“Well,” Carl said, “if you throw a good apple in a barrel of bad, it’ll turn rotten too. What I hear is that the good people of Bodie are about ready to do Marshal Kane in, one way or the other.”
“I’d better head out for Bodie first thing in the morning,” Longarm said. “Carl, when is the next eastbound train leaving?”
“Next Monday at three in the afternoon. The train after that leaves a week from today, same as always.”
“I’ll need at least a full week to ‘unofficially’ wrap this up,” Longarm said.
“I’m coming with you,” Megan announced.
“No,” Longarm said, “your father needs you here.”
“The next house down from us is owned by an old widow woman named Mrs. Appleton. She’ll look in on Father and feed him better than I could. He’ll be happy because he has sort of taken a shine to her since he found out she’s got a lot of money in the bank.”
“What would your father do with the money if-“
“I don’t know,” Megan interrupted. “He can’t take it with him. But anyway, I’m coming.”
“That’s okay with me as long as it’s okay with your father. I sure don’t want Wild Bill after my hide. I’m going to have enough trouble in Bodie.”
“You want your baggage now?” Carl asked.
“That’d be good,” Longarm said.
In a few minutes, he had his baggage and they were trudging back down Virginia Street.
“Where are you going to stay tonight?” she asked a little shyly.
“How about at your place, Megan?”
“Sure,” she agreed. “I’ll pitch some fresh straw in a stall and you’ll be plenty comfortable.”
“That’s not exactly what I had in mind,” he told her.
“I know, but we can talk about that on the way to Bodie.”
Longarm grinned. “At least now I’ll have something to look forward to.”
Megan shot him a look that held a lot of promise, and she hugged his arm. Boy, Longarm thought, what I wouldn’t give to have this lusty virgin in the hay tonight!
Chapter 4
Early the next morning, Longarm, still half asleep and covered with wisps of straw, was awakened by Megan, who stood before him looking bright-eyed and holding a cup of steaming-hot coffee.
“Rise and shine, Marshal Long!” she said, kneeling down beside him and extending the cup.
Longarm raised one droopy eyelid and glared at her. He could see but a faint light shafting through the rafters of the barn. “What time is it?”
“Five-thirty,” Megan announced.
Longarm moaned. “What’s the big hurry?”
“It’s better than a hundred miles to Bodie, and some of it is pretty rough traveling. We need to get a move on if we’re going to get into California by tonight.”
“I take it you’ve some pretty decent saddle horses?”
“About a thousand times better than the one you rented yesterday,” she replied. “I love all horses, but I only own horses of quality.”
“All right,” Longarm said, taking a sip of the coffee. “Why don’t you go along and I’ll come up to the house in a few minutes after I’ve sort of gathered my wits.”
“That’s fine. Father and I have been up for an hour and he’s got breakfast about ready.”
“You people are really something. By the way, what did Old Wild Bill say when you told him that you were planning to accompany me to Bodie?”
Megan squatted down on her boot heels. She looked young and eager and prettier than any woman had a right to be at this awful hour in the morning. Right now, however, her blue eyes reflected worry.
“Well, my father wasn’t too happy about the idea,” Megan admitted with a sigh of resignation. “In fact, when I woke him up this morning and told him that I was leaving with you, he was pretty damned mad.”
“I’ll bet.” Longarm blew steam from the coffee. It was almost scalding hot. “And now he’s going to be mad at me because he’ll think it was all my idea.”
“No he won’t,” Megan said quickly. “I made it clear that the whole thing was my idea. I told him that there were some horses in Bodie that needed breaking and that could perhaps be bought and resold at a hefty profit.”
Longarm had been about to take another sip, but now he stopped, cup frozen near his lips. “You told him that you were going along with me to break and perhaps buy some Bodie horses?”
“Sure.”
“But that’s a damn lie.”
“Maybe not. I do buy problem horses, straighten them out, and resell them for a profit. Besides, look at it this way, Custis. It’s far better for me to lie than to have him charge out here and maybe beat you half to death with a singletree. Wouldn’t you agree?”
