Dark Canyon (1963) by Louis L'amour

and no time wasted. Where plenty of cattle had been caught up, two men did the roping and two the branding.
    Twice, Gaylord Riley came upon tracks on the range, and once he caught a flash of sunlight from field glasses as somebody watched from a butte bordering the basin.
    Each night they rode into camp dead tired, rarely returning to the house on the plateau, but camping among the cedars close to the basin and their work.
    Strat Spooner rode into Rimrock shortly after nightfall. He rode directly to the Hardcastle saloon and swung down from the saddle. Across the street Sampson McCarty was closing his door, about to lock up for the night. He turned his head at the sound of the horse, and watched Spooner dismount. It had been weeks since he had seen the big gunman in town, and both man and horse looked beat. Standing in the shadows, McCarty watched Spooner as he stepped up on the board walk. The saloon door opened and Hardcastle came out. The two stood talking in low tones.
    Across the street there was a slight movement in the shadows, and McCarty strained his eyes to see a bulky figure loitering in front of the store. When the gunman mounted his horse to go on to the livery stable, McCarty saw the man emerge from the shadows and stroll toward the restaurant. It was Sheriff Larsen.
    Neither McCarty nor Larsen had been in a position to hear what it was that Spooner had to say, and which Hardcastle was obviously anxious to hear. In that conversation Spooner wasted no time. "Riley's back. Brought in a herd of mixed stuff , Shorthorns and white-faces, less than half of them branded so far. He, has three hands riding for him, Cruz and Lewis and some drifter he picked up. They worked together most of the time, so I think your time is now."
    Hardcastle took a handful of coins from his pocket, all of them gold. He handed them to Spooner, then added another. "That's a bonus, Strat. You've done a good job. Now get some sleep."
    Sampson McCarty walked on to the restaurant and joined Larsen. "I see Spooner is back in town."
    "I see."
    "Something's in the wind, Ed. What is it? What's going to happen?"
    "Maybe . . . maybe nothing. I do not know."

Dark Canyon (1963)

    McCarty knew from previous experience that when Larsen would not talk there was no use trying to get anything from him. He glanced around the room. "I haven't seen young Riley in town lately." "No."
    Just then Dan Shattuck opened the door for Marie and they entered the room, speaking to first one and then another. McCarty, who was at heart a romantic, noted the quick look around by Marie, and her evident disappointment.
    "Somebody else," he commented to Larsen, "misses our friend Riley."
    Larsen did not reply, and McCarty's eyes followed the sheriff's toward Spooner, who was staring at Marie. The expression in his eyes was both insolent and somehow possessive.
    Dan Shattuck looked up and Spooner's eyes swung away, but not so quickly that Shattuck did not notice. McCarty saw the rancher's face darken with anger, but at a whispered word from Marie he turned his attention to her.
    McCarty reviewed the situation in his mind and liked none of it. News there would be, and he wa s interested in news, but this situation looked like news . O f a kind he could do without. There were too many elements, too many threads . . . and some of those whom he both liked and respected were sure to be hurt.
    Pico entered, and crossed to Shattuck's table and joined him. The big Mexican had been almost a member of Shattuck's family for many years, since long before Marie was born. It was well known in the community that Pico had long considered himself a sort of guardian for Marie.
    Shattuck said something to Pico, and Marie seemed to be protesting. Pico's eyes lifted, and across the room they met the eyes of Strat Spooner, but the big gunman merely gave the Mexican a taunting smile and looked away.
    McCarty was puzzled over Spooner's change of attitude. He had been around town for some time, but he