North of Laramie by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
Published: 2020-02-20T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 23

After stowing his coach gun and his Winchester Centennial in the rifle cabinet, Trammel locked up the jailhouse and climbed back atop his sorrel. He rode over to the livery he had noticed on the north end of town. It was in the same direction Sheriff Bonner had headed toward when he left the jail.

He ignored the strange looks he received from the townspeople as he rode by. Some of them tipped their hat to him, but he didn’t return the gesture. He figured there’d be time for proper introductions once he had his situation sorted out. He needed to know Sheriff Bonner was gone for certain before he felt comfortable assuming any office, even if he had sworn an oath.

He glanced at the Clifford Hotel as he rode by. He couldn’t see inside on account of the front door being closed, but he could see why Mr. Hagen favored the place. It was the one solid building in town beside the jail. At three stories high, the redbrick building towered over Blackstone. Each floor had a balcony that wrapped around it, giving it more of a New Orleans feel than a western one. Its structure easily lent itself to an elegance he believed Mr. Hagen wanted his son to bring to the building. Buck Trammel had never acquired an eye for fancy things, but knew quality when he saw it. And he had no doubt that Adam Hagen could turn the stately hotel into a regal palace for the enjoyment of cattleman and cowboy alike.

He only hoped Adam wouldn’t allow his past as a drunk get in the way of his future as a hotel man.

When he got close to the livery, Trammel dismounted and walked his horse the rest of the way into the livery. A black man clanging away at an anvil set his tools aside and greeted him. “Can I do something for you, mister?”

“If you run this livery, you can. I’d like to put my horse up here for a while.”

“Name’s Josiah Smith, and I’m the liveryman and blacksmith in Blackstone. I’m not the only one of either, but I’m the best you’ll find between here and California.”

“And I’m Buck Trammel.” He admired the man’s confidence. “How much would you charge to take care of my animal here?”

Smith’s face brightened with recognition. “You’re the one whose animals Mr. Bookman brought in here a little while ago. You’re the new deputy.”

“Something like that,” was all Trammel was comfortable with saying at the moment.

“We charge by the day, the week, or the month.” Smith told him his rate, which Trammel found fair and agreed to. “Town pays for it all, even your personal animal, so it’s no cost to you.”

Then the blacksmith noticed the star on his chest. “That’s Sheriff Bonner’s star, ain’t it?”

“I suppose it was,” Trammel said. “Seems to have taken it off. Kind of left me the job when he let out of here a while back. You see him around that time? Maybe half an hour ago?”

“Sure did.

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