Cheyenne Reckoning by Vivi Holt

Author:Vivi Holt [Holt, Vivi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Black Lab Press
Published: 2018-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

10

For the rest of the afternoon, Dan ducked between doorways and through arches, his hat pulled low over his eyes as he went about his work, wondering if the next moment Angus might walk by and recognize him. He wasn’t afraid of the confrontation – in fact, he was looking forward to it. He just didn’t want to face off with Angus until he knew Kellogg was close by. Once he was done with both of them, he could grab Claudine and Gracie and head north with a clear conscience.

But as the day wore on and neither man showed, he began to worry he’d never get his chance for a showdown. Then he fretted over the idea that perhaps he couldn’t go through with it even if he managed to find them. He’d never shot a man in cold blood before. When he’d set out from Montana Territory, his own blood had been so hot he hadn’t thought it through. But now he’d calmed and time had passed, and he wasn’t sure he could shoot Kellogg, or even Angus, without provocation.

Arrest them both? No – with no authority of his own and the local sheriff in Kellogg’s pocket, it wouldn’t do him any good to report the scoundrels’ behavior to law enforcement.

Seeing no one around, he opened the heavy front doors and walked into Kellogg’s great room. He marveled at the high ceilings and solid oak floorboards. The paintings that adorned the walls were vivid with color and the furnishings lush.

He heard voices behind a door in the back, walked over and cracked it to find Kellogg with Thaddeus and two other men, playing cards and drinking. Kellogg howled with laughter and lay his cards down, and the others sighed and cussed. One of the men slapped his hat on his thigh and glared at Kellogg darkly. But Kellogg smirked back. “Come now, Mike. You’re always a sore loser. Put a smile on that face, lad, and have another drink.”

Mike sighed and reached out his empty glass. “And you’re a lousy winner, Augustine.”

Kellogg chuckled, topped Mike up from a nearby bottle, then slapped the table. “Again!” he cried. Then he spied Dan in the doorway and turned to greet him with a half-smile. “Well, hello there, Dan. Why don’t you come on in and join us? We’re just brushing off the dust of the day with a little refreshment.”

Dan nodded and stepped inside. He scanned the room but didn’t see Angus, so he took off his hat and set it on a table against the wall. “Thank you, Mr. Kellogg. Don’t mind if I do.”

Thaddeus greeted him with a nod, poured whiskey into a tumbler and handed it to him. “Ya worked hard today, Dan – the stalls are sparklin’ clean. Ya deserve a drink.” He and the other men all chuckled at Dan’s zealousness with the stables, not knowing Dan had taken so long with the chore in order to keep an eye on the house.

This was his moment, to do what he’d come to Wyoming Territory for.

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