you know about this ranch?”
“More than most men think I do. I really have a very good education and understand business. I’ve gone over the books and the ranch is paying its way. I don’t have many cowboys left, not nearly enough to efficiently run the ranch. And no one will come to work for me.”
“I’ll get you hands, Jenny. Don’t worry about that. Do you want to stay out here?”
“Oh, yes. I love it. I’ve had entirely enough of cities.”
“Then here is where you’ll stay. Do you object to my moving in here?”
“Oh, no! Not at all.”
“I’m going to send one of the hands to the nearest telegraph office and get my wife up here pronto.” Smoke smiled. “I’d better let her know that I now own a, ah, house of ill repute.”
Jenny laughed and it was a good laugh, full of life and good humor. “The Golden Cherry Yes. And the Golden Plum, too.”
“What is that? The will only stated that I owned all of Janey’s businesses in town and the ranch.”
“A saloon in town. A very profitable one. I’ve never been inside either establishment. Van Horn won’t let me. He’s the foreman. He’s really a nice man.”
“Do you ride?”
“Oh, yes. But when I came out here I swore I would never again ride sidesaddle. It’s not very comfortable. I’m afraid I shocked some of the so-called good women around here by wearing a split skirt and riding astride.”
‘You and my wife will hit it off, Jenny. You both think very much alike. Can you shoot?”
She shook her head. “I never fired a gun in my life until a few months ago. Van Horn is trying to teach me. But I’m afraid I’m not very good.”
“We’ll work on that.” Smoke rose from the table and walked through the house, and it was a nice home, the rooms large and airy. The place was a bit too feminine for his tastes, but since a woman had owned the ranch,' he didn’t find that unusual.
Smoke paused at a gun rack and took down a double-barreled twenty-gauge shotgun. He checked it and handed it to Jenny. “You practice with this, Jenny. My wife will be here in about a week, and the two of you can target shoot together. Can you trust all your hands?”
“Absolutely. Van Horn ran off those he felt were not loyal. Even the younger men are afraid of him.” Smoke nodded. “They should be. He was one of the very first gunfighters. I remember my mentor speaking of him. Can you get me some writing paper, please?”
He sat down at a desk and wrote: Sally, you’d better get up here fast. Among other things, I just inherited a whorehouse. See you soon.
Smoke called for Van Horn, handed him the note and some money and said, “Give this to your most trusted hand and have him ride for the nearest telegraph office. Wait for a reply.”
The old gunfighter read the note and smiled. “Be good for the girl to have a decent woman to associate with. I’ll get a rider out now. You going to stay out here on the place?”
“Yes. I’ll want to see the spread first thing in the morning.”
“I’ll see to your horse.” He turned to go, paused, and looked back. “Preacher done a good job with you, Smoke. I’m right proud to have you here. The girl might stand a chance now.”
Van Horn gone, Smoke said, “Let’s take a look at the books, Jenny. That’s something I hate to do, but it has to be done. Then we can sit down and you can tell me about your mother.”
“I don’t know that much.”
“Whatever you know is more than I do. I’ve only seen her a couple of times since she ran off back in ’64 or ’65.” Smoke smiled. “She tried to have me killed both times.”
Seven
The spread was not a huge, sprawling one, but it was certainly large enough to provide a family with a very good living. The graze ran from ample to lush and the water was plentiful. The cattle were fat and sleek.
“Any problems with rustling?” Smoke asked.
“Once,” Van Horn replied. “I caught two of Biggers no-’count hands usin’ a runnin’ iron
“More than most men think I do. I really have a very good education and understand business. I’ve gone over the books and the ranch is paying its way. I don’t have many cowboys left, not nearly enough to efficiently run the ranch. And no one will come to work for me.”
“I’ll get you hands, Jenny. Don’t worry about that. Do you want to stay out here?”
“Oh, yes. I love it. I’ve had entirely enough of cities.”
“Then here is where you’ll stay. Do you object to my moving in here?”
“Oh, no! Not at all.”
“I’m going to send one of the hands to the nearest telegraph office and get my wife up here pronto.” Smoke smiled. “I’d better let her know that I now own a, ah, house of ill repute.”
Jenny laughed and it was a good laugh, full of life and good humor. “The Golden Cherry Yes. And the Golden Plum, too.”
“What is that? The will only stated that I owned all of Janey’s businesses in town and the ranch.”
“A saloon in town. A very profitable one. I’ve never been inside either establishment. Van Horn won’t let me. He’s the foreman. He’s really a nice man.”
“Do you ride?”
“Oh, yes. But when I came out here I swore I would never again ride sidesaddle. It’s not very comfortable. I’m afraid I shocked some of the so-called good women around here by wearing a split skirt and riding astride.”
‘You and my wife will hit it off, Jenny. You both think very much alike. Can you shoot?”
She shook her head. “I never fired a gun in my life until a few months ago. Van Horn is trying to teach me. But I’m afraid I’m not very good.”
“We’ll work on that.” Smoke rose from the table and walked through the house, and it was a nice home, the rooms large and airy. The place was a bit too feminine for his tastes, but since a woman had owned the ranch,' he didn’t find that unusual.
Smoke paused at a gun rack and took down a double-barreled twenty-gauge shotgun. He checked it and handed it to Jenny. “You practice with this, Jenny. My wife will be here in about a week, and the two of you can target shoot together. Can you trust all your hands?”
“Absolutely. Van Horn ran off those he felt were not loyal. Even the younger men are afraid of him.” Smoke nodded. “They should be. He was one of the very first gunfighters. I remember my mentor speaking of him. Can you get me some writing paper, please?”
He sat down at a desk and wrote: Sally, you’d better get up here fast. Among other things, I just inherited a whorehouse. See you soon.
Smoke called for Van Horn, handed him the note and some money and said, “Give this to your most trusted hand and have him ride for the nearest telegraph office. Wait for a reply.”
The old gunfighter read the note and smiled. “Be good for the girl to have a decent woman to associate with. I’ll get a rider out now. You going to stay out here on the place?”
“Yes. I’ll want to see the spread first thing in the morning.”
“I’ll see to your horse.” He turned to go, paused, and looked back. “Preacher done a good job with you, Smoke. I’m right proud to have you here. The girl might stand a chance now.”
Van Horn gone, Smoke said, “Let’s take a look at the books, Jenny. That’s something I hate to do, but it has to be done. Then we can sit down and you can tell me about your mother.”
“I don’t know that much.”
“Whatever you know is more than I do. I’ve only seen her a couple of times since she ran off back in ’64 or ’65.” Smoke smiled. “She tried to have me killed both times.”
Seven
The spread was not a huge, sprawling one, but it was certainly large enough to provide a family with a very good living. The graze ran from ample to lush and the water was plentiful. The cattle were fat and sleek.
“Any problems with rustling?” Smoke asked.
“Once,” Van Horn replied. “I caught two of Biggers no-’count hands usin’ a runnin’ iron
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