Read Online Petticoat Ranch by Mary Connealy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mary Connealy
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growled.
Sophie replied sarcastically, “I promise, if we’d have known there was the least danger, even of a stubbed toe or a broken fingernail, we’d have left you to die without a second thought.”
Clay glared at her. “You need a keeper.”
Sophie saw Mandy roll her eyes, and the two shared a grin.
Clay returned to the subject of his horse. “Has anyone gone down and looked? What about my saddlebags? And I had. . .” Clay stopped talking, and Sophie could see he was holding back something aboutwhat he had in those saddlebags.
Clay shook his head as if to accept the fact that he’d been wiped out by the flood. Accepting what couldn’t be helped was very Western of him. It was something Cliff had never learned.
“I’ve got to get to a telegraph. How far is it to the nearest town?”
“Mosqueros is ten miles straight west.” Mandy pointed toward the narrow trail.
Clay nodded. “I’ll have to take the mule, but I’ll only be gone—”
“Oh, you can’t take Hector,” Sally interrupted him.
“I’ll bring him back.” Clay’s eyes slid from one to the other of them. “Don’t you trust me? Do you really think I’d steal your mule?”
He sounded so hurt Sophie almost smiled. “It’s not that. People would recognize Hector. He is so ornery he’s almost a legend around these parts.”
“So what if people recognize him?”
“Well, they’d know he was ours, and then they’d know we were here abouts,” Beth explained.
Clay tilted his head again, and Sophie had that same wrenching reaction to him. She clenched her fist and held it close to her side when she realized she wanted to reach up and touch Clay’s chin as he reminded her so much of her husband.
“Are you saying no one knows you live here?”
Clay spoke quietly, but Sophie heard an intensity in his voice that made her wary when she answered. “No. We were getting. . .bothered by a few of the townfolk.”
“The men,” Mandy said flatly.
Sophie didn’t like the way Clay’s eyes narrowed. She continued quickly, “So I led them to believe we’d gone to live with family.”
“ ’Cept we don’t have any family,” Beth said sadly.
“Till we got you.” Sally grinned.
Clay rubbed his mouth with his hand, and Sophie thought he was trying to not say something. She forged ahead. “And if you show up with Hector they’ll think we’re here somewhere.”
“And they might start coming around chasin’ after Ma again.” Sally, bouncing with energy, clung to Clay’s hand.
“No one’s going to bother your ma now that I’m around.” Clay sounded like he was making a threat and a promise in the same breath.
“Then they’ll just pester Mandy,” Beth said philosophically.
“Mandy is only ten!” Clay exclaimed.
“Men!” Mandy snorted as if she’d noticed the same thing.
“There’s a shortage of women ’round here,” Sally said matter-of-factly. “They’re thinkin’ to the future.”
“They won’t be bothering Mandy either.” Clay patted Sally on the shoulder.
“And besides,” Sophie said, “and this is the important part: They might think you’re Cliff, and he was supposed to be a horse thief. So you might not be safe in town.”
“But everyone knows Cliff is dead!” Clay protested.
“Lots of them came and watched him be buried,” Elizabeth remembered.
“Still, we wondered about you,” Sophie reminded him. “They might, too. It was quite well known Cliff didn’t have any family, especially after he died. And for a while I had nowhere to go until I remembered a ‘cousin’ who’d take me and the girls in.”
“You better not go into Mosqueros.” A furrow formed in Sally’s brow. “We don’t want to lose you like we lost Pa. They might just round you up and hang you to be on the safe side.”
Sophie wondered if Sally could bear losing Clay. The little girl had never really gotten over Cliff ’s death. Sophie turned to Clay, more determined then ever to convince him to stay
Sophie replied sarcastically, “I promise, if we’d have known there was the least danger, even of a stubbed toe or a broken fingernail, we’d have left you to die without a second thought.”
Clay glared at her. “You need a keeper.”
Sophie saw Mandy roll her eyes, and the two shared a grin.
Clay returned to the subject of his horse. “Has anyone gone down and looked? What about my saddlebags? And I had. . .” Clay stopped talking, and Sophie could see he was holding back something aboutwhat he had in those saddlebags.
Clay shook his head as if to accept the fact that he’d been wiped out by the flood. Accepting what couldn’t be helped was very Western of him. It was something Cliff had never learned.
“I’ve got to get to a telegraph. How far is it to the nearest town?”
“Mosqueros is ten miles straight west.” Mandy pointed toward the narrow trail.
Clay nodded. “I’ll have to take the mule, but I’ll only be gone—”
“Oh, you can’t take Hector,” Sally interrupted him.
“I’ll bring him back.” Clay’s eyes slid from one to the other of them. “Don’t you trust me? Do you really think I’d steal your mule?”
He sounded so hurt Sophie almost smiled. “It’s not that. People would recognize Hector. He is so ornery he’s almost a legend around these parts.”
“So what if people recognize him?”
“Well, they’d know he was ours, and then they’d know we were here abouts,” Beth explained.
Clay tilted his head again, and Sophie had that same wrenching reaction to him. She clenched her fist and held it close to her side when she realized she wanted to reach up and touch Clay’s chin as he reminded her so much of her husband.
“Are you saying no one knows you live here?”
Clay spoke quietly, but Sophie heard an intensity in his voice that made her wary when she answered. “No. We were getting. . .bothered by a few of the townfolk.”
“The men,” Mandy said flatly.
Sophie didn’t like the way Clay’s eyes narrowed. She continued quickly, “So I led them to believe we’d gone to live with family.”
“ ’Cept we don’t have any family,” Beth said sadly.
“Till we got you.” Sally grinned.
Clay rubbed his mouth with his hand, and Sophie thought he was trying to not say something. She forged ahead. “And if you show up with Hector they’ll think we’re here somewhere.”
“And they might start coming around chasin’ after Ma again.” Sally, bouncing with energy, clung to Clay’s hand.
“No one’s going to bother your ma now that I’m around.” Clay sounded like he was making a threat and a promise in the same breath.
“Then they’ll just pester Mandy,” Beth said philosophically.
“Mandy is only ten!” Clay exclaimed.
“Men!” Mandy snorted as if she’d noticed the same thing.
“There’s a shortage of women ’round here,” Sally said matter-of-factly. “They’re thinkin’ to the future.”
“They won’t be bothering Mandy either.” Clay patted Sally on the shoulder.
“And besides,” Sophie said, “and this is the important part: They might think you’re Cliff, and he was supposed to be a horse thief. So you might not be safe in town.”
“But everyone knows Cliff is dead!” Clay protested.
“Lots of them came and watched him be buried,” Elizabeth remembered.
“Still, we wondered about you,” Sophie reminded him. “They might, too. It was quite well known Cliff didn’t have any family, especially after he died. And for a while I had nowhere to go until I remembered a ‘cousin’ who’d take me and the girls in.”
“You better not go into Mosqueros.” A furrow formed in Sally’s brow. “We don’t want to lose you like we lost Pa. They might just round you up and hang you to be on the safe side.”
Sophie wondered if Sally could bear losing Clay. The little girl had never really gotten over Cliff ’s death. Sophie turned to Clay, more determined then ever to convince him to stay
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