anybody, Denny.”
That just made Denny cry harder. Cord patted him on the back, which was as wide and sturdy as a stone wall.
“Hey, young fella!” one of the spectators called. “You forgot about your money.”
Cord looked back, evidently confused. “Money? Oh!” His expression cleared. “The bets.”
“Yeah.” The man stepped forward and crammed some greenbacks in Cord’s hand. “I don’t welsh on my bets. That brother o’ yours got damned lucky when he landed that punch, but that don’t matter. He still won, so I’m payin’ off.”
“Me, too,” another man said. One by one, all the members of the crowd who had bet against Denny gathered around Cord and handed money to him.
“I feel bad about taking this,” Cord protested. “Like that fella said, Denny just got lucky. I never dreamed he’d win. The only reason I backed him was family pride, you know. A man can’t bet against his own brother.”
“No, sir, he sure can’t,” one of the men agreed. “You should take that brother of yours and get him a good meal. Maybe some licorice candy. That’ll make him feel better.”
“You know, I think it just might,” Cord said. “Thank you.”
One of the spectators nudged another and said, “Let’s drag Owen over to the water trough and dunk his head. That ought to wake him up.”
“Yeah,” agreed the other man. He turned to Cord and Denny. “Mister, you and your brother best get on out of here. Owen ain’t gonna be happy when he wakes up. He can be a real son of a bitch when he’s mad.”
“Just like an old grizzly bear,” another man said.
Cord nodded. “Thanks. We’ll do that. Come on, Denny.”
He led Denny down the street, away from the docks. Still seated on the Ovaro at the edge of the crowd, Fargo watched them go.
Then, after a moment, he walked the stallion after them.
Cord and Denny turned a corner, and as soon as they were out of sight of the docks, Cord tugged on his brother’s sleeve and started moving faster. Fargo trailed them until they reached a run-down saloon several blocks from the waterfront. They went inside.
Fargo started to turn and ride away, but his curiosity got the better of him. He swung down from the saddle, looped the Ovaro’s reins around the hitch rail in front of the saloon, and followed the two youngsters inside. . . .
