long past sundown. Mabel’s gonna mosey over, sort of drunk-like, with a bottle. If you meet her and she offers you a drink, don’t take it. Mabel’s still pissed off at you for the way you spoke to her in Bitter Creek.”
“So she gives them knockout drops, we unlock the door and slip the prisoner out quiet, leaving the necktie party to discover things ain’t as they seem, long after the four of us are gone. Yep, it’s a good plan.”
“We’d best split up and meet later, then. Part of our plan is that you and me ain’t been all that friendly. I’ll give you the high sign after supper and we’ll move in around… when, nine o’clock?”
“Sounds about right. Summer sun’ll be down about eight. Gives us an hour of dark to spring the prisoner, maybe two, three ‘fore they come for him and all hell breaks loose. I’ll see you at supper, Cedric. My regards to the misses.”
“You fun like that in front of Mabel and it can cost you, Longarm. I’m used to being hoorahed. Used to having a woman with round heels, too. But she can be a caution when she’s riled at you, and you’ve riled her enough already, hear?”
Longarm looked down at the little man, catching the hurt in his eyes before he hid it behind his big cigar. Longarm said, “What I said was said without thinking and without double-meaning, Mister Hanks. Whatever you and your woman have between you ain’t my business and I’d take it neighborly if we could forget what happened the other night in Bitter Creek. What I done, I done because I was a man and a man takes what’s offered. Had I known she was your wife, I wouldn’t have. Now that I know she is, I never aim to again.”
“Jesus, Longarm, are you apologizing to me?”
“I am, if you think you got one coming.”
The midget suddenly seemed to choke on his cigar, grinned, and held out a little hand, saying, “By God, pardner! Put ‘er there!”
Supper took what seemed a million years, complicated by the terrible cooking of the Stover women and the fact that one of them, at least, was probably planning to crawl into bed with him as soon as she dared. Longarm watched both the mother and daughter for some sign, but neither one met his gaze, and he felt less guilty about what had happened. He’d likely never know wich of them it had been, but whichever, she was not only a great lay but damned good at her little game. He wondered how many other times it had happened, and how, if it was the daughter, she kept from getting in a family way. He’d decided she must know about such matters. But, try as he would, he couldn’t puzzle out her identity. They both had the same lean figures and onion head. The one he’d been with had been experienced as hell, but that didn’t prove it was the mother. The daughter was no spring chicken, either, and if she’d done it before, she’d had more practice than most spinsters who looked like poor plain sparrows. He hoped she’d know how to take care of herself, though, because anything he’d fathered with either one figured to be one ugly little bastard!
There was little table conversation as outside, from time to time, a gun went off or some cowhands tore by at a dead run, whooping like Indians. Neither the midget nor his wife looked up when Captain Walthers sighed and asked, “How long do you imagine they’ll carry on like that? You’d think they’d never had a funeral here before!”
Longarm waited until Cedric excused himself from the table and made as if to go outside to answer a call of nature. Longarm followed at a discreet distance, and on the veranda, Cedric slipped him the key, saying, “Mind you wait for Mabel to get them ass-over-teakettle. I’ll move the buckboard out along the trail a mile or so and wait. Mabel gives ‘em the bottle and lights out to join me. Give ‘em fifteen minutes to pass out before you do anything dumb. You figure on running for it or riding him out?”
“I’ll play my tune by ear. Might be riding double, ‘less I can steal a mount for Younger.”
“All right. You won’t see us. We’ll be hid. I’ll watch the trail and whistle you in. See you… when? Nine- fifteen?”
“Give us till nine-thirty before you know I failed. If we don’t make it, you and the lady just come back from your ride as if nothing happened. I might need help or I might be dead. I’ll expect you to do what you have to, either way.”
“I told Mabel you apologized. She says she ain’t mad at you no more.”
Longarm left the midget and went to his room. He gathered his possessions and threw them out the window to the narrow space between the hotel and the livery shed. Then he locked the door from the inside, climbed out the window, and picked up his belongings before moving quietly to the horses.
His bay nickered a greeting and Longarm put a hand over its muzzle to quiet it. He saddled and bridled the bay and was about to lead it out when something whispering endearments plastered itself against him. He steadied the thin woman in his arms and whispered, “I’m going out for a little ride, honey. Meet me later in my room.”
“Just once! Just do it once right now. I want! I need!”
“Honey, the whole damn place is up and about! Have you gone crazy?”
“Yes, crazy for your pretty thing inside me! Please darling, I have to have it or I’ll scream!”
Longarm considered knocking her out, but it didn’t seem too gallant and, besides, he couldn’t see her tiny jaw to hit it. She was fumbling at his fly, now, whimpering like a bitch in heat. He could feel that she wore nothing under the cotton dress. He could tell she was going out of her fool head, too!
Muttering, he led her into a stall and pressed her against the rough boards, letting her fish his half-erect penis from his fly as he loved her up and kissed her to shut her fool mouth. He had to brace his hands against the planks, but she was equal to the occasion, raising her hem with one hand as she played with him with the other.
He was a tall man and she was short and standing up could be the hard way but she must have done it this way before, too, for she raised one leg, caught him around the waist with amazing skill, and literally lifted herself into position, throwing the other leg around him as he slid into her conveniently positioned hungry moistness.
“Keerist!” He marveled as she settled her lean thighs on his hip bones. She moaned with lust as she gyrated wildly with her tailbone against the rough planks. Longarm moved his feet back, swore when he felt he’d stepped on a horse turd, and started pounding as hard as he dared without knocking down the stall. He managed to
