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Page 258

| murder and thievery instead of me," Stanford said, chewing on the tip of his cigar. |

| "You think so, do you?" Ashton said, glancing down at the dead sheepherder again. He remembered now that Ajax had tossed around one threat after another. He could be responsible for Rufus's deathpossibly even for Lightning's disappearance. He had showed no love at all for the pet dingo. |

| Crispin edged his horse closer to Ashton. "Don't listen to him," he urged Ashton. "You know he can't be trusted." |

| Stanford frowned at Crispin, thinking that perhaps the wrong man had been murdered during the storm. Crispin was an interfering bastard. Without him in the way, Stanford would have a much easier time succeeding in his plans to get at the chest filled with riches. |

| "Our men could join forces in searching for Ajax," Stanford quickly interjected, focusing his full attention on Ashton now. "We could string him up for what he's done to us." |

| Ashton leaned forward and looked Stanford square in the eyes. "It'll be a cold day in hell when I ride anywhere with you," he said, his teeth clenched. "As for who is guilty and who is not, I'll find outand, if you've lied to me today, I'll be back to finish what I had originally planned for you." |

| Stanford's eyes narrowed. He took his cigar from his mouth and flipped it across his shoulder. "The next time you come on my land, you'd best bring more than your sidekick," he growled. "A panty-waist like him wouldn't do you no good against the kind of men under my employ." He wheeled his horse around and kicked the heels of his boots into |

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