Texas Iron

From the sheriff’s office they went back to the hardware store, where Serena had waited all this time.

“At last!” she said when they entered. “I was so worried. Jubal, are you hurt?”

Jubal looked down at his left arm. The shirt had been torn by the bullet, and his flesh inside creased. Whatever bleeding it had done had long dried.

“Are you all right, Jube?” Sam asked.

“I’m fine,” Jubal said. “Don’t make a fuss.”

“Are you all okay?” Serena asked. “It sounded like a war.”

“It wasn’t a war,” Sam said, “just a battle.”

“And we won it,” Jubal was quick to point out. “Seven men were waiting to bushwack Sam when he came out of the telegraph office.”

“Seven?” That someone would think it would take so many men to do it seemed to shock Serena. It was as if she was just beginning to believe the stories she had heard about Sam McCall.

“Don’t worry,” Jubal said. “We got them all. In fact, I think if we hadn’t come along Sam would have gotten them all anyway. They were amateurs, weren’t they, Sam?”

Sam seemed deep in thought and appeared not to have heard a word Jubal said.

“Be still, Jubal,” Evan said. “If we hadn’t gotten there Sam would be dead.”

“He coulda taken them all, I tell ya,” Jubal said. “Couldn’t you, Sam?”

“You’re right about one thing, Jubal,” Sam said.

“What’s that?”

“They were amateurs, or we’d all be dead.”

“What are you getting at?” Evan asked. “You don’t think they were sent by Burkett?”

“I don’t know,” Sam said. “The sheriff was right about that. Just because they were Burkett’s men doesn’t meanhe sent them. I think if Burkett wanted me dead he would have sent a hired gun.”

“You mean, someone like Coffin?” Evan asked.

“Coffin?” Jubal said. “Who’s Coffin?”

“A gun for hire,” Evan said.

“And he’s here?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Serena asked.

“We just found out today.”

“So if Burkett hired Coffin,” Evan said, “why would he send seven of his hands after you?”

“That’s what I’m thinkin’.”

“Look,” Serena said, “you boys haven’t eaten since breakfast—”

“We didn’t have breakfast,” Jubal said. “You know what? I just realized how hungry I am.”

“I have to make dinner for Papa,” she said. “Come back to the house and I’ll cook for all of you.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jubal said.

“I’d like to go to the hotel and clean up first,” Sam said.

“So would I,” Evan said.

“Evan, you can clean up at Dude’s house,” Sam said.

“Why don’t you go back there with Serena?”

“All right. Jube, why don’t you go with your big brother and keep him out of trouble?”

“I’ll do my best,” Jubal said, “but you know what the sheriff said.”

“What did the sheriff say?” Serena asked.

Evan patted her on the shoulder and said, “I’ll tell you when we get back to the house.”

Chapter Eleven

Sheriff Kelly hated to be the one to tell Lincoln Burkett about his men, but since all of his men were dead, there was no one else. As soon as the McCall brothers left his office he went to the livery for his horse and rode out there. He was met at the front of the house by the foreman, Chuck Conners.

Conners had been expecting his men back from town with news about Sam McCall. When he saw Sheriff Kelly riding hell bent for leather through the gate and toward the house, he had a bad feeling.

“What can I do for you, Sheriff? Second visit today,” Conners said.

“I’m afraid I have bad news, Mr. Conners,” Kelly said. He saw his chance to avoid talking to Burkett himself.

“What kind of bad news?”

“Well, it seems that some of your men got into a shootout with Sam McCall.”

“Is that right? Kill him, did they? Are they in your jail?”

“Uh, no sir, they’re at the undertaker’s.”

“All of them?” Conners asked. “McCall killed all of them?”

“Well, he had some help from his brothers.”

“Damn.”

“I know, it’s a terrible shame,” Kelly said. “I don’t know what got into those men, but Sam McCall is the kind of man who—”

“I’ll tell Mr. Burkett about this, Sheriff,” Conners said, interrupting him.

“Would you? I’d really appreciate—”

“Tell me something, Sheriff.”

“What?”

“How did you find out about this?”

“I, uh, heard the shooting—”

“I thought you were supposed to be watching the McCalls.”

“Uh, yeah, well, there is three of them, and I was watchin’ one of the others, see —”

“All right, forget it,” Conners said. “You can go back to town.”

“Will you, uh, arrange for burial for your men?”

“I’m sure Mr. Burkett will want to take care of it,” Conners said.

“Uh, Mr. Conners, you wouldn’t know why your men went after Sam McCall, would you?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Conners said, “and neither would Mr. Burkett. Like you said, Sam McCall does bring that out in some men.”

“Yeah, that he does,” Kelly said. “Well, I’ll be gettin’ back.”

“Sure.”

Conners watched Kelly ride back toward town, then took a few moments to formulate his story before he went in to see Burkett.

Lincoln Burkett listened carefully to Chuck Conners’ news about the men who had been killed by Sam McCall.

“How many did we lose?” he asked when Conners stopped talking.

“Seven, sir.”

“Who?”

“Gear, Murray, Tobin, Gary, three others. I’ll have to find out who they all were.”

Burkett slammed his hand down on the top of his desk.

“What the hell did they think they were doing?”

“I don’t know, sir. I guess they just saw Sam McCall, knew his reputation—”

“I don’t want this repeated, Conners,” Burkett said. “I want you to tell all the other men they are to stay away from Sam McCall and his brothers unless they are told otherwise. Understand?”

“I understand, sir.”

“Son-of-a-bitch!” Burkett said. “Dude Miller and his cronies are going to jump on this with both feet. Did you