Page 27 (1/2)

“Right the second ti his hat to show the bandanna “The bullet just put a crease in ave me a hell of a headache”

“That sounds like somethin’ Bull Tyler would do,” one of the man said “He’s a et your brains blowed out”

“You think it was Tyler who shot me?”

“Who else? Unless it was his foreman, Jasper Platt He’s a mean one, too”

“You don’t look so good,” Lem said “Can you make it back to the ranch by yourself?”

“I think so Long as the horse knows the way,” Tanner said

“We’d ride back with you,” Leet them cows back pronto”

“Don’t worry I can make it on my own”

&n

bsp; Tanner watched the three cowhands ride off toward the escarped it to an easy walk and headed back toward the heart of the ranch At least he wouldn’t have to return to the canyon tonight, as he’d planned He could clean up in the bunkhouse, s a fistful of ibuprofen, report to Ferg, and then et some sleep

Only by chance did he happen to look down at the ground, where the three riders had left a fresh trail, superi them

One set of hoofprints showed signs of a loose shoe—a shoe with two nails

Ignoring the ache in his head, Tanner dismounted and compared the new and older prints to be sure of theon here Assu the horse hadn’t been switched between riders, thein the so-called stolen cattle, were the same ones who’d herded them onto Rimrock land in the first place

Leht back at once That would i knew exactly where they could be found And Ferg wouldn’t have known that unless he’d ordered his cattle moved there in the first place

Tanner swore out loud What in hell’s nahbor, Bull Tyler, for cattle rustling? If so, it was a la could testify that they’d been acting under orders fro