Violence of the Mountain Man. William W. Johnstone
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Название: Violence of the Mountain Man
Автор: William W. Johnstone
Издательство: Ingram
Жанр: Вестерны
Серия: Mountain Man
isbn: 9780786021192
isbn:
Pearlie and Cal had brought another table up, and now Pearlie helped the young girl onto it. Maria was wearing a low-crowned black hat, and her dark hair hung in curls down her back. Her costume consisted of a white ruffled shirt, a black beaded vest, and a long flared red skirt. She was holding castanets, and she held her hands up, jutted out her hip, then looked over at the guitarist and nodded.
The guitarist started playing, a weaving, single-string melody that worked up and down the scale, all the while providing a strong rhythmic beat from the lower register. To the accompaniment of the guitar, Maria danced, whirling and dipping so that her wide skirt spun out and her hair tossed from side to side. Her booted feet beat a loud staccato on the table and the castanets clicked in counterpoint. Everyone watched her, transfixed by the talent and beauty of the young girl. Then, with a crescendo, the music ended and Maria curtsied.
Maria was cheered and applauded by all, but none so loud as the cowboys, who added loud whistles to their applause. Maria looked over toward Sally, then smiled in appreciation at Sally’s reaction to her performance.
Finally, with the dinner ended and the ladies of the ranch cleaning up, the cowboys who were leaving mounted their horses, then gathered near the porch, where Smoke stood to bid them all good-bye.
“Boys,” he said. “I want you to know this. If the going gets too hard for you come winter, you are more than welcome to come back here. I won’t have any work for you to do, but if all you need is food for your bellies, a place to keep warm, and a pillow to lay your head, you’ve got it at Sugarloaf.”
“Thanks, Boss,” one of the cowboys said. “I’ll see you next spring.”
With a shout, the cowboy spurred his horse and galloped away, followed by all the other temporary hands. Smoke and Sally waved to them from the porch, and those ranch hands who were permanent employees had come out of their cabins to wave good-bye as well.
“We had a good bunch of hands this year,” Sally said.
“Except for one,” Smoke said. “I’ve already told him privately not to come back next year.”
“You have to be talking about Lucas Keno,” Sally said.
Smoke nodded. “Yes, I’m talking about Lucas Keno. He was all complaint and little work. I should have fired him weeks ago.”
Pearlie and Cal were standing over in front of the bunkhouse and like the others, they had waved and shouted their good-byes to the cowboys as they rode out.
“How many of them you think will be back come spring?” Cal asked.
“Most of ’em, I reckon,” Pearlie said. “You’re too young to know any better ’cause this is about the only place you’ve ever worked. But I’ve worked at other ranches and I tell you true, there is no better place on God’s green earth for a cowboy to work than to work for Smoke and Sally here on Sugarloaf Ranch.”
“I know this is the only place I’ve ever worked,” Cal said. “But I had already figured that out myself.”
“Come on, Cal, what do you say we give Carlos and Juan a hand getting things cleaned up?” Pearlie suggested.
“All right,” Cal said, and the two of them started across the yard toward the older men.
“Oh, Pearlie, wait a minute,” Sally called from the porch of the Big House.
Stopping, Pearlie looked back toward Sally. “Yes, ma’am?”
“When Mr. Goodnature dropped Lucy off, I promised we would get her back home. Would you mind doing it? You can use the surrey.”
“Why, I’d be glad to,” Pearlie said, smiling broadly. “Miss Lucy, you just wait right here. I’ll hitch up the team and be back for you before you can say Jack Robinson.”
“Thank you, Pearlie,” Lucy said. “That’s very kind of you.”
“Want me to come along with you, Pearlie?” Cal asked.
“I—uh,” Pearlie began.
“Cal, if you don’t mind, why don’t you stay here and help me with something?” Sally suggested.
“Oh, sure, I don’t mind,” Cal said, walking over toward the porch.
True to his promise, Pearlie was back in very little time. Hopping down from the surrey, he helped Lucy in, then drove off, with the two of them engaged in conversation.
“What do you have for me to do?” Cal asked as they watched the surrey pass under the entry arch.
“What?” Sally asked.
“You said you wanted me to help you with something,” Cal said. “What is it?”
“Oh. Uh, nothing, I guess.”
“But you said—” Cal began, then chuckled. “Oh, I know now,” he said. “You just said that because you wanted to give Pearlie a chance to be alone with Miss Lucy, didn’t you?”
“Something like that, yes,” Sally replied.
“Well, I hope it works,” Cal said. “Pearlie sure is crazy about that girl, but I don’t think she even knows he is alive.”
Sally smiled. “She knows.”
“You mean she’s sweet on him?”
“Let us just say that nature is gradually beginning to work its course,” Sally said.
Cal laughed. “I like that. Nature working its course. Well, if you really don’t have anything for me, I think I’ll give Carlos and Juan a hand,” Cal said, starting toward the lawn where Carlos, Juan, and several others were beginning to clean up from the barbeque.
“I’m sure they will appreciate it,” Sally said.
“What was all that about?” Smoke asked after Cal left.
“You haven’t noticed Pearlie and Lucy?” Sally asked.
“Notice them? What do you mean, notice them?”
Sally laughed. “Smoke Jensen, to be as smart as you are in so many things, I’m sometimes surprised to discover how incredibly dumb you are in other things.”
“Oh?” Smoke said. Then, it dawned on him. “Oh!” he said. “You mean Pearlie and Lucy are, uh—like that?”
Sally reached up to kiss him on the cheek. “Maybe you aren’t all that dumb after all,” she said.
Chapter Two
The drive from Sugarloaf over to Crosshatch, which was the name of the ranch Ian Goodnature owned, was about five miles, and with a spirited team pulling the surrey, Pearlie covered the distance in about twenty minutes. He and Lucy talked during the drive, but it was of inconsequential things, because Pearlie was too self-conscious to bring up any subject more substantive than the scenery or the weather.
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