Long Road to Cheyenne by Charles G. West

Author:Charles G. West [West, Charles G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Westerns, Fiction, Historical, General
ISBN: 9780451418746
Google: vFbJMAEACAAJ
Amazon: 0451418743
Barnesnoble: 0451418743
Goodreads: 15815353
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2013-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

As she was inclined to do with most anything, a trait Mary attributed to the colorful woman living so many years alone, Ardella took over the move from the camp by the Laramie River. When Cam insisted that he should take charge of the horses and the packing, she yielded only a little, picking up a saddle and asking, “Which one gets this one?”

Realizing there was no arguing with the woman, Cam pointed to the sorrel that had been ridden by the dead outlaw. “That one,” he said.

“It’s been a while, but I’ve saddled a horse before,” Ardella informed him. “I had a pretty little pinto till we met up with those Pawnee.” She paused a moment then, obviously thinking back. “Damn Injuns cost me a lot.” As soon as she uttered the thought, she immediately released it to return to her cheerful disposition. “You can check the girth straps to see if they’re as tight as you like ’em.”

When Ardella picked up another saddle and looked at Cam for directions, he pointed and said, “That one goes on the bay. Grace and Emma ride together.” Grace had expressed a desire to return to the bay after trying out the dun. She said the bay was hard on her bottom, but no worse than the dun. “Your bottom will toughen up,” he had assured her.

Ardella paused to look at Cam, then Mary, then the girls. “How come you got an extra saddle without a fanny settin’ in it?” she asked.

Cam smiled. “We were savin’ that one for you to replace that pinto the Pawnee took.” He glanced at Mary and she smiled and nodded her approval. “Sorry we didn’t have a pinto.”

“You mean it?” Ardella exclaimed, her air of authority temporarily replaced by childlike excitement. She, too, turned to look in Mary’s direction for confirmation.

“It’s the least we can do for taking us in till Cam gets well enough to go on,” Mary said.

“Glory be,” Ardella exclaimed, scarcely able to believe it, “a horse and saddle! What a lucky day for me when I decided to take a shot at that deer.” She gave them all a great big grin and a grateful squeeze to Emma, who was standing next to her. “Well, I reckon I’d best do a good job of takin’ care of you folks.”

When it came time to load the packhorses, Mary tried to lend a hand, feeling she was not pulling her share of the work. But she found that she was almost run over in the bustle Ardella created in her effort to get the party on the trail. Pausing to stand before the packs, hands on hips as she surveyed the many bullet holes in the canvas coverings, Ardella seemed at a loss for words for a change. Of particular interest were the two suitcases on top with several bullet holes through the colorful fabric. Finally she voiced the thought running through her mind. “Looks like somebody didn’t care much for your packs. They plumb shot ’em up good.

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.