Canadian Red by R. W. Stone

Author:R. W. Stone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 2018-06-06T17:04:42+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

Donovan went back to the livery stable to purchase another horse for White Bear, but this time it was the liveryman who got the best of the deal. After all, it was harder to convince the stableman that he was so hard up when Lucas was wanting to buy a third horse.

The two men finally settled on a blue roan that seemed reasonably sound. The gelding had a white star and stripe on its forehead and, from what Lucas could make out from the horse’s teeth, was around twelve years old.

The stable owner agreed to have the roan shod by the time they were ready to leave. Since Lucas had just bought three horses from him, the man agreed to stable the horses overnight at no extra charge.

The Mountie finally headed over to what the liveryman described as “the best hotel in town, especially if you consider we only got one.”

As was pretty common, when he entered the hotel, the clerk was taken aback by the presence of an enormous red-and-white malamute.

“We don’t allow no dogs in our place,” he said firmly.

“He’s house broke. Won’t be any problem,” Lucas assured him.

The clerk, a tall thin middle-aged man with a balding hairline thought a moment, but then shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

Donovan pushed the brim of his hat back a little, took some extra coins out of his pocket, and leaned in. “This ought to cover any inconvenience. Besides,” he whispered, “if Red thinks you don’t like him, he might eat you like he did the last clerk who gave me a hard time.”

The big dog looked up and began to yawn. The hotel clerk felt as though he were peering into the open mouth of a fully grown timber wolf. The man reassessed the extra coins on the counter and gave in. “Fine, but keep him in your room. And you gotta pay for any damage he causes,” he told Donovan. The clerk tried to sound tough, but failed miserably.

“Don’t worry,” Lucas said quietly. “He’s as gentle as a kitten. When he’s not hungry, that is.”

“No doubt,” the clerk replied nervously. “Have a nice stay.”

“Thanks, but we’ll be leaving first thing in the morning.”

The clerk clearly seemed relieved at that bit of information.

“One thing, however,” Lucas added, “he doesn’t do well when I’m not around, so, unless you want to feed him in the restaurant, could you arrange to have three large steaks, some potatoes, and a beer sent up to my room?”

As if right on cue, at the mention of steak, Red let out a loud bark. The dog was merely being playful, but a malamute as big as Red was imposing. Donovan watched the color drain from the face of the clerk and suppressed a smile.

Trembling, the clerk placed his hand over his heart, stuttering: “T-two … um … three steaks and potatoes to the room. Coming right up.”

As he turned to leave, Lucas reminded the clerk: “And a cold beer for me.”

“I’m surprised it’s not for him, too,” the clerk mumbled to himself.

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