expected the impossible, and Tanner was still far from perfect.
His frown settled on the money mule. He hoped his father knew he was coming with the gold. This time he wouldn't disappoint. But he'd believed that before.
He didn't realize that Fox had dropped back beside him until he felt the heat of the mustang and she shouted his name.
"Sorry," he said, imagining the scent of bacon.
"Do you think the kidnappers will mistreat your father?" she asked, squinting against a swirl of dust.
"I don't know if he's still alive." His hands tightened around the reins. If the bastards killed his father, he'd spend the rest of his life hunting them down. Whatever they'd done to his father, he would do the same to them and more.
"We'll get there in time. A few long days like this one will put us ahead of schedule." She slid him a look, a flash of blue then gone. "If you can see through the dust, that's Fort Churchill up ahead. They'll send someone out to check on who we are, and I'll request permission to camp within the fort tonight. My question is this: Is Jubal Brown going to be a problem?"
He'd been asking himself the same question. "I'll speak to him."
"Better you than me."
"Right after the noon break, I thought I saw movement on the hill to the north of us. Did you see anything?"
"Paiutes," she said before she urged the mustang into a trot and returned to the head of the line.
Tanner scanned the horizon looking for anything that moved and found nothing. Looking ahead he noticed that Hanratty was leading Fox's string of mules. She rode up beside him, said something, then shrugged and moved ahead, leaving Hanratty with the mules. Tanner almost laughed. He doubted many men, let alone women, had pulled a knife on Cutter Hanratty.
When Tanner spotted the rooftops and adobe walls of the fort, he urged the bay forward, trotting up beside Fox as he noticed a half dozen men riding toward them, kicking up a long coil of dust.
She looked surprised. "I can handle this. It's my job."
"It's my party," he said in a pleasant voice. There were some responsibilities he was not willing to abdicate. "Everyone here answers to me," he added, watching a frown clamp her mouth and forehead.
"All right," she said in a tight voice, her gaze on the uniformed men riding toward them. "Some things you might like to know. The fort occupies about a thousand acres spread out on both sides of the river. Usually there are between fifteen hundred and two thousand men garrisoned here. The camp is teetotalist and they don't allow cards or gambling."
When the soldiers were within hailing distance, Tanner rode forward, hearing Fox behind him. Two of the soldiers kept an eye on Hanratty, Brown, and Peaches while Tanner introduced himself and Fox.
"Haven't seen you in a while," Captain Brightman said to Fox, giving her a smile. "I heard you quit scouting."
"I'm back at it." She wiped dust from her forehead. "I've been seeing Paiutes off and on all day. They didn't come close, just showed themselves then vanished."
"You heard they killed the Watson family? Damned shame."
Tanner interrupted the chat. "We request permission to camp within the walls, Captain. We have our own provisions."
"Permission granted, Mr. Tanner. You can also graze your animals near the river." To Fox he added, "We don't expect more trouble with the Paiutes, but we didn't expect the Watson incident. It's a long ride but if you're continuing east, I'd suggest you head for the Carson Sink station tomorrow. Best not camp in the open right now."
Tanner rode toward the fort with the soldiers, irritated that Fox and Captain Brightman fell back, talking like old friends. Maybe they were for all he knew. Once he heard her laugh and he ground his teeth together, not certain why her laughter would annoy him, but it did.
Once through adobe walls, he could see the fort was a village unto itself, with several adobe buildings stacked on stone foundations. There were corrals, a smithy, a laundry,
His frown settled on the money mule. He hoped his father knew he was coming with the gold. This time he wouldn't disappoint. But he'd believed that before.
He didn't realize that Fox had dropped back beside him until he felt the heat of the mustang and she shouted his name.
"Sorry," he said, imagining the scent of bacon.
"Do you think the kidnappers will mistreat your father?" she asked, squinting against a swirl of dust.
"I don't know if he's still alive." His hands tightened around the reins. If the bastards killed his father, he'd spend the rest of his life hunting them down. Whatever they'd done to his father, he would do the same to them and more.
"We'll get there in time. A few long days like this one will put us ahead of schedule." She slid him a look, a flash of blue then gone. "If you can see through the dust, that's Fort Churchill up ahead. They'll send someone out to check on who we are, and I'll request permission to camp within the fort tonight. My question is this: Is Jubal Brown going to be a problem?"
He'd been asking himself the same question. "I'll speak to him."
"Better you than me."
"Right after the noon break, I thought I saw movement on the hill to the north of us. Did you see anything?"
"Paiutes," she said before she urged the mustang into a trot and returned to the head of the line.
Tanner scanned the horizon looking for anything that moved and found nothing. Looking ahead he noticed that Hanratty was leading Fox's string of mules. She rode up beside him, said something, then shrugged and moved ahead, leaving Hanratty with the mules. Tanner almost laughed. He doubted many men, let alone women, had pulled a knife on Cutter Hanratty.
When Tanner spotted the rooftops and adobe walls of the fort, he urged the bay forward, trotting up beside Fox as he noticed a half dozen men riding toward them, kicking up a long coil of dust.
She looked surprised. "I can handle this. It's my job."
"It's my party," he said in a pleasant voice. There were some responsibilities he was not willing to abdicate. "Everyone here answers to me," he added, watching a frown clamp her mouth and forehead.
"All right," she said in a tight voice, her gaze on the uniformed men riding toward them. "Some things you might like to know. The fort occupies about a thousand acres spread out on both sides of the river. Usually there are between fifteen hundred and two thousand men garrisoned here. The camp is teetotalist and they don't allow cards or gambling."
When the soldiers were within hailing distance, Tanner rode forward, hearing Fox behind him. Two of the soldiers kept an eye on Hanratty, Brown, and Peaches while Tanner introduced himself and Fox.
"Haven't seen you in a while," Captain Brightman said to Fox, giving her a smile. "I heard you quit scouting."
"I'm back at it." She wiped dust from her forehead. "I've been seeing Paiutes off and on all day. They didn't come close, just showed themselves then vanished."
"You heard they killed the Watson family? Damned shame."
Tanner interrupted the chat. "We request permission to camp within the walls, Captain. We have our own provisions."
"Permission granted, Mr. Tanner. You can also graze your animals near the river." To Fox he added, "We don't expect more trouble with the Paiutes, but we didn't expect the Watson incident. It's a long ride but if you're continuing east, I'd suggest you head for the Carson Sink station tomorrow. Best not camp in the open right now."
Tanner rode toward the fort with the soldiers, irritated that Fox and Captain Brightman fell back, talking like old friends. Maybe they were for all he knew. Once he heard her laugh and he ground his teeth together, not certain why her laughter would annoy him, but it did.
Once through adobe walls, he could see the fort was a village unto itself, with several adobe buildings stacked on stone foundations. There were corrals, a smithy, a laundry,
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