The Conundrum is about a cowboy who isn't sure of what side of the fence he wants to ride, law or outlaw. He gets into Colorado mining and meets two beautiful women. One is a gold-digger after his money, the other is his mining partner. Others try to horn in on his beholdings and he's the wrong man with which they should tangle.

THE CONUNDRUM

By Tom Davy

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Tom Davy
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-2198-6

Chapter One

If you would ask anyone in Kiowa County, Texas to describe Bo Davis, they would probably start out by saying something like, "He's one-tough-son-of-a-bitch." But then, everybody knew that. Bo Davis was not the kind of man, however, who went about acting tough. There was no need to, but the fact remained he simply was just that: tough. No one, however, accused him of being a bully, either. He had no need to look for fights of any kind - that was just not his style. Fights were usually thrust upon him. Finishing fights was his forte.

There were some who knew Bo who would describe him as a really nice guy, fun to be around and a top hand. Above all, he was a top hand. Everyone would agree with that. In fact, he had always been a top hand, even when he was a teenager. Maybe now he was the best in the whole territory, maybe the best in Texas and that meant anywhere if you were a Texan. There was nothing on a ranch that he couldn't do, fix or make better.

Many people would say Bo Davis was the one to call on for ranch projects by simply asking him to help and he would pitch right in until the job was done. He was never known to ask for compensation on those types of projects either, or for favors in return, and when people found that out, he became more and more in demand. One thing those people did do for him, every time, was to feed him a home-cooked meal, which he always accepted.

Yet again, no one who knew the man would choose to be on Bo Davis' bad side. Pushing Bo too far was something that could prove to be fatal. It was a mistake that happened a couple of times.

On the other hand, Bo seemed to especially like helping the needy, the downtrodden; going out of his way to do whatever it took to help solve their problems. He was a fighter for good causes. The man was a conundrum, that's what he was - a conundrum!

Bo had just finished ramrodding the Rafter H crew through their spring roundup and branding. They had worked for six weeks straight, working cattle on a huge ranch. They put the Rafter H Brand on over three thousand head of young cattle - mavericks and cattle bought from half-a-dozen other outfits that were already wearing at least one other brand. It was a large undertaking that went without a flaw mostly because Davis was in charge. They worked sun-up to sun-down seven days a week and got it done.

In addition to his ramrod duties, Bo worked alongside of his hands. They liked that, talked about the fact that their foreman worked with them rather than sitting on a horse just barking out orders. The work was hard and dirty and the routine was made almost unbearable because of the south Texas heat. Now that the work was over it happened to be Thursday night and the cowboys had a rare extra day off and a ten dollar bonus, which sent them scurrying to the river for baths, haircuts and shaves for a real Friday and Saturday night on the town. If they hurried they could include a Thursday night, too.

Bo, however, had something else on his mind. He already had his bath in the river, he shaved sitting in the stream, but did nothing about his long hair. He found a shade tree near the river, leaned up against it, tossed his hat to the side, rolled a smoke and began to sort things out. It was the time in his life for him to reflect on his past, take stock of his present and think hard about his future.

It was ten years ago that his three older brothers were reported killed in action fighting for the South. Six months later, his father too was killed in the same war. Bo's mother, a very genteel woman, took only a year to waste away without her man, her rock to lean on. Her true love was gone leaving her with a broken heart that was just too much for her to bear. Bo was fourteen at the time. He was left on his own to finish school, find a way to make a living and continue on with his own life.

School was where he learned to fight as on-the-job training. He fought often, not because he wanted to, but because he had to defend himself from others who liked to pick on the lonely kid. There was even a day when Ken Dutcher had three others hold Bo while he beat him until he fell to the ground. That was when Dutcher continued kicking Bo as he lay in the dirt, helpless. Bo paid them all back, though, eventually. He got them one at a time, saving Dutcher for last. Bo caught him alone one night after school and beat him to a bloody mess, which got Bo expelled from school, which changed his life, forever.

First, he worked for old Grizz Harper at the livery stable where he learned not only about horses but how to play poker. Old Grizz was an expert at cards with years of experience who took the time to teach Bo how to play, bet, bluff and detect cheaters. They spent many nights playing each other mostly as practice for Bo.

Actually, Old Grizz caught a tinhorn cheating at the Lilly Belle Saloon one night. A gunfight erupted and Grizz was shot down. Bo heard the shots and ran to the Lilly Belle to see Grizz die on the floor of the saloon. He was unarmed, but the fleeing gambler quickly rode out of Rippling Springs, the sheriff's jurisdiction and kept going for parts unknown. At least that is what the sheriff and the posse claimed.

At Grizz's funeral, Bo was asked by a lawyer in town to be at the reading of Harper's will. Bo found that Grizz had no kin and left his two personal horses, saddle and his other possessions to Bo Davis. The bank took over the livery.

Going to Grizz's room at the livery, Bo went through his things. He put everything in a pile on Grizz's bed. Grizz had a Sharps buffalo gun, complete with loading tools and a sack full of ammunition ready to go. The gun itself was clean, oiled and ready for bear. There was also Grizz's most prized possession, a Bowie knife of great size and heft. Bo laid that aside along with the rifle.

Rummaging through a drawer, Bo found a tin box stuffed way in the back containing four hundred dollars. He left the box but put the money in his pocket. As one might expect of an old trapper and buffalo hunter, there was a variety of Green River knives all in a box that Bo wanted to keep. There was an Indian tomahawk pipe that he had no use for, but he took the Army Issue blankets and a beaver plew vest, even though it was too big for him, and left the rest of the man's personal affects on Grizz's bed. He packed the pack saddle on one of his horses, saddled Grizz's saddle horse and rode to the end of town to the blacksmith shop where he asked for a job.

The blacksmith, Emmett Jacobson, was swamped with work and hired Bo on, effective immediately. At first, Bo just held horses for the blacksmith, fired up the forge and ran errands. He delivered horses when they were shod and picked up others returning them for Jacobson to shoe. When Emmett had time he began to show Bo how to shoe. By the time he was a year older, Bo was not only shoeing but was doing other metal work creating what customers asked him to build with iron. He was good and he knew it, but it was time to move on. The Rafter H was hiring for a huge cattle drive to Dodge City and Bo wanted to go. He wanted to be a cowboy, full-time.

Bill Hahn hired him on as a wrangler. Bo used his shoeing skills and what he'd learned about horses working for Grizz Harper. At the Rafter H, Bo started to ride Broncs and train them to be cow ponies. He learned to rope and became exceptionally skilled with lariats. He practiced with his rope every spare moment until some said he was a magician with a...