Читать книгу Wanted! - Vicki Thompson Lewis - Страница 7

May 1, 1937

CHANCE MEN ARE LUCKY when it counts. Sitting at a smoky card table in the back room of a bar in Jackson, Wyoming, Archibald Chance muttered his father’s favorite saying as he tossed his last dollar into the pot. His buddy Seth had thrown in the deed to a worthless ranch called the Double Zero, because that was the only thing of value he had left.

At the end of the game, Archie possessed that rundown piece of property plus enough to buy gas to get there. Seth was busted and would have to live on the pittance his sister Eleanor made as a seamstress until he found work or drank himself to death.

Archie couldn’t let that happen to his friend. Besides, there was the matter of Eleanor. Archie had been sweet on her for months and he had a hunch she liked him a lot, too. He couldn’t abandon her, either.

He threw an arm around Seth’s drooping shoulders. “You and Eleanor come to the ranch and work for me. I can’t pay you, but you’ll have a roof over your head. We’ll make a go of that place.”

Seth looked doubtful. “It’ll be a leaky roof. The Double Zero’s in terrible shape. Nobody’s lived there for years.”

“We’ll fix it up. Come on, Seth. You’re out of work and my carpentry isn’t in demand these days. We might as well take a stab at ranching.”

“Ranching?” Seth laughed. “We got no cows.”

“Don’t worry about the details. The way I look at it, this is our last chance. Hey, that’s perfect! My name’s Chance, so we’ll rename it the Last Chance Ranch. What do you think?”

“I think you’re crazy, but what the hell? I’ll go, but I can’t speak for Eleanor.”

“She’ll go.” Archie decided his father’s favorite saying might be true, after all.

“How can you be so sure?”

“’Cause I’m asking her to marry me.”

Seth looked doubtful. “It’ll be a leaky roof. The Double Zero’s in terrible shape. Nobody’s lived there for years.”

“We’ll fix it up. Come on, Seth. You’re out of work and my carpentry isn’t in demand these days. We might as well take a stab at ranching.”

“Ranching?” Seth laughed. “We got no cows.”

“Don’t worry about the details. The way I look at it, this is our last chance. Hey, that’s perfect! My name’s Chance, so we’ll rename it the Last Chance Ranch. What do you think?”

“I think you’re crazy, but what the hell? I’ll go, but I can’t speak for Eleanor.”

“She’ll go.” Archie decided his father’s favorite saying might be true, after all.

“How can you be so sure?”

“’Cause I’m asking her to marry me.”

Seth looked doubtful. “It’ll be a leaky roof. The Double Zero’s in terrible shape. Nobody’s lived there for years.”

“We’ll fix it up. Come on, Seth. You’re out of work and my carpentry isn’t in demand these days. We might as well take a stab at ranching.”

“Ranching?” Seth laughed. “We got no cows.”

“Don’t worry about the details. The way I look at it, this is our last chance. Hey, that’s perfect! My name’s Chance, so we’ll rename it the Last Chance Ranch. What do you think?”

“I think you’re crazy, but what the hell? I’ll go, but I can’t speak for Eleanor.”

“She’ll go.” Archie decided his father’s favorite saying might be true, after all.

“How can you be so sure?”

“’Cause I’m asking her to marry me.”