So he hid his fear behind a derisive snort. “Toole’s down in Poncha Springs.”
“Ain’t far from here.”
“Ain’t close, either. Our money won’t last forever, old buddy. And when we run out, thesemamacitaswill give us the boot. Ain’t that right, girls?”
Realizing he was talking to them, the girls laughed. They didn’t speak a lick of English.
“Ought to ride out of here tonight,” Toby said. “Before Toole finds us.”
“Toole ain’t gonna find us.”
“He killed Danny.”
“Hey now. That’s enough of that sort of talk,” Rafe said, and looked toward the door. These girls might be ignorant, but the old couple that owned the place sure weren’t. Last thing he needed was Toby running his mouth and those folks going to the law.
Toby pushed back his chair and rose shakily to his feet, then stood there, wobbling. “I’m riding out of here before Toole shows up.”
“Sit down, Toby. You try to ride out of here now, you’ll fall off your horse and break your neck.”
Toby looked around, then leaned forward and braced himself on the table. “Whoo-ee, partner, I’m drunk as a skunk. You might be right.”
He plopped back into his chair and laid his head on the table.
Rafe laughed and took another drink. Only a sip, though. He didn’t want to waste his money like Toby was, passing out in the middle of the afternoon.
The girl came back with the bottle.
Toby was snoring.
She looked at him and frowned.
“Oye, mamacita,” Toby said, giving her a good portion of the few Spanish words he’d taken the trouble to learn. He gesturedto her. “Bring that over here. And bring yourself, too.” He patted his lap. “Sit down right here.”
Laughing, the girl came over and got into his lap, which made the other girls laugh, too.
Rafe leaned back, soaking it all in. Yeah, he liked being a desperado.
27
When George and James went off to look for her missing milk cow, Mary erected the tents she’d bought at the hardware store.
She put them up in the clearing not far from where the house had stood. She had considered hiding them back in the trees just in case those men came riding back here, but ultimately, she decided not to bother.
She had her brothers, the guns from Cole, and the dog, who had stayed with her instead of trotting off with the boys. Having the big mountain cur here made her feel safer.
“What do I call you, boy?” she asked the brindled dog.
He tilted his dark head, eyeing her with obvious curiosity.
She’d asked Mr. Purcell what the dog’s name was, and he’d informed her the dog didn’t have a name.
“Well, I guess I’ll figure out a name for you once I get to know you a little better. Sound good?”
The dog wagged his tail and followed her back to the cart, where she looked through her meager supplies.
Soon, she’d have to build a fire and get supper started. The boys would be hungry.
She was looking over the supplies, thinking about what she might fix, when her eyes fell on the gunbelt that Conn had taken off one of the killers, the one called Arthur.
