Dickens had taken to feeding and groomingthe animals, collecting the eggs, and seeing to minor repairsaround the house for her.
Between the three of them, the place wasbeginning to take shape now. When they had another wagon load ofhay Wes drove it over toward the Campbell's and several otherranchers that needed a supply for the winter to come.
The last trip Dickens went with him. Weswanted to object and let Kate go with him in case she wanted tovisit with Frank Campbell, but Kate made no reference to it, so heshrugged and took Dickens.
"I thought we weren't gonna leave heralone." Wes reminded Dickens.
"Well, it's been a while and it don't looklike the Smith boys are gonna bother her." Dickens chuckled.
"Are you sure they ever were going to botherher?"
Dickens turned to look at him, "Naw, but Ifigured they might try something sooner or later. Since that catincident and one of the boys dying, I guess it took the starch outof them."
"Maybe you are right about that."
"We won't be gone that long, anyways."Dickens chuckled. "You got back in a half day, the last time."
"That's true."
"Don't you fret, I'll still pay you."Dickens chuckled.
"So tell me Wes, what do you think ofKate?"
Wes folded his lips and glared at Dickens."She's a nice lady."
"And that's all?"
"Well what else is there?"
"She's right pretty, and she's singled."
"So?"
"So," Dickens glanced at him. "If you likeher, you better start thinking on how to rope and hog tie her orsomeone else might."
"Who said anything about wanting to rope andhog tie her?" Wes frowned.
"Nobody, but that girl is ripe for thepicking, that's all. And if you don't, someone else will." Dickenstold him.
"It's none of your business. Besides," Wesheard himself confessing. "I got nothing to offer her. I'm adrifter, remember."
"Maybe, but she's got something worthstopping all that drifting for. She's a good cook, a goodhousekeeper, and a good hand in the field. And you know as well asI she can't keep this place up alone." Dickens frowned at him now."She needs a man, a good man."
"Frank Campbell's got his eye on her."
"How do you know?"
"He told me so."
"When?"
"When we were hunting the cat." Wesadmitted.
"So you just gonna let him step in and takeher?" Dickens asked.
"I'm the hired hand, not her lover."
"Well, you could be." Dickens insisted.
"What makes you think so?"
"I've seen the way she looks at you. And theway you look at her." Dickens chuckled.
"Well, Frank can offer her a lot more." Wesinsisted.
"Maybe, but she's not in love with him!"
"For goodness sake, she's just now gettingover her husband, Dickens." Wes argued.
"She told me you getting the cat did thatfor her."
"Doesn't mean she's in love with me!" Weshollered.
"Alright, enough said. I won't say anotherword. But I'll wager she's the best thing to happen to you."Dickens turned away.
"I won't argue that," Wes mumbled under hisbreath.
"Then what's holding you up, son?" Dickenshad heard him.
"I have nothing to offer her… " Wes mumbledagain. "And you know that as well as I do."
"I think love is about the best thing anyman can offer a woman."
"Shut up, Dickens." Wes said crossly and hedid. The rest of the ride was in silence.
At one of their stops to deliver the hay,Dickens got to talking with the rancher and they were there muchtoo long. Wes was anxious to get back, but Dickens was telling onegood story after another and it was mid-afternoon before they gotunderway to home.
Wes was fit to be tied. The way Dickens hadtalked this morning had him thinking about things too hard. It wasalmost time for him to move on. But he found the notion harder thanhe could admit to.
He wrestled with their talk this morning solong he'd worked himself into a tizzy.
"I thought you'd never stop talking." Westold him on the way home.
"Don't get to talk to many very often. Ienjoy getting to know more people and helping them out if I can."Dickens told him.
"I thought you'd never run out of stories."Wes complained.
"Well hell, son, who put the bur in yourbritches?"
"We got to finish up getting that hay in,that cat put us off nearly a month."
Dickens looked at him and smiled.
But as they pulled into Kate's place, it wastotally silent. Nothing stirred.
"Now what?" Wes muttered miserably as hejumped down from the wagon.
Dickens got down and yelled out for Kate.She didn’t' answer. He ran in the house and came back out, "She'snot in there."
"Kate!" Wes cried out.
Something moved around the side of thehouse.
Wes ran around and found Kate sitting up, abig stick in her hand gripping it, and her face full of pain.
"What's happened?" he asked picking her upin his arms.
She laid her head against his chest,"Snakebite," she uttered. I saw him too late, but after he bit meon the ankle, I tried to kill him with this stick."
Wes glanced about and saw the dead rattlerabout five feet away.
"You got him. Let's get you in thehouse."
"What in tarnation?" Dickens hollered whenhe saw how white Kate was.
"Snakebite, go over to Lonnie's place, seeif Little Beaver is there. Bring him over as fast as you can. Tellhim about the snakebite, he keeps some stuff for it all thetime."
"When did he get you Kate?" Wes asked as helaid her on the bed. "Just a few minutes ago, I think…"
"Hurry, Dickens."
Dickens scrambled out of the house as fastas he could. Wes heard him ride out as he examined the wound. Hecut an ex on the wound and sucked out the poison as bests he could.Kate giggled in hysteria. "Does this mean we are bloodbrothers."
"I hope not!" he hollered and continued tosuck the blood from the wound. Then he went outside and broughtback a handful of mud and mixed it with gunpowder and placed it onthe wound. Kate was out of it by then.
She was sweating a lot now and he got a wetcloth and wiped her brow as he stared into her beautiful face."You're quite a woman Kate."
She opened her eyes for a
