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  Old Ben Hillary had a rustling problem—a bad one. Somehow the cattle-lifters were able to strike time and again, always where they were least expected, and then vanish into the wilderness with their stolen beeves. When his hired hand, Buck Halliday, came up with a plan to beat them, Ben was all for it. But no one could foresee the bitter price he would have to pay ...

  To make matters worse, Ben’s brazen young daughter, Dora, had set her sights on Halliday, and that put Halliday at odds with the old man’s bullying foreman, Adam Wyatt. When the showdown came, Halliday wasn’t sure he could trust Wyatt to stand by him. In fact, he was pretty sure the man would take the first chance he could put a bullet in his back!

  HALLIDAY 5: THE DRIFTING BREED

  By Adam Brady

  First published by Cleveland Publishing Co. Pty Ltd, New South Wales, Australia

  © 2020 by Piccadilly Publishing

  First Digital Edition: September 2020

  Names, characters and incidents in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information or storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  This is a Piccadilly Publishing Book

  Series Editor: Ben Bridges

  Text © Piccadilly Publishing

  One – ‘It’s Gotta Work!’

  Ben Hillary felt friskier than he had for ten years. He had been dressed for an hour by the time he heard Dora stirring in her room. When his daughter finally stepped into the kitchen, he had the fire going and everything ready for her to make the breakfast.

  He was halfway through saddling a horse in the stables when Adam Walsh showed up.

  “I been thinkin’ about it all night, Adam,” Hillary said at once, and his eyes glittered with excitement as he addressed the burly cowhand. “Halliday’s right. I’d bet money on it.”

  Walsh was never one for idle conversation, so he kept silent now, although his disapproving expression said plenty.

  “It’s a sure thing,” Hillary insisted as he led his horse into the sunlight and gave it an affectionate pat on the shoulder.

  He studied the skyline and grinned. It would be a warm morning and a hot afternoon—too damn hot for that cattle-thieving scum once they took the bait.

  Walsh disappeared into the stables and came out leading the horse with the spotted rump.

  “I sure do wish it was me goin’ with Halliday ’stead of you,” Hillary told him. “Hell, I hate to miss out on any of the fun.”

  “You’re welcome to it, Mr. Hillary,” Walsh said glumly. “I figure it’ll be all just a waste of time.”

  Hillary frowned and for a moment looked uncertain.

  “Is that really what you think, Adam? You don’t reckon it’ll work?”

  “Why should it? We ain’t dealin’ with fools. That outfit’s been together a long time. Nobody’s spotted ’em yet, and they’ve cleaned out four ranches in the bottom country in two months. What the hell does Halliday know about ’em? They ride in, make a strike and run off afore anybody even knows what happened.”

  Walsh spat on the ground and added;

  “If you ask me, I think Halliday’s trying to get somethin’ for nothin’.”

  Hillary’s frown deepened. Adam Walsh had been with him for four years and was a reliable cowhand. But lately, ever since Buck Halliday had gone on the Rocking L payroll, the man had changed. He rarely smiled and seemed to be just going through the motions when it came to work, never doing more than he was told.

  Hillary didn’t understand the change but he suspected that Halliday’s coming had plenty to do with it. To hell with it, he told himself. If it came down to who was staying and who wasn’t, he’d prefer to keep Halliday on. Besides being good to talk to, Halliday was about the best hand he’d ever come across. There was nothing the man didn’t know about cattle.

  If that wasn’t enough, there was the fact that Dora had taken a shine to the big man. In Hillary’s book, about the best thing that could happen to Dora was to get a man she couldn’t twist around her little finger.

  Determined not to let Walsh’s sour mood spoil his day, Hillary hurried back to the house.

  Clad only in a flimsy wrapper, Dora was sliding the eggs and bacon onto the plates. Seeing her, her father shook his head and sighed.

  “It just ain’t right to walk around like that, girl,” he said. “The men can see you through the window, and it’ll just cause trouble.”

  “Oh, pa, stop fussing,” Dora said as she pushed back her long, dark hair.

  “I’ve got good reason,” Hillary said sternly. “I don’t want you walkin’ around in skimpy clothes like that no more. In fact, the way you’re startin’ to fill out, I figure you should start thinkin’ about findin’ a man for yourself. It’s time, I reckon.”

  Dora brought his breakfast to the table and briefly disappeared. When she returned, Hillary saw that she had thrown on a dress although her feet remained bare and her hair was still unbrushed.

  The girl took her seat at the table but kept her eyes on the bunkhouse across the yard.

  Hillary suddenly saw her sit up straight and stare intently into the yard. He turned his head and noticed Buck Halliday crossing the yard on his way to the stables.

  “You like him, don’t you, girl?” Hillary said.

  Dora smiled and primped her hair.

  “I want him, pa,” she said. “I really do.”

  Hillary froze with the loaded fork inches from his mouth.

  “Now see here, girl, that’s just no way to talk. There’s only one way for a good woman to have a man, and that’s after they’ve stood in front of a preacher. Why, you sound just like some cheap little—”

  “You want him to stay, don’t you, pa?” Dora said calmly.

  “Sure I do, and I reckon he likes it here. Seems like he’s ready to forget his driftin’ ways. I think maybe it’s the first time in his life he’s found a place where he can settle down. Once we’ve got over this rustlin’ trouble, I mean to ask him to stay on as ramrod. That’d sure take some weight off my shoulders.”

  Dora beamed at him as she said, “Why, that’s wonderful, pa. It seems like we both want Buck to stay.”

  “Well, I know for a fact that a man as capable as he is don’t come along every day,” Hillary said. “I’m willin’ to go to some trouble to keep him on ... but I sure don’t want to see you pesterin’ him if he says he ain’t interested. Not like those other times ...”

  Dora pouted and pushed her plate away.

  “I was just a kid then, pa,” she said. “I’m nineteen now, and that’s old enough to know what I want.”

  Hillary studied her grimly for a moment, and then he poked his fork in her direction.

  “Dora, you might be older but I ain’t one bit sure you’re wiser. I’ve tried my best to raise you right since your ma died, and right now I guess I regret her not being here more’n I ever have. You just remember the good woman she was, and don’t go shamin’ her memory.”

  Dora stood up and pushed her chair away.

  “I mean to get him, pa,” she said. “Just don’t stand in my way. Maybe Buck Halliday is no better at making up his mind than any other man, but I’ll have him and I’ll keep him. You’ll see. I know what he wants.”

  Hillary choked on his last mouthful of egg and bacon, and Dora grinned as she patted him on the back.

  “Hell,” Hillary said as soon as he had recovered himself, “I reckon I know now what’s on your mind. I see
n how you pulled Adam Walsh’s chain and turned him into a bumblin’ fool. Don’t you try teasin’ Buck like that, or you’ll end up with more than you bargained for.”

  Dora picked up her plate and turned away to the sink.

  “You just worry about the cattle and those rustlers,” she said. “I can look after myself just fine, pa.”

  Hillary stayed at the table, staring down into his coffee cup as it turned cold. He couldn’t cope with his growing daughter, and Dora knew it.

  Dammit, why was it that every time things were going good, something had to upset the apple cart?

  The ageing rancher got to his feet and buckled his gunbelt around his waist.

  He was standing on the porch and watching his men saddle up when Halliday rode toward him.

  Hillary noticed how Halliday’s eyes were always searching and aware of what was going on around him. Halliday was no smooth-talking Fancy Dan, but there was something about his strength and his size that had a habit of turning female heads. Hillary had noticed how other young ladies seemed to flock around Dora whenever Halliday was nearby.

  “All set, Mr. Hillary,” Halliday muttered as he rode up.

  “Fine, Buck,” the rancher said. “Dammit, but it’s been years since I felt so excited. You reckon we can pull it off?”

  “There’s a good chance of it, Mr. Hillary,” Halliday told him. “They’ll see the dust of the herd and maybe they won’t be able to resist tryin’ to get their hands on it, what with only two punchers along. If the rustlers try to hit us, the success of the whole thing depends not so much on Walsh and me holdin’ ’em off, as on you surprisin’ ’em. We’re up against some real bad apples here, and they sure ain’t stupid. We’ll beat them only if we stick to the plan.”

  “Sure, sure,” Hillary said eagerly. “Hell, we’ve been over it a dozen times, haven’t we? You can rely on me to stick to my part of it.”

  “Just keep out of sight and don’t bunch up, or they’re likely to see your dust. I think ten miles back should do it.”

  “I thought you said five miles,” Hillary complained. “Hell—”

  “Five miles just for the first day. That’s because there’s too much cover in the valleys. But if they take their time until the next day, we’ll be out on the open plains where it’ll be easier to spot you. Remember, those rustlers haven’t made a single mistake so far. Whoever is callin’ the shots is mighty careful.”

  Hillary tugged at his lower lip and nodded.

  “Whatever you say, Buck. But hell, I’m gonna be chompin’ at the bit by the day after tomorrer. What if there’s too many of ’em for you and Walsh to—”

  “We’ll make out all right. We have the herd to keep us covered. The main thing is to make sure we draw them out into the open. It might be the only chance we get.”

  Hillary nodded again but gave Halliday a worried look.

  “You’ll take care? No sense in gettin’ yourself killed over somethin’ like stolen cattle, y’know. I’d never forgive myself if somethin’ happened to you or Adam on my account.”

  “They’ve asked for trouble so we’ll give it to them, Mr. Hillary,” Halliday said, and then he looked past the old man as Dora appeared in the doorway.

  Her dark eyes fixed on Halliday, and a tiny smile played at the corners of her mouth.

  Dora was about to speak when Walsh came across the yard and drew rein a short distance away. He was looking at Dora as though she was the only other person in the world.

  “All set to go, pa?” Dora asked as she stepped forward, breathing so deeply that her ample bosom swelled.

  Hillary glanced sternly at her and would have said something but for the presence of his two hands, and said;

  “Yeah, all set, honey.”

  “Then I’d like a word with Buck in private before he goes,” the girl said.

  Hillary frowned and glanced uneasily at Halliday. Then he sighed and walked down the steps. He looked up at Walsh as he passed him, and muttered;

  “Watch yourself, Adam. Don’t take no fool chances.”

  Walsh didn’t reply. His attention was riveted on Dora until Halliday rode between them, blocking his view with his broad back.

  “I want to thank you for what you’re doing for us, Buck,” the girl said softly. “I just know you’ll put an end to those rustlers. When that’s done, the other hands can bring the herd back ... and you can come to me.”

  “Miss Dora,” Halliday said slowly, “maybe you better explain what you mean by that.”

  Dora lowered her voice to a whisper, and said, “I’ll be at the line shack, Buck, two nights from now. I’ll wait there until you come.”

  Halliday stiffened in the saddle.

  “Whoa now, Dora,” he said. “Slow down.”

  Dora moved closer to him, her heart beating fast, her eyes shining.

  “I’ll wait there ... and I’ll be ever so grateful for what you’ve done for us. I’m a grown woman and I want to prove it to you. I want to prove a lot of things to you. Pa and the others will be busy with the herd. We’ll have the whole night to ourselves, out where nobody can disturb us.”

  Halliday drew in a ragged breath.

  “Dora, it ain’t right. You don’t know what you’re sayin’.”

  Dora smiled.

  “Believe me, I do, Buck,” she said, and then she reached up and lightly touched his thigh.

  With Walsh only a short distance away, Halliday was both angry and embarrassed, but before he could say anymore, she turned away and went back into the house.

  Halliday wheeled his horse around and caught Walsh glaring at him.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Walsh snapped.

  “Nothin’ to do with you, mister. You ready to ride?”

  “Not yet. I want to get somethin’ straight first.”

  “Like what?” Halliday replied with mounting irritation.

  He had been noticing Walsh’s growing resentment for the past month. At first, he thought the man might be worried about his job, but now he was not so sure. He had never seen Dora show any interest in the man, but now he was beginning to wonder.

  “It’s about you and Dora,” Walsh said. “We might be ridin’ into a heap of trouble in the next couple days, and I want to know where I stand.”

  Halliday regarded him calmly, and said;

  “Okay, let’s get it out in the open then.”

  “I want you to stay away from her,” Walsh said. “No johnny-come-lately drifter is gonna get in my way.”

  Halliday gave Walsh a crooked grin.

  “Aren’t you jumpin’ to conclusions?”

  “Before you came, I was top man with Mr. Hillary and with his daughter. I aim to stay that way with both of ’em. So, just as soon as we get this business settled, I want you to ride. You got that, Halliday?”

  Halliday’s slow gaze swept over Adam Walsh, and he found himself feeling just a little sorry for the man. Walsh didn’t have a hope in hell with Dora, but of all the men in Hillary’s outfit, Walsh was the one Halliday wanted beside him when the bullets started to fly.

  “I don’t reckon this is the time or the place,” Halliday said. “We got work to do, mister.”

  Walsh shook his head stubbornly and leaned forward in the saddle.

  “That’s not good enough. Don’t come squattin’ in my bailiwick. I don’t let any man do that.”

  Halliday hesitated, knowing this was an awkward moment. He had no definite answer for Walsh that wouldn’t invite further complications.

  To his relief, Hillary rode up to say that the others were ready to move.

  “No sense in puttin’ it off any longer, Buck,” the rancher said. “Good luck, and keep your eyes peeled. We’ll do like you said, but just you be careful.”

  Halliday gave Hillary a nod and then waited for Walsh to move. As soon as Walsh rode away, he followed in his wake.

  Before long, the ranch house had gone from sight and the herd was on the move. Halliday settled into the easy rhyt
hm of the drive, glad to be out on the open range with all the complications of affairs of the heart behind him.

  Although Buck Halliday kept a careful watch on the surrounding countryside, there was nothing at all unusual about the first day of the drive. A steer strayed now and then, a puncher fell asleep in the saddle. Otherwise, the horses plodded on at a slow and easy pace that was easy on the cattle and the men.

  It gave a man plenty of time to think, and Halliday was thinking about the trap he had laid for the rustlers. The bait was the herd, of course, and Ben Hillary had given the rustlers plenty of notice. Just as he and Halliday had agreed, Hillary had paid a visit to the saloon in town several days before. He had talked long and loud about his fears that another attack would wipe him out, and about his intention to sell his herd and not to restock until the rustler problem had been taken care of.

  Halliday was certain that the rustlers, who seemed to know everything in advance, would be licking their lips at the prospect of another easy haul.

  He and Walsh shared guard duty the first night out, and it passed without a worry.

  On the afternoon of the second day, they were making good time and still appeared to be the only living thing on the prairie. No glint of sunlight on metal. No uneasiness among the cattle or the horses.

  Halliday even tried to put himself in the outlaw leader’s boots and figure out what he would do, when and where he would strike.

  Hillary’s herd would be crossing the open prairie for at least another full day, but after that, it would never be more than a few miles from a ranch gate.

  The way Halliday saw it, the attack would have to come in the night or early the next morning—or not at all.

  He and Walsh made their night camp beside a small creek, and he took the first watch. He had chosen the campsite with great care. There was thick brush on one side, the cattle and the creek behind, and the open plains on the remaining side and ahead. That would mean the rustlers would have to cross open range to get to the herd.

  Although he could not see him in the darkness, Halliday knew that Adam Walsh was watching him. After two days and one night on the trail, that was to be expected. All day long, Walsh had been silent and evasive—looking the other way each time Halliday came near him.