“I hope I didn’t get you upset none by me puttin’ him in jail.”
“When I get upset with you, Dawson, you’ll know it,” Quentin said.
“Wilson,” Dawson said to his deputy.
“Yes, sir?”
“Go back and let Billy Ray out of his cell.”
Quentin walked over to the wall and stared at the wanted posters for a moment as he waited for his son to be brought out to him.
“What you should be doin’ is lookin’ out for people like this, instead of wastin’ your time puttin’ my son in jail,” Quentin said. He leaned over to examine two of the posters more closely. “I’ll be damn,” he said. “No wonder he had enough money to bid against me.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“These two men here, Jason and Stu Sinclair. It says here there was a five-hundred-dollar reward on each of them.”
“Yes, sir, there still is.”
Quentin shook his head. “Not anymore there isn’t,” he said. “That’s how come Jensen was able to go as high in the bid as he did. He had that reward money.”
“Are you saying someone has collected the reward on those two?”
“Yeah. Them two got themselves killed by Smoke Jensen.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it happened back in Colorado Springs while I was there,” Quentin said.
At that moment, Deputy Wilson brought Quentin’s son out.
“What the hell, Billy Ray. Can’t you stay out of trouble?” Quentin asked.
“Them boots didn’t fit, Pa,” Billy Ray said. “I paid good money to have him make ’em special, and when I tried ’em on, they was too little.”
“That didn’t give you cause to tear up his place. It’s going to cost me a couple hundred dollars just to make things right.”
“He should’a made the boots the right size.”
“Where’s your horse?” Quentin asked.
“I don’t know. Last I seen of him, he was tied up in front of the New York Saloon.”
“He’s in the stable out behind the jail,” Marshal Dawson suggested.
“Come on, let’s get your horse and get back to the ranch.”
Chapter Eleven
It was dark when the train pulled into Big Rock, but Cal was at the depot to meet them.
“Look at him, Cal,” Sally said as Prince Henry was led down from the private cattle car. “Have you ever seen a more magnificent-looking animal?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t reckon I have,” Cal answered.
“And here I thought you came down to the depot to meet us,” Smoke said. “Little did I know you were just here just to meet Prince Henry.”
“Well, I came to meet you two also,” Cal said.
“Also?”
“Uh, well, I don’t mean nothin’ by that. You know what I think of you an’ Miss Sally.”
“For heaven’s sake, Smoke, quit teasing him,” Sally said.
“That’s all right, Miss Sally, I know’d, uh, I knew he was just teasin’. Say, don’t you wish Pearlie was here? He’s been after you to buy a champion bull for nearly a year now.”
“I think he would approve,” Smoke said.
“Do you think Pearlie will come back?” Cal asked.
“I’m sure he will,” Sally said.
“He’s the best friend I ever had,” Cal added.
“You loaned him your silver hatband, didn’t you?” Sally asked.
“I sure did.”
“Well, when a friend borrows something from another friend, don’t you think he will bring it back? Especially if you are best friends?”
Cal smiled. “Yes, ma’am, I expect you are right about that. But I don’t mind tellin’ you, I sure do miss him.”
