Carnival Cowboy by Temple Madison

Author:Temple Madison [Madison, Temple]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Published: 2018-09-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Dirty dishes with the remains of eggs, side meat, and biscuits littered the table. Half-filled coffee cups, stained from being filled and re-filled were sitting there getting cold while the men talked.

“Don’t you have a brain in your head? You were gone. You got away slick and clean, and then you come back to the very town where you robbed the bank? What the hell were you thinkin’?”

“First of all, I don’t know how in hell you know so much about me. I first met you in front of the hotel. I didn’t know you, and you didn’t know me. Since then you been spoutin’ facts that you shouldn’t even know. Where did you learn all of this? I sure as hell didn’t tell you.”

“You didn’t have to. The history of Johnny Redd is almost as well-known as your father.”

“All right…I was abandoned by my gang. I…” Suddenly the thoughts of a side show tent stopped his words. The air became heavy with the past haunting Johnny as he thought about Frenchy, the sideshow, and the relationship that developed during the time he was there. “I, uh, anyway, I…”

Kit’s voice was soft as he said, “You were shot. What happened?”

“N-Nothing. I g-got over it.”

“Was there something about the town that drew you back?”

Again, Johnny thought about Frenchy. His made up face, his flouncy dresses, and his wigs, and said, “I came back because this is my town. It’s where I was born, grew up, and…”

“And robbed a friggin’ bank!”

“All right, so I shouldn’t have come back, but if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have met you.” Johnny looked at Kit seeing a certain familiarity about his eyes, his presence, but he couldn’t put his finger on just what it was about Kit that was so familiar, or why. “Damn,” Johnny said. “There’s something about you that seems…I don’t know…familiar.”

It was the perfect opening. Kit could pick it up right here and tell him the whole story, but unfortunately he didn’t have the nerve. The only thing left to him was hoping Johnny would figure it for himself, so to help him, he said simply, “Maybe we knew each other in another life.”

“Another life,” Johnny said sarcastically. “I don’t believe in that mess.”

“I just mean another time in your life.”

“It must have something to do with my pa, the famous Rawhide Redd. It’s the only thing I can come up with.” Johnny hesitated a moment, and then with a miserable look on his face, he said, “I guess I wasn’t a very good lawbreaker, was I? Coming back to the scene of the crime was stupid, all right. But the first thing I checked on was wanted posters, and when I didn’t see any I thought I was home free.”

“Where the hell did you get an idea like that? Once a criminal, always a criminal, until you pay for it. That’s something that lawbreakers never learn. They go and rob a train or a bank, not realizing that they’ll never be able to spend that money.

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