you know what? I still like you, even after being dirty with you.”
He kissed her tenderly, and said, “I like you, too, honey. I just ain’t been down this trail too many times and I don’t know what I’m supposed to say or do.”
“Well, you’ve said we’re still pals, and as to doing, I wish you’d either take that fool thing out of me or move it right some more!”
Longarm laughed and started responding to her mischievous thrusts. In a short while, it didn’t seem all that big a fuss. Roping Sally might have been a late-bloomer, but for a virgin, she caught on quickly.
Longarm was awakened at sunup by the sound of flowers and the smell of birds. The morning breeze was banging sunflower heads against the window over the bed and the chickens in the upwind henhouse stank something awful.
He stretched and the blonde head cupped on his naked shoulder murmured, “Don’t get up, yet. The chores can go hang this morning. I want to hear some more of those facts of life you were jawing about before we went to sleep.”
He scraped a thumbnail through the stubble on his jaw, ran a tongue over his fuzzy teeth, and sighed. “I’ve got to get back to my job, honey. Besides, I’ve told you all I know about the birds and bees and how you gals might keep from getting in a family way.”
She raised her head shyly, stared at him in the wan gray light, and grinned, saying, “I can look you in the eye, anyway. Likely I ain’t ruined after all.”
“I told you it came natural, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but Daddy said folks jeered at ruined womenfolks. We’d best not tell anybody we’ve been screwing, huh?”
“I don’t think we should do it in the streets of Switchback, but between us, we can likely whup anyone who jeers all that much. Why don’t you catch a few more winks? I’ll get something to eat in town before I start asking around about the fellow we shot last night.”
“I am purely tuckered. When will you be coming back this way again? You are fixing to, ain’t you?”
“Well, sure, if you want me to. I’m going to be right busy most of the day, but if I get the chance, tonight-“
“Hot damn! I’ll take a bath, then. You were right about it being nicer with all my clothes off. Maybe I can find some sheets around here somewhere.”
Longarm swung his bare legs out from under the covers and started to dress as Roping Sally watched. When he stood up to pull his tight riding pants up she sighed and said, “Jesus, you’re pretty. Did you get them shoulders roping cows or hugging other gals?”
“Little of both, I suspicion. You’re built nice, too, Sally.”
“I’m in fair shape from hard work and clean living, up to last night, I reckon, but these fool big tits of mine get in the way when I’m wrestling steers to the ground. You sure you weren’t funning when you said you liked ‘em?”
“I kissed ‘em both, didn’t I? Go back to sleep, now. I’ll try to make it back around sundown.”
He finished dressing and went outside. He got the stiff, heavy corpse from the smokehouse and threw it in the wagon bed, tossing a tarp over the late Fats before hitching the mule in its traces. Then he climbed up and drove out across the cattle guard to the road to Switchback in the crisp morning sunlight. Nobody saw him, thank God. He didn’t know what he was going to do about Roping Sally and himself, but at the moment he had other things to worry about.
Chapter 8
Switchback kept early hours, so by the time he’d eaten breakfast near the railroad station, had a shave at the barber shop he found open across the street, and asked some more questions about the railroad, the coroner’s office was open.
The coroner came out to lift a corner of the tarp as he asked, “What are you doing, starting a collection? I can tell you what killed this one without an autopsy. He was hit front and back with bullets. Either round would have been enough.”
“I’m just reporting the killing to you for your county records, Doc. I’ll see that he gets buried. You got the specimens for me to ship to Washington?”
“Canned his liver and kidneys along with the heart and lungs. You can have them any time you like. Are you sending them East on the noon express?”
“Yep. I’ll see about getting the rest of the remains out to the reservation for burial this afternoon. Got another errand to do, first.”
“You want to put this cadaver in my vault for now, or do you feel the need for company?”
“I’d take that kindly, Doc, if it ain’t imposing.”
“It is, some, but you’ll impose on everybody if you leave him out in the hot sun under that tarp much longer. I’ll get my helpers to tote him inside if you want to leave your buckboard parked here for a while.”
Longarm thanked the helpful county official and headed for the land office. He found Agent Chadwick lounging in the open doorway and asked if he could use the federal telegraph line again. Chadwick nodded and led him back to the wire shack as Longarm filled him in on everything but Roping Sally.
Longarm sat at the desk and got to work on the wire. Chadwick, after a time, lost interest and went back out to the front office. It took Longarm over an hour to make all his inquiries and get some answers. When he had finished he got up and went to join the land agent. He found Chadwick just saying good morning to a surly-looking man in range duds. The land agent handed Longarm a cigar and explained, “That was old Pop Wessen. He’s heard about trouble on the reservation and wants to file a homestead claim out there. Got sore when I told him it was a foolish notion.”
“I wanted to ask you about that, Mr. Chadwick. What would happen to all that land if the Blackfoot sort of, well,
