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themselves.
Kirkland dipped the corner of a handkerchief into the anesthesia, then handed
the container back to Mildred and turned to the sheriff. "Remember a few
months back when I had to pull that bad tooth of yours?"
Unconsciously Dodge rubbed his jaw. "Can't say that I'm going to forget
anytime too soon. Meaning no disrespect."
"None taken. That was a frightful piece of business, and if I hadn't scraped
the bone as well as I had, gangrene might well have set in, taking your life.
And there's another tooth or two in that head of yours that I'm going to have
to go in after one day soon. I'm sure you're not looking forward to that."
"No."
Ryan watched the men behind the sheriff. Most of them had stood down where
they were, getting relaxed now. It took some of the edge off of the situation.
He caught Krysty's eye, looking a question at her.
The redhead shook her head slightly, letting him know she was getting no
negative feelings. Her mutie ability of precognition had pulled them through
hard times before. There were times that Krysty had known the lies they were
being told as soon as they were uttered. Evidently Kirkland was being totally
honest.
The healer opened the sheriffs mouth and scrubbed the dampened corner of the
handkerchief across the inside of Dodge's lower lip.
The sheriff stepped back and spit. "Now, that's some bastard vile tasting " He
stopped, then touched his lip, looking surprised. "Hey, I can't feel my lip!"
"Exactly," Kirkland said, motioning for Mildred to close up the anesthesia.
"And for your consideration in this matter about letting these people into our
ville, your dental work will be on me."
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"As long as you do it with that stuff," Dodge conceded, touching his lip, "you
got yourself a deal."
"You have my word on it," Kirkland said. He reached for the anesthesia.
Mildred kept the jar back. "We haven't talked trade yet."
Kirkland's forehead furrowed then it was gone. "Madam, I've given you my word
that anything you want within reason is yours. What is it you would wish?"
"Rooms at the hotel for starters," Krysty spoke up.
Ryan nodded. "We'll dicker from there."
"As you wish." Kirkland glanced at Dodge. "Sheriff, make it so. And anything
else they want, pass the word around to the rest of the ville that I'll be
indebted to them."
Dodge inclined his head. "Sure, but they got Albert with them."
The doctor glanced at the dwarf for a moment in perplexed annoyance. "You've
already met young Liberty, I gather?" Kirkland asked.
"Yeah," Ryan said. "We settled up with Liberty, then he sent the little man on
with us. Said that way you'd know we'd already been through him."
"He's demanded his tribute, I take it?"
Ryan knew from the man's gaze that Kirkland was fantasizing about what Liberty
had taken. "And gotten it. We had some playing cards and some knives, some
self-heats he said he'd never seen before. I figure he got mebbe a little more
than was fair. He didn't understand about the anesthesia."
"And you didn't further his elucidation?"
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"Not when a man's already committing highway robbery on me," Ryan said.
"I'm surprised that he didn't follow you in."
"Didn't say he always did," Ryan stated. "Mebbe he'll be along."
"He's looking for the stickie tribe that's come down from the north," Albert
said.
"They cut sign on them a few days back."
"Hopefully he'll get them all." Kirkland took the topical anesthesia when
Mildred offered it. "At any rate, I leave you in the sheriffs capable hands."
He turned and walked back to the emporium.
Dodge waved two fingers. Two young men that favored him greatly came from the
porch behind him. One of them carried a sawed-off double-barreled shotgun.
When he saw the weapon, Ryan figured J.B. was feeling better already.
"These here are my sons," Dodge said. "Ira and Tucker. They'll show you around
the ville. When you go to bed at night, as long as you're in Hazard, one of
them will be down in the hotel lobby. When you get up in the morning, one of
them will be down in the hotel lobby. You get out of the hotel without them
seeing you, could be I'll feel a little unfavorable about that."
"Sure," Ryan said easily. "But what if we don't plan on staying together?"
"Oh," Dodge said with a smile, "I got plenty more deputies."
Chapter Five
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