Joe Riley's chin jutted out another inch and his eyes blazed. Instinctively, he planted his muscular legs and set his hands on his hips accentuating the hard lines of his body and the broad expanse of his shoulders. "I ain't gonna do it." He pulled himself up to his full 6'2" and rolled his shoulders. "Ya can't make me."
Captain Parmalee cast a completely unintimidated eye over the ranger and sighed dramatically. "Actually, I can, I will and you are....unless you would like to be unemployed." Taller than the stubborn ranger, Parmalee managed to give the impression he was looking down his nose at him. "We're paid by the good people of Texas to do a job, and this is a job that needs done. Now stop bellyaching and head out to Pruittville."
A soft amiable laugh filled the office but was abruptly silenced as Parmalee's level gaze landed on Chad Cooper. "ALL of you." The gaze lingered on Chad but then leisurely moved across the room to center on Reese Bennett. "You have anything to say?"
"Me, Cap'n?" Reese's deep gravelly voice sounded incredulous. "I wouldn't say a word, Cap'n....not one durn word." He nodded his head for emphasis sending his shock of thick unruly hair flying. He scratched his side and gave a broad smile.
"Good." Parmalee stood a bit straighter and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Then I can assume that by this time tomorrow, you'll be in Pruittville doing the jobs assigned to you."
Joe opened and shut his mouth in frustration. After several attempts at sound that proved fruitless, he managed to get out a weak protest. "I ain't no schoolteacher."
Parmalee sighed softly. "You are now. Mesa Joe and his associates have been raiding banks and small towns all along the border. It's only a matter of time until Pruittville gets hit and they've asked for our help. I've got teams of rangers in at least five of those little towns, and you three..."he hesitated long enough to fix a hard glare on each man individually, "are assigned to Pruittville." He adjusted his belt and raised his eyes. "I can't have you standing on street corners looking like gun slingers. The good citizens have come up with available covers for you and you WILL use them."
"But, Cap'n..." Joe swallowed hard. "Can't Chad teach school? He's real good with book larnin' and numbers and all. He'd do real well with cipherin'." His handsome features twisted in pain. "I din't do real good in school when I was a kid. School and I kinda have an allergy to each other. I was much better off with the Indians."
There was no sympathy at all in the hard lines of the Captain's face. "Chad is going to work at the bank, Reese is going to work at the livery stable, and you...by process of elimination...will work at the school."
"I could work at the bank." Joe's face brightened noticeably. "I could do that."
Parmalee left his eyes travel coldly up the tall muscular ranger and then looked pointedly at the smaller form of Chad Cooper with his classic good looks. "I don't think you'd fit behind the counter at the bank. They have teller's cages, and I'm betting the bank manager doesn't want to completely renovate."
"How about the livery job?" Joe looked hopeful. "I'm real good with horses and nobody will think twice about a healthy sized man doin' that job."
"Which would leave Reese teaching school?" Parmalee looked at Joe incredulously. "You are joking?"
"Hey now!!!" Reese's protest brought a half smile to Parmalee's face.
"The orders stand." He waved his hand dismissing the rangers from his office. Once they had left, he slipped from behind his desk and stood where he could look out the window without being seen. Two of the men mounted their horses and sat waiting on their animals as the third checked his saddle hitch one more time. Scowling and disheartened, Joe Riley mounted up and swung his horse into line. Parmalee smiled broadly. "God help Pruittville."
*****
It was well after dark when the three rangers rode into the small town that they would be calling home until Mesa Joe was put out of action. The dusty streets were rutted and ambled in a slovenly manner through the town, a sure indication that the town had sprung up quickly and without much planning. The single structure that was still in operation at the late hour of the night was the saloon. Light spilled out from the doorway and drunken laughter could be heard echoing into the still quiet of the streets. The Spartan collection of buildings held little interest for the rangers and they sighed deeply at the concept of spending weeks in the backwater hamlet.
Chad adjusted his hat on his head and stared in annoyance at the scene in front of him. "I guess we need to go find the sheriff." He stared pointedly at the saloon. "Course, we could take the edge off our thirst first."
Reese's irregular features broke into a grin. "That we could...that we could." He agreed boisterously. Then his face saddened. "At least, I could." He looked pointedly at Joe. "I don't think the teacher here should be seen in such an establishment." He found his hat very interesting and left his voice fill with regret. "It jes wouldn' be right for the kids to see the teach imbibin'."
Joe pulled himself up in the saddle and glared with hostility at his friend. "Reese...if you don't shut up, you'll be lickin' my elbow cause my fist will be halfway down yer throat."
Reese's hearty chuckle filled the night. "Chad, I do think the teach is a bit touchy. Yessir, a bit touchy."
Chad smiled at the interchange between his friends and nodded towards the sheriff's office. "I think we'd better announce our arrival before we go cleaning out the saloon. We're supposed to be respectable individuals here." He grinned ruefully. "Besides, the bank teller can't be playin' poker anyway. Won't look good."
Reese broke out laughing and slapped his leg in delight. "Yessir, this is like going to a Bible meetin'. You guys got religion. Boy and howdy am I glad I ain' the respectable sort." He wiped the smile off his face abruptly and stared solemnly into Chad's face. "Don' you worry, I'll drink enough for two of us."
Chad pulled back his hand and threatened to backhand the old cattle puncher. This set off another gale of laughter as the totally unimpressed Reese dismounted and tied his horse to the tether outside the sheriff's office. Striding purposefully towards the door, his hamlike fist pounded enthusiastically on the aging wood until it shook under his weight.
A light slowly glowed into existence somewhere inside the structure and a muffled, sleepy voice drifted out. "I'm comin', I'm comin' keep your shirt on." A curse followed as a bare foot found wooden furniture. Still hobbling, a man wearing long johns opened the door. A sheriff's badge hung at an odd angle from the red flannel that covered his hairy chest.
Chad sighed deeply and nodded to Joe who dismounted. The two walked shoulder to shoulder up onto the wooden planks that served as a sidewalk and quietly backed up their more aggressive partner. Jumping in before Reese could open his mouth, Chad held out his hand and pumped the sheriff's arm in a good-natured handshake. "We're from Laredo." He smiled warmly and indicated the office behind the man. "Sure could use a cup of coffee."
Reese cast him a malevolent look but kept quiet. Good-hearted and well meaning, Reese's mouth was often a source of trouble for the rangers. His off color remarks could start a bar fight or land them in jail faster than Chad could draw a gun. As a result, Joe and Chad had an agreement between them as to who Reese would be allowed to address and when. The man's talent for trouble had its uses, but 11 o'clock at night on the streets of Pruittville was not the place.
The sheriff nodded reluctantly and stepped aside so the three men could enter the building. "Good thing you fellas showed up this late. It'll make getting you settled in a touch easier." The man set aside the rifle that had been standing at the ready next to his right hand. "I'm Jeb Langdon." He shut the door firmly behind them. "You can spend the night here with me and tomorrow I'll take ya around to see your new jobs." He stopped and stared at the rangers and then cocked his head to one side. "Which one of you is the schoolteacher?"
Joe shuffled his feet uncomfortably and shivered slightly. "I am."
Sheriff Langdon stared up at the big cowboy in amazement. He took in the hip slung gun belt and the deadly looking knife stuck into his boot. "Yep, I can see that now. Don't know how I missed it." He nodded towards the back of the office. "Only beds I have are in the jail cells. Just leave the doors open. We don't have any guests at the moment so you have your choice."
Chad's shoulders shook as the sheriff cast one more look at Joe's broad back as he returned to his bedroom off the office. If that was the sheriff's reaction, it was going to be interesting to see what the townspeople thought of their new teacher.
*****
The next morning, Joe stepped out of the sheriff's office with a well-groomed Chad. In deference to his job at the bank, Chad sported a suit and tie instead of his customary work clothes. Efforts to get Joe into more traditional academic clothing had proven to be useless. Even if the town had a suit that would have fit the man, the possibility of wearing the restrictive clothing was enough to send Joe Riley off into a string of curses and threats that cowed even Reese for a full 2 minutes.
The sheriff decided to leave the job of escorting Joe to the schoolhouse to Chad who was obviously better able to handle the large ranger. Soothingly, Chad kept a steady stream of chatter going about poker games and what Joe could do to Mesa Joe if he ever caught him until the schoolhouse loomed into view. One look at the structure and Joe turned to move in the opposite direction. Non-plussed, Chad swung him around and kept a guiding hand on his arm as he pushed him towards his temporary occupation. "Then, you can stake him out on an ant hill somewhere and dribble honey all over his chest. We'll find ya a nice red ant mound. I promise."
Joe gave him a shaky smile. "Maybe we could make sure it's a nice hot day and I can wet the rawhide a bit."
"Sure, sure...." Chad patted him on the back. "Remember it's all Mesa Joe's fault. We wouldn't even have to be here if it weren't for him. Heck, we could be back in Laredo, sippin' a beer, watchin' Reese break up the bar." He shook his head sadly. "Yep, it's all that Mesa Joe. Once we catch him, well, just think of the possibilities." He patted his friend on the shoulder.
A smile lit Joe's face. "He could resist arrest." His voice held a hopeful note.
Chad smiled brightly. "He could for a fact." He took on an air of certainty. "I bet he will. He'll just be resistin' until we get him back to Laredo." He opened the door of the schoolhouse and pushed Joe inside. "I'll be back for you after work." He quickly shut the door behind his friend and rapidly made his way out of the schoolyard and down the street before the howls of complaint reached his ears. Joe would be a lot easier to handle after he calmed down. Chad felt a momentary twinge of compassion for the children but shrugged it off. To the best of his knowledge, Joe had never really strung up a child.
*****
Reese stared at the livery stable with distaste. He could fully understand why the owner had volunteered to provide a cover for the Rangers. The last employee had left much to be desired and the condition of the livery had past deplorable several weeks ago. With a resignation to his lot in life, Reese picked up a shovel and applied himself to the job of creating a cleaner and more wholesome environment for himself as well as the horses in his charge. He was deep into his task when he first caught the whiff of smoke.
Assuming the smell came from one of the nearby homes, he took off his shirt to free his arms up even more, and attacked the stalls with renewed gusto. The smoke smell became stronger and he was forced to abandon his task in favor of searching out the odor. He sniffed experimentally and took a few steps to the right where the smell immediately decreased in intensity. Returning back to his original location, he sniffed again and moved to the left, this time the smell got stronger. Sniffing and peering around him, Reese moved bloodhound-like across the stable and opened the door to the small corral that abutted the building in the rear.
Slim tendrils of smoke sporadically rose from behind a pile of hay bales accompanied by giggles and the occasional fit of coughing. Smiling to himself, Reese slipped up to the hay bale and peered behind it. With the smooth motion of a striking snake, he grabbed the two boys by their shirt collars and pulled them out to stand in front of him. "And jes what do you think yer doin'?" Reese glared at the homemade cigarettes that each boy held. "Yer too young ter smoke. Ya need ta be in school."
The boys stared up at the powerfully built man and gulped. "We don' have no schoolteacher, Mister."
"Is that a fact, now." Reese smiled at them. "Well, I happens to know that ya got a new schoolteacher today. So's you can go to school." His smile dropped. "Now git."
The boys looked at each other and smiled. "A new schoolteacher? Heck, we jist got rid of the ole one no more'n two weeks ago."
Reese glowered. "You boys give schoolteachers a rough time?"
The boys smiled evilly and looked up at him conspiratorially. "We never had no teacher for more'n a week. They just ups and leaves."
Reese covered his smile with his hand as an idea slipped around the corners of his mind. "Yep," he shook his head. "I remember when I was your age. I'd..." he stopped talking and shrugged his shoulders. "You kids wouldn' be interested."
"Yes we would." Both heads nodded enthusiastically. "Tell us."
Reese made a big show out of considering the request. "If I tell ya, you boy's wouldn' go tryin' it or nothin' would ya? I can't have ya tryin' things like that."
One boy smiled broadly at the other. "No, sir."
The second boy smiled and shook his head. "No sir."
"Well," Reese looked to see if anyone was listening in. He knelt to be closer to his accomplices. "I used to fill a paper bag with some of that horsesh....uh....manure and set it on fire. When the teacher comes a runnin' to stomp it out, well...you can ponder the rest." He stood up and smiled broadly. "Course, you two would never do that, so's off to school with yas."
Turning on his heel, he returned to the livery chuckling in delight. Returning to his work, he kept an eye on the livery door. Less than fifteen minutes past before one towhead past just under the stall wall followed by a shock of black curls. Giggling and shushing announced the little thieves as the crumple of paper heralded the making of several bags of excrement.
Reese leaned against his shovel and laughed silently until his sides ached. It was a shame he'd have to just hear about it. It would be pure pleasure to be there when it happened.
*****
The older woman stared in approval at the new bank teller. It was hard not to approve of the slender but obviously well-built man who was so charmingly tending to her deposit. The slow smile mesmerized her as did the tanned hands as they efficiently counted the money into a small stack and then wrote the deposit onto the ledger with neat bold figures. She adjusted her neckline and smiled coyly. "What brings you to Pruittville?" She leaned forward so he could get a good glimpse of her décolletage. "It's been a long long time since we've had a gentlemen like you in our little town." She licked her lips suggestively.
Chad smiled at her taking a few minutes to appreciate the view she was so obviously affording him. "I'll be here for a bit, Mrs. Caulder. I'm looking for a place to settle. If I like it here..." he left his voice trail off with the rest unsaid.
The lady giggled like a girl half her age and held out her hand for the deposit slip. "I do hope you decide you like it here then." She allowed her hand to linger on his before taking the paper. "Life around here can be dreadfully dull, but we do have our amusements."
"Mr. Caulder must be a truly happy man." Chad smiled broadly enjoying the flirtation.
"Mr. Caulder died a few years ago." She laughed softly. "I'm a widow, Mr. Cooper. It's been a long long time since ...."she hesitated. "Well, it's been a long time." She smiled up at him. "Do feel free to call on me if you feel the need for anything. Anything at all."
Chad grinned. Widows were so much more interesting than the younger girls he'd been acquainted with, not nearly as much small talk involved. He gave her a broad smile showing that he had caught her meaning and watched her ample figure as it left the bank with an exaggerated swing to the hips. Pursing his lips together he left out a short whistle of appreciation. This job was shaping up to be much better than he had hoped.
Throughout the day, most of the townswomen found their way to the bank for various transactions, some as small as a ten cent withdrawal or deposit. Chad worked cheerfully through the day enjoying the atmosphere that had thickened around him.
The bank manager, William Talbot, just shook his head at the parade of overly dressed women who found their way in and out of his doors. Mesa Joe or no Mesa Joe, this was an unexpected side benefit of having the young ranger in his establishment. If he was even half as good with the gun that was hidden out of sight below the counter, Talbot was feeling a great deal better about his situation than he had been just a few days ago.
*****
Joe stared at the empty classroom and slowly sank to a crouch for all the world like an Indian scout checking out a hostile area. The rows of desks and chairs made for anatomies a great deal smaller than his own gave him an otherworldly feeling. The rolled up sleeves got tighter as his biceps responded to the adrenaline flow that his discomfort was causing. Swallowing hard, he moved to the front of the room and spent a moment opening each door of the teacher's desk like it had a potential bomb inside. He thought about sitting on the chair but quickly discarded the idea. If he actually sat in that chair, he'd be a teacher and there would be none of that for Joe Riley. He ran a finger along the chalk tray and then rubbed the chalk dust between his thumb and finger feeling the texture. Disgustedly, he rubbed it off on his pants and made a face at the white streak it left.
Shrieking laughter and screams of annoyance heralded the arrival of the students. Joe retreated back against the blackboard as the door opened and his small charges poured into the classroom. Within seconds, quiet descended on the classroom as the children stared in amazement at the man in front of the blackboard. Reflexively, Joe's hand dropped to his gun and the children fell over the furniture and each other as they scrambled into their seats. For a long time, the two camps stared at each other distrustingly. Both sides wondered what Joe was going to do next.
Keeping an eye on the children, Joe moved towards the teacher's desk thinking that it would provide cover if need be. He stared at the chair and then sat on the desktop leaving one long leg planted firmly on the floor. The children stared at him and he stared back. Breaking the silence, he nodded towards them. "Howdy."
The children looked at one another and then at him unsure of an appropriate response. Joe saw a book laying on the table and pounced on it. "Here....." he held up the book. "Read something."
A dozen heads bowed over books with an extraordinary zeal and Joe nodded in satisfaction. This wasn't going to be so bad.
Screams came from the schoolyard and Joe leapt from his desk to race across the room. He threw open the door and jumped from the small porch directly onto the ground ignoring the six steps that led up to it. Two small boys were screaming in apparent fright as paper bags were bursting into flames.
The boys looked up to see Joe bearing down on them and their eyes got wide. They glanced at each other and then moved quickly to stomp on the burning bags. Joe stopped short and wrinkled his nose in disgust as the smell of burning manure wafted across the schoolyard to assail his nostrils. He stared at the two boys who were industriously snuffing out the flames with the heels of their boots oblivious to the fact that the manure was clinging to their trouser legs.
"Good job, boys." Joe nodded his head at them in greeting. "I hope you plan to change your clothes afore you come into school."
The boys nodded vigorously. "You the schoolteacher?" The one boy's voice quavered.
"Yep." Joe pointed at the remains of the sacks on the ground. "How did this happen?"
"Criminals did it." The towheaded boy blurted out the information with great feeling. "They came in here and put down these sacks and set em on fire. I bet they don' like school."
Joe nodded. "Mesa Joe might be lookin' for a diversion. You boys keep an eye out for the guys who did this." He looked thoughtfully at the boys. "You would recognize the criminals who did this, right?"
The boys nodded enthusiastically.
"Good." Joe pulled the knife from his boot and twirled it so it would catch the sunlight. "I have plans for Mesa Joe...and his gang of cutthroats."
The boys gulped.
Joe leaned forward. "You SURE it was criminals."
The boys nodded and Joe straightened up. "I'll take care of em."
Short legs pumped as the two headed out of the schoolyard in a sudden need to change their clothes before returning to school.
Joe laughed and returned the knife to his boot. "I did that to a teacher once." He returned to the schoolhouse where the rest of his charges had watched as he had apparently threatened the two troublemakers with a knife and sent them packing. When he returned, they were back at their books with their noses just inches above the pages. Joe nodded in satisfaction and sat back down on the desktop.
*****
The boarding house that Sheriff Langdon recommended was a homey place with home cooked meals and clean serviceable rooms. Joe stepped into Chad's room and dropped heavily into a chair. "Tell me again about what we're gonna do to Mesa Joe."
Chad smiled and slipped into a long and involved description of the various tortures that could be visited on the bandit's head. Warming to his subject, he left the more conventional methods of making a man uncomfortable and stole a few from the European Middle Ages to add to the Apache tricks that Joe favored. Joe leaned back his head and smiled to himself as the graphic descriptions flew over his mind like a balm. Every now and then, he'd stop Chad to remind him to add a point that he thought he'd missed or make a suggestion that would bring a smile of joy to his lips. Chad was just getting to the point where Mesa Joe was howling and begging for mercy as Reese stepped into the room bringing with him an odor of the livery.
"Oh no ya don't." Chad propelled him back out the door into the hallway. "Get a bath." He firmly shut the door in his face and then plopped back down on the bed to continue his truly amazing rhetoric mindless of the fact that Mesa Joe had been killed off several times over before he'd gotten to the tar and feathers.
Reese stared in disgust at the door. "I get no respect. You guys can sit in there and talk all ya want. I can go to the saloon. Yep, I can go to the saloon and have a nice cold beer and grab me a purty woman while the two of you need to be all respectable like. I'll be sure to have a whisky for each of ya." He grinned wolfishly. "Heck, I'll bet that saloon gal won't be concerned if I have a bath or not."
The door opened to reveal Chad standing backlit by the afternoon sun. "Wanna bet?"
The door shut firmly in Reese's face and he scowled for a second before the good humor returned to his face and he headed off in the direction of the saloon with a possible side trip to the bathhouse.
Chad dropped back onto the bed and glared at the ceiling. "I could be in a poker game but I'm here while Reese is heading for the saloon. Cap'n Parmalee is out to get me."
"Out to get you?" Joe shook his head. "Then how come I'm teachin'?"
Chad smiled to himself. "I think I'm going out."
"To where?" Joe exploded at him. "You have to stay respectable too."
Chad nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but I promised the Widow Caulder I'd go over and help her with her finances." He gave Joe a somber look. "Poor woman hasn't had a husband for some time. I think it's my obligation to help her in her time of need."
"How old is this widow?" Joe gave him a suspicious look.
"Oh, she's older." Chad nodded sincerely. "She's not a kid."
"Experienced you might say?" Joe smiled in understanding.
Chad returned the smile with one of his own. "I do suspect she might be."
Joe got up and stretched. "I'm going for a walk. Maybe I'll actually get tired and need to go to bed....alone." He emphasized the last word and headed out the door.
*****
The cool of the evening was actually whipping up a breeze for the small western town when Joe's walk took him past the residential section. Unlike the cluster of buildings that marked the town's main street, this area had more space between the homes and the yards were fenced in. It felt good to stretch his legs after the comparative inactivity of the day. He stopped for a few minutes at the spot where the homes abruptly ended and the rough Texas terrain beckoned him. It would be kinda nice to keep walking. Only the idea that he was on-duty kept him tied to the pocket of civilization.
He reluctantly turned back towards the boarding house when he heard the scream. The first one floated on the air in a disembodied state with no direction to it, but the second was crystal clear and shattered the evening quiet. The high pitched wail deteriorated into the frantic sobs of a distraught woman. "My baby...my baby...." The litany repeated brokenly as Joe ran following the sound. Leaping over a fence, he swung around the front end of a house to see a woman lying on her stomach reaching into what had been a covered well. The old boards had broken under the weight of something and the woman was in danger of falling in herself.
Grabbing her by the waist, Joe lifted her easily off the boards and set her aside so that he could lean over and look down. The ghostly white face of a child wearing impossibly thick glasses stared up at him. The little face was terrified and with good reason. It was only the skirt of her dress that kept her from falling down into the depths of the old well. As she hung there suspended over the now dry hole in the ground, a piece of wood slipped and fell into the darkness making disconcerting noises as it went down a very long way. The broken board that held her skirt slipped and she screamed in fright as she was jerked downwards another several inches.
Joe pulled off his belt and threw it over what remained of the old stone wall. Making a loop, he made sure the end was thoroughly secured and then lowered himself down next to the child. The wood slipped again and Joe's arm shot out to grab the little girl as she fell. He pulled her tightly against his chest as his back took the rain of debris from the broken boards. He felt the leather of the belt cut into his wrist and he realized that the makeshift tether wasn't going to hold for long.
He adjusted his right arm so that his hand was directly under the little girl's backside and smiled at her reassuringly. "You've got to let go of my neck, honey." He smiled down at her. "I'm going to push you up to Mommy."
The little girl smiled back and to his great relief nodded in agreement. She released the choke hold she had on him and he pushed up so that he could balance her on his shoulder. Then, with one more shove she was above the level of the well where her mother grabbed her gratefully.
Placing his feet against the crumbling wall, Joe walked upwards until he could grab the rim and pull himself out. Breathing heavily, he fell onto the ground and worked to disengage his left hand from the brutally cutting belt. He wasn't surprised to see a thin line of blood form and drip into his hand.
The woman ran into the house with her daughter and returned holding a cloth and some water. She sat down next to the ranger and cleaned the cut.. "Thank you, thank you...she's all I have." The woman stammered and her hands trembled until Joe took the cloth from her and finished the job.
"It's okay, Ma'am." Joe smiled at her. He fumbled for something to say to take her mind off of the near miss. "I didn't see her in school today."
"School?" The woman sniffed. "Oh, you're the new teacher." She gave him an appraising look that went a long way to explaining why the little girl hadn't been in school. "She'll be in tomorrow." She smiled up at him. "I promise."
Joe nodded and got to his feet handing her the cloth. "I'll see her tomorrow." He dusted off his clothes and replaced his hat on his head before sauntering out of the yard and back to the street. He turned to look at the house and saw the little girl standing in the front window waving at him cheerfully.
He waved back and headed for the boarding house.
*****
Day by day the rangers settled into the routine of Pruittville. The alarming presence of Joe Riley at the school had subsided into a mere curiosity for the townspeople but the presence of Chad Cooper at the bank was becoming an inconvenience for William Talbot. The sheer number of lonely women who found their way to stand in his bank for impossibly small transactions had increased to the point where the dignified man had to start using the back door just to get to his office. "Cooper, you have to find some way to discourage this." Talbot brushed the dust off his coat sleeve and indicated the long line of women waiting at the teller window. "I don't know what you've been doing, but I strongly suspect it's not bank business."
Chad winced and then sighed. "Widow Caulder has a big mouth."
Talbot sighed. "She's also a major contributor to this bank. Under no circumstances do we offend her."
"Sir," Chad protested, "I already have to wonder why I'm paying for a room at the boarding house. This" he indicated the full lobby of the bank "is just impossible."
"You offend even one of these ladies, and I'll make a report." Talbot closed his eyes in exasperation. "Please Cooper, just keep a lid on things until Mesa Joe gets caught."
Chad stared out at the lobby with trepidation. "I should have taken the job at the livery stable."
*****
Reese pulled his hat down over his eyes and got a tad more comfortable on the oat sacks. He opened one eye and checked the progress of his two workers as they tiredly raked out yet another stall. "Be sure you get it all out before putting fresh hay in. Yesterday, you left some."
The towheaded boy threw his rake on the floor and glared at him. "You could do it yourself, ya know. You're getting paid for it."
"True." Reese raised up on one elbow and smiled broadly. "O course, I could go down to the school and tell Mr. Riley who really put fire to those sacks. I told ya not to go tryin' nuthin."
The boy picked up the rake with a rebellious jerk. "You told us that just so's we would go try it."
"Now, I might have and I might not have." Reese grinned and leaned back on the oats. "Course, you're the ones that done it."
The boys grumbled and quarreled among themselves as the hay flew in all directions.
"You'd best be careful that none of that lands over here." Reese spoke through his hat. "I'd be downright annoyed if I had to take another bath before tomorrow night."
*****
Joe walked around the classroom stopping occasionally to correct a paper or redirect a student back into the book they held. He'd wordlessly redo an arithmetic problem on a slate and then tap on a paper that needed copied correctly. The children no longer feared his large presence standing behind them and an uneasy truce was in place between the reluctant teacher and the more reluctant pupils.
He stopped for a moment at Abigail's desk to pick up her glasses and place them back on her nose. He then turned her book right side up so that she could read it. Blushing, she flashed him love besotted smile that sent him off to the next table as soon as he could get there. Abigail's crush was the talk of the town and everyone thought it was cute that the little girl was so taken with her rescuer. Everyone, but Joe, who would rather have been trailing Mesa Joe up in the mountains rather than spending even one more day in the schoolhouse.
Since the second day, the teacher's desk had been covered with tribute. Red and green apples shined to perfection appeared magically every morning along with little offerings of flowers and sometimes candy. The one offering of a frog in his upper drawer was hastily withdrawn by the giver when Joe had pulled his knife and asked if anyone had ever had frog legs. Apparently, that gift had been intended as the non-edible variety. The flowers were almost definitely from Abigail. Each day the poor wilted blooms grew in number as they begged for attention against the mounds of fruit. With the exception of Abigail's flowers, it was up for grabs whether the items that appeared on the teacher's desk were meant as gifts or bribes.
Joe moved to the front of the room and cleared his throat. Immediately all heads raised and pencils and chalk were dropped as he was given full attention. He lifted his hands to show a book and slowly opened it up. "We're gonna continue this here story about "The Prince and the Pauper" . Any objections?" He looked around the room for any sign of answer and as usual received none. Nodding in satisfaction, he opened the book and found his place. "Okay, yesterday I read the part where this prince fella changed places with this guy that looked just like him only didn't have beans. I guess we're gonna find out what happened to the spoiled runt."
The children sat a bit straighter in their chairs and Joe began to read. He settled back against the desk and was soon engrossed in the story. Truth be known, he liked the book himself. It sure beat having to eat one more apple and it took up some of the time.
*****
Sheriff Langdon noticed the men filtering into town both singly and in pairs for almost an hour before he headed to the livery stable to get Reese Bennett. He had grown to like the crusty ranger with the big heart. Not handsome by any means, Reese had managed to gain the undying admiration of every saloon girl in town. His quick right hook and amiable manner had the respect of most of the men in town and it was no secret that he'd managed to find a way to keep the Caulder boys out of trouble. He swallowed a smile as he entered the livery and found the boys hard at work while Reese relaxed on a few sacks of oats.
"Reese." He poked his friend awake. "I think we have trouble."
Immediately, Reese was on his feet, his eyes bright. "Well, it's about time. We've been here over a week." He jammed his hat solidly down on his head. "I was beginnin' ta think the varmint had gone to the west and missed us. I'd hate ta think we'd miss out on the fun. Specially with Joe so lookin' forward ta meetin' this fella."
Langdon smiled. "Speaking of Joe, let's go collect him as well. I'd like to have all of you on the street with me when this comes down."
Reese nodded enthusiastically. "We'll catch em in a crossfire. You'd best start tellin' people real quietlike to go home and stay there." He ran out of the stable leaving Langdon to send the boys home and lock up.
Nobody thought twice about Reese running down the middle of the street. They had become used to him and didn't find anything he did out of the ordinary. Even so, when he'd grab one person or another and whisper to them in an amazingly soft voice, they'd hurry off without question.
He burst into the schoolhouse to find Joe eagerly reading the next chapter of Mark Twain's newest novel. "C'mon Joe. Things are heatin' up."
Joe looked up in aggravation and sighed as he closed the book. "Okay kids, school's out early. Head on home and stay there." The children gulped as he drew his gun and spun the barrel checking the ammunition it contained. Fear added wings to their heels as they flew out the door and ran home in fifteen separate directions. All except Abigail who looked like she was ready to cry. Joe knelt down next to her and gave her his most winning smile. "You go home, Honey. I have some work ta do now."
Abigail's lips quivered. "You gonna get killed?"
"No, Honey," Joe gave her a quick smile and a pat on the cheek. "This is my job and I'm real good at it. You go long home."
The two men hit the street running back to the center of town. Joe's long legs easily outdistanced Reese's stockier build. The sheriff had done a good job and the streets were empty of townspeople except for a few that were armed and standing ready. If the strangers had noticed the change in shift, they weren't acknowledging it. All eyes were on the bank.
The strangers watched in some confusion as the doors opened and the Sheriff stepped out with several women in tow. He escorted them across the street and into the mercantile before leaving and going back into his own office. Almost immediately, the doors opened again and several more women left with their reticules clasped tightly in their gloved hands wearing clothes that were better suited to a church social.
Joe smiled in amusement at the small parade of women and shook his head. Chad was downright amazing. He took a position behind water barrel and sighted the men who were standing on the balconies over at the hotel. When the shooting started, they'd be the first to go. Joe didn't much like having guns over his head where they could shoot down with deadly efficiency.
Reese chose a spot directly in front of the saloon where he could pin down the occupants with ease if they decided to come out and join the fun. A quick glance inside told him that the men in there weren't the regular clientele. The saloon girls as well as the bartender had become scarce. Reese chuckled. Yep, like shooting fish in a barrel.
Chad had William Talbot step into the vault and close the door behind him. If it came down to shooting, the heavy vault door would take a great deal of punishment before it gave way. He went to stand in the teller's cage as usual only this time, the pistol that usually rested under the cabinet was in his right hand and ready.
Sheriff Langdon smiled to himself as he watched the Rangers doing what they did best. No matter how much disruption their presence had created in the small town, the fact that they knew their job and knew it well was becoming very evident. He broke the rifle and checked the shells he had in it before snapping it back and pumping a shell into the chamber. Mesa Joe would have a major surprise waiting for him.
The minutes clicked by and a small band of men made their appearance on the main street of the town. It didn't take an expert to see that these were professionals in their field. The guns were tied securely to their thighs and the hats were pulled down to shield the eyes that took in every detail of the street.
The riders dismounted and stood in front of the bank as two of their number opened the door and entered.
*****
Chad smiled at the men who came to his window. "Can I help you?"
"Sure thing." The smaller of the two men gave a smirk. "We'd like to make a withdrawal."
"Your account book, sir?" Chad watched the gun hands closely.
The two men laughed nastily and reached for their guns. The guns didn't make it out of the holsters as they slowly replaced them. The barrel of Chad's pistol wove in front of their eyes like a deadly snake constantly targeting. The ranger smiled and nodded to them cordially as he indicated that they were to sit down on the floor with their hands on their heads. He stepped out from the teller's cage and removed their guns from their holsters depositing them on the counter. "You're under arrest."
*****
Chad pulled Joe back from the jail cell and pushed him up against the wall. "I can't help it he didn't resist arrest. You got to shoot a few of his buddies, aren't you happy with that."
"No." Joe struggled to get past his friend without hurting him. "I want that guy under my hands. I've been thinking really hard about what I want to do with him."
Reese stepped into the sheriff's office and quickly joined Chad as they wrestled Joe into a chair. "Now, calm down. You can rip out his gullet if he tries to escape on the way to Laredo."
"He'll try to escape?" Joe's face got a bright smile. "Yeah, he could try that."
"Sure, sure he could." Reese's gravelly voice was reassuring as he patted the big man's shoulder. "I'm bettin' he's back there right now plannin' on it."
Chad nodded in agreement. "Stands to reason that he'll do that, Joe. Just stands to reason."
Joe scowled at the sheriff. "If he tries to escape, I can shoot him."
Langdon hid a smile behind his hand. "I'm not an authority on the precise points of law, but yes, I'd say escape is grounds to shoot."
Reese and Chad released their hold on Joe and stepped back to an arm's length away.
"Either one of you ever, ever bring up this teaching thing again and I'll make sure you never mention it again." Joe crossed his arms and glared at them. "I'm no teacher."
"No." Chad shook his head in emphasis. "You are no teacher. I'll be the first person to tell that to people."
"I don't like kids." Joe glared at Reese.
"Course you don't." Reese gave him a broad grin. "Nobody never said ya did, now did they?"
The door to the sheriff's office opened very slowly and Abigail entered the room with her mother. She stared in awe at the group of lawmen standing there and took in with great interest Chad's changed appearance. With his work clothes on and a gun strapped across his hips, he looked as much like a bank teller as Reese Bennett.
"Hi, Honey." Chad stepped forward and patted her cheek. "What can we do for you?"
Abigail sighed deeply and practically ran to Joe's side. She pulled on his shirt until he lowered his head so that she could plant a kiss on his cheek. In an outburst of tears, she dropped a brown paper package in his lap and then ran out of the sheriff's office sobbing. Her mother smiled apologetically and followed her.
Joe picked up the package and swallowed hard. He pulled off the brown paper and the handsome face broke into a smile. "The Prince and the Pauper." He held up the book for Chad to see. "Ya know I was wonderin' how I was ever gonna figure out what happened to that rich kid."
Chad clapped him on the shoulder. "That's a right fine gift, Joe."
"Yeah it is." Joe agreed. "Ya know, I might not have been that bad a teacher as all that. If I wasn't such a good ranger, I might have given it a try."
Reese coughed and found a spot on the floor extremely interesting while Chad rolled his eyes. "Let's go home."