Chaparral Range War (9781101619049) Read Online Free

person milking her gets nervous with a new pair of hands on her handles.”
    â€œI can milk all right.”
    â€œGood. I never turn down help. You were in the war? I’m sorry. I didn’t mention it to upset you—”
    â€œNo problem. That was a real sorry time for me. I’d never been in many situations where I didn’t have a good feeling about how they’d end. Soldiering was never fun. The whole time I was in the army, I had a deep dread in my soul. No way that we could beat them. We had little food, little ammo, and no horses—and we were cavalry. A horseman never feels good walking in the mud. Especially a Texas one.”
    â€œYes, I’ve been told about the problems you had. Ring the triangle. Dan will wake up.” She brought over the coffeepot to fill his cup.
    He went to wake the third member of this outfit. “That coffee smells great. I’ll be right back.”
    When he returned, she had put the pot back on the wood range. “You ever have a wife?” she asked.
    He shook his head and smiled at her. “Nope, I’ve never had one.”
    â€œThat was pretty nosy of me to ask. Sorry. Sit down and eat. Dan’ll drag in shortly.”
    â€œCally, I don’t really have any deep, dark secrets.”
    She smiled. “Oh. Shucks, I was going to write a book about a Texas Ranger scandal.”
    â€œYou’d find out real quick that mine would be pretty boring.”
    She smiled as she delivered the platter of fried ham and scrambled eggs. Next came the brown-topped biscuits in a pan from the oven, which she set on the board hot plate. Dan arrived, looking still asleep, yawning and stretching his arms to wake up.
    â€œDid you sleep any?” his sister asked him.
    â€œToo hard.”
    She and Guthrey laughed over his appearance, as it was obvious that he was not totally with them.
    â€œAre you going to be able to show Guthrey anything today?” she asked quietly.
    â€œSure.” He never looked up, busy filling his plate. “I’ll be fine.”
    * * *
    A N HOUR LATER, the two men left the ranch on horseback. Taking the river road north from their ranch’s side road, they soon stopped at a wooden gate. Dan dismounted and opened the entrance to the Coalgate Ranch.
    â€œThis is Herman Coalgate’s place.”
    Guthrey nodded. He’d been looking at various aspects of the land. Cactus desert on the left and the mixed agriculture land watered by the river on the right. They rode down the sandy lane through the tall mesquite, and some stock dogs came barking to greet them. A short man with his half-curly gray hair edging out of the band of his weathered felt hat met them.
    â€œMorning, Dan. I’m sorry about what happened to your dad. How are things going for you and your sister?”
    â€œOh, Cally’s fine. Herman, this is Guthrey. He sort of saved my hide yesterday in town with Whitmore’s bunch.”
    The man stepped over to shake Guthrey’s hand. “Any friend of that boy is a friend of mine.”
    â€œNice place you’ve got here,” Guthrey said, looking at the shallow San Pedro River flowing by beyond the house, corrals, and an alfalfa patch.
    â€œYeah, Whitmore really wants this place. I have about a mile of river frontage.”
    â€œI bet he does want it.” Guthrey could imagine how bad the land king wanted this much access to a good water source.
    â€œHe ain’t getting it though. I wouldn’t sell to him anything short of hell freezing over.”
    Guthrey agreed. “I think several folks feel like that today.”
    â€œHerman,” Dan said, “Guthrey used to be a Texas Ranger.”
    â€œGlad ya came to Arizona. There ain’t much law in Arizona, and I know what them Rangers can do. We need some of that around here.”
    â€œHerman, a man has some rights in this country. One thing is, no one needs to be harassed by the big outfits. I