High Thoughts
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The next morning was warm and windless. The men left early to work on their tasks, while Ben took the mare out for a ride. She was a spirited animal that had been in many rodeos but still possessed a quiet disposition and gentle manners.
“You’ll do well with her,” he told Dan. “She’s used to being saddled and ridden.” He watched as Dan took hold of the reins and then mounted, holding them in his left hand so they wouldn’t get tangled with his spurs.
Dan swung into a trot across the grassy fields toward the woods where Tom stood watch over the men. They’d already found a spot by a stream where they could cross without too much trouble. It would be good practice for when they headed west after the ranch closed down, or if they happened to have a spare day or two on one of their trips back east.
After crossing the creek, they rode up to the edge of a stand of pine trees and let the horses graze among the branches.
They stopped there awhile watching the squirrels chase each other through the trees, then went to look for birds and lizards under rocks. A few days before, Ben had shown him how to dig up ants’ nests with a stick.
They collected several dozen of these tiny yellowish-brown insects, which Ben had put in a jar with some moist moss and damp dirt. Then they set off across the field to where another stand of pine trees grew beside a stream.
The sun rose higher in the sky behind the pines. Dan began picking up small stones from around the stream bank and tossing them into the water.
“Are you trying to catch fish?” Ben asked, amused. “That’s a lot of hard work.”
“I’m throwing pebbles so I can see how deep the water is.”
Ben laughed. “Why don’t we just dive in and find out? We might even catch dinner like those frogs.”
Dan shook his head. “Not yet.” He threw another rock into the water, this time not bothering to throw it high enough for anyone to see.
A shadow passed overhead and Dan turned, looking up. An enormous eagle swooped low over the field, gliding between the trees. For a moment he thought it had come to investigate the stream but then he heard a shrill cry from above and saw a hawk soaring past them. Its wings were wide and swept downward as it soared over them and disappeared in the distance.
As the day warmed up, Dan started complaining about being hungry. “We’re going to eat lunch now,” Ben said. “Do you know how to make a sandwich?”
“Yes!” He looked around excitedly. “Can I use your knife and fork?”
“Of course.” Ben gave him permission to take one of the knives, then pulled out three pieces of bread and spread them with butter.
“Now what?”
“Put a little ham and cheese between two slices of bread.”
He did so, then took a piece of bread and wrapped the filling inside. When he came to Ben’s loaf, he hesitated for only a second before taking a big bite of ham, then finished the other sandwiches.
After eating, they played a few rounds of whist.
“What are you thinking about?” Ben asked.
“My family.” His voice sounded distant to Ben’s ears.
Ben waited but Dan didn’t say anymore. He’d learned early on not to probe when his brother was upset. But something else had occurred to him earlier that morning—a conversation Dan hadn’t mentioned. He hadn’t mentioned it because it would mean he was responsible for someone leaving town.
“Your wife,” he said quietly. “Where is she?”
“In San Francisco.”
“How long ago did you leave her there?”
“Almost six months.”
“Have you talked to her since?”
“Yes,” Dan answered shortly.
There was more than food on Dan’s mind. What could be keeping them apart for so long? “Doesn’t she want to come back here with you?”
“Maybe someday.”
That was all Ben said for a while, hoping he wasn’t digging a hole in a place too painful for him to step down from. Then Dan added, “It’s not easy being married.”
“I’m sorry,” Ben answered quietly. “When did you meet your wife?”
“Long time ago.”
“Was she in California then?”
“No.”
“How did you meet?”
“Through her brother.”
“Brother? Who’s he?”
Dan sighed heavily. “Her husband.”
For a moment, Ben couldn’t speak, shocked at such an unexpected turn. Then he gathered himself together and spoke carefully. “Why didn’t she tell me this?”
“She never got around to it.”
“And you never told her about us?”
“Didn’t seem right.”
Ben nodded. The only reason why his parents had ever left Kansas City, Missouri, where he’d been born, was to get away from his father’s abusive brother. But when his mother married a widower who owned land in Kentucky, Ben had still felt compelled to hide his existence from their new neighbors and relatives.
He’d grown up resenting his mother for her selfishness. She should have tried harder to keep her first marriage alive. Instead, she’d chosen to marry again.
“If we go to the saloon tonight, do you think you could ask around about my brother-in-law?” Ben asked. “He’s not very good company.”
“Why not?”
“Well—” He searched for the words to explain it. “Let’s just say you might need protection.”
***
The men at the saloon called Danny by name after hearing him mention the name of Ben’s younger sister. They also knew Dan was Ben’s half-brother, and that explained how they could be related. Ben had expected some reaction from Dan, but the look on his face was as bland as usual.
Ben sat down with a glass of beer, waiting for the bartender to come over. He ordered three beers in front of Dan and drank two himself. He didn’t feel much like playing cards and didn’t expect to win any money against these cowboys. He figured most of the men in the saloon were rough characters, probably hired guns brought in by the outlaws.
Dan watched the players at the card tables with intense interest. “Are you gambling?”
“No,” Ben lied quickly. It was a stupid idea anyway. Why had he thought it would be a good idea? There wasn’t a chance in hell that Ben was going to gamble his life savings away today or any other day.
But it did mean he wasn’t worried about losing his temper, which meant he had a better chance of winning. That alone put him ahead of the pack, so he took a sip of beer to settle his nerves and went to work.
The first thing he did was watch everyone else play. No one seemed to notice him for a while except for the old man in the corner, who stared at him like he’d caught him doing something wrong. Then, after five minutes, he realized the man wasn’t looking at him—he was studying each player closely.
So that was it! This must be where people went to learn the game of poker. The only thing he had to do now figured out the pattern and play accordingly.
After watching several hands played by the same player, Ben saw that the gambler had only lost once since he’d started playing, and the hand had been a big loser. Now he knew the man could play a bluff. He was a good reader of people, Ben decided, but he wasn’t quite smart enough to spot the pattern and predict the moves of others.
Ben’s first instinct was to take a long drink before the next hand but he stopped himself and waited patiently until they were ready to deal.
“You’re playing well,” Dan said softly as he placed his chips in the middle of the table. “Who’s your friend?”
One of the men at the other end of the room turned around slowly. His eyes fixed on Ben without blinking. “This is Ben.”
The stranger smiled and raised his beer bottle to Ben’s. “Welcome to town, Mister.”
“What happened to your eye?” Ben asked casually. “Were you fighting someone?”
The man gave a short laugh but kept his eyes locked on Ben’s face. “I’ve got an old scar.”
“You know,” Dan remarked, “you don’t have to play the fool here. You can talk to me like you do anyone else. I’m sure no one here will care.”
“Don’t mind him,” the man replied with a slight shake of his head. “That’s just our way of greeting newbies.”
Ben looked across the table at Dan. “Tell him to call it off, would you please?”
“He doesn’t know what you look like.”
“How does he know that I’m not a bounty hunter?”
Dan shook his head. “Just ask him yourself.”
Ben reached under the table to grab a chip and threw it in the pot. Everyone at the table groaned except for the gambler, who grinned broadly and tossed in another ten dollars, bringing his stack of chips up to fifty-two thousand dollars. Ben had only a hundred or so left in his own pile. He couldn’t afford to let this guy win.
As he laid down his cards, Ben felt sweat break out all over his body. “What’s your name, mister?”
“Moses.”
“I’ve never seen you at this place before.”
“Nah, I travel around. Just visiting for a couple days.”
“Where are you headed?”
“Out west again.”
“I’m thinking about leaving town,” Ben said slowly. “Maybe you should go now. If things get too bad out there, we’ll come back and look for you.”
“Why would I want to leave now? It’s peaceful here. And if you’re really leaving, I wouldn’t see why you’d want to stop by my tent tonight.” He leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially in Ben’s ear, “It’s a great show.”
Ben glanced around the room. “Doesn’t seem like anybody has noticed us yet. Maybe I better wait until we finish our drinks.”
Moses laughed. “We’ll be right here when you’re ready.”
Ben picked up his cards and studied them carefully while he waited. The next card turned over was a four. Moses flipped two more cards over a seven and a nine. Ben knew it didn’t matter how many he had; it was a bluff, but he wasn’t about to give Moses the satisfaction of being right. He dropped his cards into the center of the table and stood up abruptly.
The gamblers at the other side of the room gasped and looked toward him as if he’d just pulled a gun on someone. He quickly sat back down, pretending nothing had happened and looked around the room to make sure nobody else had noticed. But then he noticed that Dan wasn’t sitting at the table anymore.
“You all right?”
“Fine.” He glanced at Dan’s empty chair and tried not to panic. Where had Moses gone? Had he slipped away quietly, hoping no one noticed his departure? Or had someone else grabbed Dan and dragged him away from the table before he realized Ben hadn’t joined him?
Ben was too afraid to turn around, knowing that every movement could trigger suspicion, but it wasn’t hard to spot Dan talking with three men near the entrance. One of those men had dark hair, wore a wide-brimmed hat, and sported a large mustache, which gave Ben reason to believe Dan might already be out of town, probably at the nearest stagecoach station.
A few minutes later, the door opened. The gambler entered the tent and walked straight to the table where Ben sat.
“I hear you’re leaving,” he said as he placed his hand on Ben’s shoulder. “I’m sorry about what happened between us. We’ll meet again someday.”
“Thanks,” Ben muttered. As long as this guy thought they were still friends, he would be less likely to remember what Ben looked like. He reached for his chips, but the man moved quickly out of the way.
“Don’t you dare touch them,” he growled.
Ben stopped cold. “What…?”
Moses held up his fingers and made a gun with his thumb. “These are mine now, aren’t they?”
Ben stared at him blankly, wondering if this was some kind of joke.
Moses chuckled and winked at Ben. “You’ll find out soon enough who I am. When the time comes.”
With that, the gambler walked out of the tent, closing the door behind him. Ben was stunned, and for a moment he forgot to breathe. Was that supposed to mean something? Did it mean that Dan was already on his way out of town or did it mean he was waiting outside in the street with the other gunmen?
He couldn’t think straight. What was going on? What if this guy knew Ben wasn’t the real outlaw?
Ben rose slowly from the table and went to Dan’s side. He tried to catch Dan’s eye, but he kept looking in front of himself and didn’t notice Ben standing so close.
Ben leaned forward as if he wanted to speak, but he had no idea what to say. He glanced around at the rest of the gamblers, hoping someone would offer some kind of explanation, but most of them were staring at the floor.
Dan cleared his throat nervously and took a sip of whiskey from his cup.
“I’m sorry about that,” he finally said, turning to face Ben. “It’s just that I don’t feel right leaving without telling you goodbye.” He paused and then added, “That man, Moses, is an old friend of mine.”
“And you’re going to leave without me?”
“I can’t. I have to meet someone out there, but it won’t take long.” Dan hesitated and then asked, “Are you all right? You look pale.”
“Just tired. I guess I’ve been working too hard.”
He smiled reassuringly. “No need to worry. Moses won’t hurt me.”
“If you’re meeting somebody out there, what kind of name do you call this person?”
Dan grinned. “Why, you know, Mr. Big, of course.”
Ben snorted. “Big what?”
“Never mind,” Dan whispered. “You’ll find out soon enough. It’s time for me to go anyway. Goodbye, Ben.”
Ben watched as Dan headed toward the exit, feeling sick to his stomach. If this man really was Moses, he was in serious trouble. Moses could easily shoot Dan down if he found out he didn’t belong to the gang. He wouldn’t even need to bring any gunmen along; Moses would handle it alone.
When Dan left the tent, Ben turned to look toward the door, hoping Dan might return. A loud cheer erupted from the gambling tables behind him, making him jump. He saw that Dan’s friends were cheering at his departure.
One of them raised his glass. “Here’s to Moses, my old friend,” he shouted over the laughter that followed.
Ben felt his heart pound faster when a shadow darkened the tent and then disappeared out of sight. Moses! What would happen if he killed one of these men? Would he be arrested? If so, how could he explain why he wasn’t dead? And what could he possibly do if Moses decided to kill him? Run away?
As he considered the possibility of being killed by another gunman, he wondered if Dan’s friend, Moses, would really shoot him if he came near.
Maybe Dan wasn’t a member of the gang after all and Moses wanted to make sure nothing got out about it. That would certainly explain how Dan managed to get away without any gunmen accompanying him. But why would Dan lie?
For a moment, Ben imagined Dan’s body lying in the street with a bullet wound in the back of his head. He shivered as he realized what could have happened if Dan hadn’t left early and found a way to warn him about Moses.
Suddenly, the gambler walked into the tent again. Ben turned around to see him walking straight toward him. “I’m ready,” he called out loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Who wants to join me?”
A roar of applause broke out from the crowd. One man shouted, “We will!” Others followed suit, shouting, “Yes, we will,” and “Me too!”
“Let’s go then.” The gambler looked at each of the patrons in turn. “Come on, you heard him. It’s time for us to ride out of here together.”
The noise died down quickly. As one, the gamblers rose from their seats and began filing out of the tent.
Ben hurried to catch up with Dan.
Dan led the way to where his horses waited. There was no sign of the other men. Only a few of the women remained, talking quietly among themselves while they waited for the men to return.
He turned to look behind him one last time before leaving the tent. The only people left in the place were Dan and him.
“Did you see that?” Dan asked, noticing Ben’s gaze. “They were glad to see me go.”
“What are you getting yourself into, Dan? Why did you tell me that you’re not a member of that gang? And what exactly is your business with them?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. It’s better that you don’t know the truth now.”
“How do you figure it’s better if I don’t know?”
“Because if you knew, you’d try to stop me.”
“Why should I want to do that?”
“Think about what you’re doing, Ben. Don’t follow me unless you have good reason to think I’m safe.”
That made no sense at all to Ben. What difference did it make whether Dan went or not? But he had to admit he was curious about what sort of meeting the gambler would have out there, and what kind of name he used for it.
“Where’s the rest of your party?” Ben asked. “I thought you said some of them were coming with you.”
Dan shrugged. “They couldn’t come. They already made plans to meet somewhere else.”
The gambler led his horse toward the exit. Ben hurried to catch up with Dan. “I’m going with you,” he insisted.
“Don’t worry, Ben. You can stay here and watch me leave the city.”
“No, I won’t,” he snapped. He didn’t like being told to stay put. “I’m going with you.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
The End