“Indeed!” Their visitor looked politely interested. “This solicitude for me is very touching. I observe that both of you are carefully blocking me from the bunkhouse in order to prevent another practice-shot. If I can’t persuade you to join me in a ride, Miss Messiter, I reckon I’ll go while I’m still unpunctured.” He bowed, and gathered the reins for departure.
“One moment! Mr. McWilliams and I are going with you,” the girl announced.
“Changed your mind? Think you’ll take a little pasear, after all?”
“I don’t want to be responsible for your killing. We’ll see you safe off the place,” she answered curtly.
The foreman fell in on one side of Bannister, his mistress on the other. They rode in close formation, to lessen the chance of an ambuscade. Bannister alone chatted at his debonair ease, ignoring the responsibility they felt for his safety.
“I got my ride, after all,” he presently chuckled. “To be sure, I wasn’t expecting Mr. McWilliams to chaperon us. But that’s an added pleasure.”
“Would it be an added pleasure to get bumped off to kingdom come?” drawled the foreman, giving a reluctant admiration to his aplomb.
“Thinking of those willing boys of yours again, are you?” laughed Bannister. “They’re ce’tainly a heap prevalent with their hardware, but their hunting don’t seem to bring home any meat.”
“By the way, how is your ankle, Mr. Bannister? I forgot to ask.” This shot from the young woman.
He enjoyed it with internal mirth. “They did happen on the target that time,” he admitted. “Oh, it’s getting along fine, but I aim to do most of my walking on horseback for a while.”