Puddles of muddy water covered the ground, but it wouldn’t take long for the sandy soil to soak them up.
“Now there’s just one more thing to do,” Conrad said as he reached into the back of the buggy and got a short-handled shovel from their gear.
Selena’s smile disappeared when she saw what Conrad was holding. “You carry a shovel with you?”
“You’d be surprised how often we have to bury someone,” Arturo said.
Chapter 10
Conrad told Selena to watch for a train while he and Arturo attended to the grim task of burying the two gunmen behind the shed. He hadn’t done that for Kiley, and he wouldn’t have bothered for those two if he hadn’t thought it might make Selena feel a little better if she knew the bodies hadn’t been left for the buzzards.
At Conrad’s suggestion, she climbed onto the platform and sat beside the water tank where she could look up and down the tracks. He told her to check the other directions from time to time as they still had to worry about Leatherwood and the men who had gone to Frenchman’s Flat showing up.
Conrad was tamping down the dirt he’d replaced in the grave shared by the two avenging angels when Selena called, “I think I see something coming! It might be a train!”
Conrad tossed the shovel to Arturo to put back in the buggy, and climbed up to join Selena on the platform. She pointed along the tracks to the east where puffs of smoke could be seen in the far distance.
“Looks like a locomotive, all right,” he said. “And it’s even headed in the right direction. It’s still several miles away.”
“Maybe it won’t stop here.” Hope and worry mingled in Selena’s voice.
“Chances are it will. I can’t imagine an engineer passing up a chance to take on water in country like this.”
At that moment, Arturo called from below in an alarmed voice, “Riders coming from the south!”
Conrad bit back a curse and hurried around the tank so he could look in that direction. Arturo was right. A dust cloud swirled into the air.
Selena came around the tank to join Conrad. “It’s Leatherwood! It has to be.”
Conrad thought she was probably right. It was going to be a tight race to see who arrived at the water stop first. The riders were closer, but the train was moving faster. Conrad figured there was a good chance everybody would get there about the same time.
He urged Selena toward the ladder. “You and Arturo get in the buggy and get ready to head out in a hurry.”
“They’re too close! We’d never get away from them!”
She had a point, Conrad decided. They would have a running fight on their hands. It would be better to make a stand where they had some cover.
“All right. If the train stops and there’s time to get you on it, we will. Then Arturo and I can keep Leatherwood busy while the train pulls out. If you make it on board, find the conductor and tell him Conrad Browning said to make sure you get to San Francisco safely.”
She stared at him for a second. “Who are you? Your name carries that much weight with the railroad?”
“Don’t worry about it, just do what I told you.”
Selena nodded. “All right. I need my saddlebags, though. Everything I own in the world is in them.”
“Hurry, then,” Conrad urged.
While Selena climbed down, he went to the edge of the platform and called to Arturo, “Pitch my rifle up here!”
“Are we going to make a stand?”
Conrad glanced at the train and the dust cloud. “It’s starting to look like it!”
Arturo fetched Conrad’s Winchester and tossed it into the air next to the platform. Conrad reached out and caught the rifle by the barrel. It wouldn’t be long until the riders were in range. He wished he could see them a little better. He didn’t want to start blazing away at them without being absolutely certain they were Jackson Leatherwood and the avenging angels.
He glanced down and saw Selena taking her saddlebags off her horse. She slung them over her shoulder and
“Now there’s just one more thing to do,” Conrad said as he reached into the back of the buggy and got a short-handled shovel from their gear.
Selena’s smile disappeared when she saw what Conrad was holding. “You carry a shovel with you?”
“You’d be surprised how often we have to bury someone,” Arturo said.
Chapter 10
Conrad told Selena to watch for a train while he and Arturo attended to the grim task of burying the two gunmen behind the shed. He hadn’t done that for Kiley, and he wouldn’t have bothered for those two if he hadn’t thought it might make Selena feel a little better if she knew the bodies hadn’t been left for the buzzards.
At Conrad’s suggestion, she climbed onto the platform and sat beside the water tank where she could look up and down the tracks. He told her to check the other directions from time to time as they still had to worry about Leatherwood and the men who had gone to Frenchman’s Flat showing up.
Conrad was tamping down the dirt he’d replaced in the grave shared by the two avenging angels when Selena called, “I think I see something coming! It might be a train!”
Conrad tossed the shovel to Arturo to put back in the buggy, and climbed up to join Selena on the platform. She pointed along the tracks to the east where puffs of smoke could be seen in the far distance.
“Looks like a locomotive, all right,” he said. “And it’s even headed in the right direction. It’s still several miles away.”
“Maybe it won’t stop here.” Hope and worry mingled in Selena’s voice.
“Chances are it will. I can’t imagine an engineer passing up a chance to take on water in country like this.”
At that moment, Arturo called from below in an alarmed voice, “Riders coming from the south!”
Conrad bit back a curse and hurried around the tank so he could look in that direction. Arturo was right. A dust cloud swirled into the air.
Selena came around the tank to join Conrad. “It’s Leatherwood! It has to be.”
Conrad thought she was probably right. It was going to be a tight race to see who arrived at the water stop first. The riders were closer, but the train was moving faster. Conrad figured there was a good chance everybody would get there about the same time.
He urged Selena toward the ladder. “You and Arturo get in the buggy and get ready to head out in a hurry.”
“They’re too close! We’d never get away from them!”
She had a point, Conrad decided. They would have a running fight on their hands. It would be better to make a stand where they had some cover.
“All right. If the train stops and there’s time to get you on it, we will. Then Arturo and I can keep Leatherwood busy while the train pulls out. If you make it on board, find the conductor and tell him Conrad Browning said to make sure you get to San Francisco safely.”
She stared at him for a second. “Who are you? Your name carries that much weight with the railroad?”
“Don’t worry about it, just do what I told you.”
Selena nodded. “All right. I need my saddlebags, though. Everything I own in the world is in them.”
“Hurry, then,” Conrad urged.
While Selena climbed down, he went to the edge of the platform and called to Arturo, “Pitch my rifle up here!”
“Are we going to make a stand?”
Conrad glanced at the train and the dust cloud. “It’s starting to look like it!”
Arturo fetched Conrad’s Winchester and tossed it into the air next to the platform. Conrad reached out and caught the rifle by the barrel. It wouldn’t be long until the riders were in range. He wished he could see them a little better. He didn’t want to start blazing away at them without being absolutely certain they were Jackson Leatherwood and the avenging angels.
He glanced down and saw Selena taking her saddlebags off her horse. She slung them over her shoulder and
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