To Joel McAllister, the town looked less hospitable than it did when he had seen it before. He reminded himself that the people of Silver City had no knowledge of the murderous war waging between Ronald Beauchamp and the McAllisters. He didn’t expect much cooperation from the sheriff, but as he had told Boone, he thought it was in their best interest to let the law know their side of the story. This was just in case it became necessary for the law to become involved in the dispute. Riley had bemoaned the fact that he was missing an opportunity to visit the saloon again, but he understood the necessity of staying behind to help guard the ranch. Joel assured him that he planned a short visit, so there wasn’t going to be any time wasted on drinking whiskey. This in spite of the contention Riley made that time spent drinking whiskey was never wasted time. Toby Bryan looked up from his work and gave Joel a nod as he rode past the blacksmith’s shop, reminding him that he had to bring the horses in to be shod.
