Destiny Of The Mountain Man by William W. Johnstone

laughed. “This here fella ain’t likely to be ridin’ in no parlor car,” he said. “Maybe he missed the train. When’s the next one down from Austin?”
    â€œI believe there will be another one tonight at midnight.”
    â€œAll right, I reckon I can wait on it,” Preston said. “I’ll just go have me a few drinks before then.”
    As Preston walked away from the depot, he didn’t glance toward the four people who had just gotten down from the parlor car. If he had, he might have recognized Smoke Jensen as the man with whom he had had a run-in back in Colorado about ten years earlier.
    There were twelve saloons in Corpus Christi, and Preston looked through half of them before he found Manning and Waco Jones. Even though it was not yet noon, both men were drunk.

C HAPTER E IGHT
    Like Preston, Kleberg had watched the passengers detrain without seeing who he was looking for.
    â€œWhat about this mysterious person you are looking for?” King asked. “Have you seen him yet?”
    â€œNo, sir,” Kleberg answered. “Not yet.”
    At that moment, Kleberg looked toward the front of the train and saw Smoke Jensen leading a horse down a ramp from the attached stock car. He smiled.
    â€œThere he is,” Kleberg said.
    â€œThere who is?”
    â€œToward the front of the train. You see the fella leading the horse down the ramp?”
    By now, there were three men leading horses down the ramp.
    â€œWhich one?”
    â€œThe one in front,” Kleberg said.
    â€œYes, I see him. What about him?”
    â€œThat’s Smoke Jensen.”
    â€œSmoke Jensen?” King asked. “Wait a minute. Do you mean the Smoke Jensen? The famous gunfighter?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWell, it would be interesting to meet him, I suppose,” King said. “I mean, I’ve certainly heard a lot about him over the years. But I’m curious. How did you happen to know he would be on this train?”
    â€œBecause I sent for him,” Kleberg said.
    â€œYou sent for him?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI don’t understand. Why would he come just because you sent for him?”
    â€œHe owes me a big, big favor,” Kleberg replied.
    â€œAnd that brings me to my second question. Why did you send for him?”
    â€œI figured he could help us with our . . . uh . . . problem,” Kleberg said.
    King let out a sigh, then put his hand on Kleberg’s shoulder.
    â€œLook, Bob, I know you did what you think is right. But I don’t want to do that.”
    â€œYou don’t want to do what?”
    â€œI don’t want to use a hired gun to take care of my problem.”
    â€œRichard, he’s not exactly a hired gun. As far as I know, he’s never actually hired his guns out to anyone. Besides that, he is a wealthy man in his own right. I doubt that he would take any money for his services, even if you offered it to him.”
    â€œThen what would make him get involved?”
    â€œI told you, he owes me a favor. And he has a very strong sense of what is right and what is wrong.”
    â€œHe sounds like an admirable man.”
    â€œHe is, Richard. He is one of the finest men I’ve ever met.”
    â€œThen that makes me all the sorrier that you didn’t check with me first. I hate putting an honorable man through all this. But I can’t use him, Bob. I just feel that it would only make matters worse.”
    â€œAll right,” Kleberg said, obviously disappointed by King’s pronouncement. “I’ll go talk to him, and tell him that it was all a mistake, that we won’t be needing him after all.”
    â€œI’m sorry, Bob. I just . . . well, I just wish you had checked with me first, that’s all.”
    â€œNo, sir, I’m the one should be sorry,” Kleberg said. “I clearly overstepped my bounds on this, and I’ve put myself in an awkward position. I’ve no one