(What are you stopping for Kid?) Ike signed.
"I think that we ought to split up and do a brief look around town to see if we can locate another hotel, boarding house or livery." Kid said.
"Why?" Buck asked.
"Because if Lou came into Ft. Kearney like we think, she wouldn't go anywhere near the hotel or waystation, for fear of someone spotting her and reporting it back to us." Jimmy explained.
"Let's meet back here in about ten minutes," Kid suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Jimmy said, kicking Sundancer into motion.
"Dang it, Lightning! Hold still!" Lou exclaimed irritably as she struggled to keep her grip on the stallion's right hindleg so she could examine his hoof.
She had reached the livery a short time earlier and had proceeded to give Lightning a thorough examination. He hadn't offered up any struggle until she was almost through and had picked up his last right hindleg to examine the hoof for any pebbles or cuts embedded in the thick flesh. Lightning through his rump into his mistress that sent Lou stumbling backwards into the wall and causing her to lose her grip on his hindleg. He backed up as far as he could go and glared defiantly at Lou over his shoulder. Lou straightened up, set her shoulders and determinedly approached the stallion. Planting her left elbow firmly in between his rump and abdomen, Lou picked up the hindleg non-to-gently in her left hand and bent it upward so she could see the underside. Lightning struggled to free his hindleg from his mistress' grasp, but Lou held on. Taking a quick look, Lou located a thumb-nail sized pebble wedged between the padding and wall of the hoof. Using a hoof pick, Lou pried the pebble free from the hoof and released Lightning's leg.
"There you go boy," Lou crooned softly as she patted Lightning's neck. "That nasty ole ebble won't bother you anymore."
After making sure Lightning had enough water and hay, Lou left the livery and started back to the boarding house. She was only about a block away from the boarding house when she noticed a chestnut stallion tied to the hitching post out front. There was something eerily familiar about the horse, but Lou couldn't pinpoint what it was until the door open and a figure bounded down the steps. Lou took one look at the figure and gasped. She would know that red-bandanna covered head anywhere. It was Ike! And wherever Ike was, Buck and the other riders couldn't be too far away.
Lou ducked into the alleyway between two stores, her heart pounding as she heard hoof prints near where she was hiding. She held her breath as the hoof prints grew louder, hoping that Ike hadn't spotted her ducking into the alleyway. Luckily the horse and mute rider continued on past her hiding place and Lou breathed a huge sigh of relief. As soon as she thought it was safe, Lou darted out of the alleyway and ran for the safety of the boarding house.
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