men.
Garth moved back so that he would be below the level of the hilltop before he stood up and turned to see what was going on. Up a draw that led to the bottom of the hill, a covered wagon trundled along. Gonzalez rode beside the wagon, his gun out and covering the man at the reins.
A grin creased Garth’s rugged face. A woman with a baby in her arms sat beside the driver of the wagon.
Gonzalez had found them another spy, a man who would be willing to do anything they asked in an effort to save the lives of his wife and child.
Of course, in the end, it wouldn’t do the poor bastard a damned bit of good…but he didn’t have to know that just yet.
Jeffries had gotten to his feet, too. “That Mexican’s got a nose for trouble,” he said with a grin of his own.
“Yeah, and now we got somebody to go into Arrowhead and find out what’s goin’ on down there,” Garth agreed. The two outlaws strode down the hill to join the others.
The wagon had come to a stop by the time they got there. The outlaws crowded around it, leering at the young woman on the seat, who was quite pretty and had blond curls peeping out from under her sunbonnet.
She probably would have been even prettier had she not been so pale and frightened-looking.
“Look what I found, Garth,” Gonzalez crowed with a big grin on his face. “These pilgrims were bound for Arrowhead. Gonna make a fresh start for themselves, sí! ”
Garth studied the face of the young sodbuster, who was as scared as his wife but also had anger lurking in his eyes.
“Forget about tryin’ anything funny, mister,” Garth warned him. “You wouldn’t have a chance, and then there’s no tellin’ what might happen to that wife and young’un o’ yours.”
“What do you want?” the man asked tightly. “We don’t have any money, if that’s what you’re after. It took all we had to outfit for the trip West. But if there’s anything in the wagon you want, it’s yours if you’ll just let us go.”
“You’ll be goin’, all right,” Garth told him. “Right on to Arrowhead, in fact. But you’ll be goin’ alone, and on one of our horses, not in this wagon.”
“Why shouldn’t he take the wagon?” Gonzalez asked. “As long as we keep the señora and the niño here, he got to come back.”
“People might notice a fella drivin’ into town in a wagon and then leavin’ a little while later,” Garth said. “But the town’s crowded today. They won’t pay no attention to a man on horseback who wanders in for a while and then wanders back out again.”
Jeffries nodded. “That’s a good point. I think you’re getting smarter, Willard.”
Garth felt like backhanding the smug son of a bitch, but he controlled the impulse. Instead, he reached up, grabbed the pilgrim by the shirt, and jerked him off the wagon seat. The woman screamed as Garth flung the man on the ground.
Garth pulled his gun, pointed it in the man’s face, and eared back the hammer. “You listen to me, and listen close,” he said. “I’m gonna tell you what to do, and if you do it, you and your family will be all right.”
Knowing smiles passed among several of the outlaws. They were well aware that Garth was lying to the young man, and were looking forward to everything that would happen later on, when they were through with the poor bastard.
The man didn’t seem to notice, though. He just nodded and said, “A-all right. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it. You don’t have to hurt anybody.”
Garth nodded, lowered the hammer on the revolver, and slid it back into leather.
“Here’s what we need you to find out,” he said.
Chapter 15
“Lot of people in town today,” Matt commented as he and Sam stood on the porch in front of the sheriff’s office, their Winchesters canted over their shoulders.
“You know how it is in these frontier settlements,” Sam said. “Anything that breaks the monotony is a big deal. The trial of the most notorious outlaw in the
Garth moved back so that he would be below the level of the hilltop before he stood up and turned to see what was going on. Up a draw that led to the bottom of the hill, a covered wagon trundled along. Gonzalez rode beside the wagon, his gun out and covering the man at the reins.
A grin creased Garth’s rugged face. A woman with a baby in her arms sat beside the driver of the wagon.
Gonzalez had found them another spy, a man who would be willing to do anything they asked in an effort to save the lives of his wife and child.
Of course, in the end, it wouldn’t do the poor bastard a damned bit of good…but he didn’t have to know that just yet.
Jeffries had gotten to his feet, too. “That Mexican’s got a nose for trouble,” he said with a grin of his own.
“Yeah, and now we got somebody to go into Arrowhead and find out what’s goin’ on down there,” Garth agreed. The two outlaws strode down the hill to join the others.
The wagon had come to a stop by the time they got there. The outlaws crowded around it, leering at the young woman on the seat, who was quite pretty and had blond curls peeping out from under her sunbonnet.
She probably would have been even prettier had she not been so pale and frightened-looking.
“Look what I found, Garth,” Gonzalez crowed with a big grin on his face. “These pilgrims were bound for Arrowhead. Gonna make a fresh start for themselves, sí! ”
Garth studied the face of the young sodbuster, who was as scared as his wife but also had anger lurking in his eyes.
“Forget about tryin’ anything funny, mister,” Garth warned him. “You wouldn’t have a chance, and then there’s no tellin’ what might happen to that wife and young’un o’ yours.”
“What do you want?” the man asked tightly. “We don’t have any money, if that’s what you’re after. It took all we had to outfit for the trip West. But if there’s anything in the wagon you want, it’s yours if you’ll just let us go.”
“You’ll be goin’, all right,” Garth told him. “Right on to Arrowhead, in fact. But you’ll be goin’ alone, and on one of our horses, not in this wagon.”
“Why shouldn’t he take the wagon?” Gonzalez asked. “As long as we keep the señora and the niño here, he got to come back.”
“People might notice a fella drivin’ into town in a wagon and then leavin’ a little while later,” Garth said. “But the town’s crowded today. They won’t pay no attention to a man on horseback who wanders in for a while and then wanders back out again.”
Jeffries nodded. “That’s a good point. I think you’re getting smarter, Willard.”
Garth felt like backhanding the smug son of a bitch, but he controlled the impulse. Instead, he reached up, grabbed the pilgrim by the shirt, and jerked him off the wagon seat. The woman screamed as Garth flung the man on the ground.
Garth pulled his gun, pointed it in the man’s face, and eared back the hammer. “You listen to me, and listen close,” he said. “I’m gonna tell you what to do, and if you do it, you and your family will be all right.”
Knowing smiles passed among several of the outlaws. They were well aware that Garth was lying to the young man, and were looking forward to everything that would happen later on, when they were through with the poor bastard.
The man didn’t seem to notice, though. He just nodded and said, “A-all right. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll do it. You don’t have to hurt anybody.”
Garth nodded, lowered the hammer on the revolver, and slid it back into leather.
“Here’s what we need you to find out,” he said.
Chapter 15
“Lot of people in town today,” Matt commented as he and Sam stood on the porch in front of the sheriff’s office, their Winchesters canted over their shoulders.
“You know how it is in these frontier settlements,” Sam said. “Anything that breaks the monotony is a big deal. The trial of the most notorious outlaw in the
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