Like a woman in red satin and black knickers.’ He twisted slowly in the saddle trying to stretch the stiffness from his back. ‘Sure ’preciate it if I could step down and water my horse.’
‘Help yourself.’ Gabriel watched as the little gunfighter dismounted. He did it in one slow fluid movement, making sure his hands were always near his guns, and led his horse to the trough.
‘That’s a fine lookin’ grullo,’ Gabriel said as the leggy, mouse-colored dun buried its muzzle in the water.
‘Won it from a fella in a cantina in Alamogordo. Bluffed him into foldin’ with just one deuce showin’.’
‘Still playin’ stud then?’
‘Every chance I get. You?’
‘Not so much.’
‘Bein’ on the run’ll do that to a fella.’ Latigo laughed mirthlessly. Then removing his hat, he slapped the trail dust from it against his leathers, dipped it into the trough and poured water over his head. ‘I was due for a new pony, anyway. My roan was all wore out.’
He drank from his cupped hands, ran his dripping fingers through his curly fair hair and dried them off on his denim shirt. Then sitting beside Gabriel, he took out the makings and rolled himself a smoke.
‘Any time you feel like it,’ he said, scratching a match on his thumbnail, ‘you can tell them two women it’s safe to come out now.’
Gabriel looked at the grullo and noticed the tip of a brass nautical spyglass poking out of the saddle-bags. ‘They’re doin’ fine where they are. ’Sides, you ain’t gonna be here that long.’
Latigo grinned wryly. ‘No. Didn’t think I would be.’ His eyes, yellow as firelight, settled on Gabriel for an instant and in that instant Gabriel felt a cold chill run up his spine. It wasn’t fear, he knew; just an instinct warning him never to draw on this man unless he had an edge.
Rising, Latigo lazily stepped into the saddle and backed the grullo up without his eyes ever leaving Gabriel. ‘Thanks for the water, amigo .’
Gabriel nodded, ready to slap leather if Latigo even looked like he was going to draw.
But the little shootist made no attempt to go for his gun. Instead, once he was a few yards away he reined up, leaned on his saddle horn and gave Gabriel a cold smile.
‘If you ever get a hankerin’ to put distance ’tween you and here, look me up in California. I’ll be up north in Old Calico. Could be I’ll need someone like you.’
‘To do what?’
‘Watch my back. Man I’m gonna work for says the last two guns he hired were dry-gulched.’
‘I’ll think on it, Lefty.’
Latigo chuckled. ‘Been a spell since anyone called me that. Adios!’ He wheeled the grullo around and dug his spurs in, launching the startled horse into a gallop.
Gabriel breathed easier and signaled to the cabin. The curtains stirred and moments later Ingrid and Raven came out.
‘What did he want?’ Raven asked.
‘Was he after you?’ Ingrid added.
‘Hard to tell,’ Gabriel said. ‘Claimed he’s on his way to work for some fella in Old Calico, but—’
‘Old Calico?’ Ingrid said, surprised.
‘You’ve heard of it?’
‘That’s where my stepbrother lives. It’s a small town in the gold country near Placerville. What a coincidence.’
‘Maybe he’s gonna work for Uncle Reece?’ Raven said.
‘Don’t be silly. What use would he have for a shootist?’ She turned back to Gabriel. ‘How would this Latigo know you’re here? No one else does.’
‘Don’t figure he did. Not at first. But he’s got one of them fancy sea-captain’s spyglasses so he might’ve seen me from way off on that butte an’ decided to get a closer look. By now Stadtlander must’ve put a reward out for me, an’ Latigo, he was born with a nose for blood money.’
‘Does that mean he’ll be back?’
‘I doubt it,’ Gabriel said. ‘Latigo plays life like he plays poker – bluffing losers. Now that he’s seen I’m not all shot up like maybe he heard, he’s most likely to use that Sharps of his to
‘Help yourself.’ Gabriel watched as the little gunfighter dismounted. He did it in one slow fluid movement, making sure his hands were always near his guns, and led his horse to the trough.
‘That’s a fine lookin’ grullo,’ Gabriel said as the leggy, mouse-colored dun buried its muzzle in the water.
‘Won it from a fella in a cantina in Alamogordo. Bluffed him into foldin’ with just one deuce showin’.’
‘Still playin’ stud then?’
‘Every chance I get. You?’
‘Not so much.’
‘Bein’ on the run’ll do that to a fella.’ Latigo laughed mirthlessly. Then removing his hat, he slapped the trail dust from it against his leathers, dipped it into the trough and poured water over his head. ‘I was due for a new pony, anyway. My roan was all wore out.’
He drank from his cupped hands, ran his dripping fingers through his curly fair hair and dried them off on his denim shirt. Then sitting beside Gabriel, he took out the makings and rolled himself a smoke.
‘Any time you feel like it,’ he said, scratching a match on his thumbnail, ‘you can tell them two women it’s safe to come out now.’
Gabriel looked at the grullo and noticed the tip of a brass nautical spyglass poking out of the saddle-bags. ‘They’re doin’ fine where they are. ’Sides, you ain’t gonna be here that long.’
Latigo grinned wryly. ‘No. Didn’t think I would be.’ His eyes, yellow as firelight, settled on Gabriel for an instant and in that instant Gabriel felt a cold chill run up his spine. It wasn’t fear, he knew; just an instinct warning him never to draw on this man unless he had an edge.
Rising, Latigo lazily stepped into the saddle and backed the grullo up without his eyes ever leaving Gabriel. ‘Thanks for the water, amigo .’
Gabriel nodded, ready to slap leather if Latigo even looked like he was going to draw.
But the little shootist made no attempt to go for his gun. Instead, once he was a few yards away he reined up, leaned on his saddle horn and gave Gabriel a cold smile.
‘If you ever get a hankerin’ to put distance ’tween you and here, look me up in California. I’ll be up north in Old Calico. Could be I’ll need someone like you.’
‘To do what?’
‘Watch my back. Man I’m gonna work for says the last two guns he hired were dry-gulched.’
‘I’ll think on it, Lefty.’
Latigo chuckled. ‘Been a spell since anyone called me that. Adios!’ He wheeled the grullo around and dug his spurs in, launching the startled horse into a gallop.
Gabriel breathed easier and signaled to the cabin. The curtains stirred and moments later Ingrid and Raven came out.
‘What did he want?’ Raven asked.
‘Was he after you?’ Ingrid added.
‘Hard to tell,’ Gabriel said. ‘Claimed he’s on his way to work for some fella in Old Calico, but—’
‘Old Calico?’ Ingrid said, surprised.
‘You’ve heard of it?’
‘That’s where my stepbrother lives. It’s a small town in the gold country near Placerville. What a coincidence.’
‘Maybe he’s gonna work for Uncle Reece?’ Raven said.
‘Don’t be silly. What use would he have for a shootist?’ She turned back to Gabriel. ‘How would this Latigo know you’re here? No one else does.’
‘Don’t figure he did. Not at first. But he’s got one of them fancy sea-captain’s spyglasses so he might’ve seen me from way off on that butte an’ decided to get a closer look. By now Stadtlander must’ve put a reward out for me, an’ Latigo, he was born with a nose for blood money.’
‘Does that mean he’ll be back?’
‘I doubt it,’ Gabriel said. ‘Latigo plays life like he plays poker – bluffing losers. Now that he’s seen I’m not all shot up like maybe he heard, he’s most likely to use that Sharps of his to
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