My Foot's in the Stirrup . . . My Pony Won't Stand (Code of the West) by Bly Stephen

Author:Bly, Stephen [Bly, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-11-13T00:00:00+00:00

6

Although well dressed, Colton Banner leaned over his plate scraping down big hunks of meat and gravy like a man who lived all winter off tree bark and old boots. He wiped his hand across his mouth and then on his napkin.

“You lookin’ for work?” Banner mumbled.

“I have more jobs than I can handle right now. Besides, I don’t rustle cows.”

Colton Banner’s head came up with a wild look in his eyes. His fork dropped to his plate, and his right hand shot inside his coat, but the sound of Tap’s .44 being cocked under the table brought his hand back in sight—empty.

“Are you callin’ me a cattle thief?” Banner demanded.

“Aren’t you?”

“Now, now, gentlemen,” Selena cautioned. “It’s supper time. I didn’t come in here for you two to discuss business. I invited you to dine with us, Mr. Andrews, not shoot us. So if you’d slip that pistol back in the holster, we’ll all try to be more pleasant. Now just what kind of jobs have been keeping a married gunslinger busy?” Selena’s calm reflected her years of working in the constant confrontations of a dance hall.

“I’m a brand inspector out of Pine Bluffs.”

“It was you?” Again Banner’s hand went for his vest.

“Don’t be silly, dear. Tapadera would shoot you down in a flash.” Selena kept Banner’s hand from reaching inside his coat. He forced her back with a loud slap. She grimaced but turned to Tap and tried to smile. “Would you like to order some supper?”

Most of the people in the room now stared at their table.

“Think I’ll eat somewhere else.” Tap scooted his chair back. “You’re choosing mighty poor company, Selena. Three of Banner’s men jumped me last week.”

“Yes, but you shot each of them dead, I heard. I’d say everything is all squared away. I’d like for you to stay. We’ll just talk about old times.”

Tap glanced over at Selena’s flashing, almost pleading, brown eyes. I’m not sure what she’s sayin’, Lord. Does she need me to help her?

“Besides, if you go now, you’ll never hear what’s really happening to the cattle down along the South Platte.”

“What’s going on?”

“See? I knew you would be interested. Tell him, Colton.”

“I ain’t tellin’ him nothin’.”

“Then I will. How many cows were those three cowboys pushin’ north?”

“Sixty-four.”

“Last drive up from Texas, how many extras did your bosses end up with?”

“You mean, how many strays did they gather?”

“Strays? Well, I suppose that’s what you call them. How many were in the gather?”

“About a hundred, I suppose.”

“Then trying to recover sixty-four of a hundred isn’t too greedy, is it?”

“Are you telling me Tom Slaughter’s crews stole your cattle?”

“What I’m sayin’ is that they aren’t particular where the bovines came from, just so they end up with more than they had when they began. But what if some small ranchers on the South Platte always end up with cattle missing?”

“These were all TS beef before they had been rebranded.”

“You’re wastin’ your time talkin’ to the likes of him,” Banner gruffed.

“Of course they were TS.

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