Barnabas Pike was feeling pretty good about the place now that he had a chance to look at it. Everything that the ranch needed was here, everything he needed was busy cooking with Pythias. It was cook, everything seemed right in the world, his world anyway.

He stepped into the kitchen of the new house and looked at her, busy hovering over the stove. "Them beans be alright if I steal the cook a moment." He asked, closing in on her from behind and encircling his arms around her expanding waist. "Is this what you'd hoped for, or maybe we just sell out and move on to Frisco, or wherever?" That Pythias was busy in the same room made no difference, it was a moment he could take with his wife.

"Reckon it's best ta get it over with early," Justus observed as he headed into the paddock to halter Annie.  "Better now than in th' middle of th' night."

Not that it wouldn't be dark when they rode back in, but at least part of their shift would be in the light, and they'd be snug in their bunks by the time it got cold.

As he was saddling the mare, the 'new' kid joined them, and he held out his hand.  "Howdy.  I'm Justus, an' this here's Zane an' Wheezer.  Good ta meet ya."

After his short exchange with Mr. Pike, the owner, he had apparently secured a job but after that it grew kind of awkward. No one was talking to him much less telling him what to do. He would have appreciated either really. So he silently followed a few of the hands into the barn. They were saddling up to go ride out to the herd.

The youngest one of the trio paused in his saddling to turn and held out his hand. "Howdy. I'm Justus, an' this here's Zane an' Wheezer. Good ta meet ya."

Cade nodded acknowledgement and smiled as he accepted the handshake, "Howdy. Nice ta meet you too. Name's Cade."

He also glanced at the other two, "Howdy."

Just to be conversational he then asked, "Say where'd you bring this herd in from anyway? Long drive?"

"Them beans be alright if I steal the cook a moment." He asked, closing in on her from behind and encircling his arms around her expanding waist. "Is this what you'd hoped for, or maybe we just sell out and move on to Frisco, or wherever?" That Pythias was busy in the same room made no difference, it was a moment he could take with his wife.

"Oh, well, the beans will be just fine," Emeline murmured with a smile as she leaned into his embrace, recalling a moment like this as she gazed out a window at the hotel in San Francisco.  "That's a tempting proposition, Mr. Pike.  Fancy rooms, exotic foods, the opera and museums..."

Turning in Barnabas' arms, she looked up at him.  "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."

Despite teasing, and the truth that they could go about anywhere they wanted to, she was right where she wanted to be!

"Come from Texas," Justus explained, tightening Annie's cinch.  "I came on with 'em on th' trail, was lookin' fer employment, an' they looked like they needed a good, seasoned hand!"

He laughed, leading the horse out to the yard.  "Good bunch, I worked some on ranches, but never on a drive  They showed me what I needed ta know, an' th' food is passing decent."  He grinned widely.  "An' now, there's this outfit here ta call home, an' it's all brand new.  Can't complain on that!"

Cade wondered just how old this Justus was, he figured they were pretty close in age but then he was never good at that sort of thing, guessing folks ages. And in the end what did it even matter.

Justus was from Texas, long way from Montana. But then cowboys get around. Pretty much ranches needing hands up and down the whole country west of the Mississippi River. But he had not been on a trail drive. Alright, one thing Cade on the other cowpoke.

Justus laughed, leading the horse out to the yard. "They showed me what I needed ta know, an' th' food is passing decent." He grinned widely. "An' now, there's this outfit here ta call home, an' it's all brand new. Can't complain on that!"

"Yeah, well here it's a whole lot more'n passing decent. Wait til you taste Mrs. Pike's cookin'. She fed me n' Muley before and it was great. Definitely could get used to such," Cade assured the trail hand.

"So Pike just built this all from scratch or did he just fix the place up some? Must cost a lot of money to get a place like this alright," Cade wondered aloud.

"Brand new," Justus pointed out, swinging into the saddle.  "He and Mrs. Pike just got back from honeymoonin' in San Francisco."  He guided Annie in beside Cade's pony, following a few paces behind Wheezer and Zane.  "Virginia City, too, in Nevada.  Word is Mr. Pike owns part'a a mine there, that's where he got his money from."

Shrugging, he settled into the saddle for the ride out to the herd.  "Leastways he's not just squanderin' it, an' more'n just cows, too.  Th' Missus has horses from back east...some'a th' finest I've ever seen.  Oh, and she owns a cafe in town, too, so that's likely where she learned her cookin'."  He laughed.  "At least we'll be eatin' good, between her'n Cookie!"

"Not real sure how they plan on doin' that."  Justus shrugged.  "They may want ta hold some back, so th' place isn't deserted."  Of course, the Pikes would likely be here, but then, with Mr. Pike being a deputy, he might be in town, and surely the Missus wouldn't be left alone.  "I just do hope ta get ta town sometime, check out th' ladies!  'Course, gotta get me some clothes that don't smell like horse!"

He laughed at that, but he really did like the idea of having a set of clothes that were fit for more than work, and a place to store them...it represented a sort of permanence, and that was something he'd wanted most of his life.

"Did ya know that Mr. Pike is a deputy, too?"