Once the cattle were on his range, Pike rode over to where the Morgan Horses were grazing. Lorado having rejoined his saddle partner, Will Ames, they would drive the horses up to the corral at the ranch.
"Wait'll you get a taste of the fixin' that woman puts on the plate! This here's gonna be the place ta lite an' set a spell, a long spell." Lorado told him.
"Awright then, best we get that woman her hosses then, Don'cha think? I mean no use keepin' her waitin'!" Will answered the idea of homemade food had his mouth watering already.
"Mister Pike! Yo! Misrter Pike!" Lorado called out, and the man responded by wheeling his roan and galloping over.
"What's up, boys?" Pike asked.
"You want us headin' fer yer place with these here Morgan Horses?" Will asked.
"Do, best head west there's somewhat of a trail, plenty wide enough to get two 'er three times as many animals through it. Head on almost due west, maybe a bit to the north. Can't miss it, an' tell ol' Nate ta head on up there as well."
"Yes'sir." Lorado said with a big grin, "That woman'a yers sure can put out the vittles!, Let's git movin', Will." And the two began moving the Morgan together in the general direction they needed to go with Will riding off to tell Cookie to get a move on, then galloping back.
Pronto Pike watched the two begin moving Em's horse toward the cut he had mentioned. It was the last leg of a long drive.
It had been some time since Emeline had sent the two new men to town for supplies, and in the mean time, she and Pythias had made several pies, along with half a dozen loaves of bread. These had been done in the house kitchen, and were cooling on the counters, and now they were working in the kitchen in the bunkhouse, nearly as well-appointed as the one in the main house, so that when Cookie arrived he could take over without feeling awkward.
A pot of beans, seasoned with salt pork, was simmering -- it took a couple hours for beans to properly cook -- and Pythias had a good fire going outside in a pit so that meat could be grilled when the time came.
Emeline was in her element and having a great time, but her spirits really jumped when Natty started barking, and a minute later, the sound of approaching hooves could be heard.
"It's them!" she called to Pythias, rushing out onto the porch, then out to the corral as her horses were brought in. "It's real!" she called excitedly to Pythias, "it's all real!"
Pythias stopped what he was doing and followed Missus Pike out of the door as the Mogan horses were led into their new home, and their delivery marked the end of the journey for them, fraught with attempts to steal them by both red and white men. Once inside the corral, Will rode out and Lorado leaned from his saddle and closed the gate, slipping the rope hitch over the gate pole.
"Howdy Ma'am, Well, there they are for ya, and this here's my saddle partner Wioll Ames." Lorado introduced. "Yer husband the rest of the crew'll be along, Cookie and Danny are right behind us."
"Ma'am," Will said. "Shore good ta be here. Hiya Pythias! Ya look good in that apern!"
"You hush Mister Ames, or there'll be no fresh baked pie fer you!" Pythias warned.
"Better listen to him," Emeline declared as she took off her own apron, "I've put Pythias in charge of deciding who gets what, so he surely can deny you pie!"
She gave the men a wink, then ran -- as much as she could in her condition -- to the corral and climbed up on the fence to get a good look at the horses. "They're beautiful!" she called to the men. "Thank you for taking such good care of them."
From one of the paddocks that was connected to a stall in the barn, a loud whinny sounded. "Don't worry, Noel, you're still my favorite!" Although she'd had no intention of breeding the little mare, she was having second thoughts now that she saw the gorgeous Morgans.
"Sure thing! Why Pythias being in charge ain't nothing new ta us. Why he's been second to Frank Teal right along, so that'll be nothin' new!" Will stated as they both stepped down.
"You watch wahcha say there Ames." Pythias said. "There's pie on the line, boys."
"They been as babied as best we could on the trail, and kept from harm's way," Lorado said. "Good horses, alla 'em good breedin' stock, turn out a herd 'o prize mounts. Yessiree, fine horses!"
"You've all done a wonderful job." Stepping down from the fence, Emeline turned to face the men, smiling brightly. "We'll have the best horses west of the Mississippi!" Easily done, she speculated, since there weren't many Morgans out here. "And I can't wait to see what sorts of crosses we can breed...Barnabas' stallion is beautiful and well-tempered, I think he'll make a great stud."
While the Morgans had good qualities, and that was what Emeline had been looking for, the chance to blend good qualities was what she was looking forward to.
"Well, I suppose you men will get your pie, what for great job you've done...you've earned it! I do wonder where Cade and Muley got to, they should have been back by now." Not that she was worried about them taking off with the wagon and team, since their saddle horses were here, and they were more valuable to a cowboy than a draft team.
Not real sure what ta make'a them takin' so long, but they'll be right along. That young feller, Cade was it? He'll be fer gettin' on back quick as possible." Pythias assured her. "Now that ol' saddle tramp Muley, that could be a differ'nt story all together. I mean he gets ta jawin' with folks and gettin' him shut up's a real job o' work!"
"Got you another talker, do ya?" Lorado asked.
"Like ol' Henry Bobbins back to the Circle T. Thet man could talk a dog outta his bone, he could." Will added to the conversation. To that Puthias laughed.
"Muley's a good sort, just got him thet gift'a gab. Get's him in trouble time ta time though." Pythias offered. "A good man by all accounts."
"I'm certain Mr. Muley is full of tall tales, I wager he could rival Mr. Barnum himself!" Emeline laughed. She knew that the older folks were full of experience that, in the right hands -- or mouth -- could be woven into outlandish stories that held a bit of truth, and she envied those who could weave their words so well.
"At any rate, we've things to do!" She knew the men from the drive would be weary, and wanted them to not have anything to worry about once the cattle were settled. "You gentlemen can stable your horses and choose your bunks," she addressed the newcomers, "and Pythias, what do you think about bringing some tables out to the yard here, so we can have our supper outside?"
The weather was pleasant enough, and she wanted this first real meal at the house to be perfect!
"Muley? Why the man can talk yer leg off whilest yer walkin' on it!" Pythias exclaimed with a grin.
"At any rate, we've things to do!" She knew the men from the drive would be weary, and wanted them to not have anything to worry about once the cattle were settled. "You gentlemen can stable your horses and choose your bunks," she addressed the newcomers, "and Pythias, what do you think about bringing some tables out to the yard here, so we can have our supper outside?"
"Yes 'um, a bed. Now that'll take some gettin' used to after all this time on the trail." Will Ames said as he held the reins to his horse. "Them others and yer Mister'll be right along."
"Cattle was on on the range when we left 'em back there," Lorado offered, pointing back they way they had come, "Doubt they'd be a whole lot longer gettin' up here, though I 'spose the man might jest set a spell and look over his herd grazin' o his land."
Pythias nodded and added, "Yes ma'am, we kin shorely do there. We might not have us a whole lotta time ta get this sheebang set up afore they's on us." Then, as if by prophecy, they could hear the rattling of the chuck wagon as it topped the rise from the valley below. "That'll be Cookie alright."
It was a good thing that Emeline still had a few months until 'her time', considering her excitement as the chuck wagon pulled into the yard, making the first of the remaining crew to arrive. It was just a short matter of time, Barnabas and the rest of the men would be here, and in the morning, it would be the first real day of work on the ranch!
Even Natty picked up on the excitement, and he danced happy circles around her skirts, watching the approaching wagon alertly.
"You don't think he'll be angry with me?" she asked Pythias, although it was a bit late now. "I don't want him to think I think he can't handle the cooking, but I thought he might like a little break after being so long on the trail, and I did leave some for him to do."
The beans were cooking, so they would be tender, but there were still seasonings to add, since she didn't know what the men preferred. And the last thing she wanted was to get on Cookie's bad side!