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it.”
    â€œWhat’s your name, mister?” Flossie said.
    â€œFrank Cobb.”
    â€œThank you, Frank Cobb. Ain’t nobody ever gave us anything like that before.”
    â€œThere’s a first time for everything, I guess,” Frank said.
    â€œHell, I need my hoss,” Lou Standish said.
    â€œNo, you don’t,” Frank said. “You’re walking.”

C HAPTER S EVEN
    â€œHe’s half dead, Frank,” Kate Kerrigan said. “How far did you walk him?”
    â€œA fair piece, Kate, most of it in the dark. I guess he regrets getting his boots sewn on a narrow Texas last, huh?”
    â€œHe won’t need any kind of last ever again. I reckon his feet are worn down to nubbins.”
    â€œWell, now we don’t have to hang him. He swore on his mother’s grave that he didn’t kill any of the Mexicans, so maybe he’s suffered enough.”
    â€œI’ll be the judge of that. Even if you believe him about the Mexicans, it was my cattle he helped scatter all over the range.”
    â€œYeah, well, there’s always that,” Frank said. “I reckon it’s a hanging offense.”
    Kate poured more coffee into Frank’s cup and said, “I know you’ve had no sleep and are all used up, but do you feel like riding?”
    â€œI’ll ride. I’ll catch up on sleep later.”
    â€œGood.” Kate turned to Moses, who held a plate under his chin and was scraping up the last of his breakfast eggs. “Mose, make me a hangman’s rope with thirteen coils on the noose. Unlucky for some.”
    Frank smiled. “Who you going to hang, Kate?”
    â€œHopefully nobody, but I’m keeping my options open. Do have that last slice of bacon and help yourself to another biscuit, Frank.”
    Black Barrie Delaney delicately dabbed his mouth with his napkin. “What course are you laying, Miz Kate?”
    â€œI’m headed for Ezra Raven’s spread,” Kate said.
    â€œThat damn rogue,” Delaney said. “I’ll come with my cutlass and split him from skull to chin.”
    â€œYou’ll do no such thing, Barrie Delaney. You and your shiftless crew will get to work on my house, and if I don’t see progress by the time I get back, I’ll find another place to stick your cutlass. Oh, I do declare, the coffee is getting cold.” Kate stood then turned. “Mr. Delaney, why are you still in my presence?”
    â€œI’m just going, Miz Kate, and thank ’ee kindly for breakfast.” The man rose to his feet and winked at Frank. “A poor sailorman’s work is never done.”
    â€œBarrie Delaney, you wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if you tripped over it,” Kate said. “You’re more used to cutting throats than cutting lumber, I’ll be bound.”
    Delaney left the cabin and waved to his crew, who’d filled up on coffee and Jazmin’s flapjacks and were lounging under the shade tree. “Come on, you damn lubbers,” the captain yelled. “Let’s build the nice lady a house.”
    Kate shook her head. “How did Black Barrie Delaney and his pirates ever escape the gallows? It’s a mystery to me.”
    * * *
    Kate ordered four of the hired hands to mount up. In addition, she planned for Frank and her son Trace, a first-rate rifleman, to ride with her.
    Hank Lowery volunteered, but Frank would not hear of it. “Lowery won’t carry a gun, and an unarmed man will be of no account when we brace Ezra Raven.”
    â€œThen he can stay behind with Quinn and the others and help brand whatever calves we can find.” Kate stared at Frank. “I won’t argue the point with you, but I admire Hank Lowery for trying to change and leave his guns behind.”
    â€œI won’t argue, either, Kate. A man has the right to choose to be unarmed and defenseless if he wishes,” Frank said. “I just don’t want him