the Tall Stranger (1982) Read Online Free PDF Page B

thousands of people can't raise their own beef, somebody's got to have land enough to raise beef for them. And Hardy, he come by it honest."
    "By murdering Indians, I suppose!"
    Red looked at her thoughtfully. "Ma'am, somebody's been tellin' you wrong. Plumb wrong. Hardy never murdered no Indians."
    "What's going on here?" Morton Harper stepped into the street. To his right was Pete Zapata, to his left Pike Purcell. Lamport lounged in the door of the store.
    "Why, nothin', mister," Red said thoughtfully. His gaze had sharpened, and Sharon saw his eyes go from Harper to Zapata. "We was just talkin' about land and the ownership of it. We're ridin' for Bishop, and--"
    "And you can ride right out of here!" Harper snapped. "Now!"
    Sharon was closer to the Bishop riders, and she heard the second man say softly: "Watch it, Red! That's Zapata!"
    Red seemed to stiffen in his saddle and his hand, which had started to slip off the pommel of the saddle, with no aggressive intention, froze in position. Without a word, they turned their horses and rode away.
    "That's the beginning," Harper stated positively. "I'm afraid they mean to drive us from our homes!"
    "They didn't sound much like trouble," Cap ventured, hesitantly. "Talked mighty nice!"
    "Don't be fooled by them!" Harper warned. "Bishop is an outlaw, or the next thing to it ..."
    Tom Crockett was a man who loved the land. No sooner had he put a plow into the deep, rich soil of the canyon bottom than he felt he had indeed come home. The soil, deep and black, heavy with richness, a land that had never known a plow. Working early and late, he had in the next day managed to plow several acres. The seed he bought from Kies, who seemed to have everything they needed.
    There were several hours a day he gave to working on the buildings the others were throwing up, but logs were handy, and all but Zapata and Kies worked on the felling and notching of them. Kies stayed in his store, and Zapata lounged close by.
    Morton Harper helped with the work, but Sharon noticed that he was never without a gun, and his rifle was always close by. At night in his saloon he played cards with Purcell and Lamport and anyone else who came around. Yet several times a day he managed to stop by, if only for a minute, to talk to her.
    He stopped one day when she was planting a vine near the door. He watched her for a few minutes, and then he stepped closer.
    "Sharon," he said gently. "You shouldn't be doing this sort of thing. You're too beautiful. Why don't you let me take care of you?"
    She looked at him, suddenly serious. "Is this a proposal?"
    His eyes flashed, then he smiled. "What else? I suppose I'm pretty clumsy at it."
    "No," she returned thoughtfully, "you're not clumsy at it, but let's wait. Let's not talk about it until everyone has a home and is settled in a place of their own."
    "All right," he agreed reluctantly. "But that won't be very long, you know."
    It was not until they were eating supper that night that her thoughts suddenly offered her a question. What about Morton's home? He had not even started to build. He was sleeping in a room behind the saloon, such in name only as yet, for there was little liquor to be had.
    The thought had not occurred to her before, but it puzzled and disturbed her. Tom Crockett was full of plans, talking of crops and the rich soil.
    The next day Morton Harper was gone. Where he had gone Sharon did not know, but suddenly, in the middle of the morning she realized he was not among them, and the black mare was gone, too. Shortly after noon she saw him riding into town, and behind him came six wagons, loaded with boxes and barrels. They drew up before the store and the saloon.
    He saw her watching and loped the mare over to her door.
    "See?" he said, waving a hand. "The supplies! Everything we need for the coming year, but if we need more, I can send a rider back to the fort."
    "Then you had them coming from the fort?" she asked. "You were far-sighted."
    He laughed,