"Well, yeah, if they give us an occasional Saturday night off, I'm sure there will be ladies there. I wouldn't mind seein' what sort of ladies they got. Not like I have a whole lot of experience with the ladies, but I do like 'em," Cade declared.
"And you know they could let half the hands go on one Saturday and then next Saturday it'be the other half. Can't be that hard, if you ask me," he added. But he did understand about keeping the ranch safe especially the ranch owner's wife.
He learned something new just then, "No, he is a deputy? Wait, so how did he get to go on that trip to California and such? Even with trains that is a long distance."
OK, so he himself had never even been on a train.
"Was their honeymoon, so I reckon he just took th' time off." Justus shrugged. "Hear they was gone quite a spell, few weeks, at least, campin' some, guess they did take a train, too."
It all sounded so exotic and remote, and Justus was thinking that he wouldn't mind having the time and means to take a trip like that himself, but the chances of that happening were slim to none.
"Reckon we'll hafta be happy just goin' inta town now an' then! Leastways until we're set enough ta be big-shot cattle barons ourselves!" He laughed. "Then th' gals will be more'n happy ta hang on our arms!"
He pondered for a moment, then mused, "'Course, I had that kind of money, can't say as I'd want ta spend th' rest'a my life workin' when I could be spending my money!"
Cade doubted he'd ever turn out as fortunate as Mr. Pike to own his very own place. A part of him did hope though to someday find the right gal and get married. Maybe end up with a couple of kids. But that was a ways off..........if ever.
"I don't expect to get rich but if I did, I'd do the same. Spend that money," Cade nodded in agreement.
"So...speaking of women, you got a lot of experience with 'em?" Cade now asked. It was a more proper way of inquiring if the other young cowpoke ever took a hooker!
"Oh, well..." Justus puffed up a bit, putting on bravado that wasn't really merited, "spent my time in houses." Chuckling, he shrugged. "I was eight...nine, milkin' cows, scrubbin' floors while Pa..." Well, he hadn't really known at the time what his pa was up to, and, for the most part the 'ladies' were discrete, but now and again he caught a glimpse of lady-parts that he didn't understand.
"They sure smelled good, them ladies," he added with a grin, "but I ain't never..." Well, even had a sweetheart, for all that, it was hard to do when you were always on the run. "Lookin' forward ta meetin' some gals, though, havin' somethin' better ta look at than th' back side of a cow!"
Laughing, he shook his head. "Gotta find one whose pa ain't too close around...not much wantin' ta get shot at!"
"But who can we trust with the horses...and the cows? They'd be awfully lonely without us, and besides, someone needs to keep these men in line."
"Well, I'd be for sayin' that you got yerself point there, Missus Pike. But them fancy rooms, we got a couple of 'em right here. 'Course now our rooms are much nicer than theirs, an' not so high up folks look like ants roamin' around below. An' that ocean view, why we got us a waterfall." He went on, "An' best of all is we got each other!" He grinned. "An' all the land we can use, for the moment."
Cade listened to the other cowpokes meandering answer but he could read between the lines. Justus had no more real experience (leastwise how Cade meant it) than he did. They were in the same boat. But at least they had that in common then, that and an eagerness to learn a whole lot more about those mysteries of life, girls...err..women!
"Gotta find one whose pa ain't too close around...not much wantin' ta get shot at!" declared Justus with a laugh.
"Ummm, don't think you gotta worry about that. I don't think hookers fathers are hanging around their places of ...well, business," now Cade wasn't so sure they were talking about the same sort of gals?
"Well, I'd be for sayin' that you got yerself point there, Missus Pike. But them fancy rooms, we got a couple of 'em right here. 'Course now our rooms are much nicer than theirs, an' not so high up folks look like ants roamin' around below. An' that ocean view, why we got us a waterfall." He went on, "An' best of all is we got each other!" He grinned. "An' all the land we can use, for the moment."
"Well, then, I suppose it's settled...we stay here!" Emeline smiled widely, looking around the yard with a satisfied sigh. "I think we'll do all right. We've good land, good stock, good hands, and our whole future, how can we lose? And you're right, this has its own beauty, and I's never want to give that up."
She gave Barnabas a quick peck on the cheek, then glanced toward Cookie, who looked to be finishing up supper prep. "Come with me and we'll get the pies...it looks like the men are ready, too."
Boards had been set out on barrels of nails as a table, and the men were washing up...this would be the first supper for the whole crew at the new ranch, and Emeline knew there would be many more.
"Ummm, don't think you gotta worry about that. I don't think hookers fathers are hanging around their places of ...well, business," now Cade wasn't so sure they were talking about the same sort of gals?
"Yeah, reckon that's so." Justus shrugged. "An' I got nothin' against saloon gals." Some folk thought they were too 'soiled' to be the marrying kind, but Justus didn't mind one way or another, so long as they wanted to be a wife and would let him be a husband, whatever that meant!
"Don't rightly know that I know how ta be a husband...I know, there's takin' care'a th' gal, then any youngin's that come along, but not like ya can stash 'em in th' bunkhouse when yer out workin', then share th' bunk with 'em at night!" He laughed and shook his head.
"Nope, gotta have a place ta live, money fer food and necessities an' whatnot, an' time ta spend with her...don't know how folks do it!"
"Yeah, reckon that's so." Justus shrugged. "An' I got nothin' against saloon gals."
"I agree, they are just doin' their job, gotta make a living like all of us," Cade was an easy going sort.
"Don't rightly know that I know how ta be a husband...I know, there's takin' care'a th' gal, then any youngin's that come along, but not like ya can stash 'em in th' bunkhouse when yer out workin', then share th' bunk with 'em at night!" He laughed and shook his head.
"Yeah, but I'm not thinkin' that far ahead. Marriage n' kids n' such.Don't feel I'm old enough to be a father already," Cade shrugged.
Justus agreed, "Nope, gotta have a place ta live, money fer food and necessities an' whatnot, an' time ta spend with her...don't know how folks do it!"
"Well, even if we do us a couple girls, I think you're rushin' it a bit. I'd settle for one good evenin' with a nice gal, worry about the rest later," Cade asserted.
"Reckon I wouldn't mind so much a little chattin' an' a drink'er two." Justus chuckled. "I'd say a dance, too, but I'm not so pretty on my feet, might just trample that pretty gal an' cripple her!"
Truth was, he wasn't too good at chatting, either, and even drinking was something he didn't indulge in much. He'd seen the way it clouded a man's mind, and he couldn't afford that.
"Guess we'll see soon enough."
A sudden, loud bellow off to their left caught their attention. Justus turned Annie toward the noise, glancing at Cade. "Sounds like a cow got herself inta some trouble," he said, although it was hard to tell what, and exactly where, through the thick brush and trees. "I'm findin' that I'm not real fond'a cows, no sir!"