Knox would just have to see how long that loyalty would endure. He was very good at pushing such things to their limits. And beyond.

Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

THE BIG MAN swept off his hat and ambled forward to the table where Stone, Danny and Abby were sitting. He had the smooth gait and perfect build of the natural athlete. Along the way he shook the gnarled hands of some of the customers and patted many a back like a politician scavenging for votes.

“Hello, Abby,” he said as he stopped at their table. He eyed Danny. “Thought you were heading out to make your way in the world, young man.”

“Got sidetracked, Sheriff. You know me, short attention span.”

The policeman gave him an easy grin. “That include getting your face busted up? Girl or guy?”

“If it’d been a girl I’d have a little bit of lipstick on me,” Danny said slyly. “Before she got pissed and slugged me.”

“He’ll be heading back out soon,” Abby said. “So he says.”

The sheriff turned his attention to Stone. “Who we got here?”

“New friend of mine,” said Danny quickly. “Ben, this here is Sheriff Lincoln Tyree.”

Tyree put out a big hand. “Just call me Tyree, everybody does, Ben. Got a bunch of Lincolns in my family. Like most folks round here the Tyrees fought for the Union. Pleased to meet you.”

Stone shook his hand. There was great strength in the man’s fingers, he noted. But he didn’t attempt to crush Stone’s hand. The grip was measured, confident but not aggressive.

Tyree pulled up an empty chair and sat down, laid his hat on the table and motioned to the waitress to bring him a cup of coffee.

“When’d you get back, Danny?”

“Late last night or early this morning, depending on how you want to call it. Got in a little tussle on the train. Some fellers jumped me. And Ben helped me out. In fact, he laid all three of them out without any help from me.”

Tyree nodded at Stone, a new level of respect on his features. “Thank you for that. We were all worried when Danny told us he was leaving. We’re pretty insulated here. Outside world’s different from our little town.”

“Places are different and also the same,” Stone said. “Some bad and some good everywhere you go.”

Tyree chuckled. “Well, I hope we’ve got more good in Divine than bad, right, Abby?”

She fingered her coffee and nodded absently. “Nice town, good place to raise a family,” she said.

“Hell, yeah,” exclaimed Danny. “I mean, look how I turned out.”

Abby’s face flushed and Tyree silently drank his coffee that the waitress put down in front of him.