A Horse Called Mogollon (Floating Outfit Book 3) (17 page)

‘
You
minding how it’s got?’ the hunter inquired, leaning forward to tap
the butt of his long-barreled Sharps rifle.

‘
We
don’t care,’ Beatrice declared.

‘
Just
make sure that you don’t bring the police around us,’ de Brioude
went on. ‘Can you do it?’

‘
Easy,’
Peet grinned. ‘I’ll cover my tracks so nobody can follow ’em and
hide the hoss someplace until it’s safe to bring him to
you.’

‘
Can we
do anything to help?’ asked de Brioude.

‘
Call
off the hunting for today ’n’ take Lebel back to camp with you,’
Peet advised. ‘I’ll make out I’m going to scout for another buffler
herd so’s I don’t need to come along.’

Although the de Brioudes did as
their hunter requested, Peet failed to achieve anything. By the
time he had come into rifle range of Colin, two
mesteneros
had joined the Scot. So Peet
called off his attempt to obtain the stallion by the simple means
of shooting its rider. Having come to know his employers pretty
well, however, he doubted if they would be content to let the
matter rest there.

Holding their
mounts to a
leisurely walk, Dusty Fog and Colin Farquharson passed through an
area of woodland and came into sight of Kerrville about a mile to
the south.

‘
Not a
mustang, much less a
manada
or
mestena
down this way,’ Colin remarked, stroking Mogollon’s neck.
‘Libby won’t be pleased when she hears about it.’

‘
Likely,’ Dusty admitted. ‘Only we don’t know that it’s
those French folk’s hunting that’s scared them away. This section’s
a mite too close to the town for mustangs to use it.’

A point with which Colin agreed.
He hoped that Libby would be of the same opinion. There had been an
explosive scene at their camp when Libby Schell had heard about
Colin
’s
meeting with the
Vicomtesse
de Brioude. Learning that Beatrice was a member of the
hunting party, Libby had blamed it for the shortage of
manadas
on that section of
the range. Only by exercising considerable tact had Dusty and Colin
dissuaded the blonde from gathering her
mesteneros
and attempting to carry out her
threat of chasing the French couple into the sea at
Brownsville.

That had been three days ago.
Despite knowing that the area down towards Kerrville rarely held
mustangs, Libby had insisted that it be thoroughly scouted for
them. After helping with the gelding of the captured stock and
other work, the two young men had agreed to make a final check of
the area. By that time Libby
’s temper had cooled down somewhat and the
situation at the camp was returning to normal. Colin hoped that
nothing would happen to change the cooling-down process.

‘
Why
don’t we ride in and see Cousin Tam?’ the Scot
suggested.

‘
We
might as well,’ Dusty agreed, guiding his
bayo-cebrunos
gelding in the required direction.
‘Happen he’ll ride out to supper with us, Libby might forget the de
Brioudes.’

By the time they had covered half of
the distance to the town, Dusty and Colin had become aware of its
deserted appearance. Three men crossed the main street and entered
one of its largest buildings, but apart from them there was little
or no sign of human life. Going closer, the two riders noticed some
activity around the combined church and meeting house on the far
side of town.

‘
Could
be trouble,’ Dusty said when Colin commented on the town’s deserted
aspect. ‘Everything looks to be closed up for the day.’

‘
If it
is trouble, Cousin Tam might need help’, the Scot answered. ‘I
wonder where we’ll find him?’

‘
At the
jailhouse, likely,’ Dusty guessed. ‘If he’s not, the owner of the
livery barn might know where he’s at.’

Entering town, they found the
jailhouse devoid of life. So they made their way towards the open
main doors of the livery barn. Approaching the building into which
the three men had disappeared, Dusty noticed that it was the Logan
Hotel.

‘
We
could go in and ask about Tam,’ the small Texan said.

‘
I’d
rather leave Mogollon in a stall than on a hitching rail,’ Colin
replied. ‘He’s not used to being in a town.’

On reaching the livery barn, they
dismounted and led the horses inside. All but two of the stalls had
occupants, but the owner and his assistants were conspicuous by
their absence.

‘
What
do we do now?’ Colin asked.

‘
Put up
the horses,’ Dusty answered. ‘Then we’ll go find out what’s
happening around here.’

Taking their mounts into the
empty stalls, Dusty and Colin prepared to settle them in. Footsteps
drew their attention to the rear entrance. A tall,
heavily built
genial-featured man came in. Bare-footed, he wore jeans and an
undershirt. Although Colin had not previously visited the town, the
man showed only momentary surprise at being confronted by a kilted
Scot.

‘
Howdy,
gents,’ the newcomer greeted. ‘You’ll be Tam Breda’s kinsman, I
reckon. I’ve heard tell about them fancy duds you wear. Say, if
you’re looking for Tam, he’s took a posse down south after a bunch
of
bandidos.’

‘
So
that’s where all the men-folk’ve gone,’ Dusty put in.

‘
Some of
’
em’re
with Tam,’ admitted the owner. ‘I reckon the rest’re like
me.’

‘
How’d that be?’ Dusty
inquired.

‘
Getting ready
for this he
re fancy ree-ception the mayor ’n’ city fathers’re throwing
for the French count and countess who’ve bought the old Renfrew
place to start up ranching.’

Colin threw a startled glance Dusty’s
way. It seemed that the de Brioudes were going out of their way to
antagonize Libby Schell. Agreeing with Colin’s views on the
decrease of mustanging prospects in the future, Libby had suggested
that, on the completion of the Army remount contract, they should
purchase the Renfrew property as their horse ranch. Deserted during
the War by its owners, it would have been well suited to the Schell
family’s needs.

‘
Damned if the
women-folk ain’t buzzing around like a humming-bird with six
tails,’ the owner continued. ‘They’re all a-hunting up fancy
dresses and running us husbands ragged duding up for it. Which’s
why I wasn’t here where I should be. The missus’s had me a-shining
boots and’s making me take an all-over bath. Not’s I mind. The
Count’s a real swell gent, and they do say his wife’s a real
looker.
Tam Breda’s grateful to the Count, I’ll bet.’

‘
How come?’ Dusty
asked.

‘
Like I said,
word come in about this here
bandido
gang rampaging down south. Tam’s not got
hisself settled in and hired enough men to handle it. Anyways, him,
the marshal ’n’ some of us was fixing to ride when damned if the
count don’t come in and offer to lend Tam his whole Army
escort.’

‘
That was good of him,’
Colin said sincerely.

‘
We thought
so,’ the owne
r replied. ‘Anyways, the mayor ’n’ city fathers figured we
should make him and his missus welcome. So we asked ’em to come in
today for what Annie Logan calls a ree-ception’ A faint grin
creased his face and he went on, ‘Looks like Annie don’t write
French’s good’s she allows. The count and his missus’ve come in
early. That sort of put the committee fixing the shin-dig in a mite
of a fix.’

‘
Henry!’ screeched an irate female voice from somewhere
behind the barn. ‘You get back here!’

‘
Look,
gents
,’ the owner said apologetically. ‘Everything you need’s on
hand. If you’ll tend to things yourself, I’ll be right obliged. Was
you married, you’d—’

‘
Henry!’ yelled the
voice.

‘
We’ll make out,’ Dusty
assured the man.

‘
Thanks, fellers,’ Henry
said and departed the way from which he had come.

‘
Now that’s
what you’re letting yourself in for when you marry
Jeanie
,’ Dusty warned the Scot.

‘
I’ll
change
—’ Colin began.

The arrival of a man through the
front doors brought Colin’s words to a halt. Turning his head, the
Scot recognized the hunter who had been with the de
Brioudes.
Throwing a look at Dusty and clearly dismissing him as of
no importance, Peet slouched across to the gate of Mogollon’s
stall.

‘
Howdy,
friend
,’ greeted the hunter. ‘Don’t know if you ’member me or
not. I was with that French countess you saved when her hoss
bolted.’

‘
I remember,’ Colin
admitted.

‘
She’s up to
the hotel with her husband,’ Peet continued. ‘They done sent me to
ask you
to come and see ’em.’

‘
Why?’

‘
They’ve been
thinking, ’
n’ allow, seeing’s you don’t aim to sell Mogollon there,
they might’s well buy some of his young ’n’s.’

For a moment Colin did not
reply. Taking everything into consideration, he wondered if Libby
would agree to selling horses to the de Brioudes. A glance showed
the Scot that Dusty was going on tending to the
bayo-cebruno’s
needs. Not that
Colin intended to ask for help with his decision. To do so would
lessen his standing in the
big,
efficient, self-reliant Texan’s eyes.

‘
I’ll be along
as soon as I’ve seen to my horse,’ Colin promised, deciding that he
would lose nothing by hearing what the
Vicomte
had to say.

‘
The count’s
got him a meeting with the local folks in half an hour or so,’ Peet
remarked. ‘Until then he’s down to the hotel. Folks’re all staying
clear, so you can talk
private like.’

‘
Tell him I’ll come as soon
as I can,’ Colin suggested.

‘
I’ll do
that
,’
Peet grunted and walked from the building.

Watching the hunter go, Dusty
decided that he had been one of the three who had entered the
hotel. That figured, seeing how he worked for the de Brioudes.
Going by their dress, the other two had been cowhands. Either they
were hired by the
Vicomte,
or soliciting employment. Before Dusty could comment on the
matter, Colin swung in his direction.

‘
Did I
do the right thing, Dusty?’

‘
How’d
you mean?’

‘
By
agreeing to go and see de Brioude. Libby might not want to do
business with him.’

‘
If he
wants the horses, he’ll likely be willing to pay higher than us or
the Army for them,’ Dusty stated. ‘From what Mark said, he’s rich
and you’ll get cash-money for them. And I’d bet Libby’s too good a
businesswoman to turn down a fair offer because she doesn’t like
the wife of the feller making it.’

‘
I
think you’re right,’ Colin admitted and changed the subject. ‘Why
do you think the local people are staying away from the de
Brioudes? I’d have expected them to be gathering
around.’

‘
It
figures in a way,’ Dusty replied. ‘The de Brioudes settling close
by’ll be a big help to Kerr County. They’ll be needing supplies,
fittings for the house, plenty of things and Kerrville’s the
closest place to get them.’

‘
So I’d
expect the local businessmen to be swarming around—’

‘
Likely
the folks fixing up this reception figured the same way. But when
the de Brioudes arrived early, they aimed to make sure that nobody
gets a head start on the others with them. So they asked them to
wait down to the hotel and all agreed to leave meeting ’em until
the reception.’

‘
You
could be right,’ Colin grinned.

Suffering from the depression
brought about by the War, the citizens of Kerrville would see the
arrival of the de Brioudes as a blessing. So the leading members of
the community had recognized the advisability of preventing a
premature scramble to make th
eir acquaintance. The danger of friction and
unpleasantness had been removed by the practical means of everybody
keeping away from the guests-of-honor until the actual ceremony
commenced.

After completing the
watering and feeding
of their mounts, Dusty and Colin left the stalls. Fastening the
gates, they took and hung their saddles on the inverted-V shaped
wooden burro erected along one wall for that purpose.