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"His name is Charlie," Dan told him.
"Charlie, huh?" Sam nodded.
"Is he a good kid?" Sam asked Dan out of the blue.
"Yeah, he's a right good kid, Sam." Dan told him. "Lilly did a good job raising him."
"I figured he would be." Sam nodded.
"You'd be proud of him Sam. He loves to fish." Dan smiled now.
"Fish huh?" Sam scratched his chin as though thinking on that a bit.
"All right Dan, I'll stay."
"Good," Jason nodded.
"Now Dan, what else can you tell me about my kid?" Sam stared at Dan and Jason grit his teeth.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sam spent the night at Jason's place and they talked well into the night. Jason let Sam vent a bit about what had happened and Sam seemed to settle out.
But the next morning he was bent on one thing only, getting his kid.
Jason felt it still might all work out, because he knew Cord wouldn't let it rest until he had Charlie back. So he kept his mouth shut.
Sam rode out toward Cord's place. It was early and there were several men about. He spotted Cord and Pedro moving out toward the south pasture. He heard Lilly and saw he when she came out on the porch and kissed Cord goodbye.
Charlie and another Mexican boy came out of the house and Sam watched to see where they went. They went inside the barn. They were in there for a while, so Sam went around the back and slipped through a back door.
Charlie was raking a stall out and the other boy went to get some water, it was perfect timing. Sam grabbed the boy, with his hand over his mouth and pulled him outside.
"Not a word, boy," Sam grunted.
Charlie nodded.
Juan came back inside and called to Charlie. Charlie started to yell, but Sam knocked him out with his fist. He carried him away to his horse that was hobbled in a grove.
Juan was searching for Charlie, and calling his name.
Directly the Mexican boy ran to the house and Sam rode off with Charlie across his saddle horn.
He'd ride around the town of Doubtful, so no one would spot him with Charlie and head straight for home. He didn't owe Jason and Dan anything, so he didn't stop off to tell them anything.
***
Juan ran inside the house, "Miss Lilly, Miss Lilly," he yelled for her.
Lilly came out of the bedroom where she'd made the bed and saw Juan in the kitchen, red faced and upset.
"What's wrong, Juan?" Lilly asked coming to stand in front of him and crooking her head in question.
"It's Charlie, he's gone!"
Lilly's eyes widened. "Gone, gone where, Juan?"
"I don't know. One minute he was working in the stall, the next he was gone. I looked all over the barn and around the place. But I couldn't find him. He's gone!"
