Hoofbeats West by Colin Bainbridge & 9780719823091

Author:Colin Bainbridge & 9780719823091 [Bainbridge, Colin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780719823091
Publisher: Robert Hale Fiction
Published: 2023-01-18T00:00:00+00:00

When Buchanan came down for breakfast on the day he was due to report to Shefflin at the Saddletree Station, he was disappointed not to be served by the young woman the marshal had referred to as Miss Glover. When he had finished, he made his way to the reception desk where the clerk, a pimply youth with a trace of down on his cheeks making pretence to be a beard, lounged with a bored look on his features.

‘I was wonderin’ if you’ve seen Miss Glover,’ he said.

The youth glanced up at him. ‘Miss Glover don’t work here no more,’ he said.

Buchanan was surprised at the degree of disappointment he felt. ‘Doesn’t work here any more,’ he repeated. ‘Why not? What happened?’

The youth shrugged. ‘Seems like she must have been unhappy about somethin’. Or maybe she found somethin’ better.’

Buchanan hesitated. Unformed questions gathered in his mind but he couldn’t frame them. ‘Thanks,’ he said, with an attempt at indifference. ‘I was just kinda wonderin’.’ He made for the door. The sunlight outside and the bustle in the street revived his spirits and by the time he reached the livery stable he was feeling better. After all, this was the day he would receive his final instructions. The time for waiting was over. He would soon be making his first ride for the Pony Express. He was feeling proud.

He mounted his horse and quickly left town. After his encounter with Wheeler, he was a little more careful to avoid straying on to Bar U property, so it was with some surprise that, as he got closer to the Saddletree Station, his keen eyes detected a little cloud of dust out of which three riders presently emerged. They were coming in his direction, but he wasn’t about to start running scared. Bringing his horse to a halt, he waited their arrival. As they got closer his keen eyes detected something familiar about one of the riders but it wasn’t till they were almost upon him that, with considerable surprise, he finally recognized him as his uncle, the owner of the White Sage.

‘Uncle Jess!’ he exclaimed, ‘what the hell are you doin’ here?’ Caird looked startled. It was clear he still hadn’t recognized his nephew. ‘It’s me,’ Buchanan said. ‘Evan, your nephew!’

Suddenly the light dawned in Caird’s eyes. ‘Evan!’ he shouted in return. ‘Why, what a turn up for the books!’ He turned to his two companions. ‘Tarnation, I don’t know what’s goin’ on here, but this is my nephew, Evan Buchanan. The one I told you about.’

In another instant both Caird and Buchanan had dismounted and were locked in an embrace.

Horner exchanged glances with Kitson. ‘At one point he was supposed to be lookin’ for the White Sage,’ he remarked. ‘Looks like the White Sage found him.’

Once Caird and his nephew had recovered from their initial shock, it didn’t take long for the explanations.

‘I guess it ain’t so unusual after all,’ Caird commented, when Buchanan had finished his story. ‘You takin’ on a job with the Pony Express, and us arrivin’ in Sand Ridge, I guess it was almost inevitable.

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