Cowboy Caveat Read Online Free PDF Page A

Ethan and Ed. She knew just how to get around the both of
them.
    “ Alright everyone,
finished?” Amy looked at her sisters in turn and got up to leave.
Lucy went to settle the bill and met Amy and Millie in the hotel
foyer.
    “ Where we fixin’ta go
now?” asked Millie.
    “ The Reverend Norman has
arranged to meet Amy in church,” Lucy told them.
    “ What... why ?” whined Amy, horrified. She did not like the Reverend and
his pious ways, especially his Sunday sermons which dragged on for
ages!
    “ He has to see you and
discuss the marriage with you before Sunday.... Amy, it’s the law!
Come along, it won’t take long and then we can go home and I can
start work on altering my wedding dress so that it fits
you.”
    Amy rolled her
eyes. Oh, joy, she thought irreverently.
    The three women walked away from the busy
part of town, along the boardwalk toward the church. A large man
suddenly rounded the corner of a building and pushed through the
middle of them, knocking Millie right off the walk.
    “ Millie, are you alright?”
Lucy exclaimed, jumping down to the prone girl.
    “ Hey you....varmint!” Amy
yelled after the man, who had carried on regardless.
    He slowed his pace and turned to face her.
“Are you addressing me girl?”
    Amy gasped: it was
Henderson himself... the
bastard !
    “ You knocked my sister
over, you big oaf!”
    Henderson took a menacing step toward Amy,
removed his cigar and sneered at her, “We-ll now if it ain’t Daniel
Campbell’s spawn and all decked out in their cheap finery. Been
buying shiny little gee-gaws have you? Come to think of it, it’s
Saturday night tomorrow. Maybe you’re tarting yourselves up for all
the cowhands comin’ into town?”
    Amy felt inside her
reticule for her small palm pistol, the Derringer that Ethan bought
her last Christmas. Feeling a sense of cold, calm detachment roll
over her, Amy lost all normal, sensible behavior and pulled her gun
out smoothly. Shooting fast, Amy felt a deep satisfaction as
Henderson fell to the ground, screaming and clutching his shoulder.
Amy lowered the gun. Finally, she had done something to avenge her
parent’s death. She had known all along that this evil man was
behind what happened. She just knew
it !
    Lucy stared in shock at Amy from her
position kneeling beside Millie. There were footsteps running from
both directions, and Lucy realized she had to get them all out of
town as quickly as possible. After ascertaining that Millie was
unhurt, Lucy quickly yanked a tearful Millie to her feet and jumped
up onto the walkway next to Amy, just as Sheriff Leason arrived
with another man who went straight over to Henderson and shouted
for someone to call for the Doc.
    * * * * *
    “ Right that’s
enough, just pipe down , I can’t hear any of you all talking at once!” The Sheriff
ran a distracted hand through his hair, frustrated by the gaggle of
high-pitched women all chewing his ear off. He was wondering if he
had been wise to bring the three girls back to his
office.
    “ Look Sheriff,
Henderson threatened Amy and so she fired at him so if’n he claims otherwise, he
is just lying, the low-down rattlesnake that he is!!!”
    “ Well I don’t rightly know
‘bout that, ma’am. I think this is a real serious matter, real
serious and I have to keep Miss Campbell here at least for tonight,
that’s the law.” The Sheriff reached out to take hold of Amy’s arm,
but Amy stepped back quickly and hid behind Lucy.
    “ You would say that, Grant
Leason ... the law !!! You mean that’s what Henderson’s law says! You’re just in
his pocket Sheriff!” Lucy sneered and swept a disdainful look up
from the Sheriff’s toes to his head.
    The Sheriff shifted uncomfortably. “Now see
here, Lucy, you can’t say things like that! I’m the Sheriff and
you’ll do just what I say, dammit!”
    Lucy took a deep breath and calmed herself
down, realizing she wasn’t helping matters and that she had to stay
calm. “I’m sorry, Grant.