thing worries me about this?â
âWhatâs that?â
âWhoâs he goinâ to nobble?â
Mart raised his eyebrowsââStands to reasonâ¦â Then he stopped and thought what McAllister was thinking, remembering the same facts: McAllister had whipped Billy Gage in Abbotsville; he had out-run him in practice. Shultz would go where the profit lay. He wouldnât show any loyalty to his own man. Mart stood up. âI reckon somebody has to break this possibility to Gage. How the hell do we make an honest man like Gage believe his managerâs crooked?â
âWe donât know anything for certain yet. But Iâll try and talk to Gage. Trouble is, I ainât too sure Gage ainât in on it. Somebody hit me on the back of the head in the hotel room that night and it wasnât Shultz. He was right in front of me with the knife.â
âMaybe if you talked with Gage you could find something out. On the face of it, heâs quite a transparent feller.â
âEither that or heâs as smart as all get out.â
McAllister walked back to the saloon and found Rosa at her book. He sat around watching her, feeling pretty good, but with Billy Gage on his mind. Trouble was, he liked the man. He didnât mind fighting him in the contest, but he didnât like the idea of it being for real. Life, he decided, could be a bastard sometimes.
He had his mid-day meal with Rosa in a dining room off her bedroom. They had a pleasant hour together, talking, forgetting the outside world for a short time. When they were through, he rose and said: âI have to go see a man, honey.â
She kissed him and said: âThis has been a good time, Rem.â
He said: âCan you bear me for a few more days, girl?â
âIâm beginning to think I could bear you for a lot longer than that.â
âMustnât be greedy.â
He walked out onto the street and met Jim Rigby. He didnât know what to say to his old friend and started a mumbled apology for not coming back to sleep, but Rigby merely laughed and said heâd heard McAllister had stayed with Rosa and if heâd been in his boots wild horses wouldnât have dragged him away. McAllister was relieved.
He asked Rigby: âWhat do you think of this man Shultz, Jim?â
âWell,â Rigby said, ânobody could like him, could they? He ainât exactly a takeable-to feller. Pat canât stand the sight of him.â
âHas anybody been to visit with him?â
âNot a soul.â
âThanks, Jim.â
âYou goinâ to win the contest, Rem?â
âGoinâ to do my best.â
They parted and McAllister hung around town till somebody told him that Gage and Shultz had gone back to the ranch. At once, McAllister went to the livery, saddled the canelo and rode out to Rigbyâs. On arrival, the first person he saw in the yard was Pat, but she refused to talk to him and went into the house. That didnât trouble him too much. Sheâd get over it. But neither Shultz nor Gage was there. The rig stood by the barn. He thought it might be a good idea to find Gage way out on the prairie and talk with him.If Shultz was there with him, then McAllister could bring the whole business out into the open. There was a certain physical risk in it, but he would have to be prepared for that.
He circled the house till he picked up fresh sign and knew that Gage had gone running and that Shultz had accompanied him on horseback. They had gone off in a northerly direction. He set off along the tracks and before long sighted them returning to the house. As he rode toward them, they stopped and talked, McAllister thought, excitedly. He rode up and swung down from the saddle. Shultz followed his example and walked toward McAllister on stiff legs.
He came straight to the point.
âWhat the hellâs the idea, McAllister? Weâre training.â
McAllister
Maggie Brendan
Barbara O'Connor
Jan Washburn
Terri Blackstock
Norah Simone
Barry Kemp
G.P. Taylor
Alan Cumyn
Linda Barnes
Lisa Jackson