by Tell Cotten
Ross spotted us, and he said something. Mr. Tomlin spun around and grinned real big.
“Well! You came back!” He exclaimed as Lee and I pulled up in front of them.
“I’m back,” I replied.
Mr. Tomlin and Buster looked pleased, but Ross just frowned thoughtfully.
“I guess you’d like your job back,” Mr. Tomlin said.
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “I sure would.”
“You’ve got it,” Mr. Tomlin said.
I grinned.
“Thank you, sir,” I replied, and asked, “So, how are things around here?”
“We haven’t had any trouble since, ah, Lieutenant Porter was retired,” Mr. Tomlin said. “The government sent out a new bunch, but so far they’ve been honest.”
“Good, I’m glad,” I replied earnestly.
Mr. Tomlin looked over at Lee.
“How ’bout you? Want a job?”
Lee frowned thoughtfully.
“Well, sir, tell you the truth, I ain’t looking for work right now. I just rode down with Rondo to keep him company and drink some coffee. But, I’d like to stay around for a few days, if’n you don’t mind.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” Mr. Tomlin replied.
“Thank you, sir,” Lee grinned.
We dismounted and tended to our horses, and then Ross helped us stow our gear in the bunkhouse.
Ross looked at me.
“I reckon you’re wanting to see Rachel,” he said solemnly.
“I would,” I replied.
“She’s up at the house,” Ross said. “I’m sure she’ll be real happy to see you.”
“Thanks, Ross,” I said.
Ross just shrugged.
“It’s always been you, Rondo. These past few weeks I had hoped, but-,” Ross’s voice trailed off.
It was silent, and then Ross looked back up.
“By the way; he’s here,” Ross said.
“Who is?” I asked.
“Palmer,” Ross replied.
I was startled.
“Where is he?” I demanded to know.
“I saw him in town a couple of weeks ago,” Ross told me. “He wanted to know where you were, but I didn’t tell him anything. So, he said that he was just going to wait right there in town until you showed up. Folks told me that he’s been staying at the hotel. He plays poker in the saloons, and every once in a while he rides out of town and practices some with his six-shooter.”
I glanced at Lee, and he just grinned.
“Well now,” I said. “That’s interesting, ain’t it Lee?”
“’Tis,” Lee agreed.
I stood there and thought it over, and it didn’t take me long to decide on a plan of action.
“Lee, you’re good at delivering messages. Think you could deliver another one?” I asked.
“Now?” Lee asked.
“Now,” I replied. “I want you to ride into town and tell Palmer that I’ll be there in the morning.”
“Don’t you want to wait a few days first?” Lee asked. “We just got here!”
“Nope,” I replied. “We both know there’s no way of avoiding this. It’s better to get it done with.”
“I just unsaddled my horse,” Lee protested.
“Well, re-saddle him,” I replied.
Lee grumbled about it, but he still saddled up and rode out.
I watched him leave, and then I walked up to the main house.
Rachel was on the other side of the house, working in the garden. I watched her for a moment, and then she turned around and saw me.
Her mouth fell open in surprise, and she just stood there and looked at me.
“You’re back,” she said, and her voice was strained.
“I am,” I replied.
It was silent as Rachel thought on that.
“Did you get things figured out?” She finally asked.
“I think so,” I nodded.
“Good, I’m glad,” Rachel said, and she smiled anxiously.
I smiled back, and it fell silent again as we both searched for words.
“So, what happens next?” Rachel asked after a bit.
“I don’t know,” I replied, and then I blurted, “Listen, I like you plenty, Rachel, but I still don’t have anything to offer. A man in my position just can’t be thinking of marriage. At least not yet.”
She nodded like she understood.
“So, where does that leave us?” She asked.
I frowned as I thought on that.
“I don’t know, Rachel,” I finally said. “But, I do know one thing.”
“What’s that?” Rachel asked.
“I ain’t leaving again. I’m planning on staying around here for good,” I declared.
Rachel smiled, and I got that weak feeling in my knees again.
“Good,” she said.
Chapter seventy-nine
Lee rode back in right before dark.
We were sitting out on the front porch of the main house, and I had been explaining all that had happened during my stay at Midway.
Lee unsaddled his horse and joined us.
Mrs. Tomlin had saved Lee some supper, and he sat out on the front porch with us while he ate.
“I found him,” he told me.
“You tell him?” I asked.
“Yep,” Lee said. “He seemed pleased.”
“How come?” I asked.
“It’ll happen in town, and that’ll give Palmer an audience,” Lee explained.
“Oh,” I said.
Lee continued.
“Palmer’s going to be ready too. It seems like he’s healed up good, and he also told me that he’s been practicing.”
“He needed to,” I replied, and then I stood. “Well, reckon I’ll be turning in.”
Everybody said goodnight, and I went down to the bunkhouse and bedded down. But I didn’t sleep much, and I was up way before breakfast.
I was restless, and while I waited for daylight I cleaned and reloaded my ivory handled six-shooter.
By then everybody else was up, so we all went up to the main house and ate breakfast.
It was a solemn meal. Nobody talked much, and everybody looked anxious. That is, ’cept for Lee. He ate more than the rest of us combined.
After breakfast I went down to the barn and saddled Desperate. Lee came along too, and when he started saddling his horse I looked curiously at him.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“With you,” Lee replied.
I thought it over.
“I ain’t asking for help,” I finally said.
“I ain’t offering to help,” Lee replied. “I just want a closer look, is all.”
I frowned, but didn’t say anything.
Everybody else stood by as I led Desperate out of the corrals.
“We’d like to help if we could,” Mr. Tomlin spoke up.
I shook my head.
“I appreciate the offer, sir, but this is between me and Palmer.”
Mr. Tomlin nodded.
“All right then. You just be careful,” he said.
I nodded, and then Rachel walked over to me. Everybody else backed off and left us alone.
“I guess you have to do this,” she said.
“It’ll happen sooner or later,” I agreed. “Might as well be sooner.”
Rachel lifted her chin proudly.
“All right then, go do what you have to do. I’ll be here when you get back.”
I looked at her for a moment, and then I turned and stepped into the saddle.
Everybody watched us as we rode out. For some reason I had a lump in my throat, and I had to turn my head.
We trotted in silence, but then Lee finally looked over at me.
“How you feeling?”
“Still sore and stiff,” I replied.
Lee shot me a worried look.
“That ain’t a good way to be before a gunfight,” he said. “Especially stiff.”
> “I’ll be fine,” I replied.
Lee nodded thoughtfully, and then he smiled.
“Seems like we’ve made this ride before,” Lee commented.
I smiled and nodded.
“Worried?” Lee wanted to know.
I shrugged.
“It’s always the tenderfoot that gets you,” Lee declared. “Now, Palmer isn’t a tenderfoot, but he ain’t got ‘it’ either. But he does have luck.”
“You’re not making me feel any better,” I said.
“Sorry, I was just thinking out loud,” Lee said. “You know me; I like to think about things.”
“Uh-huh.”
Lee continued.
“Course, you’ve never been beaten.”
I disagreed, and I shook my head.
“No, Kinrich beat me the first time,” I said.
Lee frowned as he thought on that.
“True, but you beat Kinrich the second time around,” Lee said.
I smiled wryly.
“That’s why I’m still here,” I replied.
“’Spose it is,” Lee agreed. “Course, Palmer’s still here too.”
“’Cause he’s lucky,” I assumed.
“Yep,” Lee nodded. “So, the question is, are you better, or is he luckier?”
“Reckon we’ll find out,” I replied.
“Reckon so,” Lee said.
Chapter eighty
Like before, Lee rode into town first to look things over.
I sat down and waited on the same log that I had sat on before. About twenty minutes passed, and Lee trotted back.
“Palmer’s sitting out on the front porch of the hotel, waiting for you,” Lee told me.
I nodded as I got mounted.
“And another thing,” Lee said. “Those new policemen ain’t in town. They’re out on a patrol somewheres.”
“Good,” I reasoned. “One less thing to worry about.”
Lee nodded, and we rode into town.
As we rode down the street the feeling suddenly grabbed ahold of me, and I felt a fury building up inside of me like I had never felt before. Palmer had caused me a lot of grief over the years, and I was ready to end it.
I dismounted and looked at Lee.
“If Palmer kills me, I want you to make sure that he doesn’t bother the Tomlins,” I said.
“Sure,” Lee nodded.
I nodded back, and then I tied Desperate to the hitching rail.
Lee did the same, and he stepped up onto the porch behind me.
“Good luck,” he said.
I smiled and nodded, and then I turned and walked towards the hotel.
Palmer stood when he saw me, and he stepped out into the street.
I walked towards him and stopped when I was about thirty feet away. The wind was blowing a little, and dust swirled around us.
I studied Palmer. He was sober and solemn looking, and his face was hard as a rock.
I spoke first in a low, hard voice.
“I don’t want this, Palmer, but you’ve left me no choice.”
“That’s right,” Palmer said solemnly. “I’ve been waiting for this day a long time. After I kill you folks will finally know who I am.”
“You’re nothing, Palmer, and you always will be,” I replied.
Palmer’s eyes went hard and flat. He stood there poised and ready, and any second now he was going to draw.
There was no need to say anything else, so I just stood there and waited for him to make the first move.
Suddenly, Palmer made a grab for his six-shooter.
With lightning speed I palmed my Colt, and Palmer hadn’t even touched his gun handle yet.
My six-shooter blasted away, and Palmer’s body jolted backwards.
I slapped the hammer with the palm of my hand as I walked toward him, and every time I fired Palmer’s body jerked violently.
The loud clicking sound of my empty six-shooter finally made me stop. Palmer fell over backwards, and he was coughing and spitting up blood.
I reloaded and holstered my six-shooter, and then I walked up to him. Death was quickly coming to him, and he looked at me with terror stricken eyes.
“I thought I was faster,” he managed to say.
“You thought wrong,” I replied.
Palmer didn’t answer. His eyes were starting to glaze over, and just like that he was dead.
I shook my head as I looked down at him.
“What a waste,” I muttered softly.
Lee walked up behind me.
“You all right?” He asked.
I nodded curtly, and Lee frowned as he looked down at Palmer.
“Reckon he didn’t practice enough,” he commented.
“Guess not,” I replied.
It was silent, and then I turned toward the horses.
“Let’s go home,” I said.
Epilogue
Lee left two days later.
We had just finished eating breakfast when Lee announced that he was leaving. Everybody tried to talk him into staying, but his mind was made up.
“I ain’t never been able to stay in one place for too long,” Lee told Mr. Tomlin. “It’s time I drifted on.”
“Well, you’re welcome back anytime,” Mr. Tomlin replied.
“I appreciate that,” Lee replied earnestly.
They shook hands, and then Lee and I walked down to the barn. I stood by with my hands in my pockets while I watched Lee saddle his horse.
“You may not know it, but you’ve got a good future here, Rondo,” Lee said as he tightened his cinch.
“Think so?” I replied.
“Know so,” Lee said. “Don’t you go and mess it up now.”
I smiled wryly.
“I’ll try not to,” I said.
Lee looked over at me, and he smiled and nodded.
“So, where are you headed?” I asked.
Lee was silent as he finished saddling his horse, and I could tell that he was hesitant to tell me.
I waited patiently, and Lee finally gave in.
“I met some brothers by the name of Oltman up in Abilene,” Lee said. “We figured we might, uh, work together some.”
“Doing what?” I asked suspiciously.
Lee didn’t reply. Instead, he just laughed as he reached inside his pocket and pulled out a cigar.
I shook my head disapprovingly.
“You remember what Yancy said,” I said sternly. “You should quit that outlaw business before you get yourself killed.”
“Sure should,” Lee agreed as he bit off the end of his cigar.
“But you ain’t going to,” I figured.
Lee smiled as he lit up his cigar and took a puff.
“Nope, reckon not,” he said as he exhaled.
I sighed.
“Well, you take care of yourself anyhow,” I said.
Lee nodded as he stepped up into the saddle. He got himself settled, and then he looked at me and grinned.
“So long, Button,” he said.
“So long, Lee,” I replied.
Lee kicked up his horse, and I stood there and watched him go.
There was a part of me that wanted to go with him. But then I saw Rachel walking down from the house, and I quickly changed my mind.
About the Author
Born in West Texas, Tell Cotten is a seventh generation Texan. He comes from a family with a ranching heritage 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. CONFESSIONS OF A GUNFIGHTER is his first novel in The Landon Saga series.
For announcements of new releases and all other information, please like The Landon Saga Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheLandonSaga
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You can al
so visit Tell Cotten’s website http://tellcotten.wordpress.com/
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my wife and my family for all their help and support. Without them this wouldn’t be possible. I’d also like to thank God for the gift of writing.
Special thanks goes out to Marcy and Mike for putting the cover together.
And lastly, I’d like to thank Melissa for all her advice, help, and hard work.
Enjoy these sample chapters of Entwined Paths by Tell Cotten, available now through Solstice Publishing.
Entwined Paths
Book two in The Landon Saga series
Chapter one
Cliff Curtis rubbed his shoulder gingerly as he looked down into the valley. Behind him, his men waited impatiently.
The valley was long and narrow. And, except for a few trees scattered about, the valley was open country without much cover.
Cliff frowned as he pulled out his watch and glanced at it. According to the time, the stage should be here.
He winced as he returned his watch to his shirt pocket.
“Is your shoulder bothering you again?” Rusty Curtis asked his older brother.
“It never stops bothering me,” Cliff grumbled. “Specially in the mornings.”
“You’ve probably still got some lead in there,” Rusty suggested.
Cliff didn’t answer. He was looking in the far distance, and he narrowed his eyes.
“See that dust? That’s got to be the stage.”
Rusty looked and nodded.
“Probably so.”
“Get ready,” Cliff said as he looked back at his men.
Everybody knew what had to be done. Cliff had laid out his plans the night before, and had carefully gone over every detail.
Everyone but Brian Clark and Rusty had grumbled about Cliff’s persistence. But then Rusty reminded everybody that his older brother had ridden with the likes of Ben Kinrich, Lee Mattingly, and Rondo Landon, and he knew what he was talking about.
Brian Clark had also ridden with these men, but nobody cared about that. Everyone considered him to be old and wore out, and they couldn’t figure out why Cliff had let him come along.
Brian was in his mid-fifties. He was a grizzled veteran, and he had been an outlaw longer than most of these other fellers had even been alive.
