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.”“Real soon,” Sykes said, nodding in agreement.The sooner, the better.Mason went out and sat on the small bench on the front porch in the sunshine.He’d pushed himself a little too hard that day, and he needed to take it easy for a while.He hadn’t been there long when he noticed a rider coming in.He didn’t recognize the man and wondered who he was and what he wanted.Out by the stable, Tom saw the stranger, too.He left what he was doing and walked up to the house so he could be with Mason when the man arrived.“What do you think?” Tom asked as he joined Mason on the porch.“I don’t know, but I think we’re going to find out real soon,” Mason responded.The stranger reined in before them.“Afternoon,” Sykes said, tipping his hat to them.“What can we do for you?” Mason asked.“Is this the Lazy R?”“It is,” Mason answered, not offering any more.Something about the man troubled him, but he had no idea why.“You must be Mason Ryan, then.My name’s Tucker, Charley Tucker.”“I am Ryan, and this is my foreman Tom Johnson.What brings you to the Lazy R?”“I was in town, and I heard some talk at the saloon that you might be running a little shorthanded right now.Max, the bartender, told me to tell you he sent me out to see if you wanted to hire on an extra hand.”“Where are you from?” Mason asked.“No place in particular.I like to keep moving.”“If you like to keep moving, what makes you think you’d want to work here?”“I’ve been down on my luck for a while and could sure use a few paydays right now.”Tom had a feeling Mason didn’t like the man, but they were shorthanded and could definitely use the help.He spoke up.“We could use an extra man until Hank gets back.”“The barkeep told me about your trouble with the raiding party.I’ll work hard for you.”Mason had his doubts, but realized Tom did need help.“All right.We’ll give you a try, but I’m hoping it’ll only be for a short time.”“For your sake, I hope so, too.I’ll take whatever work you can give me,” Sykes told him, playing humble.“Come on out to the bunkhouse,” Tom said, taking charge.“I’ll show you around.”“Thanks.”Mason remained where he was, watching the two men walk away.He didn’t know why Tucker put him on edge, but he did.For now, he’d trust Tom’s judgment, but if he noticed anything strange—anything at all—he would call Tucker on it.Trent had been keeping an eye on the clouds gathering in the distance, and knew harsh weather was headed their way.“We need to ride for higher ground,” he told them.“There’s a bad storm coming in, and it’s coming fast.”Faith had seen the threatening clouds, too, and feared the tracks they were following might be washed out.“But we need to keep on the trail for as long as we can,” she argued.“It might get washed out.”“Staying on the trail won’t do us any good if we end up dead,” Trent countered.“Trent’s right, Faith,” Hank concurred, studying the sky.“The storm’s moving quick.”“But if we lose the trail.” She stared off in the direction they’d been traveling, knowing Abbie was out there somewhere.“If it gets washed out, we’ll just have to find it again,” Trent told her, meeting her gaze.Faith saw the calm determination in his eyes.She had learned to trust him during their time together, and she put her trust in him now.“All right.Let’s ride.”They started off toward higher ground, looking for a place to seek shelter from the coming storm.Trent had been right.It wasn’t long before the wind picked up and the rain began.It had been storming for some time in the mountains, and the water was already washing down and surging through the arroyos.Fierce lightning split the sky as the deluge gained strength.Trent saw there was another arroyo ahead that they had to cross to reach safety.The water was rising, but he thought they could make it in time.He led the way, urging his reluctant horse on.“We have to hurry before the current gets any stronger!” he shouted as he forded the rushing waters.His horse balked and came close to losing its footing, but finally made it up the other side.Faith followed next [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]