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"You see, I was auctioned off at Natchez, away from my birth family. I was ten then. Or thereabouts, Later, I had me a gal and we were gonna get hitched, but she got sick and died. So I never married." Liam said sadly.
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Yes sir. I'm alone for the most part. Hadn't of been for Miss Lilly here, I wouldn't even have a job. Me bein' the only black man in these parts, no one wanted to hire me. But Miss Lilly gave me a job and a place to stay out back here and I'm content now."
Cord thought on that. "Well Liam, Lilly and I are going to get married. And she's going to sell the saloon…" He told him. He saw the distress on Liam's face as he tried to look happy for them. "But…we could use you on the ranch. That is if you are interested. What can you do?"
Liam looked at Cord with interest now and then glanced at Lilly. "Well sir, I learned early on to blacksmith some, I can do horse shoes and branding, things like that."
"Then you will be an asset to the ranch, if you'd come live there with us. I'm in the process now of building a bunk house. If you come out and help me, we could have it finished by the time we get married. What do you think?"
"I think I'd like to thank you. I really would. I never thought I'd find such good friends here." Liam offered him a handshake.
"Good."
They ate and Liam went to bed.
Charlie talked a lot at the table, but as Lilly did the dishes Charlie went outside to play with a friend. The were practicing rope tricks in the back yard.
"Hope you don't mind me offering Liam a job?" Cord asked her when they were finally alone.
"It was very kind of you. I was worried having to tell him I was closing the saloon." She said as she washed the last dish and dried her hands on her apron. "He didn't have any where to go, and he's getting on up there in years. I was worried about him."
"That's what I like about you most Lilly. You care about people." He said eyeing her. "You always have."
He looked at her from the table and smiled. "Then you are gonna marry me, aren't you?"
She broke into a smile, "You knew I would…"
The smile he gave her seemed to devour her. "I was hoping…."
Chapter Eight
Cord sent Pedro into town for some supplies a few days later while he tended to some serious fence mending. It was a hot day, and there was little shade where he was working.
He took off his shirt and started digging a couple of postholes, as they had come down and he wanted to fix them.
He was heavily into his job when the Dubs boys rode up.
"Well now, lookie here. Cord McCall is back." Butch laughed. Butch was a big fella, with dirty yellow hair and dull brown eyes.
"What you doin' Cord?" the youngest one, Dan laughed. Dan was a skinny one, and it was clear he relied on his two big brothers to protect him. He ran his mouth more than his brain, Cord thought to himself.
"I've got a lot of work to do boys, if you don't mind." Cord explained turning to look at the three of them.
"Oh but we do. We come to visit and you aren't bein' very hospitable. Are you?" Jason the us
ually smart one added. Jason was ugly, but cleaner and smarter than the other two. Instead of an outlaw look, Jason looked very much like a businessman, but Cord had no idea what kind of business, no one did. They lived on their folks ranch, but folks seldom saw them working.
"Looks like you came at the wrong time." Cord pushed the shovel into the ground once more.
"This is a warning Cord, stay out of our way, or you are liable to get hurt." Butch said firming his mouth and sending him a frown. "The town belongs to us now and you'll find that out really quick like."
"If you are looking for trouble, don't come around here…"
"Why not?" Dan asked, with a snort.
"'Cause when people don't listen, I tend to deal in lead." Cord turned back to them and sent them a scowl.
