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"Pete," Rowdy muttered for only him to hear. The scout glanced up; Rowdy tilted his head, then disappeared into the darkness. Nolan sighed, got up, and followed him as Rowdy led him far away from camp.
"Pete I got a problem."
"You mean you dragged me all the way out here in the middle of the night to tell me something I already know?"
"Will you knock it off, Pete, this is serious." The scout instantly sobered at the serious look in Rowdy's eyes.
"All right, what is it?"
"Well, see, there's this girl in Sedalia."
"A girl!?" Pete exclaimed in exasperation. This was Rowdy's serious business?
"Yes, `a girl.' Lydia. I met her last time we were here. She's real sweet and pretty, only problem is, she likes to dance."
"Well, you can dance. Sort of."
Rowdy was too preoccupied to catch the last part. "Not like that. I can dance barn dances and square dances, you know, the ones at a hoedown, but she likes to do the fancy ones that she learned in New York--you know, where you go awful slow or awful fast and up and down, and you're turning every which way without any caller telling you what to do or even when to do it!"
Pete scratched his head as he tried to digest that. "Are you talking about a waltz?"
"Yeah, but it's not just a simple waltz; she likes to do the fancy ones, the ones they got back East. There's even one that she likes from some far off place--Viyona I think."
"So, don't waltz with her."
"Well, it's not that simple. See last time we were in Sedalia, I kinda let her think that I could do all those dances."
"Oh, Rowdy" Pete groaned. "What'd you do that for?"
"I couldn't help it. She was talking and I just kept agreeing with her and she took that to mean I knew how to waltz like that. But I don't want to let her down."
"So, you want me to teach you to dance tonight--and we get into Sedalia tomorrow?"
"Yeah, exactly," Rowdy said excitedly. "How about it?"
"I'm going back to bed."
"Aw, come on Pete."
"Why don't you ask Mr. Favor? He knows how to dance real well. Probably knows that Viyona one too."
"I can't ask the Boss something like this."
"So you decided to bother me."
"Please Pete."
"I'm not going to spend the rest of the night teaching you how to waltz around the West!"
"What are y'all two jabberwalling about?"
"Nothing Wishbone," Rowdy answered quickly.
"Rowdy here wants me to teach him how to waltz." A devilish gleam came into the scout's eyes as he glanced back at Yates. "Maybe you can help him Wish."
"Well, I reckon I can try."
"Pete I'm gonna get you for this," Yates muttered.
"Just trying to help you Rowdy," Pete answered sweetly. He grinned at the cook and then took off to get back to camp and his bedroll.
"So you want to learn how to dance do you?"
"No, Wish, not really."
"Oh, you think that just because I'm a grey-haired old cook I don't know how to dance. Well let me tell you something--"
"All right Wishbone, all right." Rowdy stopped the tirade before it could get very far. "You know how to waltz?"
"Of course I know how to waltz. What do you think I am, a--"
"Wish!" Rowdy sighed and ran a hand along his face. "I know I'm going to regret this, but can you teach me?"
***
Quince and Scarlet were heading out for night hawking when they heard a commotion outside the camp.
"Will you stop stomping on my toes?!"
"Well, you keep on telling me to put my feet there: it's not my fault you don't have sense enough to move yours!"
"I told you to move your left! Your left!"
"That was my left!"
Wish looked down at their feet. "Okay then, my left, your right!"
"What in the sam hill y'all doing?" Quince's voice broke through the dance lesson.
Rowdy jumped at the voice. Wishbone glanced at Quince, and then continued glaring daggers at Yates.
"I'm trying to teach this big oaf here how to waltz."
Before Rowdy could retort, Joe broke in. "That's not how you waltz."
"I'd thank you to keep out of this Joe Scarlet," Wishbone demanded.
"Hang on just a minute there. Joe's right--that ain't a waltz."
"It most certainly is!"
"It most certainly ain't!"
"Y'all just don't know proper dancing. This is the most re-fined, so-phisticated waltz around."
"Refried what?" Scarlet asked.
"Oh, never mind. Come on, Rowdy."
"I-I can't dance while they're here."
The cook sighed. "You two git on out of here."
"But yer not teaching him right."
The cook's temper flared. "Well, if y'all two know so much more than me, then by all means go ahead and show him."
Quince straightened up at the challenge. "All right, we will." He and Joe dismounted, and walked over to Rowdy.
***
Half an hour later, back in camp, one of the drovers woke Favor up.
"Sorry to wake you, Mr. Favor, but Quince and Scarlet haven't relieved us on nighthawking yet."
Favor looked around, but Quince and Scarlet weren't in camp. He turned back to the drover. "You get back to the cattle. If I can't find those two, I'll send some other men out shortly to relieve you." The drover nodded and left.
Favor got up and scanned the camp. He saw to his surprise, and dread, that Rowdy was not in camp either. He somehow knew this was Rowdy's fault. As he continued to look around, the wind gained force and brought the distant and unintelligible yelling of his men to his ears. Just great, his men were brawling with each other. He groaned.
In the bedroll next to him, Pete stirred. "What's wrong, Boss?" he mumbled.
"You hear that?" Favor asked him as he bent down to get his hat and gunbelt.
Pete listened. "I hear it. Sounds like a hoedown." Pete smiled tiredly at Favor's curious stare. "Why don't you go check it out?" He suggested, then he rolled back over and tried to get to sleep.
**
The sight that greeted Favor's eyes when he got to his men brought him up short. Wishbone and Jim Quince were standing three feet apart yelling at each other with their arms flailing and gesturing about. Rowdy Yates and Joe Scarlet were, well, they were dancing. True they were just barely holding hands, and they each had their fingertips just lightly touching the other's shoulder. And they were standing as far apart as they could get from each other. But they were definitely dancing.
Rowdy and Joe were attempting a sharp turn when Yates stumbled. They both stopped dancing, and Joe tried to very helpfully explain what Rowdy did wrong, while Rowdy tried as hard as he could not to lose his temper. Favor shook his head at the scene. Just then Rowdy spotted him. He quickly whispered to Joe who turned around so fast he stumbled himself. Yates quickly headed over to Wishbone and Quince and tried to get them to stop screaming at each other.
"Wishbone, Quince! Quit it, Mr. Favor's here!" At the Boss's name, both of them clammed up mid-sentence and whirled around to face him.
Favor slowly strode toward the four men, then stopped, crossed his arms, and waited.
"Well, howdy Boss," Rowdy cheerfully greeted him.
Favor just stared at them.
"Boss we can explain," Quince said quickly.
"Oh, really? You can explain why you and Scarlet are here and not watching the herd?"
"Well, we were teaching Rowdy how to waltz," Joe answered.
"Yeah, Wishbone was teaching him wrong," Quince added. "But we'll get to the herd right now." They both scurried off, leaving Rowdy and Wishbone facing the Boss all alone.
"Now, Mr. Favor--" Wish began.
"Get back to camp," Favor gritted out slowly.
Wishbone and Rowdy instantly complied with the order.
"Rowdy."
Yates turned back and braced himself. "Yeah?"
Favor tried to say something, stopped, and then stared at Rowdy in bewilderment. "Waltzing?"
"Yeah, well it's like this Boss. Lydia, this girl in Sedalia, she loves to waltz and well I wanted to learn before we got there--"
"Rowdy," Mr. Favor cut him off. "I got one day left and then I'll have delivered the whole herd, safe and sound, to the railhead in Sedalia. I don't need you taking my night hawkers away for waltzing lessons!"
"Well I didn't ask them to help me! Matter of fact, I didn't even ask Wish." At this, Favor softened his gaze; it didn't seem to be Rowdy's fault after all. "I asked Pete," Favor hardened his gaze, "and then he got Wishbone, and then everything just kinda spiraled after that."
Favor shook his head at the explanation. Well, at least that explained Pete. He turned away from Rowdy without another word and headed back to camp.
Yates took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, trying to decide. Finally, summoning up his courage, he ran to catch up with Mr. Favor.
"Say Boss, you think you could try to teach me. Those jaspers have me all messed up."
"Rowdy,"
"But Boss,"
Favor took a deep, angry breath, but Rowdy held up his hands in surrender right when he saw that. "Okay, okay," he muttered.
He walked over to his bedroll, kicking Pete as he passed.
***
The next afternoon, the herd was transferred into the stockyards. Mr. Favor left the other cowboys as they put up all the gear and horses that didn't belong to them. It took the drovers a little more time than was needed as they reminisced for just a bit on the horses they were leaving behind. Then the melancholy was quickly replaced with pure joy as the drovers, with Favor rejoining them, raced through the streets of Sedalia. The drive was over! It was really over! Quickly the drovers reined up at, surprise surprise, a saloon. Before Rowdy could go through the swinging doors, however, Mr. Favor stopped him.
"Rowdy, come with me."
Confused but curious, Rowdy remounted and followed Mr. Favor through the streets of Sedalia. Soon, Favor reined up at a nice house just on the outskirts of town. He and Rowdy made their way to the front door. Mr. Favor knocked, and, as they waited, pulled off his and Rowdy's hats.
The door opened and a woman stood in the doorway. "Ah, Gil, you're back. Come on in."
Favor and Rowdy stepped into the house; the trail boss did the introductions.
"Rowdy, this is Diane Macready."
"Howdy, ma'am."
"Hello there Rowdy." She turned back to Favor. "Gil, would you finish moving the rest of the furniture away?" Favor nodded and headed into the spacious room on their right.
Diane turned back to Rowdy. "Well there, young fellow, Gil says you want to learn how to waltz."
Rowdy's eyes lit up and he glanced over at Mr. Favor with a huge grin on his face. "Yes ma'am, the Viyona one if you know it."
"The-- Viyona one?"
Favor interpreted. "The Viennese Waltz."
"Oh! My, that's mighty hard. But I'll see what I can do. Let's start off with the basic waltz."
She led Rowdy into the room, and then began to walk him through the steps, having to stop and undo a lot of the damage Wish, Jim, and Joe had done. Then Rowdy and Diane began to practice the dance.
***
"You sure your feet are all right?" Rowdy asked, concerned.
"They're fine, Rowdy," Diane assured him, just as Mr. Favor returned from the kitchen with a bucket of steaming hot water, which he placed on the floor beside Ms. Macready. She gratefully put her bare feet into it and let them soak, not caring about the impropriety of letting the men see her bare feet and ankles.
"I just need to rest for a bit," she continued. After an hour of dancing with Rowdy, Favor thought, she sure does. "But you're doing wonderfully. I think we can move on to the Viennese Waltz."
"You sure you should risk it, Diane?" Favor inquired. "When I asked you to help I didn't think you'd be at risk of never walking again."
"Boy, you sure are funny Boss."
Soon, Diane was back on her feet and teaching Rowdy the Viennese Waltz. The Viennese was faster and had them whirling first one way and then another. Diane was a good, patient teacher, and under her tutelage Rowdy was steadily transforming from too-painful-to-even-watch to not bad to almost decent.
**
"I can't believe I learned how to waltz!" Rowdy was practically skipping to his horse.
"I can't believe it either," Favor agreed. They were leaving Ms. Macready's house; the dancing lesson was over. Rowdy had thanked her profusely for all her help, and Favor had made sure she had another bucket of steaming hot water waiting for her poor feet.
"Now I'll be able to dance with Lydia."
"Yeah. Without making a cripple out of her." Rowdy was so happy he even grinned at that comment; Favor shook his head at his ramrod's exuberance.
"Ms. Macready is a nice lady. She sure was sweet to help me out like that," Rowdy commented as he swung into the saddle.
"Yeah she was," the trail boss agreed as he untied his reins from the hitching post.
"Boss?" Favor glanced up as Rowdy paused. "I can't believe you went to all this trouble just for me."
"I didn't do it for you." Favor swung into his saddle and smiled at his ramrod's curious look. "I did it for the girl."