The Cowboy Who Strolled Into Town (3 page)

Chapter 5

Stanley Yalow proved to be just as restless as his father, and agreed to help Daniel in his farm. It was meant to be a neighbourly gesture, but Daniel insisted on paying him full wages for his work quoting, “the labourer deserves his wages”

With the help of his father’s old bank, he had been able to secure a tractor, and seeds through their agricultural program. His old man had run a successful farm, and had left a reasonable amount of savings all of which had passed on to Daniel.

“Your father always knew you would come back; he knew it like it happened yesterday.” Paul Virchow, the bank manager said. He was a burly, red-faced man, neither born nor bred in the south, but originally from New York. He had been transferred there and forgotten by the powers that held sway; resentful at first, the environment had grown on him and now one wife, four kids, and twenty five years later, he was as southern as the birds in season.

“Hmmh,” Daniel grunted, “I was not expecting this at all.”

“Yeah your pops was the silent type; but he prepared as best as he could.”

Presently Daniel and Stanley stood at the back of the house, the tractor ten metres away stood in front of the barn. They admired in silence, the gleam of the warm morning sun upon the fresh paint job of the tractor.

“So we begin only with the crop; no animals yet?” Steven asked

“Hmmh-hmmh” Daniel answered.

“I’ll still check out the stables and chicken coops from time to time; make sure no wild animals don’t make it a haven or nothing.”

“Hmmh, good idea; I could put one or two horses, you never know; maybe to help with going about the farm when it’s done.”

They were pulled out of their reverie by the sound of a vehicle pulling up in front of the house. Sheriff McGrady was dusting himself up with his brown hat, and already making his way to the repaired gates by the time they had circled the house.

Daniel waited for him on the porch as he made his way up to the house. “Vincent I never knew the badge was hereditary around these here parts; I must have been gone too long.” Daniel began mockingly.

“Oh you know the apple never falls far from the tree; Somebody gotta keep an eye on things.”

McGrady was on the porch now. Stanley could see that there was no love lost between them, and offered the sheriff a seat in the long chair on the porch to defuse the situation.

“Naw I won’t be staying long young’un I just came to see my old friend here; you know this area has been abandoned for some time and could harbour wild animals. I hear the coyote frequents here to give birth this time of year.” Sheriff McGrady said carefully, “I would tread carefully if I were you; you know, start small while I retake the land gradually.”

Daniel’s thousand yard stare could have killed a bird mid-flight, Sheriff Vincent McGrady seemed unimpressed, and Stanley found himself shifting from foot to foot as the situation inexplicably seemed about to escalate.

“The only thing I hear is the rage in these parts is the weasel that walks on two feet, and has a habit of cropping up where he doesn’t belong; lucky I brought my shotgun with me.”

“I only wanna help; it’s my job. I’ll be seeing you around. In the meantime, I don’t want any trouble in my county.” The sheriff said icily, as he made to leave, his shiny shoes sounding harsh against the old wood of the porch, “See you folks around maybe; say hello to your ma and pa for me boy.” He said, shoving his chin slightly towards Stanley.

Stanley leaned on one of the posts that ran from ceiling to floor along the length of the porch, as he and Daniel watched the sheriff walk back towards his official vehicle.

“You really have a shotgun up in here?” He asked Daniel as the car swirled round in a flurry of dust.

“Nope,” Daniel said, the smile thinning his lips not reaching his eyes, “But I better get one, and fast. We also better keep an eye out for anything unusual in these parts. I’ve known Vince McGrady a long time and something tells me he did not come over here because it was the neighbourly thing to do.”

“You think he came over here to take a look at things.” Stanley said matter-of-factly, shaking his head with comprehension. “I take it you two used to see a lot of each other back in the old days.”

“A skunk can never hide its smell; it would do him more good to wear it proudly. Vince is a two-timing weasel; always was, always will be.”

Stanley Yalow had heard talk about Daniel Hellas, and how he got to be away from home for so long. He thought, what happened in a man’s life was his business, and also his prerogative for bringing up. He observed the dust raised by the Sheriff’s vehicle drift off and scatter in many directions till it had all but disappeared.

“I’m gonna juice the old girl up and take her for a spin; why don’t you help me attach the plough before you run on home.” Daniel finally said.

A little while later, just before nodding off to sleep, from the comfort of the rocking chair in his comfortable old home, Old man Yalow could see Daniel Hellas plough back and forth on the piece of land, that had belonged to his father before him, and that stretched ten acres away into the distance.

The shadows of evening were already creeping around the edges of the buildings when Daniel decided to call it a day. The sheriff’s visit had him worried, and after he parked the tractor, he cast a wary eye about the barn. He stormed off towards the house, in a huff, his boots sounding ominous in the gathering twilight.

Whatever foreboding he felt, he shook off in the bathroom during his rubdown. He was feeling better, and was intent on looking dapper as he oiled his hair, and slipped into his two piece suit. He kicked his trusty Ford into gear, the engine no longer creating echoes in the no-longer lonely house as he eased it out of the compound.

Night was already upon the city when the truck pulled up in front of the dimly lit house. Daniel, flower bouquet in hand, took a deep breath before trying the knocker on the door. Tyrone answered the door. If he was surprised to see Daniel at the door, his face did not show it. His face did not show much of anything these days; his eyes always seeming a little glazed-sober or not.

“Yes!” Tyrone asked. The antagonism not so well masked in his voice.

Daniel ignored his tone, “Julianne in?”

“And who wants to know? You?” Tyrone continued, “Who do you think you are, coming into my house?”

“Julianne?!” Daniel called out into the house. He had seen enough of the world to recognise a crack head when he saw one.

Tyrone was just about to continue his rant when, Julianne’s dainty hands firmly pulled him aside. “Okay Ty that’s enough.”

Julianne seemed able to handle her brother, for he struggled, but eventually gave way growling. Daniel was grateful for his departure; realising that one of his hands was already bunched into a fist.

Daniel felt his breath fail him as Julianne finally showed herself at the door. She looked astonishing in the light pink gown that hinged across one shoulder, and then sloped down across her chest tantalisingly leaving an exquisite glimpse of forbidden delights. The delicate cut of the dress accentuated her curves, and did wonders for her figure. Her coal black hair, plaited in an elaborate curl on the top of her head, had one strand dropping across her chocolate face; the word goddess sprang to mind.

Daniel cleared his throat, and made a show of handing over the bouquet, “Milady” he said with a small bow. His heart leaped for joy in his chest to see the genuine delight in her eyes, “I had hoped tulips were still your favourite. I remember you used to walk beside the gardens at the church compound.”

“They’re lovely Daniel,” she exclaimed as she sniffed the bright coloured petals. Daniel stepped into the house as she went in search of a suitable pot to store them in. He walked in on Tyrone’s wary glare. There was no love lost between them as they appraised each other in a stare that would have frozen fish.

Daniel left Tyrone seating in a chair, and cast his eyes about the neatly, but not elaborately furnished room. The chairs were old, but comfortable, and arranged in such a manner that had an easy chair, a long sofa, and a shorter one in that order, forming a quarter circle, opposite a wide television screen, which Daniel suspected was rarely used. It was an arrangement that was designed as an invitation to sit, and it would have been a welcome invitation had Tyrone, eyes glazed, not been sitting in the easy chair that faced more of the door than the television.

Julianne hurried back, she did not want to leave Daniel and Tyrone alone for too long. She suspected that her last entrance had been timely in preventing a full blown fist-fight.

Tyrone sneered as Daniel took Julianne by the hand, and led her outside towards the truck. Nobody paid attention to him as he opened the door to the house to slam it loudly against its post. It was with this air of exclusivity, of them being the only two people in the world that they drove off.

Julianne touched and caressed Daniel’s suit appreciatively as they rode on, and Tyrone thought he had never been happier. He took her to a classy restaurant among the high rises of the town. Seated there in the top floor of a fifteen storey building, bathed in the golden candle lights, with the wind playing with the playful curl across her face, they caught up on the last twenty years.

She was intrigued to hear the different things he had been involved in since he had left; the army, the cattle range, the university. The last part really surprised her. He had a rough, dangerous edge about him that set him apart from that usual crowd. This was part of the reason she had been afraid to leave him alone with her cantankerous brother.

“So you were almost married?!” He asked surprised

“Hmmh yeah! Quite recently in fact.” she answered, her lips glistening from sipping wine at the table. “Did not work out though; he was just not it for me. I needed something more, something he couldn’t give me. I don’t think I ever really loved him, maybe I was just in love with the feeling; you know what the psychologists say about these things.”

“Huh, and here I was fantasizing I was the only man for you!”

“Oh don’t be jealous; I know you had a lot of female cadets jumping all over the obstacle course for your attention-handsome you!”

Daniel grew pink, “Well not exactly as you put it, but it was always you Julianne, even in the darkest moments; bullets whizzing around my head, it didn’t matter.”

There in a corner of the restaurant, beside the ledge over which cars were visible far below, they were partly hidden from view, and he caressed her jaws tenderly, and she kissed his hand in return.

They felt, rather than saw Tyler Blackford; his hands coming down hard on the stretch of table between them, slamming on the surface, and tearing into their fantasy like lightning.

His trademark white two piece suit was just as attention pulling as the slam on the table. Ordinarily, he oozed charm and bonhomie, which explained why he was one of the most popular men in the city, but today there was no trace of the usual upon his slim face.

“What do we have here?” he asked, his sophisticated voice carrying far in the rarefied night air, “I come here every Friday to enjoy a decent meal with some decent folk, and who do I see?”

Julianne could feel the muscles in Daniel’s hard hands grow tense at Tyler’s intrusion. She signalled for them to leave. The last thing she wished for was for things to escalate at the restaurant.

But Daniel would not budge.

“I see my old friend Daniel Hellas, whom I have not seen for twenty years! Can you believe that?”  Tyler asked no one in particular as he spread his hands out theatrically, “Maybe it’s because of some history we have together, but I don’t know it’s been twenny years; surely it’s water under the bridge by now!”

“Let’s go Dan, please!” Julianne implored as she saw the tense setting of his jaw all of a sudden, “it’s not worth it please!”

Daniel stayed rooted as Tyler continued with his theatrics, hands on his light-brown leather belt now, the center of attention for the onlookers at the other tables nearest to the drama.

“I mean I can forgive you not going to see old McGrady over at his house after everything you did to him and his all those years ago, but to move in and try to steal my girl is plain unforgiveable-you hear me? Unforgiveable! And you Julie! Is this the reason why? You been holding out all that chocolate goodness from me to give it to this-“

Daniel was out of his seat in a flash, cutting the rant off with the sheer speed of his movement. He was up in Tyler’s face, inches away and yet as cool as ice. Tyler stayed quiet though, and with good reason; Julianne could see the ice cold blue nature of Daniel’s eyes and for a second, feared Tyler would have to learn how to fly fast or hit the streets below.

“I don’t care what happened between the two o’ you, and you can say all you want about me Tyler,” Daniel hissed, his voice barely above a whisper, “But don’t you ever-not here, or anywhere, ever disrespect my woman; it’ll be the end of you.”

Tyler gulped, but kept his eyes level in a show of bravado. His slim face looked pale in the night lights of the restaurant, “you can’t do shi-“he began before he doubled over, and dropped to his knees before Daniel, his face fire red and contorted in pain.

Daniel had kneed him square in the crutch, and now extended his hand to a shocked, yet smiling Julianne who gratefully took it, manoeuvring around the writhing figure on the floor to join him by his side.