The Mavericks by Leigh Greenwood Page A

in, and enough clothes to keep warm at night.”
    â€œJosie’s not going anywhere by herself,” Suzette said, her attitude a mixture of frustration, irritation, and amusement.
    â€œShe said she was.”
    â€œJosie’s got a real problem with men, especially with men telling her what to do. Sometimes it makes her say things she doesn’t mean. And even when she doesmean what she says,” Suzette continued when Josie tried to interrupt, “she can’t always do it. Hitch up the mules. We’ll be ready when you are.”
    Disgusted with himself for feeling relieved, Zeke headed off to get the mules, grinning at the lecture Suzette was giving Josie. Suzette was making no attempt to keep her voice down, and Josie made even less. Zeke found himself thinking that being paired off with Josie would be like being penned up with a bobcat. She’d be untamable, and he’d be clawed to death. What was it that caused some men to fall for the one woman who was the worst possible choice for them?
    â€œCome on,” he said to the mules as he pulled up their pickets. “Time for all of us to get to work.” The animals looked healthy and reasonably goodtempered. Someone had known enough to buy a big, strong pair for the difficult journey. The mules were reluctant to stop grazing but didn’t balk when he led them to the river. They waded in until they were fetlock-deep and sank their muzzles into the cold, clear water.
    â€œDon’t drink too much,” Zeke said, pulling the mules from the river before they’d drunk their fill. “I don’t want you to founder.”
    When he reached the wagon, Suzette was putting away everything they’d used to fix breakfast. Josie was out of sight. “You two got everything straight?” Zeke asked.
    â€œI wish you’d stop trying to rub Josie the wrong way.” Suzette paused in what she was doing and looked up at Zeke with eyes that showed as much compassion as impatience. “You must know she has a temper.”
    â€œI hadn’t noticed,” Zeke said with only mild sarcasm.
    Suzette’s lips twisted in a grin, but the look in her eyes didn’t change. “We’re all upset about being driven out of town. It’s not pleasant being portrayed as immoral women, especially when the
really
immoral women are still there. They couldn’t get rid of the women they wanted to drive out of town—the men wouldn’t let them—so they settled for us as substitutes.”
    â€œAre you surprised by that kind of hypocrisy?”
    â€œNo, but it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach. I imagine you know something about that.”
    â€œA little.”
    Zeke backed the mules into position so he could begin harnessing them to the wagon. He didn’t want to talk about himself. He’d learned through bitter experience that some things couldn’t be changed. You either learned to put up with them, you got out of the way, or you drove yourself crazy trying to fight battles that couldn’t be won. He and Hawk had decided to get out of the way.
    He fitted the collars around the mules, then threw the harness over their backs.
    â€œDo you need some help?”
    Zeke looked up, surprised to see Josie. He stifled his initial impulse to tell her he could handle the job on his own. Considering what she’d said a few minutes ago, this seemed like an attempt to apologize.
    â€œYou can hold their heads while I hook everything up,” he said. “They don’t seem especially anxious to go to work this morning.”
    Zeke took his time. He made sure the harness was in good shape and nothing was loose or worn, that thecollars were riding properly on the mules’ shoulders and not rubbing any places raw. Despite his deliberate slowness, it seemed Josie wasn’t going to say anything. He picked up the reins and tied them to the brake. “Is everybody