Buffalo Soldiers by J. R. Roberts

Author:J. R. Roberts [Roberts, J. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781101554388
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2012-01-30T16:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-TWO

When the sheriff arrived, they learned firsthand that Julie had been right. The lawman was bleary-eyed and smelled of booze. He looked around at the dead men on the floor of the rooms and the hall and said, “Looks like self-defense to me.”

Clint and Reeves didn’t object. The sheriff got some men to remove the dead bodies, and then he went back to whatever he had been doing—sleeping, drinking, probably both.

The girls left, as well, and when they were alone, Clint and Reeves collected their saddlebags and rifles and walked to the livery.

As they approached the front doors, there were a couple of shots, and two bullets dug into the dirt in front of them. Both men stopped, but didn’t take cover. Clint knew what was happening.

“Shit,” Reeves said.

“What?”

“That bartender and desk clerk. They were his sons.”

“I forgot about that,” Clint said. “I guess he heard the news.”

“Hello, the stable!” Reeves called out.

“Yeah, I’m here!” the man called back. “And I got your horse, Adams. I’m gonna kill it.”

Clint felt a moment of panic, then remembered the look on the man’s face when he handed over the reins. This was a man who loved horses—especially good ones.

“He ain’t gonna kill that horse,” Reeves said. “Not even for revenge.”

“I figured,” Clint said. “He thinks too much of horses.”

“Then what do we do? Wait him out?”

“We’re out in the open,” Clint said. “He could have killed us easily. He chose to fire warning shots. His heart ain’t in it.”

“Then what do we do? Just walk in?”

“No,” Clint said after a moment, “that would tempt him.”

There was another shot, this one landing in the dirt closer to them. It was dark, but there was enough of a moon to light them up as targets.

“Let’s start by getting back into the shadows,” Clint suggested.

They backed up until they reached the building across the way, a feed and grain store. It was two stories high, and threw a long, dark shadow.

“Now what?” Reeves asked,

“You keep him talking,” Clint said. “I’ll work my way around the back.”

“Okay. You gonna kill ’im?”

“Not if I can help it,” Clint said. “I think we’ve killed enough members of his family for one night, don’t you?”

When Clint got around to the back of the stable, he could hear the man inside and Reeves exchanging words, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. That didn’t matter. Once he got inside, he could stop the man from talking, and shooting.

He found the single back door. It was unlocked. He stepped inside, drew his gun. There was a lamp burning, and he could see the man standing by the front door with his rifle. He could also see Eclipse in one of the stalls.

He moved up behind the man and said, “Put the rifle down, friend.”

The man froze. If he turned, Clint would have to shoot him. Instead, he simply stood still.

“You killed my boys.”

“They tried to kill us.”

“Might as well kill me, then.”

“Not unless you turn on me with that rifle,” Clint sad.

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