Scarlet had finished her bath, gotten dressed, geared up and was headed back to the barn. While she’d sat in the bath she had decided Joker and Dancer would be the pack horses. Ella could handle riding either one of them for switching mounts and they both would follow and be able to keep pace with Lucky without being worried about.
She had finished putting the pack saddles on horses and packing the things she wanted when she heard “Incoming rider!”
Scarlet stepped out of the barn. She recognized the man, it had been sometime, since she rode with Hart best she could remember.
“Corbin! There you are.” He said riding up, his horse steaming in the cool morning air.
“Daniels, what brings you looking for me?” She replied curiously.
“You got a letter. It’s marked urgent from Fort Laramie. The way I figure it is they are either lookin’ for ya cuz ya went and made some soldier mad and you best be headed back to Mexico or they want somebody’s head in a sack and figure you is the one for the job.” He chuckled at his own humor. “Anyhow looks like you might already know.” He said eyeing the horses.
“I’m headhunting.” She half grinned almost afraid to take the letter. Her mind raced, Fritz had only been gone a day and something regarding him would have come to Mrs. King and most likely been brought from the nearby fort.
She took the letter. It was clearly marked on the outside.
CORBIN
SOUTHERN STARR
EL PASO TX
URGENT
“I got to get back ‘for the stage leaves without me.” He said turning his horse.
“Don’t be such a stranger Daniels.” She said looking at the envelope.
“You owe me a drink at the Ace anyhow since I hand delivered that. Gives you a head start!” He laughed as his horse moved off.
Scarlet looked at the return address that simply said Kane, Ft. Laramie, Wyoming.
She couldn’t think of anybody there who would be contacting her but then again this week had been full of unpleasant surprises.
Scarlet tore open the letter that looked like it had been hastily scribbled out.
“Corbin,
I find myself looking beyond locals for the upcoming task. The ones who are good at what they do have already ridden out and I am short handed except for young inexperienced. While they are good scouts I fear they will crap their britches under fire. When I tell them we are headed for Ft. Fetterman I fear they will desert, as you know the only thing appealing there is the Hog Ranch.”
That made Scarlet chuckle. One of the girls that worked the Ace had come from the Hog Ranch. She knew from what the woman had said the Hog Ranch was the only option for the soldiers to socialize with women, and they had to swim the river to do it. She had told the other girls about all the soldiers in wet uniforms half frozen at times that would come to visit. The letter continued.
“From there we are to scout out hostile Indians. I have been lucky enough to get a couple of half breed Crow Scouts, however some of the others would rather see them hung than ride with them. I fear my hands will be full babysitting when I should be able to concentrate on other things. So far only a handful speak the language of the men we go after. What good is that to me? If you can recommend any good scouts that will NOT desert me, have seen battle and speak the language I would be in your debt.
Cyrus Kane
P.S. It is with great sorrow I heard of your brother’s death.”
It was then Scarlet realized this was meant for Bo. She remembered Cyrus too, although she had only met him once. He had come to the Starr to meet with Bo, Travis and some of the other men that ran in their circle. She’d never forget the face of a man who survived an attack from a grizzly. She remembered Travis thanking her for being nice to him. At first she did not understand, later she’d heard some of the other women talking about how scary and awful looking he was and they were afraid to talk to him. She could remember thinking her mother raised her better than that.
Scarlet folded the letter, placed it back in the envelope and looked at it for a long moment. Cyrus needed good scouts, she was just as good as anybody he’d be able to find and better than others.
“I can’t ask you to go with me, it’s gonna be dangerous, conditions will be harsh.” Fritz had said. Scarlet mulled this over for a moment. She’d been through the gates of hell more than once, knee deep in snow and mud or in the middle of the desert in August. She’d ridden with some of the foulest men she’d had the displeasure of meeting, at least soldiers were supposed to be disciplined.
There was her current condition to be considered. If she let her mind wander she could remember the pain of the late term miscarriage and the condition that had followed. If she carried this child that long she was probably as good as dead anyway, her instincts told her so, besides she had already decided she was not going to sit around feeling sorry for herself. The fates had dropped this letter right in her hands, the dreams of the devil earlier, who was she to ignore such signs?
Fritz’s wife did not belong there, it wouldn’t look good at all, she could only imagine what people would say, but the bounty hunter called Corbin would be an asset to Cyrus Kane. Scarlet finished with the horses then swung into the saddle.
She rode past the garden. Ella wasn’t there so she headed towards the telegraph office. Seeing movement inside Scarlet pulled Lucky to a stop and dismounted.
She was smiling when she went inside.
“Good morning Ella.” Scarlet was smiling like her old self. “How fast can we make Ft. Laramie, Wyoming territory? If I am not mistaken we can take the train part way.” She said sliding the envelope towards Ella.