Gradually the far ranging cattle were brought in, and the herd grew in size. Not more than two or three riders at a time would work the assembled cattle. Too many riders cutting in and out of the herd would get the stock to milling around nervously, making them difficult to work with.
Smoke was sitting in his saddle with one leg curled across the saddle horn. He took the makings from his shirt pocket and rolled a cigarette, then using his thumbnail, snapped a match to light and held the flame to the end. He waved the match out, flipping it aside just as Pearlie came riding up.
“What did we do, give the heifers some wine, and play a little music for them?” Pearlie asked.
“What are you talking about?” Smoke blew out a stream of smoke as he asked the question.
“We got more calves this year than ever before,” Pearlie said. “Our bulls must have been quite the ladies’ men.”
Smoke chuckled. “I guess that explains why I saw one of them with an ascot and a monocle.”
Pearlie laughed. “How many head are we going to take to market this year?”
“I told the railroad people we would need at least a hundred cars.”
“Four thousand head at forty dollars a head,” Pearlie said. “That would be ...”
“A hundred and sixty thousand dollars,” Smoke said.
“Wow! Damn, Smoke, you must be about the richest man in Colorado.”
“I am. But it doesn’t have anything to do with money.”
Pearlie looked confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Sure you do. I’m the richest man in Colorado because I have Sally as my wife, and you, Cal, Monte, Louis, and all my other friends.” Smoke took in the vista with a sweep of his arm. “I wouldn’t trade this place for all the money in the U.S. Treasury.”
“Hey, when we goin’ to eat?” Cal rode up to join them. “How come the chuck wagon ain’t here yet?”
“Sally’s fixing our meal today,” Smoke said. “You know how she likes to take a little extra time with her cooking.”
Cal smiled, and rubbed his belly. “If Sally is cooking the meal, it’s worth a little delay.”
“It won’t be a long delay,” Smoke said. “There she comes now.”
The three men looked back toward the big house and saw the chuck wagon coming toward them through the emerald green fields. As it got closer, they could hear the sound of pots and pans banging about inside the wagon.
Smoke rode out to meet her, while Pearlie started toward the cowboys who were working the herd, calling them in for the meal. Sally had gone all out with a large rump of roast beef, boiled potatoes, freshly baked bread, and apple pies.
“What are you doing, Sally?” Smoke asked when the men, smelling the delicious aromas, eagerly lined up for their meal. “Don’t give them this, you’ll spoil them. They’ll think they have to eat like this every day. Give them some beans.”
A few of the men groaned.
Sally reached back into the chuck wagon and picked up a can of beans. She tossed it to Smoke. “If you want beans you eat beans. But I’m doing the cooking today and I cooked a roast beef. This is what I’m serving.”
The men looked anxiously toward Smoke. When they saw Pearlie and Cal, and even Smoke, smiling, they realized he was merely joking with them, and they laughed, then took their meal and ate with great enjoyment.
Smoke and Sally sat on the ground, leaning back against the wheel of the chuck wagon.
“I’m going into Gothic tomorrow,” she said. “I wrote to Tamara and told her I would be there. I’ll probably stay for a week or so, while she is getting her new restaurant set up.”
“All right,” Smoke said.
“I hope you don’t mind, I’m taking Cal with me. He can come in handy when we start moving in the stoves, tables, and such.”
“I don’t mind at all,” Smoke said. “As a matter of fact, I think that is probably a pretty good idea.”
One of the cowboys walked up to them then, and he was rubbing his stomach. “Mr. Jensen, all the other boys has asked me to speak for ’em. We was wonderin’, I mean, seein’ as how good we was fed ’n all, well, it’s made us all mighty sleepy. We was wonderin’ if maybe we couldn’t just take the rest of the day off and nap.”
“What?” Smoke stood up quickly.
The cowboy laughed, then all the others laughed as well.
“You deserved that, Smoke,” Pearlie said, joining in the laughter. “I mean after tellin’ them they couldn’t have this meal Miss Sally cooked.”
Smoke laughed with them, then held up his hands. “All right, boys, we’re even.”
“Come on, boys, we’re burnin’ daylight!” Pearlie shouted. “Let’s get to work!”
Toombs Trading Post was ten miles from the nearest town, surviving despite its isolation. It was located on the banks of the Grand River, which was the source of the Colorado River. Its location assured that many travelers came by. Seeing a store, hotel, restaurant, and saloon in the middle of nowhere made it a popular stop.
Its remote location also meant it was a long way from a sheriff’s protection, and that was the reason the Slater brothers, Frank and Travis, chose to rob it. Standing in the store, with the bottom half of their faces covered by bandannas, they held their guns on Eli and Marcie Toombs, the proprietors. Also present in the store was Clem Perkins, an old man who had been in Colorado for over fifty years, one of the early mountain men.
