The Badger's Revenge: A Josiah Wolfe, Texas Ranger Novel by Sweazy Larry D

Author:Sweazy, Larry D.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: WordWise Publishing Service, LLC
Published: 2024-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

The two men sat facing each other, waiting for a pot of Arbuckle’s to come to a boil on the small woodstove in the corner. For a long moment, the two of them said nothing. Josiah was glad for the company, glad to see his friend, and even gladder that Juan Carlos was alone. One more confrontation would have likely done him in. He would have fought to the death to protect his house, and Lyle.

It did not take long for the comforting aroma of the coffee to complete the task of relaxing Josiah. Hopefully any kind of confrontation would wait until another day.

The ride into Austin had been long and finding Pearl standing on his porch an uncomfortable surprise. He wondered what had become of Scrap but didn’t dwell on the boy’s whereabouts too much. Scrap had gone off in a hotheaded rage more than once since they had been riding together and would turn up sooner or later with some wild tale to bestow on Josiah’s unwilling ears.

The rest of Josiah’s concerns—Pete Feders’s luck and accomplishments in Comanche and the fate of the company—were distant at best. Now that he was home, all in one piece, his own life a matter of uncertainty, he wasn’t about to venture too far, too soon.

“Do you have news of Ofelia?” Josiah said, getting up from the table to pour two cups of coffee.

“She is well. From what I understand, she is on her way back here,” Juan Carlos said.

“Her daughter has recovered?”

Juan Carlos shook his head no. “She is bringing her with her, along with the rest of the family that remained east. There is a place for them in Little Mexico and she wants to be close to your boy.”

“She’s moving her entire family here?”

“Sí. That is what I understand.”

Josiah poured the coffee and handed a steaming cup to Juan Carlos. “How do you know this?” he asked. He felt a moment of relief but knowing that Ofelia was heading back to Austin changed nothing. Josiah knew now that he could not depend on her forever, not any longer.

The old Mexican stared at Josiah and smiled, taking the coffee, refusing to answer the question or reveal his source of knowledge.

“I am more concerned with your adventures,” Juan Carlos said, taking a silver flask from his pocket and emptying a healthy finger of whiskey into the coffee.

“I would not call the last few days an adventure.”

Juan Carlos had been eyeing Josiah carefully, watching every move he made. “You have a limp. Are you all right?”

“It’s just a graze. Happened in Comanche.”

Juan Carlos nodded and started to say something, but Josiah cut him off before he could get a word out of his mouth.

“I wish you would have left Pearl out of this,” Josiah said.

His tone was hard, harsh. He was in no mood to rehash the events of the last few days at. He was still reeling from being in Pearl’s presence, from having her in his house, watching over Lyle, realizing that he had left his son in peril, in the company of strangers.

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