“Oh,” Sally said. “Isn’t he beautiful?”
“Careful, don’t be too loud with your compliments,” Smoke said. “He’s got a big enough head already.”
Sally laughed. “What do you mean, he has a big enough head?”
“Look at him,” Smoke said. “He knows he is the center of attention. Why, he is positively arrogant.”
“That’s all right, Prince Henry,” Sally said. “You are smart, and you are beautiful. Be arrogant all you want.”
“You are impressed with him, are you?”
“Oh, Smoke, we have to buy him,” Sally said. “We simply must.”
“Ha! And you are the one who was telling me I had to stay within a spending limit.”
“Well, don’t go overboard. But I do want him.”
“I tell you, it’s him,” Stu Sinclair said to his two brothers.
“How do you know it’s him?” Emil replied.
“The son of a bitch hit me right in the face. Do you think I can’t remember someone who hit me right in the face?”
Emil, Stu, and Jason Sinclair were sitting at a table at the Bucket of Blood Saloon. Out of curiosity, Stu had gone down to the auction barn, but returned to tell the others that he had seen Smoke Jensen.
“What would Smoke Jensen be doing here?” Jason asked.
“How the hell do I know?” Stu replied. “All I know is I saw him.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Believe him,” a new voice said. “Smoke Jensen is here.”
The three brothers looked up at the new voice, irritated that a stranger was interrupting their conversation. Then, Emil recognized him.
“You!” he said. “You are the one who—”
Pogue Quentin held up his hand to stop Emil in mid-sentence. “Do you want to stand up and shout to the whole world that you once robbed a train?” he asked quietly.
“Won’t bother us none,” Jason said. “We done served our time for it.”
“And was damn near hung ’cause you kilt the express-man,” Stu added.
“I appreciate you boys staying quiet about that.”
“Hell, we didn’t have no choice,” Jason said. “If we had know’d who you really was, we would have told ’em and maybe got some time off. But we never actually know’d your name, other than Joe.”
“And that ain’t your real name, is it?” Emil asked.
“No. My real name is Pogue Quentin.”
“Pogue Quentin? Damn, I’ve heard of that name. You’re a rich man now, ain’t you?”
Quentin nodded. “I am a rich man, yes,” he said.
“Damn, that ain’t right. I mean, here, the four of us robbed a train, but we went to jail and you got rich.”
“We all took the same risk,” Quentin said. “The only difference is, you got caught and I didn’t.”
“Yeah? Well, I’ll bet there’s a reward out for you,” Stu said. “What would keep us from just turning you in to the sheriff for that reward?”
Quentin laughed.
“You think it’s funny, do you?” Stu challenged.
“Emil, you seem to have more sense than the other two,” Quentin said. “Tell him why that is a dumb idea. You do know, don’t you?”
Emil nodded. “Yeah, I know. For one thing, you have become a very rich and very powerful man in this state. It would be our word, three former convicts, against yours. And nobody would take our word against yours.”
“You have a price on your head, don’t you?” Quentin said. “Trying to rob a store, were you?” He shook his head and made a clucking sound. “You boys have come a long way down from the last time I saw you.”
“Yeah, well, we ain’t rich like you,” Stu said. “We needed the money, which is why I think we should turn you in. There’s bound to be a reward on you, and the sheriff might believe us.”
Quentin laughed.
“You think that’s funny, do you?”
“I think it is stupid. I can give you three reasons why trying to tell the sheriff about me would not be a good idea.”
“And what are those reasons?” Emil asked.
“Number one, you have a price on your head, which makes going to the sheriff and calling attention to yourselves pretty stupid.
“However, and this is number two, you wouldn’t have to worry about winding up in jail, because if you do go to the sheriff, even though he wouldn’t believe you, I would have you killed.”
“What do you mean you would have us killed?” Stu asked. “There is only one of you, there are three of us.”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t do it myself,” Quentin replied. “I said I would have you killed. As we have discussed, I am a very wealthy man. I will simply hire someone to do it.”
“You said there were three reasons,” Emil said. “What is the third reason?”
“The third reason is you will miss out on the opportunity to make some money.”
“How much money?”
“That depends.”
“Depends on what?”
“On how much money Smoke Jensen brought with him. And since he plans to participate in the big cattle auction tomorrow, I suspect he has brought quite a bit with him.”
“What’s that got to do with us?” Jason asked.
“If you play your cards right, that could be your money,” Quentin replied.
“How much money are we talking about?” Stu asked.
“I heard that bull they’re sellin’ might bring in five hundred dollars or more,” Emil said.
“Five hundred dollars for one bull? I don’t believe it,” Stu said.
“Believe it,” Quentin said.
“So what if he does have five hundred dollars? You still ain’t said what that has to do with us,” Jason said.
“I don’t want Smoke to take part in the auction tomorrow. I’m willing to give you boys a hundred dollars apiece to see to it that he doesn’t. And consider this. In addition to the three hundred dollars I’ll give you, you can also have whatever money you find on him.”
“Find on him?” Stu asked. “What do you mean, find on him?”
“I’ll let you figure that out,” Quentin said.
“Find on him,” Emil repeated. He nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I know what you are saying.” He chuckled. “Yeah, find on him. I like that.”
Quentin removed a twenty-dollar bill from his billfold and put it on the table in front of the three brothers. “Here,” he said. “Drink, eat, buy yourself a woman, but don’t go anywhere and don’t do anything until you hear from me again.”
“How long will that be?” Emil asked.
“As long as it takes.”
Chapter Eight
The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association sponsored the dinner that night, holding the event in the Association Hall. Smoke wore a suit, only because Sally had had the presence of mind to pack one for him. A banner, spread across the front of the ballroom, read:
Colorado Springs
welcomes
COLORADO CATTLEMEN
The room was a kaleidoscope of the muted gray, brown, and blue suits of the men, among which flitted, like butterflies, the brightly colored gowns of the women. Smoke was glad that Sally had come with him because, in his mind at least, she was clearly the most beautiful woman present.
The guest list included Colorado’s leading citizens. In addition to the state’s most successful cattlemen, there were others present, like Owen Goldrick, founder of Colorado’s first public school; William Byers, editor of the Rocky Mountain News; and William Palmer, best known as the builder of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.
“Mrs. Jensen,” Goldrick said, greeting her. “How wonderful to see you here tonight. You are not only Colorado’s best schoolteacher, but clearly you are our state’s most beautiful.”
“Mr. Goldrick, you have not lost the ability to charm,” Sally replied with a chuckle. “And you must know that I am no longer teaching.”