free from emotion. “Why would Toledo want the girl to have children if she hates the sight of her so much?”
“I don’t know. Don’t care. All I want is her. Now and then I brush my hand across her accidental-like to see if she’s developing up top. I’m beginning to think she won’t, or if she does they’ll be small, and that’s all right with me. I’ll still take her. I only got one hand that works, so she don’t have to have much up top to satisfy me.” He laughed and wiggled his eyebrows as if sharing a secret, then continued, “Toledo did say once that when the babies come she’ll have a wet nurse take care of them so the girl can breed faster. She says if I keep her well rounded I’ll have less duties around the place and if the girl bears three brats that live the first three years we’re together, Toledo promised she’d double my salary. I’m thinking if we go to six, I’ll be expecting another double.”
“What kind of place is this?” Duncan had the feeling he’d landed in hell.
“Toledo’s run a roadhouse for more years than folks can remember.” Ramon seemed to think he needed to answer the question. “In the front left side, we got drinks, food, and a poker game going most all the time. There’s beds for rent upstairs, with or without a woman to serve as a bed warmer, if you know what I mean. We get all kind of travelers, mostly men running from the law and drifters looking for trouble. On the right side, Toledo has goods to trade with anyone who comes to the door. Blankets, supplies, hardtack.” He rubbed his face with his one useful hand. “I figured out a long time ago that what she really sells in here is information. She goes out and collects information about who is where as she peddles her goods. If anyone wants to find someone lost, they come here.”
“Why are you telling me this? You think she wants to sell something to the rangers?”
Ramon shook his head. “No. I’m just talking. With Little One running out of the room every time I walk in and Toledo only talking to me when she yells, I guess I just wanted to talk for a change. Anything I tell you don’t matter. You’ll be dead in a day or two anyway. Even if you thought of running and were able, she’s got more guards than me about the place. You wouldn’t make it out of the yard.”
The big man stood and started out of the room, favoring his left leg.
“How’d you get hurt?” Duncan asked, hoping to learn more about this place.
“Wagon turned over when I was running guns. I caught my arm in the wheel and twisted it all up. Broke my leg, but it didn’t heal right.” He looked at Duncan with his cold eyes. “But don’t you think I can’t stop you if you think of leaving.” He raised his good arm. “There ain’t but one way out of this room, and I’m on the other side of the door on guard. One hit with this fist and you’ll be out cold. Toledo put you in the girl’s room ’cause there’s no escape, and she put me on guard because nothing gets past me.”
“I believe you, friend,” Duncan said, thinking of Lewt Paterson in Austin, who always called a troublemaker his friend a moment before he ended the problem. “Mind my asking why you stay?”
Ramon shrugged. “I got nowhere else to go. I killed four people in that wagon accident, and word got around that I was drunk when it happened. One of the men in the wagon was the ringleader’s son. He let out word that if I ever came within shooting distance of him or any of his men I’d be dead, so I crossed the border and found this place.”
The girl came back into the room carrying a tray of soup. She didn’t look at either of them as she moved across to the stool beside the bed.
Ramon’s glare followed her every step. “It ain’t so bad here. I get regular meals, the work’s not hard, and I got the promise of some fun coming soon when she turns into a woman.” He walked to the door. “I’m locking you in. You ain’t in any shape to move anyway, but remember I don’t want you talking to the girl.” He grinned. “Not that