molasses beans for dinner."

"They do smell good." Hoss grinned at Adam." Maybe I'll shoot him myself just for that good dinner."

Adam chuckled and Hoss moved away to approach the camp which he guessed was about 75 yards away. He moved through the brush trying to keep from making noise. For a big man, Hoss Cartwright was light on his feet and had an eye for small details. The closer he came to the camp, the stronger the savory-sweet smell of the food became and he felt himself salivate. Finally, he saw the light from the fire as it was now dusk and the glow from the flames was obvious from a short distance. He placed himself behind some shrub and waited, his rifle aimed at the man who poured himself a cup of coffee. When Hoss saw the man turn back to the fire, he recognized Judd—he had the man in his sights.

Waiting was the worst part. He watched Judd spoon the beans onto a tin plate and then pick up a slice of thick bacon and take a bite. Hoss could taste the salty flavor of the pork strip and imagine how the layers of marbled fat melted in the mouth when crisp. Then Judd's horse that was tied off nickered. Judd froze and put down his plate. More food for me. Hoss readied himself.

Judd looked around; evening had fallen quickly and it was almost dark. Adam's voice came through in the failing light. "Drop the gun, Judd—take it out gently. Any fast moves and I'll have to shoot you." Adam stepped into the circle of light. "Do as I said. Drop the gun."

Hoss stepped out then and Judd turned to face him. "Takes two of you, huh? But why're you after me? Just 'cause I walked off the job? I didn't take anything. A man has a right to quit a job should he want." Judd was wary, nervous. "What do you two want from me?"

"I said, drop your gun and that's the last time I'll say it." Adam held his gun steadily on Judd and Hoss jacked his rifle; the sound rang out. Judd decided to comply and slowly took his gun from his holster and held it loosely. "Toss it to the side," Adam said, motioning with his head in the direction he wanted the gun tossed. Judd did as instructed.

"Now," Adam said unbuckling his gun belt, "I'm going to tell you why I want you and what you did, you son-of-a-bitch."