by Nathan Jones
By the time he finished with that the others had arrived and seen the message for themselves. Adalia's dad and brother were trying not to completely panic over what they'd read, while their kin stood around them offering silent support.
“What do you think?” Bob asked quietly as he and Lisa joined Skyler.
He shook his head. “There's another gully fifteen or so minutes south of here. Smaller, more defensible. Given Randall's lack of imagination, my money's on him having relocated there.”
Mr. Ruiz spat off to one side and turned away from the stone to face them. “So now you do what he says, give him your cows like he wants, and we get back my little girl?”
“You think that scum is going to keep their word?” Bob demanded. “Even if we give him my entire herd of cattle, if the boy does what Randall says and goes alone to negotiate the trade, afterwards he'll earn a bullet for his troubles and they'll go right on to do whatever they planned to do with your daughter anyway.”
The homesteaders made angry noises, and their leader's face darkened dangerously. “You say another word, you son of-” Fernando began heatedly.
“Arguing with each other isn't going to save Adalia,” Skyler cut in. He turned to Mr. Ruiz. “There's a way to sneak up on that gully, too. I'll describe it to you. Plan can pretty much stay the same otherwise.”
“And if it doesn't pan out, will you give your cows to get back Adalia?” The homesteader demanded of Bob.
The rancher nodded without hesitation, although he looked pained.
“I can convince Trapper to drive up some animals from our own herd to replenish yours if it comes down to it,” Skyler told him. “Least I can do after causing all this trouble.”
Bob opened his mouth to protest, but before he could Mr. Ruiz cut in. “Your own herd?” he demanded.
“Not important right now.” Skyler turned to the homesteaders. “Gather around . . . the approach to this other gully is from the south, so you're going to have to hurry and circle around out of sight of either entrance. We'll give you a half hour before I move out like Randall wants.”
A few minutes later the Ruiz men set out, heading west out of the gully to circle around closer to the mountains where the hills were higher and offered more cover. Skyler planned to approach south along the eastern side of the ridge, to provide a better distraction as the homesteaders snuck up.
And even without Randall's warning to come on foot, he would've left Junior behind with Lisa; the stallion had carried him through several fights over the years, but taking him into a hostage situation where Skyler's role was bait was another thing entirely.
Junior deserved better after years of faithful companionship. Besides, after losing Sulky he'd sworn he would never get another horse shot out from under him if he could help it.
Once the homesteaders were out of sight Skyler and his friends backtracked to where they could see the ranch, in case Randall was using this as a distraction to attack while they were out trying to rescue Adalia. It looked peaceful there, so they settled down to make their own plans for the upcoming confrontation while they waited for the Ruiz men to get into position.
That didn't take long, since unfortunately there was only so much to prepare. Skyler described a few places where Bob and Lisa could cover him at the entrance to the new gully without being seen, and another spot where they could hide the horses and still get to them quickly if they had to run.
After that, there wasn't much to do aside from sit and feel like he was waiting to march to his execution.
He wasn't the only one, either. Lisa eventually stopped pacing and came to sit beside him, wringing her hands in distress. “I hate this, Sky. Are you sure this is the right move?”
Maybe not, but it was the only one he could think of on short notice. “It'll work out fine,” he assured her with confidence he didn't feel. “I have a hunch this is a desperation move from Randall. I think most of his gang ditched him, and he doesn't have the manpower to try attacking us again. If we can get Adalia away from him then we can deal with the rest of his gang right here and now.”
“As long as you don't get shot,” she pointed out.
“Don't worry, I don't plan to make it easy for them.” He smiled wanly. “Besides, if Randall hates me as much as it looks like, the hope is he won't just put a bullet in me right off. He'll want to gloat, and every second he wastes yapping while he thinks he has the upper hand is one more for Adalia's family to free her.”
“That makes sense,” his friend said, although she sounded doubtful.
Skyler glanced at the sun, then stood with a sigh. “I'm going to get moving, take it slow down to Randall's new hideout. You guys shadow me, and try to keep out of sight . . . if I can't see you, you can be fairly confident the bandits can't, either. Although never discount the possibility.”
“Right you are, Trapper,” Bob said with some amusement.
As far as Skyler was concerned, his friend couldn't have offered higher praise. And he could tell by the rancher's fond smile that the man meant it to be just that.
He left his rifle and gun belt behind with Junior, although he tucked his Glock into the waistband of his pants at the small of his back; whatever Randall's demands he come unarmed, he'd be a fool to actually do it. Besides, by the time the man was in a position to discover the hidden weapon, hopefully Adalia's family would've rescued her and given the signal that she was safely away.
As prepared as he could make himself, he set out south along the ridge, glancing back after a couple minutes to check on his friends. He was gratified to find that it took some work to spot them, which was fairly impressive considering the terrain and the difficulty of concealing horses.
Still, he hoped they'd try even harder as they got closer to the bandits' new hideout.
The next ten minutes of walking were spent in wary vigilance, watching for signs of an ambush along the route. Randall would likely assume he'd come this way to get to the gully, and it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that he'd have one of his men, or even come personally, to try to snipe him on the way down.
Which was why Skyler immediately stiffened at the sound of hoofbeats, holding up his hand in warning to Lisa and her dad wherever they were shadowing him from. His eyes were drawn not to the south but to the southeast, along the road to town, where men on horseback had appeared riding hard towards the Hendrickson ranch.
His first thought was that this was a trick. That Randall had kidnapped Adalia to draw him and his friends out so the gang could attack the ranch while they were gone. He'd already considered that possibility, which was why he'd done his best to keep the ranch in view since leaving, but the sight of so many men galloping that way sent a surge of despair through him.
There was no way he could leave Aunt Vicky and Jared to the tender mercies of that scum, but if he went after them Adalia would pay the price. Assuming Mr. Ruiz couldn't sneak up and rescue her without him serving as a distraction.
But then he saw more horsemen appearing around the bend in the road behind the first ones, until a full dozen well-armed men were visible; unless Randall had somehow recruited more bandits, and found horses for them, this group wasn't with his gang.
He squinted as the men drew closer, wishing he had his rifle so he could look through the scope. But finally they got close enough to recognize the faces of the nearest men, and he felt the tension in his shoulders loosen in relief when he recognized Robert Hancock at the front of the group.
Had the man finally gathered a posse to help them? Better late than never.
Except it wasn't too late. Whatever Randall's message had said, Skyler wasn't about to ignore that many extra guns when he was about to walk into a potential fight. So he abandoned his path south and hurried to intercept the oncoming group, waving both arms to flag them down.
The posse wheeled to intercept him, although when Hancock waved in greeting everyone calmed down and stopped fiddling with their guns. “Thought you'd be back guarding the ran
ch!” he called.
“Afraid it's too late for that,” Skyler said grimly. At the alarmed looks on the new arrivals' faces he hastily corrected himself. “The ranch is fine but Randall's forced us to come after him, I mean.” He motioned to the mounted men with their guns. “Looks as if you've decided to join the party?”
“You could say he's given us incentive to come after him, too,” Hancock replied, then quickly detailed what had happened in town the previous day.
“So you spent most of yesterday and all last night trussed up in a stable?” Skyler asked when the man was done.
The trader grimaced. “Embarrassing as it is to admit it, that I did. Me and Todd here, who runs the stable.” He motioned to the man beside him, then dourly rubbed at the welts on his wrists. “And I have to admit that even though that Lobo fellow you had me watching was human scum, I have a bit more sympathy for how we kept him hogtied for days on end.”
“Least he got food and water and trips to the latrine,” Todd growled, rubbing at the welts on his own wrists.
Skyler shifted uncomfortably. “Sorry you went through all that on my account.”
Hancock shrugged. “I knew what I was getting into. You can make it up to me by helping me get back my stolen property and bring these bandits to justice.”
“Well good news and bad news there,” Skyler said, becoming grim again. “Good news is I know exactly where they are, and with the extra firepower we should be able to easily deal with them. The bad news is that they've taken Adalia Ruiz hostage, and unless I walk in alone and unarmed they're going to hurt her.”
Several men in the posse cursed at that, and Hancock's face paled. “You going to do it?”
He would've thought the answer to that was a given, but he just nodded resolutely. “That's where I was headed when I spotted you. We've got a plan, since I doubt Randall's going to keep his word even if I cooperate, but there's a good chance I'll end up shot.”
“Doesn't seem like much of a plan, then,” the trader said.
“Depends on if they're competent enough shooters to aim for center mass.” Skyler unbuttoned his coat to reveal the flak jacket he wore underneath.
Todd whistled. “Heard you had a good horse and a good rifle, but body armor too? You're pretty well set up for a drifter.”
No time to bristle at whether or not that was some sort of accusation. “Gift from Gray Tucker for helping him and some of his men out of a jam,” he said evenly.
Several of the posse looked taken aback at that. “Sheriff Gray Tucker, leader of Grand Junction's militia?” Hancock asked. Skyler nodded, and the man whistled. “Gonna have to hear that story once this is all over, or I'll think you're pulling my leg.”
“Guess that'll depend on if Randall aims at my chest or my head.” Flippant as he tried to sound, he couldn't ignore the way his stomach flip-flopped at the situation he was willingly walking into.
The trader sobered. “Fair enough. Where do you want us to help out?”
Skyler gestured over his shoulder. “Bob and Lisa Hendrickson are out there shadowing me, ready to cover me when I approach the eastern entrance to the gully. If a few of your posse could spread out and take up positions to cover me too, that'll give me that much more chance of getting out of this alive. The rest can move into position to cover the western entrance to the gully, in case Randall and his people try to get away. Just be careful you're not seen while moving into position, or Adalia's in trouble.”
The men of the posse nodded soberly. “How many bandits are we looking at?” Todd asked. “There were four at the stable.”
“I saw signs of three heading towards town,” Skyler confirmed. “The other six headed west into the mountains. I got the sense from their tracks they were leaving, but they might've doubled back.”
“So somewhere between four and ten enemies,” Hancock mused. “We should be able to manage that. What about Miss Ruiz? You have a plan to get her out safely if things go sideways?”
He nodded. “Her dad and several other men in her family are sneaking up on the gully on a path I pointed them to. They'll use the distraction of me showing up to get in and rescue her.”
“They need any help with that?” Todd asked.
“If so, it's too late to get it to them.” Skyler reluctantly glanced at the sun. “Speaking of which, I need to get to the gully before they tip Randall off to their presence, or he gets antsy and decides to hurt his hostage.”
“Fair enough.” Hancock soberly leaned out of his saddle, offering his hand. “Be careful, Graham. We'll be out there ready to shoot any SOB who tries to put a bullet in you.”
“Wait until you know Adalia's safe,” he said, returning the grip firmly. “Even if you have to watch me get gunned down, you make sure she gets out of there in one piece.”
“Hopefully it won't come to that.” The trader gestured to his posse and dismounted, leaving one man to watch the horses while the others faded into the landscape. They weren't the stealthiest bunch Skyler had ever seen, but hopefully they wouldn't be noticeable enough to blow his plan.
There was already enough potential for things to go wrong.
✽✽✽
Approaching the bandits' new hideout was one of the hardest things Skyler had ever done.
He'd been in more than his share of fights, certainly. He'd learned to push aside the fear to its proper place to do what had to be done. But Aunt Vicky was right that there was a world of difference between going into a fight and . . . this. Walking in without his horse or rifle to confront a man who wanted him dead.
As he closed the final distance, circling away from the ridgeline to approach the mouth of the smaller gully from the front, he couldn't help but be distracted from his current purpose by thoughts of his loved ones.
He wished he could've seen his family one last time. Hugged his mom and dad, threw Molly up in the air and caught her the way she liked, spun Miles around in a circle. Cradled baby Micah, who wouldn't be so much a baby anymore. Seen how they'd all grown in the last two years.
But most of all, he thought of Tabby. He wished he could've told her he was sorry for, well, everything. That he regretted leaving, and keeping her at arm's length all those years when they both could've been happy if he'd just admitted his feelings.
He wished he could've told her he loved her, and held her in his arms.
Skyler was sunk in his regrets as he came close enough to the gully to see Randall waiting for him. The bandit was lounging behind a rock outcropping at the mouth of the gully, while above him two other bandits, the ones who'd hassled Adalia that first day in town, had taken up sniping positions overlooking the gully. They had a clear shot on anyone approaching from the east, and with just a bit of relocating behind cover could probably guard the western entrance, too.
However, at the moment they weren't guarding to the west, assuming there weren't more bandits.
Logically, though, if Randall had his full remaining gang with him he'd have more men guarding this approach while still having plenty to guard the western approach. Meanwhile if he just had the three Hancock had seen then the fourth bandit would be Lobo, wounded and probably kept back to guard Adalia.
Skyler couldn't see into the gully to spot the young woman or see how she was guarded, let alone the western approach, but what he could see supported that it was only four bandits in there.
Assuming it wasn't a trap.
If it was just Randall and these two guarding in this direction, plus Lobo watching Adalia and possibly keeping an eye on the western entrance, that made it that much more likely that the young woman's family and Hancock's men could sneak up on them. Which meant Skyler should move soon to keep the enemy's attention focused this way.
He slowed down for the final few hundred yards, gathering his courage to continue forward against all instincts of self-preservation. Even though he was out of easy rifle range of even a marksman like Trapper, it was hard not to tense up as he kept putting one foot in front of the other. E
specially when both of Randall's men lifted their rifles.
That was enough to prompt him to slow and make his movements erratic as he got within two hundred yards of where Randall waited. He was soon glad he had, since at about a hundred yards away a muzzle flash from one of the rifles aimed at him was almost instantly followed by a sharp crack.
Skyler cursed as a bullet whizzed past his head before he could so much as duck. He could hope it was an intentional miss, although at this range with a head shot there was no guarantee of that. That didn't stop him from diving to the side and seeking out a depression in the ground behind a rock.
He heard Randall cursing from the direction of the outcrop he was waiting behind; one of his men getting trigger happy? The bandit raised his voice to call across the distance. “Consider that a warning shot, Graham! Come on out and let's talk!”
Bad as the encounter had started, the fact that Skyler had a chance to occupy the enemy with talking was good for Adalia and the men sneaking in to help her. So anything he could do to drag this out was ideal. “Thanks, I can hear you just fine from here!”
He heard some laughter and jeers from the gully. “Suit yourself,” the bandit leader said. “Considering the only way you can save your cute little friend is by letting me come out and tie you up in her place, caution's not going to do you much good.”
Well that wasn't what he'd wanted to hear. If he could've talked the bandits into a cattle exchange, he might've gotten Adalia out of there and left Randall and his thugs surrounded by the Ruiz men and Hancock's posse.
“I thought you were just interested in trading her back for cattle!” he called, trying to keep his tone confident.
“You thought wrong!” the old man shouted back with vicious satisfaction. “The very fact you care about her made her tempting to go after! No good deed goes unpunished . . . you thought you were the knight in shining armor rescuing the damsel in distress from my boys in town, but all you really did was paint a target on her back. Then you made good and sure I knew you were busy guarding your buddies the Hendricksons at their ranch, and didn't spare a thought for your poor little friend.”
