Love Child Read online

  The barkeeper extended his hand to John and said, “I’m pleased to meet you Mr. Crudder. My name’s Manny. I’ve never seen anything like what you just did to those men.”

  John shook the offered hand and said, “Manny, what can you tell me about Holloway?”

  “Well, we all called him Percy. Didn’t know his name was really Jasper ’til you told me. Percy was here might near every day drinkin’ and playin’ poker. He was always gettin’ into fights. And he always won. I never did like him none. He was a no-account drifter that was just a troublemaker. I asked him to leave several times but he made it clear he was gonna stay as long as he wanted and if I tried to get him to leave before he was ready, he’d hurt me. I just tried to leave him be. I didn’t want no trouble.”

  “Where there any men that hung around with Holloway?” asked John.

  “There was a man named Gomez and another named Atkins that were usually with him. They would play poker with Holloway but mostly they just drank and carried on with the ladies that work here.”

  “What did Gomez and Atkins look like?” asked Crudder.

  “Both men were around medium height. They had dark skin and looked mean. Gomez always wore a tan shirt and had a black hat that had a hatband made of silver pesos. Atkins had a limp when he walked. I heard him say he was thrown by a horse once and it messed up his knee.”

  “Any idea where they might have headed after leavin Laredo?” asked John.

  Manny stopped and considered the question. “I know they have worked on ranches before. One of the men, I think it was Atkins, said they had worked on the Cotulla Ranch. It’s between Encinal and Frio City. But I also heard ’em talk about ranches around San Anton. Seems like they talked about which ranches but I don’t recall the names.”

  “I was just on the Cotulla Ranch a few days ago. I know exactly where it is.” John turned and spoke to the sheriff. “Sheriff, more than ever, I think Holloway is headed back north. He could’ve gone to Mexico but it seems more likely he will be goin’ back to the places he knows best.”

  The sheriff nodded in agreement. “I think you’re right. I would have guessed he would have headed to Mexico to try to get lost. But I’m inclined to agree that he is probably still in Texas.”

  John placed a silver dollar on the bar and thanked Manny for his information. John started to walk out the door but then looked down at the three bodies on the floor. He went over and withdrew his daggers from the bodies, cleaned them on the dead men’s shirts and reinserted them into the double scabbard on his back. “Sheriff, here’s ten dollars to help pay for burying these men. The undertaker shouldn’t have to work for free.”

  “Thanks, John. I hope you catch Holloway and the others. And if you can, bring them back here to stand trial.”

  “That’s my plan. I just hope they’ll allow me to do that.”

  Crudder walked out of the saloon, untied Midnight, swung up, and headed north down San Augustin Avenue. He didn’t know where his travels would take him but he was confident he would find Holloway.

  Chapter 12

  BANDERA, TEXAS

  Daddy, I think today is the day for me to get some furniture for Richie’s room. Would you mind watching the girls while I go to town?” Charlotte was holding both daughters by their hands.

  “Of course, I don’t mind,” replied Slim. “Come here, girls. You get to play with grandpa this morning.” Both girls broke free from their mother’s grasp and ran toward Slim. He bent down, and gathered them in his arms and twirled them around the living room. “We’re gonna have a great time, aren’t we, girls?” The twins just laughed as a reply.

  “Where’s Richie? I would like for him to go with me. I don’t want to pick out things that he might not like?”

  “He’s out in the barn. I let him pick out a new horse,” replied Slim. “He has been brushin’ him so much, I’ll bet he’s gonna brush that poor horse bald.”

  Charlotte laughed at the comment and bounded down the steps of the porch on her way to the barn. Inside, she found Richie was indeed brushing his horse and talking softly to the stud. He was a buckskin that was golden brown with a dark brown mane and tail and tall brown socks. “He sure is handsome. What are you going to name him?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it ’til you brought it up. What do you think I should name him?”

  “Richie, he’s your horse. It’s up to you to decide what you want to name him.” Richie continued his brushing and had a pensive look. Deep in thought, he was silent for several minutes except for some whispering to his horse.

  “I know what I’ll call him. I want to call him Laredo. When I call his name, it’ll always remind me of where I grew up.”

  “That sounds fine, Richie. I like that.” Richie continued brushing his horse and whispering and asking if he liked his new name.

  “I’m headed to town to get you some furniture for your room. Will you go with me and pick out what you would like?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I sure will,” replied Richie.

  “Richie Hanson. I’m your sister. You don’t have to call me ma’am.”

  “I’m sorry Charlotte. It’s just that Ma always taught me to say ma’am to women. It’s just a habit.”

  “Come to think of it,” Charlotte said, “I think it’s a fine habit. Your mother raised you well. It’s important for a young man to have good manners. If you want to call me ma’am, that’s fine with me. So will you hitch up the wagon? If we find some furniture we like, we can bring it home. Otherwise, we’ll have to order it and have it delivered.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I will.”

  Charlotte smiled as she watched Richie hurriedly gather the team from the corral and get them into their harnesses. He expertly hitched both horses to the wagon and then helped Charlotte onto the wagon seat. Sitting down beside her, he gently popped the reins and the horses moved into a slow trot as they left the barn and headed to town. As they made their way toward Bandera, Charlotte continued to learn more about her brother.

  “Richie,” Charlotte asked, “How far did you get in school?”

  “I graduated last summer. The school was right across the street from our house. I loved school so my teacher let me move ahead at my own pace. I graduated a whole year early.”

  “What are you planning on doing now?”

  “Don’t really know. I haven’t given it much thought lately. My thoughts have all been about losing Ma. I can’t imagine what the future will be without her. She has always been there for me.”

  Charlotte laid her hand on Richie’s knee. “I know a little of what you’re talking about. I miss my mother, too, but I never got to know her. She died when I was a baby. Richie, have you ever thought about going to college?”

  “Yes. I was supposed to be there now. I got an academic scholarship to Baylor University in Independence. I was taking off for one semester to work and make some money to help Ma out. Since Ma got killed, I haven’t even thought about going to college.”

  “Richie, this is your life and this is your time. You need to go to college. It would be a shame not to continue your education. You have such great potential. College will help you explore what you want to do with your life. As smart as you are, I know you can literally do anything you want to do.”

  “Thank you, Charlotte, I know you’re right. But for now, I want to stay on the ranch with you, Pa, and John and the twins. This is more family that I’ve ever had. I just don’t want to leave you now, especially after just losing Ma.”

  “That’s understandable, Richie. But promise me you’ll start when the time is right.”

  Richie chewed his lip as he contemplated Charlotte’s request. He knew she was right he needed to continue his education. “All right, Charlotte. I’ll start in the fall.”

  “What had you planned to study at Baylor?”

  “I know this probably doesn’t sound like such a great idea. But I wanted to study law and become a lawyer.”

  Charlotte chuckled a
bit as she thought about Richie’s words.

  “I hope you’re not making fun of me, Charlotte.”

  “I’m sorry, Richie. Of course I’m not making fun of you. I was just thinking not only is my husband a lawyer but now I find I have a brother and he wants to be a lawyer too.”

  “John’s a lawyer?” asked Richie.

  “He certainly is. When he finished law school, he planned to come to Bandera and open a law practice. But he soon realized he needed to be in a bigger city if he was going to have a practice large enough to keep him busy.”

  “Where did he go to law school?”

  “He went to Harvard. Actually, John’s got two degrees from Harvard and one from Oxford in England.”

  “Wow! I didn’t have any idea he had that kind of education. I guess you never know what a person’s background is. Do you think he will ever open a law practice?”

  Charlotte giggled and said, “I’ve learned with John, there’s no telling what he’ll do next. I know he was in New York a few months ago and he was in court several times dealing with some business there.”

  “Really? I’ve never met anyone who’s been to New York. Have you ever been there, Charlotte?”

  “No, I haven’t. But John grew up there. I’m sure when he gets home he will be glad to tell you all about it.”

  “That would be nice. I would like to go to New York someday.” Richie had a bit of a smile on his face as he contemplated making a future trip to east. There was little doubt in his mind he would do that.

  When they left for town, Charlotte directed Richie to take the wagon over to the general store. Inside they found the proprietor had just gotten in a new shipment of furniture.

  “Mr. Anderson, I would like for you to meet Richie. Richie, this is Mr. Anderson.”

  Richie removed his hat and extended his hand. “Pleased to meet you Mr. Anderson.”

  “And I’m pleased to meet you young man. Charlotte, your friend certainly does have good manners.”

  “Yes, he does, Mr. Anderson. And Richie is going to be staying on the H&F with us so we need to get him some furniture.”

  “Very good. What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, I think he needs a bed and a chest of drawers. He also needs an armoire and probably a desk and a chair. Oh yes, he needs a table to put beside his bed. An easy chair would be nice. What do you think, Richie?”

  Richie was completely overwhelmed by Charlotte’s generosity. He didn’t know what to say so he just said, “I guess that sounds fine.”

  Charlotte walked through the furniture and helped Richie select the pieces he needed. For the most part her selections met with his approval. She found an armoire that captured her attention. “Oh Richie, look at this. Isn’t it darling?”

  The piece was sitting on fancy carved legs and had decorative carving above the door. It was painted in a pale yellow. Richie looked at it and tried not to react. Mr. Anderson quickly realized the piece didn’t appeal to Richie.

  “Charlotte,” said Mr. Anderson, “Don’t you think that is a bit feminine for such a masculine young man?”

  Charlotte laughed out loud. “You’re absolutely right, Mr. Anderson. I’m sorry Richie. For a minute I forgot we were shopping for you. I was thinking how beautiful that would be in my bedroom. Mr. Anderson, help us select some masculine furniture that will be to the liking of my friend.”

  For the next half of an hour, the three of them walked through the store and made selections. To Charlotte’s delight, they found all of the furniture they needed in stock in the store, relieving them of having to place a special order. “Mr. Anderson, we need to go down to the hardware store to buy some paint. Do you have anyone who can load the furniture onto our wagon?”

  “Yes, I do, Charlotte. You go ahead and get your paint. I’ll have it loaded by the time you get back.”

  Charlotte and Richie walked down the street and entered the hardware store. They looked at several colors of paint. This time Richie didn’t hesitate to express his opinion. He convinced Charlotte the pale blue paint she adored was not something he cared for—and it was the same for the yellow and the pink that was called rose.

  He selected a dark beige paint saying he thought it would look good with the new furniture. Charlotte agreed and asked the storekeeper to put the paint on their bill. They walked back to the wagon and found Mr. Anderson’s workers were just completing tying the furniture securely to the wagon.

  “Thank you, Mr. Anderson. I am so pleased with our purchases.”

  “You’re welcome, Charlotte. I’m glad you like your selections. I think the furniture will last for many years. And Richie, it was good to meet you. I hope I get to see you again.”

  Richie helped Charlotte into the wagon and then climbed up beside her. As they headed back to the H&F, Richie turned to her and asked, “Why didn’t you tell him I was your brother?”

  “Well, Richie, I was going to. But then I realized everyone in town would soon have heard the news. I think Daddy needs to be the one who shares the news. It is up to him who he tells and what he wants to say.”

  “That makes sense, Sis. I didn’t think about that.” Charlotte giggled again. “What’s so funny?”

  “You called me Sis. I like that.”

  Richie laughed back at Charlotte. “I didn’t even realize I had done that until you mentioned it. I kind of like the sound of it too. I’ve never had a sister before.”

  Arriving at the ranch, Charlotte asked Richie to pull the wagon into the barn and leave the furniture loaded. “I want to get your room painted before we unload the wagon.”

  Charlotte wasted no time in getting two ranch hands to help clear the existing furniture out of Richie’s room and put drop cloths down on the floor. To their horror, when they finished moving the furniture, she handed each a paintbrush.

  “Gentlemen, thank you so much for helping me paint Richie’s room. It will not take long with four of us painting.”

  “But Miss Charlotte,” one of the men complained, “we have work to do.” Then the other man said, “Owen and Slim will expect us to have it done by this evening. We would like to help you paint but we just don’t have time.”

  “Well good. Since you would like to help, I’ll be sure to tell Daddy that you had an important job to do for me. I know it will be all right with him.” Both men let out partially concealed groans. They realized it was pointless to argue with Charlotte once she had her mind made up. Each of them took a brush and dipped it in the paint. When Richie had tended to the team, he came in to find Charlotte had a brush waiting for him. “Richie, these men have volunteered to help us paint your room. Hurry and get your brush going. With four of us, we will be through in no time.”

  The two conscripted cowboys exchanged a glance and then looked at Richie, who just rolled his shoulders and dipped his brush in the paint. Less than an hour later, Charlotte backed up and inspected their work. “Gentlemen, you did a marvelous job. Thank you so much for your help. Richie, you take the brushes and get them soaking in turpentine. These men will help me move your furniture in.”

  “Miss Charlotte, we would like to but we have to get back to our ranch chores.”

  “Don’t you worry about it. It will only take you a few minutes to bring the furniture in. And when you bring it in, remember the walls are still wet. We don’t want to have to repaint them, do we?”

  “No ma’am,” said the cowboys in unison.”

  It didn’t take very long before all of the furniture was in place. Charlotte offered to get the men some coffee but they declined and rapidly left the house. It was clear they were glad to have escaped before Charlotte found more work for them to do.

  Chapter 13

  ENCINAL, TEXAS

  Crudder held Midnight back to a gentle lope as he rode out of Laredo. He rode for about fifteen miles before he camped for the night. He took Midnight well off the road winding through the blackbrush, brasil, and other thorny plants. Cactus was plentiful and seemed to gro
w everywhere. There was a tiny lake just off the road with a small grove of mesquite trees on the bank. John unsaddled Midnight and built a fire. He then pulled the dandy brush from his saddlebag and gave Midnight a good brushing. When Midnight saw the brush, he let out a low, guttural nicker and nodded his head up and down.

  John laughed at his horse and realized the majestic animal knew he was going to be groomed. For much of the next hour, John brushed Midnight and combed his main and tail. With his horse cared for, John turned his attention to supper. He cut a hunk of bacon from the slab and threaded it on a stick. Propping the stick up so it was over the fire, John made a pot of coffee and put it on a flat stone near the fire. He wished he had something more to eat but knew the bacon and coffee would sustain him until he had more.

  That evening, John slept soundly as Midnight grazed nearby. Just before sunrise, John woke up and warmed up his left-over coffee. At first light, he had Midnight saddled and then continued on toward Encinal. He guessed it was about twenty-five miles away.

  About noon, John spotted a jackrabbit. He pulled his saddle gun and quickly dispatched the little animal. Swinging down, he skinned and dressed the rabbit. After building a fire, John roasted the rabbit and then wasted no time in devouring every bit. It was a bit gamey but John liked it because it was something different from the bacon that was his mainstay when he was on the trail.

  After eating, he continued on and got to Encinal by late afternoon. The town had only a small general store, a livery stable, and a saloon that doubled as a café. He took Midnight to the livery and groomed him. He paid for a bucket of oats and asked the old man who was tending the stable to have him saddled by first light the next day.

  “I’m lookin’ for a man. Maybe you’ve seen him. His name is Holloway. His given name is Jasper but he also goes by Percy.”

  “Friend of yours?” asked the stableman.

  “No. He’s a murderer. I’m looking to take him back to Laredo to stand trial.”