The Standoff

By Andrew C. Watzek

The Standoff picks up with the McCullough girls at their ranch after their first successful cattle drive. Happy with how their lives are turning out, the girls look toward the future of the ranch and make sure everything will be ready for the next few years. While on a short fishing trip, Angela notices that the creek, which runs through their ranch and is the water supply for their cattle, isnt as high as it should be for that time of year. During their investigation, they find that a mining company has built a dam on the river, cutting off a needed lifeline for the ranchers. The McCulloughs tell the other ranchers in the area about what they have found, and everyone tries to figure out what to do about their predicament. The girls go up to the mine to talk with the manager; however, the big mining company refuses to release any water. The McCulloughs and the neighboring ranches vow to get their water by any means necessary. What will come next? Will one side break first? Will there be a range war in a fight for water in the desert? Only time will tell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: May 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781490788623

Andrew C. Watzek

Andy Watzek was born and raised in the Southwest and has been fascinated with its rich history and heroic tales for many years. He is married to Ronda, his wife of 44 years and has two daughters, Stephanie and Jennifer, who were raised just as the characters in the books. Andy started writing late in life finishing his first novel at age 56. Prior to that he spent his life working as a construction superintendent, and writing the occasional article for outdoor magazines. In the beginning there was no intention for additional books, but reader demand for more stories about the McCullough sisters spawned the now complete trilogy.

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© Copyright 2018 Andrew C. Watzek Edited by Ronda Watzek.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4907-8864-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-8863-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4907-8862-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018905318

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CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1 The Stranger

Chapter 2 Hell’s Gate

Chapter 3 The Meeting

Chapter 4 Preparations Begin

Chapter 5 The Visitor

Chapter 6 Oh Boy

Chapter 7 Time to Build

Chapter 8 Decision Time

Chapter 9 Hope in the Law

Chapter 10 Trouble Flows

Chapter 11 Justice Is Served

Chapter 12 Deception

Chapter 13 Time for Action

Chapter 14 The First Shot

Chapter 15 The Search

Chapter 16 The Showdown

Chapter 17 The Truth

Chapter 18 The Boiling Point

Chapter 19 The Marshal

Chapter 20 The Conflict

Chapter 21 The Lines Are Drawn

Chapter 22 Tempers Flare

Chapter 23 The Approach

Chapter 24 The Fight Begins

To my wife, Ronda Watzek. She has supported me in every endeavor I have attempted, without question or argument. She has stood by my side through the good times and the bad for the past forty-four years. She was extremely helpful with the editing and content of all three books. Without her, I could not have accomplished all I have to date. Thank you, Ronda, for all you’ve done for me and our daughters.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to personally thank all the people listed above, without whose help, the McCullough Trilogy would not have been possible.

PROLOGUE

The McCullough sisters had been through a great deal over the past several years. It all started with the murder of their father. Adam Mac McCullough had been beaten to death in an alley in the town of Young in Arizona territory. The men who killed him were the men he had imprisoned while he was with the Arizona Rangers, along with a few saddle bums they had teamed up with. Adam’s daughters—Sara, Julie, Becky, and Angela—tracked down the men in New Mexico territory and killed them in a brutal gunfight, a gunfight that cost them the lives of their sister Becky and a surrogate uncle named Hawk, who helped raise them.

The girls, now alone, had to get their cattle to market in Abilene, Kansas, or risk losing their ranch. Working with a neighboring ranch owner, Abe Reardon, the girls set about to combine their herd with his and drive them to Kansas. The first order of business was to hire a ramrod. A chance encounter with an old retired Buffalo Soldier named Bufford Bo Riley gave them the ramrod they were looking for. Bo taught the girls a great deal, not only about cattle drives, but also about life in general. Over the almost two years he spent with the girls, Bo grew very fond of them and thought of them as his own. The feeling was mutual as the girls came to love Bo almost as much as they did their father. Bo taught the girls how to capture wild horses for the cattle drive and how to sell some off for the needed revenue to get started. It was during this time that Sara, nicknamed Rosebud by her father, met Jed and Angela, nicknamed Little Bit, met Billy. These men were hired on by the girls, and their relationships evolved considerably in a short time.

The drive finally came together almost a year later. Everything had been coordinated with the Reardon Ranch, and the drive got under way in June 1892. It was during the drive that the girls met and rescued Katie Jordan. Katie was a sixteen-year-old girl whom Angela found naked and left to die on the prairie by the men who killed her family. Angela and her sisters nursed Katie back to health and had intentions of leaving her in Abilene once the drive was done. However, Katie grew on the girls, and they asked Katie to stay on with them at their ranch. During a stopover in Santa Fe, a chance encounter with one of the murderers led to his arrest and eventual breakout, resulting in the death of a deputy sheriff. The gang of men realized that Katie had not died, and they felt they needed to kill her to prevent her from identifying them again in the future.

The men had overheard that the group was headed to Kansas and decided to keep tabs on them until the drive was completed. They would wait until the girls sold their cattle and then ambush them on the way home. They could then steal the money as well as ending any chance of Katie identifying them. The ambush took place along the Canadian River in New Mexico territory. Once again, the girls were involved in a bloody gun battle. Bo had been wounded before the battle came to an end, and the girls had to get him to a doctor right away. By the time they made it back to Santa Fe, Bo’s wound had soured, and he lost his leg. Bo told the girls he would be of no more use to them and sent them on home. Bo remained behind and told the girls he would keep them apprised of his decision on his future. The drive had also cost the lives of Jed and Billy, leaving the girls alone once again.

# # # # #

The First Two Books in the McCullough Trilogy

• The Hunt

• McCullough’s Legacy

CHAPTER 1

THE STRANGER

Sara strolled into the kitchen shortly before the sun rose over the eastern ridge. She loaded the coffee pot, placed it on the stove, and sat down to watch the sunrise. As she stared out the window, she thought back to the cattle drive and the changes it had brought about in their lives. They now had an adopted sister of sorts, they had lost their friend Bo, and she and Angela had lost the men they felt they might someday marry. They now had enough money to grow their ranch and not worry about money for some time to come. They had several hands working for them now, and the respect they had earned from the people who knew them was unsurmountable. And yet there was an empty feeling in her chest that she couldn’t explain.

A few moments later, Katie walked into the kitchen and took a seat across from Sara. You seem to be studyin’ on somethin’ awfully hard for this early in the mornin’. Somethin’ troublin’ ya?

Oh, just reflectin’ on how we got to this point, Sara replied. Sure has been some journey.

I ’spect you’re right. I, for one, can’t complain. If Little Bit hadn’t found me, I’d be nothing but bones scattered around the prairie.

I reckon so, but a lotta folks died so we could realize our dream. Some deserved it, most didn’t.

That’s true enough, Rosebud, but everyone knew what they were gettin’ into before they signed on. From what I hear, most every cattle drive ever made has had its share of disaster and death.

Maybe so, but it don’t ease things none.

A few moments later, Julie came into the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of coffee. She sat at the table and asked Sara what she had in mind for the day’s activities. Sara replied that it would just be the usual day’s chores and wanted to know why Julie was so interested. She had an idea that Julie was hunting for a way to duck some of her chores.

I thought I might go into town and get some supplies. We are runnin’ low on some of our personal needs, if you know where I’m headed.

Sara and Katie both chuckled and smiled as they nodded their approval of Julie’s task. Katie said she’d be happy to go along, and Julie said she’d enjoy the company. Angela appeared in the kitchen and asked what all the discussion was about. The girls filled her in, and Angela said she’d rather go fishin’ than go into town. Sara shook her head and asked how she was the only one who would end up doing the day’s chores.

Just comes with bein’ the oldest, I reckon, Angela replied.

After the breakfast dishes were done, each girl set about her chosen task. Angela grabbed her fishing pole and headed for the stream below the ranch house. Julie and Katie saddled their horses and rode off for town. Sara headed for the barn to feed and water the stock before sitting down to balance the books. As Sara entered the barn, she paused, turned, and looked out over their ranch. The empty feeling she had earlier had given way to pride. She was proud of what she and her sisters had accomplished and felt closer to them than she ever had before. Perhaps it was the fact that their journey was so hard that made everything even more worthwhile. In any case, Sara and her sisters had done more by the time they were twenty than most folks would accomplish in their entire lifetime.

Angela reached a bend in the stream where a large pool backed up to a small cliff face. This pond usually held a fair number of sizable trout. As she began to turn over rocks along the shore, looking for grubs to use as bait, she noticed that the stream seemed to be lower than normal. This surprised her as it was mid-spring and the snow in the high country was still melting. We had a pretty decent snowfall this winter, she thought. This creek should be higher than this. The stream shouldn’t be this low until mid-summer when the dry season hits. Angela decided that maybe it hadn’t gotten that hot in the high country yet and that later on, the creek would rise to its normal depth. And with that, she sat down on a rock and tossed her hook into the water.

Julie and Katie had made it to town and were taking their time browsing around the general store, looking at just about everything. Mr. Adams came out from the back room and asked if they needed help finding anything. Julie said they were fine and told him they knew where to find what they needed. As Mr. Adams returned to the back room, the girls giggled and whispered how they would wait for Mrs. Adams to ring up their order. It was then that Mr. Adams reappeared and said that he remembered he had something to tell them.

There was some young fella in here yesterday asking questions about you girls and your ranch. He wanted to know if you still had hands working for you and, if so, who they might be. I told him how to get to your ranch and told him he should go ask you himself about who you had workin’ for you.

Did he give a name? Julie asked.

Nope. He seemed sorta quiet and cautious. He didn’t wanna say too much, so I didn’t offer too much.

Well, we’re much obliged, Mr. Adams. We’ll keep an eye out for this fella for sure.

The two girls returned to the ranch and told their sisters about the stranger asking questions. No one could figure out who this fella might be, let alone what he would want with them or their help. Julie thought back to the men she killed while they were catching wild horses. She wondered if maybe he was some kind of relation to those guys. Sara said it was possible, and the girls decided to be a little more on their guard until they found out who this guy was and what he wanted. This meant placing weapons at strategic spots around the ranch, making them accessible if needed in a hurry. While they were discussing where to place the rifles, Katie looked up the road and said, I reckon we won’t have to wait to find out what this guy wants.

Why’s that? Angela asked.

’Cuz he’s comin’ up the road right now.

I’ll cover you from the window, Rosebud. Just see what this fella wants.

Sara and Angela walked out to the corral to meet with their guest. Julie picked up her rifle and watched from the kitchen window. Katie grabbed a rifle and went out the back door to watch from the trees. The young man rode slowly into the ranch, taking in as much as he could as he passed by the bunkhouse and barn. He rode up to the corral, stopped his horse, and took one more glance around the place.

You seem to be lookin’ awful hard for somethin’, mister. Maybe I can help you find it, Sara said.

Maybe you can. Is this the McCullough Ranch? he asked.

Yup, the Bar Mc. Can I ask what you need here? Angela asked.

I’m lookin’ for someone who’s supposed to be here.

This someone got a name? asked Sara.

His name is Ezra Hawks. He goes by the name Hawk. I heard he was livin’ or workin’ on this ranch. Is he here?

What business would you be havin’ with Hawk? Sara asked.

I came here to kill him.

Angela stood up a little straighter and winced a bit with anger. Sara had a similar response but tried not to let on. She wanted to find out more about this man before she divulged any information.

Who are you, mister, and why would you want to kill Hawk?

Name’s Zachery, Zachery Conner. I kept my ma’s name instead of usin’ the one from the son of a bitch that ran out on us.

You sayin’ Hawk is your pa? Angela asked.

I’m sayin’ Hawk’s the one that took my ma then run out on us before I was born. He left my ma to raise me in shame and with no help. I swore I’d find this son of a bitch and see him die for what he put my ma through.

Hawk helped our papa raise us. I don’t see him runnin’ out on anybody.

Well, why don’t you just trot him out here, and we’ll see if he remembers before I kill him.

First off, I don’t think you could kill him, and second of all, you’re too late. Hawk’s been dead for over two years now. He was shot to death savin’ our sister’s life.

Zachery seemed to slump a bit into his saddle, unsure if he should believe these girls or not. He thought he was being cheated out of his revenge and was not ready to accept that.

You sure you’re not just hidin’ him out somewhere so he don’t get killed?

Mister, we buried him ourselves, right next to our sister, up on the rim country, Sara responded. Now I don’t like being questioned when it comes to my tellin’ the truth. I’ll take in consideration your youth and the fact that you’ve obviously traveled some distance in your quest. If you want to climb down, we’ll tell you all about Hawk, and maybe you’ll see things different.

I’ll listen, but don’t expect me to leave flowers just yet.

Zachery climbed off his horse, tied him to the rail, and joined the girls on the porch. Julie and Katie had come out from their hiding places and sat down to meet the stranger. After the introductions, Sara told Zachery about Hawk’s life as they knew it and how he had come to save Becky’s life. They told of the time he would spend with the Apaches and how much the Apaches respected him. They felt that if Hawk had known about Zachery, he never would have left his mother. Zachery listened intently and began to wish he could have met his father and gotten to know him. It was still hard not to hate Hawk, as he could still see the look of despair in his mother’s eyes before she fell to the fever.

You’re welcome to take supper with us tonight, Sara said. I’m sure you could use something to eat and some time to reflect. The hands will be comin’ in from the range soon, and there’s room in the bunkhouse should you elect to stay the night.

I’d be obliged. I ’spect some time to myself is just what I need, and you all can call me Zak.

With that, Zak stepped off the porch, untied his horse, and led him off down the road to do some thinking about his situation. As he walked down the road, he was met by Nelson Buckley. Nelson was a hired hand who rode with the girls on their cattle drive. He and his partner, Jim Severs, returned to the ranch to work there after drifting around a while. Nelson had been riding fence and was coming back after being out for four days.

Howdy, Nelson said as he rode up to Zak. You just passin’ through, or you come here to work?

Howdy yourself, Zak replied. Truth is I came here to kill a man. Seems I was a bit too late. Ain’t rightly sure what I’ll be doin’ now.

This fella you came here to kill, his name wouldn’t be Bo Riley, would it?

No sir, Ezra Hawks was his name. Them girls told me he’s been dead a couple a years now.

That’s true enough. That fella got killed when the girls went after the men that killed their pa.

You work for ’em, do ya? Zak asked.

Yup, about eight months now. Me and my partner rode herd with these girls to Dodge City. We came back after driftin’ around a short time, but we figured if we had to work for someone, it might as well be these girls. They’re as tough as any man I ever knew and a hell of a lot easier on the eyes. Maybe I’ll see ya at supper tonight, Nelson said as he snapped the reins and started off down the road.

Maybe so, Zak mumbled.

That evening, the girls sat around the kitchen table, discussing the day’s events and the man who claimed to be Hawk’s son. Zak had settled in for the night in the bunkhouse and was having supper with the men. Nelson, Jim Severs, and Stewart Bickers tried to make Zak feel welcome and shared stories of what they knew about the girls. They told Zak that whatever he heard about Hawk was nothing they knew about. But they told him that if he had any notions of giving the girls any trouble, he would have to deal with them, that is, if he wasn’t already dead.

Back in the kitchen, Julie asked Angela how the fishing had been that morning. The fishin’ was kinda slow. The water is still a little murky from the runoff, but somethin’ struck me as kinda funny.

What do ya mean funny? Julie asked.

It was the creek. It seemed to be awful low for this time of year. There’s still some snow in the high country that’s meltin’, and the creek should be runnin’ fast. It usually doesn’t get this low ’til the dry season in June.

Maybe beavers got it dammed up farther upstream, Sara offered.

Possible, I s’pose, but that would have to be one helluva dam to slow the creek down that much.

Let’s me and you go take a look at the creek a little closer tomorrow mornin’, Julie suggested.

That sounds good to me. Maybe we can figure out what’s goin’ on with our water supply.

The next morning, Sara and Katie were up early, making breakfast and figuring what to get done that day. Katie looked out the window and saw Zak saddling his horse.

Looks like ol’ Zak is pullin’ out, Katie said.

Sara walked to the window and peered outside. Maybe I’d best say goodbye and offer our sympathies for his ma.

I’ll step out with ya, Katie said.

The two girls walked out to the corral to say goodbye. Zak was near finished saddling his horse when he saw the girls approaching.

"You fixin’ to head out this mornin’? Sara asked.

Yup. Can’t see just hangin’ around here, doin’ nothin’.

You don’t have to be doin’ nothin’ if you’d like to stay on. We could use another hand, and with you bein’ kin to Hawk, just seems natural that you stay on here.

I ain’t really ever had a full-time job. After my ma died, I sold the place and started out lookin’ for Hawk. Been pickin’ up odd jobs here and there when spendin’ money would get a little thin.

Well, you’re welcome to stay on if you’d like, Sara replied.

I tell you what, if you don’t mind, I’d like to chew on it a spell. If I decide to sign on, I’ll be back by the end of the week.

Fair enough, Sara said.

If we don’t see ya again, we’d like to offer our sympathies for your ma. Believe me when I tell ya we’re all familiar with losin’ a mother, Katie added.

I sure do appreciate that, young lady, and I thank you for it.

With that, Zak mounted his horse and slowly rode away in the direction of town.

Julie and Angela had walked downstream from where Angela had been fishing and realized that the stream had gone down a little more from the day before. The flow was not as swift, and small pools on the edges of the creek were drying up.

This ain’t no good at all, Sis, Julie said.

It sure as hell ain’t. If this crick went down this much since yesterday, it’ll be bone dry by the end of the month.

I best take a ride tomorrow and see if I can find out what’s starvin’ this crick, Julie said.

I was thinkin’ that if it were beavers, the likely place would be the narrows at Hell’s Gate. If beavers dammed up the narrows, that could back up a lot a water behind it. Could hold as much as a small lake. I ain’t been much farther upstream from there, so don’t know if there are any other spots past that, Angela replied.

I think yer right, Little Bit. I believe I’ll head to the gate first. You wanna come along?

I reckon not. I told Stew I’d go with him to check the herd on the southern range.

Suit yourself. I’ll head out after breakfast.

The two girls went back to the ranch and relayed their findings to the other two. Sara agreed that Hell’s Gate would be the likely spot for any restriction. She told Julie to figure what it would take to blow the beaver dam, if that was indeed the case. None of the girls knew anything about dynamite, but if the beaver dam was extensive, that may be what they would need. Should they need to blow up the dam, they would have to find themselves a powder monkey who knew how to use it. But finding the problem would be the first order of business. Sara thought that maybe Abe Reardon might know of someone who knew about dynamite. He had been in the valley since before the War Between the States and knew just about everybody around. If anyone around these parts knew about dynamite, Abe would know who they were. Sara would ride out to his ranch and find out if he knew such a man.

The next day, Sara and Katie lit out for the Reardon Ranch, while Julie headed upstream toward Hell’s Gate. Angela and Stew left for the southern range to check the herd and the condition of the fences. Katie wanted to go along with Sara because she hadn’t seen Mr. Reardon since the cattle drive. She also wanted to see his foreman, John, as she had felt close to him since their time together on the drive. John was almost like a father to her while they were on the trail. He seemed to fret over her, more than the others, since she had lost her whole family in one fell swoop. John felt the same way about Katie, as though she were the daughter he never had.

CHAPTER 2

HELL’S GATE

Julie had been riding for two hours before reaching Hell’s Gate. The Gate was a spot where Haigler Creek passed through a short, narrow canyon that was no more than fifty or sixty feet wide. If beavers had dammed this area, the water would back up behind the Gate for almost a mile. The area behind the Gate opened up and would take months before the water flowed over the beaver dam and started back downstream. By that time, the ranches below would have been without water long enough for their cattle to die of thirst. The only trouble was there was no beaver dam blocking the stream, nor was there any debris from runoff or anything else to impede the flow in any fashion.

Julie rode her horse through the creek, passed Hell’s Gate, and into the open country behind the gate. She paused for a moment and stared upstream, wondering why the water level was so low. So far, she had not seen anything out of the ordinary or any sign that things had been disturbed in any way. Julie gazed up at the sun to determine the time of day. She decided it was still an hour or so before noon, so she would keep going for a few more miles and try to figure this out. She figured she would have to head back by two o’clock in order to be back home before dark.

As she rode farther upstream, the terrain started to change. Juniper and scrub oak were giving way to pines and a few cottonwoods along the stream bed. She was climbing in elevation, and the temperature was getting a little cooler. She stopped to water her horse and put on her coat. The trail was getting a bit rocky, slowing her pace. She figured she would head up over the next ridge and pick up the creek again on the top of the plateau. Then she could ride across the flat. If she didn’t see anything suspicious at that point, she would head back home and come up with a different plan.

As Julie neared the top of the plateau, she saw some movement in the trees ahead. She pulled back on the reins and decided to wait for whatever it was to show itself. Within minutes, Julie watched as a man rode down a game trail that crossed in front of her. As the man approached, he turned his horse to meet Julie head-on.

I been watchin’ you for a little ways now, and I need to know what you’re doin’ up here, the man stated.

Well, mister, not that I feel it’s any of your concern, but this stream has been slowed down some, and I came up here to find out why.

What does this creek matter to you?

This here creek runs through our ranch … and a few others downstream. If this creek dries up, we lose the water for our cattle and our livelihood. I can’t let that happen.

Well then, young lady … we just might have ourselves a problem. You see, this stream has been dammed up above this plateau. The water’s bein’ used for our mining operations. I work for Mr. Talbutt of the Bear’s Paw Mining Co. We dammed this creek two weeks ago to supply the mine with the water we need to operate it.

And just what would you be minin’ up here? Julie asked. There ain’t any gold in these hills.

Ain’t lookin’ for gold. We’re lookin’ for copper. With this electricity stuff everybody is puttin’ in, there’s quite the demand for copper. Talbutt’s people seem to think it can be found up here.

Why ain’t you up there minin’ with the rest of ’em? she responded.

"I got me sort of a different position with the mining company. You see, my job is to keep nosy folks out of our business. This here