Lawless Trail by Ralph Cotton

simmer awhile, darling, until he’s better able to—”
    â€œI’m . . . able right now,” Ty cut in, sounding weaker.
    â€œ
Sí
, I understand,” the young woman said quietly to Wes as she looked down at the doctor’s bloody fingers probing the gaping shoulder wound.
    â€œI’ll pay you,” said Wes. “Let you get on back to town with the doctor.”
    She pressed a hand against Wes’ vest pocket as he reached for some gold coins. “No,” she replied in the same quiet tone, “I will ride along until your brother is well. He may need some help.”
    Wes just looked at her for a moment. Finally he let his hand drop from his vest pocket.
    â€œ
Gracias
, ma’am,” he said.
    The doctor turned his eyes from the wound and looked up at the two of them.
    â€œIt’s for sure he’s going to need some help for a few days,” he said. “But if you think he’s able to mount a horse and ride away from here today, you’re dead wrong. Riding will kill him.”
    â€œDoctor,” said Wes, “those detectives are forming a posse, biding their time right now. In an hour we’ll see them coming this way. We’ve got no choice but to keep moving.”
    â€œThat will be your decision, not mine,” the young doctor said firmly. “I can only tell you what will happen. He’s lost lots of blood, and he’s still losing it. I’ll sew up what I can, but there’s a lot of flesh lost here. Stick him on a horse, he’ll bleed the rest of the way out before nightfall.”
    â€œYou heard him, brother Ty,” Wes said down to his brother’s lowered head. “Are you able to ride or not?”
    â€œHell . . . yes, I am,” Ty murmured, half-conscious.
    But Wes judged his brother’s weakened voice and looked back at the doctor.
    The doctor said quickly, “I know a place where you can hide him, for overnight anyway.”
    Wes gave him a look. The others stepped in closer.
    â€œIt’ll be risky,” the doctor warned them. “But if you’ll trust me to take you there, it’s a place where the posse will never look for you.”
    Wes looked from face to face.
    Rubens held the open bottle of rye in his right hand. Corking the bottle, he grinned, rye trickling down his stubble, and handed the fiery liquor to Claypool.
    â€œHell,
risky
never bothered me,” he said. “I’m riskier than a wolf in a meat house.”
    Wes looked at Claypool, who had to tip his head to look back at him through his swollen purple eyes.
    â€œI’ve never been in a
risky
situation,” he said. “But I’m willing to give it a try.” He jerked the cork from the bottle, sloshed the rye around and took a drink.
    Quiet laughter rippled across the men.
    Bugs took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
    â€œI’ll go along with whatever you decide, Wes,” he said. Then turning to the doctor, he said, “If you try to jackpot us, Doc, you best understand we’ll every one of us kill you.”
    â€œI believe that goes without saying,” the young doctor said calmly. Then he turned his eyes and his bloody fingers back to Ty Traybo.
    â€œIt’s settled, then,” Wes said to the others. “Soon as the doc is ready, he’s leading us out of here.”

Chapter 6

    It was turning dark evening when Wes Traybo and Dr. Bernard had led the riders around the long hill trail, keeping the town of Maley to their left across the wide stretch of flatlands. Before taking the trail they were on, the group had made their tracks hard to follow by riding west a half mile across a bare rock shelf. When the doctor and Wes both felt they had gone far enough to throw off the detective posse, they circled back through thick brush and rock and picked up the trail the doctor would have them follow.
    Dr. Bernard rode bareback on the wagon horse they’d