Read The Gunslinger (Barnett Ranch) for Free Online Page B

interrupted them.  “Excuse me, I don’t mean to be nosey, but just what kind of horses are you talking about?  Are they mares, geldings or what?”  “Well, for the most part, t here are mostly mares.  There are a few good geldings in the bunch, but they belong to the men .  We usually keep the mares for breeding stock but this year the boss chose to let a good bit of them go.”  “I’m really just looking to buy mares .  Would it be too much trouble for me to, look at them?”  “Nah, I’m about to head out there now if you’d like to ride along.”
    Jax saddled up the stallion and rode along beside the trail boss.  “That’s a mighty fine stallion, you have.  I reckon he must be the reason you’re looking for good mares.”  “He’d be the reason alright.”  Jax, pet the horse’s neck and rub bed his hand through his mane. The herd was about two hours from town.  When they got near, the stallion through his head up, blew and pranced.  Jax held him in check, calming him.  “Whoa, boy, easy now,” he cooed to the horse. 
    Jax fol lowed the trail boss to the remu da line and dismounted handing the reins of his stallion to one of the wranglers.  He walked around the herd getting a good look at them.  He checked their feet, their backs, and their teeth.  They were all , good and broke, of course they would be after so many months on the trail.   “Well I can’t take all of them but I would really like to take a good bit off your hands, say about fifty or so.  How much, are you asking for them?”  “Oh about two hundred, I guess.”  “That’s too much, how about a hundred.”  “Nah, I’ll take one fifty and no less.”  “You got yourself a deal.”  “Alright then, pick the ones you want out and tell the wrangler.  Seeing as how, you’re only taking fifty of them, I reckon it would be alright if you go on and take them.  I’ll head back to town with you whenever you’re ready, and I’ll have a couple of the boys bring your horses while you and I settle business.   I got a couple boys that’s due to take their turn in town tonight, anyway.” 
    The trail boss rode off and Jax went over the horses he wanted with the wrangler.  Two men rode over with the trail boss and the wrangler told them which ones to cut out.  Jax gave them directions to his place and left with the trail boss.  Since Jax didn’t trust banks he’d kept all his money safely hidden.  Before he moved here he kept it on him, which could have been dangerous had he not been, just as dangerous himself.  Now, he had it hidden in a metal box under a loose floorboard in the house, he rented.  It was going to cost him every bit of his savings to pay for the horses, but it was worth it.  This was what he’d been saving for, all of his adult life. 
    They rode up to his house and hitched their horses out front.  Jax told the trail boss to have a seat at the table while he got the money.  He went into the bedroom, shut the door and lifted the board up careful not to make noise then took the money out and counted out seventy five hundred dollars.  He picked up a pen and a piece of paper on his way out of the bedroom.
    The two men talked horses, and the trail boss rode out a bill of sale on the piece of paper.  They both signed it and left room for the two trail hands to sign as witnesses.  They talked while they waited and Jax put a pot of coffee on the stove. 
    The men arrived with the horses and Jax opened the gate to the corral for them.  He offered them all coffee and they came in, drank their coffee, and signed their names to the bill of sale.  Jax thanked them and walked them to the door.  The three men headed into town for the night.  It was already dark but one of them carried a lantern.  Jax lit his own lantern and took the stallion to the barn to stall him for the night.
    He took a long look at his new herd of horses and smiled to himself before calling it a night.  This was what