Riders of the Barren Plains by I. J. Parnham

Author:I. J. Parnham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Culbin Press
Published: 2024-04-22T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Sundown was an hour away when Jeff’s group reached the spot beside the creek where they’d camped the previous night. They’d seen no sign of Blake Kelly and the Dark Riders. As he couldn’t remember passing any other suitable locations nearby he suggested they stopped here.

Everyone was tired after last night’s mainly sleepless sojourn, so in the lee of a tangle of boulders they halted. Abigail was still in a sullen mood and the rest of Jeff’s companions were just as grumpy.

Samuel was always unhappy, and he could understand Todd’s attitude. He had acquitted himself well during the journey to Raw Creek and was clearly looking forward to proving himself among the men, but being judged to be someone who needed protecting had knocked him back.

Tex’s demeanor was a mystery to him, but while Abigail and Todd prepared a fire and Samuel mooched around, for the first time since leaving Raw Creek he found himself alone with him. Tex didn’t waste a moment in explaining himself.

“This sure is a damn fool plan,” he said.

“It isn’t,” Jeff said. He drew Tex behind a boulder so the others wouldn’t overhear what, from the anger in Tex’s eyes, he was sure would be a tense argument. “Why should it worry you? You wanted to leave the convoy before morning. You did. Now you can slip away when you want to while I take them back to Carmon. Then I can disappear, too, and everyone will think we both came to a bad end in the Barren Plains.”

“You’ll never reach Carmon. Somebody will have missed Patrick Carey by now and Marshal McCoy must know we’re not near Monotony. He’s sure to follow up Cassidy’s theory that Blake is out here.”

“Then I’ll take a different route and avoid him,” Jeff snapped.

In truth, he hadn’t considered that McCoy could be heading toward them and his tone must have betrayed that uncertainty because Tex snorted and then patted the knife while grinning with malevolence.

“No more excuses, Jeff. You’ve given me no choice but to kill them all before one of them sees what’s in the buggy.”

“You don’t have to kill again,” Jeff said, aghast. “Leave now. I’ll make sure nobody sees my share and no matter what happens, I won’t help McCoy find you.”

Tex’s stern expression said he wouldn’t risk himself when he could easily kill their charges. Jeff opened his mouth to continue trying to persuade him to be reasonable, but then said nothing when Todd came running around the side of the boulder.

“You have to come,” Todd said. “Abigail’s gone.”

“Where? When?” Jeff asked.

Todd didn’t get the chance to answer when, with an angry oath, Tex barged him to the ground and ran off around the boulder. Jeff stood up and followed. She’d left on her spare horse so the thought that had concerned Tex probably hadn’t occurred, but Tex still hurried to the buggy to check out the back.

Jeff turned toward the setting sun, unconcerned about the possibility of her having stolen their haul.

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