Read Online Legend With a Six-gun (9781101601839) by Tabor Evans - Free Book Online Page A

stuffed it into her purse as she sniffed, “I don’t understand why a grown man should be afraid of a woman doctor. There are a lot of quacks and butchers who are men—name one who is a woman.”
    â€œDon’t reckon I can,” he concurred, not a little non-plussed by her belligerence. “Now look here,” he continued. “First of all, I said I’d be right glad to see
any
doctor just about now—”
    â€œEven a female one,” she interrupted him acidly.
    â€œEven a Paiute medicine man,” he continued. “I’m purely sorry about the eighty-five cents, but I was a mite confused and in just a smidgin of a hurry. You wouldn’t have cared for it much if I’d stayed.”
    To his surprise and further confusion, she sat down on the foot of the bed and said, “You know damned well it isn’t the eighty-five cents; it’s your whole attitude.”
    This conversation was starting to make his head spin even more. He said, “Up to a minute ago, I didn’t have any attitude worth mention, but I’ll admit I’m getting one pretty fast. Just to set the record straight, as a U.S. deputy sworn to uphold the Constitution, I can tell you I’d arrest anyone trying to deprive any citizen—yourself Included—of his constitutional rights.”
    â€œThere, you see?” she exploded. “‘
His
constitutional rights’—it’s even in the language.”
    â€œAfraid I can’t take responsibility for that,” he said. “I only talk it—I didn’t make it up.”
    â€œWhat about the right to vote?” she pressed on, leaning closer to him and jabbing a finger into the thatch of hair on his solid chest.
    Longarm was beginning to wonder seriously what her game was, and he decided to feed her some more rope. “I’ll allow that most
men
don’t have the sense to pour piss out of their boots—excuse me, ma’am—much less vote. I doubt that women would do much worse, and maybe someday, when the country simmers down and gets less hectic around the polls—”
    He noticed that her face was growing flushed and little beads of perspiration had appeared on her upper lip as she asked, “Does the Constitution say only you men have the right to sow wild oats? There’s a parlor house in every town across the country, and you know very well that no man sniggering with the others at the pool hall would ever admit that he was a virgin.”
    â€œWould you admit it?” he asked pointedly.
    There was an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes as she replied, “It’s hardly a problem. I told you I’ve been married.”
    â€œAnd since I don’t visit parlor houses,” he said, “I guess that more or less cancels out the entire issue.”
    Longarm felt now as if he were floating in the air a little distance above the bed. He knew he needed to lie down, with her or without her. As usual, his amorous parts were behaving as though they had a life of their own, and he could feel himself swelling beneath the blanket across his lap. Longarm decided, with fireflies glittering before his eyes, that it was time to call her play. He placed a hand on her knee. She glanced down at his hand without moving away, then shifted her gaze to the prominent bulge at his crotch. Her eyes rose to meet his, and she asked, “Am I to take that as a challenge or a compliment, Mr. Long?”
    He didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer. Suddenly the room was spinning around and he felt as if he were about to puke all over them both. So he decided to lie down and die instead.
    *   *   *
    He was in this funny big room with red velvet drapes. A bunch of naked women were coming at him from all directions. They had painted faces and high-heeled shoes and they were all grinning from ear to ear. But their grins were evil and they had guns in their hands.
    He reached for