this county âbout came to gunplay.â
âThis,â she said, patting his arm where heâd shoved up the sleeves of his baggy sweater, âis an even more wonderful idea.â
âCriminy,â he muttered as the office door slammed. âGuess Iâd better mosey on down to the mercantile and get some more cartridges for my forty-four.â
* * *
Cole trotted Dancer alongside Teddy MacAllisterâs roan mare as they rode toward the Sorensen ranch. The minute they reached the edge of the spread, Cole reined up.
âWant to trade mounts, Teddy? I mean Ted?â The boy was trying so hard to grow up it made Coleâs insides hurt.
âSure do, Mr. Sanders.â The boy slipped off his roan and clambered up onto Coleâs Arabian. They rode in companionable silence for a mile before Teddy spoke.
âKin I ask you something, Mr. Sanders?â
âWhat about?â
âGirls.â
Cole disguised his surprise with a cough. First Noralee and now Teddy. Guess he was the âgo-toâ source for youngsters wondering what life was all about. âFire away, son.â
Teddy thought for a long minute. âWell, uh, how do you know when a girl likes you?â
Cole coughed again. âMost times you donât. You have some particular girl in mind?â
âUm, yeah. Her nameâs Manette Nicolet. Sheâs French. Talks foreign words all the time.â
âAnd what do you do?â
âAw, I canât talk French. Sometimes I bring her bugs ânâ stuff.â
âBugs?â
âYeah. She likes crawly things. Insects, you know?â
Cole rolled his eyes. âInteresting female.â
âYeah, and sheâs real pretty, too.â
âFigures,â Cole said under his breath.
âSo, how do I know if she likes me?â
Cole pulled the roan into an even slower walk and sucked in a gulp of air. âYou donât, Ted. You might never know how she feels about you. But if youâre smart, youâll treat her real special, no matter what.â
Teddy thought for a few minutes. âIs that what you do?â
âWell, yeah. If I get the chance, that is.â
âMiss Jessamineâs kinda temperamental, huh?â
Cole barked out a laugh. âKinda.â God, was it that obvious he was attracted to the Sentinel âs prim and proper editor?
âMy advice,â Teddy said with a conspiratorial wink, âis to bring her some bugs.â
When Cole rode back into town with the boy, he couldnât help glancing at the front window of the Sentinel office. Bugs, huh? Heâd have to give Teddyâs suggestion some thought.
He reined his sleek Arabian to a stop and approached the hitching rail just as Jessamine stepped out of her office and hailed him.
âCole, I need to talk to you.â
âWhatâs up?â he asked carefully.
âI have an idea.â
Cole rolled his eyes. âNot another one. Eli told me about the Sheepmenâs Summit meeting last spring.â
âEli talks entirely too much. Get down off your horse and listen for a minute.â
He swung down and stood with the reins in one hand. âOkay, Iâm listening.â
Jess tried not to watch his supple fingers holding the leather lines. âYour candidate and my candidate are just trading insults in your newspaper and mine. What if they met face-to-face and argued in person?â
âA debate, you mean?â
âExactly. What do you think?â
âGood idea,â he said with a nod. âWhen? The electionâs getting close.â
âNext Monday night? At the church meeting hall. We couldââ
âArrange for a moderator,â he finished for her. âSomeoneââ
âLike Matt Johnson, Ellieâs husband,â Jess interrupted. âHeâs a federal marshal, andââ
âHeâd be armed,â Cole inserted. âNobody would dare speak
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