The Diary of Jerrod Bently - J.W. Osborn (mobi ebook reader TXT) 📗

follow Turtle Back and himself around as they were growing up. Little Fox stared at her, taking in the every detail of this beautiful girl who had just ridden into his camp and seemed intent on staying.
“Well,”, Lillie prompted to break the uncomfortable silence between them. “I am here to help and stop staring at me.”
“I am surprised,” Little Fox said “You were the last person I expected to see out here.”
“May be I got tired of painting pots and images of horses for your father,” she said. “I heard you want to marry Scrub Pot’s grand daughter.”
“Her name is Samantha,” the young man spit “ and yes, I intend to marry her.”
Lillie laughed and gave her long raven locks a toss. “I also heard that Scrub Pot said you need forty horses to marry her when she gets back from that cattle drive.”
“That is why I am here, chasing mustangs and your lazy brother is back at the village. “ Little Fox growled. Lillie laughed, “I also heard you lost Desert Rose.”
Little Fox grimaced in annoyance that she would bring up the matter, which now seemed to be common knowledge among his tribe. Lillie sat down next to the fire, crossed her long legs and looked up at him.
“You grew up since the last time I saw you,” Little Fox commented.
“So did you,” Lillie replied “What are you cooking?”
“Rabbit,” he replied.
Lillie Greyhorse was an artist, but she also could catch horses. Little Fox had seen her do it with her brothers and he smiled. “She’s as good as Sam,” he said in his thoughts. He welcomed the idea of company, the help, but her youthful beauty promised to be a distraction. He forced himself to call up the memory of Sam’s face.
“Do you love her?” Lillie asked as he offered her some of the meat he’d cooked.
“Who?”, Little Fox asked.
“Sam Dodge.” Lillie replied as she chewed on the charred rabbit leg. “Your wife to be.”
“She is beautiful and strong,” he said as he watched her.
“She’s a wrangler and half white,” Lillie commented.
“So,” Little Fox defended. “I need a wife and a son and I know Sam very well.”
“You knew her before she went back East,” Lillie stated “When she came back she was different and you still have not answered my question.”
Little Fox wiped his finger on his deer skin pants. “What did you want to know,” he said in annoyance, “You are still such a nosey girl.”
“Do you love Sam?”. Lillie asked , ignoring his remark. He could not get away from the expression of her bright smiling eyes. “Well,” he replied “Ah, yes. I guess I do.”
“You guess,?”, Lillie questioned. “You are out here alone, catching forty horses to marry a woman you guess you love?”
“Well, “ he defended “I never thought about that. My father told me it was time for me to get married. So I thought I would ask for Sam.”
“And what did she say?”, Lillie asked as she wiped her hands clean and began to gather her long hair to braid it for the night.
“She said she would think about it,” Little Fox answered.
Lillie giggled “That answer was is not worth forty horses,” she said.
“Sam is worth it,” Little Fox argued. “I already have some of the horses in the corral and Scrub Pot has Desert Rose. “
”My father only wants twelve horses for me,” Lillie said provocatively. Little Fox glared at her, knowing she was right and he was becoming drawn to her. “You?”, he questioned “You are too young and too skinny.”
“Take another look, Little Fox,” she said as she rose and went to retrieve a colorful woven blanket from where she had left her tack. “I am seventeen. Your father likes me and my paintings are becoming known and..” Little Fox watched her as she spread the blanket out on the ground. “You can’t sleep here,” he said worriedly.
“And why not?” Lillie defended as she folded herself inside it.
“You are not my wife.”, Little Fox stammered. “You can’t.....”
“I promise not to bother you, Little Fox,” she said “You stay on your side of the campfire and I will stay here. You will be safe with me.”
Grumbling the boy spread his own blanket out. “Skinny, little girl.”
“Good night,” Lillie called “We have lots of horses to catch tomorrow or you will be a bachelor for the rest of your life.”
“Go to sleep, “ Little Fox commanded as he pulled his blanket up. “It is late and you will go home in the morning.”
“And who will help you win Sam with your bride price of forty horses?”
It occurred to Little Fox as he lay there staring up at the stars that Lillie Greyhorse was right and suddenly twelve horses seemed far better than catching twenty eight more.


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It was quiet in town when Sam Dodge rode in on Doc’s black. Smoky Joe had rested overnight and Sam was anxious to get on her way and with her own horse. As she started down the main street, the acrid smell in the air told her that somewhere, someone had crossed paths with a pole cat and it hadn’t been that long ago. Now she didn’t want me to ride with her. I guess she wanted to say good by to her uncle alone. Sam was kind of private about those things. Heck, it wasn’t that long ago that I learned she and Doc were kin.
It did not take her long to find Victoria’s house. She could still smell that pole cat, but it was no where near as strong as it had been in town. From the small barn behind the house, Sam heard Trouble’s familiar nicker. She tied the black to the railing on the back porch and silently headed for the barn. In the paddock a beautiful paint mare grazed and inside the barn was Trouble. He seemed happy to see her, but then Sam and that stud seemed to understand each other real well anyway. She saw that her uncle had taken great care to put her tack away as she lifted her saddle and blanket from edge of the stall and began to tack the stud. She figured she would bring Smokey Joe in afterward and leave him in the barn along with Doc’s rig. She had always admired her uncle’s silver trim and shiny black leather, but if Sam had her way, she would not use a saddle at all, she’d ride Trouble bare back like she had learned to do when she was a child. She adjusted the saddle and pulled the girth up. “I’m going to miss you Doc,” she said to herself “can’t say that I’m not a little jealous. Since Ma and Pa died, you and Grandfather have been the only family I have had. Now I have to share you.” She paused to pet Trouble’s quivering black nose. The stud snorted, his eye was on the paint mare. “You just get that notion out of your head,” Sam told him, “You have a mare back at camp and you and her are going to make me some fine colts once we get back to Texas.”
“None finer,” Doc agreed as he opened the paddock gate and walked in leading Smokey Joe behind him.
“I was trying to be quite,” Sam said “Sorry I disturbed you.”
“You didn’t,” Doc replied. “Victoria is fixing a late breakfast.”
Sam wrinkled her nose. Doc grinned “I know,” he drawled “Had to draw out on a pole cat this morning,” he said.
Sam burst out laughing. “You never shoot a pole cat,” she declared.
“I had to shoot this one,” Doc defended “He was under my jail and last night, it all most ruined my wedding.” Sam was still laughing “So your first official act as sherrif was to shoot a pole cat.”
“Fraid so,” Doc drawled.
“Sorry I missed the wedding,” Sam said as she buckled Trouble’s dark leather bridle and picked up her reins. “I hope it