Longarm and the Colorado gundown

_{Not that Longarm found anything about himself to get het up about. But the ladies didn’t real often object to what they saw when he was around.}

_{He was above six feet in height, with broad shoulders and a horseman’s narrow-waisted, muscular-legged build. He had brown hair and a large sweep of dark brown mustache set on a tanned and weathered face. He wore brown corduroy trousers and a brown tweed coat, and a flannel shirt under a brown calfskin vest. His stovepipe cavalry boots were black, as was the gunbelt that circled his waist. The butt of a .44-caliber Colt Lightning showed in a cross-draw holster at the front of the coat. A gold watch chain crossed the front of his vest, although only one end of the chain was put to a normal use. The fob end was soldered to the butt of a .44-caliber double-barreled derringer. Not that he was thinking in terms of weaponry at the moment.}

_{“Perhaps you shall be assigned to work on my case, Mr. Long,” the lady suggested.}

_{“It’d be a pleasure as well as a duty, ma’am.”}

_{She beamed. “Wonderful.” She turned to Henry and said, “Make a note of that, would you please? Mr. Long is to be my deputy.”}

_{“I’ll, uh, do that, Miss Mayweather,” Henry said. For some reason Henry looked kinda like he was having a gas pain. He coughed and turned away, took his spectacles off, and began polishing the lenses with a handkerchief.}

_{“Thank you. Yes. Thank you very much.” She turned back to Longarm. “Shall we begin, Mr. Long?”}

_{Longarm was going to say something, but damned Henry went and interrupted. “Miss Mayweather.”}

_“Yes?”

_{“Deputy Long can’t start work on your case, you understand, until the marshal himself makes the assignment. What you should do, miss, is go home now and wait for the assigned deputy to contact you.”}

_{“Really? But I’ve already told you to write down there that it is Mr. Long that I want. I distinctly specified that, did I not?”}

_{“You did, miss, and I’ve made a note of it, so I have. I will see that your wishes are conveyed to Marshal Vail. But you do understand that Deputy Long cannot begin work on your, um, case until Marshal Vail releases him from his other duties. You do understand that, don’t you?”}

_{“Of course I understand that, but...”}

_{“Please. Trust us, Miss Mayweather. I assure you that Marshal Vail will be informed at the earliest possible opportunity. Just as soon as he returns from Omaha.”}