“Yeah,” Sam said, “they improved by one.”
“What?”
“Eight of ’em this time.”
“Eight?”
“Yeah. They were running me down, feeling brave. I killed one of them…” He trailed off, his mouth going dry.
“Put the fear of God into the others, huh?”
“Yeah, fella I killed got off a shot, though. I must be gettin’ old.”
“That’s more than a lot of people can say,” Evan said.
“You want some water?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Evan lifted his brother’s head and held the water glass to his lips.
“Thanks.”
“Get some more rest, Sam,” Evan said. “You lost a lot of blood.”
“Gotta get up…”
“Yeah, sure,” Evan said, “later.”
“Later…” Sam said.
When Serena walked into the room Sam was sitting up, reaching for his pants. It was a clean pair that had come from the Miller store.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I think I’m tryin’ to reach my pants,” Sam said.
“When I reach them I’m gonna try to put them on. Do you wanna watch?”
She folded her arms and said, “What happened to that sweet man who was here last night?”
He looked up at her and let his arm drop because he couldn’t hold it out any longer.
“He’s here someplace,” Sam said. “Will you help me get my pants?”
“I would help him,” she said, “but I don’t know about you.”
“Please…”
She dropped her arms and approached the bed.
“Sam, you shouldn’t be getting up.”
“If you don’t help me, I might fall once or twice, but eventually I’ll make it.”
“You’d do that, wouldn’t you?”
“Serena,” Sam said, “it’s just a leg wound. I’ve been shot before.”
She stared at him and then said, “I don’t know why that hadn’t occurred to me before. How many times have you been shot?”
“Serena—”
“How many?”
“Four, maybe five.”
She stared at him in disbelief.
“You don’t even remember?”
“Okay,” he said, “it was five.
“I’ll get you your clothes,” she said, picking up his pants and flinging them at his face, “but you can dress yourself.”
As she stalked from the room he pulled his pants from his face and said, “That’ll do.”
Serena had already alerted Evan and Jubal that Sam was dressing. Dude Miller had gone back to work full time and was at his store.
“Maybe one of you should go up and help him,” she said, “so that he doesn’t fall down too many times.”
“He’ll be fine,” Evan said.
She stamped her foot, surprising them, and said, “That’s what you said last night, and was he all right?”
“I only meant—”
“I know what you meant,” she said. “I’ll be in the kitchen making coffee.”
“What is she so mad about?” Jubal asked.
“She’s a woman.”
“What does that mean?”
“Jube,” Evan said, “you’ve made it to twenty-four and you don’t know what that means?”
Jubal was about to answer when they saw Sam coming down the steps. He looked steady enough and they both remained seated rather than offer him a hand.
“You’re looking fit,” Evan said.
Sam reached the floor and limped to a chair.
“I feel like hell.”
“You should have stayed in bed.”
Sam settled himself in the chair and said, “I’d feel worse up there.”
“I’ve told Jubal what happened,” Evan said. “Is there anything you’d like to add?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “I don’t believe there’s any gold on Pa’s old land.”
“No gold?” Jubal asked.
“Then what do they need a geologist for?” Evan asked.
Sam told them about the mud he’d found at the stream and the water hole.
“There was black mud on your pants and your boots.”
“Yes.”
“What does it mean?” Jubal asked.
“Oil,” Evan said.
“Oil?” Jubal asked.
Evan looked at Sam.
“Am I right? Is that what you’re thinking?”
“Yes,” Sam said. “I saw the geologist run some tests, and then he took some of the mud back to the ranch with him.
“But…how did he know there was oil?”
“Probably the same way we found out,” Sam said. “He probably did a lot of looking around before deciding what land he wanted.”
“Did Pa know, I wonder?” Evan said.
“I was wondering about that myself,” Sam said. “I have a theory.”
“What theory?”
“We all knew Pa,” Sam said. “We all agree he wouldn’t kill Ma and then kill himself.”
“That’s right,” Evan said, and Jubal nodded.
“But if he thought his life was in danger, what would he do?”
After a moment Evan said, “I think he’d try to leave us a message.”
“A message?” Jubal asked. “How?”
“Yes,” Sam said, looking at his brothers, “how? That’s for us to figure out.”
At that moment Serena entered, carrying a tray with three steaming cups of coffee on it.
She offered the tray first to Evan, then to Jubal, and finally walked over to where Sam was seated. For a moment he thought she was going to dump it in his lap, but in the end she held the tray out to him until he took the cup from it.
“Thank you.”
“Hmph,” she said, and went back to the kitchen.
“What’s she so mad about?” he asked.
“She’s a woman,” Jubal said.
“Ah,” Sam said, “our little brother is becoming worldly, isn’t he?”
Jubal smiled, and Evan frowned at him.
“Sam, where should we look for this message?”
