Bill looked up from tightening the last bolt that held the massive carbon-arc searchlight down to its mounting plate on the roof of his adobe cabin. With the installation of the electric dynamo and the weir dam on the creek the week before, he now could power the two lights that had arrived from England some time ago. When he was attending the university in Edinburgh, he had seen lamps like this in London and the beam of ferociously bright white light they projected was astounding. It was visible for miles at night and could be used for signalling or illumination at great distances. He had attended to install a pair like this at the ranch in Arizona but…
He frowned and scanned the horizon again hoping to see a pair of horses approaching but there was nothing. Ella had said that Patches was going to find Scarlet who had gone after someone named “Cutter.” He trusted Patches implicitly and if she thought that there was any real danger she could not handle she would call for help. As it was she was just asking for information. He still did not like the situation and frowned again looking at the clouds gathering on the horizon. Bill was a planner and always believed in trying to carry enough gear to account for any situation that might arise. He and Patches had been together long enough that some of this had rubbed off on her so he was concerned that she had not come back to the ranch for any provisions. Well, he thought, she must therefore be fairly sure that she would not be gone for too long.
He opened the trapdoor in the roof and climbed down the ladder in the corner of the kitchen. The house was very quiet. Often by this time of the day Patches would have dropped by and they might be working together on some project or occasionally making supper together if it was Ella’s Sabbath and she was not cooking. “Speaking of supper,” he said out loud and looked toward the main house. It should be just about time. Bill put the cloth tool roll down on the kitchen table for the moment and after lighting a lamp near the door and pulling on his coat, started the walk to the main house to see if he could help with the preparations.
Rose smiled warmly as she watched Fritz looking over the big gun that ‘decorated’ her yard.
She wasn't sure what to say to him, she had been so happy to hear Scarlet had found someone that made her happy. At first Rose had not believed it; she thought Scarlet had made someone up to keep her from worrying. Then Rose got to meet Fritz, and the way he and Scarlet looked at each other. Rose felt a great deal of joy when she watched them together.
She liked Fritz right away, and she liked the fact she could tease him on occasion and make him blush. But today, like her she could see he was worried.
Rose poured a cup of coffee and stepped outside.
"You're going to catch cold out here if you're not careful." She said offering him the cup.
Fritz looked up. He'd been trying to occupy his mind with inspecting the guns that sat in on the lawn of the Star.
"Those things still work. Johnny's kept them repaired and fires them on occasion to make sure they do. Probably work better now then when they rolled out of the factory." Rose ran her hand across the barrel.
"I have no doubt," Fritz replied, accepting the cup. He'd seen the craters in the ground 400 yards out. He was sure that Johnny had every inch of ground dialed in.
"I feel like a useless part here." Fritz patted the barrel. "The men all know their jobs. Johnny's been occupied with other tasks. Bo and Jimmy haven't spoken to me since we pulled in." Firtz looked down the sights. "This is something I know. Something I'm comfortable with."
Rose put her hand on his shoulder. Her son's shoulder.
"But..." Fritz sighed, and she felt it through the fabric of his greatcoat. "I know she's a big girl. I know she can take care of herself. She's done it long before I came along." His words came rapid fire. "It's just that she's told me about demons from her past, coming to get her, and now she's out there alone..."
Rose smiled understandingly.
"Fritz, you're as much a member of this family as anyone of them. They just been around here longer, know what to expect, and what’s expected of them.
Bo and Jimmy, they probably don't know what to say to ya. Sometimes it's hard wondering if you're saying to much or not enough, if it's even your place to say things.
Johnny, well that's just the way he can be. He'll calm down." She looked back towards the house. "He better, Bo can only take so much, chewing on." She half smiled.
"I'm glad she's told you about those demons. The difference between then and now is she never had a man she loved the way she loves you to come back to."
Rose's hand slipped from his shoulder. "I believe she'll come home to you son.
If you want her fathers attention you might have to stand up and be heard so to speak. Johnny respects a man who'll stand his ground. Maybe he's never said it to you, but he respects you."
"You're right, of course," Fritz said. "There's a time for fighting, and a time for waiting. When he wants to talk to me, I'll be here."
Rose pulled the shawl closer 'round her shoulders and turned to go.
Fritz put his hand out. "Rose...who are those 'demons'?"
Rose stopped and turned back around a puzzled look on her face.
"I thought you said she told you about them. A name is that what you want to know?"
"She never told me," Fritz said. "All she'd say is that some day, her demons would catch up to her, and she'd have to go and fight them."
Fritz sighed. "She also said not to be surprised if I woke up alone one day."
Rose could feel her heart twist and Fritz could see the sadness in her eyes.
"Did she tell you..." Rose didn't know how to say in or how to ask, this really was not her place, it was Scarlet’s, but Scarlet wasn't here and she wasn't going to shut Fritz out. She looked down then looked back into his eyes. "Did she tell you she couldn't have children?"
"Not in so many words," Fritz replied. "She made it sound like it wasn't in the cards...as if she couldn't be a mother, because of the life she'd chosen."
Rose rolled her eyes. “More like her father than I ever knew.” She said under her breath.
She slid her hand over Fritz’s arm. “Walk with me.” She said heading towards the barn.
“I don’t know about all the demons Fritz, but I know plenty about this one. Thing that puzzles me, is that he is supposed to be dead, Scarlet always said he was smart. She also said she wouldn’t believe he was dead until his heart was cut out and the ashes spread to the four winds.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Yeah, more and more like Johnny.” She snorted.
“His name is Kevin Rowen, or Cutter. Depends on what part of the country you’ve been standing in if you’ve heard of him or not.“
Rose stopped in front of her stallions stall. The big grey raised his head and approached them stretching his nose out to take the sugar cube Rose offered. She smiled and stroked his forehead.
“You ever hear of the Rowen brothers or a man called Cutter? I know the army chased him along the border states.”
Fritz put his hand out, palm up. The grey sniffed at it, and obligingly lowered his head. "This one likes his ears scratched too," he thought.
"Cutter. The name rings a bell. We didn't do much about him at Riley, but the troopers patrolling the border were fully briefed by the Rangers."
He looked at Rose, and saw the concern in her eyes. "I was briefed too, before my 'unofficial' scouting mission." As Fritz recalled, this Cutter was found of rape, torture and murder. "I promised those boys I'd save a rifle round for Cutter if I came across him."
Fritz took a deep breath. "Rose, what did he do to her?"
Rose twisted her lips. "Some of the stories I heard about that man Fritz...." She shook her head sadly then took her a deep breath of her own. Rose didn’t want to tell him what she’d heard he’d done to that deputy that worked for Scott. She knew it would only cause him more worry.
Fritz took a deep breath. "Rose, what did he do to her?"
“He took her husband, her unborn son, and until you she believed he took the ability for her to love someone else." Rose said softly as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "She tried to love Scott, I guess looking back they just weren't compatible, she thought it was just her. I probably didn't help the situation either. Then Scott started talking about marriage and a family. Scarlet can’t have children because of the life she’s chosen, she can’t have children because of what happened when her path crossed Rowens."
A soft nicker was heard down the breezeway. Rose smiled softly as she looked at the dark sparkling eyes of the bay gelding who hoped he would get some attention. She started to walk towards Dancer stopping along the way to pet some of the other horses.
He'd spent many hours talking to his love, and she'd never mentioned Cutter. They'd spent nights in a loving embrace, saying nothing but sharing everything...yet he didn't know this.
Suddnely Fritz felt very foolish.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know."
"I'm sure she would've told you, in time," Rose replied. "It may be that she just wanted to keep you safe...to keep from losing you too."
"She won't," Fritz said. "I swear it."
The bay nickered again, wanting his attention as well.
“I suspect that maybe one of the reasons she’s not talked to you about setting a wedding date. Every time I ask her about it she just replies you two have yet to discuss it. Much like everyone around her Fritz, she leaves the door open for you to walk away.”
Rose stopped in front of Dancer’s stall. The bay gelding bobbed his head up and down waiting for treats and attention.
“Scarlet tells people she had a riding accident. That’s why she can’t have children. Cutter’s brother shot her horse from under her and he fell on top her. I think the only thing that saved her was the sandy ground. The doc told us she was lucky to have lived.”
“Dancer was Travis’s horse. I often wonder what he would say if he could really talk.” She held the sugar out to him, and ran her fingers through the long black forelock that laid neatly between the horse’s eyes. Dancer lowered his head and closed his eyes as he ate the sugar obviously enjoying her attention.
“This horse has a lot of miles on him, good and bad. He’s a hell of a ride. I’m glad Scarlet’s riding him again, and Patches too.” She stroked the horses neck and thought she’d have to ask Patches what she thought of the horse, she seemed to enjoy his company.
Dancer lifted his head and looked at Fritz. He was used to seeing the man come and go with Scarlet and his stable mate. The gelding’s nostrils quivered as he put his nose on Fritz's arm.
For a moment Fritz and Rose looked out of the barn at the horizon. There was a storm brewing.
And it was coming their way.
Ella sighed as she stood up and stretched. Her watch said she had been at the key for the last eight hours. Now that the key was quiet, and might stay that way until morning, she felt every minute of time in her hands and back.
She had stopped at her room to buckle on her holster and add a box of ammunition to her pockets after delivering the messages to Bo. Rose didn't comment on the pistol while they finished cleaning the kitchen and made a new batch of bread, but had given a little nod of her head as though she approved. They finished the kneading before the key called her out to the telegraph office at a run.
That was a report from the prison, addressed to ECW and signed by Tensleep. After transcribing it all neatly, she started asking questions. When she reached the limits of the information the prison could provide, she turned to the Fort Worth newspaper. They sent her accounts of the buria l, and promised to mail accounts from the trial and photos from the funeral right away.
During one of the pauses between sending questions and getting answers, she noticed that someone, probably Rose, had brought her a lunch tray with a pot of tea. She managed to eat half of it, and drink a cup of tea, before the wire called her back to work.
Ella gathered the papers into a neat pile and carried them to the kitchen. After dinner would be soon enough to discuss what the words written there all meant. Some of the meaning was going to come from Rose, Bo and Jimmy.