"John Dalmas - The Second Coming" - читать интересную книгу автора (Dalmas John)

The only thing she found aesthetic about any of it was the cottonwoods along the
creek, their leaves golden, with dark spires of spruce scattered among them.


The eight-place Beechcraft landed smoothly on the grass runway, and they
disembarked. She, Ben, and the two girls stood by while Lor Lu settled things with
the pilot, whose belt computer first scanned Lor Lu's plastic, then his thumb print. An
ungainly looking vehicle had been waiting for them, its front half an eight-seat
carryall, its rear a long pickup bed. Now it rolled to the plane, and a lanky man got
out. He began to transfer their luggage, Ben helping him. Each piece, before loading,
he put in a large plastic yardbag, which he then tied. When Lor Lu finished with the
pilot, he joined them.


"Hello, Bar Stool," he said, "how's the Mescalero?"


"If it was flyin', I wouldn't have come in the eight-pack." He gestured at the dust-
coated vehicle, which had four doors, and bench seats. Bar Stool, Lee thought, looked
sixty or so, his hair white, his face seamed. But he seemed strong and agile. He fit
Lee's concept of a cowboy.


Lor Lu turned to his wards. "Bar Stool," he said gesturing, "meet Ben and Lee and
Becca and Raquel."


"Glad to know you," said Bar Stool.


They shook hands with him, the girls included. Bar Stool's was large and callused.


"Do you, ah, have another name besides Bar Stool?" Lee asked.


"Yep." Bar Stool opened one of the back doors. "If you folks will climb aboard, we'll
get to the Ranch in time, you can shower down and settle in before supper."


They boarded, dust flying as they slammed the doors. Then Bar Stool took off with as
much of a jackrabbit start as the eight-pack provided, the truck bouncing along the
rough road, trailing a plume of tawny dust. He drove too fast for the conditions, it
seemed to Lee, fifty miles an hour on ill-graded gravel, slowing and speeding
according to the bends, curves, and holes. "How far is it?" she askedтАФloudly; the ride
was noisy.


"Twelve miles."