Read Online Ralph Compton Death Along the Cimarron by RALPH COMPTON - Free Book Online Page B

say?”
    â€œI’m coming, I’m coming,” Dave replied, hurrying through the house and out onto the porch. He closed the door behind him without even looking out at the five horsemen surrounding his wife. “You know, darling,” he said, looking down at the door key in his hand for a second as he spoke, “if we like Denver, we might just arrange to have this place sold and never even have to come back—”
    Dave’s voice stopped as he looked up, stunned at the sight of Cherokee Earl sitting on his horse, too dose to Ellen, holding her horse’s reins in his gloved hand.
    â€œNever come Back.” Earl chuckled flatly. “My, my, this must be some outing you’ve got planned. Partner.”
    Ellen looked back and forth between her husband and this stranger with a puzzled, frightened expression. “David, what does he mean calling you partner? I think you better explain.”
    The surrounding horsemen stifled a short laugh under Cherokee Earl’s cold gaze as he looked from one to the other then back at Dave Waddell. “Yeah, Davey, I agree with the little lady. Maybe you better explain some things. I get the feeling you haven’t mentioned any of us pals here to your missus.”
    â€œEarl, I haven’t had the chance, and that’s God’s truth,” Waddell said in a shaky voice. He spread his hands. “I didn’t know what became of you. We heard shooting last night coming from town. I was just on the verge of clearing out of here. I was worried something had happened to you.”
    â€œNo fooling?” said Earl, turning his gaze to Ellen Waddell, seeing the look of total bewilderment on her face. “And what about you, ma’am? Was you worried something might have happened to us?” He offered a sly grin, pulling on her horse’s reins, drawing the animal closer to him.
    â€œI have no idea who you people are!” Ellen said sharply. She snatched at the reins and stopped her horse, but failed to free the reins from Earl’s hand.
    â€œYeah, but if you did know us, would you have been concerned for my safety last night with all them guns going off?”
    â€œDavid ...” said Ellen, her voice still strong but issuing a plea for help.”
    â€œEarl, turn her horse loose,” Waddell said, the firmness in his voice surprising even himself.
    Heavy silence set in. Cherokee Earl gave Dave Waddell an even stare and stepped his horse forward, leading Ellen and her horse beside him. He stopped a foot from where Dave stood frozen in place. With exaggerated politeness, he held the reins down to him and said, “Begging your pardon, Davey, but the little lady’s horse spooked a bit when we rode in. I grabbed the reins to keep her from a bad spill. I couldn’t bear to see something bad happen to such a lovely woman.... Could you?”
    Dave’s face reddened, yet there was nothing he could do but stand there, powerless. He knew that Earl Muir wasn’t going to allow him much more slack after talking the way he just had to Earl in front of his own men. “Of course not, Earl,” Dave said, giving Ellen a glance to see if Earl had spoken the truth. The look on her face told him that it had been a lie. But again, what could he do about it? The bemused gleam in Earl’s eyes told him the same thing. Earl could do what he pleased here.... No one could stop him. “Thanks for stepping in when you did.”
    â€œThink nothing of it, partner,” Earl said, a dark smile on his face. “You’d have done the same for me had it been the other way around.... If I had myself a lovely wife and something bad was about to befall her, I bet you’d be in there like a shot. I hope so anyway. Partners ought to always be prepared to look out for one another ... become like family, so to speak.” As he spoke, he stepped his horse aside and looked Ellen up and down, not even trying to hide his