CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The aroma of hot apple pie filled the house at the Sherman Relay Station. The breeze carried the smell outside.

Jonesy studied the pie with pride. He placed the pie in the middle of the dining table then headed outside. “Mose,” he called to the stage driver talking to Jess. “I expected to get trampled on by you heading in the house. You been begging me to bake an apple pie. I got one right out of the oven sitting on the table. Even got cheese to go along with it.”

Mose glanced at Jess then looked back at Jonesy. “Better not, Jonesy.” As he turned and headed towards the stage, he mumbled something under his breath.

“What’s got into him?” Jonesy asked as he followed Jess into the house.

Jess sat down at the table. “Maybe he ain’t hungry.”

“Mose? Not hungry? Not hardly.” Jonesy’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Jess grabbed the knife and started to cut into the pie.

“Hold it right there!” Jonesy called out. “How come you ain’t outside changing them horses? Slim ain’t going to like working all by himself and...”

Slim walked through the door. “Jonesy, I could smell the pie outside.” He sat down across from Jess. “What are you waiting for? Cut me a piece.”

Jonesy watched as Jess cut two slices of pie. Both Jess and Slim praised the pie as if they had never eaten one better, but Jonesy didn’t smile or even looked pleased.

“Why don’t you two tell me what’s going on?” Jonesy demanded. “Those stage horses got to be changed...”

“Mose is taking care of it,” Slim clarified, and then took another bite. “I swear this is your best yet! Mighty good. Mighty good, Jonesy.”

“I’ll say,” Jess echoed. “I’m going to have me a second piece. How ‘bout you, Slim?”

“Sure!” Slim held out his plate for Jess to put the pie onto.

“Don’t you think you ought to save some for Mose?” Jonesy asked.

“Reckon by the time he changes them horses, he won’t have time to sit and eat. He’s got to get that stage to Laramie.”

Jonesy took off his hat and scratched his head. “I can’t figure why Mose would do your work, especially when there’s an apple pie just waiting to be ate. You know how he likes apple pies.”

“Loves them, just like I do,” Jess acknowledged.

“Then why on earth is Mose doing your work?”

“Oh let’s just say, Mose owes me and Slim a favor for helping out a friend of his,” Jess remarked as he chewed a huge bite.

Jonesy moved to the kitchen, and then he moved back to the table, carrying a coffee pot. He poured two cups of steaming coffee before placing the pot on the table.

“Thanks, Jonesy,” Jess said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Slim repeated, then took a long sip of coffee.

“You know, you never did tell me what happened in Carson Springs.” Jonesy sat down at the table. “I reckon now is as good a time as any.”

“Not much happen to speak of,” Jess mumbled.

“Not much to speak of! Well you got engaged didn’t you?”

Jess glanced at Slim, who grinned.

“He sure did,” Slim replied.

“You don’t call that much to speak of?” Jonesy demanded.

“You know, Jonesy, Slim told me that you were mighty worried about me. Said you knew women a lot better than me and Slim do,” Jess said, between chews.

“You know, Jess, I think it’s got to be Jonesy’s disposition,” Slim said, his fork waving in the air.

“Or maybe it’s his charm,” Jess added, studying Jonesy.

Jonesy’s face darkened with a scowl.

“Could be his good looks,” Slim added. “Yeah, he has that kind of face that just draws women like flies to honey.”

“Or his sweetness,” Jess said. “Bet it’s his sweetness.”

Jonesy’s face stormed more.

Jess asked, “Jonesy, what is your secret when it comes to women?”

Both Jess and Slim put down their forks and stared at Jonesy, waiting for an answer.

“I ‘spect I can cook apple pie better than them. They want me for my recipe,” Jonesy answered.

Jess and Slim burst out laughing.

“Well you’ll get no argument from me,” Slim said between chuckles. “You are some good cook, especially when it comes to apple pie.”

“Why Jonesy, if you were a woman, I swear I’d be first in line to propose just to get some of your apple pie,” Jess added.

“And if I was a woman, I’d send you both on your way ‘cause I got good taste, so I’d want nothing to do with either one of you. I can just imagine the kind of woman who’d agree to wed either one of you,” Jonesy growled as he got up from the table. Jonesy slammed the door as he left the house.

“You don’t suppose Mose will tell him about Laura do you?” Jess asked.

“You mean about how we high tailed out of there like a couple of scared rabbits?”

“‘Cause we’d never hear the end of it from Jonesy, if Mose did tell.”

Slim was thoughtful. “Naw, he wouldn’t...”

“Just ‘cause we got him to do our work...wouldn’t let him eat pie. Guess you’re right, Mose wouldn’t...”

Both men jumped up from the table and raced for the door, but before they reached the outside they could hear Jonesy laughing and saying between chuckles, “She said like a scared rabbit. Both of them?”

THE END

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