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    Tradin' Post
    Tradin' Post
    Tradin' Post
    Ebook48 pages40 minutes

    Tradin' Post

    By M.L. Bushman

    ()

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    About this ebook

    By God, Dead Weaver's brother had to know he's dead already. Had to know what we did to those Townsmen, too.

    I dismounted to look for anything that might help me dig a large enough hole for all the dead. Wishing I'd brought that spade along at least. Until it dawned on me just how much up against time I had to be. Need some kind of defense, if we're going to have the slimmest shot at survival.

    "What're you going to do?" Sarah said, her voice wavering.

    "Bury them," I said, stirring the smoldering ashes of the wagon with a dead branch. Didn't mean the dead either. Maybe later we come back and bury what's left of these folk, if we lived.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherJigsaw Press
    Release dateJun 7, 2013
    ISBN9781934340035
    Tradin' Post
    Author

    M.L. Bushman

    A single mom, Ms. Bushman divides her time between her child, her horse, three cats and writing/editing for Jigsaw Press, not necessarily in that order. She is a novelist, a former newspaper reporter, a blogger, and a rabid patriot, again, not necessarily in that order. At present, Ms. Bushman is working on the Two Bit Western series Eli Stone. She and her small herd make their home just outside the tiny historical town of Sun River, Montana.

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      Book preview

      Tradin' Post - M.L. Bushman

      Two-Bit Westerns presents...

      Tradin' Post

      by

      M.L. Bushman

      Tradin' Post© copyright 2013 by M.L. Bushman

      All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted by any means—including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, audio or video—without express written consent by the copyright owner, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and/or used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual events, locales, or persons living or dead, is purely coincidental.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author and publisher.

      Published by Jigsaw Press at Smashwords

      For the missing pieces of your reading puzzle

      www.jigsawpress.com

      For my daughter and her future

      The sarcasm irritated, or maybe just her fear needled me.

      Told you before, I began, and changed tactics. Sarah's fine chin cupped in my callused hand, I looked into beautiful, cloudy-gray eyes. Ain't leaving 'less one of two things happens, I said.

      What's that? she asked, and rather snotty about it.

      God moves me on, or you do. I dropped my hand to my side and faced the corral. Don't generally cross bridges 'fore I get to 'em though.

      She shifted her stance, drawn one direction, then the other. Rejoining me at the corral fence, she confined her gaze to the horses, just like me.

      What's that mean? she said softly.

      What's what mean? I said, none too warmly.

      The bridges thing.

      Enough real fears around without cooking up more.

      I'm not afraid.

      I almost laughed out loud and let her know it. We all are, Sarah.

      Not you.

      Oh, I'm afraid, all right. Seeing my escape, taken it made me grin. Right now, I'm terrified, petrified, mortified, to think I might not get any more sweet tea.

      She gaped, her cheeks rosy pinking.

      So, you say you got some place for this herd, I said, giving her an out, or was that out for me?

      Yeah, I'd say there was plenty enough real fears around.

      At least word might get around the countryside now that here we taken no prisoners. Speculation had to be running wild. Especially after none of those ten guys who dropped in last night showed up to home. Would anyone come looking for them? Who would that be?

      With Weaver dead, it was open season on the Moonshine Windmill Trading Post, and fuck the new management's plan to shut 'er down for good. Those Townsmen just happened first on the Closed For Business party.

      Show you the pasture later, Sarah said and backed into a turn for the house. After breakfast, she threw over her left shoulder.

      How about I toss these nags some hay? I said.

      She waved, but never broke stride. What's stopping you? The porch door slammed on her fine buckskin clad ass.

      Cricket raised her head from the thick

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