Chapter 7

I saw his hand dropping to his holster and as my left Colt cleared leather and I pushed it toward his face, I wondered how an ignorant asshole like him could have stayed around the Colonel's place.

At any rate he jerked his hand back from the butt of his pistol and I kept easing the muzzle of my Colt toward his nose until he wised up and raised his hands above his head.

"The only reason I haven't already killed you is that I'm visiting someone else's home. Don't ever even act like you want to draw on me again," I said.

"Get your things together and get gone, Jenkins. I've warned you about your mouth before, but smarting off to a man who just paid in gold for a horse at my ranch and then trying to draw on him is too much. Just be glad you didn't pull that stunt on me, I'd have killed you and told God you died," the Colonel said.

Jenkins didn't want to move with my Colt in his face so I whacked him on the forehead with the barrel and then holstered it. There were plenty of the Colonel's hands standing around, but none of them made a peep.

The Colonel was embarrassed, I knew, and he turned to me intending to apologize.

"Don't worry about it Colonel, if I'd had to apologize for every fool I'd let work for me in the past, I'd still be at it," I said.

"I hadn't thought of it that way but you're certainly right. I've never understood how most men can try their hardest to earn their pay and why there are always a few that will never be worth anything," he said.

"If you ever do figure it out, there will be miles and miles of other men lined up at your gate wanting to know the secret, and happy as hell to pay you way more than you thought it was worth."

I saddled Boots then and by the time I'd ridden him around in the yard for a few minutes I felt like I should go track down the Colonel and give him some more gold. It wasn't so much that Boots was almost physically perfect, though that counted for a lot. He was without a doubt the most attentive horse I'd ever forked. I could almost feel him paying attention to everything I did, and trying to make sure he was doing what I wanted him to.

Dismounting, I went into the small smithy to tell Frank that I was going to ride back to town. He just nodded and went back to work.

Sarah was mounted on a nice looking bay gelding as I headed for the gate and she rode up to say goodbye.

"It was nice having you out here Mr Jefferson, come back any time," she said.

"The pleasure was mine and I'm trying to think of a reason to come back before I'm even out the gate. Wait, I know, I'll come back out to tell you as soon as your French Panties arrive."

Women should try their best not to ever look goggled eyes like that, especially not when their mouth also drops completely open. I waited while her blush flamed up and she got control of everything else.

"I can't believe Mary told you about that," she finally got out.

"Don't worry, when I show you what I did to make her confess you'll understand completely," I said, and then turned to ride off.

Boots wanted to move out smartly but I only let him trot a short way and then slowed to a walk. I assumed that Jenkins was stupid enough to be waiting between the ranch and town to ambush me. I kept looking for him behind every rock but it was Boots that found him. Of course Boots didn't know why he was there, but his ears pointed toward the other horse before we were within a hundred and fifty yards.

Jenkins was turning out to be persistently stupid. I would have seen the fool myself before we got within a good pistol shot from him, for his pistol anyway. I held my head straight as if I was looking down the road but I kept my eyes on Jenkins.

He already had his gun drawn but he was holding it down by his leg. He started to raise it as I was going past him; no doubt he thought I hadn't noticed him behind those small trees. It wasn't even a close thing since I'd pulled my right Colt as soon as I'd seen him and kept my body between it and where he was hidden off to the left of the road.

Even though I pulled the shot a little high it took him just below his Adams apple and that was good enough. I got off Boots and draped the reins across a small limb.

Jenkins' horse was a lot better than he deserved and it hadn't moved, even when I shot. I picked up the body and slung it into the saddle, tying his hands and feet together under the horse's belly with a piggin' string.

Just as I remounted Boots and started leading Jenkins' horse back toward the Colonel's ranch, Sarah and three of the hands came thundering down the road. I pulled up to wait.

Of course there were dozens of questions and I was patient and politely helpful. After the explanations were over and done with, Sarah decided that he could be planted somewhere on the ranch, no matter that he'd been fired.

I'd hoped that Sarah or the Colonel would know of his next of kin so his things could be sent to them but Sarah told me he'd said he didn't have any when he'd hired on.

"I guess you have two horses now," she said.

"It looks like it's worth a lot more than he was, at that," I said, and the three men that had ridden out with her snorted in agreement.

"I can use the horse but I don't need any of his other things and I don't care what happens to his gear as long as no on fights over it," I said.

"We can have a small auction and then donate the money to Parson Jones, he's trying to gather enough money to build a small church in town," Sarah said, and the men didn't even scoff, I was impressed.

The Colonel rode up about then and I got to tell the whole thing over again. I didn't mind though. When we got back to the ranch I at least got out of attending Jenkins burial, begging off so I could get back to Lancaster.

There wasn't a livery stable in Lancaster, but Frank had a couple of stalls behind his smithy. I put a horse in each and made sure they had water. I even found his tack room and put away my saddle, pad, and bridle.

When I entered the store, Mary was waiting on an older man, selling him some tobacco, so I sat down at the table to get a load off my feet. As soon as he left she came over to me and I pulled her down into my lap for a kiss.

"Did you miss me?" I asked.

"You know I did. Did you buy a horse?"

"Yes, I bought one and got another free," I said.

Of course I had to tell her the whole story then.

"I remember him, he always gave me a bad feeling when he came in here for something," she said.

"Well he won't anymore."

"Did you see Sarah while you were there?"

"Yes, and I promised her I'd ride out and tell her when her French Panties arrived."

"You didn't! She'll know I told you about them," Mary said.

"Of course she knows, but I told her I forced you to."

"At least I hope you didn't say how you made me tell," she said.

"No, but I promised to show her as soon as I could."

Mary blushed again and hid her face in her hands. I laughed and squeezed the nearest titty.

Around noon we had some soup Mary heated up and then I left the store to her while I took a nap.

Hell, there just ain't no rest for the wicked, and I guess I'm as wicked as the next guy. I'd just sat down on the bed when I heard Mary squawking for someone to let her go. I jumped up off it and rushed into the store with a Colt in my fist.

Some fat nasty looking jackass had a grip on one of Mary's upper arms and was trying to pull her to him while she was busy trying to get away.

"What in the fuck do you think you're doing?" I asked, yelling it.

The dumbass looked at me with his mouth hanging open and I could almost see him trying to think of a good excuse. It finally dawned on him that he needed to release Mary and he did. He still hadn't come up with an excuse for grabbing her though.