Free Longhorn Country by Tyler Hatch Page B

enough to recognize rising anger in the trail boss by the set of his body. O’Day spat and called for Lucas and Alamo to come up to the porch.
    ‘Trouble?’ he asked as Alamo Ames stomped into the shade followed more slowly by Lucas, who looked deep in thought, carrying his ever-present notepads.‘Some high-riders busted the mavericks last night, stampeded ’em through the camp – Blaine’s gone after ’em so I need a couple men to help me roundup the steers.’
    ‘Blaine oughta had more sense,’ Lucas snapped, quick to put another black mark against the breed.
    Alamo said quietly, ‘It was Hardesty and Rendell.’
    ‘Now there’s a pair,’ allowed Morgan, his face tight. ‘You shoulda stopped Blaine – I oughta send someone after him.’ It was just talk and he knew the others knew it: Blaine would do as he pleased, specially with a sighting of the men who had almost killed him. ‘But we’ve just had word that the meat-packing houses won’t send their agents down to our railhead from now on.’
    Lucas snapped his head up. ‘Damn! I knew it!They were hinting at it last time, sayin’ it was too far to come, just for our longhorns. They don’t think much of ’em.’
    ‘Longhorn beef’s good enough for the Army,’ bristled Morgan. ‘But, it’s the distance and our railhead only bein’ on a spur-track: facilities are pretty rough. The new railhead at San Antone’s opened, links directly with the big tracks to the Gulf Coast. They’ll meet us there from now on.’
    ‘They want us to drive to San Antone !’ asked Lucas, outraged. ‘Hell’s teeth, that’s gonna cost a pretty penny….’
    ‘Which will be reflected in our asking price.’
    ‘Sure – but will they pay our price?’
    ‘Reckon so – we’ll take bigger herds, drive just once a year. It’ll work out in the end.’
    Alamo shrugged. ‘Ten thousand or thirty thousand won’t make no difference to me long as I have enough men.’
    ‘You will….’
    Lucas suddenly snapped his fingers. ‘Listen, Pa – we can boost our quality and practically guarantee top dollar.’
    ‘You can’t do that overnight, boy!’
    Lucas flushed – when the hell was the Old Man going to quit calling him ‘boy’? Damnit, he was pushing thirty and still he …
    Aloud he said, ‘We’re pushin’ it some to fill those Army contracts, Pa.’
    ‘Which is why I sent Alamo after them mavericks.’
    ‘Yeah, well, when I was in town seeing Calvin Eastbrook about the new timber leases, he told me that Don Miguel Santiago was selling his place down at San Nicolas.’
    Morgan frowned. ‘That’s near Monterrey, ain’t it?’
    Alamo looked at his boss but Lucas went on quickly.
    ‘Yeah, Pa – Calvin heard on the quiet the old hidalgo is dyin’ and aimed to spread his rancho amongst his family, but none of ’em are much interested in the workin’ side of things: all they want is cold hard cash. So to spite ’em, he’s sellin’ up at bargain prices…. We could pick us up some prime breeding stock, Pa, as well as some to sell.’
    Alamo could see Morgan was almost persuaded, but, as he expected, the rancher said, ‘Long way down to Monterrey – or San Nicolas which is almost as far. Can’t spare the men for the drive back.’
    Lucas smiled, winking at Alamo. ‘A good man could dicker so that old Miguel provides the vaqueros to get ’em back to the Border…. We can let you know when we’re there and half-a-dozen men’d be enough to drive ’em back here, take just a day or two….’
    ‘You ain’t goin’,’ Morg said flatly and Lucas’ face fell.
    ‘Aw, Pa, it’s my idea and I’d sure like to do some horse-trading with that old ranchero ! After all the sneaky damn tricks he’s pulled on us Texas ranchers in general, over the years….’
    ‘Alamo can handle it – he’s good at buyin’ cows, better even than sellin’ ’em.’ He flicked his hard old eyes to the trail boss. ‘You could do it, couldn’t you?’
    Lucas frowned as