Longarm 397 : Longarm and the Doomed Beauty (9781101545973) by Tabor Evans

sound, and Longarm called to her, “All’s well. Custis Long here with a few more horses to add to our cavvy.”
    He chuckled, not so much out of his finding humor in the situation but because his blood was up. Three men down.
    Ten to go . . .
    Â 
    The next morning he got Miss Pritchard to eat a few bites of the rabbit he cooked on a spit he’d fashioned from two green willow branches. She accepted the cup of smoking coffee he gave her and watched him with mute interest for a time as they both ate.
    Then she asked, canting her head up the narrow notch toward the five horses tied to his picket line, “So . . . where’d the three horses come from? Did you find a ranch out here?”
    â€œNot exactly.” Longarm bit off a hunk of the stringy but flavorful rabbit and chewed.
    She swallowed a bite of the meat, blew ripples on her coffee, and took a small sip. “Not exactly . . .”
    â€œFound three of the Younger gang camped out yonder, in the big canyon.”
    She stared at him over the steaming cup of coffee. It was false dawn, the hollow still filled with heavy shadows. It was as cold as it had been a few hours ago, but it would warm up fast as the sun climbed. Nearby, an owl hooted.
    â€œAnd you . . . ?”
    â€œLet’s just say they’ve harassed their last murder witness.” He thought of young Leroy Panabaker, and ground his jaws. “And burned their last town.”
    She stared at him, lips parted. Longarm grabbed the coat he’d taken from the killers’ camp. In it, he’d wrapped some extra clothes. He tossed it across the fire to the girl. “There you go. Put those on. Keep you from catchin’ a chill up on the high divide.”
    She looked at the bundle in front of her, then wrinkled a brow at Longarm. “High divide?”
    â€œThat’s where we’re headin’.”
    â€œI thought I was going home.”
    Longarm shook his head as he chewed. “They’ll be expecting us to head down the watersheds to Pinecone. We’re gonna do the opposite.” He jerked a thumb at the gradually lightening sky. “We’re heading up. Don’t worry—it won’t be for long. I figure they’ll get bored with this vengeance quest of theirs. I’m sure Babe was a right good leader, but I figure they’re mostly out here to terrorize you and anyone associated with you mainly for kicks and giggles. They burned the town, or part of the town, for the same reason. And meanness, of course. They’re a nasty bunch. But they’ll get bored out here after a couple of days, and head on back to Utah or wherever the hell they’re from, find someone else to bother until I can throw a loop around ’em.”
    â€œWhat if they don’t get bored, Deputy Long? What happens if they keep coming after us? I find your having taken down those three last night right admirable. Damned impressive, even. But do you actually think, if we can’t outrun them, that you can kill them all ?”
    Longarm hiked a shoulder. “I reckon we’ll have to see.” He bit the last bit of rabbit meat off the leg bone and jerked his head toward the rocks rising on his left, near where the horses waited, swishing their tails. “Go on and put them duds on. Gonna get cold where we’re goin’, Miss Pritchard.”
    She gave a frustrated snort and looked at him pointedly. “My mother and father are going to be very worried about me. Especially after they hear what happened to the town of Snow Mound.”
    â€œThen they’ll be all the more relieved when they finally see you walk through the front door again.” He narrowed an eye at her. “That’s all I’m tryin’ to do, Miss Pritchard. Get you home safe and sound.” He decided to play a card he’d hoped he could keep in his sleeve. “You wouldn’t want us to lead that gang of town burners back to your hometown, would