Lassiter Tough by Loren Zane Grey

Author:Loren Zane Grey
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781428502987
Publisher: Dorchester Publishing

13

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With summer coming on, the heat in the jungle of brush was more intense than it had been at the original roundup. This time they worked alone, with no other outfits to give them a hand.

It helped to minimize the hardship because the cattle had not drifted too far since roundup. Many times during the hectic days Lassiter asked himself how and why he had gotten into this. But it kept going back to that twilight in Ardon, New Mexico, the time of tragedy coming so unexpectedly in a reunion with Vince Tevis. He still hadn’t settled the score with Sanlee, who had been keeping away from Box C. What he didn’t know about were the outpourings into Rep Chandler’s unwilling ear to build up the image of cuckold.

Lassiter intended to take seven men with him on the drive, leaving the rest—including Herrera—at Box C, in case Sanlee decided to move in during his absence.

Fortunately for Box C, the East, after a few dry years, was hungry for Texas beef. Cattle prices were up and the railhead at Tiempo was booming.

Millie drove a buckboard out to the holding ground with her husband as passenger to watch the start of the northbound push. It was a warm day with only a few clouds speckling the blue dome of the sky.

When Lassiter had the herd on the move at last, the ornery cattle finally in line with the more docile animals and making their slow, mile-eating pace, he rode over to the buckboard. It was parked in the sparse shade of a towering mesquite. Lassiter whipped off his hat and scrubbed a sleeved forearm across his forehead.

“We’re rolling.” He gestured at the cloud of dust thrown skyward by animals on the move.

Chandler looked drawn, Lassiter noticed, and kept biting his lower lip.

“I drove today because Rep wasn’t feeling too well,” Millie explained. She patted her husband on the knee.

“I was gonna get one of the men to drive,” Chandler said, his voice strangely tight, “but Millie insisted on comin’ along to see you off.”

Millie threw back her head and laughed; it was forced. “Of course I wanted to see Box C beef on the move. It’s important to us.”

“You got a big job ahead of you, Lassiter,” Chandler put in with a weak smile, “but I know you can do it.”

“It won’t be easy, but what is?” Lassiter didn’t like the tension he felt between the couple.

That day Millie wore a fawn-colored hat with a wide brim to shield her face from the sun. Her hair hung down her back in a single thick braid. Lassiter found himself wanting to reach out and touch it. He restrained the urge. She was watching him out of dark eyes as if reading his mind. The sleeves of a plain calico dress were pushed up on her rounded forearms.

“Just be careful, Lassiter,” she said solemnly. “And keep an eye open for my dear brother.” Her lips twisted.

“Not one eye but two,” Lassiter said with a hard grin.

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