Shaw looked down at his cup, and then lifted it and drank swiftly. When it was down he said, “I ain’t so sure that was the best idea.”
Longarm gave him a look. He didn’t like the way the conversation was going. He’d pushed the skillet up closer to the fire as it had burned down, and now he could see that the beans were starting to bubble. He didn’t have but one tin plate and Shaw had none. “We didn’t plan to set up housekeepin’,” Shaw had explained when Longarm had asked him how there couldn’t be a single pan or cup or tin plate among the robbers. “If you couldn’t eat it out of your hand, it was takin’ up too much room. Besides, we was in kind of a hurry.”
So, with a big spoon, Longarm split the beans and tomatoes and beef into two parts, putting half in the tin plate and eating out of the skillet himself. He gave Shaw the only fork he had and used the spoon. It was a little hot working out of the skillet, but Longarm made himself take it slowly, even as hungry as he was. Through a mouthful of hot beans he said, “I wish we had some light bread.”
Shaw smiled with a glimmer in his eyes. “I wish I had your gun and a fast horse and you had a feather up your ass. Then we’d both be tickled.”
Longarm was glad to see him coming out of his shaky-looking mood. He said, pointing at the manacles, “Those wouldn’t be no hindrance to you?” Shaw said, “Hell, Custis, you can’t have everything. Didn’t you know that?”
“I did. But the rate at which you been robbing folks, I wasn’t sure you did.”
Shaw laughed. “That’s the trouble with easy money. It goes out just as easy as it goes in. You got to act big, set up drinks for the house. Bet big so you don’t look like no tinhorn. Bet big long enough, you lose big.” Longarm said thoughtfully, “I’m glad to hear you figured that out.”
Shaw raised his hands and jangled the chain between the cuffs. “You mean this? I didn’t feel like I was gambling this last job, Custis. You was the wild card in the deck I hadn’t counted on. Hadn’t been you was on my trail, I’d still be back there in the cabin waiting for a dark night.” He leaned back a little so he could see out the door of the cabin. “Moon is already starting to wane. Probably tomorrow night would have been ideal. Cross maybe an hour before dawn. Would have been black as the inside of a cow. You know this country, you know how dark it can get.”
Longarm nodded. “Without a campfire you can walk ten steps from your bedroll to take a leak and never find it until morning.”
“So this ain’t luck. This is Custis Long.”
“You asked me if I hated your guts. I reckon I ought to ask you the same thing.”
“You wouldn’t care either way.”
Longarm shrugged. “I don’t know. I never thought about it before. Most of the bandits I take in ain’t as good company as you are, Jack. Most of ‘em is so bone mean, and have been all their life, they ain’t had a thought for nobody but themselves in all that time. That kind of folk makes damn poor visiting company. Generally you can’t wait to drop them off at the nearest jail and wash the smell of them out of your hair.”
“Well, if there was a question in there, no, I don’t hate your guts. I hate it that you have to be so damn good at your job, but I ain’t got nothing against you personally. Back there at the other cabin I would have killed you if I’d of had the chance. And you would have killed me.”
Longarm nodded and took a sip of coffee. His cup was nearly empty. He said, “Yeah, this is kind of a rough game we have selected to play. Got some hard rules.”
Supper was long over. Shaw had washed up their utensils, with Longarm watching from the door, and now they were sitting in front of the fireplace finishing up the coffee and both smoking cigars. Shaw had put on a leather jacket Longarm had gotten him out of his bedroll.
When he’d gotten it Longarm had been glad to see that Shaw carried two blankets in addition to his canvas groundcloth. He was going to have to make his prisoner sleep outside. There was nothing in the cabin to manacle him to. The only choices were the two posts that held up the porch roof or the fence posts in the corral. Longarm wasn’t too sure about the fence posts, though, as they didn’t look as sturdy as the ones at the other cabin. He reckoned he’d just have to bed Shaw down under the porch roof with his arms around one of the posts. He knew the man would much rather be cuddling up to something other than a roof post, but then so would he. But he’d been too careless with Shaw already. When he’d let him unlock his manacles so he could put his leather jacket on, Longarm had stood too close. He’d seen Shaw measuring him, the manacles swinging from one hand as he’d adjusted the jacket. Longarm had casually, but immediately, taken a step backwards. Shaw had smiled mockingly, and then, giving Longarm the same smile, had put his free wrist back in the cuff and clicked it into place. He hadn’t said anything, but then he didn’t have to.
Now Longarm told him where he was going to have to sleep. He added, “I’ll get you a saddle blanket if you like. Put it down between you and your groundcloth.”
Shaw shook his head. Naw. It won’t be that cold. Besides, it won’t be no colder out there than it will be in here. Not unless a wind comes up, and I doubt one will.”
Longarm finished his coffee and carefully tamped out what was left of his cigar. He said, “Then I reckon we better get on with it. I think we had ought to make a early start. I’d like to get away from here by dawn if we can. Little before would be even better. Get some traveling done before the heat takes it out of the horses.”
Shaw stood up. There was still enough light from the fire that it lit up the recesses of the cabin. He said, “I’ll get my bedroll and put it down. Then you can tuck me in when you’re a mind.”
Longarm laid out his own bedroll against the back wall of the cabin. He put his saddle blanket down, unfolding it until it was stretched out to its four-foot-by-six-foot length. Over that he put the tarp that he rolled his blankets and the rest of his gear in. Most folks put the tarp down first and then the saddle blanket, but Longarm had never cared to lay on the salt-soaked saddle blanket, and certainly didn’t want to smell it all night long. He put his two blankets down, doubling the inside one. Lastly, he set his saddle at the head to give him a sort of pillow. He could tell how cold it was the instant he got very far from the fire. There was enough split cordwood left that he could have gotten the cabin pretty warm, but it wouldn’t have done Shaw any good and he didn’t think it would be fair otherwise. When he was finished, he walked over to the door of the cabin. Shaw had made his bed by the eastern roof post. Longarm could see he intended to sleep on his right side with his back to the cabin. Once he was manacled around the post there wouldn’t be room for him to turn over. Shaw was standing by his bedroll. He looked around as Longarm came to the door. About eight feet separated them. Longarm said, “You ‘bout settled in?” Shaw said, “I reckon.”
“You want a jug of whiskey to keep you company? You got a couple bottles of your own left.”
Shaw shook his head. “Naw. I’ve had enough. I don’t know which feels worse, getting shot or riding in this sun with a head aching from whiskey. I think I’d rather be shot.”
Longarm looked surprised. “I didn’t know you’d been shot.”
Shaw nodded. “Yeah. Wasn’t a hell of a long time before I ran into you down there in Mexico.” He made a little crooked smile. “It was kind of like this deal here. Only we’d robbed a bank and I didn’t quite get my last partner killed. I thought the sonofabitch was dead and was walking away, and he raised up and shot me in the back.