Trego. J. D. Oliver

he doing here?”

      “I don’t know for sure, but I think Evan hired him.”

      “You say he’s a hired gun, is he any good?”

      “Yep, he is. I just got a flyer on him in the last batch of mail. And I have seen him before, yes he can shoot. The wanted poster said there is a thousand dollar bounty on him.”

      “Oh good, then you can arrest him and put him in jail.”

      “Honey, you just don’t arrest someone like that, you have to kill them to get their guns.”

      “Well, you just be careful, come on I’ll make you some breakfast.” She said, as she gave me one last little twitch, just to remind me.

      “Sure, sweetheart, you go ahead, I have the stock to feed, I’ll be back by the time breakfast is ready.” I said as we were both getting dressed. I went out and did feed the horses and milk cow. Caitie was already milking when I got there.

      “Where are you going?” She asked me as I checked my guns before going out the barn door. Then she added, “I seen that gunfighter ride in at dawn, is that where?”

      “Did you recognize him?” I asked.

      “Not personally, but I know the type. You be careful.”

      “I always am, Caitie, I always am.” I said as I went out the door. As I closed it behind me, my fingers ran across the bullet holes that the Blythe kid put there. I purposely hadn’t fixed them, they were a good reminder.

      I went to the saloon, I was going to go in, when I stopped and untied his horse from the hitching pole. I led him over to the livery and paid Henry to grain him and currycomb him.

      “Whose horse is it?” Henry asked.

      “Sam Benbow’s, he’s over at the saloon feeding his face, he left his horse tied up. I figured I would just do him a favor.”

      “Sam Benbow, huh? The same one that’s a gunfighter?”

      “Yep, the same one.”

      “What’s he doing here?” Henry asked.

      “Well, I just don’t rightly know, I figured I’d just mosey on over there and ask him.”

      “What do you want on your tombstone?” Henry asked.

      “What makes you think it will be my tombstone?”

      “I seen him in action once, he’s pretty fast.” Henry said, as he worked at currycombing his horse.

      “I tell you what, the race doesn’t always go to the swift.

      But who says he’s on the prod, maybe he’s just passing through.”

      “Well, you just be careful, they say he isn’t above shooting someone in the back.”

      As I came through the doors, my eyes swept the room, Sam was setting at the same corner table that Brie and I sat at for lunch yesterday. He seen me, his eyes had a surprised look. I ignored him and went to the bar. Bayard said, “What’ll be.”

      “Just a cup of coffee, Brie is making breakfast for me.” As he went to get it, I turned my back to the bar, looking at Sam, I said, “Howdy Sam, what brings you to Coolidge?”

      “I didn’t know for sure, till you walked in. That’s a mighty shinny badge you have on there.”

      “Yep, it sure is. If you didn’t know why you came here, what ill wind blew you here?”

      “This letter, with money in it.” He held the letter up with his left hand. “It just says that the Wise River Mine is having some varmint problems. I just bet that varmint is you?”

      “Could be Sam. But I don’t take too kindly at being called a varmint.”

      “Whoa, there Trego. I’m not after you, yet. Cause that cash was just a teaser, the deal ain’t been cinched yet. The letter also said something about riding shotgun on a silver shipment. You might not even be the burr under their saddle.”

      “Am I the burr under your saddle Sam?”

      “Nope, not yet. But I’ll tell you when you are.” He said, as he tossed some money on the table and hitched up his pants, careful not to get his hand near his gun. He walked to the door and started to go out. He stopped, turning he said, “someone stole my horse.”

      “Nope, they didn’t. You’ll find it at the livery, you owe me two bucks. You know Sam, I just can’t abide a man who looks after his own welfare; before taking care of his horse, how did you live so long doing that?”

      “What do you mean by that?”

      “Well Sam, you know if your horse gives out on you in the middle of the desert or even when being chased by a posse, you’re in deep shit. Hell, even a greenhorn knows that.” His face was turning red, “take it easy Sam, remember, you haven’t been paid yet.”

      Bayard broke the tension, “Here’s your coffee Trego.” I didn’t turn around, “Thanks Bayard.” I said. Sam was losing some of his steam, he turned and went out, slamming the door behind him.

      “That was about the smoothest job of needling that I have ever seen done.” Bayard said. “It looked like he was going to draw on you.”

      “Yep, I thought he might also. Sort of wished he would of, I don’t like postponing the inventible.” I said, as I sipped at my coffee.

      “How come you always talk so fancy, some of the words you use, I’ve never heard of before.”

      “My Dad was pretty strict, I guess he figured if it was worth saying, it was worth saying well. Of course sometimes I fall back on the colloquial.” I said as I finished my coffee and tossed him a dime.

      I was debating which door to go out, the front or the side, wondering if he was going to try and dry gulch me. Knowing how devious his thinking might be, I decided to go out the front door, figuring he would be looking for me to go out the side door.

      I was right, he wasn’t watching the front door. I peeked around the edge of the building, he was watching the side door. He didn’t see me. I stepped back, should I confront him? I peeked back around the corner of the building. He was gone. Damn, I should of braced him. He was sure enough a bad man, but he was a coward. And they were the worst kind.

      “You took your time, where have you been?” Brie said, as I came into the kitchen.

      “Oh, I didn’t like seeing that horse suffer, so I took it to the livery. Sam wasn’t the least bit appreciative.”

      “I don’t imagine that he was, you did it just to piss him off, didn’t you?”

      “No, not entirely, but some, yeah.”

      “Why are you doing this. Are just trying to make him mad?”

      “Yeah, I guess I am. You see when someone loses their temper, they lose their reasoning. I need any edge that I can engender.”

      “Why, your faster than he is, aren’t you?”

      “Maybe, but he’s a back shooting coward, I need him so mad he can’t see straight. I need him to draw on me, face to face.”

      Brie stood there with the hotcake spatula in her hand, thinking. “Honey, let’s just leave, let’s go somewhere else.”

      “Huh! What are you talking about? Running away? We can’t do that, this town is depending on us. Yes, that’s right us. You and me. We’re a team.” I said.

      “I know that, it’s just that I’m scared for you. You said that we were a team? Do you mean that?”

      “Of course I do.”

      “Did you know that I can shoot? My Dad taught me, both with a revolver and a long gun. I just have to brush up a little. In fact I have my own