The Handsomest Man in the Country Read Free Page A

Tennessee Walker and let me ride it for a spell.
    Gage Courtney. He was the oldest of the boys, at least ten years older'n me, and was headed off for the western lands when he left. I don't know which side he fought on, seems half those Courtney boys fought for the North and the other half for the South.
    They never could agree and were always fighting amongst themselves anyway. But if anyone tried to do mean to one of them, the whole passel would band together. Anyway, riding Gage's horse had been as smooth as setting in a rowboat in the middle of a pond. So I took a look at that Walker of Smith's and temptation hit me hard.
    I wasn't one to bat my eyes and try to sweet talk my way into anything; truth was I didn't know how. So I just up and said, "Why thank you kindly, I'd appreciate riding your horse."
    "Oh, well...I was thinking of—"
    "Just for a short time, of course. I'll bring him right back."
    "This is quite a horse, Ma'am. Perhaps—"
    "Thanks. I won't take him far then." His face was turning red but I ignored it. I knew he wanted to ride beside me, him on his stallion and I on whatever he could find for me. But being mountain bred, I liked to walk and unless a horse had some spunk in him I didn't want to be bothered. "Hold his head please, while I mount."
    I didn't need anyone to hold a horse for me, but it made him dismount and kept him from putting his hands on me to help me mount. I stepped up, swinging my right leg through in front of me and settled down with my knee hooked over the low sloping pommel.
    He wasn't going to see any leg if I could help it and I had been making do with men's saddles for as long as I'd ridden. Since he was a short man and I fairly tall for a girl—I was over five-seven—the stirrup didn't even need to be shortened any.
    "What's his name?" I asked, touching the stallion's dark gray coat.
    "Jupiter," he answered and had to step back as I nudged Jupiter forward. I knew better than to run a horse past the wagons, so I put that Walker in his mile-eating pace and walked right away from them.
    Uncle Dem gave me a wide grin and waved his hat as I went by and I could see many of the men set up and take notice. Oh, well, as I wasn't planning to hide under that scarf the whole trip, they might as well get used to seeing me.
    As soon as I was a safe distance away from the wagons, I put Jupiter to a lope and caught up with Web and Elliot Hayes. Elliot looked happy to see me, he being a young man about two years older than me. Web just shook his head, eyes dancing.
    "That certainly wasn't what he planned," Web commented.
    "I know. That's why I did it."
    "Did what?" Elliot was puzzled.
    "Nothing," I replied, for it was none of his business.
    "That's sure some horse," Elliot remarked, looking enviously at the Walker. "Reckoned he'd let me ride it?"
    I shrugged. "You can ask." I wouldn't, if it were my horse. I'd seen Elliot's horse with a bleeding mouth and deep spur marks. When he wasn't neglecting his horse, he was abusing it, and I wondered how a military man like Burt Hayes managed to overlook that feature in his son.
    Web glanced around. "You high-tail it back to the wagons and stay there. No use inviting trouble. Any Injin see you, he's gonna want that scalp. Cover it up."
    "Will do," I said, having intended to start right back anyway.
    "There ain't no Indians around," Eliot protested.
    "The most dangerous ones are those you don't see," Web said, sharply. "Now get going. We'll watch you back. And if you have to make a run for it, straddle that horse and move. Modesty don't count when an Injin's after you."
    "See you," I said, and cantered back to the train. I gave Calvert back his horse, thanked him nicely for the ride and climbed back into the wagon. Uncle Dem was driving and I settled beside him, mumbling to myself.
    "What the matter? Didn't Calvert take kindly to being set afoot?"
    Calvert had looked dusty and put out when I brought his horse back. It was no way to treat a man, but I