The Last Good Day, стр. 43
“I’ll do that,” Riley said and helped Julie up on the buggy seat and handed her the reins.
“Think I’ll visit the sheriff, talk to him about Church,” she said.
“Wouldn’t do that, ma’am. Travers got the sheriff in his pocket, too. Just cause you more trouble.”
Julie tapped the horse on the rump with the reins and rolled away.
24
B.W. kept tracking the shoe marks. He would lose the prints and pick them up again further along the trail until there was no doubt they were going straight west across Texas. They had to find shade in the middle of the day and pick up the trail again in the late afternoon. After a week of riding, they were about out of water. And that was much more important than the money at the moment.
Right before dark, they found a pool of water under a hanging rock from a spring and filled up the canteens and goat bags. They ate the last of the jerky and bedded down for the night.
“We’re lucky we found water,” Rance said. “May not be anymore if we keep goin.’”
“Yeah, gettin’ too hot,” B.W. said.
As the sun came up, they saw what looked like something burning a couple of miles away and rode toward it to see what it was. As they rode up, they could see two charred bodies tied to little mesquite trees, burned to the bone.
A large knife blade was laying in the ashes next to what was left of a leather boot. WP was etched into the blade.
“Well, we found Preston and Charlie. They got the money and horses,” B.W. said. “Some bad hombres out here.”
Suddenly, the sound of hoof beats filled the morning air. They saw at least ten riders silhouetted against the horizon as they rode across the top of a sloping hill nearby and dropped down in a gully.
They were coming after them. They could run or fight, but too many to survive either way.
“We’ll have to make a stand long enough for Tommy to get away,” Rance said.
“We know who burned Preston and Charlie and now they’re comin’ after us,” B.W. said.
“Tommy, you ride out of here as fast as you can when the shootin’ starts and don’t look back,”
Rance said.
“No, I’m staying,” Tommy said.
“No you’re not,” B.W. said. “I can hold them off long enough for you and the major to get away, no sense in all of us dying over my greed.”
“You can’t do it by yourself,” Rance said. “It’s goin’ to take both of us shootin’ as fast as we can to keep them pinned down long enough for him to get away.”
“I can’t run off like a coward,” Tommy said.
“You’re not, you’re goin’ because that’s what you have to do. All three of us can’t make it out of here,” B.W. said.
“If you ever get the chance to see Julie, tell her what happened,” Rance said. “I haven’t been able to get her off my mind.”
“Here,” B.W. said and handed Tommy his tomahawk. “Won’t be needing this anymore and I sure as hell don’t want them to have it.”
Tommy started crying. “Men don’t cry,” B.W. said.
Tommy wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. “I won’t.”
“Good.” B.W. turned away from Tommy, wiping a tear from his eye.
“Take Buck,” Rance said. “He’s the fastest horse I ever rode.”
“Don’t slow down until you’re ten miles from here,” B.W. said.
“I got no place to go,” Tommy said.
“You’ll be alive,” B.W. said. “That’s all that matters.”
The sound of a bullet ricocheted off a nearby rock.
“They’re here,” Rance said. “When we start shootin’ go.”
Tommy hugged Rance and B.W. “You’ll always be with me,” he said and climbed up on Buck.
Another bullet skipped off the top of a rock B.W. was behind and then two more.
“Go!” Rance yelled. They raised up from the rocks and started shooting as fast as they could cock the Henrys. Rance had become adept at firing the Henry fast by placing the stock in the crook of his left arm, squeezing the hand guard to hold it as he cocked the rifle with his right hand.
They stopped firing when Tommy was out of sight and dropped down behind the rocks again.
“I’m out of ammo,” Rance said.
“Me too,” B.W. said. “I think he got away.”
“Been good knowin’ you, B.W.”
“You too, major.”
“Sorry you didn’t get to spend that money.”
“Just as well,” B.W. said. “I probably would’ve wound up in a place I shouldn’t be.”
Rance grinned. “That’s how all this started.”
“Yep,” B.W. said.
“One good thing,” Rance said, “at least Preston won’t either.”
“Still can’t figure out how he knew we had that money,” B.W. said.
“Was probably wishin’ he never heard of it when those banditos caught up to him.”
“Them Mexicans know how to kill a man almost as good as an Indian,” B.W. said.
“Ain’t going to let them have their fun with me, saving a round ‘fore they get here,” Rance said.
“Thinkin’ the same thing,” B.W. said. “They would skin me alive.”
Rance nodded, checking the Navy Colt beside him.
They heard more hoof beats coming from a different direction saw a cloud of dust and heard rifle fire, but none of the rounds were coming their way.
They raised up and saw six riders riding down the jagged slope of the hill, firing rifles and handguns into the gully, then three more riders appeared, riding up from the ravine through the rocks, firing. They had the bandits in a crossfire. Several of the bandits tried to ride out but were cut down.
The sound of all the rifles was like the Fourth of July filling the air. It was over in minutes and the riders came together and galloped toward them.
As they got closer, the flickering sunlight bounced off the chest of some of the men and they saw Texas Ranger stars pinned on their chests.
“I’ll be damned, they’re lawmen,” B.W. said.
The riders were close now.