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out of his mind, taking on the raising of a half-breed and expecting some good to come of it….
    Lucas was possibly the only one who didn’t see anything good in Blaine’s return. He tried to sway Morgan whenever the chance occurred.
    ‘He’s just waiting, Pa! Waiting for his chance – then he’s gonna bust us good!’
    ‘Us? You think he’d spend any energy this way to square with you ? Lord knows he’s had plenty to put up with from you over the years and he’s whaled the tar out of you from time to time – and I had to stick up for my son, of course, and punish him. But that was enough for someone like Blaine, giving you a black eye or a bloody nose – he don’t think you’re worth much more’n that.’
    That hurt Lucas and he flushed deeply. ‘How about you? You figure that’s all I’m worth? A scuffle in the dust ten years ago…?’
    Morgan sighed. ‘I’m sayin’ that’s the way Blaine sees it – forget him. You just keep managin’ Broken Wheel the way you’re going – you’re doin’ a good job.’
    Lucas preened at those rare words of praise from his father. ‘Yeah, well, like you say, Blaine’s just another hired hand now….’
    ‘Alamo’ll take care of him. He needs experience in trail drivin’.’
    Lucas frowned.
    ‘You make that sound like he’s got some sort of – future here.’
    Morg scowled, but there was a slightest suggestion of a crooked smile there, too. ‘How long you think it’s gonna be before I holler “quits”? You think Blaine’s gonna get this all squared away in six months – even a year?’
    Lucas smiled slowly then: he knew the Old Man was as sharp as ever.
    He was going to keep that breed working his butt off until he dropped – then kick him to his feet and work him some more….
    Alamo and Blaine hadn’t had a lot to do with each other over the years, but they always got along pretty well. Blaine had helped out with the trail drives occasionally but mostly he had been kept on ranch chores – Lucas giving him those he didn’t want to do himself in the early days, before he managed to talk his father around into letting him take care of the books.
    As the days of rounding-up the mavericks passed and they spent time together, camped out in the hills and canyons, Alamo and Blaine formed a closer bond. The trail boss knew he could never break through the ’breed’s reserve but they had short conversations on general topics now, somethingAlamo had never been able to initiate previously.
    ‘You think about Kitty a lot, don’t you?’
    Alamo had decided that Blaine would never ask him about the girl, respected him too much to expect him to break his word to Morgan.
    ‘You said she’s all right – I’m taking you at your word.’
    ‘Good – because she’ll be fine where she is. It was her choice in the end. I think maybe Morgan had calmed down some and might’ve taken her back – sort of – but when she decided what she wanted to do, he disowned her – says he don’t have a daughter.’
    ‘Must be hard on her – she thought a lot of her father.’
    ‘Only natural: her mother died when she was very young, only months old. Morg’s the only real parent she ever knew – Lucas was different. He could remember his mother a little—’
    Blaine tossed his coffee dregs into the fire abruptly. ‘Guess I’ll turn in – I’m tired. You’re a slave-driver , Alamo.’
    ‘Hell, I can give you nigh on twenty years and I ain’t tired – well, not real tired.’
    ‘Good, then I’ll leave you to check the mounts and the cattle pens.’
    As Blaine moved away, Alamo said, ‘Hey! You better be careful, you almost smiled then!’
     
    But neither man was smiling a couple of hours later when the cattle they had gathered and penned-up in a gulch came bawling and snorting and horn- swinging through the camp in all-out stampede.
    Above the noise and the thunder, both Alamo and Blaine heard the rap of gun shots, driving the killer herd on.

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