Read Online Black Conley by Shari Dare - Free Book Online

Clayte when it comes to the way he treats his wife. She ain't been to church in weeks. It's probably because she's too ashamed to show her face. Word is that Clayte pays Joe to let him fuck her. It's a real shame; she was a sweet gal before Joe got her in a family way. He's kept her like that ever since. Him and Clayte are certainly cut out of the same pattern. For a while I thought the two of them were having a race to see who could have the most kids the fastest."
    "Then you think the two of them are in this together?"
    "I don't have to think, I know."
    Black finished his coffee. “I think Saturday night I should take a ride into town. I haven't had a night of drinking in a long time. It always fascinates me just how much you can learn when you're buying drinks for the house."
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Chapter Four
    Belle sat at the table long after Black left the house. She was still sipping her now cold coffee when Annie arrived.
    "Was there a reason you sent Black over to our place?” Annie asked.
    Belle wondered if she should tell Annie. “Ah..."
    "You don't have to say anything, honey. We know who Black is and why he's here. Roy wrote to Ed and asked him to send us the best man for the job. We had hoped it would be Ed who came, but we certainly weren't disappointed to find out it was Black. Ed speaks very highly of him."
    "Why didn't you tell me?” Belle questioned. “Shouldn't I have known that there was a U.S. Marshal coming here? If I had, I wouldn't have kept going into town to be humiliated by Joe Calhoun."
    "And what if we would have gotten a letter from Ed saying that he couldn't spare anyone? What good would knowing have done you? It was better this way. You hired him on thinking he was nothing more than another drifter. Now you know that he's here to help you out of this predicament. When I left the house, Roy was filling him in on all the other ranchers who are losing cattle. Of course, I doubt they'll side with us. You know that Clayte and that bunch are as thick as thieves. They watch out for each other. I'm afraid it's us against them in this fight. Have you told the girls yet?"
    Belle shook her head. “I really haven't had a chance to talk to any of them. I thought Kate should know, but I'm undecided about the others."
    "Roy and I think all of them should know. They have a stake in this the same as you do. It would be like not telling family. That's what we all are here, you know."
    Belle agreed. They were a family. For the past ten years it had been her against the rest of the ranchers around Larson's Gap. At first Roy and Annie had been her only allies, but slowly the girls started coming. Kate was the first, and then the rest followed. It wasn't right that they should be kept in the dark about what was going on.
    After washing the grime of the day's work from her body, Belle went back to the kitchen to help Annie get supper. The times when she was at the house this early in the day to help with the preparation of meals were few and far between, but she did enjoy it when she could.
    * * * *
    Black was surprised when the clock struck five. He certainly hadn't expected to stay at Roy's place for over two hours.
    "I guess we should be getting back up to Belle's place for supper,” Roy said. “Mama don't like folks being late for meals."
    "You take your evening meals at Belle's place?"
    The old man nodded. “Belle's pa and I came here together from Texas, since we didn't like the way things was looking with the Mexican government. That was back in thirty-five. We didn't want to get mixed up in that mess with Santa Ana. We were only sixteen, and we thought running away from home and striking out on our own would be a wonderful adventure. We worked a lot of ranches in the year before we made it to Montana. That was when we decided to let our folks know where we were. Matt's folks were so glad to hear from us that they sent him the money to buy this spread. We weren't without our troubles, but at