"
She was out of the door before he had ceased speaking and in an
incredibly short time was back, a little breathless, her face flushed
as though she had been running.
He put the bridle on her horse, led it out, and condescended to hold
the stirrup for her, a service which she acknowledged with a flashing
smile that brought a reluctant grin to his face.
Then, swinging into his own saddle, he urged Blackleg after her, for
she had not waited for him, riding down past the ranchhouse and out
into the little stretch of plain that reached to the river.
They rode steadily, talking little, for Calumet deliberately kept a
considerable distance between them, thus showing her that though
courtesy had forced him to accompany her it could not demand that he
should also become a mark at which she could direct conversation.
It was noon when they came in sight of the Diamond K ranch buildings.
They were on a wide plain near the river and what grass there was was
sun-scorched and rustled dryly under the tread of their horses' hoofs.
Then Calumet added a word to the few that he had already spoken during
the ride.
"I reckon Kelton must have been loco to try to raise cattle in a
God-forsaken hole like this," he said with a sneer.
"That he was foolish enough to do so will result to our advantage," she
replied.
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