remembered Norton had said that too.
And Cole was the honoree . . .
'{Son of a bitch! " He roared the blasphemy at the silver star pinned
to his vest.
He was a U. S. marshal.
gy the time Sheriff Norton returned to the jail, Cole was seething
with anger. Fortunately, Norton had gotten the keys from Ryan. His
wife, Josey, was with him, and for that reason Cole kept his temper
under control. She carried a tray covered with a
blue-and-white-striped napkin, and as soon as the sheriff swung the
door open, she brought the food inside the cell.
Norton made the introductions. "You two haven't officially met, since
you were burning up with fever every time my Josey got near you.
Josey, this here is Marshal Cole Clayborne. He doesn't know about it
yet, but he's gonna be helping Marshal Ryan chase down that slippery
Blackwater gang of murderers terrorizing the territory. Cole . . .
You don't mind if I get familiar and call you by your first name, do
you? " "No, sir, I don't mind." The sheriff beamed with pleasure.
"That's mighty nice of you, considering the inconvenience you must be
feeling over getting yourself thumped on the head. Anyway, as I was
saying, this pretty lady blushing next to me is my wife, Josey. She
fretted over you something fierce while you were ill. Do you
remember?
" Cole had stood up as soon as Josey entered the cell. He moved
forward, nodded to her in greeting, and said, "Of course I remember.
Ma'am, I appreciate you coming by the hotel and looking after me while
I was so sick. I hope I wasn't too much trouble." Josey was a rather
plain-looking woman, with round shoulders and crooked teeth, but when
she smiled, she lit up the room. Folks tended to want to smile back,
and Cole was no exception. His smile was genuine, as was his
appreciation.
"A lot of people wouldn't have taken the trouble to nurse a stranger, "
he added.
"You weren't any trouble at all, " she replied. "You lost a little
weight, but my chicken ought to put the fat back on you. I brought
some from home."
"My Josey makes mighty fine fried chicken, " Norton interjected with a
nod toward the basket his wife carried.
"I felt I ought to do something to make up for my husband's
orneriness.
Thomas shouldn't have knocked you out the way he did, especially since
you were feeling so puny and all. Does your head pain you? " "No,
ma'am, " he lied.
She turned to her husband. "Those two no-good gunslingers are still
hanging around. I spotted both of them on my way here. One's
squatting north of our avenue and the other's due south. Are you going
to do something about it before this boy gets himself killed? " Norton
rubbed his jaw. "I expect Marshal Ryan will have a talk with them. "
"He doesn't seem the talking type, " Josey replied.