Free Radigan (1958) by Louis L'amour

tunnel to the barn so we can feed the stock."
    She was frankly incredulous, but he continued. "It makes me wonder who could convince you that you wanted to live here, or that you could ranch here. I think there is more behind this than appears on the surface."
    "The land is mine," she said, "and that is the only reason we came. "
    "About that," he tried his coffee and put it down hurriedly. It was much too hot.
    "Your claim is based on an Armijo grant, and he had no authority to grant land to anyone, nor did he ever have title to this land. This was part of an original grant by the King of Spain, ratified later by the government of Mexico, and still later by the government of the United States.
    "It was for years considered useless land, too far from any thing and of no immediate use, so I moved in, looked it over, and bought out the original grant. You could have learned in Santa Fe that I have legal title to thirty-six sections in this area.
    Your grant is not and never was worth anything at all, and whatever your father gave for it has been lost. I am sorry, but those are the facts. In court you would never have a chance."
    She was coldly furious but her expression did not change, yet within her there was a sudden emptiness. Had her father never managed one successful thing? And why had Harvey not discovered this? Why had he not known about the scarcity of grazing land?
    Yet there was no turning back. There was no way back at all. She could sell her herd-yes.
    But the cattle were a strong argument in her favor, and an outfit moving into a country with a herd automatically garnered some degree of respect. There was no turning back.
    She looked up at him and smiled. "I wish we could settle this peacefully, Mr. Radigan, but you may be sure the case will never go to court. It will be settled right here-now."
    She had finished her coffee. Abruptly, he got to his feet. "If that is the case, we're wasting time," he replied brusquely. "We've nothing further to discuss. I am giving you one hour to get your cattle and outfit off my land."
    Angelina did not move. She lifted her cup and smiled at him, a radiant smile. "I am sorry we are enemies," she said. "I'd hoped we could be friends."
    "We can still be friends," Gretchen suggested. "Move your cattle away and find a ranch of your own and then come back and see us. "
    'Us?' " she quoted. "Well!" Angelina got to her feet. "I was not aware that you had become a partner in Mr. Radigan's ranch. Or," she glanced meaningly from one to the other, "have you already established a claim?"
    Gretchen's face grew pale, then flooded with color. "I have no claim," she replied, "only my father is loyal to Tom Radigan and I hope I shall be."
    Angelina walked to the door. "You will be," she said. "I have no doubt of it."
    She went outside into the cold air and for a minute she stood still, fuming inwardly.
    That-that little! Then she swung into the saddle. All right then, Harvey knew how to do it. Yet even as her decision was made she kept seeing the way Radigan's dark hair curled around his ears, and the grave thoughtful expression of his eyes.
    And soon he would be dead .. . killed.
    No matter. He had had his chance. And there was no other way. She kept telling herself that.
    Harvey Thorpe hunched his shoulders against the cold, and glanced irritably at the gray sky. "You're sure there isn't another door?"
    "I looked. There was only the one." "What do you think, Ross?"
    Wall shifted his weight in the saddle. "We can do it, but we're going to lose men.
    No use trying it from behind. A man coming off that rock slope would get himself shot to doll rags."
    Thorpe looked at the house. They could move into the barn and shoot into the house through the windows, but it wasn't going to be easy. Radigan was apparently set for a siege. "We've got it to do," he said.
    "Coker's a good man with a gun," Wall suggested. "If we could get Coker and Barbeau where they could cover the windows, we might make it too hot