“That’s my secret.” Howard’s confidence was both inspiring and troubling. “But if I chip in more, I expect more. I want two thousand dollars of the bounty, and when it’s all over, I get to keep my horse, the pack animals, and whatever supplies are left. Agreed?”
Charley did the arithmetic in his head. He had never been a wizard at large sums, so it took a bit. His share would come to a little over sixteen hundred, which was still plenty. “Sounds fair to me.”
“What I would like to know,” Tony said to Enos, “is why you changed your mind so suddenly about coming along. And why you are being so helpful. Most strano.”
“I have my reasons.” Howard held out a hand. “Do we shake on it or not?”
They shook.
From there, events proceeded quickly. Almost too quickly for Charley. He gave his notice to Mr. Leeds, who insisted on knowing all the details. Charley expected Leeds to tell him they were loons, but not only did the stable owner wish them well, he offered to sell them three horses at a special price of one hundred and thirty dollars each, which was twenty dollars less than what Leeds could sell them for to most anyone else. They were older horses but not so old as to be worthless.
Charley cheerfully accepted.
Next, Leeds took him into the tack room, and they searched along the back wall where Leeds kept harness and tack that had seen a lot of use. Two saddles and several bridles were added to Charley’s growing collection, along with four saddle blankets that Leeds had been ready to toss. They were frayed and worn but would suffice.
Falling asleep that night was next to impossible. Charley lay on his back in the hayloft staring at the rafters and wondering what on earth he had let himself in for. He was willing to bet the Hoodoos wouldn’t surrender without a fight, if they surrendered at all. But he had never fired a weapon at another human being in his life. All he ever shot was game for the supper pot.
Then there was the bigger issue, the one that had Charley’s conscience gnawing at him like a chigger boring through flesh. He never should have invited Melissa along. Not on so dangerous an undertaking. It wasn’t too late to tell her she couldn’t go. That was the sensible thing to do. But heaven help him, he liked the idea of being with her day in and day out for however long it took to find the outlaws. They could talk about things, get to know each other better.
Who am I kidding? Charley thought. He was usually so tongue-tied around her that he was afraid to speak out of fear of making a fool of himself. Fortunately, she jabbered enough for both of them, and she seemed to really like him, which amazed him no end. The girls in Kentucky had been friendly, but only a couple had ever showed him much interest, and the few times he had gotten up the nerve to ask a girl to go out with him, he’d run into the same problem he had with Melissa. He couldn’t string more than three intelligent words together for the life of him.
Charley made a mental note to keep an eye on the buffalo hunter. Enos was old enough to be Melissa’s pa, yet he was always putting his arm around her shoulders and generally being more familiar with her than he had a right to be. If Howard persisted with that behavior out on the prairie, Charley would put a stop to it.
Then there was Tony. Charley was as sure as sure could be that Tony had no interest in Melissa. Not in the way he did anyhow. The way they sniped at each other, and the comments dropped by Melissa, led him to believe something had happened between them. Something he might not like. Part of him wanted to corner Tony and demand an explanation. But Tony was his best friend—his only friend, when it came right down to it—and he was reluctant to put their friendship in jeopardy by making accusations which might or might not be true.
Sleep snuck up on him, and Charley slept soundly until the crow of the rooster interrupted a dream he was having in which Melissa and he were doing things that would have made him blush if he’d thought about doing them when he was awake. He was only halfway down the ladder when someone pounded on the wide double doors.
“Open up! Are you awake in there, boy? Or are you a layabout who wastes his days in bed?”
Charley and the others had agreed to meet at the stable at eight a.m. It couldn’t be much after six. He removed the long bar and opened a door. “Make more noise, why don’t you? You probably woke up everyone within ten blocks.”
Enos Howard glanced both ways, then quickly stepped inside. “Took you long enough. What did you do, come by way of Arkansas?”
“You’re early.” Charley left the door open so that Melissa and Tony could walk right in when they arrived. But the buffalo hunter closed it. “What’s with you? You’re actin’ like someone is after you.”
“Let’s just say we don’t want any grass to grow under us.” Howard had a rifle with him, an old Sharps. “As soon we have our horses and supplies, we need to light a shuck.”
“What have you done?” Charley asked. “You promised not to do any robbin’.”
“And I’m a man of my word. But money don’t come easy. I had to shake the trees some to get the apples to fall.”
“How much do you have?”
“Not enough by itself. But with what Missy and you and the Italian have, it should do us.” Howard flourished more money than Charley had ever seen anyone hold in their hand at one time. “Five hundred dollars.”
Whistling in surprise, Charley reached for it, but Enos slapped his hand. “Keep your paws off. I rustled it up, and I’m holdin’ on to it until we work out how it should be spent.” Enos shoved the money back in his pocket.
Charley felt slighted. It wasn’t like he was fixing to steal it or anything. “I’ve got something to show you,” he said testily.
The three horses Leeds was letting them have were in stalls at the rear. Piled nearby was the gear. Enos examined each of the animals and the saddles and bridles and snorted. “So you reckon this liveryman is doin’ you a favor? Hell, these nags are only a couple months shy of bein’ turned into glue. And this tack is older than I am.”
“If you think you can do better, you’re welcome to try.” Simmering mad now, Charley went to the front. He was sick and tired of Enos treating him like he was wet behind the ears. Maybe he was, in some respects, but that didn’t give Enos call to harp on it like he did.
Soon Leeds arrived. Charley introduced them and girded for an outburst from Enos, but the buffalo hunter stunned him by acting as gracious as a parson at a church social.
“I want to thank you for helpin’ us. It’s fine gentlemen like you who are the salt of the earth. A lot of people are only out for themselves, and they don’t give a hang who they step on.”
“All too true,” Leeds said solemnly. He looked Enos up and down. “You’re not quite what I expected. I remember reading about your fight with the Blackfeet at the chalk cliffs. It was the talk of the territory.”
“That it was,” Enos declared with pride. Then his features darkened. “So was my try to break Buffalo Bill’s record and that shootin’ match I had with Comstock. Everywhere I went, I was looked down on.”
“You did your best. What more could be asked?”
Enos clapped Leeds on the shoulder. “That was a darned decent thing to say. Most folks weren’t as charitable. Every saloon I went in, someone would haze me. It got so I couldn’t stand it anymore. So I came to Denver.”
“Few barbs hurt worse than laughter,” Mr. Leeds sympathized.
“Now who’s talkin’ truth?” Enos said sadly.
Charley was amazed they were hitting it off so well. Leeds was a teetotaling churchgoer, Enos a natural-born hell-raiser. They couldn’t be less alike if they tried, yet there they were, smiling and jawing like they were the best of friends. Intent on their banter, he didn’t realize someone else had arrived until he heard a low cough.