They shook hands.
“How’s everything and everybody?” Rock asked.
“Fine. Alice is still at the ranch. She ain’t so sad as she used to be. Mentions you quite frequent. Hopes you’ll blow back so she can get acquainted. You’re a brave man, she says, an’ it’s awful strange how much you look like poor old Doc. She makes Nona look at her sidewise sometimes. You was a wise man to pull out when you did.”
Rock laughed at the mischief in the boy’s bright blue eyes.
“I got other fish in the pan, right now,” he said. “I guess you’ll have to console Alice.”
“I wondered where a round-up blew in from,” Charlie said. “So I rode up to have a look. What outfit’s this?”
“Capital K from Judith Basin.”
“There ain’t no such outfit this side of the Big Muddy, that I’ve ever seen,” Charlie remarked. “That’s the Kerr outfit from Buffalo Creek, ain’t it? What do you aim to round-up over here?”
“Oh, hidden branding pens and men that hire gun fighters to shoot up other people, and such.” Rock had lowered his voice discreetly.
“You runnin’ this round-up of undesirable stock?” Charlie questioned.