“You been to my house? Sorry I wasn’t there. Been to the settlement to get some supplies to carry my wife ‘I’ll I get back from my trip.”

“Trip? To where?”

“Up north of here, town of Jacksboro. I’ve been workin’ for the Confederate army, buyin’ horses. Supposed to meet some dealers up there the first of next week.” He made a circular motion with his hand. “How about turnin’ around and goin’ back to the cabin with me? Wife’ll fix dinner.”

“I’d better not. I found Isaac York there.”

Blessing’s smile died a sudden death. “Rusty, I hope you didn’t. . .”

“No, I didn’t. Not that I didn’t study on it some. Hard as it was, I left him be. For now.”

“I’m glad. Lord willin’, you’ve got a long life ahead of you. You wouldn’t want to do somethin’ foolish and ruin it.”

“I don’t see that it’s foolish to want to even up the score for Daddy Mike.”

“You think another killin’ would make the pain go away? It’d just make you hurt different, and worse. I’ve killed men because I had to, and it hurts when I think about it. It’d hurt more if I knew I hadn’t had to.”

Rusty had talked all he wanted to about Isaac York, for even hearing or speaking the name made him sick to his stomach. He changed the subject. “I can’t find near all the cattle I ought to have. You know anything about them?”

“Can’t say I do, exactly, but I’ve got suspicions. I think Fowler Gaskin and his boys helped themselves ‘I’ll the conscript men drug the boys off to the army.”

“I didn’t figure they went of their own accord.”

“You never heard grown men bawl and carry on like them boys did, or cuss like the old man. He kept hollerin’ ‘I’ll they was plumb across the county line. Said he’d starve to death without them boys of his to take care of him.”

“He wasn’t goin’ to starve as long as one beef critter was left on my place. Did you know he’d taken up livin’ in my cabin? I had to run him off so the folks I brought would have a place to stay.”

“I told him several times he had no call to be over there, but he kept tellin’ me it was only temporary. I’m sorry I didn’t run him off myself, but I’ve been away a lot, workin’ for the government.”

“It’s done now. Come over the first chance you get and meet the Monahan family. They’re good folks.” Briefly he told what had happened to the Monahan men.

Blessing sympathized. “Been a many a wrong done in the name of the war. Someday folks’ll have to learn to put the wrongs aside and get on with livin’.”

Rusty took that as a reference to his problem with Isaac York. “It’ll be hard. I don’t know if I can.”

“You’ll have to. Either that or go to the brush with blood on your hands. I don’t think you’ve got it in you to turn outlaw. Mike Shannon taught you better than that.”