THE WILL 14

tobey left the hospital. hi was sleeping . when he got back to the hay yard he found roberto sitting on a bucket with a wet towel pressed to his face. "que passa amigo?" tobey asked. roberto removed the towel to reveal a black eye and a swollen cheek " that puto who works for tubbs was here, he wanted hay on credit. he said his boss made arrangments. when i told him you hadnt told me that he hit me. knocked me down took five bales."roberto grimaced. tobey stood up " where is this tubbs place?" roberto told him where it was then told him he would be fine. tobey turnned to his truck. enough! these high binders need a lesson. as he drove through town he saw a deputys car parked at the sherriffs office. he stopped and went in. " i need some back up. any one want to come along?"he asked. the two deputys sitting there with cold sodas looked at each other" whats up? one asked. tobey explained what happened to roberto, and the stolen hay. he was going to even things out.. the deputy sat up in his chair" ill tag along. any one breaks the law ill clean it up, that includes you." tobey turned and went out to his truck. as he pulled back on to the hiway the deputy was right on his rear bumper. when tobey pulled into tubbs yard he saw the pick up from earlir still loaded with the five bales. he spun around and backed up to the truck. he jumped out and started moveing the hay to his truck. from out of a barn the man who was so beligerent before came trotting "hey, what you think your doing?" " takeing my hay back that you stole." tobey threw the last bale onto his truck. " you the one who hit my hired man?" " i didnt steal nothing! mr . tubbs made a deal with the barn owner we could get hay on credit" " thats a lie, i never met a tubbs. your a theif and a bully. dont ever come back to my place again. if you do ill have you arrested for trespassing."tobey turned to get in his truck. the hired man grabbed him on his shoulder and spun him around. tobey glanced over at the deputy leaning against his car " what the hell" he thought. his free fist came up lightning fast and made contact with the mans face when hit, the man released tobeys shoulder and staggered back.tobey followed him and landed two more blowes.the man put his hands up in front of his face to deflect any more punches. but tobey knocked them down and one twoed the man who fell over back wards into the dirt. it all happened in the blink of a eye. tobey stood over the man his fists clenched. the deputy stepped up a smile on his face" is this the man who acosted your hired man and stole 5 bales of hay?" he asked tobey. " yes sir."tobey answered well ime arresting him you follow me to the jail and sighn the complaint. i saw his acost you and you fought back in self defense" the deputy was dragging the man to his car where he hand cuffed him and put him in the back seat of the car. tobey got in his truck and followed them back to the station house. tobey was in the wash room cleaning up his hands. one was bleeding a little. when he stepped out of the wash room he saw a man in front of the deputys desk complaining he needed the man they had to do his chores they needed to turn him loose. the man had on ranchers cloths but it was obvious he didnt fill the bill he had a big belly, a caved in looking chest and wore a little narrow brimmed felt hat. tobey thought if you looked close enough you would see the price tags still on the clothes. " he s going no where till he sees the judge two days from now. he stole hay, he beat up the employee at the hay barn then he tried to acost the hay owner when he came to retreave his hay, no, he stays here until the judge says other wise." the deputy laid it out. "he wasnt stealing anything , i made arrangments with the hay owner to get hay on credit...." tobey stepped up behind the fat little man"you must be tubbs," the man spun around his face red" well your as big a liar as your hired man. maybe you need some of what i gave him?" tobey was boiling again. the deputy stepped between them let it be. we will take care of this " he said. tobey ducked his head and nodded and turned to a chair and sat down. \tubbs left with out another word.. the deputy handed tobey a clip board and told him to sighn the form there after he read it. a half hour later he drove back onto the hiway and started home. when he got back to the hay yard he explained to roberto that if any of tubbs men or tubbs himself showed up he was to call the law. they been told.. he was going to start rideing in a day or so and wouldnt be available .. when they unloaded the five bales he started back to the hospital. maybe hi was awake by now. besides he wanted to see alexis.

THE WILL 13

the next morning tobey was up early doing chores roberto was late to work. a truck pulled up to the gate. tobey unlocked it and the driver went to the fresh hay stack and backed up to it. when tobey got there the driver in a demanding voice hollerd out the window, " five bales, hustle up!" tobey picked up a couple of hay hooks and pulled bales down into the truck and stacked them so they would ride. he rehung the hooks and jumped down and brushed the hay dust from his clothes. " hey! how much i owe you?"the driver yelled out the window. "forty dollers" tobey was trying to be casual. "here!" the man stuck his hand out the window with the money in it. tobey stepped up and took the money. "are you the man who took this place over when the mex abuser cashed in?"the beligerent man almost shouted. "no one abused any one here. they told me themselves they wernt abused. where did you hear that?" tobey was instantly mad. " oh i heard it around town why?" because i find the man spreading that lie ill settle up on it. its a lie, and telling it on a dead man is bull. he cant defend him self, so i guess i will. tobey was stepping up to the mans truck " who told you?" tobey demanded. the man started his truck and roared out of the yard. roberto had arrived just as the man left he came to tobey" sorry i was late, i had a flat tire. so you met hadley huh?" " thats who that was? i wish i knew it before. he is still spreading the lie about blake." " he is a bad man, he wants juana to go out with him, she hates him and wont go." roberto spoke plain. tobey went to his truck and left for town. he was going to be late at the hospital. when he started down the hall in the hospital he could hear hi yelling and cussing. the tall real estate sales man was backing out the door of hi s room holding his hand out toward hi"now, now, it was just a offer, its nothing to get upset about " he ducked as a empty bed pan came flying at him. tobey stepped up" you better leave, they been trying to keep him quiet. you might kill him doing this leave!" the agent spun and huffed down the hall. tobey picked up the bed pan and walked in. hi was fumming. " that crook said i better sell to his buyer if i know whats good for me. he all but threatened me! if i had a gun i would have killed him.!" hi was mad clear through. " well he is gone so settle down." tobey was putting the bed pan on the side table. two nurses rushed in the first one looked at tobey" what did you do? his moniter is off the charts!" hi sat up in bed" he didnt do it it was that other crook who was here." the nurses were checking his blood pressure and pulse , the head nurse produced a syring from her apron pocket and injected hi with the contents." now get some sleep and cool off!" she told him. hi s eyes began to droop almost instantly. " aw hell pard come back later." tobey stepped out of the room only to run into alexis. this morning she was dressed in wrangler pants with bell bottoms a plain white blouse and a pair of athletic shoes. her make up and hair were perfect. tobey almost swallowed his tounge. she smilled sweetly" is hi awake?" tobey explained what had transpired. her composure seemed to crack but she held it in. " so i guess we cant tell him about out partner ship deal. i ougt to go run that cheap crook down"alexis was showing her brothers temper. " lets go have a cup of coffee and let him sleep and you cool off." tobey was almost to laugh at her.