first. His bullet ripped through the man’s Adam’s apple and he toppled backward out of the saddle as blood fountained from his ruined throat.
More shots came from behind the shed. Conrad worried about Arturo and Selena, but couldn’t go to their aid. Throwing himself to the side he landed behind one of the thick legs as Leatherwood started shooting at him again. Conrad sent a couple of shots whistling back at the leader of the avenging angels.
A rifle cracked behind Conrad. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Arturo crouched at the corner of the shed, firing at Leatherwood. Conrad’s heart leaped at the realization that Arturo must have been able to deal with the man who had ridden around the shed to attack him. His friend was all right, or at least still in the fight, and now they outnumbered Leatherwood.
The scar-faced triggerite figured that out, too. Suddenly he whirled his horse and put the spurs to it. The animal leaped into a gallop, headed to the north away from the water tank. Conrad and Arturo both fired after him, but Leatherwood never slowed down.
Leatherwood was willing to get other men killed trying to follow Elder Hissop’s orders, Conrad thought, but he wasn’t devoted enough to face two-to-one odds by himself. The leader of the avenging angels was out of handgun range, so Conrad stood up and started to reload. Arturo took a couple more potshots at Leatherwood, but Conrad knew the chances of him hitting anything were small.
Arturo lowered the rifle and looked over at Conrad. “Sir, are you injured?”
“No, I’m fine. How about you?”
“I’m not—what’s the word?—ventilated. But not for lack of trying on the part of that man who galloped around the shed. He hesitated when he shouldn’t have, though, probably out of fear that one of his errant shots would strike Miss Webster, and I was able to drill him.”
Conrad smiled. “Good for you. Did you make sure he was dead?”
Arturo’s eyes widened. “Oh, my word. I should have done that, shouldn’t I?”
He turned and ran behind the shed.
Conrad checked on the man he had shot, but considering what a gory mess his bullet had made of the man’s throat, there wasn’t much chance of him still being alive. Sure enough, the gunman was dead, and as Conrad straightened from that task, Arturo came trotting back around the shed.
“He’s deceased,” Arturo reported. “Next time I’ll make sure of that right away.” He caught his breath. “Next time? Good Lord, what am I saying? I hope there isn’t a next time.”
“I do, too,” Conrad said.
But they both knew better.
Chapter 11
Conrad picked up his rifle, then started around the shed to check on Selena. He assumed she was all right, otherwise Arturo would have said something about her being hurt, but he wanted to see that with his own eyes.
She met him when he was only partway there, hurrying around the shed and unexpectedly throwing herself in his arms. Instinctively, he held her and felt the way her body trembled against his.
“So much shooting,” she said in a strained voice. “I thought for sure I was going to die.”
“The thought crossed my mind, too,” Conrad admitted. “For all of us.”
She lifted her head so she could look up at him. “What about Leatherwood?”
“He’s gone. Once he was the only one left, he didn’t have the stomach for a fight anymore.”
“He’ll be back,” Selena said. “He’ll get some more men, and he’ll come after us. He’ll never give up, and neither will Father Agony.”
Conrad shook his head. “That won’t matter. By then we’ll have a good lead on them and they won’t be able to catch us. We can reach the Nevada line in a couple days.”
“You don’t think that will stop them, do you? It won’t make any difference.”
“Sure it will. We’ll find another place you can get on the train. There’ll be another westbound tomorrow or the next day.”
She sighed. “You’re probably right. It’s just
More shots came from behind the shed. Conrad worried about Arturo and Selena, but couldn’t go to their aid. Throwing himself to the side he landed behind one of the thick legs as Leatherwood started shooting at him again. Conrad sent a couple of shots whistling back at the leader of the avenging angels.
A rifle cracked behind Conrad. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Arturo crouched at the corner of the shed, firing at Leatherwood. Conrad’s heart leaped at the realization that Arturo must have been able to deal with the man who had ridden around the shed to attack him. His friend was all right, or at least still in the fight, and now they outnumbered Leatherwood.
The scar-faced triggerite figured that out, too. Suddenly he whirled his horse and put the spurs to it. The animal leaped into a gallop, headed to the north away from the water tank. Conrad and Arturo both fired after him, but Leatherwood never slowed down.
Leatherwood was willing to get other men killed trying to follow Elder Hissop’s orders, Conrad thought, but he wasn’t devoted enough to face two-to-one odds by himself. The leader of the avenging angels was out of handgun range, so Conrad stood up and started to reload. Arturo took a couple more potshots at Leatherwood, but Conrad knew the chances of him hitting anything were small.
Arturo lowered the rifle and looked over at Conrad. “Sir, are you injured?”
“No, I’m fine. How about you?”
“I’m not—what’s the word?—ventilated. But not for lack of trying on the part of that man who galloped around the shed. He hesitated when he shouldn’t have, though, probably out of fear that one of his errant shots would strike Miss Webster, and I was able to drill him.”
Conrad smiled. “Good for you. Did you make sure he was dead?”
Arturo’s eyes widened. “Oh, my word. I should have done that, shouldn’t I?”
He turned and ran behind the shed.
Conrad checked on the man he had shot, but considering what a gory mess his bullet had made of the man’s throat, there wasn’t much chance of him still being alive. Sure enough, the gunman was dead, and as Conrad straightened from that task, Arturo came trotting back around the shed.
“He’s deceased,” Arturo reported. “Next time I’ll make sure of that right away.” He caught his breath. “Next time? Good Lord, what am I saying? I hope there isn’t a next time.”
“I do, too,” Conrad said.
But they both knew better.
Chapter 11
Conrad picked up his rifle, then started around the shed to check on Selena. He assumed she was all right, otherwise Arturo would have said something about her being hurt, but he wanted to see that with his own eyes.
She met him when he was only partway there, hurrying around the shed and unexpectedly throwing herself in his arms. Instinctively, he held her and felt the way her body trembled against his.
“So much shooting,” she said in a strained voice. “I thought for sure I was going to die.”
“The thought crossed my mind, too,” Conrad admitted. “For all of us.”
She lifted her head so she could look up at him. “What about Leatherwood?”
“He’s gone. Once he was the only one left, he didn’t have the stomach for a fight anymore.”
“He’ll be back,” Selena said. “He’ll get some more men, and he’ll come after us. He’ll never give up, and neither will Father Agony.”
Conrad shook his head. “That won’t matter. By then we’ll have a good lead on them and they won’t be able to catch us. We can reach the Nevada line in a couple days.”
“You don’t think that will stop them, do you? It won’t make any difference.”
“Sure it will. We’ll find another place you can get on the train. There’ll be another westbound tomorrow or the next day.”
She sighed. “You’re probably right. It’s just
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