Read Online The Smartest Horse in Texas (The Traherns #2) by Nancy Radke - Free Book Online

had a
shocked expression on his face as he spit his onto his plate.
    “Ugh. What did you put in this, you stupid woman? It’s pure
salt.”
    Dawn shrunk and pointed, wordlessly, toward where the salt and
sugar sacks sat side by side on the wooden shelf used as a pantry.
    “That one says ‘salt,” he yelled, pointing to the right bag.
“Not ‘sugar!’”
    She stared down at the ruined pie. “They both begin with an
‘s.’”
    “You never made that mistake before. Why now?”
    “I tasted them before. This time I read...”
    “You can’t read.”
    “Yes, she can,” I interrupted. “I’ve been teaching her.”
    “Forget it. I don’t want you trying to teach her while you’re
working for me. It’s a waste of time, teaching a woman to read. Especially her.
She’s too dumb. I have more important things for you to do.”
    Dawn got up and started clearing the pie from the table. Her
face was set, as if she was holding back her emotions while she took the plates
back into the kitchen.
    “I’ll teach her in the evenings,” I said. “After work.”
    “Not while you’re working for me,” he growled.
    I didn’t have to work for him. “Did you find a new bookkeeper?” I asked.
    “The fellow at the bank recommended a man, but I told him I
already had one.”
    “Then you’d better send for him. I told you I would work here
until you found a replacement. I straightened out your books, brought them up
to date, so I’ll be leaving soon.”
    “You were hardly here long enough to draw a wage. Especially if
you spent the time teaching Marianne.” He said her name with so much contempt,
I had to hold myself to keep from flattening him on the spot.
    “Mr. Cummings, I brought your books up to date, spotted a thief,
caught him for you, and saved you a goodly amount of money. I deserve both a
wage and a reward and I expect to get both of those. I’ll leave in the morning.
Count my money out for me now.”
    The other hands got up and left, and Cummings stomped into his
office. I stopped for a moment at the pantry, for something didn’t ring true to
me. Dawn was a better reader than that, to make such a simple mistake.
    Cummings unlocked his safe and handed me ten dollars.
    “That should do it,” he said.
    “Plus the reward.”
    “I didn’t put up...”
    “Yes, you did.”
    He swallowed, handed me twenty more.
    “Thank you.”
    I turned to leave and just about ran into John as he charged
into the room. “Marianne’s gone. She took the filly.”
    Cummings jumped to his feet. “How could she? She knew I was
planning to breed that mare.”
    “Where do you think she went?” I asked.
    “Back to the Kiowas, I reckon. She used to try to run away when
we first got her back. She won’t find them. They’re gone.” He paced to the
front porch and looked off into the darkness. “Stupid, worthless woman.”
    “I’ll go get her,” I said. For myself, not for him.
    “She’s not worth it. But if you can bring the filly back, I’ll
give you two dollars.”
    “What’s the mare worth?”
    “Ten at least. It’s a good horse.”
    I pulled out one of the ten dollar gold pieces he had just given
me and handed it to him.
    “This pays for the filly. If I find Dawn, we’ll not be coming
back.”
    “So it’s ‘Dawn’ now, is it? Get off my place.”
    “Gladly. But first write me out a bill of sale for the filly.”
    We went back inside and he did, muttering all the time. I took
the paper, read it, folded it and took it out to the bunkhouse. I had a
courier’s pouch I had kept over from the war. I’d placed all my important
papers in it, as it was oilskin and nigh perfect waterproof. I took long enough
to put Misty’s bill of sale into it before I packed my things.
    I gathered my gear, filled my canteens, made one brief stop to
grab my Bible and Dawn’s notebook, and rode off down the road. I wasn’t that
far behind her, but the dust was already settled and I stopped Hero, wondering
just which way to