“There was some trouble along the way.”
“If there’s anything you need…”
Lynn chuckled at the protective tone in Wes’s voice. “I’m fine. I have Clint, here, to thank for that.”
Keeping one arm draped around Lynn, Wes stepped forward to extend a hand up to Clint. “Any friend of my daughter’s is a friend of mine. The name’s Wes Petrowski.”
“Clint Adams,” he replied while shaking Wes’s hand.
The years of working the land shone through in Wes’s grip. He shook Clint’s hand as if he was kicking around the idea of breaking a few bones. Unlike most powerful handshakes, this one didn’t seem to have any bad intentions behind it. The hand that was doing the shaking just happened to be strong as an ox.
“I hope you didn’t pay for a room in town,” Wes said. “I wouldn’t have you sleep anywhere but under my roof.”
“I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense. You’ll stay here and you’ll have supper at my table. Tina would skin me alive if she found out I let it happen any other way.”
Clint couldn’t help but smile at the farmer’s rough yet amicable nature. Rather than rile the old man, Clint tipped his hat. “Much obliged. Is there a place for me to put up my horse?”
“This is a damn farm, ain’t it?” Suddenly, Wes winced as if he’d been smacked on the back of his head. “Pardon the language,” he said to Lynn. “I’ve got more than enough space for you and your horse, Clint. Come on with me and I’ll take you to the stable.”
Since everyone else was on foot, Clint swung down from Eclipse’s back and led the Darley Arabian by the reins. Wes and Lynn were already several paces ahead and chattering back and forth about what had brought her all the way across Kansas. Clint looked ahead a ways and spotted a few buildings at the end of a set of ruts. It looked to be a fairly good walk, but he was in no hurry to get there. In fact, it was relaxing to just take his time and mosey for once.
Clint rarely ever got the chance to mosey.
It didn’t take long before he got to like it.
Now, if only the rest of the world would forget about him for a while and let him sit still for a change.
TWELVE
“I swear to God I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch,” Joey muttered as he winced and got to his feet.
Lying stretched out in front of him was the horse that he’d just grown to like over the last few days. Now that horse was on its side and grunting in pain after tripping over a stump while chasing Clint.
“Are you ready to go or not?” Mark grunted. “That horse is done for.”
“No, it ain’t! Don’t say that!”
Mark rode over to look down at the animal. Its eyes were glazed over, and the pain was clear enough to see on its face. Letting out a breath, Mark drew his pistol and put the wounded animal out of its misery.
“There,” Mark said. “Now you can stop bellyaching about it.”
“Dammit,” Joey snarled. “I just stole that horse a week ago.”
“Then you can steal another one and we can catch up to Lynn.”
When he saw the fire in Joey’s eyes, Mark tightened his grip on his pistol and aimed it in his direction. “You wanna start something with me or do you wanna take it up with the one who tripped up yer horse?”
The fire in Joey’s eyes dimmed just a bit as he glanced back at the last spot in which he’d seen Eclipse.
“That’s right,” Mark said, latching onto the small opening he’d created. “He was hoping to trip us up and got you.”
“We wouldn’t even be out here if you weren’t still stuck on that blonde,” Joey grumbled.
Seeing that the danger had passed, Mark lowered his gun and dropped it back into its holster. “It won’t take long to collect her. She’ll either come back with me or I’ll see to it she don’t keep another man’s company.”
“And after that?”
“After that, we’ll keep on with our own business. There’s plenty to be done in these parts, and most of the lawmen don’t even know us around here. Leastways, they won’t as long as we stay away from Wichita.”
“That’s where all this trouble started,” Joey pointed out.
“And here’s where it’ll end.”
“Sure. If you know where to look to find her again.”
Mark grinned. “I already know where to look. She’s headed to a farm owned by a friend of hers. From there, she’ll be movin’ on to California. That’s all she ever used to talk about.”
“Where in California?” Joey asked. “That’s a big stretch of land, you know.”
“I don’t know where, exactly. She talked about a few different places like San Francisco or Sacramento. That’s why we need to catch up with her before she gets that far. And since I know where she’ll be, that won’t be a problem.”
Although Joey looked optimistic at first, that quickly faded. “What about the fella she was with? He coulda killed us both.”
“But he didn’t. Not even close.” Mark spoke with plenty of steam behind his words, but wasn’t able to keep it up for long. In fact, by the time he took his next breath, that steam had evaporated. “We’ll have to keep an eye on him, that’s for certain. But he must not be a real killer; otherwise, we’d be dead.”
“Yeah,” Joey said meekly. “I suppose that’s true enough.”
“And if I know Lynn, she’s got the man wrapped around her little finger. That’s what she does.”
Joey nodded. “Sure as hell. I saw what she did to you.”
“Right. Now all we need to do is get to that farm, find them two and then wait for a spot to make our move.”
“What move are you gonna make?” Joey asked.
Mark seemed to be looking at something far away. He didn’t even seem to hear the question for a few seconds. Finally, Joey’s words made it through to him and he shook his head slowly. “Don’t worry about what I’m gonna do. You just worry about backing me up.”
Just when Joey was about to throw himself behind Mark’s plan, he stopped and cocked his head to one side like a dog that had just heard a strange whistle. “Wait a second. What’s in this for me?”
That snapped Mark out of his faraway trance real quickly. “What do you mean by that?” he snapped.
“Just what I said. That fellow almost gunned us both down with some damn fancy shooting. If he wanted us dead, we’d both be in hell right now. I went along with you because we’ve seen some times together, but I don’t wanna get killed just because you can’t shake yourself free of this damn woman.”
As soon as those words were out of Joey’s mouth, Mark was lunging forward to grab hold of him by the throat. One hand was clamped around Joey’s collar, while the other hand dug straight into Joey’s windpipe.
“I won’t hear you speak badly about Lynn, you hear?” Mark growled.
Even though his face was turning red and it was hard for him to get a word out, Joey wheezed, “You said she was…no good. She ain’t…worth dyin’ over.”
“That’s my goddamn business,” Mark said as he leaned in and tightened his grip. Suddenly, the viciousness in his eyes dimmed and some of the sense returned. Mark loosened his grip on Joey’s throat, but kept hold of his collar. “That farmer does a good business. He’s got money stashed.”
“How do you know all that?”
“Because Lynn talked about him and how well he took care of his daughter. I don’t know how much he’s got squirreled away, but there’s something. So long as I get Lynn, you can have whatever else there is.”
Joey’s eyes narrowed as he asked, “You swear?”
Mark nodded.
“Whatever money we find is mine? And you’re sure there’s money?”
“That’s what I said, ain’t it?” Mark announced. “Even if it’s a hundred dollars, it’s more than you got right now. All we need to do is bushwhack the man who’s with Lynn and the rest is easy pickings.” Putting an edge to his voice, Mark added, “You wanna make your liv
ing as a bad man, this is a good start. You wanna crawl away just because some asshole took a shot at you, then maybe you should be a damn farmer yourself. Or maybe you could just throw on a skirt and do some cooking?”
Using both hands, Joey pushed Mark back. “I ain’t afraid of no man who don’t have the sand to finish a fight. Where’s this goddamn farm?”
THIRTEEN
If Clint had been looking for some peace and quiet, he certainly found it on the Petrowski farm. There was just something different about being on that much property owned and maintained by a man who cared about it. The rest of the world might seem wild, untamed and harsh, but the acres surrounded by such a meticulously tended fence were anything but.
Every patch of dirt had been turned over.
Every tree was in a row.
Not one weed could be seen.
Even the buildings in middle all looked as if they’d been painted on a canvas rather than pieced together using hammer and nails. As he followed Wes and Lynn around the place, Clint took in the sights and pulled in the air.
It was more than enough to bring a contented smile to his face.
“You can put that horse right in there,” Wes said as he pointed to a building that was about half the size of the barn. “Take whatever stall you like and help yourself to anything else you need.”
For a moment, Clint had forgotten he was leading Eclipse. The reins simply hung from his fist, and the Darley Arabian followed behind as if he’d been lulled into the same contented daze as Clint. Shaking himself awake, Clint nodded and turned toward the stable.
“So where’s Tina?” Lynn asked anxiously. “I thought I would’ve seen her by now.”
“She should be back in an hour or so,” Wes replied. “She went into town to get a new dress and Lord only knows what else. Once she gets to the store, she just loses track of everything else.”
Lynn laughed and said something, but Clint couldn’t make out what it was. He’d reached the stable by now, and even though the main doors were open, the sturdy wooden structure was built well enough to keep out most sound as well as the wind.
There were a few horses and a pair of mules in there, which left five empty stalls. All Clint needed to do was walk down the middle of the stable and wait for Eclipse to drift toward one stall. The stallion wasn’t about to break free, but he did look toward one stall instead of any of the others.
“Not too often you get your pick like that, huh, boy?” Clint said as he took Eclipse into the stall and began unhitching the saddle. “Looks like you’ll be eating well for a while. Don’t get too used to it. I don’t have much use for a fat horse.”
Eclipse settled in right away and started drinking from the trough before even looking at the hay beside it. After closing the stall’s gate, Clint took a slow walk around to get a look at the rest of the animals in there.
All the horses were well cared for and strong. Even the mules seemed to be from fine stock, but that was surely because they saw plenty of work. By the time he got back to the main doors, Clint had a better idea of what Wes Petrowski was like as a person. A lot could be learned about a man by seeing how he treated his horses. So far, Wes seemed just as hospitable as he looked.
Clint took a few steps outside and found Wes and Lynn leaning against a hitching post and talking. While he didn’t have anything against some leisurely conversation, Clint was enjoying his relaxing walk. Soon, he found himself wandering toward the barn and taking a look inside.
The barn looked like most others, although it was as well kept as the rest of the place. Clint had to smirk at the meticulous way every tool was in its spot and gleaming, as if every pitchfork’s tong and every ax blade had just been polished. If not for all the care that had been shown to every little thing in there, Clint might have overlooked the messy pile of rags in the back corner.
Walking with his hands in his pockets, Clint made his way to the rags like a hound dog following an intriguing scent. As he stepped up to the pile, Clint looked around the wall above it for any lanterns or hooks where a lantern might hang. The last thing he wanted to think about was a good man like Wes losing a fine barn like this due to a careless fire being set.
There were no hooks and no lanterns close enough to be a worry. That much, at least, put Clint’s mind to rest on the subject.
But Clint’s mind wasn’t at rest.
In fact, he couldn’t get his eyes off those rags. Something about the way they were just piled up there so carelessly made them stick out like a sore thumb. Clint looked around at the rest of the barn just to satisfy his own curiosity. He wasn’t about to go crawling around into every nook and cranny, but he could see more than enough to answer his question.
The rest of the barn was, indeed, as tidy as he’d first thought. Clint couldn’t find one thing out of place apart from a few pieces of straw blowing across the floor or a small spot of chipped wood in one corner. Because of that, Clint found himself drawn back to the pile of rags.
He shrugged and let out a breath. It seemed the rest of him wasn’t so quick to let its guard down. Too much time spent dodging bullets, he figured. It only seemed right that an hour on a quiet farm wouldn’t be enough to loosen all those knots he’d gained from having to draw blood to save his own life.
Looking toward the door, Clint could hear Wes and Lynn laughing and talking some more. He decided to join them rather than spend another minute trying to figure out a pile of rags. He laughed once to himself and kicked the pile with his toe as if proving how silly his frayed instincts were.
And, with that single tap of his toe, Clint was shown just how sharp his instincts were.
The pile of rags wasn’t exactly what it seemed. In fact, the rags weren’t piled up at all. They were covering something. Clint’s boot had moved a few of them just enough for him to get a look at what they covered.
“Good Lord,” he whispered as his eyes caught the sparkle of gold under the rags.
He nudged the pile again to find underneath the rags a hunk of gold almost as big as his head. It was enough gold to steal the breath right out of him.
FOURTEEN
Wes and Lynn didn’t even notice Clint as he walked out of the barn. They were so busy swapping stories that they seemed surprised when they finally caught sight of him.
“There you are,” Lynn said. “Is Eclipse all settled in?”
Clint nodded and replied, “Yep. I just hope he doesn’t get to liking it too much in there. He might get spoiled.”
“A happy horse runs faster,” Wes said. “Don’t worry none about his feed, though. I don’t have anything in there that’d do him any harm.”
“I’m sure you don’t,” Clint said. “This is a fine place you have here.”
“Thank you kindly.”
Making sure to watch Wes carefully, Clint added, “I wandered over to get a look in your barn. Hope you don’t mind.”
Wes may have flinched a bit, but it wasn’t anything too serious. The older man nodded and put on a shaky smile. “If you like what you saw, I’ve got plenty of work for you to do.”
“I may just take you up on that,” Clint replied.
Both Lynn and Wes looked at him with an equal amount of shock on their faces. “You would?” they both asked in unison.
Clint laughed at their reaction and shrugged. “I can think of plenty worse places to spend some time. Of course, I wouldn’t want to impose or go where I’m not wanted.”
Wes started walking toward the house. “You don’t have to do any work around here. You’re welcome to have something to eat and stay as long as you like.” When he reached the top of the steps leading to the front porch of his house, he stopped and pointed down the road. “Here comes Tina.”
Lynn spun around on the balls of her feet and pulled in a deep breath. When she saw who was driving the one-horse cart approaching the house, she let out her breath in an excited scream.
The woman driving the cart was startled at first, but quickly recognized who was scr
eaming. Soon, she was adding to the din with an excited scream of her own and squirming as if she was about to jump down from her seat and race the horse to the house.
When Clint looked to see what Wes was doing, he saw the old man covering his ears and stepping into the house. There wasn’t anything suspicious there. In fact, the more noise both women made, the more Clint couldn’t blame the old man for trying to find some shelter.
“Come here and meet my friend, Clint!” Lynn said excitedly.
Before he could think of a good excuse to get into the house, Clint felt Lynn take hold of his hand and pull so hard that she nearly yanked his arm from its socket. Clint went along with her to meet the cart as it came to a stop in front of the house.
Even in her spot in the driver’s seat, it was easy to tell that Tina was a good deal shorter than Lynn. Thick, black hair flowed well past her shoulders and framed a thin, petite face. A little, upturned nose complemented delicate features, which were made even prettier by the bright smile adorning her face at the moment.
Tina tossed the reins aside and jumped down from the cart so she could give Lynn a hug. “It’s so great to see you!” she shouted. “I thought you might not show up.”
“I said I would, didn’t I?” Lynn asked.
“Yes, but from what you told me about Mark…Let’s just say I’m glad you made it here so soon.” Suddenly, Tina’s eyes snapped over to Clint and some color flushed into her cheeks. “Oh. Is that…?”
“No,” Lynn said as she waved toward him. “That’s not Mark. That’s Clint Adams.”
Taking that as his cue, Clint leaned forward and stretched out a hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
Not only did Tina take the hand Clint offered, but she held onto it and pulled herself closer to him. “Nice to meet you too, Clint.”
Tina was a small woman in her early twenties, but she had plenty of curves to make up for what she lacked in height. The dress she wore was a simple striped pattern that was buttoned to a respectable level, but it didn’t do a thing to dampen the effect she had upon Clint. Her large breasts excited him as she stepped forward to look straight up into his eyes. The smoothness of her skin was inviting as she lingered there as if willing him to do more than just introduce himself.
To Reap and to Sow Page 5
