will follow your tracks and figure weâre here in about four hours,â Claypool warned. âFrom everything Iâve heard, Burrack is good at spotting a false trail when he sees one.â
âDamn it,â Wes swore quietly. âIt looks like weâll be leaving earlier than I planned.â
The three men looked at one another as they followed Wes down the hallway, into the room where Ty rested leaning back against a pillow. He gave a weak smile as the men walked in and stood near his cot. Rosetta gave them a look from where she stood holding a bowl of warm beef broth sheâd heated in a glass beaker over a single flame. Dr. Bernard sat on the side of the cot. He turned toward Wes with a stethoscope in his ears and pulled the end of it away from Tyâs chest.
âYou feel like riding out tonight, brother Ty?â Wes asked, without giving the doctor so much as a glance.
âReady as Iâll ever be,â Ty replied. As he spoke he tried to edge up onto the side of his cot.
âHold it,â said the doctor, standing, jerking the stethoscope from his ears and letting the instrument hang from his neck. âWe agreed to first thing come morning.â
âHowâs he doing, Doc?â Wes asked.
âHeâs doing well, but he still needs more restâat least until morning. The broth is helping replenish his blood. But heâs not able to ride yet.â
Wes reached around and took the bowl of broth from Rosetta and handed it down to Ty.
âHere, drink this,â he said firmly. To the doctor he said, âIt canât be helped, Doc. Weâve got a new problem. Thereâs an Arizona Ranger on our trail. Weâve got to go.â
The doctor shook his head slowly.
âDonât worry. Weâre leaving you and the girl behind. Youâve done what we needed you to do.â As he spoke he held out a leather pouch full of gold coins to him. âWeâre paying you for your service.â
âHuh-uh,â the doctor said, refusing to the take the pouch. âNot until my patient is healed.â
âHeâs riding, Doc,â Wes said firmly. âThereâs no time to argue it.â
âThen Iâm going with you,â the doctor declared in a tight, determined voice. âI wonât have a patient die for lack of proper medical treatment.â
âWait,â said Wes. He grabbed the doctorâs arm, seeing him turn to gather supplies for the trail. âIt can get rough, Doc. Maybe you best consider this.â
âI thought we didnât have time to argue,â the doctor said. He looked at Wesâ hand on his arm in a way that prompted the outlaw to turn him loose.
âIâll be damned,â said Rubens. âWe kidnapped him. Now we canât get rid of him?â
âSo it appears,â Wes said. He looked at Rosetta and held the leather pouch out to her. âPart of this is for your help with Ty. The rest is to keep your mouth shut for a while until weâve had time to clear out of here.â
âI go too,â she said as she grabbed the pouch and made it disappear beneath her peasantâs blouse.
âYou too?â Wes said, surprised.
â
SÃ
, me too,â the young woman said. âI will take care of your brother. I do a good job, no?â
âYouâve done a fine job, Rosetta, but now . . . ,â Wes said, his words trailing. He stared at her, thinking of all the reasons she shouldnât ride with them. He saw the anticipation in her eyes as he searched for the words. Finally he settled on saying, âWhy do you want to ride with us?â
Rosetta looked back and forth at the eyes on her. She lowered her head and looked at the floor.
âI donât know,â she said quietly. âTo not be
here
?â Her answer was a question, yet Wes understood.
âThatâs a hell of a reason for going somewhere,â said Claypool, who
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