Bolton, a black man in his forties, is sitting two tables over from us doesnât ease Trulyâs discomfort.
âTell me what you were doing in San Antonio last week,â I say. Truly is in demand all over the area because of his sure-handed way with cattle and horses. Heâs a little old to break a horse, but he knows how to talk to them and handle them to soften them up so a younger man can get into the saddle. Some people call him a horse whisperer, which irritates him because itâs a silly idea.
âThis man outside San Antonâ had a pasture full of horsesâgood-looking horses. More than a dozen. Kept them up well, but he never rode them.â
âWhat did he keep them for then?â
Truly laughs and scratches his chin. He knows that feeding and housing a dozen horses that you canât ride or put to work must be the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. âI asked him that. He said he rescued those horses a few years ago. Can you imagine that? They was wild. He fed them up and gave them a good place to live.â
âCanât have been cheap.â
âNo, sir. But in the long run, heâs going to get something out of it. Theyâll bring a good price.â
âTruly, you might have figured I didnât get you down here to find out what some crazy rancher is doing with his horses.â I tell him about the incident with the padlock being cut and Jennyâs horses getting out. âI want to make sure that kind of nonsense doesnât happen anymore while Jenny is distracted with her mamma.â
Truly takes his time answering. He mops up the last of his beans with the last of the cornbread. Heâs a slow eater. Iâve long since finished up my enchiladas. âChief Craddock, I know you donât think horses are smart, but if something doesnât seem right to them theyâll make enough of a fuss to alert you.â
âThey wandered up the street when somebody left the gate open. I donât know how smart that is.â
He nods. âThey will wander, but like you say, they didnât go far.â
âI suppose.â
âAnd you havenât mentioned this problem to Ms. Sandstone?â
âI donât want to. She has enough to worry about with her mother in the hospital.â
âI hear that.â He nods several times. âTell you what Iâll do. Iâll get me a bedroll and sleep in the barn nights until things settle down.â
âCome on, Truly, you donât need to do that. Weâre too old to sleep on the ground.â
âSpeak for yourself.â
We laugh. Thatâs as close to humor as Truly gets. âThe problem is, I donât want Jenny to find you there. Then Iâd have to tell her whatâs going on. I donât want to worry her if I donât have to.â
âPut it out of your mind. Iâll get down there after dark and be up and out before daylight.â
âYou know Iâm going to insist on paying you for your time.â
âNo, sir. Youâre incurring no debt to me. Never have, never will.â When I was chief the first time around, I saved Truly from spending the rest of his life in jail, and heâs never forgotten it. He stands and picks up his hat. Itâd be a contest to decide which of us has a shabbier hat. âLet me know when you think the danger has passed.â
Iâm following Truly out the door when Gabe LoPresto steps up to us. âSamuel, you got a minute?â Ever since Gabe went off on a tear with a young girl and got his ego whipped, heâs been less blustery.
âSure, whatâs up?â
âI want to mention something to you. I saw Ellen Foresterâs husband in town a couple of days ago. He behaving himself?â
Ellen moved into town recently and opened an art gallery and workshop where she teaches art. The business is thriving. Who would have guessed there were so many would-be artists in a