Collection 1988 - Lonigan (v5.0) Read Free Page B

into the saddle. “She’ll drop the bottom out of the bucket in a minute!”
    Following his lead, she dashed off downstream at breakneck, reckless speed. Yet when they swept around the corner near the cabin his hand went up, and he turned toward her, his face dark and hard. With a gesture, he indicated several horses in the corral, and smoke rising from the ancient chimney. “This could be trouble!” he said grimly. “There was nobody here an hour ago, and nobody rides loose in this country right now who’s honest!”
    â€œIncluding yourself?” she asked quickly.
    His grin was lopsided but not without humor. “Maybe even me,” he agreed, “but you back me in whatever I say. Good or bad men, we need shelter!”
    Swiftly they unsaddled their horses and led them to the stable. There was still room for two or three horses, indicating that some of the riders were less than particular about their mounts. Then the strange rider led the way toward the cabin. Out of the corner of his mouth, he said, “Call me Danny!”
    He pushed the door open and stepped inside, the girl right behind him. He had known they would be observed and that the men within the cabin would have worked out some sort of plan if they were not honest men, and his first glance told him they were not. “How’s for some grub?” he asked coolly. “We got caught in the rain!”
    A big man standing with his back to the fireplace grinned. “Got caught in good company, I see! Ain’t often a feller gets hisself caught out with a girl in these parts!”
    â€œEspecially,” Danny said quietly, “when she’s his boss!
    â€œBoss?” The big man’s eyes sharpened. “Never heard tell of no woman cow boss!”
    â€œYou heard of one now.” There were four men in the room, and two of them Danny recognized at once. Neither Olin Short nor Elmo Shain were names unknown to the law of half a dozen states and territories. The big man he did not know, nor the lean saturnine man with the scarred face. “This is Ruth Gurney, boss of the Circle G.”
    The big man stiffened and peered hard at her, then at Danny. “You don’t look familiar to me,” he said. “I figured I knowed the G riders.”
    â€œThen if you don’t know me,” Danny said quietly, “you ain’t known ’em long.”
    Olin Short, who was neither short nor fat, glanced up. “Here’s coffee for the lady,” he said quietly. “You pick up a cup and rinse her under the rainspout…if’n you’re particular.”
    Danny took the cup and without hesitation stepped to the door and rinsed the cup. When he stepped back inside his eyes sought Olin’s face. The man was about thirty, not a bad-looking man with blue eyes and a stubble of beard. If there was one among them upon whom he might place some trust, it was Short.
    â€œHow far off’s the G?” It was the scarred man who spoke.
    Danny glanced at him. “Maybe six miles,” he lied, “not over ten.”
    â€œKnow where you are?”
    Danny nodded. “Why not? Miss Gurney was riding an’ when the storm started they sent me after her. I told ’em if we couldn’t make it back we’d hole up here.”
    â€œHow’d you know about this shack?” Now it was the big man who spoke, and his voice was suddenly hard.

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    D ANNY FILLED HIS cup before replying. “I stopped here a week once, last winter,” he said, “helped some boys drive some horses into New Mexico.”
    â€œHorses? Into New Mexico?” Shain laughed. “I thought Billy the Kid and his outfit had that sewed up.”
    â€œIt was Billy’s outfit.” Danny spoke quietly and without seeming to notice the sudden shock on their faces. When they spoke again, however, there was new respect on their faces.
    â€œBilly’s outfit, huh? Who was with