Inside the ranch house he found Gunnison and his newfound son glaring at each other like sworn enemies. He pushed back his Stetson with a thumb, eyeing them in consternation.
‘Hey!’ he protested. ‘What happened to the fam’ly gatherin’?’
‘I just told him that no son o’ mine is marryin’ any nester’s spawn,’ rasped Lafe Gunnison. ‘I’ve had my bellyful o’ Harris an’ his breed. I didn’t find my son to lose him to some dirt-farmer’s daughter!’
Philadelphia glared at the old man, his face white and set.
‘If yu was a well man I’d thrash yu for them words!’ he ground out. ‘I aim to marry her if she’ll have me. An’ to hell with yu an’ yore lousy ranch!’
‘Then marry her an’ be damned! I’ll see yu don’t get a cent o’ my money!’ Gunnison flung at the youngster.
‘Keep it!’ Henry said through clenched teeth. ‘Keep yore ranch an’ yore money! I got along fine without yu all these years – I guess I’ll manage to survive another few without yore help!’
Red with suppressed rage, he wheeled and pushed past Sudden towards the door, only to be stopped in mid-stride by the sound of Lafe Gunnison’s hearty bellow of laughter. He turned in amazement to face the old man, surprise in every line of his features.
‘Jest wanted to be shore yu knowed yore mind, boy!’ chortled Gunnison. ‘Come here an’ sit yoreself down. Damme, I’d be right proud to have Jake Harris’s girl as a daughter-in-law.’
‘Yu – yu ol’ pirut!’ managed Henry. ‘Yu win: I buy the drinks next time we hit Yavapai!’ He turned to his friend, who had smilingly watched the exchange between the two. ‘Jim, yu reckon I can train this old mustang over, an’ house break him?’
Sudden shook his head. ‘Mighty hard row to hoe,’ he told the boy, smiling.
‘What I figgered,’ Henry said. ‘Mebbe my … my Dad’ll second my idea I got.’
‘Go ahead, boy,’ rumbled Gunnison. ‘Yo’re goin’ to be runnin’ Saber soon enough. Now’s as good a time as any to get started.’
He stood up, and placed his burly arm around his son’s shoulder.
‘We’d be mighty glad if yu could stay on here as ramrod, Jim,’ Henry said. ‘I ain’t up to it, yet, an’ we’re goin’ to need someone to run things.’
‘I got a hunch Henry’s goin’ to be busy for a while,’ smiled his father mischievously. ‘What d’yu say, Jim?’
‘It’s a mighty temptin’ offer, seh,’ replied Sudden, ‘but I got to turn her down. I’ll be movin’ on, I reckon.’
‘Yu ain’t stayin’?’ blurted Henry, dismay in his voice.
‘It’s somethin’ I got to do, Philadelphia,’ Sudden told him. ‘I got to find a couple o’ men. Mebbe yu’ve heard o’ them, seh? Names are Webb an’ Peterson.’ He directed his question at the rancher.
Gunnison shook his head. ‘Can’t say I ever heard the names,’ he admitted. ‘What yu want ’em for?’
‘We got some unfinished business together,’ was all Sudden would say. They were to recall his words when, some years later, the news filtered into the Yavapai valley of how he had found the men he was seeking. His young face was cold and hard as he spoke.
Sudden thrust out his hand, and Gunnison took it.
‘I’m wishin’ yu success,’ the puncher told him. ‘Yu don’t need wishin’ happiness.’ He turned and left before the old rancher could find the words he wanted to say. Henry followed his friend out on the porch. He could see Midnight patiently awaiting his master at the hitching-rail. Sudden turned to face his young protégé.
‘Philadelphia, I got one more favor to ask yu,’ he said slowly.
The boy nodded eagerly. ‘Shore, Jim – anythin’.’
‘Yu say goodbye to Harris and the rest o’ them for me. I never was much of a hand at it.’ His voice was gruff as they clasped hands.
‘Any time yu feel like it, yu come back here,’ Henry said, awkwardly. ‘I got a lot to thank yu for.’
Sudden swung into the saddle.
‘Same here,’ he told the boy. ‘Don’t yu fret none; I’ll be back one o’ these days.’
He pulled Midnight’s head around and moved easily down the trail, the great black stallion cantering almost silently towards Yavapai. Henry watched the rider until he was swallowed by the darkness, and then, with a sniff, pawed angrily at his eyes.
‘Durned night air,’ he grumbled. ‘Makes a feller’s eyes water.’
About the Author
Frederick Nolan, a.k.a. ‘Frederick H. Christian’, was born in Liverpool, England and was educated there and at Aberavon in Wales. He decided early in life to become a writer, but it was some thirty years before he got around to achieving his ambition. His first book was The Life and Death of John Henry Tunstall, and it established him as an authority on the history of the American frontier. Later he founded The English Westerners’ Society. In addition to the much-loved Angel westerns, Fred also wrote five entries in the popular Sudden series.
Among his numerous non-western novels is the best-selling The Oshawa Project (published as The Algonquin Project in the US) which was later filmed by MGM as Brass Target. A leading authority on the outlaws and gunfighters of the Old West, Fred has scripted and appeared in many television programs both in England and in the United States, and authored numerous articles in historical and other academic publications.
Visit the author’s website
The Angel Series
FIND ANGEL
SEND ANGEL
TRAP ANGEL
HANG ANGEL
HUNT ANGEL
KILL ANGEL
The Sudden Series
SUDDEN STRIKES BACK
SUDDEN AT BAY
SUDDEN - APACHE FIGHTER
SUDDEN – DEAD OR ALIVE
PICCADILLY PUBLISHING
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Sudden Troubleshooter Page 18
