"I certainly can handle the cooking at the ranch until you can find someone for the mine," Emeline commented, glancing at Barnabas, "if you want to loan them Cookie for a time." She grinned. "If he doesn't object!"
She couldn't imagine why the man might protest, but he was strong-willed, and certainly deserved a say in what he was doing.
"It should work out fine, I'm sure, and I think you are right in paying good wages, so the men would be more inclined to be more productive." Maybe even offering some sort of profit sharing, but she wasn't sure how that worked, so she didn't bring it up.
"I need to talk with the boys anyhow about this range war business, which is none of our business, but it is ours. Fact is, it's everyone in the valley's business." Barnabas said seriously. "So I'll check with Ambrose an' see how he feels about it. Good idea though."
Nate Ambrose could cook for the boys alright, but then again so could Em, finding a good cook, like Nate, would take some doing, so it made sense to offer him the job and see how he reacted to the offer.
"Offerin' good wages is how ya get good men, that's for sure. An' I figger we want good men." He added, five dollars a day plus room and board that would take some doing to top. "I'd say your foremen, six, 'er six fifty a day. You'll get the cream of the crop at those wages."
"Good idea." Speed agreed, "Sounds like a lot, but once the cash starts rolling in, it'll be nothing compared to the profits. And, I'm not opposed to giving raises or bonuses where appropriate. If they're making money for us, why not share the wealth, so to say?"
Alice was smiling, "Emeline, I am so glad you trapped that man. Now you're a part of this family we're building here."
"Am I earning money?" Rip asked, causing everyone to chuckle.
"Yes sir, Rip, you certainly are!" Speed assured him. The boy beamed!
Emeline returned Alice's smile. "Part of a family...I like that. I do have family back in Ohio, but they're there, and I have no intention of going back." Not that she didn't love her parents and siblings, and she kept in touch with them, but distance made it difficult to see them, and they all had their own lives. Sure, one day it would happen, but for now, they were there and she was here.
Of course, she'd known for a long time that she had 'family' here, even before she'd married Barnabas, there'd been Clara, and other folks in town she considered family, but to hear it actually declared...
"We'll be a strong family, too, seeing to the future as well as the present." Yes, they could live high on the hog, but better, they could be more modest in lifestyle and make sure they were prepared for any troubles that might arise.
"And Rip, if you get tired of working the mines, I'm sure we can find you something at the Rocking P."
Alice smiled at the response from Emeline, "Yes we will, a strong family that's invested in this community." She sat back, thinking to herself, 'Yes, invested in Kalispell and helping it grow.'
"And Rip, if you get tired of working the mines, I'm sure we can find you something at the Rocking P."
"Yes Ma'am, but Ty and I are a team," Rip stated with a smile. He liked the thought of this new extended family. "But I'd like to come over time to time, maybe learn a thing or two about workin' cattle. That's what Pa and I talked about doing, not just farmin'."
Alice smiled, the boy had spunk, and Tyrel had done the right thing by taking the boy under his wing. But the dark cloud on the horizon was Speed and Barnabas' job, being the law in town, and the danger it presented. Then again, how could she broach the subject of them stepping aside to handle the mine, the Rocking P and Rafter A ranches with a war simmering? Perhaps she might pull Em aside and see what she thought.
"Oh, well, of course you'd be welcome out any time," Emeline declared with a smile. "Come Spring, there will be plenty of calves to brand, and we may have a foal or two as well. The Morgans will need work..."
It was a good opportunity for the lad to try different things, see what he liked. "And of course, Ty is welcome to come along." She grinned. "He might find that there are better things than mining!" At least not as risky, although probably just as dirty and hard.
"Minin's not my forte, no Ma'am. Down on the S why we run cattle year round. New Mexico Territory could get a mite cold in the winter months, for sure, but no snow ta speak of, so we worked year-round full time. So I've a good workin' knowledge of cattle an' horses." Ty explained.
"Ty was foreman down there, an' fought Apaches an' Mexican banditos!" Rip interjected. "But sure I'd like that Missus Pike, like that a lot!"
"I reckon the boy's set on comin' out so, you'll be seein' us, time to time," Ty responded, "Ddn't mean ta brag, just explain' what I done before I come here." It was a promise that he intended to keep.
"Of course it isn't bragging to explain your experience," Emeline told Ty, then she focused on Rip. "We've a couple of hands who are about your age, and I'm sure they would be happy to show you around. I intend for my foals to be handled from birth so they are gentle and well accustomed to people."
There was no sense in letting them run wild then trying to bend them into shape. Handling the horses from the start would make them friendly and easy to train, and she wasn't keen on 'breaking' them. If they were socialized, there would be nothing to break.
"As I said, we'd be happy to have you any time, and there's plenty to learn...and I believe we have the best trail cook in the territory!"
"Thank you, Missus Pike, time will be the problem, lot's to do at the mine," Rip answered, "but when I can, I'd love to come learn, Better'n school."
"Rip, we talked about that." Ty reminded him. "He's doin' lessons out to the Queen, ever day. Better he' there than ridin' ta town every mornin' and ta home afternoon's." This meant while Rip would be in school his help at the mine would leave Ty short-handed.
"Ah yes, that does bring up the need for a cook up at the queen, might ask to borrow your man until we can hire one." Speed suggested. "We'll be putting out the word for men pretty soon now. Get this thing producing!"
"I'll talk with Nate an' Danny first thing." Pike interjected. He knew that loaning out their trail cook would cause Em to have more cooking to do for the hands, though Pythias was well versed and able to help out, so it might not be so bad.
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed sat there at the head of the table with a grin plastered on his face at the response of the people he was in league with. Not there had been any doubts, but there was the joy just the same. Things would take off from here.
"I'd like to say I appreciate your input Missus Pike, Em, it is most welcomed, and that of you Rip. We are all in this together and together we will do well moving forward." Speed began, "The assay reports are strong, the mine is only down one level presently and as I said shows strong color, which, with the need for this mineral in the east, we stand to prosper greatly." He paused a moment.
"Which brings this to the forefront. Pike and I are in an odd situation as local law, and county law, as approved by the governor, however, well there's no gentle way for me to say this other than straight out, my shooting aside, we have a bigger responsibility to our families, our corporation and those that will soon be our employees."
"Do we continue to work as lawmen with everything else on our plates, or do we stand aside as soon as the town council replaces us?" That was the question.
Alice looked from him to Emeline and back in disbelief at what she had heard.
Pike sat, eyes wide. Had Speed really asked about their stepping down from their jobs as lawmen? Had he actually asked that? It was not like he had not thought of it himself, what with the ranch and now the mining operation, he had weighed that idea when it was just the ranch, this was now more than that. Much more. Maybe not hands-on in the mine itself, but certainly as an owener-investor in the Copper Queen.
"Did ya say we oughtta step aside an' let someone else take over in our place?" He asked.
"Did." Speed replied, "Now I know that we only have Charlie as a deputy an' I doubt the boy's ready to take on either job, though I could be wrong. It's experience, an' he ain't lived long enough to get it."
"Excuse me." Alice said, "Now, I don't know about Em here, but I believe we all know that what you face every day is a dangerous job. Proved that when you were shot, Speed. This town has no one to take your place unless it would be Shade Thornton, or maybe Quenton Cantrell. But, maybe we need to look at this a bit more closely. Because you've been doing the job does not mean you need to keep doing the job."
"I ain't got lawman experience, an' I like it up to the mine, if push came to shove, I reckon I could fill in for a spell." Tyrell said.
For the moment everything seemed to stop, like the subject was suspended in mid-air.
Pike leaned back with a grin on his face, "Retired. There's thought. Maybe we just figure out how to draw some new folks in that got the experience to back up Charlie Wentworth. Then we back away, and go on about our business." That may have come as a surprise to some at the table, not particularly to Speed Guyer.
