Free Cherokee by Giles Tippette

do.”
    â€œWhen you starting the cut?”
    â€œHarley should be bunching them right now.” I hesitated. “I can’t be here for the work, but it ought not to take more than ten days, two weeks to get them to market.”
    â€œYou going somewhere?”
    â€œYeah. I’ll have to be gone about two or three weeks.”
    â€œAny of my business where?”
    I hesitated and gave Howard a good cussing in my mind. He was always wanting me to make a better effort to get along with Norris. And then he puts me in a position where I’ve got to hold out on my own brother. I said, “It’s that personal matter.”
    â€œThat’s going to benefit the company?”
    I gave a little half smile. “Yeah. Let’s hope so.”
    He suddenly stood up. “Justa, I want to ask you something and I want a straight answer.”
    I looked at him. He was being firm. I said, “If I can.”
    â€œIs this some dangerous project that you are shutting me out of because you don’t think I can handle myself? The way you always do?”
    I wanted to laugh, but I knew better. “No, no, it isn’t. And I have never felt like you couldn’t handle yourself. And I have never held you out of a dangerous situation for that reason. The few times . . . the very few times I’ve sent you home when there was threat of gunfire was because you are the only one can do your job. Ben and I can be replaced. You can’t.”
    He was not mollified. Mainly because what he’d said was true. I didn’t want Norris around in a gunfight because he’d be someone else I’d have to watch out for. He said, “Is Ben going? On this trip?”
    â€œNo,” I said. Then I decided to hell with it. I’d tell Norris just enough to salvage his feelings and let Howard do the lying. I said, “This trip is for Howard. It’s one of his last pieces of business. Probably the last he’ll ever handle. I’m just the errand boy. But I’m breaking a confidence by telling you this. Anything else you want to know you go and ask him, but that will hurt him because he told me flat out that he didn’t want another soul to know about it until it was over.”
    He looked down at his desk for a second. Then he looked back up. “I’m sorry, Justa. I shouldn’t have asked so damn many questions.”
    â€œIt’s your job,” I said. “Just keep in mind I told you this in confidence. Howard would hold me responsible if he knew I’d told anyone else.”
    â€œI understand,” he said. “What are you going to tell Nora?”
    â€œOh,” I said, lying, “some kind of cattle trip. Looking at a ranch. It doesn’t make much difference. She never believes me anyway.”
    He said, “Thanks for moving so quick on the steers. We’ll make some nice short-term money on these bonds.”
    I started to leave again, and then stopped. “Oh, in case the mercantile delivers something up here you think ain’t supposed to come to your office, don’t think anything about it. Just have them set it out of the way. In a corner or something.”
    His eyes narrowed. “What would the mercantile be delivering up here that I wouldn’t think belonged up here?”
    â€œKegs of nails,” I said.
    â€œKegs of . . .” Then he stopped. “I’m asking too many questions again. I guess I can’t help it.”
    I guessed he couldn’t either. Just as he couldn’t help himself about every little detail he had to know about. He was worse about details than a drunk about how many drinks were left in the bottle. But I was trying to get along with him. He’d asked if I was taking Ben because he knew I always took Ben if I was going into a serious situation. I didn’t tell him I would have been taking Ben if Howard would have let me. Me taking Ray Hays wouldn’t tell him anything because