Travis (5 page)

“An orphanage can’t be that bad,” Travis said as he sipped his coffee. “At least you wouldn’t starve.”

Four of them looked at him like he was kicking puppies and Boo Hoo began to cry again while Growler licked her little face.

Violet sighed and gave him a pitiful smile. “Well, sir, we were hoping to go along with you.”

“With me?” Travis touched his chest in surprise, “Not a snowball’s chance in hell.”

Now tears came to all the children’s eyes and he felt like he had just told them Santa Claus was dead.

“Well, maybe you can ask down the line of wagons.” Travis gestured as he finished his eggs. “Maybe there’s some family that would like to have five more children.”

Violet cocked her head to one side and tears flowed down her pretty cheeks. “We been asking. All these people are dirt poor, that’s why they’re going on the run, trying to win some land. None of them need any more mouths to feed.”

“Well, neither do I. Maybe I need to take you into town and turn you over to the authorities. As a Ranger, that’s probably my duty.”

Now all the children were crying and a couple walking past turned and glared at Travis.

The woman said in a huffy voice, “Some people just shouldn’t have children if they’re going to mistreat them.”

The couple walked on and Travis felt like a villain. He couldn’t take five young kids on the run with him, especially with the authorities looking for them. He’d be breaking the law that, as a Texas Ranger, he’d sworn to uphold. “As you can see, I’ve only got two horses and there’s six of us.”

“We could double up,” Violet said, hope in her blue eyes.

“No, you see, I’ve got one horse and a spare. The idea is that if Mouse gets tired, I can trade off and ride the Appaloosa. The first and fast ones in get the land.”

“Oh.” Violet’s slight shoulders fell and she looked sad. He hated himself for making the kid unhappy, but none of these children were his responsibility.

“Harold”—he nodded to the Chinese boy—“get a bucket of water to put out the fire. Then I’ll give Violet whatever food I’ve got left and we’ll part ways with no hard feelings, okay?”

Harold went off to get the bucket of water and Violet began to clean up the dishes. Travis noted her shoulders were shaking as she worked. The other children were crying softly.

“Look,” Travis tried to explain again, “I’ve only got two horses, not a wagon. I can’t take all of you with me.”

Violet wiped her eyes. “You want me to re-bandage your wrist before we go?”

“I can’t ask you to do that.” She was a sweet youngster, he thought, and he felt guilty that she was offering to doctor his swollen wrist at the same time he was running them off.

“I owe you something for all the food we ate.” Violet dug in his saddlebags and got fresh bandages and a small bottle of whiskey.

Travis brightened. “So you didn’t trade it all away after all.” He could already imagine a good slug of it and what it would do for his aching head and his throbbing arm.

“What’s this?” She held up a small wooden horse.

“Put that back in my saddlebags,” Travis ordered. “My stepdaddy, Colt, made it for me when I was a little kid. I carry it for good luck.”

She didn’t say anything, put the toy back in his saddlebag, knelt before him and pushed up his sleeve, began to unwrap his wrist.

He looked down at her. She had the softest, smallest hands. It had been a long time since he’d had any contact with any woman besides his mother or whores. Before that, there’d been Emily, but that thought only brought him anger.

“It still looks swollen and discolored,” Violet murmured. “I hope it isn’t going to get infected.”

“Germs,” said Kessie importantly. “If it gets infected, we may have to cut it off. You got a butcher knife?”

Travis glared at her. “No, I won’t let a bunch of kids cut my hand off.”

Harold said, “My ambition is to be a doctor.”

“I still won’t let you kids—”

“How does it feel?” Violet asked. She looked up at him and her mouth looked so soft and inviting.

What’s wrong with you, Travis? This is a kid, not a woman.
“Not too bad,” he lied, but he could feel sweat breaking out on his forehead. His right wrist was throbbing like a war drum.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” Violet scoffed. “I don’t know why men always got to pretend nothing hurts.”

She opened the little bottle of whiskey and he smiled. Yes, she knew what he needed, all right. He started to reach his left hand for the bottle just as she poured most of it all over his injured right wrist.

“Ow, my God! Girl, are you trying to kill me?” He jumped up, shaking his wrist.

“I told you I needed to disinfect it,” she answered.

“And a waste of perfectly good whiskey,” he complained.

“Oh, stop being such a baby!” Violet caught his hand and yanked him back down.

“Did you save me even a drop?” he asked.

She handed him the almost empty bottle and started wrapping his wrist.

He held it up to the light, then held it to his mouth. There was one or two drops left and he savored it. “Waste of perfectly good whiskey,” he muttered.

Harold and Kessie had wandered away from camp and now Harold came running from the direction of the creek. “Sheriff’s coming!” he yelled. “He and his deputies are asking all up and down the line about missing orphans.”

Violet looked up at Travis, her young face twisted by worry. “Please don’t let them take us! Please!”

“You’re fugitives from the law and you ain’t my problem.”

“Aren’t,” corrected Kessie.

Boo Hoo began to cry and that started Growler barking.

How in the world had he gotten mixed up in this mess and now what was he to do about it?

Travis looked down into the young girl’s face. “Now how am I supposed to stop them from taking you kids?”

Violet grabbed his big hand in hers. “You’re a Texan. Can’t you think of something?”

“I’m also a Texas Ranger and sworn to uphold the law. I can’t go up against authority.”

“I thought Texans could go up against anyone. Please, Mr. Prescott.” The young girl held on to his hand and her eyes were bigger and sadder than a doe’s. “You don’t know how awful it is in an orphanage.”

“Okay, I’ll do this much. You take all these kids and go hide somewheres. I’ll head them off.” Why was he doing this? He was a confirmed bachelor and had no way to take care of five tramp kids, but there was something about the way they all cried and the way that young girl, Violet, looked up at him as if he could change the world.

The kids needed no further bidding. They scattered like scared quail. In moments, he couldn’t see hide nor hair of them. Even Growler was gone, no doubt with the little blond toddler. Travis took a deep breath and began to straighten up his camp. When he looked down the row of wagons, he could see a man with a star on his chest and two deputies walking along, stopping to talk to people. He put on his own Texas Ranger star and tried to look casual as he leaned against a tree. The men were coming this way.

Travis happened to look up and there were little Boo Hoo’s drawers flapping in the breeze just above his head.
Oh, Lordy.
He reached up and grabbed them, stuffed them in his vest pocket as the trio sauntered up. “Howdy, Sheriff, what can I do for you?”

The sheriff nodded, held out his hand. “I saw you face down that killer yesterday, Ranger, mighty excitin’ !”

Travis blushed, and offered his left hand awkwardly. “Just doin’ my job.”

“Fastest draw I ever saw,” volunteered the short deputy with the gapped teeth.

“Used to be,” Travis said before he thought.

“Big shame.” The sheriff nodded his white head toward Travis’s swollen wrist. “What you intend to do now?”

Travis shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe go back to Waco and sit behind a desk, maybe take part in the land run, not quite sure yet.”

The fat deputy said, “Those takin’ part in the run are already startin’ to move up. It’s a few miles south and the race starts at noon tomorrow, ya know.”

Travis nodded. “Yeah, I was just thinking it over and breaking camp.”

“Oh, I know this is a waste of time, but you see anything of some kids?”

Travis looked out over the landscape and reached in his shirt pocket for his makin’s. “What kids? Some youngster lost in all this crowd?”

“Oh, some run off from the orphan train—ones that nobody wanted. They was bein’ sent back to New York City,” the sheriff volunteered.

“That’s kinda sad,” Travis answered and returned to rolling his smoke.

“Ain’t it? Reckon no one wants to live in a big city when they can live in the west. Oh, there’s a girl named Violet missin’, too, and she might be with them, but I can see they ain’t here.”

“Now that’s a fact.” Travis stuck the cigarette in his mouth and scratched a match on the seat of his pants.

“Well, we won’t keep you no longer.” The sheriff touched the brim of his hat with two fingers. “Good luck to you, Ranger, whatever you decide to do.”

“Good luck to you boys, too.” Travis nodded and everyone sauntered away.

He leaned against a tree and smoked, watching the lawmen move down the line of camps, stopping to ask about the missing children. So the kids were all rejects that no one wanted. Well, he could understand that. Hadn’t he always been the half-breed with two white younger brothers? His parents loved him, but sometimes that didn’t make up for always being the outcast everywhere he went.

That’s why he’d gone after the prettiest girl in town, Emily, the blond beauty every man wanted. But Emily had made him the butt of ridicule. That’s why he became the best pistol shot in the state and a Texas Ranger. People had to look up to him after that. He had the best horse, the finest pistol, everything had to be first-rate. His pride became his armor, but sometimes, he still felt like everyone was laughing at him. And now with his damaged wrist, he wasn’t the fastest shot or even a Texas Ranger anymore. He was a half-breed with a bum wrist. He couldn’t go back to the ranch; there wasn’t enough land to support his brothers’ families and him, too.

Travis watched the lawmen walk on down the line and disappear. He finished his smoke and checked his watch. Almost two o’clock. If he was going to take part in the run, he’d better move on south. He didn’t know what had happened to the kids; maybe they’d found a family to take them in. At least, they hadn’t come back, so they were no longer his responsibility. He began to pack up his camp and saddle the horses. He didn’t want to admit he’d kind of miss them all, especially that mouthy young girl with the pretty eyes and soft Southern drawl.

“Are they gone?” Violet peeked out from behind a tree.

Travis turned. “Oh, I thought you kids had found someone else to take you in. Where’s my dog?”

“Here.” The blond toddler came through the woods, her hand on Growler’s head as they walked.

The other three came from a different direction.

“Oh, by the way,” Travis said and reached in his pocket, “you almost got tripped up because Boo Hoo’s drawers were still hanging in the tree.” He held them out.

“Oh, my!” Violet’s face colored and she took them and grabbed Boo Hoo’s hand. “Here, let’s go back in the bushes and put these on, okay?”

“Growler come, too, Feathers?”

“Yes, Growler can come, too,” Violet said.

Travis looked at Kessie. “Why does she call her Feathers?”

“I wouldn’t have the faintest idea; she’s certainly not a bird.” Kessie shook her red hair.

Anyway it didn’t matter. Here he was almost ready to ride out and all the children were back. They were like wood ticks; he just couldn’t shake them. They were determined to stick to him.

Violet came out of the bushes with Boo Hoo and Growler. “Are you going to leave us behind?”

Travis scowled. “We’ve been through all this already.”

The children started crying again and Growler looked like he’d like to bite his owner.

Violet said, “I reckon we’ll either starve to death or end up back in that orphanage.”

“That ain’t my lookout. I’m going on the run.”

Big tears started in the blue-violet eyes and ran down her pretty face.

Travis sighed. “Don’t cry, honey. Maybe I could help you find someone to adopt you.”

She looked hopeful and snuffled.

He reached in his pocket and handed her his bandanna. “Here, blow.”

She blew and gave him his bandanna back. “You know, mister, I heard the capital of that new territory is going to be Guthrie. If me and the other kids could get to Guthrie, where there’s a new town and lots of new businesses, maybe we could find work.”

“I could read to those who can’t,” Kessie piped up.

“Me and Limpy could clean stables or feed horses,” Harold said.

Violet added, “I could probably get housecleaning jobs or maybe work as a cook in a café—”

“You’re too young.” Travis shook his head. “Besides, a pretty kid like you could get into trouble. There’s some bad men in a lawless land that wouldn’t care if you’re young.”

Violet blinked her eyes. “Mr. Prescott, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Of course she didn’t; she was an innocent child. “Never mind,” Travis said. “The problem is getting you kids to Guthrie in the first place.”

“If we had a wagon, we could follow you and meet up after you’d staked your claim,” Violet said.

“But we don’t have a wagon, and I travel alone,” Travis reminded her.

She looked up at him, all eager and hopeful. “But we could get a wagon by trading.”

“Trading what?” Travis shook his head. “You don’t have anything and all I got is two horses.”

“That extra one, that Appaloosa, is fine and has the fanciest saddle I ever saw,” Violet pointed out.

“Are you loco? That’s my spare horse,” Travis snapped. “If Mouse gives out, I’m looking for this one to pick up the slack and get me there.”

Violet sighed loudly and lowered her head. “Well, come on, kids. I reckon we got no other choice but to move on. Maybe we can find some acorns or scraps other campers left.”

“We just had breakfast,” Travis reminded her.

She didn’t answer, merely motioned all the tearful children to join her and started walking slowly out of the camp, Growler following along next to Boo Hoo.

“Growler, come back here!” Travis called. The dog stopped, looked back at him and continued walking after the bedraggled little group.

Damn, they had taken his whiskey, eaten up his food and caused him to lie to another lawman, and now they were stealing his dog. “Wait a minute!” he yelled. “Maybe I can figure out something.”

Violet turned and gave him a sad smile. “We don’t want to be any trouble, mister.”

“Trouble? Damn it, you’ve been nothing but trouble since I laid eyes on you.”

“I wish you wouldn’t swear in front of the children,” Violet admonished him.

“Have you always been such a nag?” Travis snapped. “I swear, you’re worse than some housewife.”

“I’m just trying to look after the children,” Violet answered meekly.

Travis’s head was splitting and his wrist hurt. “If I find a way to take you to Guthrie, do you promise that’ll be the end of my obligation?”

“We promise!” shouted all the children.

“Oh, kind sir,” said Violet, “if you can just get us to the capital, we’ll find jobs and you’ll be done with us.”

“I don’t see how that little one can hold a job,” Travis said and watched Boo Hoo hang on to his dog’s neck.

“I’ll take her with me,” Violet said.

“Now how is a schoolgirl going to look after a toddler?” Travis asked.

“I’ll just do the best I can,” Violet answered, wiping her eyes.

None of them looked old enough or strong enough to hold jobs, Travis thought, but maybe they had a better chance in Guthrie than they did here.

I’m about to do something I’m going to regret
, he thought. “You kids sit down under these trees,” Travis ordered, “and I’ll go see if I can make a trade for a wagon and team.”

Violet watched him reach for the fancy saddle.

“Hey, kid,” he said to Limpy, “bring that Appaloosa over here.”

Limpy grinned and used his crutch to hobble over and untie the spotted-rumped horse. “I always wanted to be a cowboy and saddle a horse.”

“You did, did you? Well, here, I’ll show you how.” Travis took the horse by the rope. “Now first you grab the horse by the forelock and the bridle in your other hand.” He winced suddenly and Violet realized he had forgotten about his damaged wrist.

“Limpy, help him,” she said as the Ranger bent over, cursing in pain.

“I can do it myself,” the half-breed muttered, but the thin, crippled boy took the bridle from the man’s hand and put it on the horse. “That’s right.” He nodded with approval. “Now throw the blanket up on his back, close to the withers.”

Limpy looked blank.

“His shoulders,” Travis sighed, “up almost to his neck.”

Limpy hesitated, then put the saddle blanket on.

“Great.” Travis nodded. “Now the saddle.”

However when Limpy tried to lift the saddle, his crutch went out from under his arm and he stumbled and fell. He scrambled to his feet, his face blushing red. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I tried; I really tried.”

“Yeah, you did, kid,” Travis said. “I like a kid who’s game.”

Harold stepped up and helped Travis lift the saddle onto the Appaloosa’s back.

“Now we pull the belly strap tight,” Travis said and did so with his left hand. Then he swung up on the Appaloosa.

Violet said, “I’ll go with you.”

“There’s no need.” He scowled, looking down at her.

“But you might not come back,” she protested.

“I am a Texan and I have given my word to try to get you to Guthrie,” he snapped.

“Maybe I can make a better trade,” Violet said and held up her hand.

He hesitated and then he took it. He had big strong hands, she thought as he lifted her up lightly behind his saddle. She leaned her face against his broad back and put her arms around his waist. He felt so big and strong and she had a feeling he could take care of a woman. If he would marry her, they could raise these four kids and have one big happy family. But that wasn’t today’s problem. “Let’s go.”

He started off riding down the line, feeling her warmth against his back and her small arms around his waist. It unnerved him because it had been awhile since he’d had a woman and this young girl’s soft warmth could be felt through his shirt. He reminded himself again that Violet was just a kid, although a pretty one. He didn’t like the thought of what might happen to a pretty young innocent like this one if he abandoned her. Now why was that his business?

Well, it wasn’t, he assured himself, except as a Texan and a gentleman, he felt honor-bound to protect women and children. Certainly this innocent girl, in spite of her mouthy ways, needed protecting against lustful men.

He rode down the line and came to a small covered wagon.

Violet tapped his arm. “That’ll do, stop here.”

He craned his neck and looked back over his shoulder into those big eyes. “Don’t you think I oughta decide that?”

“I was just saying.” She blinked those long eyelashes demurely. “But you’re the grown-up.”

“Damned right.” He dismounted and without thinking, held up his hands to her.

She slid off and he winced. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot about your wrist.”

“I know I’m going to regret this, I knew it last night,” he whispered between gritted teeth.