The house was dark. No movement could be seen anywhere, not even in the barn.
“Maybe they’re sleeping,” Matt said. “Holt said they didn’t hurt her.”
“They could have come back,” Sam said grimly.
“Let’s separate and move in—” Matt started to say but was interrupted when a shot exploded and whistled past his ear.
Chapter Ten
The echo of the shot hadn’t faded away before Matt and Sam went into action. They worked together as a well-practiced team, each instinctively knowing what to do.
Matt jumped to the ground, pulled his Colt, and rolled to the right. Sam scanned the area as he slipped to the ground and rolled to the left.
“Don’t shoot,” Sam warned.
“Why not?”
Another shot was fired, but missed its mark by an even wider margin than before.
“The shots are coming from the house,” Sam said.
“Not a very good shot,” Matt suggested.
“Exactly. It’s probably Lilly. She saw us out here and got spooked. Petty’s men would be a little more enthusiastic in their attack.”
“Sounds reasonable. I’m getting a little tired of being shot at, but I can’t blame the woman for shooting first and asking questions later. Not with her husband just getting killed and being threatened by the likes of Petty and his men. Have to give her credit for paying attention and not giving up.”
“Wait here for a few minutes. I don’t think anybody else is around, but you might want to keep watch, just in case.”
“You got it.”
Sam seemed to blend in with the darkness. Even Matt, whose wilderness skills were almost as good as Sam’s, had difficulty keeping track of him. Sam moved close to the house where he could be seen from the window when he chose to show himself. For the moment, he had situated himself behind a huge oak tree in the front yard so that one of Lilly’s wild shots wouldn’t accidentally hit him.
“Lilly! Don’t shoot! It’s Sam!”
The voice from inside the house was faint, but the words were plain: “Sam! I’m coming out!”
Sam stepped out from behind the tree in plain sight as the door opened. Lilly came running out, still holding the gun, followed by Tommy. She hugged Sam.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes. Some of Petty’s men came out and threatened us. They were horrible! But they didn’t hurt us. Yet. I found my husband’s gun, but I wasn’t even sure how to use it. I saw somebody out there and I shot . . . oh, I could have killed you! I’m so sorry!”
“You did the right thing. When you’re attacked, you defend yourself. Simple as that.”
“Are you here to stay?” Tommy asked.
“For a while. I’d like you to meet somebody.” Sam motioned, and Matt walked down the hill, leading his and Sam’s horses. “This is my partner, Matt Bodine.”
Lilly let go of Sam and held out her hand to Matt. She was still concerned, but her eyes sparkled a little as Matt took her hand in his.
“Glad to make your acquaintance, ma’am.”
“I’m sorry I shot at you,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. Sam told me you were a strong and beautiful woman. He told the truth. I have a lot of respect for you. It’s not often you find a woman with both strength and beauty.”
Lilly allowed Matt to continue to hold her hand in his and smiled self-consciously.
“You’re very kind. Thank you.”
Sam smiled and slightly shook his head. Matt could be very charming when he wanted. Even he could not take away the woman’s grief, but he could put a tiny sparkle in her eye in the midst of her fear.
“Would you all come in for some coffee?” Lilly asked.
“Thank you. That would be fine.”
Matt handed the reins of the horses to Sam as he walked into the house with Lilly.
Though she had known Sam for only a few hours, he made her feel safe. And his partner, Matt, seemed just as competent and, if anything, was even more charming than Sam. Nothing could take away the pain she felt, but for a few moments she allowed herself the luxury of losing herself in Sam’s businesslike strength and Matt’s attentions. For the moment, it was the only comfort she had.
She went into the kitchen, built up the fire in the stove, and filled the coffeepot with water. As the pot heated up, she sat wearily at the table, put her hand on her arm, and promptly fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
King Petty was getting damned tired of the idiots he had working for him. He knew that eventually he would have to face Sam, one-to-one, and kill him. However, he did expect more than he was getting from his men. They couldn’t even make a threat stick!
Marshal Holt coming back into the saloon didn’t help matters any. The joke was wearing thin.
“What is it, Holt?”
“I had a little talk with Two-Wolves and Bodine. And the others. I told them to back up. Or else.”
“Good. And what happened?”
“They acted a little . . . upset.”
Petty gulped down his drink and glared at the marshal.
“You know what, Holt? I don’t like you. I never did like you. You’re nothing but a weak drunk. A joke.”
Holt stood uneasily.
“I do the best I can,” Holt said, hoping his words wouldn’t cause Petty to lose his temper.
“I’ve thought of a good punishment for all you weaklings. First thing tomorrow, take those other two clowns out to the Brandom place. Try to make good your threat to the woman.”
“But ... there’s no need to dig up the body. We know that you killed Brandom ... in self-defense. If you want the woman, why don’t you just take her. What’s the use of torturing her that way?”
“Because I want to bother the woman just for the hell of it. Because it will bother Two-Wolves. Because maybe Two-Wolves will kill all of you and save me the trouble. The reasons aren’t any concern of yours. Are you arguing with me?”
“No . . . I’d never argue with you. I’ll find the others. We’ll take care of it.”
“Tomorrow morning. Now get out of my sight.”
In the front room, Matt and Sam talked quietly among themselves. Tommy was sitting in an easy chair, sleeping.
“The poor woman and kid are exhausted,” Matt said. “They’ve been going on sheer guts.”
“It is amazing,” Sam said. “But weren’t you spreading it on a little thick back there—even for you?”
“Not really. The woman’s hurting. I gave her a few compliments—which were sincere, by the way—to make her feel a little better. I think she deserves at least that much.”
In the chair, Tommy snored slightly.
“Fair enough. But now let’s get back to business. You check out the house, make sure it’s secure. I’ll check out the barn and the rest of the area. Then we’ll let these two get some sleep.”
“Sounds good.”
Matt started to the kitchen and called out to Sam before he even got to the front door.
“Take a look at this,” Matt whispered, pointing out the woman sleeping at the table while the coffee boiled on the stove.
“Let’s get them to bed. We can take turns guarding the house.”
Matt reached down and picked up Lilly in his arms as if she were a child. She murmured something, but did not wake up. Matt carried her into the other room and put her on the bed. Sam did the same for Tommy, but put him on his blanket on the floor.
“How do we get into these situations?” Matt asked.
“Guess we just lead charmed lives.”
“At least we got plenty of coffee. I doubt if King’s men will be back tonight, but at least these two will be able to get a little sleep.”
Cooper still hurt. He didn’t know which was worse, the kick he had received from Petty or the punches from Matt and Sam. He walked carefully and placed his broad body on a stump. Hardesty sipped from a bottle and then slipped it to Cooper.
“Here. This will help.”
“I’m not sure anything will help. Damned.” The back of the Black Bull Saloon could be seen several hundred feet away. The door occasionally opened and closed, casting squares of light in the darkness. “Can you believe the way Petty treated us?”
“Lucky he didn’t kill us. I still say we should have ridden away when we had the chance.” Hardesty took the bottle back and took another sip.
“He didn’t expect Two-Wolves to be so tough, either. Hell, it’s like he ain’t human or something.”
“He’s got senses like an Injun. He seemed to know where we were before we did. Damned.”
The bottle passed back and forth.
“Well, we need to do something,” Cooper said.
“Yeah. Like what?”
“Let’s try again. And this time do it right.”
“You’re crazy. You want to face Two-Wolves and Bodine again?”
“You want to face Petty?”
“You have a point.”
“How do we do that?”
“Don’t you two have anything better to do than sit around and drink?” The two turned as Holt stumbled up to join them.
“Can you think of anything better?”
“Hell, no. So pass me the bottle!?
Holt took a gulp and passed it back. “Bad news,” Holt said. “King’s been thinking again. He’s got another job for us to do. He wants us to finish the job Conn and me started.”
The two outlaws groaned as Holt explained the plan to harass the widow.
“Is King crazy?” Cooper asked.
“Of course,” Hardesty said. “But I’m not going to call him on it!”
“This could be our chance to fix things up.”
Chapter Eleven
Sam had taken the first shift and Matt the second. Even so, Sam had gotten up long before dawn and joined Matt in the kitchen. He reached for the coffeepot, poured himself a cup and sat at the table with Matt.
“A quiet night,” Matt said.
“Thank goodness for that. At least for the sake of Lilly and the boy. They’ve been through a lot.”
“I’ve been thinking about this during the night,” Matt continued. “About the best way to handle this situation. Lilly and Tommy are basically alone. A mad killer is after them. The best and easiest way to deal with this is just to go into town and take out the problem.”
“True. But that creates another problem, doesn’t it? You don’t believe in killing in cold blood—no matter how much it is deserved. But we can’t just leave the family here without protection.”
“At the same time, neither one of us can really afford to stay here and guard the family indefinitely,”
“Quite a problem,” Sam agreed. “And if King Petty is like most of his type, he won’t be too anxious to face us, man to man. His kind are always tough as long as they have the upper hand. But let somebody face them who might be as good or better than they are and they turn tails and run.”
“We bring the fight to him. We’ve got plenty of help on that one.”
“So we will. Of course, there’s no guarantee Petty will be in on that escapade. If he senses trouble, he’ll probably stay clear.”
“Or we might flush him out. Never know until you try.”
“And in the meantime we need to do something about Lilly and Tommy.”
“I’d suggest the first thing is to teach Lilly a little more about shooting.”
“Are you volunteering?”
“Of course.” Matt grinned. “I’m always willing to help a damsel in distress.”
“Especially a pretty one.”
“You know me better than that. I’d never take advantage of a person who is hurting like she is. But a man would have to be blind to ignore the fact that she is a bright and pretty woman. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“No. I suppose not. You do have something of the white knight in you.”
“Is that a compliment or an insult?”
“Take it any way you wish.”
“Unfortunately, it is a quality I think we both share.”
“It gets us in trouble.”
“But you meet so many interesting people that way!”
Sam chuckled. “So you do.”
“Helping Lilly learn to shoot is a simple thing, but it might make a difference.”
“Good morning,” Lilly said. Matt and Sam stood as the woman entered. Lilly seemed surprised at their action. She smiled and walked over to the stove. “Let me make you all some fresh coffee so you can have something to drink while I make the biscuits. You all haven’t been up all night, have you?”
“One of us has,” Sam said. “We thought it might be for the best. At least for the one night.”
“There’s no way I can thank you,” Lilly continued. “This whole thing has me totally lost. I was so . . . frightened . . .”
“With good reason,” Matt said. “To be honest, I don’t know how you all are holding up as well as you are.”
“It just doesn’t seem real. One minute, Jack’s alive and we’re a family . . . and the next . . . he’s gone . . .” It looked for a second like Lilly would start to cry again, but she found some strength from somewhere inside herself. She turned to her biscuits. “I’m still in a state of shock. I was so tired last night I don’t even remember going to bed. Last thing I know, we were talking to you all, and then it was morning.”
“Even at that you didn’t get much sleep.”
“We’re still feeling better.”
“How’s Tommy?” Sam asked.
“He’s outside doing his chores now.”
Sam nodded. “Think I’ll slip outside to see how he’s getting along. If you don’t mind.”
“Do whatever you think is best. I trust you and Matt completely. As long as you get back in time for breakfast.”
“Thanks. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll be back in a little while.”
“Don’t hurry too fast,” Matt said. “That’ll leave more breakfast for me!”
“Don’t you wish!”
Lilly poured Matt a fresh cup of coffee, then prepared the biscuits for baking. Matt leaned back in his chair, sipped his coffee, and watched the woman work. She was pretty, but she also had an easy way about her in the kitchen. Her movements were graceful and efficient.
The domestic scene unsettled Matt a little. He was used to camping in the wilderness or eating in saloons and restaurants where the meals were often interrupted by fights. For a minute, he tried to imagine himself giving up a life of wandering and excitement in favor of a home and family such as this. At this moment, the choice was tempting . . . if there could ever be such a woman for him. Lilly was pretty, and there seemed to be some attraction, but some spark seemed to be missing. Matt wondered again, however, if he would ever be able to give up his life of adventure even if a woman like Lilly came along and the spark was there. It was not the first time Matt had considered the question, and it wouldn’t be the last.
“Matt I have a question.”
“Shoot.”
“Sam didn’t really go out to help Tommy, did he? He really went out to make sure he wasn’t in any danger.”
“You’re a smart woman, Lilly. Sam is a careful man.”
“Why are you two doing this? I mean, it’s not your fight. Sam risked his life yesterday for me even though he had never seen me before and had no idea who I was. Now you’re here with him, helping us as if we were family or something. And from what I can tell, you’ve made a terrible enemy in King Petty. You’ve put yourself at great risk. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I guess the easiest answer to that question is simply that we wanted to.”
She shook her head and brought the biscuits from the oven. Matt noted that they were brown and looked delicious.
“I’ve always prided myself on my biscuits,” Lilly said as she put them on the table. “Jack always liked them . . .”
“I’ll be honest with you, Lilly. You and your son are in a lot of troub
le, through no fault of your own. Sam and I will be in the area for a while, and will try to keep an eye on you, but we can’t be here all the time. You showed a lot of spunk last night, but your aim was way off. I like to think I know a little about shooting, and I’d be pleased if you’d let me show you a few tricks.”
“When would you want to do that?”
“The sooner the better. How about after breakfast ?”
“I don’t like guns. When Jack was alive we never had much to do with them. things are different now. Sure. I’ll give it a try.”
“Good. Now, how about some of those biscuits. . .”
Lilly put her hands on her hips and gave him a hard look.
“Er . . . after you call in Sam to join us for breakfast, of course!”
Sam found Tommy in the barn throwing hay to the livestock. He slipped quietly inside, blended into the shadows and watched the boy work without being noticed. Tommy had a solemn look on his face, but not one of fear. The boy seemed to be listening to the sounds outside the barn, but continued his work at a steady pace. Sam noted with approval that the boy completed his tasks without cutting corners.
Sam cleared his throat and made a lot of noise as he entered the barn the rest of the way.
“Good morning, Tommy. Getting your chores done?”
“Like every morning. At least that hasn’t changed.”
“With your daddy gone, you’ll probably be doing even more of a man’s work than before.”
“Expect so. Me and my mom with handle it.”
“You will. It won’t be easy.”
Tommy paused in his work, leaned against the pitchfork. “Sam, would you teach me how to shoot?”
“I don’t know. I suppose your mom would have a lot to say about that. I think Matt is going to teach her a little. She’s the adult, so it makes sense that she’d be the one to learn.”
“But I want to learn, too. My dad never liked guns, never let me even shoot one. The other kids grew up on guns. But not me. And now he’s dead because of it. If he had been more like you, he’d still be alive . . .”
Sam stepped forward and grabbed Tommy by the shoulder. He was a little rougher than he intended, but the boy did not protest.
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