Sidewinder Read Free Page B

turned around. Julio was still standing there.
    “There’s not much daylight left, Julio. I want to know what I’m facing here with Brad gone.”
    “Yes,” Julio said, and turned to leave. “Do not worry, eh?”
    “I won’t worry. But I sure as shootin’ want to be ready for anybody up to no good.”
    Julio left and Felicity went inside the house. Curly jumped up to greet her, and she motioned for him to sit. The dog sat, wagging its tail.
    “You’re not going to go out right now, Curly,” she said, and walked past him into the bedroom. She set the basket of clothes on the floor, drew in a deep breath, and walked to the wardrobe. She opened the doors, reached up to the top shelf, and pulled down her pistol and holster. The belt, glistening with cartridges, was wrapped around the holster. She strapped on the pistol, drew it, and cocked it. She held her thumb on the hammer and spun the cylinder. It was full of unfired rounds. She squeezed the trigger and eased the hammer back down, seating it at half cock. Then she reached into the corner of the wardrobe and pulled out a Henry repeating rifle. She levered a shell into the chamber, hefted it. The magazine was full. She had thirteen cartridges ready to fire.
    Brad had taught her to shoot, but she had never shot at a man. She had shot down elk and deer, antelope on the plains, and rabbits. She was pretty good with the scatter-gun, too, and had brought down quail and partridges on the wing.
    Pilar let Curly out when she went outside. She sat in one of the chairs on the porch and watched the blazing sky in the west turn to ashes, the clouds like dusty smoke signals fading against the remnants of a glowing blue tapestry. She saw the first star wink on, Venus, just above the horizon, and the blackness of night came on. She listened, heard the chink of iron hooves on rocks as Carlos and Julio followed the tree line that encircled the ranch. She waited, knowing they would ride back soon, now that it was full dark.
    Julio rode up to the porch, and she heard the muffled sounds of Carlos’s horse as he made his way to the barn and stables.
    His horse snorted as Julio reined up.
    “Well?” she said.
    “Yes, we saw horse tracks up where the trees are thick. Two horses. We saw where they stopped and smoked the cigarettes. Maybe they were looking at the house.”
    “Or counting cattle,” she said.
    “Maybe. Yes.”
    “You and Carlos will have to take turns,” she said.
    “Take turns?”
    “As nighthawks. They might come back and steal some of our cows.”
    “Where? This is a long valley. The cows are many.”
    “I should have both of you out there, but if you see or hear anything, you shoot your rifle, Julio, and we’ll come running. Saddle my horse and leave yours and Carlos’s saddled.”
    “You think the riders are rustlers? We saw only two sets of horse tracks.”
    “Maybe they won’t come tonight, but we can’t take a chance. Brad would have a fit if anyone rustled our cattle.”
    “Perhaps he will ride in soon.”
    “I will wait for him until I get sleepy, Julio. Go and talk to Carlos. Do you want Curly to go with you?”
    “Yes. He has a good nose and good ears. He would bark, I think.”
    “Call him. He’s down in the pasture somewhere, picking up burrs and looking for rabbits.”
    “I will call him after I talk to Carlos and ride out to watch the herd. Ten cuidado, Felicity.”
    “I’ll be careful,” she said.
    And then Julio was gone around the side of the house, heading toward the barn.
    She sat and listened, wondering where Curly was, and then she looked up at the dark hills and her eyes misted.
    Brad was out there somewhere, all alone, or hurt, perhaps, and . . .
    She didn’t want to think of anything else that might have happened to her husband. He was a careful man, but . . .
    She listened to the silence, and it was a deep silence.
    It was a lonesome silence that she had not felt in a long, long time.

FOUR

    The wiry Arapaho reached down