Texas Blood Feud by Dusty Richards Read Free Book Online Page A

but I know how hard you work. You need to relax for once.”
    “I’ll get back to work then.” Susie laughed at him and left for her cooking.
    Reg and Heck came back to camp for supper. Heck looked pleased to be getting to tag along with an older boy. He was busting to get off the place and see more of the world. Chet could read it in his eyes. The most inquisitive ten-year-old he’d ever seen. He wondered where he came by those footloose ways.
    Susie asked Reg if he’d seen his girl, and he nodded. “I’m going to dance with her later. Those lessons you gave me should work.”
    Chet laughed. “They will. Sis is a great dancer.”
    She shook her head and began forking out the sourdough biscuits from the Dutch oven. “Time to eat, men.”
    After the meal, Susie sent the rest on, refusing any help washing the dishes. Chet wandered across the schoolyard, which was full of excited children running and playing tag. Someone had built a bonfire for light and some heat as the cooler night set in.
    “Any word on cattle prices?” Elmer Stokes asked Chet when he joined the ring of men.
    He shook his head.
    The older man nodded. “You hear they think Hines, a Reynolds boy, and some cowboy named Stevens were hung a week ago way up north in Palo Pinto or Parker County?”
    “I heard that.”
    “I wonder what they were hung for.”
    Chet looked hard at the orange and blue flames consuming the wood sticks. “I imagine for rustling.”
    “Damn, I can’t imagine them stealing stock.”
    “Gawdamn you, Byrnes. My son Roy wasn’t rustling nothing. I can damn sure tell you that.” Earl Reynolds went to elbowing people out of the way like an angry bear until he faced Chet.
    “I suppose he was riding full out and accidentally got his head in a noose. Folks up there must not take to rustling. I’m sorry for you over the loss of a boy, but you know the law.”
    “Law? That’s murder.”
    “I guess those three men that ran out of a place to walk down on Calahan’s place last spring were just unlucky, too.”
    “They were gawdamn horse thieves and caught red-handed.”
    “Maybe you answered that yourself, Earl.”
    “How do you know so much about this?”
    “Word of mouth, Earl. I heard this morning you sent for their bodies.”
    Earl waved his threatening finger in Chet’s face. “I’m going to find those killers and get every one of them.”
    “Better get on your horse and ride up there where it happened. Take plenty of ammo and your funeral suit.” He’d had his fill of having the larger man in his face, but he didn’t want a ruckus with all the women and children around.
    “Funeral suit?”
    “I imagine those folks aren’t going to take your murdering them as a friendly act.”
    “They’ll pay! Everyone that was there at that hanging of that poor boy will pay with their lives.”
    “Back off,” Chet said. “There’s young folks here don’t need to hear this.”
    For a few seconds, he thought the larger man might take a swing at him. On the balls of his feet, he was ready to duck and drive a fist. But that moment came and passed when others in the circle began to solemnly agree with his comments. Not the right place …
    Earl left, threatening everyone within hearing of his voice that his poor boy’s death would not go unavenged. Many shook their heads warily, and the crackling of the fire was the only sounds, save for the music of a fiddle coming from inside the schoolhouse. The dance was about to begin.
    Chet headed for the lighted doorway and climbed the stairs, deep in concern. They’d learn in time. Those Reynolds—
    “Susie coming?” the lanky Ryan Thomas asked, standing on his boot toes, looking all around.
    “She’s coming. Finishing the dishes.”
    “I’ll go see about her then.” He smiled big at Chet and started off. “Thanks.”
    It would be nice to be twenty-some years old and innocently in love. He nodded to a few that he knew who were standing around watching the dancers, and