people like you.”
“You just sit here a while and relax,” she said, standing up. “I’ll bring you some coffee and a piece of pie.”
As she went in, Zack came out, with Ryan in tow.
“We still got some daylight to work by,” he said to Kimmie.
“What about pie?” she asked.
“After we’re done,” he said. He looked at Lancaster, then walked away, yanking his brother by the sleeve.
Lancaster watched as the brothers crossed to the barn and went inside. Whatever work they had, it was in there, because they didn’t come back out.
In the barn Ryan asked, “What are we gonna do about Lancaster?”
“What about him?”
“Kimmie wants him to stay until he’s better.”
“Even if we let him,” Zack said, “it’ll only be for a few days at most.”
“And then we have to take him into town?” Ryan asked, worried.
“Ryan, take it easy,” Zack said, putting his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “We’ve never robbed the bank in Laughlin. Nobody there is gonna be lookin’ for us. That’s why we don’t hit banks close to home.”
“You’re pretty smart, Zack,” Ryan said.
“Yeah, I’m real smart,” Zack said. “That’s why our little sister is wasting away out here in the desert.”
“Hey, it’s like you keep sayin’,” Ryan said. “As soon as we have enough money, we’ll all get outta here.”
“Yeah,” Zack said, “right. Okay, let’s fix the axle on this buckboard. We’ll need it to take Lancaster to Laughlin.”
Kimmie came out with a slice of apple pie and another cup of coffee.
“So,” she asked, “will you stay?”
“A couple of days,” he said, “if you can get Zack to stop giving me the evil eye.”
“I can handle Zack,” she said. “He’s the big brother, I’m the little sister. I can usually get what I want.”
“Okay, then a couple of days,” he said. “That’ll give me time to look over Crow Bait and see how he is.”
“Crow Bait?”
“That’s what I decided to call him.”
She clapped her hands and said, “How wonderful! What a perfect name.”
He tried the pie and found it very tasty.
“Tell me, Kimmie, what kind of operation do you have here?”
“It’s not much now,” she said. “When Papa started it he was raising cattle and growing wild meadow hay. He always said we had the desert behind us, but a lot of fertile land in front of us.”
“So what do your brothers do?”
“They work odd jobs on other ranches, or in Laughlin. Zack thinks that someday he’ll be able to bring Papa’s ranch back to what it was…”
“You don’t agree?”
“No,” she said. “I want to leave this place.”
“Can you get your brothers to sell it?”
“Ryan, maybe, but not Zack. That’s one thing I can’t get him to do.”
“So why don’t you just leave? How old are you?”
“I’m nineteen.”
So maybe the weathered condition of her face did add some years. He had guessed her at about twenty-five. There was time for her to reverse the effects, though, if she could get away from this life.
“You have time, then.”
She smiled and said, “Not as much as I’d like. I saw your face when I told you how old I was. I know I look older. And I’ll look older every year that I live here. Unless…”
“Unless?”
“Unless you take me with you when you leave,” she said, grabbing his arm.
“Oh, Kimmie,” he said, “I’ll barely be able to take care of myself when I leave here—and I’m only going to Laughlin. You’ve been to Laughlin—”
“No,” she said, “I haven’t.”
He stared at her.
“It’s eight miles away,” he said. “You’ve never been there?”
“Well, when I was a little girl, but I haven’t ever had any reason to go in years,” she said. “The boys go in for supplies, or to do some jobs. I stay home and…keep house.” She shrugged. “I’m the mother. My brothers think I like it, but I don’t.”
“You’ll make a great mother,” Lancaster said, “but for some of your own kids, not your brothers.”
“How will I ever get married and have my own children,” she asked, “if I can’t get away from here? Unless…” She grabbed his arm again.
“I’m a little old for you, Kimmie,” he said, “and I’m not the marrying kind.”
“I guess I’m stuck here, then.”
“Why don’t you just insist that your brothers take you along next time they go to town?” he asked. “Maybe when they take me in?”
“I suppose I could try to insist,” she said, “but Zack always says somebody has to stay home.”
“Well, you’ve got a couple of days,” Lancaster said. “Work on him.”
Nine
After a good night’s sleep and an even better breakfast the next morning, Lancaster pulled on the borrowed boots that used to belong to Kimmie’s father. He stood up, found that they fit pretty well, even though his feet still hurt a bit. The shirt and trousers she had given him were a little small, but not noticeably.
Lancaster left the house and walked over to the barn. He hadn’t gotten much out of Kimmie’s brothers that morning, except some borderline hostile look from Zack. But Kimmie appeared to have gotten her way, and the brothers were prepared to take him to Laughlin in two or three days.
In the barn he found Crow Bait standing easily, chewing on some hay. As he entered, the animal turned his head and gave him a stare, then looked away.
There were four other horses in the barn—two saddle mounts and a team to pull the buckboard. They were all eight years old or more, but sound.
Lancaster was shocked at Crow Bait’s appearance. He’d forgotten how truly bad he looked.
“Wow,” he said, touching the animal’s flank, “you really do look like crow bait.”
He examined the horse, running his hands over him. Aside from seeming frail and knock-kneed, the legs seemed sound enough. His neck seemed too long for his body, and too slender to carry a large head. Lancaster figured that a few weeks of eating regularly would fill that out, make the head and neck look more in proportion. The same with all the bones that seemed to be sticking out here and there. Some extra flesh would smooth them out.
He brushed Crow Bait while the horse continued to chew. His coat was spotty, seemingly worn away in some places, but the flesh beneath seemed unmarked. They could have been just bald spots, and he wondered if the hair there would grow back. Likewise, the tail was thin and ragged. He didn’t know if that would fill back in or not with a steady diet.
“You saved my life,” Lancaster said, stroking the horse’s neck, “so I’m gonna see that you get to live yours.”
By checking the horse’s mouth and teeth, he surmised him to be five or six years old.
“You’ve got plenty of life ahead of you, boy,” Lancaster said. “You’re gonna be well taken care of.”
