Chapter Twenty-Nine

The three young men picked up their pace but it was soon evident that Jess' bad ankle was bothering him somewhat as he began to lag behind the other two. By the time they got to within a quarter of a mile of the barn where the dance was being held the Texan was noticeably limping.

"Say, you better find a place to sit down for a while pard," Slim said in concern. "You must have overdone it what with helping entertain Duncan and walking around the fair all day."

"There'll be plenty of chairs or benches where he can sit," Gordon told Slim. He looked at Jess, mildly concerned. "Are you sure you're up for this? You could go back to the house and soak that ankle and go to bed early."

"Now wait a minute! I've been looking forward to this dance all week! I ain't gonna let a sore ankle keep me away!" Jess was indignant at the very thought.

The two older men looked at him in concern. Jess could do some real damage to that ankle if he wasn't careful.

Finally Slim said, "Well, okay, but as soon as we get there you find a place to sit for a while."

They continued on their way with a few complaints from the Texas boy about people with "dad gummed long legs" as he struggled to keep up with the two much taller men.

Finally they arrived at the big barn that had been emptied for use by the dance committee. Lanterns hung on the walls casting plenty of light to see by. A small platform had been built for the band to sit on. The band consisted of a piano, two violins, one guitar, a banjo, and a couple of brass instruments. They were tuning up as the trio arrived.

A large number of chairs were lined up against the walls that ran the length of the barn. Jess, limping noticeably by now, headed for one of them so he could sit and rest his ankle for a while before trying to dance.

Little did any of them know that Jim and Mart Riley, their brother Colin and some of their friends were watching them, waiting for an opportunity to start trouble. They hated Gordon McAllister for refusing to represent them in court and they hated Slim because he was Gordon's friend. Plus he'd won the greased pig contest despite Colin's efforts to force him out. Jess was, in their opinion, the perfect target for their bullying and harassment for several reasons. He'd won the pie eating contest that Mart was supposed to win only Jess had been faster having been motivated by two youngsters. He was vulnerable. They had seen him limping around for two days and rightly guessed that he wasn't in any shape for a fight. They were all over six feet tall and weighed close to two hundred pounds or more. In other words they were bigger and heavier than the wiry Texan and thought he'd be easy to handle.

Once Jess was settled Slim and Gordon started mingling, looking for dance partners. It didn't take long for Gordon to find Victoria Compton. The young lady wore her chestnut brown hair in a neat chignon with tendrils hanging down near her ears. Her dress was a deep navy blue with sky blue stripes running through it.

She smiled as she spotted Gordon and held her hands out to him.

"Gordon McAllister! I thought you'd forgotten all about me!"

"Not a chance, Vicky," Gordon smiled. He turned to the tall blond by his side. "Victoria Compton, I'd like you to meet Matthew Sherman - better known as Slim. Slim, this is Victoria Compton. She, and her family, moved to Evergreen shortly after your last visit.

"Miss Compton. A pleasure."

"Mr. Sherman. Are you from around here?"

"No ma'am. My family and I are visiting Gordon and his family. Our mothers were friends for years until Ma died a few years ago."

As they spoke a pretty strawberry blonde with emerald green eyes approached.

"Gordon! How lovely to see you."

"Karen Dunnigan." Gordon smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Who's your friend?"

"You remember Slim don't you?"

"Slim Sherman? Of course." She gave the rancher a brilliant smile. "You've changed - and for the better."

"So have you," Slim told her. "You were a scrawny little girl the last time I saw you."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Definitely good," he assured her.

"What's this about a family?" Karen asked. "I distinctly heard you mention a family."

"A very unconventional family," Gordon joked.

Giving his friend a sour look, Slim quickly explained about the drifter who was now a brother to him, the orphaned boy they now had legal custody of and the widow whose husband had been sold a nonexistent store in the imaginary town of "Sherman", Wyoming, who was now a surrogate mother to them all.

As he finished he pointed Jess out and explained that Mike had stayed home, so to speak, with Cam and Duncan and that Daisy had gone to the get together at the Greenaways with Dr. and Mrs. McAllister.

At that point the band had stopped warming up and was playing a lively tune to get the dancing started. Slim and Gordon claimed the first dance with Karen and Victoria and were soon enjoying themselves immensely.