A Stranger in Town by William W. Johnstone

Author:William W. Johnstone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2016-09-23T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

The next morning they awoke to find a light covering of snow on the ground. Anticipating the possibility, Will had provided an oilskin ground cloth for Larsen to use for cover. It made an adequate tent to protect him from the snow. Will made his bed under the wagon, since he had only the one ground cloth. Before getting the horses saddled and loaded, he took Larsen back down the creek far enough to permit him to take care of nature’s call.

“Be a helluva lot easier if you’d take these cuffs off my hands,” Larsen complained. “I ain’t hardly gonna try nothin’ with you holdin’ that Winchester on me.”

“I expect you can manage,” Will said, “just like you’ve been doin’ all along.”

Larsen snorted in reply as he took a few steps closer to a sizable oak tree. After he finished his business, he turned and appeared to lose his footing, lurching awkwardly against the tree trunk. Much to Will’s astonishment, Larsen banged his forehead on the rough bark of the oak, resulting in a large scrape above his eye that brought blood. “Damn it,” Larsen cursed. “It’s havin’ to walk draggin’ that damn chain on my ankle.”

“I reckon your luck’s just run out,” Will commented, his tone dry and without sympathy, for it looked to him like an unusually clumsy accident. “You wanna walk on down to the water and wash that blood off?”

“Nah,” Larsen snorted. “To hell with it.”

“Suit yourself,” Will said.

While Will hitched one of the extra horses up to the wagon, Larsen stood as close to it as the chain would let him, following Annabel’s every movement with his eyes until she finally turned to look at him. When she did, he affected the most pitiful expression he could manage. Satisfied to see the instant concern written on her face, he gazed forlornly at her for a long moment before hanging his head as if ashamed. It was hard to keep from smiling as he thought how easily he could work the woman’s emotions. As an added effect, he spoke to Will when he led the sorrel up for him to ride. “I learned my lesson, Deputy. I won’t drag my feet next time you take me to the bushes.”

“All right,” Will replied after a pause, puzzled by the odd remark.

It was too much for Annabel, having put two and two together and come up with the erroneous conclusion that Larsen implied. “Let me at least get a cloth and clean the blood from his forehead,” she demanded in disgust for the deputy’s apparent lack of compassion. Without waiting for Will’s permission, she picked up a cloth and took it to the water’s edge to wet it.

When she brushed back by him, Will said, “I’d rather you didn’t get too close to my prisoner. Besides, I already asked him if he wanted to clean it up when he bumped his head on that tree, and he said he didn’t.” Ignoring him, she pushed on to render her assistance to the injured man, leaving Will even more perplexed by her actions.

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