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“We’ll see what the marshall has to say about that,” the first one threatened

“You do that”

There was a gru the farmers before the teao, not turning until they were out of sight When he shoved the rifle into the scabbard of his saddle, he heard Shorty and Jessie do the same

“Damn farmers!” Shorty spit “We shoulda put a couple bullets in them”

“Let’s get back to the cattle” Benteen reined his horse toward the restless, uneasy herdnervously

The wagons had reached the night’s caround well ahead of the herd By that ti that she had ever boasted to Benteen that she could on were not the tractable anion, and her ar the reins There weren’t any roads across the prairie, and after a day of being bounced all over the wagon seat, her body seemed so bruised and battered that there wasn’t a part of her that didn’t hurt Gri to the discomfort

She was in agony because she hadn’t relieved herself since the noon stop Lorna cli the last two feet, afraid the jar of landing would cause her to humiliate herself She looked anxiously around At the noon stop, there had been a small stand of trees where she’d been able to hide herself, but here there was nothing but grass in all directions She couldn’t even see any bushes

“I’ll unhitch the horses for you, Mrs Calder,” a young voice said

Turning with a start, Lorna saw the dark-haired lad standing on the other side of the teaon that er than she was Lorna felt very young and foolish at the er than he was, but she was a married woman, so she couldn’t let him know

“Thank you” Her smile was hesitant She doubted if she could have unharnessed this headstrong tea

Walking stiffly, Lorna crossed to the Stanton wagon She felt less inadequate when she saw Mary being helped by the horse wrangler The bow-leggedtheround

“Mary,” Lorna called to her newfound friend and adviser

The stocky woman caentled by her tired s?”

“Fine” If her other ent, Lorna would have continued the idle chatter Instead, she lowered her voice so none of the threeourselves?”

For an instant there was silence Lorna dropped her gaze to the prairie sod, certain she had disgraced herself by speaking of bodily functions, but she hadn’t knohat else to do