worked. He knew it wouldn’t be the dandy quoting scripture from the other side of the road.
“They shot him first,” Sage answered. “I saw him fall about half a mile back. If the bullets didn’t kill him, the fall probably did.”
Teagen heard the stage rock back onto its wheels, and the others began to hook up the team as Sage finished with the bandage.
He shouted for help to lift the wounded driver into the coach.
Sage followed, giving them orders to be careful.
“The woman over there is in shock, I think, and the preacher, her son, never had to face anything like this. They’re from back East.”
“He’s wounded,” Teagen commented.
The Yankee stared up at the rain now as if each drop fell just to bother him.
“I know. He hit his head getting out of the coach.”
Teagen looked around as she continued, “They came at us from the front. Hit the shotgun rider first, then the driver. I killed two before the rest backed away. The horses were running wild and tried to make this curve too fast.”
The young preacher walked in their direction. He must have decided Teagen was the head of the rescue team since he rode in first. The thin man removed his hat and explained, “They were ordering us to stop, sir. Maybe if we had, they would have simply taken our money and left.” He pointed at Sage. “But this woman pulled a gun and started shooting.”
Teagen didn’t like the preacher, but he explained, “If you would have stopped and stepped out of the stage unarmed, all of you would be dead right now. Who does the boy who rode in to tell us about the attack belong to?”
Sage answered as she climbed into the coach with the wounded man. “His folks have a place not far from here. They heard the shots and sent him to check. He wanted to go get his ma, but I told him to ride for town. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the bandits decided to turn around and try again. If his folks had come, it might have only meant more people hurt or killed.”
“Are you out of lead?” Teagen knew the answer. If she hadn’t been, there would have been more bodies on the ground.
She nodded. “I wasn’t traveling as well-armed as I should have been.”
“And you?” Teagen looked at the preacher.
“I don’t carry a gun,” he answered. “And neither does my mother.”
The men from town were saddling up. A few headed farther down the road to look for the guard; the rest flanked the stage.
“Can you drive this stage?” Teagen asked.
“No,” the preacher answered.
“Then get your mother and climb in.” Teagen tied his mount to the back. “And hold on. It’s going to be a fast ride.”
He glanced in at his sister, sitting on the floor of the stage with the driver’s head in her lap. “You ready?” he asked.
“Get us to town, Teagen.”
He climbed up and took the set of six reins between his fingers. With a pop of leather, they were off. He took care but rarely slowed. Teagen knew how to drive a team, and he had also ridden in enough coaches to know that the rocking motion wouldn’t change all that much from one speed to another.
When he pulled up to the trading post, Elmo directed him to the hotel. There, several men helped unload the driver onto a table in the parlor. Sage took over. She’d delivered enough babies in the area that most folks knew having her around was as good as having a doctor. Some said she got her gift from her Indian blood, but right now no one seemed to care; they were just ready to help.
Teagen walked the stage to the barn and turned it over to one of the hands, then headed back to the trading post. His wagon was still out front, but he saw no sign of Jessie. Or anyone else. Everyone in town seemed to be standing in front of the hotel talking about what had just happened. When Teagen approached, he heard Charlie saying, “That McMurray girl saved all their lives. There’s no telling how many of them she shot. We found two bodies.”
Teagen passed through the crowd
“They shot him first,” Sage answered. “I saw him fall about half a mile back. If the bullets didn’t kill him, the fall probably did.”
Teagen heard the stage rock back onto its wheels, and the others began to hook up the team as Sage finished with the bandage.
He shouted for help to lift the wounded driver into the coach.
Sage followed, giving them orders to be careful.
“The woman over there is in shock, I think, and the preacher, her son, never had to face anything like this. They’re from back East.”
“He’s wounded,” Teagen commented.
The Yankee stared up at the rain now as if each drop fell just to bother him.
“I know. He hit his head getting out of the coach.”
Teagen looked around as she continued, “They came at us from the front. Hit the shotgun rider first, then the driver. I killed two before the rest backed away. The horses were running wild and tried to make this curve too fast.”
The young preacher walked in their direction. He must have decided Teagen was the head of the rescue team since he rode in first. The thin man removed his hat and explained, “They were ordering us to stop, sir. Maybe if we had, they would have simply taken our money and left.” He pointed at Sage. “But this woman pulled a gun and started shooting.”
Teagen didn’t like the preacher, but he explained, “If you would have stopped and stepped out of the stage unarmed, all of you would be dead right now. Who does the boy who rode in to tell us about the attack belong to?”
Sage answered as she climbed into the coach with the wounded man. “His folks have a place not far from here. They heard the shots and sent him to check. He wanted to go get his ma, but I told him to ride for town. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the bandits decided to turn around and try again. If his folks had come, it might have only meant more people hurt or killed.”
“Are you out of lead?” Teagen knew the answer. If she hadn’t been, there would have been more bodies on the ground.
She nodded. “I wasn’t traveling as well-armed as I should have been.”
“And you?” Teagen looked at the preacher.
“I don’t carry a gun,” he answered. “And neither does my mother.”
The men from town were saddling up. A few headed farther down the road to look for the guard; the rest flanked the stage.
“Can you drive this stage?” Teagen asked.
“No,” the preacher answered.
“Then get your mother and climb in.” Teagen tied his mount to the back. “And hold on. It’s going to be a fast ride.”
He glanced in at his sister, sitting on the floor of the stage with the driver’s head in her lap. “You ready?” he asked.
“Get us to town, Teagen.”
He climbed up and took the set of six reins between his fingers. With a pop of leather, they were off. He took care but rarely slowed. Teagen knew how to drive a team, and he had also ridden in enough coaches to know that the rocking motion wouldn’t change all that much from one speed to another.
When he pulled up to the trading post, Elmo directed him to the hotel. There, several men helped unload the driver onto a table in the parlor. Sage took over. She’d delivered enough babies in the area that most folks knew having her around was as good as having a doctor. Some said she got her gift from her Indian blood, but right now no one seemed to care; they were just ready to help.
Teagen walked the stage to the barn and turned it over to one of the hands, then headed back to the trading post. His wagon was still out front, but he saw no sign of Jessie. Or anyone else. Everyone in town seemed to be standing in front of the hotel talking about what had just happened. When Teagen approached, he heard Charlie saying, “That McMurray girl saved all their lives. There’s no telling how many of them she shot. We found two bodies.”
Teagen passed through the crowd
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