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Category:
Western
Publisher: lulu
ISBN-10: 1430313943
Type: Fiction
Pages: 97
Copyright: 2007
ISBN-13: 9781430313946
Price: $1.99 (eBook)
He left the rough and tumble life of a seaman for a quiet livery in a small town. Would have been easier to get Keel-hauled!
Kellor. An injury at sea forced him to quit and do the only other job he thought would make him a living -- working with horses. His small stake got him a livery and more trouble that a Cape crossing in winter. Clive Portman, the wealthiest man in the county, controlled everything in the town of Paradise but his daughter Kate. See what happens in a story that moves faster than a wind-blown prairie grass fire!
Excerpt
Tyler Portman drove the wagon up to the front of the livery and before it had come to a complete stop jumped out and tossed the reins to his sister Kate who was still seated.
“I’m going to try out the new roulette wheel. If you have any trouble come and get me.” He ran off toward the saloon without waiting for a reply.
Tyler was the oldest of the Portman twins, by thirteen minutes, and his curse was that he and his sister looked so much alike. She was a beautiful girl, more of a woman now, and in looking like her it made him too pretty. Time and trouble would take care of that, but at twenty-three it was sometimes difficult. Still, other than a minor irritation when strangers saw them together, he dealt with it all right, after all the Portman spread was the biggest and most prosperous of all the ranches in the Brasada.
They had come into town to tell O’Malley, the owner of the livery, that they wanted him to come out to the ranch and see to the new horses since most of the hands were gone on the trail drive. They had been putting it off and would probably have continued to if it were not for that new roulette wheel at the saloon. Kate could talk to O’Malley if he wasn’t drunk and if he was she could shop while Tyler lost his money.
She climbed off the wagon and turned around to face a man she had never seen before. He wasn’t young, maybe mid-thirties, about six feet tall and ruggedly good looking even though he had a half a weeks stubble and was sweating profusely. His light brown hair was tied behind his head and he was holding a large file, and as he approached she was instantly attracted to his light green eyes and the smile that came easy to his face while at the same time she noticed he had a slight limp. Damaged goods or a character builder she wondered, and smiled outwardly as she thought how terribly unfair were her secret judgments. She decided to flirt with him to make up for it if he was half way civil.
May I help you, ma’am?” This was not the demeanor of a hired hand.
“I’m looking for O’Malley.”
“He’s indisposed at the moment,” he said, “perhaps I can help.”
“He’s drunk again most likely; well, no matter, we need a farrier to come out to the ranch and see to the new horses. Can you help with that?”
“Yes, ma’am. I have to finish repairing a wagon and then I can see to your horses. First thing in the morning OK?”
“O’Malley puts us ahead of the others; we give him quite a bit of work.” She said, testing him.
“You must be one of the Portmans. O’Malley said you were his best customer.”
“Kate. Kate Portman.”
He nodded his head and stuck out his hand, looked at how dirty it was, and quickly pulled it back. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. Like I said, I should be done first thing in the morning and I’ll get right to it. There will be someone out there who will tell me what they want done?”
“Ask for Gus, or my brother Tyler. Are you sure it’s all right with O’Malley?”
“Yes, ma’am. I hope to be taking O’Malley’s place.”
“We didn’t know he was planning to get out of the business. I would have thought he would have said something.”
“Don’t know about that, ma’am.”
“And what should we call you?”
“Kellor, ma’am.”
“Kellor? Is that a first or last name?”
“Just Kellor, ma’am.”
“How does a man get named Just Kellor?” He laughed and she liked it that he seemed to do it so easily.
“From my days at sea I suppose. Everyone has one name when you’re busy.”
“You’re a sailor then?”
He could sense her interest. “Not out here, ma’am.”
“Call me Kate. Tell me, how many different places have you been to? All over the world I bet.”
“I should be getting back to work, ma’am.” He turned to go back to the forge.
“Oh, yes, yes, go ahead. You can talk while you work can’t you? I mean if we’re to be your best customer you should get used to us.”
“It’s very dirty back where I’m working.” To his surprise the woman followed him. He shrugged it off and returned to filing the rough edges off the brake link he had been working on; he had seen much stranger things than that.
She jumped up on the heavy fence rail by where he was working without apparently giving a thought to the fact that she had on a dress with several petticoats. “I wish I could be a sailor, imagine all the different things you could see, the places you could visit.”
There was a loud pop from the forge and a shower of sparks reigned down on them, catching the fine fringe on the bottom of her dress on fire. In one swift movement he grabbed her and plunged her knee deep into the water trough. When she got over the surprise she slapped him hard across the face.
“If I were a man I’d whip you sure!” She said.
“If you were a man, you wouldn’t have caught your dress on fire.” He said as he lifted her out of the trough and set her down on the dirt floor.
“Oh! Oh! I’m so sorry. I thought …”
He laughed his easy laugh. “It’s OK. Can’t have my best customer burning up right here in my livery.” To his surprise she jumped back up on the rail.
“I sort of promised my father I would wear a dress when next I came to town. He thinks I’m not lady-like enough to sell to a rancher. Wait until I show him this one.” She sat quietly for a while. “Is there a Mrs. Kellor?”
He shook his head to indicate no and then resumed his filing.
“No, I guess you wouldn’t have time for a courtship if you were at sea all the time—unless—can you take a wife aboard your ship?”
He looked at her and smiled. She was attractive and he had to wonder if she used that smile of hers as currency. “Sometimes—on some voyages—the captain takes his family. I haven’t seen it happen very much; most owners don’t care for it.”
“But none of the sailors?”
“No, ma’am, not any of the crew. Generally you ship out for a certain voyage—when it’s over you find another ship.”
“You don’t stay with the same ship? How curious.”
“Only the officers, ma’am—and sometimes the owners change them.”
“Quit calling me ma’am. My name is Kate and you may use it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he smiled, “hard habit to break.”
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