May There Be a Road (Ss) (2001) by L'amour Louis

Author:L'amour, Louis [L'amour, Louis]
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2010-12-12T06:26:48.906000+00:00

RED BUTTE SHOWDOWN

Gun thorp was walking up from the spring with two wooden buckets filled with water when he saw the boy. He was no more than thirteen, and he was running as fast as he could, his breath coming in gasps.

"Hold it, son," Gunthorp called out.

"What's wrong?"

The boy skidded to a halt, his eyes wide and staring, shrinking back in such fear that it chilled Gunthorp. "They're after me!" he panted.

"Kelman's men." "What do they want?"

"They caught me and beat me---" He twisted his arm to show Gunthorp an ugly black bruise. The boy's shirt was torn and his back lacerated.

Gunthorp's eyes narrowed and he felt his scalp tighten.

"Come on up to the house," he said. "We'll fix that back."

"I can't." The boy was almost beside himself with terror.

"They'll catch mel Kelman's with them."

"Forget them. You come with me. No use you running off. Where would you go?" Gunthorp waved a hand at the burnt red ridges. "Nothing out there but desert.

No water, nothing. You stay with me, let me handle Kelman."

He led the way to the log house and pushed open the door. A fire was burning brightly on the hearth, and the smell of coffee was in the air.

"Basin's over there, son. You better get that shirt off and wash a little. I'll wash that back of yours myself, then I'll fix it up."

There was the hard pound of hoofs and the boy started as if stung. Tears of sheer terror started to his eyes, and Gunthorp looked at him with a sort of horror. He had never seen anything human so frightened.

He picked up a double-barreled shotgun and placed it beside the door. Then he opened the door and stood there, his hand on the shotgun.

The riders reined in abruptly when they saw him.

The nearest was a big, powerfully built man with a clean shaven face, and as he spoke he swung his horse broadside to the house.

"Did you see a boy running by? Just a kid?"

"He didn't run by. He's here."

"Good! You've saved us some trouble, man.

We've had a time running down the little thief.

Joe, you go in and bring him out."

"Joe can stay right where he is," Gunthorp said.

"The kid came here, and here he stays."

Kelman's eyes were level and cold.

It was not yet too dark for Gunthorp to see that expression and read it. This man was cruel. He was also a killer, and he was not used to being stopped in anything he did.

"You'd better give me that boy without trouble, my man. You're new here. When you've been around longer, you'll understand better."

"I've been around long enough. You swing your horses around and get out of here."

Kelman's temper flared. "Joe! Get that kid!"

"Joe stays where he is unless he wants a skinful of buckshot." Gunthorp lifted the shotgun with a smooth, flowing movement. "If he moves, I'll kill him with the first shot and you with the second."

Kelman's face was like a fiend's. His nostrils flared, his jaw jutted, and the anger that danced in his eyes was wicked.

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