The Loner 4 by Sheldon B. Cole

Author:Sheldon B. Cole
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Piccadilly

Seven – Trail for Fools

Christine Doubell drew rein in the shade of timber beside a shallow creek. The slow run of clear water over small rocks gave a peaceful sound to the area. Pete Doubell came out of the saddle and let his horse walk to water. His close-set eyes studied Christine gravely for a moment, and then, as he’d done every few minutes since reaching the timber, he shaded his eyes with his hand and stared back over the trail they had come. The night ride had wearied him more than he liked to admit. And he knew it had taken a lot out of Christine.

“Uncle Pete,” she said suddenly.

“Yeah, girl?”

Christine ran a hand over her face. Her head throbbed and a deep ache worked through her back.

“Why are we running, Uncle Pete? And from whom? What is it all about?”

“I told you, girl, and I don’t aim to keep repeatin’ myself.”

“I don’t think you’ve told me everything, Uncle Pete. It seems to me that you’re in bad trouble. Are you?”

Doubell mouthed a curse and knelt beside the creek. He cupped water in his hands and washed his face and neck before he bent to drink. Rising with water dripping from his straggled beard, he breathed a deep sigh.

“What I said before still stands, girl. Vance Carter wants to cut himself in on my gold. Well, I ain’t gonna let him do that. I worked too damn hard for that gold.”

“What about those other men?” she asked. “I mean, the ones who followed Mr. Carter out of town.”

Doubell was a picture of innocence. “Them?” he said. “Hell, how should I know? Maybe they’re after Carter. Who cares? Hap dragged Carter off my back and now we got an open trail all the way to the prairie country. Beyond that is a town called Lusc. I got friends there and I got good contacts, too. We’ll buy a place and settle down and maybe in a month or so I’ll go back for Hap and bring him down to stay with us. Old Hap, he ain’t got all that much livin’ left in him and I don’t want him to spend the rest of his time on his own. You’ll see, in a month or so you won’t have nothin’ to worry about.”

Christine regarded him doubtfully. “Did you steal that gold, Uncle Pete?”

The old-timer’s head lifted with a jerk. His stare hardened. “What’s that, girl? Steal? Did I hear you say steal?”

“Yes, that’s what I said, Uncle Pete. Did you steal that gold? Is that why all those men are after you?”

Doubell turned away, scowling. Damn this girl and damn everybody else! He felt as if the whole country was closing in on him. Now he regretted having brought Christine along. His brother Ben had brought her up all wrong. She asked too many damn questions. He bit back his urge to bark at her, to silence her once and for all. Instead, he turned to her, smiling, a world of sincerity in his deep-set gray eyes.

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