Trego. J. D. Oliver

forgive myself. “Alright, but let’s keep it a secret, I don’t want anyone to know that you can shoot.”

      “Good we can saddle one of the mares for me this afternoon, if that’s alright?”

      I didn’t see anymore of Sam Benbow the rest of the morning. He was probably holed up with that bunch at the Wise River Mine. I figured they would lay low for awhile. They had the funeral coming up, plus getting that silver shipment out of town. I had that creepy feeling in the middle of my back.

      Her gun was a .41 caliber Navy. Well oiled and kept. You could see that it had plenty of usage. Brie was wearing her pants, she strapped the gun belt and holster on and twirled the gun on her finger and put it smoothly in the holster. I looked at her; she hadn’t told me her whole story.

      “Put on your long coat, I don’t want anyone seeing you with that pistol.”

      We rode out of town right after lunch; we used the reason of going to visit the Specter ranch. Everyone was looking curiously at us. Why wouldn’t they, this was the first time that we left town since I got here. Jake was running ahead of us. Happy to be going somewhere. Tied to my saddle horn was a sack of empty tomato tins, to use as targets.

      We stopped far enough away from town so no one could hear our shots. I went out about fifty yards and lined up six cans about ten feet apart.

      We dropped reigned our horses. I told Jake to keep an eye on the mare. She might spook at the noise. I knew Jim wouldn’t.

      “Alright Honey, see if you can hit those cans.” Brie held her Navy loosely in her right hand, then she shot once. It hit close to the first can on the left. The can flew, not because she hit it, but the dirt did. She sat herself again. The second can was a direct hit, she did the same with the remaining four. You could see her confidence building at each shot.

      She reloaded. I went and sat more cans up. I came back. “That was some good shooting sweetheart. But let’s try something different. Put your gun in the holster and try drawing and shooting.”

      Brie twirled the gun, just like she did back in her room. She pushed her coattails back, then before I could blink, she drew and fired, the can flew, she shot again, hitting the can still in the air, she did it four more times.

      “Oh, you are the devious one aren’t you? It’s your turn to set the cans up.” I said. Brie went and reset the cans. She came back, “I’m sorry Honey, I should of told you. But my first husband when I showed him, he sulked for days.”

      She was still talking when I drew both guns, emptying them in succession, keeping the cans in the air all of the while.

      “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like that.” Brie said, as we both reloaded. I looked at her, “How did you learn to shoot like that?” I asked her.

      “My Dad showed me some, but most of it I learned on my own. I’d go out of town on my own and practice for hours. My brother went with me sometimes, but he never really got the knack.”

      “What about you?”

      “About the same, hours upon hours. But remember what I said, don’t let anybody know about how good you can shoot. We want it to be a surprise. Can you shoot with your left hand also?”

      “Sure, but I only have this one gun.”

      “Don’t worry, I’ll get you another one. In fact I think I might have one just like that at the jail, it would be nice to have matching ones.”

      Brie mounted up, she sat a good saddle. I rode along side of her. “So Brie, have you ever shot anyone?”

      “Goodness no. Just mainly target practice, but I used to hunt.”

      “That’s about the same, only thing animals don’t shoot back at you. Well let me clarify that, there are men who are worse than animals, they do shoot back at you.”

      We rode on for a little bit in silence. Brie glanced at me, “Are we going by the Specter ranch, like we told everyone we were?”

      “Sure, if you want to, we have a couple hours of daylight left.”

      “Yes, I would like to see Molly, I haven’t seen her all winter.”

      We weren’t too far from their ranch, it only took us less than an hour to get there. All of the snow hadn’t melted yet, and sticking up through it was the first green grass of spring. There were cattle that were hunting for the new sprouts all along the way. Of course they were still being hayed. There were very few ranch’s that put up hay, but I was glad to see that the Specter’s did. That made me think, “Brie where did you get your hay last fall?”

      “From the Specter’s. That is one of the reasons that I want to see them. To see if they had any extra, and also to contract for some this fall.”

      “I’m glad to see that you’ve been thinking ahead. You know a lot of those ranch’s in the eastern part of the territory, don’t put up hay. One of these years there going to be sorry.

      We’re due for a bad winter, when it does hit, they’re going to lose a lot of stock.”

      “When do you think Montana will become a state?” Brie asked me.

      “I don’t know, maybe in a few years. I heard some rumblings in Helena about that last year, I spent a week there.”

      “What did you do there for a week?” Brie asked me with a sly smile.

      “Not much, played some poker, drank some, you know.”

      “I hear they have some fast women there, is that right?”

      “I don’t know, I never seen them run. I don’t think they could be too fast, not with those fancy shoes they wear.” I said, while trying to keep a straight face.

      Brie popped me with her quirt lightly on my arm. “You know what I meant, did you sleep with any of them?”

      “Sleep? Nope, I didn’t sleep with them.” She popped me again.

      “I’m sorry, that is none of my business, what you did before we were married. But you know how women are. If there is a loose thread, they have to pick at it till it unravels.”

      “That’s alright Brie, I never did anything that I was ashamed of and I also believe that is true of you.” I said, she started to reply, but we had just rode into the ranch yard and several dogs came out to greet Jake, he whipped the leader, then they all became friends.

      Molly came out, drying her hands on her apron, “Land Sakes, this is a surprise, come on in, supper’s almost ready, turn your horses into the corral, there’s hay and water there.”

      Molly said, as she and Brie were heading into the house. I took the horses to the corral that was hooked onto the barn. I pulled their bridles and bits out of their mouths and hung them on the saddle horns. I loosed the cinches so they could eat and drink. The ranch dogs were showing Jake around the place.

      Brie had hung her long coat on a peg in the entranceway, I hung mine beside hers. There was a big dinning room just off the kitchen, where everyone ate, including the hired hands. Charles and Robert Ringer were already there, as well as those two ex hands of Evan Blythe, that I sent out here. When I walked in everyone ignored me, they were looking at Brie. Not only her pants, but the gun and belt that she was wearing. I had forgot to tell her to take it off.

      Harold looked up at me, “Set down Marshal, glad you folks dropped by. And I want to thank you for sending Clint and Chunk my way, they’re good hands.”

      “No need to thank me, I was just glad that I didn’t have to shoot them.” I meant it as a joke, but I seen some at the table didn’t think it was so funny, my wife among them.

      She said, “Come set beside me, Tre',” I started to sit down, but I had to untie my tie downs on my holsters, or it would have been awkward setting down. Brie had already untied hers. Strange thing, me being alone most of my life, at times I didn’t know how to socialize. In fact, since I came to Coolidge