Chapter Fourteen
“Where is he going?” Gill asked Billy the next morning when he saw Jeb preparing a horse.
“Craig, Willie and Wyatt never came back last night,” Billy replied with a shake of his head. “Damn fool boys probably got drunk and passed out somewhere.”
Jane shook her head. “Not Wyatt, pa. You know he doesn’t act foolish the way Craig and Willie sometimes do. I’m real worried.”
“Then why aren’t you going?” Gill demanded, feeling his own worry grow. What if something had happened to Wyatt or to Craig? Willie would probably deserve whatever came his way but the other two men sure didn’t.
“Jeb won’t let me. He wants us to stay here, pack up the tents and be ready to leave as soon as he gets back.”
Gill saw her eyes stray over his shoulder just as he heard Pete’s footsteps approaching. “Good morning, Jane.”
Gill was shocked nearly shitless when, tough as nails, don’t take no shit off anybody, Jane, blushed. “Good morning, Pete.”
Billy grumbled and slammed his skillet down on the cooking grate he was using to fry some meat. Gill chose to leave Pete to his fate with the big, hairy man, and instead of helping his friend, he headed over to Jeb.
“I’m coming with you,” Gill stated as he grabbed his own horse.
Jeb stood straight and swiped sweat from his brow. “You are?”
Gill began to saddle his horse. “Yeah. There could be trouble so I’m coming.”
Jeb grinned with amusement. “So you’re coming to protect me?”
Gill quickly looked away from him and focused on his task. He’d been trained by both his father and the Texas Rangers to never travel alone nor let another man travel alone. It was crucial to always have someone along who could have your back. “Rafe had a rule about traveling alone.”
“And what was that rule?”
“To not to.”
Jeb chuckled. “Well alright then. Your pa was a smart man.”
Gill bristled a the compliment to his father and simply concentrated on cinching up his saddle.
***
Jeb was acutely aware of Gill riding along beside him. He was acutely aware of every damn move Gill made and had been since the man had first rode into his camp. The man was nearly all Jeb was able to think about here lately and he knew he had to have him soon--it was the only way to ease the burning desire in his blood. But Gill seemed desperate to ensure that never happened; or at least he had last night.
But now they were riding side by side and completely alone.
Jeb shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to be worrying about whether or not Gill would ever give in. Craig, Willie and Wyatt could be in very real trouble. Jeb would be angry but not worried if it were only Craig and Willie who hadn’t come back because those two were known to drink a bit too much when they went to the saloon and pass out where they sat. Wyatt, on the other hand, was not a drinker, didn’t get wild and always rushed back from town as quickly as he could. The fact that he was missing as well gave Jeb cause to be very very worried.
Willie had been in a self destructive mood when he’d left the camp. What if he’d picked a fight that the three of them hadn’t been able to win? Jeb’s blood froze at the thought of losing his brother and his friends. Jeb had already lost so much in his life….
“Maybe they’re fine, Jeb,” Gill’s voice broke through Jeb’s desperate and tangled thoughts.
“I never said they weren’t,” Jeb replied.
“Yeah but I can tell when a man is worried and you’re worried,” Gill countered.
Jeb sighed. “Willie’s not known for having much sense on the best of days and yesterday certainly wasn’t his best day. Craig tends to lose his sense as well when he and Willie get to drinking. For the two of them wandering off and not coming back when I say to wouldn’t be anything to worry over but Wyatt… Wyatt would have come back last night if he could have--even without them. He would have come and got me if he’d been unable to get them to listen.”
One of Gill’s thick black brows quirked up. “You really think it’s that serious.”
Jeb nodded, pulling his hat down lower. “It very well could be.”
Silence reigned. It was thick with tension, both from the desire that each man felt coursing through them and from the worry over their friends. Town came into view and Jeb pointed his horse for the saloon with Gill following behind him.
As the men stepped into the dark building and gave their eyes time to adjust, the bartender, Gary, looked up from his task of sweeping the floor. “I know you,” he grumbled at the sight of Gill. “You’re the one that came in here and busted the place up not long ago.”
Gill nodded. “I reckon I am.”
“I’m about sick and damn tired of this place getting busted up,” Gary snapped.
Jeb glanced around and realized it did indeed appear that there had been some kind of ruckus in the saloon recently. One of the tables was shattered on the floor, several chairs with busted legs were piled in the corner, a window had been smashed and glasses were still strewn here and there on the floor.
“What happened here?” Jeb asked. “I’m looking for my brother Craig…”
“Jeb! Hell I didn’t recognize you. You haven’t been here in a coons age.” Gary tossed his broom aside and strode forward. “You better get your no good brother and his friends out of my backroom, out of my saloon and out of this town! If there any law here, I’d done have them strung up and dangling in the wind!”
Jeb was confused. “You have them locked up?”
“Hell yeah! I had to wait for them to sober the hell up!”
Gill was chuckling as he slid onto a stool and sat with his back against the bar and his elbows on the scarred wood. Jeb’s fists clenched. Did that jackass not realize what he did to him?! Or did he know good and well what he did and that’s why he did it?
Jeb crossed his arms over his chest. “What did they do?” he asked, finding it hard to believe that Wyatt had any part in anything.
“Jeb!” a muffled voice called from behind a door on the other side of the bar. A banging started up. “Jeb, is that you? Let us out of here!”
“Craig, what the hell did you do?” Jeb demanded, jerking the offered key from Gary’s hand and stomping to the door. He unlocked it and Jeb, Willie and Wyatt came flying out.
They were bloodied, bruised and smelled like whiskey vats--even Wyatt. “What happened?” Jeb repeated.
“You should have seen it, Jeb!” Craig exclaimed excitedly.
Wyatt began moving his mouth a mile a minute and his hands danced animatedly. Gill stepped over and Wyatt focused his attention on him, clearly very excited over whatever it was he was trying to tell them.
“Wyatt, you know that only Craig can read those lips when you get to going like that. Slow down….” Jeb scolded.
Wyatt’s brow furrowed with frustration, he let out a harrumph and waved at Craig. Craig grinned and patted his best friend on the back while Willie stumbled to the bar and proceeded to sprawl himself across it.
“You should have seen it. Willie was drinking at a back corner, wallowing in his sorrows and I was preoccupied with a pretty blond while Wyatt was sitting at the bar. Some fellas came in and started giving him trouble. I was going to come over and defend him but before I could get there our Wyatt stood up and decked one of those bastards straight in the mouth!”
Jeb’s eyes widened. “You did?” he asked the small, quiet and shy man who had always been too afraid to ever defend himself and yet was overprotective of the rest of them.
Wyatt nodded, his face beaming and his brown eyes lighting up with pride. He hopped up and down and clenched a fist before swinging it out to imitate his actions. Gill laughed and patted him on the back. “Good for you, Wyatt. It’s about damn time you stand up for yourself.”
Jeb had to agree. “I’m guessing one hell of a fight came after that?”
“It sure did.” Craig nodded. “Busting tables, chairs, bottles… hell, one man nearly stabbed Willie and would have if Willie hadn’t been dog drunk and stumbled sideways at the last minute.”
Jeb found himself shaking his head and chuckling. Gary slammed his fist on the bar which caused Willie to moan and mumble a threat of death to the man. “How can you be laughing at a time like this?” Gary demanded. “Do you have any idea the damage they caused?”
Jeb was going to respond but Gill stepped forward, hooked his thumbs through the belt loops of his black trousers and leaned his weight to one side. “Sounds to me like those other men started it,” he replied, his deep soothing voice all business and stern as he stared down the older man. “It makes me wonder where those men are since they clearly aren’t in the storeroom.”
Gary blustered and rubbed his neck. “Well I couldn’t very well keep them all together, could I?”
Jeb, used to being in command, attempted to speak again but Gill beat him to it once more. Jeb was surprised by the commanding tone and presence he was exuding. “You mean to tell me that those men instigated the fight that led to this damage and you let them go and locked up the three men whose only crime was defending themselves?”
“Well I….”
Gill held up his hand and the bartender instantly fell silent. “You’ll apologize to these men for the inconvenience you caused them and then we’ll be on our way. We had plans on leaving out this morning and you’ve done cost us valuable hours. My suggestion to you is to monitor who you let through that door and keep the good for nothing riff raff out of here.”
Gary glared at Willie who was frowning at a stain on his gaucho pants that looks suspiciously like vomit. Jeb curled his nose. Willie always had lost his stomach anytime he started chugging back whiskey. “I believe I’ll take your advice on that.”
Gill just nodded and then headed out the swinging double doors with Wyatt on his heels. Craig peeled Willie off the bar and dragged the stumbling man along while Jeb brought up the rear.
“Did you see how he stood up and handled that?” Craig asked with awe. “You better watch yourself, Jeb, because I believe Rafe’s boy has leadership potential.”
Jeb clicked his tongue thoughtfully. “Yeah, I believe you’re right.”
Craig nudged Willie with his elbow to right his leaning posture and then winked at his brother. “Then again, maybe y’all will decide to be lifelong partners and the gang will belong to both of you and you can lead it side by side until you’re too old to cinch a saddle.”
Jeb just shook his head at his brother’s foolishness. He didn’t reckon that he, or Gill, was looking for anything long term… Jeb would just be happy to finally have that warm ass!
***
“What happened to them?!” Jane exclaimed when they rode back into the clearing where camp had been. Jeb was glad to see that all the tents and supplies were packed away and everything seemed ready to move out.
Jeb rolled his eyes when Craig and Wyatt leapt from their horses and began telling Jane, Billy and Pete all about the fun they’d had in town. Willie remained n his horse and seemed to be making it a point to stare in the opposite direction of Jane.
“Everybody mount up!” Jeb called once Craig and Wyatt were done filling everyone in. “We should have ridden out hours ago.”
Jeb rode to the edge of the woods as he waited for everyone else to ready themselves. He was surprised when Gill rode up beside him. The other man stared off into the trees, his brown eyes squinting and thoughtful. “I’m not sure why I’m telling you this,” he stated. “But I told Pete the truth about myself.”
“And?”
“And he claimed he knew all along.”
Jeb nodded. “I’m sure he did. True friends don’t let things like that come between them, Gill. There ain’t nothing wrong with the man you are.”
Jeb wished he could read Gill’s mind as the man simply continued to stare into the woods. He sensed there was something more going on with him than he’d let on--Gill was fighting some bigger inner battle than just who he wanted to bed.
The conversation would have to wait until later, Jeb realized, when everyone began riding up behind them. Billy was manning the cart while everyone else was on horseback.
“We’re ready when you are, boss,” Craig grinned and Jeb grumbled at being referred to as he boss just as he knew Craig knew he would.
Jeb nodded. “Alright then. Let’s go show them rich bastards that they aren’t half as great as they think they are.”