‘What about the riding-clothes?’
‘She’s won the horse race each of the past three years too.’
Kyler displayed a shrewd grin. ‘The horse-race – it’s what, a mile run?’ At Nat’s affirmative head-bob, he continued: ‘My mare is no ordinary mount. I traded for her, back when I worked for a carnival. I’ve ridden her in a good many races and have never lost. In a short distance, I’m betting she’s the fastest horse around these parts.’
Nat raised his brows. ‘Now hold on, sonny. You ain’t thinking of trying to win the gal over by besting her in a race?’
‘You said it yourself: she will only see me as her enemy while I’m working for Huxton. I need to prove I’m a better man than most to earn her respect.’
Nat laughed out loud. ‘Respect? For a Huxton employee?’
‘It’s worth a shot. She would probably laugh in my face if I went waltzing over with flowers and candy. You said she grew up with four tough brothers, so no weak-kneed milksop is going to pass her inspection.’
‘You do remember way back to about ten seconds ago, when I told you one of her brothers was killed last month by a Huxton man?’ Nat shook his gray
head. ‘Shucks, son, all that gal will see when she looks at you is someone to despise.’
‘I may work for the other side, but I aim to make peace with the Yates family.’
‘Kyler, my boy, for a smart young fella you ain’t got the brains of a wilted daisy.’
‘You wait and see, Nat,’ Kyler vowed. ‘I saw a poster about a monthly dance that’s coming up pretty soon. With a little luck I’ll have Jessie on my arm.’
‘Yeah, and if your luck goes south you’ll have both arms tied behind your back while her brothers hang you from the nearest tall tree!’
‘I’ve got to give it a try.’
Nat uttered a sigh. ‘Well, it’s been nice knowing you, son. I reckon I won’t get no fonder of you. That way, when they plant your sorry carcass in the bone yard, I won’t feel obliged to mourn over your grave.’
Kyler had confidence in Nipper. She was of mixed breed with a strain of Arabian blood, blessed with both speed and endurance. She was well-rested and he had given her a double ration of oats the past evening and again during his morning visit.
When the call was made for the contestants for the horse-race, Kyler had his mare saddled, then joined the others. Nipper didn’t stand out as the biggest horse, nor the best looking one in the bunch, but she was sleek and built for speed. However, she had that intangible, a burning competitive spirit. Nipper was not the sort to walk idly alongside another horse. She always had to be a step ahead, have her nose in front. It was the same whenever she ran. Once she took the
lead, she kept it. Even better horses faded beside her, because she possessed the intense desire to win, always to be first.
Kyler took special notice of where Jessie lined up and smiled to himself. The gal was just like Nipper, filled with a desire to prove herself the best. Rather than attempt to draw the girl’s attention, Kyler picked the end of the line for his starting position. The logic behind his thinking was on account of the single turn one half-mile down the road. It would be to the inside, so he would start Nipper to the closest possible point for that turn.
Jessie was the only woman in the group of nine contestants. Poised to start the race, Kyler held a tight rein on Nipper and perceived the girl glowering his direction. She had obviously learned that he was a Huxton man. However, it was less him and more his horse that had her undivided attention. She was probably familiar with the other animals from past races. He and his mount were newcomers, so she had no idea whether Nipper was a threat or not.
‘Hang on to your locks, ma’am,’ Kyler said to himself, while careful not to look her way. ‘You and your noble steed are in for a real challenge.’
‘The race is down the road to the pole with the yellow ribbon!’ the starter of the race shouted,
holding
his gun in the air. ‘Make your turn around the pole and get back here first to win the ten-dollar purse!’
‘Might as well give the money to Jessie,’ a nearby rider complained. ‘No one ever beats her stallion.’
‘Everyone ready?’ the announcer called. There
was a moment’s pause, then the starting-pistol was fired into the air.
Nipper was not gun-shy. She bolted forth with the others, breaking into a full run within three strides. Her unusually quick start put her immediately toward the front of the pack. Kyler was on his toes, leaning low over the saddle, his head only inches above her neck. They streaked ahead, pulling away from the others – except for Jessie. Her stallion stayed right with him.
The distance to the pole was roughly a half-mile, but it came into view after only a few seconds. Nipper felt the presence of another horse and increased her stride. Her competitive spirit soared and she stretched out to pull ahead of Jessie and her mount. The rest of those in the race were already lost in their dust.
Jessie shouted encouragement at her horse and used her quirt, but Nipper refused to relinquish her lead. The marked pole drew closer and Kyler prepared to shift his weight. Nipper sensed
something
coming, but maintained her full-out run. When the pole was a hundred feet away, Kyler pulled snuggly on the reins and shifted his weight in the saddle. Nipper responded immediately, digging in with all four feet, leaning in to the turn and cutting sharply around the post. Kyler was elated with the efficiency of the maneuver, until he saw Jessie – ahead of him!
‘What the…?’ He was stunned until reality sank in. Jessie had made her turn before she reached the pole!
‘Get her!’ Kyler snarled at Nipper.
His horse didn’t need motivation. The mare knew a cheat when she saw one too. They passed the remainder of the horses, still going the other way. Nipper caught her second wind and bore down on the horse ahead, eating up the ground with long, purposeful strides. She grunted from the intense effort to overtake the stallion, but the finish line loomed up ahead. They were too far behind. Nipper didn’t give up, gamely pounding after the stallion, trying to close the distance. Then, suddenly, not fifty yards from the contest ribbon, Jessie pulled back on the reins!
Kyler and his horse shot past her. He jerked his head around in puzzlement as Nipper crossed the finish line a full length in front of Jessie.
There was a round of cheers from the watching crowd, all of whom were unaware that Jessie had slowed her horse at the last moment. The other riders came thundering into town behind the two of them and the race was over.
After accepting the winner’s purse and a first-place ribbon, Kyler took his horse back to the livery. Jessie was there already, busy rubbing down her stallion. Instead of attempting to speak to her, he began to pamper Nipper. He softly praised her efforts, while using a currycomb to brush the dust and sweat from her coat and mane.
After a full five minutes of silence Jessie moved over to confront him. ‘You’ve a very fast horse,’ was her opening. ‘I suppose it’s necessary for a wandering gunman,’ her tone grew cold, ‘in case the law shows up.’
‘I’m not wandering at the moment,’ he replied in a nonchalant tone of voice. ‘As for my mare, I’ve never found any quicker on a run of a mile or less.’
‘What’s her name?’
He glanced at her and immediately felt a weakness in his knees. The beguiling charm he had surmised from a distance had not done her justice. She was notably more attractive close up.
‘Nipper,’ he replied, adequately concealing his infatuation.
Her slender eyebrows drew slightly together.
‘Nipper?’
Kyler displayed an impish smile.
‘You don’t want to turn your back or bend over in front of her. She has a mischievous way of getting your attention.’
Understanding flooded her attractive features. Jessie almost smiled, but the notion vanished at once. She rotated about and started to walk away. Kyler spoke up to stop her.
‘You could have won the race,’ he ventured carefully. ‘If you hadn’t pulled in your horse, we wouldn’t have caught you before the finish line.’
She wheeled about to face him.
‘I wanted to beat you,’ she admitted candidly, ‘but not if I had to cheat to do it. I couldn’t force myself to stoop as low as you or the other stinking Huxton killers!’
‘I hired on as a teamster, Miss Yates, nothing more.’
Fire leapt into her eyes. ‘You were hired to break our backs and steal our family business. We were here first.’
‘I’m not—’
She cut him off, hissing her words vehemently.
‘We were here before there was even a town. Our express office was one of the first wooden buildings in Surlock. Everything else was wagons or tents! My uncle and his son were both killed during the Indian wars. We paid a high price for the right to haul freight and run our stage-line!’
Kyler held up his hands, palms outward, trying to fend off her verbal assault.
‘Like I said, I was only hired to drive a team, ma’am.’
‘Of course, I couldn’t expect you to understand, not a low-life, hired gun, scavenger! It was silly of me even to think of explaining anything to you!’ And with that outburst she whirled about on her heels and strode smartly out of the stable.
Kyler didn’t try to stop her. He knew winning her over was going to be like breaking through a slab of thick ice. A man didn’t manage it in one blow, he had to chip away a little at a time until he penetrated all the way through the dense crust.
‘What do you think of the new man?’ Huxton asked Phoenix.
‘He owns a fast horse. I didn’t think there was an animal in the territory that could beat Jessie’s stallion.’
‘Speaking of the Yates family, I don’t want any of our men pushing them around or causing any trouble during the celebration. This is a festive time. We don’t want to do anything that might hurt our
reputation
around town.’
‘I’ll see to it,’ Phoenix replied, ‘but being a
latecomer
in the freighting business, it already makes you the usurper.’
‘It’s a natural response,’ Huxton admitted. ‘The Yates family has been around since the town was only a sprout.’
‘Staying in business is going to be an uphill ride for them,’ Phoenix observed. ‘You’ve money, men and new equipment. They have worn-out rigs, a couple of their hired men have quit, and they’re having a hard time handling the accounts that have remained faithful to them.’
‘You sound almost sympathetic.’
Phoenix shrugged. ‘I don’t have any compunction about my job, but neither am I fond of setting out to ruin someone’s livelihood. The Yates clan seem like decent folks.’
‘I made them a reasonable offer for their business. They refused to sell.’
‘Not everything is for sale, Huxton.’
‘Everything and everyone has their price,’ he maintained. ‘Big Mike is still running the show, but he can’t hold out for much longer.’
‘Especially if the Yates line keeps having a run of trouble with their wagons and drivers,’ Phoenix said, displaying a suspicious grimace. Huxton kept a straight face.
‘Driving old equipment and running
short-handed
makes them easy targets for bandits. They are bound to have their share of troubles.’
‘It’s lucky we haven’t been the target of any robberies,’ said Phoenix furtively.
‘Word’s gotten around that you work for me,’ Huxton explained. ‘No one wants you on their back trail.’
‘I don’t cotton to things like Strap killing the young Yates kid. It’s a bad way to handle a situation and bad for public opinion. People around here like the Yates family.’
‘The boys are competitive about our rival company. There are bound to be a few arguments or incidents. It’s something to be expected.’
‘Just so you know, Hux, I won’t be a part of intimidating or killing off the competition. I hired my gun
for your defense and the defense of the company.’
‘That’s all I want and expect from you,’ Huxton promised.
‘Getting back to the new man,’ Phoenix went on. ‘He wears a gun like most men wear a hat. I’d say he probably has better than average speed. Where did you find him?’
‘Alma thought I needed another good hand,’ Huxton answered. ‘You remember my dear sister-in-law, the one who is financing this little venture.’
‘Is she worrying about her investment?’
‘Something like that,’ Huxton said. ‘I mentioned in a letter that the Yates stage had been hit by some bandits. I guess she was afraid we might have trouble getting our wagons through. She somehow learned about Dane looking for work and sent him to us. He demonstrated his speed with a gun for me.’ Huxton grinned his satisfaction. ‘I’ll wager no one is going to take any freight from him.’
‘I believe I’ve seen his name on a Wanted poster.’
‘He mentioned having some trouble over in Colorado, but that shouldn’t affect his status here in Wyoming.’
‘Unless a deputy United States marshal comes through.’
‘His past does not concern me,’ Huxton said. ‘I hired him on as a teamster. He claims never to have lost a load of goods to bad weather, bad luck or bad men. That’s as much as I need to know about him.’
‘You’ve got a few unsavory types on your payroll, Hux. That’s a fact.’
Huxton did not deny it. ‘It’s a tough land.’
‘So long as you don’t expect me to break the law,’ Phoenix said. ‘I don’t intend to end up with my name burned on to a Wanted poster.’
Huxton gave a nonchalant wave of his hand.
‘I would never ask you to do anything illegal.’
Phoenix gave his head an affirmative bob.
‘I’ll be around if you need me.’
Huxton watched the man leave and wondered how a gunman like Phoenix could afford such an inflexible conscience. If it were not for his infernal ethics, he could have used the man to run off the entire Yates bunch.
He let out a sigh. There was nothing he could do about Phoenix. He had other men without scruples. They were not a bright lot, but they followed his orders – whether they broke any laws or not. He would use the willing henchmen to do his bidding and keep Phoenix around for his own protection. The Yates family was near the breaking-point. All it would take was a couple more ‘accidents’ or robberies.
Huxton felt a tingle of satisfaction. When the time came his offer would not be so generous as the last. He would give them a way out, but they would be left with little more than their lives.
The trip from the mine was along a winding,
dust-laden
road, one pitted with ruts and rocks jutting from the ground. It was bumpy and rough, but Kyler had some experience of driving a rig. To soften the ride he shifted his weight with each bounce along the road.
The sun sank over the horizon and dusk covered the land. It was about one last mile to the dump-site,
where the ore would be loaded on a freight car at the railroad spur. As Kyler rounded a sharp bend a dark figure loomed up alongside the trail. There was a scattergun in his hands!
‘Hold fast!’ the person ordered in a husky voice.
Kyler pulled on the reins and set a foot on the brake. The team came to a lumbering stop and he stared down the twin barrels of a 12-gauge shotgun.
Veiling his surprise, he greeted the gent with a warm ‘Howdy.’
‘Climb down!’ came the next order.
Instead of obeying, Kyler arched his back to relieve the stiffness in his shoulders.
‘Long day,’ he said nonchalantly, as if unaware of the shotgun. A fleeting glance at his holster assured him that the thong was not over the hammer of his pistol; the gun was ready for instant use. He put a smile on his face. ‘Do you need a ride?’
‘I said to get down!’ the voice commanded. ‘Do it now!’
There was something curious in the bandit’s manner of speech, as if the person was trying to make their voice sound much deeper than it was naturally. He judged the size and noticed the
riding-boots
. This was no ordinary bandit.
‘Thanks all the same, but I reckon I’ll stay put,’ he replied. ‘I’m plumb tuckered out from the long haul.’
The twin barrels lifted to aim at his head.
‘I said to get down! Or I’ll blow you in half with a load of buckshot!’
In spite of the verbal threat, Kyler felt in no
immediate
danger. The masked person was not going to shoot.
‘Beautiful sunset this evening.’ He changed the subject, gazing off at the horizon. ‘I especially liked the way the sun made the evening clouds look
yellow-gold
, as if they were on fire.’ He returned his attention to the masked individual. ‘Reminded me of a gal I met in town. She was something like a firestorm herself, spunky as a colt, yet about as special as if God had taken time to mold her personally.’
The voice wavered and the pitch became much higher.
‘Are you crazy?’
‘Yep,’ Kyler went on wistfully, ‘I suspect she’s about the prettiest gal I ever laid eyes on.’
The voice was no longer concealed. Jessie’s impassioned words exploded.
‘Get down off of that wagon or I’m going to shoot! I swear, I’ll do it!’
‘Miss Yates,’ he put aside the masquerade, ‘I would admire to do’ most anything you asked, but I’m being paid to haul this freight to the rail head. If there is anything else I can do for you, I’d be proud to lend a hand.’
‘You stubborn, contrary moron! I could kill you where you sit!’
The swiftness of his draw was too quick for a person’s eye. With a simple flick of his wrist, he whipped out his gun and aimed the muzzle at the girl.
‘And I could have killed you …’ his tone grew frigid, ‘by mistake!’ He frowned down at her. ‘Do you
know how rotten I would have felt, had I figured you for a real bandit and put a slug between your eyes?’ He uttered a sorrowful sigh. ‘It would have been an honest mistake, but our kids would have never forgiven me!’
She ignored his silly remark.
‘You … that was incredible.’ She did not hide her awe. ‘I didn’t even see you reach for your gun.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he told her sternly. ‘I’ve never lost a wagon or stagecoach to bandits. I could have pulled iron and shot you at any time.’
‘But you didn’t.’
‘That’s because I didn’t hire on at this job to kill anyone.’
‘How did you know it was me?’ she asked.
‘I didn’t at first, not until I noticed you’re wearing the same riding-boots as when we raced our horses in town.’
She looked down at her feet, then heaved a sigh of defeat. Deliberately, she lifted a hand to pull the mask from her face. It was nearly dark, but he thought he could discern a pink hue from Jessie’s humiliation.
‘Climb on up,’ he said, holstering his gun. ‘I’ll give you a ride to your horse.’
‘No, I – I …’
‘Where did you leave him? Down at the wash?’
She squirmed beneath his gaze. ‘Yes. I thought you would be on the look-out anywhere there was a lot of cover.’
‘Well, you were smart about that much,’ he told her. ‘A driver has to be more cautious wherever there
is concealment for a highwayman.’
‘I’m not a highway
man
!’
He kept a straight face. ‘Climb on up. I’ll drop you off.’
‘You’re a very strange person,’ she said, but moved forward a step. She placed the shotgun onto the wagon floor and climbed aboard. Once seated she stared at him with an odd curiosity. ‘Who are you?’
He started the team moving before he answered.
‘Name is Kyler Dane, and I don’t have no fight with you Yates people. I’m a teamster, hired to deliver goods or ore, nothing more.’
‘You’re working for a crook and murderer.’
‘So you claim.’
‘I don’t claim, I know!’ She was fervent.
‘Got any hard proof?’ he asked. ‘Anything we can take to the law?’
‘What do you mean …
we
?’
‘In spite of your thinking the worst about me, I’m a law-abiding citizen. I don’t hold with crooked dealings. At present my job is to drive this team and not let anyone stop me from delivering my load of ore. That’s what I aim to do.’
‘What about robbing us and turning over our wagons? What about beating our hired hands and stealing supplies from our storage shed? What about pushing my little brother into a fight and killing him?’
‘Do you have any evidence that Huxton is involved or ordered his hired men to have those things done, ma’am? Could be you’ve only had a run of bad luck.’
‘You can’t be so naïve.’
‘Like I said, you need something rock hard to take to the law. If you’re only guessing …’ He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Few men go to prison for another person’s suspicions.’
‘Huxton has been too smart to make a mistake so far, but he hired the men to ruin us. They are the ones doing his dirty work.’