a team again.’
Patrick glared back a moment, then nodded and produced a thin smile while rubbing his ribs.
‘Suppose we did,’ he murmured.
‘But more important that that – you made a good decision before they arrived.’ Rusty lowered his voice. ‘We should be friends.’
‘We should.’ Patrick sighed and tipped back his hat with his gun barrel. ‘But I don’t know if I cantrust you again.’
Rusty shuffled to Patrick’s side with his head down.
‘Don’t worry about that now. When we have our gold back, you can decide what you want to do.’ Rusty gestured down at Tort’s body and forced a thin smile. ‘Like I was trying to tell you before, these men have got their share of our gold-dust on them, so we’ve got some of it back already.’
For long moments Patrick stared at Rusty, then glanced at Tort’s body. He snorted and holstered his gun as he stalked to Tort’s horse. He unhooked one of the bags of gold dust. In his right hand he hefted the bag, then turned to face Rusty and forced a smile.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘We got the rest of our gold to get back.’
CHAPTER 9
One hundred yards from Fort Clemency, the mixture of anger and fear that had persuaded Gideon to accompany Hannah faded from his mind and he pulled back on the reins, slowing his horse to walking pace.
‘I’ll do the talking,’ he shouted after Hannah.
Hannah pulled her horse to a halt and stood sideways across the trail.
‘Why?’ she muttered.
Gideon swung his horse around her and continued down the hill.
‘Because I have to.’
Hannah hurried on to ride beside him and glared at Gideon.
‘Why won’t you look at me and tell me what you’re doing here?’
For long moments Gideon rode in silence, but fifty yards from the fort, he saw someone bob up from behind the stockade. He coughed and jutted his chin.
‘I don’t have to explain myself. I just want us bothto get out of this alive and I reckon if I do the talking , I can do that.’
Hannah sighed. ‘You still reckon that you can help me better than I can help myself. Well, you’re wrong. I can take care of myself.’
‘I’m sure you can. It’s just …’
Hannah glanced at the fort. There, the wooden gate swung open and two men edged through. As they raised their rifles and aimed one at each of them, she gulped.
‘But I suppose I shouldn’t complain if my brother has my best interests at heart.’
‘Brother?’
‘Yeah,’ Hannah said. ‘If you want to live, you’re my brother. And I’ll do the talking.’
Gideon glanced at Hannah and opened his mouth to argue, but ahead the two men stalked out from the fort and firmed their gun arms.
‘Then that’s who I am, sister,’ he murmured, then hunched forward in the saddle.
The two men paced into the centre of the trail and beckoned for Gideon and Hannah to halt twenty yards from them.
The man on the left, Strang Chase, edged forward a pace.
‘What do you want?’ he muttered.
Hannah held her chin aloft.
‘I want to see Jack,’ she said. As Strang snorted, she smiled. ‘I followed his tracks.’
Strang glanced at the other man, Armstrong Stacker, who sneered.
‘That’s a mighty clever talent for such a scrawny girl.’
‘I have many talents, as Jack knows.’ Hannah tapped her chin as she appraised Armstrong. ‘And I recognize you from the Belle Starr.’
Armstrong lowered his hat a mite and narrowed his eyes.
‘And now I come to think about it, I recognize you.’ He whistled through his teeth. ‘You’re a saloon-girl and you’re all the way out here.’
Hannah fluffed her hair and fluttered her eyelashes.
‘I’m not just any saloon-girl. I’m a saloon-girl who caught Jack’s eye. And I don’t reckon he’ll appreciate you keeping me from him.’
Armstrong gulped. ‘Guess as you’re right.’
Armstrong and Strang backed to the side of the trail and held their arms to the side, directing her into the fort, but then Strang’s head snapped to the side to glare
Patrick glared back a moment, then nodded and produced a thin smile while rubbing his ribs.
‘Suppose we did,’ he murmured.
‘But more important that that – you made a good decision before they arrived.’ Rusty lowered his voice. ‘We should be friends.’
‘We should.’ Patrick sighed and tipped back his hat with his gun barrel. ‘But I don’t know if I cantrust you again.’
Rusty shuffled to Patrick’s side with his head down.
‘Don’t worry about that now. When we have our gold back, you can decide what you want to do.’ Rusty gestured down at Tort’s body and forced a thin smile. ‘Like I was trying to tell you before, these men have got their share of our gold-dust on them, so we’ve got some of it back already.’
For long moments Patrick stared at Rusty, then glanced at Tort’s body. He snorted and holstered his gun as he stalked to Tort’s horse. He unhooked one of the bags of gold dust. In his right hand he hefted the bag, then turned to face Rusty and forced a smile.
‘Come on,’ he said. ‘We got the rest of our gold to get back.’
CHAPTER 9
One hundred yards from Fort Clemency, the mixture of anger and fear that had persuaded Gideon to accompany Hannah faded from his mind and he pulled back on the reins, slowing his horse to walking pace.
‘I’ll do the talking,’ he shouted after Hannah.
Hannah pulled her horse to a halt and stood sideways across the trail.
‘Why?’ she muttered.
Gideon swung his horse around her and continued down the hill.
‘Because I have to.’
Hannah hurried on to ride beside him and glared at Gideon.
‘Why won’t you look at me and tell me what you’re doing here?’
For long moments Gideon rode in silence, but fifty yards from the fort, he saw someone bob up from behind the stockade. He coughed and jutted his chin.
‘I don’t have to explain myself. I just want us bothto get out of this alive and I reckon if I do the talking , I can do that.’
Hannah sighed. ‘You still reckon that you can help me better than I can help myself. Well, you’re wrong. I can take care of myself.’
‘I’m sure you can. It’s just …’
Hannah glanced at the fort. There, the wooden gate swung open and two men edged through. As they raised their rifles and aimed one at each of them, she gulped.
‘But I suppose I shouldn’t complain if my brother has my best interests at heart.’
‘Brother?’
‘Yeah,’ Hannah said. ‘If you want to live, you’re my brother. And I’ll do the talking.’
Gideon glanced at Hannah and opened his mouth to argue, but ahead the two men stalked out from the fort and firmed their gun arms.
‘Then that’s who I am, sister,’ he murmured, then hunched forward in the saddle.
The two men paced into the centre of the trail and beckoned for Gideon and Hannah to halt twenty yards from them.
The man on the left, Strang Chase, edged forward a pace.
‘What do you want?’ he muttered.
Hannah held her chin aloft.
‘I want to see Jack,’ she said. As Strang snorted, she smiled. ‘I followed his tracks.’
Strang glanced at the other man, Armstrong Stacker, who sneered.
‘That’s a mighty clever talent for such a scrawny girl.’
‘I have many talents, as Jack knows.’ Hannah tapped her chin as she appraised Armstrong. ‘And I recognize you from the Belle Starr.’
Armstrong lowered his hat a mite and narrowed his eyes.
‘And now I come to think about it, I recognize you.’ He whistled through his teeth. ‘You’re a saloon-girl and you’re all the way out here.’
Hannah fluffed her hair and fluttered her eyelashes.
‘I’m not just any saloon-girl. I’m a saloon-girl who caught Jack’s eye. And I don’t reckon he’ll appreciate you keeping me from him.’
Armstrong gulped. ‘Guess as you’re right.’
Armstrong and Strang backed to the side of the trail and held their arms to the side, directing her into the fort, but then Strang’s head snapped to the side to glare
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