boy? Did a coyote spook you?” he said soothingly.
While he was busy settling the horse, Jake moved quickly from his hiding place, moving up behind him, and laid the barrel of his gun across his head as hard as he could, crumpling his hat, and dropping the gunman like a stone. He quickly took the gun from his holster, and picked up the Winchester. He reholstered his own dragoon, stuck the other pistol in his belt, and taking a short piece of rope from the man’s own horse, bound him hand and foot.
Taking a chance that this was the only one that had been left in the cave to guard Sarah, he ran quickly to the entrance. He went inside in a crouch, just in case there was another man inside, but there was no one else. The two sets of footprints, and only one set of hoof prints had almost assured him of it. There was no one in the cave but his Sarah, lying on the floor of the mine, just a few feet from the entrance, her feet and hands bound. She was awake and alert, not to mention mad as a wet cat. He grinned with relief, stepped across to where she lay, laid the rifle on the ground, and started untying her.
As soon as her hands were free, she pulled the filthy bandana from her mouth, and spit. Her voice began to rise in anger at the way she had been treated by the time Jake had cut the ropes binding her legs. Jake was relieved to find she had not been hurt, but he began to become alarmed at her rising voice.
“Of all the unspeakable effrontery these…these animals came into my house, our own house, and forcibly tied and gagged me, then threw me on a horse, and brought me here. Where have you been Jake Killman?” she almost screamed at him. “Why weren’t you there to stop them?”
“Looking for you,” he answered laconically, “and if you don’t keep your voice down, you may get us both killed yet.”
“Oh, and just who will do that,” she asked. “Did you leave the man who was guarding me out there running around? He’s the only one I’ve seen since they brought me to this filthy cave.” Her anger was beginning to subside a little as she chafed her wrists, where the rope had bitten into them.
“Nope. But there are three more in a cabin, just a few hundred yards from where we stand. If you keep yelling, they’re sure to hear you back in Strawberry,” he chuckled mirthlessly.
The thought of more gunmen outside someplace chastened her, and she dropped her voice to a stage whisper, asking why he hadn’t killed them. He stood holding her close, explaining that it would have alerted the man guarding her, and possibly gotten her killed. She became more frightened at the thought of her guard maybe having cut her throat, and subsided completely, letting his strong arms hold her to the warmth of his body, feeling safer now that he was here.
“Let’s get out of here, before someone comes to relieve this guy,” Jake said.
He took her by the arm and was about to lead her from the mouth of the cave, when a bullet tore through his left arm, spinning him back into the darkness of the cave. His grip on Sarah’s arm dragged her backward with him, both falling in a jumble on the hard packed floor. He could hear her scream, as they fell backward, and the excruciating burning through his arm, as her weight came down on it.
He shoved her off him, and further back into the mine, using his one good arm to pull himself after her. Sitting there in the semi darkness, he took off his kerchief, and was trying to tie off the bleeding arm, when his wife came to his aid. Taking the bandana from him, she efficiently tied it around the wound, while tears of fear, and frustration flowed down her pretty face.
He pulled himself into a prone position behind a large boulder, giving himself a wide field of fire across the front of the mine, as well as a minimal amount of protection. He spotted movement among the scrub cedar, a little to the left of center, and about 200 feet out. Jacking a shell into the Winchester he had taken
While he was busy settling the horse, Jake moved quickly from his hiding place, moving up behind him, and laid the barrel of his gun across his head as hard as he could, crumpling his hat, and dropping the gunman like a stone. He quickly took the gun from his holster, and picked up the Winchester. He reholstered his own dragoon, stuck the other pistol in his belt, and taking a short piece of rope from the man’s own horse, bound him hand and foot.
Taking a chance that this was the only one that had been left in the cave to guard Sarah, he ran quickly to the entrance. He went inside in a crouch, just in case there was another man inside, but there was no one else. The two sets of footprints, and only one set of hoof prints had almost assured him of it. There was no one in the cave but his Sarah, lying on the floor of the mine, just a few feet from the entrance, her feet and hands bound. She was awake and alert, not to mention mad as a wet cat. He grinned with relief, stepped across to where she lay, laid the rifle on the ground, and started untying her.
As soon as her hands were free, she pulled the filthy bandana from her mouth, and spit. Her voice began to rise in anger at the way she had been treated by the time Jake had cut the ropes binding her legs. Jake was relieved to find she had not been hurt, but he began to become alarmed at her rising voice.
“Of all the unspeakable effrontery these…these animals came into my house, our own house, and forcibly tied and gagged me, then threw me on a horse, and brought me here. Where have you been Jake Killman?” she almost screamed at him. “Why weren’t you there to stop them?”
“Looking for you,” he answered laconically, “and if you don’t keep your voice down, you may get us both killed yet.”
“Oh, and just who will do that,” she asked. “Did you leave the man who was guarding me out there running around? He’s the only one I’ve seen since they brought me to this filthy cave.” Her anger was beginning to subside a little as she chafed her wrists, where the rope had bitten into them.
“Nope. But there are three more in a cabin, just a few hundred yards from where we stand. If you keep yelling, they’re sure to hear you back in Strawberry,” he chuckled mirthlessly.
The thought of more gunmen outside someplace chastened her, and she dropped her voice to a stage whisper, asking why he hadn’t killed them. He stood holding her close, explaining that it would have alerted the man guarding her, and possibly gotten her killed. She became more frightened at the thought of her guard maybe having cut her throat, and subsided completely, letting his strong arms hold her to the warmth of his body, feeling safer now that he was here.
“Let’s get out of here, before someone comes to relieve this guy,” Jake said.
He took her by the arm and was about to lead her from the mouth of the cave, when a bullet tore through his left arm, spinning him back into the darkness of the cave. His grip on Sarah’s arm dragged her backward with him, both falling in a jumble on the hard packed floor. He could hear her scream, as they fell backward, and the excruciating burning through his arm, as her weight came down on it.
He shoved her off him, and further back into the mine, using his one good arm to pull himself after her. Sitting there in the semi darkness, he took off his kerchief, and was trying to tie off the bleeding arm, when his wife came to his aid. Taking the bandana from him, she efficiently tied it around the wound, while tears of fear, and frustration flowed down her pretty face.
He pulled himself into a prone position behind a large boulder, giving himself a wide field of fire across the front of the mine, as well as a minimal amount of protection. He spotted movement among the scrub cedar, a little to the left of center, and about 200 feet out. Jacking a shell into the Winchester he had taken
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