Read Online Almost an Outlaw by Patricia Preston - Free Book Online

he was not interested in anything she had to offer.
    “You want something stronger than coffee?” the bartender asked, and Wallace shook his head.
    He never drank whiskey. Drinking impaired one’s mental state and Wallace valued being alert. Alertness kept him alive. Along with being able to handle a weapon with speed, accuracy and no regret. He could take a life without blinking an eye. That was a great deal more than he could say for his cowardly father. Wallace despised his Quaker upbringing and the way his pacifist family never defended themselves from ridicule. Proudly, he had never tilled the ground for a living nor had anyone ever mocked him. And he had made a substantial living in the Southwest without ever breaking a sweat.
    Times were changing for him these days. Lawmen kept too close an eye on him. Once he had heard about the big reward offered for the James gang, his plans for the future began to evolve. With that kind of money, he could leave the country. Head to South America where he would buy himself a large spread.
    He glanced up as a figure appeared at the saloon doors and he gripped the butt of his Smith &Wesson. The young cowboy who waltzed into the saloon did not appear to be a threat. One of the men at a card table said, “Howdy.”
    The kid, who looked to be about twenty, responded with a smile. Full of energy and smiling, he pulled up a chair, flipped it backward and started chatting with the card players. Wallace’s gaze move from him back to the doorway. Sooner or later, the Boys would show up. He figured the girl had gotten word to them and, unless he was way off his mark, they would come. He had already run several gunfight scenarios through his mind. One in the saloon, one in the street, one just outside his hotel. Fortunately, the odds were in his favor even though he would be outnumbered.
    He was fast and accurate. He only missed intentionally and he always shot to kill. On the other hand, the former farm boys turned outlaws couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn. He had heard witnesses talk about their robberies and it appeared they often hit bystanders accidentally. If you were a skillful gunman who knew how to handle your weapon, you never hit anything by accident. He figured he could nail all five of them using one pistol.
    The youngster crossed the room to join the other table of card players. Once again, he pulled up a chair, flipped it backward and sat down to visit. Within five minutes, he was on his feet again.
    “I’m thirsty.” He headed toward the bar and Wallace was glad he went to the opposite end of the bar, where he joined the bartender and the girl. They huddled and spoke in whispers as if they were old ladies sharing gossip. The bartender got the kid a beer, put it on the counter, then spoke to Wallace in a rude tone. “You want anything else?”
    With a frown, Wallace replied, “Did I ask for anything else?”
    “Sir, if you’d like something stronger, I’m buying,” the kid offered. “The beer’s real good.”
    Wallace sent him a cold stare. “Mind your own business, boy.”
    The bartender yanked off his apron and headed toward the back of the saloon with a garbage can and the skinny girl trailed after him. A gust of cool air reached the saloon area when the bartender opened the back door.
    “There ain’t no reason to be unsociable like,” the kid said, taking a sip of his beer. “Name’s Robert.” He introduced himself with and ear-to-ear smile. “You must be Gabriel Wallace. Heard you’re fast. Real fast.”
    “I suggest you shut up and move on if you want to see your next birthday.”
    “Bet you’re hoping to collect that reward for the James brothers, huh?”
    Wallace dropped his arm to his side, his hand hovering over the gun as he stepped away from the bar and faced the youngster. “You’re pushing your luck, Robert.”
    “Last name’s Younger,” he said. “Pull that gun and your brains are gonna be splattered all over the bar.” That