watching out for her though. I can hide real tight when I set my mind to it. I couldn't hide from the screaming, even when I covered my ears with my hands. Then Ghost happened along. I gave him two whole dollars to sit a spell and watch over her.'
'Was Ghost drinking his brew?' Cole asked.
'He ran out three days ago. He's pretty straight now,' Dooley assured him.
Harrison turned to Cole. 'I'm not going after her.'
'I didn't ask you to.'
'I'm still going to get blamed for this, aren't I?'
'Yes, sir, you surely are.' Cole laughed after he answered in just the same way Dooley would have. 'If Mary Rose finds out before I bring Eleanor back, it's got to be your fault.'
'How do you figure that?' Harrison asked.
'It was your plan.'
'Mary Rose might not find out,' Travis suggested from the doorway.
'I acted in good faith,' Harrison argued.
'She'll find out all right,' Douglas predicted. 'She'll get real suspicious in a couple of days if Eleanor doesn't come downstairs. I figure Mary Rose will stay mad at her until around Friday. Then she'll start asking questions.'
'Are you going to leave Eleanor up on the mountain that long?' Harrison asked Cole.
'I don't believe Ghost could take it that long. I might have to add another dollar to keep him from balking. You willing to lend me one, Cole?'
'Sure, Dooley,' Cole agreed.
'Here's your beer, Dooley,' Travis said. He handed the bottle to the man. 'Say, isn't that Ghost coming down the trail?'
Harrison stood up. He accepted the inevitable. He was going to have to fetch Eleanor.
Mary Rose appeared in the doorway. 'Hello, Dooley,' she called out.
'Howdy, Miss Mary,' he called back.
She walked out onto the porch and looked around. 'Has anyone seen Eleanor? I want to have a talk with her.'
Everyone looked at Harrison. He didn't say a word. He sat down again and stared off into the distance.
Travis decided to lie for him. 'She's up in her room. Let her stew for a while.'
'What would she be stewing about?'
Travis couldn't think of anything. Douglas came to his assistance. 'She must know you're angry with her, Mary Rose. She's mean, not stupid. She called Mrs. Morrison a fat cow, and she's got to know you're unhappy about that,' he reasoned.
Harrison turned to look at Mary Rose. She gave him a hard frown.
'Adam, have you had your talk with Harrison yet?' she asked.
'Not yet, Mary Rose.'
'Please see to it. The sooner the better.'
'Talk about what?' Harrison asked her.
She didn't answer him. She turned around and went back inside. She let the screen door slam shut behind her.
Harrison turned to Adam. 'What was that all about?'
'She told on you,' Cole said.
'What?'
'She told Adam about the gunfight,' he explained.
'Don't take offense, Harrison. She's only trying to look out for you,' Douglas said.
Cole stood up. He stretched his shoulders, put the beer bottle down on the railing, and then went down the steps.
'I guess I'll go get Eleanor now. Ghost, why aren't you watching Eleanor?' he called out.
The white-haired man reached the walkway in front of the house and shook his head. 'I couldn't stand it no more. It weren't worth the money. Henry heard all the racket and came looking. I gave him three dollars to sit on her for a while. I ain't never doing you no more favors again, Dooley.'
Cole headed for the barn. ' Harrison, have you ever used a rope before?' he called over his shoulder.
'I showed him how,' Douglas shouted back. 'He's been practicing.'
'We'll go and rope those steers as soon as I get back with Eleanor,' Cole yelled.
Harrison stood up. ' Douglas, you didn't need to lie for me.'
'Go and practice now,' the brother suggested. 'Then it won't be a lie. Come on. I'll show you how it's done.'
' Harrison, you'd better eat something first,' Adam suggested.
He agreed. While Douglas went to get a couple of ropes, he accompanied Adam into the kitchen. They ate at the kitchen table and talked about mundane matters all the while. Mary Rose walked into the kitchen, spotted the two men at the table, and promptly turned around and walked back out.
'Aren't you supposed to talk to me about the gunfight?' Harrison asked. 'I understand Mary Rose told on me.'
He was looking at the doorway and smiling.
'Yes,' Adam agreed. 'My sister thinks you might have deliberately provoked the man into a draw.'
'I did,' Harrison admitted.
He waited for Adam's lecture. The brother didn't say another word. After several minutes of silence passed, Harrison prodded him.
'And?'
'And what?'
'Aren't you going to talk to me about it?'
'I just did.'
Harrison laughed.
Cole, on the other hand, certainly wasn't laughing. Eleanor wasn't cooperating with his plan. The second she spotted him coming toward her, she picked up a good-size rock and threw it at him.
Cole didn't think that was any way for her to treat her savior. She should have been appreciative, not furious.
She sure was a sight to behold. Her cheeks were all flushed and rosy, and her eyes fairly blazed with anger.
'Haven't you figured anything out yet?' he asked her. 'Quit throwing things, damn it.'
He dodged another pebble and nudged his horse closer. Eleanor stood in the center of the trail. She'd walked a good distance. He looked down at her shoes and thought her feet had to be getting blisters.
She didn't seem to care. She limped right past him and continued on toward the rise.
'Where are you going?'
'Back to the ranch to pack my things. I'm going to shoot Harrison because he left me stranded up here, and then I'm going to leave. I'll walk back into town.'
'Mary Rose won't let you shoot Harrison. She's sweet on him.'
'I don't care.'
'No, I guess you don't. You don't care about anyone but yourself.'
He sounded resigned. She turned around and looked up at his face to see if he was just trying to make her angry or if he really believed what he'd just said.
He looked sincere to her. She straightened her shoulders. 'That isn't true. Mary Rose has four strong brothers to look out for her. I don't have anyone. I have to watch out for myself.'
'You're the most self-consumed creature I've ever met.'
She burst into tears. They weren't forced. She hurt everywhere, and now he was deliberately injuring her pride. It was all she had left. She couldn't cling to it any longer though.
'I've had a difficult life,' she cried out.
'Who hasn't?'
