Chapter Twenty
It was two weeks later when Caulder returned to the bunkhouse late in the evening and found a whiskey-fueled celebration going on.
The noise died down a bit as he walked in. "Jess, Mr. Bartlett wants to see you."
Mac pushed up from the table, a bottle in one hand and a glass held out toward Caulder in the other. "Ed, join us in a drink to my pal Jess, here."
The men in the barracks cheered and applauded. "That's right. We owe most of our success in that range war to our buddy right here." Will Tibbs slapped Jess on the back. "Why you shoulda seen the way this boy can fight."
One after another, the men heaped praise on Jess.
"He's the one who planned the defense against the V Bar outfit."
"He was right there at the front line when they attacked! He knew where they'd hit."
"Quite the leader, our man Jess is!"
"Kept Mr. Bartlett from gettin' shot too."
"Yep. Saved the bossman's life!"
Jess, who had been quietly sipping his whiskey, stood up, slightly agitated. "Stop that kinda talk. The foreman and me together came up with the ideas for protection, not me alone. And it was all of us workin' together that kept the V Bar's men from stampedin' Mr. Bartlett's cattle and didn't let nobody end up killed on either side." He looked around the room, making eye contact with every man who fought. "They ain't runnin' him out of Kansas 'cause a' you."
"All of us maybe, except that snake Vern Cowan. While we were out fightin', he was back here stealin' what he could get from all of us," Mac sneered. "Too bad he got scared and ran off before we got back here so we could take care of him."
"That sidewinder is bound to end up on the wrong end of a rope, sooner or later. Mark my words," Tibbs added.
Stede Rhodes nodded, "At least it's good we didn't get our pay until tonight. Cowan didn't have the guts to stick around and fight. So the only wage he got was what he found here in the bunkhouse."
Threats about what would happen to Vern Cowan if any of them ever ran across him again sounded through the bunkhouse.
Kett Darby stepped forward. "Only thing left to make this a perfect victory, Jess, is to put you up against that fast gun at the V Bar. Tom Wade."
More agreeing comments were shouted as the men encouraged Jess to prove he was faster than the other ranch's top gunhand.
"Come on, Jess. We all know you're faster. Show Wade what you can do."
Jess gritted his teeth and shook his head.
"Settle down, boys." Caulder raised his voice to be heard above the clamor. "You can work on Jess about that later. Come on, Jess, let's go see Bartlett."
As they walked toward the house, Caulder said, "Jess, I know what Bartlett's gonna do. Now that things have been settled with the V Bar, he's gonna keep some of the men on here for permanent protection. He wants you to be in charge of 'em. But before you say yes, I want to talk to you about another job I heard about over in New Mexico. I think you just might be interested in it."
"I don't know, Caulder. I got some other things I need to be gittin' back to, now that I got some money in my pocket."
"Before you make up your mind, just listen to Bartlett first. And then me."
Caulder was right about Bartlett's offer, which was accompanied by a big bonus for Jess having personally saved Mr. Bartlett's life.
"Mr. Bartlett, I thank ya kindly for the offer. But I need to be movin' on." Jess handed the bonus back. "Wouldn't be fittin' for me to take this when I just turned down the job."
"Nonsense. You earned that bonus, son. That's for what you already did. It's got nothing to do with the offer for the future." Bartlett pushed the envelope back to Jess. "If you ever change your mind about wanting to work with me again, you'll know where to find me. I'll be right here, thanks to you."
"Thank you, sir." Jess smiled, shook the man's hand, pocketed the bonus, and then left with Caulder to head back to the bunkhouse.
"See, I told ya," Caulder said.
"And you heard me tell him. I'm movin' on."
"Hear me out, Jess. There's a big range war brewing in northern New Mexico. I know the man there that's needing help. I wired him about you."
At Jess' surprised glower, Caulder hurried to add, "Don't worry, I didn't use your name. Just told him I had the man he needs to make the difference in this fight for him. He's willing to pay top dollar for your services."
"I ain't interested."
"Not even if I tell ya the Bannisters are in that area?"
Jess stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the tall man, his eyebrows drawing into a tight scowl. "What makes you think that'd mean anything to me?"
"That job I just got back from… It was deep in the Panhandle. Let's just say I heard some things while I was there. About a certain family and the horrible tragedy that happened to them a few years back."
Jess glared.
"So, the Bannisters being in New Mexico… Does that make a difference in whether you'll go there and talk to my friend, J.D. Kerr?"
Jess' eyes dipped. When he raised them again, the calm but lethal look in them gave Caulder his answer. So did Jess' response.
"Yeah. It makes a big difference."
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The next day, most of the men were heading out, with just a few hired to stay on for permanent protection.
"Where you headed, Will?" Jess asked Tibbs as they both packed up their gear.
"Figure on heading up a ways into Colorado. I'll try to get me a steady job somewhere. See if I can save some up money. Might try homesteading someday. If you're ever up around the north part of the state, Jess, see if you can look me up."
"I'll do that."
"How 'bout you, Mac? What are you gonna be doing?" Kett Darby asked.
"I'm gonna tag along with Caulder and my buddy Jess here."
Darby stuffed some things in his saddlebag. "Where?"
Jess stepped forward to keep the answer vague. "We'll see where the wind blows us."
With well wishes among those leaving and the few staying, each cowboy plotted his future and bid the others farewell.
Jess mounted up. But as he rode alongside Caulder and Mac, he had a vague feeling he was heading straight into big trouble. But if it meant finally being in the right area to catch up to Frank Bannister, it would be worth it.
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Author's note:
In Chapters 19 and 20, did you recognize the names from Jess' past? Names of friends, enemies, places?
Mention is made of men from these episodes:
Ed Caulder ─ General Delivery
John MacLaine ─ Dark Verdict
Vern Cowan ─ Dark Verdict
Will Tibbs ─ License to Kill
Tom Wade ─ The Killer Legend
Kett Darby ─ The Betrayers
Stede Rhodes ─ Edge of Evil
The King Bartlett spread and the V Bar outfit are in The Killer Legend, where Jess says to Tom Wade, "Yeah, that's right. We was both workin' for a couple a' of rough outfits."
And mention of Jess having a record and being in trouble with the law in "Abilene, Fort Worth, Emporia and other places" is from Company Man, where Jonesy says Jess told them what he did in those places "when he was a young wild kid."