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would like to leave this mess behind and head home, the sheriff wouldn’t appreciate it. My obligation is to go into town and inform him about what happened here. Sheriff Jacob will want to talk to you as well. Were you going anywhere in particular when you came across this fiasco?” Channing mounted his horse.
    He followed suit and did the same, secured the horse’s reins, and kept pace with Channing. “If I were, my assumption is my direction has changed based on what you just said.”
    “That would be correct. You’re not from around here.” Was it stamped on his forehead? “If you don’t mind me asking, where are you from, and what brings you to Legend, Texas? Occasionally, we get a couple of wagon trains, even fewer loners this far south who travel through our territory without good cause. We’re a few miles from the Mexico border, and sometimes renegades who escaped to there from the law cross back over and commit criminal acts, and then return. The terrain is harsh, dry, and flat for miles with nothing but dust and tumbleweed until you reach the mountains. There are only a few locations to find fresh water, and a man has to know his way around or he’ll bake before he reaches an inhabited area.” Channing glanced at Noor. “European?” he asked.
    Magnus , he thought. He said instead, “No.”
    “Hmm, I thought I detected a slight accent.”
    He made a mental note. A group of renowned linguists tutored him on the appropriate dialect, terminology, and slang he might encounter. He felt comfortable he wouldn’t botch it with the speech and pronunciation of words, but it was unavoidable he might err on occasion and let his accent slip through.
    There were two days of non-stop education and instructions from historians about the culture, environment, fashion, food, and social etiquette hammered into his head. When time ran short, they uploaded a data implant module he could access, if needed. By the time he was ready to travel, he considered himself sufficiently equipped to assimilate into the Wild West with minimal issues.
    Don’t ask, don’t tell , Noor thought, and unless Channing intended to drill him for answers, he’d remain vague as possible, and wouldn’t volunteer any information.
    “Did you come to experience the adventures of the Wild West?”
    “What makes you think I’m not from some other region of Texas?” If he was throwing out clues he felt like a duck out of water, he needed to know what they were so he could adjust and correct the mistakes before encountering others. Duck out of water . Noor smiled inwardly. He was already thinking in clichés for this period.
    “The Winchester repeater is one of the finest assembled, expensive, and not a weapon you can purchase in a local mercantile, because most common people can’t afford it. You shot with eagle eye accuracy, which means you can handle the rifle. Although, if you used it a lot, I would imagine more wear on the handle or gunmetal. Like a good woman, leather will mold around you comfortably after several uses. If you treat it right.” Channing grinned. “Your boots still have the luster and smell of new leather. The sun is high, hot, but I get the impression you’re more uncomfortable in the slacks, shirt, and vest for other reasons than the heat. You keep tugging at the collar, by the way. You have city written all over you, even though I sense an underlining lethalness you try to subdue for whatever reason.”
    Channing would be a good partner during an undercover operation. With his eye for detail and intuition, he doubted anything slipped by him. He had to remember such and stay on his toes around him.
    And inquisitive, he noticed, seeing Channing about to ask another question. He steered the conversation to different topic.
    “So, Harland couldn’t think of anything better to do with his life except harass you unnecessarily. It seems like a waste of time. The fact he intended to kill you with such a barbaric method is