A Horse Called Mogollon (Floating Outfit Book 3) Read Online Free

serious challenge
as a rival.
    Two inches shorter than
Beatrice, and at least ten years older, the woman had shortish,
curly blonde hair. If the Vicomtesse had been charitably inclined, she would have
admitted that the other carried her age well. Her face was
good-looking showing strength of will and a sense of humor in its
lines. Although firm-fleshed and without flabby fat, the gingham
dress worn by the blonde did nothing to help her buxom
figure.
    Making sure that she did not
come into sight of the desk, Beatrice listened to what was being
said at it. Much to her delight, she saw the chubby, jovial clerk handing
over two room keys, but his words robbed her of most of her
pleasure.
    ‘ Seventeen for you, Mrs. Schell, and I’ll put you in
Fifteen, Mr. Counter.’
    While that placed the giant four
doors from the de Brioudes ’ rooms, the buxom blonde would be between them.
Beatrice’s hope that the woman would be his mother ended and her
thought that they might be strangers faded away.
    ‘ I saw
you bringing them hosses in this morning,’ the clerk continued.
‘They looked a real fine bunch.’
    ‘ Good
enough,’ Mrs. Schell answered cheerfully. ‘What do you say,
Mark?’
    ‘ Why sure,
Libby,’ replied the blond giant, in a deep voice that sent shivers
of anticipation through the listening Vicomtesse. ‘They’re real good.’
    ‘ Too
good for a bunch of Yankee fly-slicers,’ sniffed the
clerk.
    ‘ Maybe,’ Libby Schell said. ‘But they’re paying cash money
for ’em, ’stead of notes-of-hand on cattle that can’t be sold ’cept
for hide and tallow.’
    ‘ Likely,’ admitted the clerk, knowing that the Schell family
had supplied horses to more than one rancher who could only promise
to pay in cattle. ‘Front!’
    A bellhop darted from the rear of the
building. Like almost every boy in Texas, he wanted to be a cowhand
and could recognize a magnificent example of that hard-riding,
hard-playing fraternity when one stood before him. So he studied
Mark Counter with an air of hero-worship.
    Although Mark would achieve
considerable prominence as a member of Ole Devil
Hardin ’s
floating outfit, at that time he was practically unknown. During
the War, he had been a 1st lieutenant in Bushrod Sheldon’s cavalry
and his taste in uniforms had brought him into conflict with
numerous senior officers. He had gained a reputation as a peerless
bare hand fighter, possessed Herculean strength and could handle
his matched Army Colts with considerable precision. Due to his
being so much in Dusty Fog’s company, he would never receive his
full acclaim as a gun fighter. Dusty always declared that Mark ran
him a close second in matters pistole ro.
    Son of a wealthy Big Bend ranch
owner, Mark had helped Dusty and the Kid on the important mission in
Mexico. Like the Kid, he had accepted the Rio Hondo gun wizard’s
offer of employment. Guessing that being a member of the floating
outfit would offer opportunities for good companionship, fun and
excitement, he had decided against going home. There were two older
brothers at the R-over-C, so his presence would not be required. A
top hand in all aspects of cattle-work, Mark had proved an asset to
the OD Connected.
    Suddenly the
bellhop ’s
eyes swiveled from Mark to the stairs. Following the direction of
the boy’s gaze, Libby, Mark and the clerk looked to where Beatrice
made her appearance. Ignoring the frank, adolescent scrutiny of the
bellhop and the clerk’s equally thorough study, the Vicomtesse made a hip-swiveling
promenade to the desk. While she took pleasure in having males of
any age looking at her with approval, she had bigger fish to fry.
Directing a quick, suggestive glance from under her eyelashes at
Mark, she turned her gaze to the clerk.
    ‘ Could
you please tell me, m’sieur, if I can hire a horse to go riding?’
    ‘ Sure
can, ma’am,’ the clerk replied, hardly able to tear his eyes from
where Beatrice’s nipples made twin hillocks against the