can’t tell a broken-down livery animal from a McMurray-bred?”
“I’ m thinking that one day I might marry a woman like one of the McMurray girls. I’ve been saving my money; who knows, I might even buy a ranch. A small one, of course, nothing like this one. If I’m ever to get a word in at dinner, I’ve got to talk about horses, and I can’t do that without knowing something.”
“So you want to follow me and ask questions?” She stepped across a stream and stopped to let her horse have a drink. “What’s in it for me?”
Lewt thought a second. “I’ll pay you for your time. Fifty dollars if you’ll help me.”
“Help you marry the girls?”
“No, help me learn about horses. Let me ride out with you every morning and answer my questions. That’s all. I’ll take care of getting one of the Misses McMurray to fall in love with me.” He almost laughed at his own boldness, but it felt good to tell someone of his hopes. “It shouldn’t be all that hard. My competition is a boy and a bore.”
M laughed. “Which one of the girls you planning on walking down the aisle?”
Lewt shrugged. He could tell she thought him a joke and was probably just amusing herself. He felt like a barn mouse being batted around by a cat. “It doesn’t matter who I marry. Will you help me?”
“All right, on one condition. You help me work the stock, not just watch. If I have to stop and answer questions, you’ll need to make sure I don’t get behind in my work.”
He couldn’t tell if she was being honest or just wanted to torture him for a while. “Fair enough. Where do we start?”
“We ride,” she said swinging back into the saddle.
While he stood admiring the way her trousers tightened over her body, she took off at a full gallop.
He forced his already stiffening muscles to work as he climbed on his horse and tried to catch her. This was more the reality of his life. Here he was, chasing after a woman who wanted to torture him. Courting one of the McMurray girls was a long shot. Even staying alive till dark looked like a gamble.
CHAPTER 7
The Rio Grande
A FTER STRUGGLING TO GET A FEW HORSES UP THE bluff near the water, McNelly ordered the men to move in on foot. The Las Cuevas Ranch was only three miles from the river, and they needed the cover of night more than they’d need horses.
Duncan was tired, but excitement pumped in his blood like the pounding of war drums. He believed all the way to his bones that he was doing something that would make life safer for Texans, and if he lived the day, he’d have a grand story to tell. Only attacking on foot had its problems. How could they herd the cattle if the raiders turned them over? Or, if the rangers ran into Juan Flores, who was said to have two hundred men who stayed at his ranch, how could the rangers retreat? But logic and determination rarely held hands in the captain’s mind. He saw the fight coming, and all other parts of the plan didn’t seem to matter.
They moved over the land like shadows, silencing sentries before the men could fire a warning. Almost within sight of the ranch, they encountered a group of Flores’s men, maybe thirty or forty, well armed and on horseback.
The rangers spread out and stood ground, waiting for orders. Duncan knew if the rangers ran, they’d be cut down before they could reach the river. Their only chance was to stand and fight. McNelly marched them to within a hundred yards of the outlaws before he shouted orders demanding a quick retreat.
While the rangers took cover, the outlaws hesitated, suspecting an ambush. It must have looked obvious that only a few rangers had come forward, hoping to have the outlaws chase them. Just beyond they figured McNelly’s full force waited.
As the cattle rustlers tried to decide whether to follow, the rangers took cover and began to fire.
Duncan laughed as the outlaws ran, thinking there were far more rangers than thirty.
When the shooting stopped, Duncan leaned
“I’ m thinking that one day I might marry a woman like one of the McMurray girls. I’ve been saving my money; who knows, I might even buy a ranch. A small one, of course, nothing like this one. If I’m ever to get a word in at dinner, I’ve got to talk about horses, and I can’t do that without knowing something.”
“So you want to follow me and ask questions?” She stepped across a stream and stopped to let her horse have a drink. “What’s in it for me?”
Lewt thought a second. “I’ll pay you for your time. Fifty dollars if you’ll help me.”
“Help you marry the girls?”
“No, help me learn about horses. Let me ride out with you every morning and answer my questions. That’s all. I’ll take care of getting one of the Misses McMurray to fall in love with me.” He almost laughed at his own boldness, but it felt good to tell someone of his hopes. “It shouldn’t be all that hard. My competition is a boy and a bore.”
M laughed. “Which one of the girls you planning on walking down the aisle?”
Lewt shrugged. He could tell she thought him a joke and was probably just amusing herself. He felt like a barn mouse being batted around by a cat. “It doesn’t matter who I marry. Will you help me?”
“All right, on one condition. You help me work the stock, not just watch. If I have to stop and answer questions, you’ll need to make sure I don’t get behind in my work.”
He couldn’t tell if she was being honest or just wanted to torture him for a while. “Fair enough. Where do we start?”
“We ride,” she said swinging back into the saddle.
While he stood admiring the way her trousers tightened over her body, she took off at a full gallop.
He forced his already stiffening muscles to work as he climbed on his horse and tried to catch her. This was more the reality of his life. Here he was, chasing after a woman who wanted to torture him. Courting one of the McMurray girls was a long shot. Even staying alive till dark looked like a gamble.
CHAPTER 7
The Rio Grande
A FTER STRUGGLING TO GET A FEW HORSES UP THE bluff near the water, McNelly ordered the men to move in on foot. The Las Cuevas Ranch was only three miles from the river, and they needed the cover of night more than they’d need horses.
Duncan was tired, but excitement pumped in his blood like the pounding of war drums. He believed all the way to his bones that he was doing something that would make life safer for Texans, and if he lived the day, he’d have a grand story to tell. Only attacking on foot had its problems. How could they herd the cattle if the raiders turned them over? Or, if the rangers ran into Juan Flores, who was said to have two hundred men who stayed at his ranch, how could the rangers retreat? But logic and determination rarely held hands in the captain’s mind. He saw the fight coming, and all other parts of the plan didn’t seem to matter.
They moved over the land like shadows, silencing sentries before the men could fire a warning. Almost within sight of the ranch, they encountered a group of Flores’s men, maybe thirty or forty, well armed and on horseback.
The rangers spread out and stood ground, waiting for orders. Duncan knew if the rangers ran, they’d be cut down before they could reach the river. Their only chance was to stand and fight. McNelly marched them to within a hundred yards of the outlaws before he shouted orders demanding a quick retreat.
While the rangers took cover, the outlaws hesitated, suspecting an ambush. It must have looked obvious that only a few rangers had come forward, hoping to have the outlaws chase them. Just beyond they figured McNelly’s full force waited.
As the cattle rustlers tried to decide whether to follow, the rangers took cover and began to fire.
Duncan laughed as the outlaws ran, thinking there were far more rangers than thirty.
When the shooting stopped, Duncan leaned
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