Page 60 (1/2)
“I will Thanks, Mr Prescott” Reuben’s slithery way of walking carried hi heard the front door open and close
“Interesting,” he said aloud, thinking of what he could do hat he’d learned Maybe he couldn’t get his hands on the property But what if there was a way to widen the breach between Bull and Rose? If the tere to beco for hiht lead?
With hisreached for the phone and punched in the nus “I’d like to leave a e,” he said when the bartender answered “Whenever Deke Triplehorn shows up, tell him Mr Prescott wants to talk to him”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
TANNER WAS BACK IN TEXAS,
WORKING FOR THE TSCRA HIS FIRST assigns, where he’d caught the pair of bungling teenage cattle rustlers within a couple of days, recovered the calves they’d stolen, and turned the boys over to the juvenile court system
He’d hoped Clive would be i, but he was in for a surprise when he walked into the TSCRA regional headquarters the next day
“Coed, with horn-riray hair His exploits over his years as a special ranger had becoend
“Have a seat” Clive took the chair behind his desk “I’ve got a proposition for you, McCade Hear me out Then you can say yes or no”
Tanner took a chair and waited while Clive cleared a space on his cluttered desk “Over the past fewreports of cattle rustlers hiding stock in the canyons below the caprock My supervisors have decided to open a post in Blanco Springs to deal with theers who’s familiar with the area, and the people, we’d like to put you in charge”
“You’re sure?” Tanner was momentarily stunned “But I’m just barely familiar with the area I’ve only been on the job a fewHell, I’m not even a Texan”
“Let’s just say we’ve checked out your background, and we think you’ve got what it takes to grow into the job You’ve gotten to know the big ranches and the iood start And before you make up your mind, I don’t suppose it would hurt to mention that it comes with a nice raise in salary”
Tanner thought of the extra cash he could send his brother’s fas to consider “Like you say, I can at least hear you out,” he said
“We’ve had a realtor looking for the right place to set up,” Clive said “She’s found us a two-bedroos You’d stay there, er on rotation We’d set up your office with connections to our dispatcher and everything else you’d need There’s a stable out back with a tack roo with a truck and horse trailer” Clive chuckled “Don’t look so surprised, McCade A lot of planning’s gone into this That includes finding the right man for the job However, there is a catch It’s not likely to be permanent Once the rustlers are cleaned out, you’ll be shut down and transferred”