Black Conley Read online

  "Did Joe do anything about the rustling?” Kate asked when Belle rode up.

  "Are you kidding? That bastard probably still thinks it was wolves that raided us. If it was, they were about the most intelligent animals around. Maybe we should round them up and sell them to the circus."

  Her comment brought hearty laughter from Kate. “What did he really say?"

  "He went over to the Diamond A to see if they'd lost any cattle. When I pointed out that I thought Clayte was behind this, he said that there was no way he could search for our cattle among all the ones in Clayte's herd."

  "Sounds like a lame excuse to me."

  "Me too. I didn't get a chance to talk to you this morning, I was wondering how Black was last night."

  "Why, Belle Barton, I never thought I'd see the day when you were interested in how a man performed in bed."

  "I'm not interested in that. I was just wondering if the other girls would be pleased with him on slow nights."

  "Like hell you were. That man has gotten to you, and I can understand why. He's about the most handsome drifter I've ever seen and in bed, well, that cock of his was so big, I thought he was going to tickle my tonsils with it. One roll with him and you'd forget all about that piss ant in Ohio. From the way you tell it, he couldn't have been much more than a boy. I think it's high time you took on a man. It could be an interesting experience for both of you."

  Belle could feel her cheeks become inflamed with a blush. “I'm certain it's what Mr. Conley wants, but what any man wants is in direct contrast to my desires. I'll keep him so busy with you and the other girls that he won't have time to worry about me."

  "Suit yourself, but I think you're making a mistake you could regret for the rest of your life. That man has tricks up his sleeve that could curl your toenails if you let them."

  Belle made no comment. There were a lot of things Belle would like to have Black curl, but her toenails weren't on the list. She'd learned a long time ago that if she wanted sexual satisfaction, she could give it to herself. The last time she'd visited Denver, she'd found a unique little shop that catered to the pleasures of women. There she'd bought a contraption that looked like a man's cock. It wasn't soft and pliable, but at least it did the job when she needed to rid herself of the frustrations of her self-imposed celibacy. If it were bedtime, she'd be upstairs using it right now to take away the urges Black had ignited with his kiss.

  * * * *

  As soon as Belle was out of sight, Black set to mending the fence. It didn't take long to pull the wire tight and splice the cut ends together with another piece of wire. It was a procedure he'd become quite familiar with in all the years he'd been investigating cases of rustling. He wondered what it would take to get these men to realize that sooner or later they'd all get caught.

  "Just what in the hell do you think you're doing on the Double Bar B?"

  Black looked up. “What's it to you?” he asked of the man looking down on him from the saddle of his black stallion.

  "I'm Belle's neighbor and fiancé, and I don't like to see people trespassing on her land. Sheriff Calhoun was just at my place telling me how she's been losing cattle. I was just on my way over to see if there was anything I can do. Guess I didn't get here any too soon. How many more of her cattle were you planning to take?"

  "I wasn't planning to take any. I work for Miss Barton. I was just up here mending the fence that the rustlers cut last night."

  The man laughed heartily. Black decided it wouldn't be long before Clayte Adamson was laughing out of the other side of his face. He'd taken an instant dislike to the man. It was no wonder Belle was so anti-man if this was the only choice she had for a husband.

  "Guess it makes sense. Belle always did have a soft spot in her heart for drifters and strays. Leave it to her to take on an Injun for her pet project."

  Black's anger began to flare. “Look, Mister, I'm getting’ right sick of being taken for an Injun. The proper term is Texican, and I'll thank you not to forget it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have more work to do. I figure if this fence is cut in one spot, it could be cut in more places. I plan to ride the length of this fence before nightfall, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way."

  "Suit yourself, but if you're planning to get on Belle's good side so that you can slide into her bed, you'd better think again. She's mine, and once we're married she won't be spreading her legs for anyone but me. I can hardly wait to give her a good fuck and show her what a woman's place is in life. It certainly isn't running a ranch. That bitch needs to be tamed, and I'm the man to tame her. Once she's taking care of my younguns, she'll learn what it's like to be a real woman. After that, I'm certain she'll give me some fine, healthy sons rather than those whiny brats I got from my first wife."

  Black mounted up and rode on without making any comment on Clayte's statement. If he stayed any longer, he'd have to take the man down a notch, and he couldn't risk losing his cover over an ignorant bastard like Clayte Adamson. His time would come and when it did, Black was certain the man would be wearing the shackles he carried in his saddlebag and not the black eye a fight would leave him with.

  Even though Black was certain he'd find no more breaks in the fence, he rode along the line of barbed wire for about half an hour. That was just enough time for Clayte to get to the ranch house and confront Belle.

  Spurring his horse to a gallop, he rode back to see exactly what was going on. Rather than make his presence known, he left his horse in a grove of trees and snuck up to the house.

  From his vantage point, he could see Belle on the porch talking to Adamson. Their words came to him loud and clear.

  "I don't recall asking you to come calling, Clayte,” Belle said.

  "Come on, Belle, I know that you've had some problems with rustlers. Joe was just over at the house and told me of your troubles. I sent my men out right away to see if we lost any cattle last night. Once they were gone, I realized that you were over here all alone and I decided that you could use my help. I met up with that breed drifter you got working for you. I wouldn't put it past him to be the one takin’ your cattle. You know you can't trust an Injun when there's stock that is ripe for the taking."

  "I'll trust who I want. Even if Black is a breed like you say, I'd trust him a hell of a lot further than I would you. Now why don't you slither back to that hole you came out of? I don't need or want your protection."

  "What you need is a good man to fuck you until you understand what a woman's place in life is, and I'm the man to do it. I think I'll start right now.” Adamson took a step closer to Belle.

  Black cringed. He was just about to grab her when she pulled her gun. “I wouldn't come any closer if I were you. If you value those balls between your legs, I suggest you get off my property. In case you don't know it, I'm a crack shot and I'd take great pleasure in castrating you like I do the steers,” she said.

  It was all Black could do to keep from laughing out loud. The look on Adamson's face was one of pure terror.

  "You'll regret this, Belle Barton. Mark my words, you'll regret turning me down. One of these days you'll come crawling to me on your hands and knees and then I'll take you like a dog takes a bitch in heat."

  "It sounds like you're the one in heat, Clayte. Maybe it would be best if you went into town tonight and took on one of the new whores at the saloon. I hear tell that Lester brought in some new girls in all the way from Denver. Makes the Purple Moon Saloon sound like just the place for you. Just remember, you hadn't better get caught slapping any of them around the same way you did Nettie. Lacy told me that Lester has a knife that he uses on anyone who beats on his girls. I'd hate to see someone other than me getting the pleasure of castrating you."

  Adamson turned on his heel and mounted his horse, riding out of the dooryard. It wasn't until he was gone that Black came out from behind the woodshed.

  "You handled yourself quite well,” he said approaching Belle.

  "You ... you watched? Why didn't you make yourself
known and help me out?"

  "I was going to, but you were doing such a good job, I didn't want to interfere. Besides, I don't want to tip my hand too soon. I'd rather give Adamson enough rope to hang himself. From the look on his face, he was disappointed to see your cattle moved. Did he ask where they'd been taken?"

  "He asked, and I told him it was none of his business. Do you think you can get enough evidence to arrest him?"

  "Don't see where it will be much of a problem, although it could take all winter. With your cattle out of his reach, he just might wait until spring to make his next move. That should give me plenty of time to find out just who sent that wire to Denver. If he were raiding the other ranches, I'd just as soon know who's siding with us and who's siding with him. From what I saw of the sheriff, I doubt that we can count on him to help us with this. We're on our own until I learn differently."

  The tension he'd seen in her face earlier returned, but she regained her composure quite quickly. “Why don't you come in and have a cup of coffee? We don't have to worry about Annie overhearing us. She's over at her place until it's time to fix supper."

  "Her place?"

  "She and her husband have a house on the ranch. They worked for my pa for years. She's always done the cooking here and her husband, Roy, was my pa's foreman until he got his ribs stove in by a bull. That was right after Pa died. Since then, he and Annie have stayed on. I see him every night when he comes with Annie for supper and he gives me lots of tips on how to handle the ranch. Kate enjoys visiting with him as well. He was the one who suggested she should be the forewoman out here."

  "What did you say Annie's last name was?"

  "I didn't say, but it's Heath. Why do you ask?"

  "No reason, just wondering. I like to know the folks I'm dealing with. I think I'll ride out to see them. Which way is their place from here?"

  After getting the directions from Belle, he left the house and went back to where his horse was tied. Just hearing the name of Heath solved the mystery of who had requested a U.S. Marshal to be sent to this area. His best friend, Ed Heath, was also one of his superiors. It was Ed who had sent him the wire, when he finished his assignment in Laramie that brought him here.

  The close proximity of the Heath home came as a surprise to Black. It was no wonder the woman was able to go home in the afternoons. She could easily make the walk between the two places within a few minutes.

  A man who could be Ed, only older, answered his knock.

  "Wondered when you'd get here, son,” Roy greeted him. “Come on in, and Annie will get you some fresh apple pie. Never saw a boy who would turn down a piece of Mama's apple pie."

  Black didn't want to offend Roy, so he accepted the invitation to come into their home. It was a smaller replica of the ranch house, and just as well kept.

  "Mama does a good job, not only here but up at Belle's place, too,” Roy said once they were seated at the kitchen table enjoying pie and coffee.

  "The pie is good,” Black admitted, “but that's not the reason I came. It was you who sent for me, wasn't it?"

  Roy nodded. “I sent for someone, didn't know it would be you. Mama knew the minute she laid eyes on you this morning. I would have, too. Should, since Ed's described you enough in his letters."

  "So what's your stake in this? You certainly haven't lost any cattle."

  "No, but our girl has. You see, her pa and me was best friends for longer than I care to admit. When his wife died, Annie and me tried to talk him out of sending Belle back east, but he was set on it. He kept saying that his wife's kin could take better care of her that he could. Maybe he was right, but it almost broke our hearts when he sent her away. I always thought that her and Ed would get married, but young folks have different ideas than the older generation."

  "What Roy is trying to say,” Annie said when she joined them at the table, “is that this is our home. Both Belle and her pa have been very good to us. What affects the Double Bar B affects us as well. Belle doesn't think I know about the rustling that's been going on, but I'd have to be blind and deaf not to have caught wind of it."

  "Mama and me figured that if we asked Ed to send us one of his men we'd be able to at least have a hand in getting the rustling stopped. As much as we'd wanted our boy to come home, we knew it would be best if he sent someone else. We asked for the best and that's what he sent us. He tells us no one is better than Black Conley. Maybe you can get our little girl out of this trouble she's in and remind her she's a woman with a woman's needs. I can't believe she hasn't let at least one man in her bed, what with all the goings-on over there."

  "What a terrible thing to say, Roy,” Annie admonished.

  "Don't see why you'd think it so terrible. We both know what them girls do at night with the passengers from the stage. A good roll with a good man might be just the thing Belle needs. Even at our age, it's good to warm up the sheets now and then."

  Black laughed at the banter between husband and wife. Even if he agreed that Belle needed to be fucked, preferably by him, he wouldn't come right out and say it. “From what I can see, Belle needs to have someone catch that no-good neighbor of hers in the act. What can you tell me about Clayte Adamson and Joe Calhoun? I have a gut feeling that the two of them are in this together."

  Once Annie went back up to the ranch house to fix supper, Roy filled Black in on the thefts that had prompted his letter to Ed.

  "Is anyone else getting hit?” Black asked, once Roy stopped for a bite of pie and a sip of coffee.

  Roy nodded. “There are four ranches that have lost cattle. Pete Morison's spread is to the north of Clayte's place, Jeb Taylor to the south, and Zeek Willows to the east. If you ask me, which you didn't, I think they've lost steers to take the suspicion off of Clayte. If it were only Belle getting hit, everyone would suspect Clayte immediately. The others are all friends. You know, the kind who drink together every Saturday night, take a poke at the whores who work upstairs at the Purple Moon and act pious as hell on Sunday morning in church."

  "What about Joe Calhoun?"

  Roy's brow knotted and a dark look filled his eyes. “That son of a bitch runs after Clayte like a puppy dog. Clayte says shit and Joe asks what color and how much. He's as bad as Clayte when it comes to the way he treats his wife. She ain't been to church in weeks. It's probably because she's too ashamed to show her face. Word is that Clayte pays Joe to let him fuck her. It's a real shame; she was a sweet gal before Joe got her in a family way. He's kept her like that ever since. Him and Clayte are certainly cut out of the same pattern. For a while I thought the two of them were having a race to see who could have the most kids the fastest."

  "Then you think the two of them are in this together?"

  "I don't have to think, I know."

  Black finished his coffee. “I think Saturday night I should take a ride into town. I haven't had a night of drinking in a long time. It always fascinates me just how much you can learn when you're buying drinks for the house."

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  Chapter Four

  Belle sat at the table long after Black left the house. She was still sipping her now cold coffee when Annie arrived.

  "Was there a reason you sent Black over to our place?” Annie asked.

  Belle wondered if she should tell Annie. “Ah..."

  "You don't have to say anything, honey. We know who Black is and why he's here. Roy wrote to Ed and asked him to send us the best man for the job. We had hoped it would be Ed who came, but we certainly weren't disappointed to find out it was Black. Ed speaks very highly of him."

  "Why didn't you tell me?” Belle questioned. “Shouldn't I have known that there was a U.S. Marshal coming here? If I had, I wouldn't have kept going into town to be humiliated by Joe Calhoun."

  "And what if we would have gotten a letter from Ed saying that he couldn't spare anyone? What good would knowing have done you? It was better this way. You hired him on thinking he was nothing more than another drifter. Now you know that he
's here to help you out of this predicament. When I left the house, Roy was filling him in on all the other ranchers who are losing cattle. Of course, I doubt they'll side with us. You know that Clayte and that bunch are as thick as thieves. They watch out for each other. I'm afraid it's us against them in this fight. Have you told the girls yet?"

  Belle shook her head. “I really haven't had a chance to talk to any of them. I thought Kate should know, but I'm undecided about the others."

  "Roy and I think all of them should know. They have a stake in this the same as you do. It would be like not telling family. That's what we all are here, you know."

  Belle agreed. They were a family. For the past ten years it had been her against the rest of the ranchers around Larson's Gap. At first Roy and Annie had been her only allies, but slowly the girls started coming. Kate was the first, and then the rest followed. It wasn't right that they should be kept in the dark about what was going on.

  After washing the grime of the day's work from her body, Belle went back to the kitchen to help Annie get supper. The times when she was at the house this early in the day to help with the preparation of meals were few and far between, but she did enjoy it when she could.

  * * * *

  Black was surprised when the clock struck five. He certainly hadn't expected to stay at Roy's place for over two hours.