Cowboy Caveat Read Online Free Page B

herself. She would have to delegate some tasks. Lucy
didn’t have a problem with that, but she also knew the rest of her
family was totally unreliable and could not cope with
responsibility. As she was pondering this, Amy shot down the
stairs, grabbed a biscuit and made for the door. Lucy ran after her
sister-in-law, grabbing her arm before she disappeared.
    “ We are going into town in
ten minutes Amy, where do you think you’re going?”
    “ I’m fixin’ to see Max
about Duke. He needs to school him for me today if’n I’m gonna be
in town all day!” With that, the screen door banged and she was
gone.
    Lucy swore quietly and set to clearing the
breakfast. Ed swallowed his coffee and stilled when he heard his
wife swear softly under her breath. He didn’t like to hear her
using language like that, and he’d noticed her doing it a lot more
of late. Ed remembered Ethan telling him about his Pa’s rules, the
ones that he and Lucy had lived by under their parents’ roof, so Ed
knew that Lucy had not been used to swearing like that before she
was married.
    Ed sighed. He would have to talk to Lucy and
find out what was making her so riled up that she felt the need to
swear. He downed the dregs of his coffee because he had to find Max
his foreman and discuss splitting the herd ready for the stock
yard....now where in tarnation did he put his hat last night?
    * * * * *
    Lucy, Millie and Amy came out of the store
with a bag of ribbon, a length of lace and some sticks of
peppermint candy, which Millie was already enjoying. The happy,
chattering group was making its way along the sidewalk to the St.
James Hotel for a bite of lunch when a shout slowed them down, and
looking around, they saw Jim from the R.P.O. running toward them,
waving a piece of paper.
    “ Telegram and a letter for
you, Mrs. Campbell!” Jim said, handing over both and then heading
off with more letters in his hand.
    “ Who could these be from?”
Amy asked Lucy curiously.
    Lucy studied the addresses, “Well, actually
they are addressed to you and Millie, ‘The Misses Campbell
Sisters,’” Lucy said, handing them to Amy.
    Amy studied the writing on the letter. “It’s
from Grandma,” she said, surprised.
    “ No, don’t open them here,
Amy. Wait until we reach the hotel and are sat down,” Lucy said as
Amy begun to rip the letter open.
    “ Good idea. . . Hurry up,
then. I wonder what she wants?”
    Once they were all settled at a table and
their lunch ordered, Amy opened the letter, scanning the contents
quickly.
    “ What’s it say?” Millie
asked, leaning forward and twisting her plait with one hand while
trying to read the letter upside down from across the
table.
    “ It seems she wants you
and me to go stay with her for a time in Dallas to keep her company
and broaden our education. She sent us tickets for the
train!”
    “ Do what?” Millie
exclaimed. “You can’t possibly go, Amy. You’re gettin’ hitched on
Sunday!”
    Amy looked crestfallen. “Oh, what a darn
shame! Maybe I could talk to Ethan about postponing....”
    “ Not an option, sorry!”
Lucy interrupted firmly.
    Just then, their food arrived and all went
quiet for a while as they all tucked into the delicious lamb.
Millie spoke up, “Ed would be so mad if’n he knew we were eating
lamb!”
    Amy nodded. “So would Eth, but you know, I
wouldn’t mind running some sheep after we’re wed. This is real
sweet meat!”
    “ Yuh know, I do want to go
to Grandma’s even so.”
    Lucy looked at her little sister-in-law and
sighed, saying, “I don’t see how, honey. You can’t travel
alone.”
    Suddenly, Amy had a wonderful idea. “Ethan
and I can take her, stay a couple of days as a honeymoon and come
right on home, leaving Millie with Grandma!”
    Lucy looked pensive; she knew her brother
Ethan and she didn’t think he’d take kindly to Amy’s plan.
    “ I suppose,” she said, not
sounding very encouraging.
    Amy ignored Lucy’s tone, deciding she would
convince