“No he won’t,” Megan said quickly. “I made it clear that the whole thing was my idea. I told him that there were some horses in Bodie that needed breaking and that could perhaps be bought and resold at a hefty profit.”
Longarm had been about to take another sip, but now he stopped, cup frozen near his lips. “You told him that you were going along with me to break and perhaps buy some Bodie horses?”
“Sure.”
“But that’s a damn lie.”
“Maybe not. I do buy problem horses, straighten them out, and resell them for a profit. Besides, look at it this way, Custis. It’s far better for me to lie than to have him charge out here and maybe beat you half to death with a singletree. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“I sure would,” Longarm said, “but I don’t want to have to face the man when you come back without any money or horses.”
“I’ll figure out something.” Megan stood up to leave. “Besides, quite honestly, my father is looking forward to Mrs. Appleton coming by to feed and flatter him. She still laughs at his jokes, even the dirty ones, and I think he’d like to seduce her on our kitchen table.”
“Old lecher.”
“He is,” Megan said with a shake of her head. “Sometimes he and Mrs. Appleton get to laughing so hard it dam near sets our dog to howling.”
After saying that, Megan went back to the house while Longarm finished his coffee and then batted the straw off himself and shuffled over to a water trough to wash his face, neck, and hands. He combed his hair with his fingers, and found his gunbelt and buckled it on.
Standing in the doorway of the barn, he stretched and then decided he had better get to the table before Bill got upset because of his tardiness.
“Well goddammit!” Bill bellowed in anger, turning away from the stove with a plate of flapjacks in his left hand. “It’s just about damn time you showed. I was about to go out there and jerk you right out of your wet dreams.”
“Father!” Megan exclaimed. “Behave yourself.”
“Sit down, the both of you,” Bill ordered.
Longarm glanced at Megan, who indicated that they had better do as her father commanded. For the next few minutes, Bill slammed food down in front of them. Flapjacks, bacon, and fried potatoes along with more coffee.
“Eat up!” the old man exclaimed. “Who knows when you’ll eat a decent meal again between here and Bodie.”
“You know that there are stage stops along the way where we can eat and rest.”
Bill glared at his daughter. “Yeah? And what about where you will sleep?” he challenged.
“So,” Longarm said, “is that why you’re so on the prod this morning?”
“That and a hammer banging me right behind the eyes.”
“I keep telling you not to drink so much,” Megan said.
“Shut up, girl!”
Bill marched over to loom above Longarm, who was still seated at the table. And though he was old, Wild Bill looked menacing this morning, especially with a coffeepot in his fist. “You better not diddle around with my daughter, Marshal Long,” he warned, coffeepot shaking in his hand. “Because if I ever find out that you’ve taken advantage of my Megan, I’ll shoot your balls off!”
Longarm jumped to his feet. Frankly, his own head was pounding a little. Furthermore, he was stiff from sleeping on the ground, straw or no straw. And finally, he had never been a man who tolerated physical threats, especially the first thing in the morning when he was still half asleep.
“Look here, you old reprobate!” Longarm shouted. “I didn’t ask your daughter to come along, she invited herself. And furthermore, I’m not going to take advantage of anyone. I never have and I never will.” Longarm’s jaw jutted out. He was bigger than Wild Bill and he was armed. “So don’t go threatening me, old man.”
Bill took a step back, and the purple veins at his temples were visibly throbbing. But at least his voice was several octaves lower when he said, “You just better treat her like a lady. That’s all I got to say. If I hear that you weren’t a gentleman, I will shoot your balls off.”
“Is that before or after you screw old giggly Mrs. Appleton on this kitchen table?” Longarm said dryly.
Bill’s jaw sagged and his eyes bugged. Longarm braced himself for a cyclone, but then Bill burst out in laughter. “Goddammit! Did Megan tell you that’s what I intend to do to Mrs. Appleton?”
“Yes.”
“Shit!” Bill stormed, turning on his daughter but unable to look upset. “You ain’t supposed to tell everyone everything I say!”
“Custis isn’t everyone,” Megan said, relaxing. “Besides, it’s the truth. You did say that, and you’re lying if you claimed otherwise.”
Bill refilled their cups and sat down. “All right,” he said, “you got me. I’m the pot calling the kettle black. Only Mrs. Appleton ain’t no virgin and Megan is.”
“How do you know that?” Megan asked innocently.
Bill gaped, and then he stammered for words. “You mean … who the hell have you been with!”
“No one,” she said. “But it could happen some day, and I’ll not have you putting a chastity belt around me—in fact or in your dirty old mind. Is that clear, Father?”
Longarm dipped his chin and started shoveling in the food. He did not want to be a part of this family dispute, and he was damned glad that Megan hadn’t allowed him to take her to some hotel room last night.
The rest of the conversation was strained and mostly conducted with a series of grunts. Longarm couldn’t wait to get out of the house and then pack his belongings and saddle the horse that Megan had chosen for him.
“That horse’s name is Arthur,” she said later. “He’s fast, tough, and he never goes lame.”
Longarm liked the looks of the sorrel gelding from the first moment he’d laid eyes on the animal. He was tall and deep-chested, with strong, straight legs. His head was refined, and the animal gave the impression of possessing the enviable combination of intelligence, speed, and great stamina. “My guess is that he’s a thoroughbred.”
“Crossbred,” she said. “Mustang and thoroughbred. They’re the best kind of horse I’ve ever owned. The mare I’ll be riding is your gelding’s sister.”
“They are a fine match.”
“Maybe we could be too,” Megan said, tossing the offhanded comment at him with a grin so bold that it made Longarm’s throat go a little dry.
Megan had packed two big saddlebags with food and tied grain behind their cantles. She’d filled two big canteens, and just before they left, Bill came out to give them each Winchesters to put into their saddle boots.
“There’s a long story behind them rifles,” he said, “but I reckon that you’ve not got the time I need for the telling. The important thing, Marshal, is that they are oiled, loaded, and shoot straight. Megan, by the way, is probably a better rifle shot than you are.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me in the least,” Longarm said, climbing into the saddle.
“Just take care of each other,” Bill said, almost pleading. “If I don’t see you back here to board that eastbound within ten days to two weeks, I’ll come looking for you both. Is that understood?”
“Yes sir,” Longarm said, extending his hand to the former lawman.
They shook, though Bill’s grip was no longer strong.
“You be sure and eat everything that Mrs. Appleton puts on your plate,” Megan said. “You know you need to put on some weight and how much she likes it when you empty your plate.”
“I’m going to try and find out how much she likes some other things I intend to do,” Bill said with a lascivious grin.
“Father!”
The old reprobate cackled a laugh, and then Longarm and Megan reined south. As soon as they were out on the road, Megan touched her heels to her mare’s flanks and set the animal into a high lope. Longarm would have preferred to have walked a few miles just to get the stiffness out of his body and warm up the horses, but his animal seemed more than eager to gallop.