"Why not?"
"Because of Priscilla. She wouldn't believe me."
"Then Priscilla is between you, like she said. And that's the problem. Get rid of the problem."
"I get it, but I can't solve it overnight. You think I should send her a telegram and tell her I don't love her and her not to come out here?"
"No, I don't. That's a coward's way out. You are simply procrastinating what you know you gotta do, son. You got to face her and tell her like a gentlemen that it won't work and that you are sorry, but you've found another."
"And what if she's found another, and I don't know it?"
"Then you need to find out about that too."
George stared at him a long time. "I can get the herd movin' myself, me and Marty and Joe Williams. You could go to Boston, see her, get it over with and come back to the herd, you know the trail, it wouldn't be hard to catch up."
"All the way to Boston?"
"Think about how much that would impress Trudy."
Lance made a strange face.
"What would Marty and Joe think about me taking off like that?" Lance frowned.
"I'd tell 'em you had something to do for Trudy first and that you'd catch up to the herd. It wouldn't be a lie." George offered.
"I guess it wouldn't."
"Then do it son, as it will reflect on the rest of your life if you don't." When Lance looked puzzled, he went on. "You married that girl in there in your kitchen by mistake. Then you found out she wasn't a mistake. But you can't have her until you straighten out the real mistake. Once you do, life will get a lot easier around here."
"I'd rather face a mad bull in a rodeo than talk to a woman about something like this." Lance admitted.
"I can understand that too. I don't know any real man that would want to, but you got to straighten it out and this is a sure-fire way to end it."
Lance paced about, thinking about it. It was a long way to Boston but making the effort and getting this over and done with would be worth it.
Lance sat on a barrel and stared at George, still frowning.
"If I left now, I wouldn't lose much time from the herd."
"That's true too." George nodded. "That's good thinking. But what are you gonna tell Trudy?" Lance had no answer for that. "Just tell her you got business to take care of and you got to go before the drive."
"I wanted to spend this time with her."
"Fine, then go when the herd starts." George rolled his eyes as though they were going back and forth and not getting anywhere.
Lance fell silent a moment, then looked at his friend. "How do you put up with me?"
"Same way I did with your Pa. You think we didn't have a few conversations." George chuckled. "And back then, he put up with me too. Your Pa and I were greenhorns together, but now, I'm old and know a few things."
"I figured Pa had it all figured out for himself."
"Not hardly. None of us do! We had many a conversation about your Ma, let me tell you. He met her getting off the stage. We were on the boardwalk in town, talking about the next big herd we'd have, when he saw her. I kept jawin' and he kept starin'. Directly he looked at me and smiled and said, 'George, I'm going to marry that gal'. Naturally, I said what gal. He threw up a hand and pointed, 'That one,' he says. In two weeks, they were married. Oh yeah, we had a lot of conversations." George smiled and got up. He got the saddle soap and began working on a saddle. "How big a herd has Marty got this year?" He suddenly changed the subject."
"Fifteen hundred." He told him.
"And Joe?"
"A about twelve hundred."