by Tell Cotten
“What are you doing here, Jed?” Yancy asked bluntly.
“I was just checking on my traps,” Jed lied.
“You did that earlier,” Yancy replied.
“But I didn’t get to check on all of ’em,” Jed said. “Soon as I heard that shooting, I headed for town.”
“Then you ain’t following us?” Yancy looked hard at Jed.
“I wouldn’t say I was following you, Yancy. More like backing you up,” Jed said innocently.
“If I needed help, I would have asked for it back in town,” Yancy said sternly.
“I know how you are, Yancy. You don’t ever ask for nothing,” Jed replied. “But, now that you’ve mentioned it, since I am here I reckon I should come along. I used to fight Injuns, you know. I could be helpful.”
“That’s the second time I’ve heard that today,” Yancy commented as he glanced at Tussle.
It fell silent as Yancy thought on it, and then he sighed.
“All right, Jed. I ain’t got the time to argue, so you can come with us. But only if you do what I say, understand?”
“Sure, Yancy,” Jed’s eyes twinkled. “I’ll do anything you ask, as long as I agree with it.”
Yancy grunted in response as he took his hands out of his pockets. He grabbed his reins and kicked up his horse, and everybody else fell in behind.
They rode in silence. After a while, Yancy turned in the saddle and looked hard at Tussle and Jed.
Yancy scowled and muttered something, and then he turned back around.
Behind Yancy, Cooper grinned.
Available now from Solstice Publishing
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