Chapter 15

When he awoke, the angle of the sunlight streaming in his window told him the hour was much later than his usual reveille. He started to roll over and had to snap his mouth shut on a groan. His back and shoulder hurt like hell. He managed to get his feet free of the tangled bedding and made his way down to the bunkhouse latrine, took a leak, and studied himself in the mirror over the row of sinks.

“Ya look like the morning after a bad drunk,” he told himself. “But I’ve lived through a few of those, too. Can’t keep a cowboy down.”

He got dressed and went looking for some coffee and breakfast. The clock in the dining hall said it was ten-thirty. Dough Boy heard him come in and wandered out from the kitchen.

“Boss man said you had a tangle with a bad kitty. Don’t you know better than to try to jack off a wildcat in a phone booth?”

Spark had to laugh, even if it hurt. “Just a dumb Texan, Cookie. How about getting me some coffee?”