THE BIG HORN 6

the next saturday afternoon con and fawn sat in lawn chairs next to his mobil home. each had a cold beer and fawn had a open note book laying on her lap. she was so short her feet barely touched the ground. she was stareing at the adobe walls of her house going up at the bender. the carpenters were working on setting the a frames for the pitched roof. it wouldnt be long she would be liveing there. with out turning her head to look at con she asked about the cattle, how many he had seen and could he get them gathered to sell. " theres more than i could count. they are beating the ground to dust. i need a cowboy or two and a a lot of luck. the morales family is finishing up fenceing the useable waters with triggers installed. i have put salt blocks out at all those places to draw the cattle in.i could have some ready to go to the auction next week the fresh branded ones we have to turn back out until the brands peel. or at the very least feed them. that would take a lot of hay. " con explained. " was george out here this week?" fawn still hadnt looked at con. " yes, he was asking about the cattle. i thought he would be with you today,"con said looking at fawn from the corner of his eyes. " he had to advise a client today. what ever you do dont give him any of the money from the cattle. he only married me to get a hold of my fathers money and investments. i maybe cutting him loose soon. when we married daddy fixed everything so it stayed in his name. i just have access to it." fawn had never turned her head while talking to con. she just watched the carpenters. a stray tear rolled down her cheek. " hire who you need to help get the cattle off the ranch. when they finish my house have them start on a bunk house kitchen right here. i dont want anything thats not permanent. a bungalow for you next to it."fawn had pulled herself back together and spoke through gritted teeth. " thats going to cost a fair bunch. you sure you want to do it all at once?" con had concern in his voice. " daddy needs to spend some cash some place. doing it here keeps the cash tied to the ranch. selling some cattle will help it along. send all the bills to me. ill take care of them. ill bring your paycheck every two weeks. order what hay you need to hold the cattle. ill keep your credit card funded use it as you need to."fawn closed her note book and then leaned her head back and drained her beer, then handed the empty can to con " ill be going now" she said as she stood up. con got to his feet and walked her to her car. "what do i do with george if he shows up again?" con asked " dont tell him anything more than he can see. ime sure he will come snooping.ime calling my attorney in the morning."fawn pulled the door on her suv shut and started the engine. as she drove out the gate con stood there like a statue. " DAMN" was all he could muster. the next morning he took what hay he had, leaveing enough for his horses, and drove to dead horse tank. there the morales family had fenced it with six strands of barbwire. they had built a large corral in one corner with a ally for sorting and loading a trailer. the triggers built into the fence line were made from inch pipe and bung from a 2 inch pipe fram set in concrete. they were tied open and there was a steadly stream of tracks in and out though them. con scattered the hay inside the water lot and put out a few fresh salt blocks. then reset the triggers to a almost closed position. the cattle would have to push through them to get to the water, hay and salt. the riggers would swing shut behind them as they pushed through. it was the place to start.

THE BIG HORN 5

three weeks later con was saddling his horse at early daylite. he had contracted with the morales family from gila bend to build the corrals. they camped on the site and were up early every morning working. they had enough built it would hold his horses and a few cows. a houseing contracter was hard at it working on the main house where the bender had set.fawn had decided she wanted adobe so it had taken a while to find a contracter to build with that. but everything was up and running. the trailer house for con had been delivered and set up with propane and a generater. con stuck his foot in the tapadero and mounted the good horse. then reined him away to the south. con didnt know why or have a firm reason for it but he had strapped his rifle scabbord to his saddle. his winchester rested there. he couldnt explain the reason for takeing it but he felt it was needed.by later in the day he had found 3 bunches of catttle. they had congregated at the salt blocks he had scattered. they wre full of water and not prone to run far. con had gotten each bunch held up and settle then put them together and started driveing them toward the corrals at the bender. the moralis family were a cattle family and would watch for him approaching. they would have the gates open and be ready to haze the cattle into the corral. a quick count showed con he had 75 head in the drive. but the cattle wre nervous. cons horse was wringing wet with sweat. con was sitting on pins and needles. as they approached the corral the lead cows slowed and started milling and fighting the other cattle back. con was hard pressed to keep them moveing forward. from out of the brush came the moralis men, each with a long stick with a rag on the end. every direction the cows turned they were confronted by this new booger. finally the leaders took the only way to eescape the men with the waveing flags, right into the corral! isac moralis was tying the gate shut with a long peice of rope as con dismounted and started uncinching his saddle so the horse could get a lung full of air. isac turned to con" BUENO! a good gather patron. " yes we got lucky. after lunch tomorrow we will brand the slicks. then load the old branded cows to take to the auction. that will make fawn happy!" a few days later con was rideing back into the ranch yard. a suv sat at the corrals. george stepped out from behind the drivers side steering wheel and waved a lazy hand at him. con waved back and stopped where unsaddled his horse. stepping down he started uncinching the horse. george walked up, "you been busy around here cowboy. a big improvement i must say."george complimented him. " thank you but thats what you pay me for. the crew on the house ran out of adobes. they will be back in a day or so. the moralis bunch are down at the dead horse tank fenceing it and puttting in a corral there.and i got another bunch of cows spotted to bring in.. i might need a cowboy or two for a few weeks."con pulled the saddle off the sweaty back of the horse and set it on the top rail of the fence he laid the blankets upside down so they would dry. " fawn will be out this weekend to see how things are going. how many cattle you sold? we got the check from the sale barn was that all of them?"george asked the question like it was a accusation. con turned slowley to face him" that was all. when i get some more ill do just the same as i did there. is that a problem?" george took a step back" no.no no problem i was just asking."he saw that con didnt like the insinuation. " ill be on my way, i just thought since i had some time today i would drive out" george turnned and started to the suv. thats when con saw the woman sitting in the passenger seat. it wasnt fawn. con started to say something but decided it was none of his business and kept his mouth shut. but under his breathe breathed the word" snake"