SHERIFF COBB
in quite a hurry, with a bunch of the locals hot on our tails. The dog somehow got tangled up with Tyree’s horse and Tyree went flying. Tyree was pretty mad when he jumped up, so he shot the dog. Didn’t kill him, though. Before you know it, Paden’s off his horse and holding the dog. He’d gone all strange on us. Said we should go on without
him. I thought he was kidding at first. But he wasn’t. Tyree was ready to plug ’em both. And all this with the posse coming down on us. Here I thought we were pals after all that riding. And suddenly he’s more worried about a mutt. So we did like he asked and left him. He went to jail for a dog.
Stella has been listening intently. Now her glance shifts: Paden has walked up beside Cobb. Cobb lifts his glass to Paden with a grin, but speaks to Stella.
SHERIFF COBB
And you want to hear the funny part? Paden didn’t even like the damn dog.