don’t have to worry none about that,” Keno said. “If I don’t never see this place again, it’ll be too soon.”
Remounting his horse, Keno glared at Montgomery, Smoke, Pearlie, and Cal.
“Here, I believe this is yours,” Cal said, handing Keno’s pistol back to him. “I hope you don’t mind, I took out all the bullets.”
Continuing his hateful glare, Keno stuck the empty pistol down into his holster, then turned his horse and rode away.
The four men watched Keno for a moment to make certain he was leaving. Then Smoke turned toward Montgomery. “C.D., how about having lunch with us? I’m sure Sally can come up with something worth eating.”
Cal laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Smoke asked.
“Your sayin’ you’re sure Miss Sally can come up with somethin’ worth eatin’. That’s what’s funny,” Cal said. “Why, Miss Sally is that good a cook, she could stew a boot and it would be good.”
“A boot?” Montgomery said.
Smoke laughed. “Don’t worry, C.D. It’ll be more than a boot, I promise you.”
“It sounds good to me,” Montgomery said. “I’d love to join you.”
“Come on, Cal,” Pearlie said. “What say me and you get these cows back where they belong?”
“I’m right behind you,” Cal answered.
“More mashed potatoes, Mr. Montgomery?” Sally asked, holding up a bowl of the white, steaming viand.
“Yes, please, and a little gravy, too, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all,” Sally said, “Sugarloaf is so far out that having a guest for a meal is actually quite a treat for us.”
“Trust me, Mrs. Jensen, with the way you cook, it’s a lot more of a treat for the guests,” Montgomery said, holding out his plate for seconds.
“Mr. Montgomery, do you know a man named Byron Davencourt?” Sally asked as she spooned the potatoes on to his plate.
Montgomery looked up in surprise. “Why, yes. As a matter of fact I do know Byron. Quite well, in fact. Why do you ask?”
“I read in the newspaper that he has signed a contract with the U.S. Army to supply beef,” Sally said.
“Well, I’ll be. So, the deal came through for him, did it?” Montgomery said. “I knew that Byron was working on it. Good for him, I’m glad he was able to pull it off.”
“The reason I’m asking is, that’s going to take a lot of beef, isn’t it? I mean for him to fulfill the contract?”
“I’ll say it’s going to take a lot,” Montgomery answered. “As a matter of fact, if there is any problem at all with the deal Byron has, it’s going to be in managing to buy enough cows to fill the contract.”
“Do you think Mr. Davencourt would be willing to pay a premium price for the beef? Say, more than you can pay right now?”
Montgomery looked up at Sally, then chuckled. “Well, now,” he said. “And here, all this time, I thought we were just having a friendly conversation. You are looking at the business side of it, aren’t you?”
“C.D., anyone who knows us knows that Sally is the one who has the business head,” Smoke offered. He cut a piece of meat and shoved it into his mouth.
“I can see that,” Montgomery replied. He smiled at Sally. “Yes, ma’am, Mrs. Jensen, I expect ole Byron will have to pay a little extra in order to get all the cows he needs.”
“The paper said he’ll be shipping out of Frisco,” Sally said. “So, I expect that means that anyone who plans to do business with him would probably have to take their cows there.” Walking over to the pie saver, Sally removed an apple pie.
“I expect so,” Montgomery agreed. “Oh, my!” he said, his eyes growing large with anticipation and appreciation when he saw what Sally brought to the table. “Apple pie? I do believe I have died and gone to heaven.”
“I know that you have bought cattle from us in the past. I hope you would not be put out if we sold to Mr. Davencourt,” Sally said as she cut a particularly generous piece of pie and put it on a plate for Montgomery.
“Oh, heavens, no, Mrs. Jensen,” Montgomery said. “As I told you, Byron is a friend of mine. I want to see him succeed. Besides, I know we will do more business together.”
“Would you like a piece of cheese on top of the pie?” Sally asked.
“Oh,” Montgomery said, his eyes rolling up in bliss. “You are an angel.”
That night, as Smoke lay in bed with his hands laced behind his head, he was looking at Sally. Sally was sitting at the dresser, brushing her hair, the action lighted by a single candle. Just outside the window, rustling aspen leaves caught the moon and sent slivers of silver through the night. Some of the moonlight spilled in through the window, and it glowed silver in the folds of Sally’s silken nightgown.
“I’ll ride down to Frisco sometime next week and see this man Davencourt,” Smoke said. “If he is needing beef the way Montgomery says he is, then he’ll probably take at least fifteen hundred head.”
“Maybe we shouldn’t have let all the cowboys go just yet,” Sally said as she continued to brush her hair.
“We had to let them go now,” Smoke replied. “Most of them already have other jobs lined up that they need to get to. If they didn’t get there in time, they’d lose out. Why do you think we shouldn’t have let them go?”
“If we do sell some cattle to Byron Davencourt—”
“It’s not if, it’s when,” Smoke said. “We will sell him fifteen hundred head. I’ve no doubt about that.”
“All right, let’s say we do sell him fifteen hundred head. So, the next question is, how are we going to get them over to Frisco?” Sally asked.
“Up to fifteen hundred head is no problem,” Smoke said. “Pearlie, Cal, and I can take them over.”
“Are you sure? Sally asked. “Maybe you ought to take Juan and Carlos with you.”
“No need to take Juan and Carlos away from their families. I’m sure Pearlie, Cal, and I can do it,” Smoke replied. “Now, I have a question.”
Sally turned toward him and as she did so, the silk nightgown clung to her figure, beautifully displaying every curve.
“What is your question?”
“Do you really want to talk business now? Or would you rather—” He left the question unfinished.
“Would I rather what?” Sally asked. But her flirtatious smile told Smoke that she knew exactly
