you out of here by first light. If these two men are with you the next time you ride this way, keep on riding. Don't stop here."
"What happened?" Tanner demanded, glancing toward the sound of shouts and cursing coming from the corridor of cells behind Brightman.
"A member of the watch discovered your men involved in an illegal poker game with some idiot soldiers. Very likely the watch would have broken up the game and let it go at that, but one of your men demanded to know where my men's sympathies lie regarding the war back east and he didn't like the answers. All hell broke loose. The barracks nearby heard the fracas and joined in. I've got ten men back there," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "and three in the infirmary."
Tanner pressed his lips together and knots ran up his jaw.
"If everyone hadn't removed their weapons before the poker game, we'd have bodies to deal with." Brightman nodded at his jailer. "Bring out the civilians."
"Do we owe you for any damage?" Fox asked.
"Just get packed and get moving." Captain Brightman stepped past her and outside, letting the door slam behind him.
It was hard to say who looked worse when Hanratty and Brown came into the office, blinking at the light. They had black eyes, split lips, bloodied knuckles.
Jubal Brown gazed down at his shirt, now fit for a ragbag or a bonfire. "Nosebleed," he said by way of explanation.
"Damn," Hanratty muttered, gingerly touching his swollen eyes then skimming a finger over his lower lip and wincing.
Tanner accepted their gun belts from the jailer then walked out the door, waiting for them in the street. When they emerged, he turned on them with a coldly furious expression.
"You not only abused the fort's hospitality, you left our camp unguarded. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire your butts right now."
"Where in hell would your"Hanratty peered up and down the dark street"cargo be safer than in the middle of an armed garrison? Didn't seem to us like there'd be any harm in taking the night off."
"You've only worked two days," Fox said in disgust. "But you need a night off?"
"We figured it would be a long time before we'd get another one," Brown said, rubbing a shoulder. "We didn't think we were doing anything wrong."
"You swore to Mr. Tanner that you could deal with sleeping among Union soldiers."
"Well, I was wrong, now wasn't I?" A glitter came into Brown's eyes, and Fox stepped backward, frowning. Jubal Brown had impressed her as the weaker of the two men, but she sensed she'd made a mistake. For a minute he looked dangerous and crazy.
"Go on back to the camp," Tanner said after Jubal averted his gaze. "Start packing up." He gave Fox a glance that told her to remain behind. "What do you think?" he asked when Hanratty and Brown moved away in the darkness. "My instinct is to leave them and go on alone, but that would create problems of a different kind."
Fox scuffed her boot in the dirt. "If we didn't have the cargo," she, too, looked uneasily up and down the deserted street, "I'd say leave them behind."
Tanner glared at a point somewhere above her head. "They disobeyed. They broke the fort's rules. They instigated a fight."
"If you fire their butts, then we've got two angry and resentful gunslingers who know about the cargo," Fox said slowly. "Who's to say they wouldn't come after us themselves?"
His glare lowered and settled on her face. "I'm thinking the same thing."
"It's your call." Whenever he looked at her, Fox felt her stomach roll over and her mouth go twitchy. She started thinking about how handsome he was, and how long it had been since she'd been with a man. Sighing, she tilted her head, checked the sky, and guessed they had less than an hour before first light.
Tanner fell into step beside her. "Much as I'd like to leave those two behind, we'll keep them a while longer. See if anything else happens. Are you comfortable with that?"
That Tanner involved her in the decision both surprised and pleased
"What happened?" Tanner demanded, glancing toward the sound of shouts and cursing coming from the corridor of cells behind Brightman.
"A member of the watch discovered your men involved in an illegal poker game with some idiot soldiers. Very likely the watch would have broken up the game and let it go at that, but one of your men demanded to know where my men's sympathies lie regarding the war back east and he didn't like the answers. All hell broke loose. The barracks nearby heard the fracas and joined in. I've got ten men back there," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "and three in the infirmary."
Tanner pressed his lips together and knots ran up his jaw.
"If everyone hadn't removed their weapons before the poker game, we'd have bodies to deal with." Brightman nodded at his jailer. "Bring out the civilians."
"Do we owe you for any damage?" Fox asked.
"Just get packed and get moving." Captain Brightman stepped past her and outside, letting the door slam behind him.
It was hard to say who looked worse when Hanratty and Brown came into the office, blinking at the light. They had black eyes, split lips, bloodied knuckles.
Jubal Brown gazed down at his shirt, now fit for a ragbag or a bonfire. "Nosebleed," he said by way of explanation.
"Damn," Hanratty muttered, gingerly touching his swollen eyes then skimming a finger over his lower lip and wincing.
Tanner accepted their gun belts from the jailer then walked out the door, waiting for them in the street. When they emerged, he turned on them with a coldly furious expression.
"You not only abused the fort's hospitality, you left our camp unguarded. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire your butts right now."
"Where in hell would your"Hanratty peered up and down the dark street"cargo be safer than in the middle of an armed garrison? Didn't seem to us like there'd be any harm in taking the night off."
"You've only worked two days," Fox said in disgust. "But you need a night off?"
"We figured it would be a long time before we'd get another one," Brown said, rubbing a shoulder. "We didn't think we were doing anything wrong."
"You swore to Mr. Tanner that you could deal with sleeping among Union soldiers."
"Well, I was wrong, now wasn't I?" A glitter came into Brown's eyes, and Fox stepped backward, frowning. Jubal Brown had impressed her as the weaker of the two men, but she sensed she'd made a mistake. For a minute he looked dangerous and crazy.
"Go on back to the camp," Tanner said after Jubal averted his gaze. "Start packing up." He gave Fox a glance that told her to remain behind. "What do you think?" he asked when Hanratty and Brown moved away in the darkness. "My instinct is to leave them and go on alone, but that would create problems of a different kind."
Fox scuffed her boot in the dirt. "If we didn't have the cargo," she, too, looked uneasily up and down the deserted street, "I'd say leave them behind."
Tanner glared at a point somewhere above her head. "They disobeyed. They broke the fort's rules. They instigated a fight."
"If you fire their butts, then we've got two angry and resentful gunslingers who know about the cargo," Fox said slowly. "Who's to say they wouldn't come after us themselves?"
His glare lowered and settled on her face. "I'm thinking the same thing."
"It's your call." Whenever he looked at her, Fox felt her stomach roll over and her mouth go twitchy. She started thinking about how handsome he was, and how long it had been since she'd been with a man. Sighing, she tilted her head, checked the sky, and guessed they had less than an hour before first light.
Tanner fell into step beside her. "Much as I'd like to leave those two behind, we'll keep them a while longer. See if anything else happens. Are you comfortable with that?"
That Tanner involved her in the decision both surprised and pleased
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