Читать книгу Duke: Deputy Cowboy - Roz Fox Denny - Страница 12

Chapter Four

Duke posted flyers in town. Many times he had to tack it above or below notices advertising Roundup’s fair and rodeo.

A couple of bystanders asked him if the family planned to post a reward for information leading to the return of Midnight. Eyeing them speculatively, Duke said that hadn’t come up as they assessed all the items stolen from the ranch. Then he asked what they knew about the robberies, but didn’t get any answers.

Cal Benninger, a crotchety cattle rancher, groused about the lack of a reward. Duke was quick to point out that the Hart clan and others had congregated to render aid a dozen years back when Cal’s youngest son needed rescuing from a fall down an old, unmarked copper mine shaft. “That’s neighbor helping neighbor because it’s right,” Duke stressed. “No reward necessary.”

“Not the same thing,” Cal said. “A family member is different than that expensive stud Sarah and Ace bought for the purpose of making a profit.”

Duke let that go and climbed in his pickup to head on down the road. He knew times were tough, but he hoped not everyone agreed with Cal. Still, he made a mental note to ask Dinah if she thought offering a reward might jog memories.

He tacked up a flyer on a pine tree across from the lane that went into the Marshall ranch. Pam Marshall answered Duke’s knock while wiping her hands on her bibbed apron. “Duke. It’s a surprise to see you this far out of town,” she said as he ordered his dog to sit. “We heard about the latest robbery at Thunder Ranch. In June, Gary installed five-hundred dollars’ worth of perimeter lights. He got nervous after the Jacksons next door lost tools and tack adding up to several thousand dollars.”

Duke removed his hat. “We know theft costs are mounting. I’m actually not here about the break-ins, Pam. Dinah said your boys might want to compete in the Wild Pony Race. Do you know Angie Barrington? She’s considering signing her son, Lucas, up, but she’s not fully comfortable and would like to talk to moms of possible teammates.” He hadn’t finished his sentence when two boys, one about Luke’s size and the other taller and heavier, squeezed past on either side of their mom. The smaller of the two boys knelt to pet Zorro. The bigger boy squinted up at Duke. “Luke Barrington is a squirt and a loser.”

The boy’s mother delivered a stern look. The smaller boy puffed up. “Tommy, Luke can’t help that he stutters. ’Sides, he’s no squirtier than me.”

Duke had already figured the mouthy kid was Tommy Marshall based on Dinah’s earlier depiction of the twins. A twin himself, Duke was well aware twins could be as different as night and day. He did wish Tommy Marshall was more like his brother.

“I’ve met Angie, uh, Ms. Barrington,” Pam declared. “She works in the school office. You boys like her. Tommy, you appreciated her giving you a ride home last year when it snowed in April and my Jeep had a dead battery.”

“Yeah, she’s nice,” Tommy admitted. “But Luke can’t even bat a ball.”

Bobby intervened. “He tries. Come on, Tommy, we wanna be in the pony race and every guy we’ve called so far has three on their team.”

Tommy shoved his brother’s hand away. “Yeah, but I want to be on the team that wins.”

His mother cautioned Tommy again. “If you can’t change your tone, young man, your dad and I may decide you can forget the whole thing.”

Duke saw the chance for Luke slipping away. He decided on a spur of the moment to sweeten the pot. “If you three team up, I’ll make time to take you out to Thunder Ranch, bring in some ponies and teach you how to work together to get one of you on the pony before he crosses the finish line. Winning takes concentration and team work. Most kids start out okay, but they get hyper and trip over each other.”

“Deputy Adams is a champion bull rider,” Bobby told Tommy.

“I know. I’ve seen pictures of him, his brother and his cousins hanging in our veterinarian’s office.”

“Your vet is my cousin Ace,” Duke said. “He won buckles at a lot of rodeos. We all have. So, what do you say, guys? Do we have a deal if your mother and Ms. Barrington talk it over and agree?”

Tommy hitched up his pants. “I’ll do it if I get to be the one who rides the pony.”

“It’s not settled, Tommy,” Pam said. “Your father and I will discuss it. If he’s okay with it, I’ll phone Angie.” She had been frowning at the top of Tommy’s head, but glanced up and offered Duke a tired smile. “Either Gary or I will let you know in the next day or so, Duke. Well, I’d better get back to canning green beans,” she said.