“Yes, every bit of it. He will be a prize for whoever gets him.”
“Do you have any idea how many people will be coming to the auction?” Smoke asked.
“About a hundred, I think.”
“Whoa! A hundred?” Smoke asked in surprise.
“Yes, there is to be a dinner tonight for all who will be at the auction tomorrow.”
“Will they all be bidding on Prince Henry?” Smoke asked.
“Very few will actually bid on Prince Henry. I mean when you think about it, he’s the creme de la creme of the auction and he is probably out of the price range of all but a few. But there will be several other bulls and cows in the auction, and that is what is attracting most of the others who will attend.”
A waiter brought their breakfast then, and it wasn’t until he left the table that Smoke resumed his questioning.
“About how many do you think will be bidding on Prince Henry?” he asked.
Murchison chuckled. “I thought you might ask that,” he said, “so I made some inquiries.” He pulled a piece of paper from his inside jacket pocket and began to read.
“It looks like there will only be about four serious bidders. Miller Smith owns Sky Meadow Ranch. He will be bidding. Smith is pretty stout and will be able to take the bidding up for quite a way. Tucker Phillips, of Backtrail Ranch, will also be bidding. But Phillips only manages Backtrail, he doesn’t actually own it. The owner lives in England, and I’m sure that means Phillips probably has a limit as to how much he can spend.”
Smoke laughed. “We all have a limit as to how much we can spend,” he said.
“Yes, but Mr. Phillips’ limit will be absolute. There will be one other serious bidder there, and he may be the one who will be your biggest competition. His name is Pogue Quentin.”
“Pogue Quentin? I don’t think I know him.”
“He owns the Tumbling Q down at Santa Clara,” Dan said. “From what I can determine, he moved there from Texas about ten years ago. Now he is the biggest rancher in Huereano County.”
“That’s a pretty short time to become such a big rancher. He must have come well heeled.”
“From what I understand, he did arrive with a considerable amount of money and was able to buy some land when it was at a depressed value,” Murchison said. “He’s recently enlarged his holdings by incorporating neighboring ranches, though I don’t know how he did it.”
“Let’s discuss the bull,” Smoke said. “Where is Prince Henry now? Will it be possible for me to see him?”
“Yes. He’s down at the auction barn. They are keeping him in a private stall, separated from the others. By all means, go down and take a look.”
Smoke waited until Sally had finished her nap so she could accompany him when he went down to the sale barn to see Prince Henry.
There were several cows in pens waiting to be sold, but Prince Henry was all alone in a clean and roomy stall. He was eating when Smoke and Sally stepped up to the pen to have a look at him. Prince Henry looked over toward them with only mild interest, then returned to the task at hand—eating.
“Oh,” Sally said. “Isn’t he beautiful?”
“Careful, don’t be too loud with your compliments,” Smoke said. “He’s got a big enough head already.”
Sally laughed. “What do you mean, he has a big enough head?”
“Look at him,” Smoke said. “He knows he is the center of attention. Why, he is positively arrogant.”
“That’s all right, Prince Henry,” Sally said. “You are smart, and you are beautiful. Be arrogant all you want.”
“You are impressed with him, are you?”
“Oh, Smoke, we have to buy him,” Sally said. “We simply must.”
“Ha! And you are the one who was telling me I had to stay within a spending limit.”
“Well, don’t go overboard. But I do want him.”
“I tell you, it’s him,” Stu Sinclair said to his two brothers.
“How do you know it’s him?” Emil replied.
“The son of a bitch hit me right in the face. Do you think I can’t remember someone who hit me right in the face?”
Emil, Stu, and Jason Sinclair were sitting at a table at the Bucket of Blood Saloon. Out of curiosity, Stu had gone down to the auction barn, but returned to tell the others that he had seen Smoke Jensen.
“What would Smoke Jensen be doing here?” Jason asked.
“How the hell do I know?” Stu replied. “All I know is I saw him.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Believe him,” a new voice said. “Smoke Jensen is here.”
The three brothers looked up at the new voice, irritated that a stranger was interrupting their conversation. Then, Emil recognized him.
“You!” he said. “You are the one who—”
