The Buck Brothers/ Chapter 6

Hey!!! It's me again! I hope you are all doing good out there! Time for another chapter... ready?

Chapter 6

Tex opened his eyes. It was dark but there was a faint glow of light in the distance. His brothers were snoring quietly. A horse pawed the ground.  

Tom must a fallen asleep on watch.

He stood up and scooped his hat off the sand. He used it to push the wave of hair out of his eyes. 

Chuck, or was it Tom, rolled in his sleep. No, it was definitely Chuck. Only Chuck muttered in his sleep. 

Tex  leaned over and shook his sleeping brother. "Come on, time to go."

Chuck sat up, squinted at the sky, and rolled to his feet.

Tex moved over to Tom.  "Tom? Thomas?" Tex sighed and shook his head. He shook Tom harder. "Thomas!" 

"Hmm," Tom mumbled. 

Chuck laughed. "Get up sleepy head!" 

"I'm up." Tom stretched.

"I don't think it funny." Tex scooped up his blankets. "A Indian could of scalped us in our sleep."

"Sorry. It's not like me to fall asleep on duty." Tom mumbled, frustrated  with himself. "I never fell asleep on duty when we were in the army." 

"So, why did you do it now?" Chuck asked.

"Be quiet!" Tom snapped.

"Woo!" Chuck held up his hands in front of him, palms out. "Sorry! Didn't mean to offend."

"All right you two. That's enough. We need to get a move on." Tex flung his saddle on to his horse.

>>>><<<<

The three brothers rode down the street. Tex could feel the many stares on his back. Men looked over from small groups, eyeing the raged strangers. Whispers followed them down the street. 

"I guess we're a sight," Tom said. 

Tex had to agree. They were quite a sight. They were covered in dust from head to toe. Their shirts clung to them from sweat. Their faces were tanned dark from the hot desert sun. Their horses were worn. Tex reached up and rubbed his chin. He could use a shave.  

A man stepped of the bored walk. For a moment his sheriffs badge glinted in the light. The brothers pulled up. 

"What you be want'n?" The sheriff asked hitching up his gun belt and settling it in a more comfortable position . 

"A drink, a bath, and then some sleep would do us good," Tex said seriously.

"Dick's is what you want. Can't miss it. It's the only building that's been painted red and the Hotel is open all hours." The sheriff answered calmly as he studied the men before him. 

"Thanks." Tex turned his horse. "We need to ask you some questions. See you later?"

The sheriff's brow furrowed. "I'll be around." He drawled.

Dick's was near empty when the brothers arrived. All eyes were on them as they walked across the floor. One man in a corner, studied them closely. He seamed to be trying to place them.       

The brothers sat down at the bar. "Milk if you have any fresh. If not, cold cup of water will do." Tom said. 

"I'll take the same." Tex said.

The bar tender's eyebrows shot up in surprise but he said nothing. He nodded and want to the kitchen. He returned with a pitcher of milk and three glasses and set it on the bar in front of them. 

Tex turned and studied everyone in the room. Two men near the front were playing cards. The three cowboys in the corner were talking quietly. They cast questioning glances at the brothers now and again. 

The brothers finished their drinks and were heading for the door when someone yelled, "Attention!" 

Out of habit Tex and Tom snapped their heels together and their hands to their sides. Someone behind them laughed. "Haw! He, he, he! I knew it!"

Tex turned. One of the men in the corner slapped his knee laughing. He stood up. "It's good to see you again, Major Buck." The man held out a hand. 

Tex shook it. "You know me?" 

"Course, I do! Don't cha know me, Major?" 

Tex shook his head.

"Maybe Tom knows me." The stocky man turned to Tom. 

Tom studied him a minuet. "No,I don't think...Wait! Ben Ryan!" 

"You got it!" Ben grinned. 

Tex grinned slightly. "Now I know you."

"You're Ben Ryan? The one that made all the trouble? The one that wouldn't obey orders?" Chuck asked. 

Ben looked him up and down critically."Maybe I just didn't like being told what to do by someone younger then myself. Who is you anyway?"

"Charles Buck. One of their younger brothers."

"Were did you get that mop of white hair? It don't match your brothers." The comment brought chuckles from all three brothers.

"Our Father had hair like mine." Chuck answered grinning. "My brothers got the dark hair from my Mother's side."

"I see. Where's your other brother?" Ben asked.

At that question the brothers frowned. "We're not exactly sure." Tex replied.

Ben raised his eyebrows."Meaning?"

"Meaning, we're trying to find him." Tex answered.

Ben gestured to his table. "Sit down and explain."

Ben introduced the brothers to the two other cowhands. The cow hands were fairly polite but stood and mumbled some excuse about having to get back to the herd.  

Ben listened silently to the brother story. "What's got me is this, why did they leave if they're trying to kill ya?" he said after a minuet. "Why run across a desert with only one of you?" 

"I've been thinking on that myself," Tom said. "It has something to do with that letter. It seems to me." The other two brothers nodded in agreement.

"Could you use another man?" Ben asked.

"What about your job?" Tom asked.

"I can quit."

"You would do that? We can't pay you." Tex stated. 

"I've been with this outfit for too long. I like to keep move'n. There's so much to see and with you boys you never know what will happen." Ben grinned. "I learned that when I was with you in the army. The excitement seems to follow you around." 

"Sometimes, I wish it would follow someone else around a while." Tex replied grimly.

>>>><<<<

The next morning, while the brothers were eating breakfast, the sheriff came into the saloon.

"Join us?" Tom offered. 

The Sheriff hesitated, then shrugged. "Sure." He dropped into a chair.

He leaned back eyeing them. "You are the men who rode in yesterday, aren't ya?"

The brothers nodded. "Took me a minuet to recognize you. You all being cleaned up n' all."

Chuck grinned. "Don't let what we looked like after riding a week in the desert, be what you use to judge our character. We're really real civilized folk. In fact we own a small ranch. Small enough that me and my three brothers can run it by ourselves. With a little help every once in a while. But a good ranch none the less." 

The sheriff excepted the cup coffee offered him. "I never judge by first glance," he said. "Yesterday, you said you wanted to talk?"

"I did and I do." Tex answered taking a gulp of the strong black coffee. "Has a group of about nine men come through here recently? Within the last week or so."

The sheriff's eyes narrowed. "Following someone?" 

"Maybe. But it's for a good reason. They kidnapped our brother." Tom answered, shortly.

"Well, in that case, let me think. Nine people. All men. Am I right?"

"Ya are."

"Well, let me think. We had a few men come into town about two days ago. Not nine men but it could have been a bigger party then we thought. They didn't stay in town long. They brought two pack horses and bought enough food to pack 'um, an' left. I figured they was cowhands buy'n food for on their ranch. We's the only town for a good many miles."

"What way did they go?" Chuck asked.

"They left the same way they came. Towards the hills. To the north." The Sheriff nodded his head in the direction. 

The door opened and Ben came in. Seeing the Sheriff with the brothers he hesitated. Then he strode across the floor and pulled out a chair. He sat down without a word, and crossed his arms over his chest. 

The Sheriff looked at him. "You in with them?" he asked.

"Yep." Was Ben's short reply..

"Does it mater?" Tex asked, sensing more to it then friendly conversation. 

"No. I guess not." The sheriff pushed back his chair. "If you have any more questions, I'll be around."

He glanced at Ben. Then turned at left the room. Three pares of questioning eye turned to Ben. Ben shrugged. "Guess, he don't like me much." 

                                                             >>>><<<<

"This is were they camped, all right." Tom nudged the pile of ashes with his boot.

Chuck nodded. "I think we found our lost trail. They must of circled around to this side before heading into town. So not to cause suspicion." 

"It looks as if their head'n to Lady Marge's." Ben hitched a leg around the pummel of his saddle.

"What's Lady Marge's?" Tex asked.

"A small town about twenty miles from here." 

"I thought the town we we're just at was the only town around."

Ben nodded. "It is. The only town we're you can get supplies. But there are several small towns around. They're small. Real small. Lady Marge's is fair sized but only consists of a stable, jail of sorts,  saloon, two houses, and Marge's place. You can get a good meal at Marge's. She's one fine cook. Quiet a few ranches around town too." Ben grinned and added, "The Baker's live around there too." 

"The Bakers?" Tom mounted his horse.

"Yep. A large family of the best horse rider in all of Texas. Never met them my self but no one can beat them. So they say. They can get out of any horse, speed that don't seem possible. They might even be better then you boys." Ben grinned. "If that's possible."

Tom chuckling. "It's plenty possible."

"I don't know." Ben raised his eyebrows. "You boys are full of surprises." 

Tex shook his head. "Enough talk. Let's ride."

>>>><<<<

At the top of a hill, Tex and his group rained in. In the dissents was a ranch house. A crowd people stood shouting. 

"I wonder what's going on." Chuck squinted for a better look.

"Looks like we stumbled on to a party," Ben said.

"Yeah. But what type of party?" Tom asked.

And that's, that! I'm thinking of taking that first part at the top out of this chapter. What do you think? Would it make it run smoother?

~Kylie Nancy