LITMIR.BIZ

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me down for two hundred.”

      Chet took the logbook out and on the page marked “Drive of 1873” he wrote down, “Wade Morgan 200 head.” “We’ll be road-branding them in early March. The grass breaks loose, we’ll go north.”

      They shook hands on the deal.

      Morgan left him, headed back toward the building. Chet noticed Marla Porter drive by seated beside her husband on the buckboard. Porter’s fine team of matched horses were trotting along in step. Straight-backed, she sat head high, with a wide-brimmed hat and a tight-fitting jacket that emphasized her figure. Her posture drew a hidden grin from Chet. The sight of her also made his guts roil. She was like a bad habit that he needed to quit—but he couldn’t—damn her anyway.

      Louise came back looking stern-faced, and after looking around, talked to him from behind her hand. “The word is that Felton and Mitch Reynolds went north yesterday with a wagon for three bodies. One of them, they said, is Roy. The other was Luther Hines, Kathren’s husband. And the third was a Dab Stevens, some cowboy worked around here.”

      “So?”

      “Those were the men you hung?”

      He looked around, then hustled her aside. “Shut your gawdamn mouth. Now, I told you this was going to get volatile. Those men were common thieves. What they got they deserved.”

      “But they were men you knew—my boys went to school with Roy.”

      “Louise—”

      “Don’t threaten me.”

      “All right, but your damn mouth is going to get your boys killed. That’s not a threat, that’s a promise.”

      Her brown eyes flew open and she put her hand to her lips in pale-faced shock. Teary-eyed, she pushed past him for the wagon. “Damn you, Chester Byrnes. Damn you.”

      Shaking mad, Chet went to the fire ring and poured himself a cup of fresh coffee. Susie came from the fly on the wagon, her hands white with flour. “What did you tell her?”

      He looked off at the late afternoon sun shining through the high mare’s-tail clouds. “That her mouth would get her boys killed if she didn’t shut up.”

      “What set that off?”

      “She came back babbling about them going up north after three bodies.”

      “Who?”

      He blew on his coffee. “A couple of the Reynolds men.”

      “Who were they going after?”

      “Roy, Dab Stevens, and Luther Hines.”

      “Oh, my Gawd. That’s who was in on it?”

      He nodded.

      “I wonder how Kathren is taking it.”

      “I have no idea. I can say this. He never mentioned her or the girl. It was like he’d turned his back on them. Even the boys wondered about that.”

      “Bad deal. You know Louise may want to go home tonight after your confrontation.”

      “Sis, she’s been a thorn in my side for years. I didn’t send Mark to Mississippi to fight. But we’ve all had to bow to her wishes ever since. I am tired of it.”

      She wiped her hands on her apron and made a disappointed shake of her head at him. “Why don’t you go up to Mason and find you a nice plump little German girl who will raise you some kids and smile whenever you come home to her?”

      “How’s that going to help me?”

      “I don’t know, big brother. I don’t know, but you do need a wife.”

      “I don’t need one.”

      “All right, you say you don’t. I’ll have supper ready shortly. They’ll start dancing soon.”

      “Stanton going to be here?”

      She shrugged.

      “Maybe you need a husband?” He wondered how serious Ryan Thomas Stanton was about her anyway.

      “I have enough to say grace over now,” she said.

      “Try to have a good time.”

      “Why? Do you think it is our last chance to have any fun?” She frowned at him for an answer.

      “No, but I know how hard you work. You need to relax for once.”

      “I’ll get back to work then.” Susie laughed at him and left for her cooking.

      Reg and Heck came back to camp for supper. Heck looked pleased to be getting to tag along with an older boy. He was busting to get off the place and see more of the world. Chet could read it in his eyes. The most inquisitive ten-year-old he’d ever seen. He wondered where he came by those footloose ways.

      Susie asked Reg if he’d seen his girl, and he nodded. “I’m going to dance with her later. Those lessons you gave me should work.”

      Chet laughed. “They will. Sis is a great dancer.”

      She shook her head and began forking out the sourdough biscuits from the Dutch oven. “Time to eat, men.”

      After the meal, Susie sent the rest on, refusing any help washing the dishes. Chet wandered across the schoolyard, which was full of excited children running and playing tag. Someone had built a bonfire for light and some heat as the cooler night set in.

      “Any word on cattle prices?” Elmer Stokes asked Chet when he joined the ring of men.

      He shook his head.

      The older man nodded. “You hear they think Hines, a Reynolds boy, and some cowboy named Stevens were hung a week ago way up north in Palo Pinto or Parker County?”

      “I heard that.”

      “I wonder what they were hung for.”

      Chet looked hard at the orange and blue flames consuming the wood sticks. “I imagine for rustling.”

      “Damn, I can’t imagine them stealing stock.”

      “Gawdamn you, Byrnes. My son Roy wasn’t rustling nothing. I can damn sure tell you that.” Earl Reynolds went to elbowing people out of the way like an angry bear until he faced Chet.

      “I suppose he was riding full out and accidentally got his head in a noose. Folks up there must not take to rustling. I’m sorry for you over the loss of a boy, but you know the law.”

      “Law? That’s murder.”

      “I guess those three men that ran out of a place to walk down on Calahan’s place last spring were just unlucky, too.”

      “They were gawdamn horse thieves and caught red-handed.”

      “Maybe you answered that yourself, Earl.”

      “How do you know so much about this?”

      “Word of mouth, Earl. I heard this morning you sent for their bodies.”

      Earl waved his threatening finger in Chet’s face. “I’m going to find those killers and get every one of them.”

      “Better get on your horse and ride up there where it happened. Take plenty of ammo and your funeral suit.” He’d had his fill of having the larger man in his face, but he didn’t want a ruckus with all the women and children around.

      “Funeral suit?”

      “I imagine those folks aren’t going to take your murdering them as a friendly act.”

      “They’ll pay! Everyone that was there at that hanging of that poor boy will pay with their lives.”

      “Back off,” Chet said. “There’s young folks here don’t need to hear this.”

      For

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