Texarkana

Book 6: Perley Gates Western

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Genres: General Fiction; Historical Fiction; Westerns

Synopsis

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. RUSTLERS' PARADISE.



An unholy trio of cutthroat rustlers turn a routine horse drive into an epic showdown between good and evil—with a little divine justice from gunfighting legend Perley Gates . . .



At first, the job sounds easy: lead a small herd of horses across the Arkansas–Texas border to the Double-D ranch near Texarkana. No problem—at least not for a man like Perley Gates. In fact, he's looking forward to the 150-mile journey with his old sidekick Possum Smith and young Sonny Rice, and doesn't expect any trouble along the way. Unfortunately, trouble has a way of finding Perley Gates. This time, it's a trigger-happy trio of horse thieves who take one look at old Possum, young Sonny, and the low-key Perley, and decide they're three very easy targets. But in the Old West, nothing comes easy. Except death . . .



So begins one hell of a showdown. On one side are the forces of evil itself, with notorious gunslinger Spade Devlin gunning for blood. On the other side are a few good men, a town under seige—and a merciless angel of vengeance named Perley Gates . . .

Release date: November 30, 2021

Publisher: Pinnacle Books

Print pages: 304

Sample

“You charge a helluva lot for a shot of this rotgut whiskey you’re sellin’,” Dan Short complained to Marvin Davis. “You oughta be payin’ us to drink this stuff.”

“Two bits a shot ain’t bad when you think about where you’re headin’,” Marvin replied. “You said you was headin’ across the Red River to Injun Territory, and there ain’t supposed to be no whiskey sold there a-tall. You’d be smart to buy a couple of bottles to take with you.”

“Hell, I heard there was a lotta places to buy likker in Injun Territory,” Tiny Wilson spoke out. “Ain’t that right, Dan?”

“Yep, lots of places.”

Dan and Tiny were really heading for Arkansas to join up with Duke Thacker’s gang, holed up near the little railroad crossing called Texarkana. They’d told Marvin they were heading to The Nations in Oklahoma Territory, in case any Texas Rangers might show up at the saloon asking about them.

Ned Bates was standing at the front door, looking out across the prairie. “Hey, Dan. Lookee here.”

“What is it?” Dan asked, not inclined to bother. When Ned called him again, he walked over to the door. “What is it?” he repeated.

“Lookee yonder,” Ned replied, and pointed out across a wide grassy plain. That’s a nice little herd of horses. I don’t see but three fellers tendin’ ’em, and one of ’em is headin’ this way.”

Dan squinted as he took a hard look at the rider approaching the trading post. “Young feller. Not much more ’n a boy.”

Overhearing their remarks, Marvin said, “Most likely some of the boys from the Triple-G. Their range starts about five miles west of here. They’re a pretty big outfit. Some of their hands stop in here from time to time.”

After a few minutes, Sonny Rice pulled his horse up at the hitching rail and dismounted. Dan and Ned, still standing in the door, stood aside to let him enter.

“Howdy,” Sonny said with a nod as he passed them. “Howdy, Mr. Davis,” he greeted Marvin and nodded to Tiny, who was staring openly at him. “I need to get some bacon and some flour, and some coffee, too, if you’ve got some roasted.”

“I’ve got some roasted and I can grind it for you, if you want,” Marvin said. “Ain’t seen you in a while. Where you headin’ with those horses?”

“We’re drivin’ ’em to the Double-D ranch, just over the Arkansas line. We’re just short a couple of things,” Sonny replied.

“Well, I can fix you up with those,” Marvin said. “You need a bottle or two of whiskey? Sounds like you boys are gonna be on the trail for a few days.”

“No, sir, I reckon not,” Sonny replied. “It’s just me and Perley and Possum. Neither me nor Perley are much for drinkin’, and if Possum wanted any, he’d a-told me.”

Over by the front door, Dan and Ned exchanged wide-eyed glances.

Dan whispered low, “You know, sometimes ol’ Lady Luck just walks up and lays it down right in front of you.”

“She sure does,” Ned agreed and walked out onto the porch to get a better look. “Those are some pretty good-looking horses. Ain’t no nags in that bunch.” They were still on the porch calculating the worth of the herd when Sonny walked out of the store with his packages.

“Need a hand, there?” Ned offered politely, thinking he would most likely want Sonny’s purchases as well.

“No, sir. Thank you just the same,” Sonny replied. He tied his sacks to his saddle, then climbed up.

“Reckon you boys will be driving that herd till dark,” Dan commented. “It’s a ways yet before you strike the Arkansas line.”

“We ain’t in no hurry to get there,” Sonny said. “We want those horses to be in good shape when we get ’em to the Double-D. Perley might be plannin’ to make camp right there by that creek tonight.”

“Well, that’s always smart thinkin’ when you’re sellin’ horses,” Dan declared, “especially if you’re sellin’ off your old horses.”

“Oh, there ain’t no old horses in that herd,” Sonny was quick to inform him. “There ain’t a horse there that’s over five years old.”

It just gets better and better, Dan couldn’t help thinking. He couldn’t resist asking, “How much are you sellin’ ’em for?”

“I don’t know what the price was,” Sonny answered. “Perley knows, if you wanna come ask him.”

“Oh, that’s all right,” Dan said. “I was just curious.”

“Well, good day to ya.” Sonny wheeled his horse and started back to the herd.

“You know what I’m thinkin’, don’t you?” Dan said as they continued to watch Sonny ride away.

“You’re thinkin’ we could take that herd without no trouble a-tall,” Ned answered.

“That’s what I’m thinkin’,” Dan confirmed. “And I’m also thinkin’ there ain’t no sense in cuttin’ Duke and the others in on it. We’ll just be a little late gettin’ out to Arkansas to join Duke’s gang.”

“Where you reckon we can sell ’em in a hurry?” Ned wondered.

“We’ll worry about that after we get the horses,” Dan said. “It don’t matter how long it takes. It’ll be more money in our pockets than any splits we’re fixin’ to get riding with Duke Thacker.

Sonny reined his horse up beside the campfire and dismounted. He untied his purchases, then pulled his saddle off the paint gelding he called Lucky, then turned the horse loose to join the others by the creek. “I took a little look up ahead, then circled back around the creek. Everything looks peaceful. I hope you two ain’t drank up all the coffee,” he said as he pulled his coffee cup out of his war bag.

“I was fixin’ to drain that pot,” Possum Smith japed, “but Perley said I had to save some for you. So I poured a couple of swallows back in the pot.”

“Pay him no mind, Sonny,” Perley said, “that pot’s still half-full.”

Possum chuckled in response to Perley’s remark then asked Sonny, “Why did you name that roan Lucky?”

“’Cause he was lucky I picked him out to be my horse,” Sonny replied, “instead of somebody like you that’s hard on a horse.”

Perley shook his head as if impatient with their juvenile behavior. Sonny had recently celebrated his eighteenth birthday while Possum, with his gray ponytail, was considerably up there in years. No one knew how old Possum really was. He was not willing to confess his age. In fact, he wouldn’t even divulge the date of his birthday, as if refusing to have any more birthdays, and consequently, staying the same age forever.

Perley suspected that Possum was afraid if Rubin knew how old he was, he might fire him. The thought brought a smile to Perley’s lips. Possum should know by now that Perley’s brother, Rubin, would have to go through Perley to fire him.

When Rubin had asked Perley who he wanted to take with him to move a small herd of horses to Arkansas, he’d picked Sonny and Possum. Perley figured the two of them would entertain each other. All three of them could enjoy a few days away from the chores at the Triple-G, a trip that would actually take about a week to go to Texarkana and back.

The herd they were moving to the Double-D was only thirty-five horses. And they were taking it nice and easy, pushing the horses about thirty miles a day, so as to deliver fresh stock to Donald Donovan. The Double-D Ranch was about 115 miles east of the Triple-G, just across the Arkansas border, southeast of Texarkana.

Sonny poured his cup of coffee and sat down to join them.

“I reckon ol’ Marvin Davis is still kickin’,” Possum commented.

“Yep,” Sonny said. “He wanted to sell me some whiskey, but I told him didn’t none of us drink the stuff. I told him especially Possum didn’t have no use for it.”

“Huh,” Possum snorted. “You might think you’re japin’, but I ain’t got much use for that rotgut he sells. One of the boys gave me a drink of some he bought from Davis and it like to peeled my throat skin off.”

“There was three fellers at the store,” Sonny said. “They were drinkin’ it. They were mighty interested in this herd of horses. Asked me how far we were gonna drive ’em tonight, if there was any old horses in the bunch, and I don’t remember what else.” He didn’t notice the look Perley and Possum exchanged in reaction to his comments, but he didn’t miss the fact that both of them got up and came to stand over him.

“You say they asked you a lot of questions about the horses, huh?” Perley prodded. “Did they wanna know anything about how many we were? Anything like that?”

“Well, they know there’s three of us,” Sonny answered, at last realizing why Perley was anxious to know. He didn’t confess that he’d volunteered the information about their number before any of the three fellows had a chance to ask.

“I expect it’d be a good idea to keep watch over the horses tonight,” Perley said. “I sure wasn’t expectin’ any trouble between here and Texarkana. But this time of year is when a lotta drifters are riding the grub line. If some rustlers got their hands on the thirty-five horses we’re herdin’, they could sell ’em for a pretty good price.”

“How much you reckon they’d be worth?” Sonny asked.

“They could sell ’em for a better price than what Donald Donovan’s payin’ for ’em,” Perley answered. “Rubin is makin’ him a special price of sixty dollars a horse. Even that’d be a pretty good payday if they were to sell ’em at that price.”

“I reckon.” Sonny thought about it. “How much would that be?”

“Figure it out,” Perley said. “Just like they taught you in school, you got thirty-five horses at sixty dollars apiece. Didn’t Miss Bessie Sanford teach you multiplication?”

“I must notta been there that day,” Sonny said. “Can you figure it out?”

“Not in my head,” Perley replied. “I’ll show you how to do it, then maybe you’ll remember some of your schoolin’.” He found a bare spot of ground, took a stick and scratched out the numbers. Then he went through the numbers as he did the multiplication to come up with the answer. “I expect they’d try to get more money than that for ’em. A good ridin’ horse, like Buck or Possum’s dun, would cost a hundred and fifty.”

When Sonny heard the total Perley came up with, he was duly impressed.

Possum, on the other hand, was not fascinated with the arithmetic lesson. He was more in tune with the present-day world. “That’s mighty interestin’, Perley,” he began sarcastically. “Now, if those three jaspers Sonny met at the store get it in their heads to take this herd of horses off our hands, why, then, we can tell ’em how much money they’re gonna make. And if any of us make it back to the Triple-G, we can tell your brothers what happened to the horses.”

Perley nodded in response to Possum’s comments. “You’re right, Possum. We need to be thinkin’ about whether we need to get the horses movin’, or if we’re better off sittin’ right here.”

“I say we oughta set right here and let ’em come after us,” Possum said right away. “We’d be able to handle ’em easier if we’re hunkered down on each side of the herd and knock ’em outta the saddle. Especially if they come whoopin’ and hollerin’ in here.”

“I expect you’re right,” Perley allowed. “’Course we ain’t got any idea if those three men are outlaws or not. I hope we’re wrong about ’em.” He looked at Sonny and asked, “What did you make of those fellows?”

“I don’t know,” Sonny replied and tried to think back on his conversation at the store. “They just looked like every other drifter that rides through town.”

When Possum asked if they were young or old, Sonny said, “Oh, they was older. Not as old as you, but older than Perley.” He paused, then asked, “How old are you, Possum?”

Perley couldn’t stifle his chuckle when Possum responded. “None of your damn business. You don’t go around askin’ people how old they are. I didn’t ask you how old you are, did I?”

“I’m eighteen,” Sonny said, baffled by Possum’s reaction. He looked at Perley for help in his confusion over Possum’s sudden fit of temper.

Smiling, Perley, said, “Possum ain’t comfortable tellin’ anybody his age. He’s afraid if folks find out how old he is, they’ll wanna ask him questions about how it was around here back in Biblical times. Ain’t that right, Possum?”

“I reckon we’d best decide what we’re gonna do with these horses,” Possum responded unemotionally, signaling the end of the horseplay.

Taking charge then, Perley made the decision. “We’ll stay here tonight, make camp right where we are. The horses are in a good spot. They’ve got grass and water by this little creek and we weren’t gonna push ’em much farther today, anyway. In case we have visitors, we’d all best take night watch tonight, one of us on the other side of the creek.”

“Don’t look like we’re gonna have to wait till dark,” Possum said. “Those three friends of Sonny’s just left Marvin’s store and they’re headin’ this way right now.” That caused Perley and Sonny to set their cups down by the fire.

“Might be a good idea to spread out a little,” Perley suggested. It wasn’t necessary to advise them to make sure their weapons were handy. “Is that the same three,” he asked Sonny.

“Looks like ’em,” Sonny said as the riders continued a path directly toward them.

“Looks like they ain’t takin’ no chances,” Dan Short commented as the three men approached the camp by the creek. “They’re spreadin’ out and holdin’ on to their rifles, so don’t make no sudden moves.”

Tiny and Ned grunted in response.

“Howdy,” Dan called out when they were about twenty yards short of the campfire. “Mind if we come in?”

“Not at all,” Perley called back. “What can we do for you?”

Dan didn’t answer until they pulled up before the fire. “We was talkin’ to that young feller there over at the store.” He nodded toward Sonny. “He said you boys was drivin’ a herd of horses over to Arkansas. Me and my partners are in the horse breedin’ business. We’re on our way right now to an army post up in Injun Territory to work with the soldiers breedin’ mares with some of them wild range horses.”

“Is that a fact?” Perley replied. “Breedin’ horses for the army. What fort’s doin’ that?” He waited for an answer.

But Dan couldn’t think of an army fort in The Nations. He looked quickly from Tiny to Ned, but both wore the same blank expressions.

“Fort Grover?” Perley asked.

“Right,” Dan quickly answered. “That’s the one.” Tiny and Ned both echoed the name while nodding vigorously. “Well, your young man there—”

“Sonny,” Perley interrupted.

“Right, Sonny,” Dan repeated. “He was tellin’ us what fine stock you boys were drivin’, so we just thought we’d take a look at ’em. They look like pretty decent horses at that and I’m thinkin’ this might be your lucky day when you bumped into us. I expect we can get you a helluva lot better price for them horses at Fort Grover. Not only that, we’ll help you drive ’em up there to Fort Grover. It must be a lotta work with just the three of you. You could most likely use the help.”

“It ain’t but thirty-five horses,” Perley said. “They ain’t much trouble for us.”

“Fort Grover’s a lot closer than Arkansas,” Dan insisted. “You’d have your money and be on your way to the saloon before you got close to Arkansas.”

“I’ll say this for you, mister,” Perley responded. “You made a right temptin’ proposition. The truth of the matter is, these horses ain’t ours to sell. They’ve already been paid for. We’re just deliverin’ ’em. And there ain’t no place in The Nations named Fort Grover. Somebody’s been pullin’ your leg about breedin’ horses for the army. I’m sorry we’re the ones who had to tell you.”

Dan didn’t say anything for a long moment, feeling the full effect of having stuck his foot in his mouth.

Ned and Tiny were speechless as well, until Tiny made an effort to salvage their scheme. “Maybe you ain’t been up in Injun Territory in a while. Fort Grover ain’t been built very long.”

Dan’s anger for having been exposed so easily at first caused him to become tense with thoughts of reaching for the army single-action .45 he wore. He was stopped short of that by the sight of the three men facing him, trying to appear casual as they held cocked rifles at the ready. Gradually, his anger began to dissipate, and a wry smile formed on his lips. “Well, friend, I reckon you saw right through that one. You can’t blame some of us who’ve had some hard times, from tryin’. No harm done. We’ll be on our way.”

Unable to remain silent any longer, Possum asked, “Just what were you plannin’ to do after you turned our horses toward Injun Territory? What were you gonna do with us on the way to this new fort you claim?”

Dan had no answer for him. He wheeled his horse and said, “Come on, boys. We’re wastin’ our time here. We got places to go.”

Neither Ned nor Tiny objected and they filed out behind him, leaving the three Triple-G men scratching their heads.

“I reckon they shoulda worked on their plan a little longer before they came ridin’ up to ask us to turn the herd north,” Possum commented. “They musta thought the Triple-G didn’t hire nobody but idiots.” He turned toward Perley. “You reckon they really thought we might just turn the herd and go with ’em?” Back to Sonny, he said, “You musta made a right smart impression on them fellers.”

“I don’t think there’s any question about who the idiots are,” Perley said. “They’d decided they were gonna take this herd away from us. I expect they were plannin’ to just shoot us down and take the horses. When they saw us ready for ’em with our rifles in hand, the one that did all the talkin’ decided to make up that little story about the soldiers wantin’ to buy horses. If we bought it, then it would be less risky to shoot us in the back while we were driving our horses toward The Nations. Ain’t that how you see it, Possum?”

Possum and Sonny nodded in response.

“That don’t mean they’ve given up the idea,” Perley continued. “They’re still comin’ after these horses. They’re just gonna wait to jump us after dark.”

“I think you’re right,” Possum said. “We need to be ready for ’em.” His concern at that point was for Sonny, who had never shot a man before. Possum asked him, “You gonna be able to set your sight on one of those fellers and pull the trigger?”

“I guess so,” Sonny answered, not really sure.

“Make no mistake about it,” Possum said, “when they come ridin’ back in here tonight, they’ll be hopin’ to put a bullet into all three of us. Men like that don’t think twice about killin’ a man to make that big a payday. Ain’t that right, Perley?”

“He’s right, Sonny. They’ll kill for a lot less than these horses will bring. It might make it a little easier on you, if you remember the law usually hangs a man for stealing a horse.”

“That’s right,” Possum spoke again. “If you was to nail one of ’em, you’d be doin’ the law’s work for ’em.”

Sonny didn’t say anything for a few moments while he looked back and forth from one to the other. Finally, he spoke his peace. “You’re both wastin’ your time, tryin’ to talk me into shootin’ some feller who’s tryin’ to shoot me. I’m eighteen years old. Perley, I don’t reckon I have to be told to do whatever it takes to save my behind. If I was you or Possum, I’d be more worried about what Rubin would do if we lost these horses.”

He’d most likely think Perley stepped in another cow pie, Possum said to himself, recalling Perley’s brothers’ favorite saying, “If there wasn’t but one cow pie between the Triple-G and the Red River, Perley would step in it.”

Dan Short held his horse to a lope for almost two miles before he reined him to a stop and waited for Ned and Tiny to catch up with him. Out of sight of the camp by the creek, he wheeled his horse around to meet them as they rode up.

“Well, that went just about like we wanted it to, didn’t it?” Ned Bates asked sarcastically. “I thought for a minute, there, they was gonna turn them horses right around and head for the Red River with us.”

“You go to hell,” Dan responded. “I had to think of somethin’ to tell ’em, when we rode up there and found the three of ’em standing apart with their rifles ready to shoot at the first move we made. It damn sure changed my plans to shoot ’em down before they knew what hit ’em. I noticed you and Tiny didn’t make any moves to get the party started either.”

“Hell, we thought you was callin’ the shots, didn’t we, Tiny?” Ned responded.

“That’s right,” Tiny answered him. “Leastways, we got a good look at them three fellers. Ain’t nobody but that young boy, an old man, and that other jasper that did most of the talkin’. Didn’t none of ’em look like they’d give us much trouble. We might shoulda gone ahead and drew on ’em. Most likely woulda gunned ’em down before they got them rifles up to shoot.”

“Whaddaya think, Dan?” Ned asked. “Wanna ride back and go in blazin’ while all three of them are right there together?”

“Why take a chance on one of those jaspers gettin’ off a lucky shot and hittin’ one of us?” Dan replied. “Might as well wait till dark and shoot ’em in their blankets. We’ll keep an eye on ’em to make sure they’re still plannin’ to camp right there tonight. It ain’t too long now before it’ll be gettin’ dark.”

“That suits me just fine,” Ned commented. “We might as well get us a fire goin’ and fix somethin’ to eat while we got the time.” He looked at Tiny and winked. “I never like to rustle horses on an empty stomach.”

Using some of the fresh coffee that Marvin Davis had ground up for Sonny, Possum set up a new pot. They wanted to make sure they stayed awake that night.

“I don’t think I’d be able to go to sleep, if I drank a lotta coffee or if I didn’t,” Sonny confessed.

“Well, don’t think you’re the only one that ain’t a little edgy,” Perley assured him. “I don’t know what direction they’ll come at us from. Whaddayou think, Possum?”

“I expect they’d try to sweep through our camp on this side of the creek. ’Cause it’d be easier to stampede the horses outta the trees and into that flat east of us,” Possum speculated. “’Course, that ’ud be the smartest way to flush ’em outta there, and they could shoot us when they rode through the camp after the horses. But after our little meetin’ with those three, I ain’t too sure what they’ll do.”

“I think you’re right,” Perley said. “So, I reckon we’d best have two of us on this side of the creek. The other one can watch our backs from the other side, and we’ll use the creek bank for cover. Might as well go ahead and pick us a spot, maybe take your shovel and dig you out a little hole to make you a smaller target. It’d be a good idea to saddle your horse, in case we have to go after the herd real quick.”

They made their defensive preparations, hoping they were wrong and the three drifters weren’t willing to risk a raid on the horses. Perley decided to station Sonny on the other side of the creek, telling him his young eyes were better than Possum’s. The truth of the matter was Perley figured Possum a better shot and wanted him on the nearside with him.

As darkness approached, they built up the fire, saddled their horses, and led them back into the trees, hoping to tie them out of the line of fire. As the last touch, they rolled up some cottonwood branches in three blankets on the off chance the rustlers were dumb enough to think they were three sleeping bodies.

As the night crept over the creek and the darkness deepened, there were no sounds to be heard other than the steady chirping of the crickets and an occasional snort from the horses standing in the cottonwood trees.

The hours dragged by with no sign of the anticipated rustlers until Possum, some five yards down the creek bank, whispered loudly. “I don’t know. Maybe we figured these jaspers wrong. I’m about ready to fry up some of that bacon Sonny picked up today.”

“I can’t say as I’m disappointed they didn’t come to the party,” Perley whispered back to him. “I’ll cross over the creek and see if Sonny’s awake.” He got up from the hole he had dug out of the bank and started down to the water when pandemonium broke out in the form of gunfire and yelling. Perley, his reactions always lightning fast, spun around to see the three rustlers charging into the camp, firing at the bundles of c. . .