Rawhide
Incident of the Blind Man's Bluff
Chapter 3
Pete Nolan reined his horse to a stop in front of the ranch house and Rowdy, who was leading the blind man's horse, did likewise. The ranch house was a yellow painted two-story building with pale green shutters, and a barn was set away from the house just to the right and behind. "This must be the place." Pete said and turned in his saddle to look at the blind man. "Is your ranch house yellow with pale green shutters?"
"Oh, yes. This is it!" Jed Cratcher answered. They rode closer to the hitching rail and dismounted. Light flooded the yard as the front door opened.
"Who's out there? Father? Is that you?" A worried-sounding, feminine voice came from inside the doorway.
"It's me, Jenny. We have company! I'll be in in a minute. Why don't you whip up something for these boys?" Jed Cratcher called to his daughter as Rowdy helped him down from the saddle.
The young woman brushed her bangs to the side and nodded. "I'll have something ready for you when you come in." And with that, again the yard was darkened of all light except that of the half-moon that hung in the dark, night sky.
Jed Cratcher felt his way to his horse's head and took the reins from Rowdy. "We can leave the horses in the barn and Ramirez will take care of them." Pete nodded and led the way to the barn door. When they reached the barn, Rowdy looked over his shoulder back at the house and saw a curtain quickly close at one of the lower level windows. They opened the barn door and entered the large structure. There were about four stalls on the left side of the building, one of them housing a milk cow, and two stalls on the right that looked like they were being used store grain and other supplies. An illuminated lantern was hanging one of the support beams in the middle of barn. A young man about 20 peered out of the stall where the milk cow was stabled.
"Ramirez!" Jed Cratcher called out.
Jake Ramirez opened the stall and came out. "Right here, boss." Though his surname was of Mexican origin, his voice held no accent. He pushed back his black, dusty hat, smiled, and nodded a greeting to Pete and Rowdy.
Jed Cratcher led his horse to one of the empty stalls; he felt his way along the stall door toward the milk cow's stall and Ramirez. "I wonder if you might put up Gypsy for me and these boys' horses. They'll be spending the night with us."
"Now look, Mr. Cratcher, we'd better not stay any longer than we have to and our boss'll be-" Pete started to protest.
Cratcher waved a hand. "Nonsense! You boys stay with us tonight. Besides it's too dark to go back now. Why, one of your horses could step in a gopher hole and then where'd you be? No, sir. You're stayin' with me and Jenny tonight."
Rowdy looked at Pete. "He's got a point, Pete."
Pete sighed and fingered his buckskin gelding's reins. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess you're right. But we're leavin' first thing in the morning." He waved a pointed finger at Cratcher.
"Good, good! But I'm afraid you'll have to stay for breakfast, of course. Jenny don't get to play hostess very often out here and she'll insist on servin' you both breakfast before you go." Cratcher chuckled.
They left their horses with Ramirez and Rowdy handed the blind man his cane before they headed back to the house. When the trio reached the front door, Rowdy reached to open it but just as he reached for the knob the door swung open and Jenny Cratcher stood beaming in the doorway. The smell of fried chicken reached them and the drovers felt their mouths beginning to water. "Come in, come in." Jenny waved them inside. "I've got your places set at the table. Here let me take your hats."
"Thank you, ma'am." Pete and Rowdy thanked her as they handed her their hats and she hung them on a peg next to a rifle rack beside the door.
She led the way to a dining room with three places set at a rectangle dining table. A platter of steaming fried chicken sat in the center of the table. A heap of mashed potatoes were already in each of the plates. "It's not a whole lot and I re-heated the chicken from earlier this afternoon."
Rowdy flashed her a smile that made Pete roll his eyes. "I'm sure it's just fine, Miss Cratcher."
"Please call me Jenny. Thank you, mister…" She said, her face flushed.
"Rowdy Yates, but call me Rowdy." He flashed her another smile and her face flushed even more. "Ain't you gonna eat with us?"
She shook her head. "Oh, no. I just finished my supper and the dishes when you two rode up with Pa." She smiled. "Well, I'll go get your rooms ready. Breakfast is at 8 o'clock sharp!" Jenny called over her shoulder as she mounted the stairs.
THIS CHAPTER IS NOT FINISHED