Swept Away (30 page)

Dare’s victim wasn’t a big man, so he tossed him over his shoulder and rounded the horses that stood calmly with their backsides toward the jail.

They made quick work of rushing to Vince’s place. “We’ll tie ’em up and gag ’em, and then lock them in here for now. There’s a man out front who might wander close enough to grab.”

“Luke’s got one heading for the livery, where he’s hiding.” Dare flipped the man off his shoulder and used the man’s own handkerchief to gag him. “There’s one more I couldn’t see.”

“He went into the general store.”

“Is that where Jonas went?”

“I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Jonas. I’ll handle these men. You take the horses to the woods and hide them. Greer might think his men ran off.”

“Go help Jonas if you can find him.” Dare started to head out. “Hate to make a preacher resort to violence.”

Vince let a smile spread over his face. “Always thinking of others, my friend.”

“We’ve got to hurry. I need to hide you and then get to town. We’ll move fast for as long as we can.” Ruthy didn’t
bother bringing her heavy pack. She took Janet’s little hand and set a pace just short of running.

“Where we going to hide?” Glynna’s voice shook. Ruthy could tell the woman didn’t believe she was safe from Greer yet. Smart woman.

“We’ve found a place not far from Broken Wheel that gives you good cover.”

“You shouldn’t go back to town. Not until we’re sure it’s over.” Glynna had her right arm clutched against her stomach, yet she kept up without a word of complaint.

“I suppose I shouldn’t.” Ruthy couldn’t explain the pressing need she had to get to town. Luke wouldn’t like it, but Ruthy felt as if God himself was telling her she needed to get into the fight.

The men weren’t expecting Bullard. And Bullard’s presence proved Big John had met a grim fate. Which meant Luke and his friends would be killing mad at the exact moment they needed most to keep cool heads.

There weren’t any lookouts to fret over, so Ruthy pushed fast, not worrying about keeping to cover. When they reached the spot to cross the trail, she said, “Hold up.”

She listened but heard no riders on the road. She raced on, knowing that Luke’s life might depend on her getting there to help him. She couldn’t shake the mental image of Bullard shooting Luke in the back, or men holding Luke while Greer worked him over with his fists.

Moving faster as the image overwhelmed her caution, they followed the faint game trail. Ruthy regretted she hadn’t taken the chance of following the road to Broken Wheel; they could’ve reached the hiding place for Glynna and her children much faster. But she remembered her promise to do exactly as Luke had said.

Her going to town wasn’t doing as he’d said—pure opposite in fact. She figured that if she was going to disobey him so thoroughly in that, she’d as soon mind him in other ways.

They were an hour pushing for town through rocks and woods, twisting and turning on this blasted, poky trail that snaked around the red mesas and rugged washes. At last they came to the spot Luke had picked—an overhang fronted with a heavy stand of trees. It was almost like a cave, with room inside for all three Greers.

“In here,” Ruthy said. They were now close enough to town for her to walk the distance in a few minutes’ time.

“We stowed some food and water for you.” Ruthy pointed to the supplies stacked in a back corner. “A rider can pass by right in front of this place and not know you’re inside here, so long as you’re quiet.” Ruthy drew a pistol and two boxes of cartridges from the supplies. “Here. I’m leaving you a gun.”

Ruthy gave Glynna a hard look. Mrs. Greer didn’t seem all that tough to Ruthy, but then the woman had been through a hard spell. Besides that, they’d just met. Who could tell what the woman was made of?

Glynna took hold of the gun and cartridges held out for her. “I should come with you. The children could stay here and hide.”

“Nope. If this goes bad, the children will need you. No one’d miss me much, or Luke, come to that. We’d miss each other of course. But you’ve got young’uns who need you, Glynna. You need to protect yourself for their sake.”

Glynna nodded and looked at the gun. “You’re right. I don’t like hiding while you face danger on my behalf, but you’re right. Thank you, Mrs. Stone. Ruthy. Thank you
for helping us. No one else in this town would risk my husband’s wrath. God bless you for taking the chance.”

“Remember, Dodger will come for you if I don’t. Whatever happens to the rest of us, you and your children are going to be fine. I’ve gotta keep moving.” Ruthy tucked her own gun and bullets in a smaller bag, said goodbye, and sprinted toward town.

Dare rushed out of Vince’s office by the back door and took a long chance. He pulled his knife and slashed the ropes tied to the jail window and led the horses away at a trot, aiming for slabs of red rock high enough to hide a horse. He needed to get behind them.

Just as Dare rounded the slabs, Greer bellowed, “What’s taking so long?” The back door of the jail banged open.

Dare froze behind the rocks. Had Greer seen him? Had the horses been out of sight? If they weren’t, maybe Greer’d come chasing after Dare, giving him a chance to face him man to man. He had to hurry if he wanted to take care of Greer. Luke wanted that honor bad.

If Greer thought his men had run off, he’d look to the trail north, away from Luke’s ranch. And if Greer went after his men, they could get this fight out of Broken Wheel and away from unlucky townsfolk who might find themselves in the way of a stray bullet. Although everyone seemed to be laying mighty low.

“Where’d you men get to?” Greer was purely roaring now, and that meant Dare had gotten away. He lashed the horses to a mesquite. He should hide them better, but there was no cover good enough without walking a long stretch.

“Boss, come in here,” a voice called from inside the jail. “Cal’s back and we’re almost ready.”

Dare hurried back to see what they’d try next to get Bullard out, wishing he could get his hands on another man or two, or maybe even grab Greer.

The back of the jail was clear. Dare couldn’t tell what was going on in there and he wanted to know. He left the cover of the trees and made a dash for the jail.

He was just a few paces past a clump of cottonwoods when an explosion ripped the jail apart.

The back door blasted straight at him. It slammed flat into Dare and sent him hurling backward.

An explosion sent Ruthy diving for the ground.

Landing flat on her belly, she looked up and saw smoke coming from less than a hundred yards ahead. Leaping to her feet, she felt God pushing her, urging her on at top speed. She stumbled to a stop when she saw two horses tied in the woods, wearing Greer’s brand. Were his men searching the woods even now?

Ruthy dropped behind a tall clump of red stem grass and listened hard. Why were those horses here?

Caution told her to be careful, to wait it out. To go back to Glynna and protect her.

But she couldn’t, not with Luke in such danger. She knew she could be making excuses for herself, but she felt as if the very hand of God was urging her to her feet, telling her to get to Broken Wheel fast.

Jumping up, her hand tight on her pistol, she ran on toward town.

She closed the gap with each stride, and she caught
her first glimpse of the buildings just as she tripped over a body.

Luke eased back from the crack in the livery door as one of Greer’s men came slowly into the barn, his gun drawn. Just as the man’s foot appeared and Luke reared back to strike, Greer and another of his men slammed open the jail door and drew the attention of the man approaching Luke. The man turned to head back to his boss. Frustrated, Luke saw Greer and his cowpoke leap off the board-walk and drop to their bellies in the dirt.

The jailhouse exploded.

Luke staggered back. Splintered wood hit the side of the livery, and a shout of pain told Luke it’d reached the man who’d been coming in.

The man fell to the ground but jumped up immediately. Not hurt bad enough to take him out of the fight.

Greer, sheltered from the blast, looked over and yelled, “Jesse Ray, get over here. We’ve blasted Bullard out.”

Luke wondered how well Bullard had fared, considering shrapnel from the explosion had reached across the street.

Jesse Ray rushed to where Greer and his other cowpoke stood. A fire curled up the sides of the jailhouse door. Greer kicked at the flaming wood, shoving it out into the dirt, where it could burn harmlessly.

The three men went inside. Luke heard someone ask, “Where are the rest of the men, boss?”

“Shut up and help us get Bullard.” Every word Greer spoke seemed like a threat. Luke noticed his cowpoke shut right up.

Luke hadn’t seen three of Greer’s men in a while, but he’d been paying attention to the one coming toward him.

Poking his head around the door so he could be more visible, Luke saw Vince come out of his office and head down the board-walk, fast but not running. If Greer saw him, Vince would sound convincing, saying he’d come because of the explosion.

Dare oughta do that too and be bold. But there was no sign of him. And where was Jonas? Where were the three unaccounted-for men who rode in with Greer? Had Jonas and Dare both been taken out of the fight? Were they lying somewhere dead all because Luke wanted revenge? Was Big John dead, too?

It made him sick to think of it. If his friends died because of him, he’d regret it for the rest of his life.

With the image of his friends lying somewhere in the dirt, breathing their last, suddenly Luke got real tired of playing this waiting game. If it was only Vince and him left and Vince was charging straight for trouble, then Luke would face that trouble with his friend.

Luke stepped out of the livery and started for the jail. Vince saw him and shook his head.

It occurred to Luke that he had no idea what’d been going on. Exposing himself had been rash, and Luke knew better than that. Wars were won by patient men. And Luke had once upon a time been the most patient of them all.

He reached the board-walk just as there was movement in the doorway of the jail. Vince waved him away frantically and leapt between two buildings. Luke dived sideways, landing on his belly just as heavy footsteps told him Greer had stepped out. Dragging himself along in the dirt, Luke slid under the board-walk. There were big enough
cracks that Luke could see Greer and, right behind him, Simon Bullard. Bullard had his gun drawn, was bleeding and covered in dirt and wood splinters, but standing tall with fury etched on his face.