Lee (The Landon Saga Book 6)

by Tell Cotten

  The man in the fancy vest was slammed backwards, and he hit the bar and slid to the ground. He kicked out, made a few gurgling sounds, and then was still.

  There was a stunned silence in the room. Smoke from my Colt lifted, and I took the spent shell out and reloaded it with a fresh one.

  We heard running footsteps, and Rondo and Ross burst through the swinging doors with their Colts in hand.

  Rondo looked around the room, and then he glanced down at the dead man. His face turned dark as he studied him.

  “Did you kill him?” He looked at me.

  “I had no choice,” I replied.

  Rondo made a groaning sound and shook his head.

  “This isn’t good,” he said. “This is Ron Gallegan, the politician I was telling you about.”

  “But it was self defense!” April spoke up, and everybody nodded.

  “It’s not going to matter,” Rondo muttered and looked at me. “You’d better leave, Lee, and don’t come back for a long time.”

  I nodded and holstered my Colt. I glanced at Jeremiah, and he smiled apologetically.

  “I’ll tell Jessica she has a new partner,” I told him. “She’ll be in touch.”

  “I’m looking forward to working with her,” Jeremiah replied.

  I nodded and turned towards April. June was hiding behind her, and she peered at me from behind April’s skirt.

  My legs felt heavy as I walked over to them. April took a small step forward, and it was silent as we stared at each other.

  At that moment, I didn’t care about anything else. To me April was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, and my heart ached.

  Her face was soft and hopeful and terribly vulnerable. She smiled, and her eyes were honest and direct.

  “You have to go,” she said softly.

  “I’m afraid so,” I said reluctantly.

  “Will you come back someday?” She asked hopefully.

  “I just might.”

  “Good,” April flashed me a smile. “We’ll be here.”

  I suddenly felt a huge lump in my throat. I nodded, and with a heavy voice I said, “Goodbye, April.”

  “Take care of yourself,” she said.

  “I will,” I said, and then I looked down at June. “Take care of your Ma, June.”

  She didn’t reply. Instead, she just stared at me through those big, blue eyes.

  I smiled at her, and then I turned and walked towards the door.

  Brian followed me outside, and we untied our horses and climbed into the saddle. Meanwhile, everyone else came out onto the porch and watched us.

  I looked at Rondo, and he nodded at me.

  “I’ll be seeing you,” he said.

  “Sooner or later,” I agreed, then I looked at April.

  She smiled bravely, and I smiled back. A few seconds passed, and then I tipped my hat at her and nudged my horse forward.

  I tugged on my lead rope. No-see-ums fell in behind me obediently, and Brian brought up the rear.

  As our horses went down the street I heard June say softly, “Mister Lee, please don’t go. Please.”

  My heart ached as I kicked my horse up to a trot.

  Epilogue

  We traveled north for two days. Our camps were dry, and we ate canned goods.

  No-see-ums worked great as a packhorse. He followed close behind my horse and caused us no problems.

  We finally figured that we had ridden far enough. Our third night out we made camp, built a fire, and cooked supper. We tore into the hot meal with a vengeance, and afterwards we sat round the fire and drank coffee.

  “You ain’t mentioned it, but where are we headed?” Brian broke the silence.

  “Midway.”

  “Oh?” Brian looked intrigued. “What for?”

  “We need to talk to Jessica.”

  “Talk to her about what?”

  “Tell her the hotel is hers again,” I explained.

  “Oh. That,” Brian nodded, and asked, “Is there anything else you plan on saying to her?”

  “I have nothing else to say,” I frowned and added, “Besides, she’s made her choice. She made that clear. And, I wouldn’t choose her now anyway.”

  Brian nodded and asked, “I wonder if Yancy knows that?”

  “I don’t care if he does or not,” I retorted. “It makes no difference to me.”

  Brian studied me thoughtfully and cleared his throat.

  “I’m going to miss April and that kid,” he said as he changed the subject.

  I felt a tension in my chest. The mere mention of April’s name made me feel miserable.

  I didn’t say anything as I took a swig of coffee.

  “Judging from the looks on their faces when we lit out, I’d say they’ll miss us too,” Brian mused out loud.

  “Perhaps.”

  “If you’d have asked her, I think she would have come with us,” Brian declared.

  “No,” I disagreed. “She wouldn’t have done that.”

  “How can you be so sure?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “We’re two outlaws on the run,” I pointed out. “What sort of life would that be? She also has June to look after.”

  “Coming with us would have been better than being alone,” Brian objected.

  “She’s not alone,” I said bitterly. “She and Jeremiah seemed to be getting along just fine.”

  “I’m not so sure about that.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I replied, and my voice was husky. “They’re better off without us.”

  Brian frowned thoughtfully, and it fell silent as we drank our coffee.

  “So, after Midway, then what?” Brian asked after a while.

  “I’ve no plans,” I shrugged. “I reckon we’ll just see what develops.”

  “Are you planning on returning to the outlaw way of life?” Brian looked curiously at me.

  “We are outlaws, whether we like it or not,” I shrugged.

  “I reckon you’re right,” he said wistfully, and added, “All I know is that I don’t ever want to go back to prison.”

  “Me either,” I agreed.

  “If I had known what prison life was like when I was younger, I would have changed my ways.”

  I smiled faintly, and it was silent for a while.

  “Well, think I’ll turn in,” Brian finally said, and I nodded in agreement.

  We rolled out our bedrolls, pulled our boots off, and crawled in. Brian started snoring a few minutes later, but I tossed and turned.

  My thoughts drifted to April and June.

  As if they were standing in front of me, I kept picturing them as we rode out of town. April stared at me through those big, blue eyes, and June kept saying, ‘Mister Lee, please don’t go. Please’.

  I sighed. That June had the most innocent face and softest voice I had ever heard.

  It was an image that would haunt me for a long time.

  Author’s note

  It was too tempting not to include a cameo appearance by John Wesley Hardin.

  Hardin is considered to be one of the most deadly gunfighters Texas has ever known, and it’s rumored that he once killed a man just for snoring.

  His numerous attempts to escape from Huntsville have been well documented. He came close several times but never succeeded, and he eventually adapted to prison life.

  While serving his sentence he studied Law, and he passed the state’s bar examination and obtained his license when he was released in 1894.

  In August 1895, John Selman, Sr, in El Paso, Texas, shot and killed Hardin. In 2002, the bullet that killed Hardin was sold at a private auction for $80,000.

  Lee and Brian’s escape from Huntsville is also based loosely on true events. However, the actual attempt failed when the escapees were found and arrested a few days later while attempting to steal a horse from a nearby Mexican village.

  About the Author

  Born in West Texas, Tell Cotten is a seventh generation Texan. He comes from a family with a ranching he
ritage and is a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. Besides writing, he is also in the cattle business, and he resides in West Texas with his wife, Andi, and their two children.

  Tell has enjoyed writing from an early age, and he also has a great love of the history of the west. LEE is his sixth novel in The Landon Saga series.

  For announcements of new releases and all other information, please join The Landon Saga Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/784798154926122/ or join Tell Cotten’s website http://tellcotten.wordpress.com/

  Acknowledgements

  I would like to thank my wife and family for all their help and support. Without them this wouldn’t be possible.

  I’d also like to thank Bill for the fantastic drawing, and thanks to Mike for putting the cover together.

  A special thanks also goes out to Jerry for his resourceful knowledge.

  And lastly, I’d like to thank Melissa for all her advice, help, and hard work.

  Enjoy this excerpt from Tell Cotten’s upcoming novel:

  They Rode Together

  Book seven in The Landon Saga series

  It was a surprise town council meeting, hastily thrown together.

  Rondo Landon rarely liked surprises, and he was skeptical when Ross came and told him.

  “What’s this all about?” He asked as they walked down the street.

  “All Fred Stilwell told me is to fetch you,” Ross replied. “He said they had something important to discuss.”

  Rondo frowned, but didn’t reply.

  Rondo Landon was the sheriff of Empty-lake, and Ross was his deputy. Rondo was small and hard bodied, and he was also well known for the ivory-handled Colt that he always displayed on his right hip.

  As for Ross, he had a tall and lanky frame, with tanned skin and brown hair. When he spoke he always displayed a rich, Texan drawl.

  The meeting was being held at the jail. This irritated Rondo, because the jail was his office, not the town council’s.

  They passed Rondo’s house, and his wife Rachel was sitting out on the front porch.

  She had long, brown hair with sandy looking freckles that covered her face. She also had a knowing smile that always made Rondo squirm, and she was giving him that look now.

  Despite his foul mood, Rondo couldn’t help but smile back.

  “Where are you two headed?” She asked.

  Rondo gestured at the jail.

  “Town council wants to hold a meeting.”

  “Can I come?”

  “Why not,” Rondo said.

  Rachel smiled and bounded off the porch. She walked beside Rondo, and they held hands as they went to the jail.

  The town council had three members, and they were all waiting. There was also another man there, and Rondo frowned irritably when he spotted him.

  He was sitting in Rondo’s chair, and he had his feet up on his desk.

  He had a leathery face with a hard jaw and cold eyes. He was a tall man, and despite the smirk on his face, there was no kindness in him. He wore a Colt on his hip, and he looked comfortable wearing it.

  The mood was somber, and Rondo was suspicious. They’d had meetings before, but not like this.

  “What is this?” He demanded to know.

  Fred Stilwell stepped forward. He looked nervous as he cleared his throat.

  “Rondo, we consider you to be a good friend. The first thing we want to say is that we really appreciate the job you’ve done. The way you handled Ike’s men was impressive. Very impressive.”

  “Thanks,” Rondo said stiffly.

  “But,” Fred added, “We’re extremely disappointed with how you handled the situation with Lee Mattingly.”

  “What situation?”

  The man behind the desk swung his feet off the desk, stood, and walked over.

  “Allow me to explain,” he said in a hard, curt voice. “You did nothing as Lee Mattingly rode into town and murdered Ron Gallegan. And, to make matters worse, afterwards you encouraged Lee to leave. You should have arrested him and Brian Clark both.”

  “And who are you?” Rondo narrowed his eyes.

  “Folks call me Rock. Rock Bullen.”

  Rondo had heard of him, but he hid his surprise.

  Rock was a known bounty hunter, and his methods were harsh.

  “It was self defense,” Rondo argued.

  “No, it was murder,” Rock replied, and added, “Besides, that’s not for you to decide. Your job is to arrest them. It’s the Judge’s job to decide who’s guilty and who’s not.”

  “If I want your opinion, I’ll ask,” Rondo replied curtly. “I know how to do my job.”

  “It’s not your job anymore,” Rock said, and he turned to Fred. “Ain’t that right?”

  Rondo turned his glare to Fred, and he looked fidgety.

  “I’m sorry, Rondo,” he said. “But we’ve got to let you go. Ron Gallegan was a very important man back east, and word is out that you and Lee are friends. It just doesn’t look good, especially since you let him escape.”

  A heavy silence filled the room. Rondo pinched his face in thought as he looked at Rock.

  “What are you doing here?” He asked.

  “I’ve been hired to bring Lee Mattingly in, dead or alive,” Rock announced smugly. “Brian Clark too.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  Rock made a grunting sound. Rondo wasn’t sure, but he thought it might have been an attempt at a laugh.

  Nobody had anything else to say, and the silence was uncomfortable.

  Rondo was mad, but he managed to control his emotions. He nodded to himself, and he removed his sheriff’s badge that was pinned on his vest.

  He started to toss it onto the floor, but decided against it. Instead, he walked over to the desk and put it down gently.

  Rondo turned and looked at each member of the town council. His gaze was honest and direct, and each member dropped their eyes.

  He then looked at Ross, and Ross just stood there looking thoughtful and surprised.

  Rondo turned to Rachel and held out his hand.

  “Let’s go,” he said softly.

  Rachel forced a smile. She took her husband’s hand, and they walked out.

  As the door shut behind them, Rondo heard Fred Stilwell say, “Ross, we’d like to talk to you.”

  Coming soon from Solstice Publishing

  For announcements of new releases and all other information, please join The Landon Saga Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/784798154926122/ or join Tell Cotten’s website http://tellcotten.wordpress.com/