Shawn Starbuck Double Western 6 by Ray Hogan

Author:Ray Hogan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: piccadilly publishing, the wild west, cowboys and outlaws, american frontier life, westerns ebook, westerns fiction, ray hogan western writer
Publisher: Piccadilly

Two

This was where, one day, he’d like to have his own ranch, Starbuck thought as he rode slowly through the cedars and oak brush.

The Gila Valley, fifty miles long, almost thirty wide at its extreme, was the promised land—one of lush, green grass, broadly spreading trees, and ample, year-round water. Nestled in the hollow of tall, pine-clad mountains, it was well shielded from the icy blasts that occasionally roared in from the north during the snow months, and from the hot, scorching winds that came from the desert to the west in the summer.

But that day when he could think of settling down, of starting his own spread, was likely far off. First Ben must be found, for only then could the estate of their father, Hiram, be settled and his share of the money become available for the realization of the dream.

Eventually, however, the long, often discouraging search he was conducting for his brother would end, and he’d then be able to think of the future. He could only hope it would not come too late, that he would still feel the urge to have his own ranch, build a spread such as the man he was now working for, King Mallory, had done.

Not that he could ever expect to possess a place such as Stingaree—or even want one so extensive. It had taken more thousands of dollars than he would ever see to come up with such a ranch. But he’d have enough to provide all he’d want.

A man wouldn’t need any great amount of land in the Gila Valley, grazing being what it was. Twenty, twenty-five thousand acres would do fine. It was unlike the more barren mesa range where a rancher could figure on only one or two steers pasturing on twenty acres; here a man could raise at least eight or perhaps ten to the acre!

Starbuck grinned, brushed at his sun- and wind-browned face. What the hell was he moon-calfing about? With Ben somewhere off in the dim yonder, chimerical as fox fire and seemingly as impossible to lay hands on as a summer cloud, he had about as much chance of starting a ranch in the Gila as he did of flying! By the time he found his brother and had money enough to begin, the valley would be locked up tight as a drum by men like Stingaree’s King Mallory and Arrowhead’s Boone Rafferty, along with a few others who knew a good thing when they saw it.

But it was where he’d like to be and he couldn’t help dreaming about it. There were other places just as good, he supposed, although he couldn’t exactly recall them at the moment. When he was finally able, he guessed he’d be able to locate a similar valley somewhere—but he’d do that only after he was certain there was no land left in the Gila.

Drawing the sorrel he was riding to a stop, he eased forward on the saddle to rest his leg muscles. He’d been riding steadily since shortly after daybreak, looking for strays.

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