Ask No Tomorrows Read Online Free

wolf, isn’t he?”
    “ He
is…” Again, he was astonished.
    As innocent as
the girl might be, she was not ignorant of animals, Sam
noted.
    “ I
thought so, such beautiful eyes. Why’d you name him Nodog? That’s a
right peculiar name for a dog.”
    “ He
was given to me by a friend, an Indian friend. Chase had nursed him
back to health as he’d been attacked by a bear. He said, ‘He’s a
good one, but he is no dog.’ So that’s what I named him,
Nodog.”
    “ Pretty clever. I don’t reckon I would have thought of it. Your
friend’s name was Chase?”
    “ Chase Rivers, a breed.”
    “ Oh
well, that explains it. Indians always have such interesting
names.”
    “ So
what exactly is your trouble, ma’am?” Sam asked, going back to his
digging. “I mean, other than being out in the middle of nowhere
with no buggy or horse.”
    “ It’s kind of a long story, but then…I guess with diggin’ a
grave, you got the time to listen. Everything was fine ‘til this
morning.” She began once more trying to answer his question. “Then
all hell broke loose.”
    Sam knew from
experience that he shouldn’t ask, shouldn’t show his curiosity, but
a woman in the middle of nowhere with no horse or buggy confused
him, especially a woman dressed in pants, like a man. This was no
ordinary female.
    “ Wait, wait, start at the beginning. You’re name don’t tell me
much.” Sam tried to be patient with her lack of understanding.
“Since I’m not from around these parts, name’s wouldn’t mean much
to me.”
    “ I
guess that makes sense. I’m sorry. I’m George Morgan’s daughter,”
she explained as though that said it all. Again, she
waited.
    Sam shrugged.
“Okay, like I said, names don’t mean much to me.”
    She squinted
up at him, and moved her head out of the sun. “I thought everyone
either knew my father or knew of him. He’s one of the biggest
ranchers in these parts. Or was.”
    “ Or
was. Does that mean he’s no longer with us?” Sam asked.
    Looking
thoughtful, she nodded. “You really aren’t from around here, or
you’d know who I was talkin’ about, and that he was dead. He died a
few months ago. He had a bad heart and a wild bronc to tame. The
two didn’t mix. I’m his only daughter, his only kin, well
practically. So naturally I took over the ranch. Nothing unusual
about that, except I’m a girl.” She stopped and looked at him. “And
it’s one of the biggest ranches in the territory.”
    Sam’s
expression didn’t change and she seemed surprised.
    “ My
God, this water is so good.” She sighed, licking her
lips.
    “ I
can see you’re a might thirsty.”
    “ A
might.” She smiled. “Thanks…” She took the canteen in both hands
and turned it up and sipped it slowly, enjoying it as though she’d
hadn’t had a drink all day. Sam watched her out of the corner of
his eye. Once she was full, she put the lid on it and wrapped it
around the saddle horn. She walked back over and sat down on the
hard earth once more, watching him.
    “ But it wasn’t hard taking the ranch over from my dad. I mean
it wasn’t like I didn’t work there every day of my life. I can
ride, shoot, and do figures as good as the next rancher. Anyway…as
I said everything went like always ‘til this morning, when my
foreman Harry Stevens took a gun to me. I got away, as fast as I
could. The ranch hands were in on it with him, I soon found out.
There were too many of them. I couldn’t do anything but run. So
that’s why I’m out here in the middle of nowhere without a horse,”
she explained and looked up at him once more.
    “ Why would your foreman suddenly take a gun to you? You get
into a squabble with him or somethin’?” Sam stared at her for a
long time. She was trouble and he knew it. But she’d become his
trouble he realized with regret.
    “ Not really. He asked to marry up with me and I told him no, of
course.”
    Sam squinted
up at her. “Of course…”
    “ Well, it’s not like