Blood Bond 3 (26 page)

Mister Dale sugared and creamed his coffee. He sipped and added more sugar. “Two ranchers passing through,” he said softly. He shook his head. “We all make mistakes. Why did you go into the Plowshare instead of the Red Dog?”

“The Red Dog looked full,” Matt said. “We chose the quieter saloon.”

Mister Dale chuckled. “Things are tense here, gentlemen. My apologies for the behavior of Hugo's boys, and for my ordering you out of this hotel. Stay as long as you like.” He tapped one sack of gold. “I'd bank that money, boys. That's a tidy sum to be carrying around.”

“We might do that,” Sam told him.

The mayor stood up. “Smith and Jones,” he muttered. “Why not?”

He walked out of the dining room.

Bodine and Sam looked at each other and grinned.

Hugo brought every hand he could spare into town. They made quite a show of it and succeeded in raising a dustcloud that a tornado would have been hard-pressed to match.

Mister Dale met the rancher on the boardwalk in front of the Red Dog and briefly explained the situation.

Hugo Raner shook his big head. Everything about Hugo was big. He was a bear of a man. “That don't make a damn to me, Dale,” he said. “I aim to see those two horsewhipped. Now get out of my way.”

“Just calm down a second,” Mister Dale said. “And think about what you're planning. Smith and Jones came into town looking for a room and a meal. That's all. They are respected Wyoming ranchers and have the funds and the papers to prove it. Your men were out of line. What we don't need now is trouble that will be carried out of this area. We don't want outside authorities to catch wind of this upcoming war. Now think about that, Hugo.”

The big man thought for a moment and then sighed. He removed his hat and ran thick, blunt fingers through his dark hair. “All right, Dale. All right. I see what you mean. It was a misunderstanding all the way around.”

“There they are, boss.” Tulsa spoke from the saddle.

Hugo looked at the two men coming out of the hotel. His experienced eyes took in Matt's two guns and the way the man walked. He shifted his gaze to Sam. “They're gunfighters, Dale. Both of them. And that one has some Injun in him.
Injun!
Jumpin' Jesus Christ, Dale, they're ranchers, all right. But I'll tell you something else: that's Matt Bodine and Sam Two Wolves!”