Return of the Outlaw by C. M. Curtis

Author:C. M. Curtis [Curtis, C. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Westerns
ISBN: 9781495955877
Google: PX73oAEACAAJ
Amazon: 1495955877
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
Published: 2014-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

Despite the fact that he slept like a dead man, Jeff awoke early as was his custom. He folded the blankets Beeman had loaned him and let himself out through the unlocked front door of the sheriff’s office. His head throbbed, and every joint and muscle ached. His face felt like a plaster mask that would crumble and fall off if he so much as smiled. He went to the stream and stripped to the waist and shocked himself out of his morning lethargy by washing up in the icy water. Shaving was out of the question—his face was so badly cut and swollen that he knew it would be days before he dared to drag a razor across it. He thought about breakfast but realized he wasn’t hungry, and the very thought of chewing made his sore lips and jaw ache.

Jake Sharp was hitching the team to the first wagon when Jeff arrived. He stared for a moment and broke into grin. “Well ain’t you as pretty as a little red heifer in a flower bed this morning.” He moved closer and eyed Jeff’s face critically. He gave a low whistle and said, “Your ma wouldn’t know your face from a fresh hide.” But he didn’t ask any questions, and Jeff suspected the news of the fight had already gotten around. Jeff, not in the mood for humor, managed a half-hearted smile that made him wince, and he set about helping Sharp hitch up the horses.

“Well,” said Sharp, “don’t matter how you look, don’t matter how you feel; you showed up on time, and ready to work. That’s the kind of man I need. Now, if you’re any good at driving that wagon you’re hired on permanent. That suit you alright?”

Jeff nodded, and it made his headache worse.

A slender, grey-haired woman came out of the store and was introduced to Jeff as Sharp’s wife. She smiled, and Jeff, feeling uncomfortable about his appearance, smiled back.

She handed Sharp a sack and said, “Lunch.” To Jeff she said, “Hope you like fried chicken.”

“There’s nothing I’d rather eat, ma’am.”

“They do say it’s good for bruises,” Mrs. Sharp said.

Jeff studied her face for a moment, not sure if she was joking, and caught the same mischievous glint he had seen the day before in her husband’s eyes. The two, he concluded, shared the same, dry sense of humor.

“I’ll be grateful if that’s true, ma’am.”

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.