Shane and Jonah 3
Page 11
“This valley owes everything to you.” Marcia swallowed the lump in her throat. “Already two more nester families have moved in, and there’ll be more on the way. It’s a valley at peace.”
He knew he only had to say the word and he could remain here, a homesteader with Marcia as his wife. It would be a hard life, but a life of peace now the conflict was over. It would be a life of sweat, of building a spread out of the bare earth, but there would be compensations. At night he could share the day’s experiences with a lovely woman; at night he would know the warmth and promise he’d only tasted last evening.
He only had to say the word.
But both he and Marcia knew that he wouldn’t say it, for somewhere outside this valley, a scar-faced killer was living and breathing and enjoying life, and before Shane Preston could settle down, that man had to sprawl on the ground with the gunfighter’s bullet in his head.
“After you find him, and even the score,” Marcia whispered, “come back to me, Shane.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and her lips sought his. Shane felt her warm promise against him, and as he kissed her, her mouth told him that there would never be a time limit on that invitation.
Shane swung into the saddle.
He didn’t look back as he rode out with Jonah, and even when he mounted the crest of the ridge, he kept his eyes fixed on the wide pass that led out of Wolf Valley. It took them until sundown to reach the pass and when they reined in, they glanced back over a valley of peace.
That night they made camp on the side of the mountain. Tall trees hemmed in their fire, and beyond the glow, timber wolves padded through the darkness. It was just another lonely campfire, like so many others the gunfighters had sat around.
Jonah was munching away at the home-made biscuits.
“I’ll say one thing for her,” the old-timer said, “she sure can cook!”
“Yeah.”
“She’s a good-looker, too, Shane,” Jonah Jones poured himself another mug of coffee.
“Yeah, I guess she was.”
“Was?” echoed Jonah.
Shane dragged on his cigarette. Then Jonah nodded. He knew full well what Shane meant. Maybe someday he would ride back to Wolf Valley and claim the girl, but right then Marcia Harding, along with Verrier and Crawford and all the others, was part of a chapter that had ended.
For Shane and Jonah there were new trails to ride, new causes to be taken up, innocent folks to protect, and honest fees to collect. And there was a man to find and kill.
“Pass over those hot biscuits,” Shane grinned. “Unless you aim to eat ’em all.”
Jonah slid the platter around the side of the fire.
“Where now?” Jonah demanded.
“Figure El Peso was the last forwarding address we left,” the tall gunfighter recalled. “So I reckon we ride back there. Could be there’s a letter and maybe a new chore waiting for us—a chore we get paid for this time.”
“Paid for? I should hope so!” said Jonah fervently. Shane was pensive as he leaned back on his upended saddle and sipped his coffee. The oldster studied him for a time across the flickering flames.
“Say, Shane.” There was more than a mischievous twinkle in Jonah’s eye as he reached across for the last biscuit. “You never did tell me exactly what happened when you spent last night in that widow-woman’s shack!”
Shane grinned. “Start guessin’, old-timer.”
About the Author
Roger Norris-Green was born in Brighton, UK and emigrated with his parents to Australia when he was a schoolboy. Since leaving Unley High School in South Australia, he has written 140 published westerns under 6 pen names, plus 2 under his own name.
Roger had his first western ‘Apache Crossing’ accepted by the Cleveland Publishing Company when he was a young man in his early 20s, just married, living in the Adelaide Hills. The pen name he used for his very first western was Cole Shelton. He went on to write his ‘Shane and Jonah’ series under that pen name. Many of his westerns have received ‘Best Western of the Month’ awards. Roger lives with his wife Elaine in Moonta Bay, South Australia. Although retired, he is still writing.
More on Cole Shelton
The Shane and Jonah Series by Cole Shelton
Gun Law at Hangman’s Creek
Two Guns to Apache Wells
Valley of the Lawless
… And more to come every other month!