returning to the camp. Swinging down from his horse, Pearlie gave the reins of his horse to Jules, then walked over to give the report to Smoke.
“We got a good count, Smoke,” Pearlie said. “We’ve still got a little over twenty-nine hundred. That means that on this whole drive, we’ve lost less than a hundred cows.”
“And four good men,” Smoke added, looking at the side-by-side graves where Hank and Andy lay buried. He was referring also to Dooley and LeRoy, who were buried on the trail behind them.
“Yeah,” Pearlie agreed. “They were four good men, all right.”
“I’d trade every cow in the herd for them,” Smoke said.
“Things like this happen, Smoke,” Pearlie said. “You know this better’n anyone.”
“Yeah, I know,” Smoke said as he stroked his jaw. “Things like this happen.”
Smoke walked over to the fire and poured himself a cup of coffee. He had just taken a swallow when Sally came up to him with her own cup. Seeing her, Smoke reached for the pot and poured her a cup as well.
“Are you all right?” Sally asked.
“I wish you hadn’t come,” Smoke said, making no reference to Sally’s comment.
“Why?”
Smoke sighed. “A lot has happened.”
“Smoke, I’m not made of sugar and spice and everything nice,” she said, quoting the old nursery rhyme.
Smoke chuckled. “Well, I’ll second the ‘you aren’t very nice’ part,” he said.
“What? Why, Smoke Jensen!” Sally gasped. “Are you saying I’m not nice?”
“No, I’m just saying that, sometimes, you can be a little difficult.”
Sally made as if to throw her coffee on him. “Why, if I weren’t nice, I’d throw this scalding cup on you right now,” she said, laughing.
“Nah, that’s not what’s stopping you,” Smoke said, laughing with her. “You just don’t want to waste the coffee, that’s all.”
“You found me out,” Sally teased, laughing some more. “You didn’t answer me,” she added.
“What was the question?”
“I asked if you were all right.”
“Yeah,” Smoke replied. “Yeah, I’m all right.”
“It was good to see the two of you laughing a moment ago,” Cal said, coming up to them then.
“Why do you say that?” Smoke asked.
“No reason in particular,” Cal said. “It’s just that some of the boys was beginnin’ to think that you was so upset over losin’ Hank and LeRoy, and Andy and Dooley, that you wouldn’t be able to keep goin’.”
“Do the others want to turn back?” Smoke asked.
Cal shook his head. “No, sir, not a one of us wants to turn back,” he said. “We started out on this here journey, and we aim to see to it that you get your cows through.”
“Four good men lost their lives to get the cows this far,” Smoke said.
“Yes, but think about it, Smoke. If we don’t’ go on, then those boys died for nothin’. Besides, it’s farther to go back now than it is to go on ahead. Looks to me like we got no choice.”
Smoke nodded. “That’s true,” he said. He sighed. “We’ve got no choice. Tell the boys to get a good day’s rest. We’re going on ahead tomorrow.”
Cal smiled broadly. “Yes, sir!” he said. “I’ll tell ’em just that.”
Sally looked up at Smoke after Cal left. “What was that all about?” she asked.
“What was what all about?”
“You weren’t about to turn back.”
“No, I wasn’t,” Smoke said. “But this way, the men think they have talked me into it. And sometimes it’s good to let a man think he is controlling his own destiny, even if he isn’t.”
Trent Williams looked up from his desk when Gilbert stepped into his office.
“Mr. Williams there is a—gentleman—here to see you,” the teller said. The way he set the word “gentleman” apart from the rest of the sentence indicated that he believed the man was anything but a gentleman.
“Who is it?” Williams asked.
“I don’t know, sir,” Gilbert replied. “He didn’t give his name, but he said that it had to do with some—cow— business. He said you would understand.”
“Cow business?” Williams thought for a moment, then realized what it must be. “Very well, show him in.”
Williams leaned back in his chair waiting, expecting to see Will Staley come through the door.
It wasn’t Staley.
“Who are you?” Williams asked.
“The name is Cord. Trace Cord,” the man said.
