Death Rides Alone by William W. Johnstone

the dodge enough you ought to understand that.”
    Tyler sighed and said, “Yeah, I do. I’ve spent some cold, lonely nights listening to the owl hoot and hoping a posse didn’t catch up to me.”
    â€œYou seem like a reasonably intelligent young man. You could have done something besides becoming an outlaw.”
    â€œWhat? Clerk in a store? Eat a bellyful of dust following cows around?” Tyler shook his head. “I’m not gonna live like that. And I’m sure as hell not gonna push a mop and work as a swamper in a saloon. That’s about the only other thing I’m qualified to do.”
    â€œIf you say so,” Luke said. “You’ve made your own bed.”
    â€œDamn right I have.” After a while, Tyler added, “Don’t think I’m satisfied with the way things have turned out, though. I’m not. I just don’t see what I can do about ’em now.”
    â€œAs long as you have that murder charge hanging over your head, you can’t change anything else. But once you’ve faced up to it . . . if you’re cleared . . . you can do whatever you want to, Tyler.”
    The young man shook his head and said, “Nobody around White Fork’s ever gonna give me a fair chance, even if I’m able to prove that I didn’t kill Rachel.”
    â€œThen go somewhere else and make a fresh start.” Luke waved a hand to indicate their surroundings. “My God, you’ve got the whole frontier to pick from! Why do you think people started coming out here in the first place? They wanted new lives, new opportunities.”
    â€œIs that why you came west, Jensen? To start a new life as a bounty hunter?”
    â€œThere were things in my situation that would have made it difficult for me to stay where I was.”
    â€œWell, I didn’t want to leave White Fork.” Tyler sighed. “But now I reckon I’ve got no reason to stay, do I?”
    Luke understood then. Tyler hadn’t set off in search of a new beginning because he wanted to stay close to Rachel Montgomery. Even if he had convinced himself he could never have a life with her, at least he could see her and talk to her now and then, like on the night of the social.
    â€œFirst things first,” Luke said. “Let’s just get you there and see to it that the truth comes out at the trial.”
    Tyler merely shook his head, clearly thinking it was foolish to believe that would ever happen.
    The night passed peacefully, and they started on the trail again early the next morning.
    â€œYou’ve ridden this country since I have,” Luke said. Tyler was beside him, rather than trailing behind. “Are there any actual settlements between here and White Fork?”
    â€œA few wide places in the trail, that’s all. Can’t hardly call them settlements. Just trading posts with maybe a saloon attached, or a blacksmith shop, and a few cabins. I didn’t spend much time in any of them, just bought some supplies and moved on.”
    â€œYou didn’t rob the stores? That seems more like your usual approach.”
    Tyler glared and said, “I told you, I did whatever was necessary for me to survive, but I never stole when I had money and could avoid it. I never wanted to bring trouble to honest, hardworking people.”
    â€œAnd I suppose you didn’t want to draw a lot of attention to yourself, either, being a man on the run and all.”
    â€œWell, yeah, that’s true, too.”
    â€œWe’ll need to stop and pick up some supplies along the way. I’m glad to know I shouldn’t have to defend you from any more lynch mobs.”
    â€œNo . . . only from Axtell and those other cold-blooded killers working for Manfred Douglas.”
    â€œWe haven’t seen any sign of these dangerous phantoms so far.”
    â€œHasn’t been enough time for them to get down here in these parts yet. But they’re coming this way,