Pete (The Cowboys) Read Online Free Page A

your wages.”
    Belser looked as though he wanted to say more, but he turned and stomped off toward the corral.
    “Tell me what’s going on around here,” Peter said, turning to Anne. “It looks like I’ve landed in one hell of a mess.”

Chapter Two
     
    Pete told himself he was crazy. What chivalrous impulse had caused him to tell everybody he was Peter Warren? For all he knew, they had nothing in common but their first names. Was that the reason he’d decided to pretend to be someone he wasn’t? He’d better clear things up right away and get the hell out of here.
    But he couldn’t do that. He’d trailed the killers to this ranch. It didn’t surprise him it was the Tumbling T. He’d already decided that someone in Peter’s family had killed him. One of Mason’s cowhands had told him what Anne’s uncle was trying to do. Pete had realized that pretending to be Peter would give him reason to stay and an opportunity to search for the killers. They had his money, all the gold he’d managed to mine in his five years in Montana. He wasn’t about to let anybody steal it from him. If they’d moved on, he’d clear things up and go after them.
    But he couldn’t just yet. Anne’s uncle would be back in five minutes to force her to marry that dried-up old husk of a man. Belser would get a ranch Pete had already decided he’d committed murder for—or hired someone to commit the murder for him. It went against the grain to let anybody get away with such a cold-blooded swindle.
    No, he’d continue as Peter Warren for a little while yet, though there was one small problem. Anne. From the look in her eyes, she adored Peter. Pete didn’t know what he was going to do about that, but he couldn’t take advantage of her. Even if his own conscience would have allowed it, his adopted mother’s teaching wouldn’t. He wouldn’t put it past Isabelle to somehow know what he’d done and come all the way from Texas to hang him out to dry.
    Anne was a pretty young woman, exactly the kind to go in for hero worship. He didn’t know if Peter was worthy of her high regard, but Pete had to find some way to tell her gently that he wasn’t Peter. But he couldn’t do that either. She looked the kind who couldn’t tell a lie. Probably couldn’t keep a secret, either.
    “Everything will be all right now that you’re here,” Anne said, gazing up at him with big eyes filled with wonder.
    Wouldn’t Sean laugh to hear that? Sean had been getting Pete out of trouble ever since they met in the orphanage. It would never occur to Sean that Pete could take care of himself. Most of the time, it hadn’t occurred to Pete, either. He’d just barreled ahead, knowing if he got himself into a situation that required muscle, he could depend on Sean. If it was guns, there was always Luke.
    But that was years ago. Sean had gotten married and gone back to Texas. Luke had vanished into California. Pete was on his own, and having this young woman look up at him as if he was Paul Bunyon and Wild Bill Hickok rolled into one didn’t help.
    Still, it was a real nice change. He’d had more than enough of his adopted brothers being irritated at having to help him out of scrapes. Isabelle said he didn’t think things through properly before he acted. Jake said he was plumb loco. It was a relief to discover Anne didn’t think any of that. He squared his shoulders and stood a little taller.
    “That may be so,” he said, “but I’d like to know what’s going on just the same. You never can tell when trouble might start up again.”
    She ducked her head, acting demure. “You ought to ask Eddie about that. He wouldn’t like me talking about the ranch.”
    “Who’s Eddie?”
    She looked surprised. “Eddie Kessling. The foreman.”
    “Can’t remember everybody’s name,” Pete mumbled, wondering how long it would be before he gave himself away. “We’ll leave that for the moment. Tell me about yourself.”
    She looked really startled this