Riding For The Brand: Sage Country Book Three by Dan Arnold Read Free Book Online Page A

the chest.
    “Fair enough, but I’m not going to be hot on the trail of an escaping outlaw or tracking renegades. I’m just out for a pleasant ride in new country. This is personal business, not law enforcement.”
    “I hope you don’t find any of their kin folks, John. I love Sarah and Jake. I can’t imagine having to give them up.”
    I knew how she felt. I couldn’t imagine doing it either.
    “What about you, John? Could you give them up so easily? She sat up suddenly and looked me in the eye. “I mean it. John, please tell me you love them as much as I do…”
    “Yes, I do, baby. I sure do. I don’t want to give them up, but it’s only right we at least try to get them back with their own family.”
    “We are their family now, John!”
    I nodded, trying to ignore the sudden rush of emotion that was causing my eyes to water. What was wrong with me? I had a lump in my throat and it wasn’t like me.
    “They love us too, John. I know they do. You know it, don’t you?”
    I nodded again, still unable to speak.
    “You’re right though. I knew this day would have to come. We always said we would try to find any family they might have. It’s the right thing to do. Now is the time. Putting it off won’t change anything. It would just make it that much harder to let go.” She conceded.
    “There are other things I’d like to know.” I mumbled.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Did their mother get a decent burial? All we know is she’d been sick and when she died, the kids let the milk cow go, and they walked to Bear Creek.
    What happened to their father? All we know is he was killed somewhere away from their home.
    Why did they walk barefoot all the way to Bear Creek? Those are just some of the questions I would like to have answered.”
    “Me too,” she agreed.
    ***
    At breakfast, the kids were almost chatty.
    “Do you think we could ride on Dusty today?” Jake asked me?
    “No, not today, Jake. I have to go out of town for a while. Dusty and I will be gone for a few days.”
    I saw Jacob pale when I told him that.
    “I’ll probably be back before you start school. We’ll have plenty of time to play and ride Dusty then.” I promised.
    Jacob didn’t answer. I could see he was disappointed, but he was frightened as well. After all, his father had ridden off one day and never come back, not alive anyway. Then, just when they were beginning to feel safe with us, there’d been the shooting in our home. I suspected Jake was afraid of things he couldn’t even begin to speak of.
    “I’m not going away on Sheriff’s business. I’m just trying to find somebody who lives in another part of the country. Have you ever heard the name Murphy?”
    “…Murphy? That was my pa’s name. Everybody called him Mr. Murphy.”
    “What did they call your mother?” Lora asked gently.
    “Uhh, they called her Mrs. Murphy, mostly, I guess.”
    I could see our questions had brought back some sad memories for Jacob.
    “Are there any more people named Murphy around here that you know of?”
    “Naw, we was the onlyest ones.”
    “I’m riding out to see if I can find anybody who may be kin to you and Sarah.” I said.
    “Well, how will you find um?” He asked.
    “I might not. There may not be anybody to find. I may just end up riding around for a while, and then I’ll come home.”
    “That’s not so bad…” Jacob said.
    “Naw, probably just a waste of time, but I need to do it while the weather is still good.”
    Mentioning the change in weather prompted a different concern.
    “I don’t see why I have to go to some stinkin’ old school.” Jake observed.
    “That’s because education is very important. Don’t you want to learn how to read and write?” Lora asked him.
    “Nope.”
    “Wouldn’t you like to be able to add and subtract and learn your numbers?”
    “Nope.”
    “Well then, how about meeting some other children and making new friends?”
    “Nope.”
    “Why don’t you want to go to school,