Page 4 of Tusks & Saddles
“Winning that poker game, I see,” Boone teased, nodding to the table before the old timer. The purple fleshed daemon raked a hand through his messy salt and pepper hair. It was thinner than it was when they met. Thankfully, Jobe had a head full of thick ram horns, and a bush of a beard. When Boone needed work and the guild was plumb out of jobs, he came here. Jobe always had a job for anyone who needed work and was honest about it.
“Oh, you know, these knuckleheads are just letting me win cause we’re betting on cookies and not gold. If they were holding onto their coin, I’d be fucked!” Jobe chortled, throwing back a mug. “What can I do for ya, kid?”
Jobe was the only person in Irongarde allowed to call Boone that. Only other person was his father.
“You heard of a skinny orc guy, goes by the name Welborn, walking around town?” Boone arched a brow, searching the porch for anyone who perked up at the sound. His brother wasn’t likely to stir up shit, but he wasn’t sure what Welby was into these days. It’s been years since he’d seen the kid.
“Why?” Jobe arched a fluffy brow down at Boone.
“He’s my brother,” Boone fessed up. There was no harm in people knowing they were related. “I saw him get off the train but lost him in the crowd. I think he was walking around with a lady in all black? Wanted to give the little shit a noogie or somethin’. You know.”
Jobe beamed, chuckling. “Nah, sorry—uh, wait, nah. Sheriff, didn’t you saw there was that one lady in all black?”
“Yeah! Uh, fuck,” the sheriff ruffled his own floppy ears, knocking about his floppy wolf ears. Duke Matthias looked up from his hand of cards only to toss back his mug again. “Yeah, some lady in a big ole’ hat. Officers paid her for stopping a robbery.”
“A robbery!” Boone boomed, stepping up onto the patio of the tavern. Jobe shot him a ‘cool it’ expression that made him correct his posture. “You sure?”
“Absolutely, though, they didn’t get very far. Lady pistol-whipped those idiots. I don’t remember anyone other than her. But if you want, I think they’re staying at Cutters.”
Boone exhaled heavily, looking up at the sun. It took him too long to get back into town and the shops would close up soon. He promised to be back by dinner.Shit.“Thanks! If he’s still around when I get back, I’ll box his ears then.”
“Get back?” Jobe choked on his sip that half went up his nostrils.
“Please, Jobe, we both know he’s about to help push cattle with Willamina,” Duke snorted, shaking his head.
“How?” Boone and Jobe scoffed. The Paladin put his fists against his side, propping his boot up onto the only empty chair at the table.
“Gracie is still at home with her pups and that dingus husband of hers. Will don’t push without her unless she’s got muscle with her for those damn Sand Slithers. And who the fuck else is she gonna ask? Will don’t ask nobody for nothing. So, Boone’s doing it out of the goodness of his heart, or something stupid like that.” Duke threw his cards down. “I fold; got shit for cards.”
Jobe grinned and threw down his hand. Duke howled with rage, cursing about Jobe being a shitty player with a shitty hand. The tavern owner snickered, scooping up the dry cookies at the center of the dusty table. Boone bowed his head to the old timers but said nothing as he dipped away from the table.Out of the goodness of his heart.That’s why people thought he did this? Did anything for that viper of a woman?
Regardless of what the real reason was, Duke had a point. Will needed another muscle to help fight off the Sand Slithers. Moving 300 heads of cattle across the land was hard enough without giant snakes the size of a building breaking through the earth. The first two days of travel meant a lot of noise, and there’s nothing Sand Slithers love more than noisy cattle and thundering hooves. While the feisty Erinyes was capable of handling herself, everyone knew not to face those things alone. It was almost always a death sentence.
Boone made quick work inside the general store, grabbing a handful of clothes, feed, and the other items on Will’s list. What he didn’t do was put it on the ranch’s tab. While he had no doubt that Will could pay all her bills, he was worried about how small their last push crew was. Throughout the year, the ranch was the third largest employer in the town, outside the mines and railroad. If she was down to her brother and Roger, that meant she didn’t have the coin to hire some of her cowboys to stay on.
And my old man told me four years ago to stop sending money home.Boone hated the strange gut feeling it left. He read that letter maybe a hundred times.You’ve fulfilled your oath, Boone.But it never felt finished because he wasn’t there to see Welborn make something of himself.
Life’s not fair that way. He trampled his way into the small room he rented from the guild. A Paladin got special discounts for rooms, but it didn’t matter; they didn’t have many out this far. Most Paladins work at the stronghold, or that fancy elven city to the northeast. Boone never liked working there—people didn’tneedhim. He wanted to be where a Paladin was needed, not where it was expected.
Plus…where else will I get my life threatened by pretty women who clearly hate my guts?He chuckled to himself as he packed up a small bag of clean clothes, his leather armor, the long sword (for ease of travel) and the few potions he had on hand. He was leaving a note for the guild master about where he would be, with his next portion of rent to make sure he didn’t miss the date…when he stared at the small chest at the base of his bed. Inside it were bits and things he’d collected along his way. Small things like a wooden sword a kid carved him in the back of a caravan he protected a few years ago, or the dented helmet from that dragon that nearly ate him trying to save some merchant’s kid. But there at the bottom was a bag full of coin. He kept it to send back home. But after his father all but threatened to gut him for sending money where it wasn’t needed, he just held onto it.
If Welborn’s here…but he’s not here for me…he doesn’t need it.And Boone knew where it was needed more. He stuffed the pouch into his pack and locked up his belongings. Not that there was much to take. A few pairs of good trousers and his heavy ass sword weighing down the bed.And if a thief can honestly drag that out of here, all the more power to him.Boone dropped off his rent and letter with the guild master and headed out.
It took longer to get to the ranch than before, weighed down by their supplies. Not that it mattered, as Willamina was still out in the yard, pulling barb wire taunt around posts. Boone could see her under the dancing flames of a torch that she’d somehow enchanted to hover over her head. Roger and Levi were obviously gone. The farmhouse was lit up in the distance, as well as the bunkhouse. Unlike the other cowboys, ranch hands lived on the ranch. He always wondered why Will didn’t promote all the cowboys to ranch hands, but he didn’t want to pry.
He slowed his steps as he came upon her, clearly muttering to herself. His lips curled up in an evil smirk as she tugged, cursed, then wrapped the wire around the post. Her wings weren’t out, which was a good sign.
“Need a hand?” He dropped off the bags by her ankles.
Willamina yelped, letting go of the wound wire. It sprang up and bounced around the previous pole. “Motherfucker! Boone!”
“Apologies,” he chuckled, tugging his leather gloves out of his back pocket and pulling them on. It wasn’t the same dense hide as the ones she wore. But, then again, he didn’t need to grip the barb wire as hard as she did. He unwound the metal, guiding it back to her. When he finally faced her, winding the snake like wire, he found her glaring at him. “What?”
“You said you’d be back by supper,” Willamina snapped.
“Is Roger not able to help you wire this fence?” he huffed, ignoring her pointed accusation. He said he’d be back, he was back; she ought to be more grateful it wasn’t the morning after with a broken leg.Cool it, cowboy.
“He doesn’t know I’m out here.” Willamina pulled a staple nail from a box and the hammer from her back pocket.
