alley she’d seen. Of all things, it was next to what had to be a saloon, and probably the most likely place for Amos to visit if he’d chosen to stop in Squatter’s Bend.
The night seemed endless, and sleep impossible. It was too dark to travel, only a sliver of moon. Glory vowed that she would leave this town at dawn’s early light.
As the noise diminished and the crowd thinned out, Glory allowed her eyes to close for just a moment. They felt so dry, they ached.
Through the thin wall behind her, she heard a sudden crash. Her body jerked convulsively, and her head thudded the top of the crate. “Ouch,” she muttered, rubbing the growing bump.
“Hear somebody?” a man asked, his words slurring.
Glory’s eyes flew open in alarm. Shuffling feet sounded nearby. She must have dozed, and someone had moved into the alley without her knowing.
“Yeah,” someone said gruffly, kicking over an empty barrel. “Suppose we got company?”
“Could be.”
Glory clutched the rifle in her stiff fingers. Her body hadn’t moved for hours, and she felt rigid. Cold fear made her shrink back into the crate as far as she could.
Closing her eyes tightly, she strained to hear footsteps drawing closer. Her eyes flew open again when she heard the crash of another barrel, this one very near.
“Come out, come out, whoever you are,” a man’s voice sang out in a mocking tone, followed by rumbling laughter. A howl echoed down the alley as someone kicked an empty crate. It tumbled until it crashed into the crate where she was hiding.
Desperately, Glory scooted out of the crate, her stiff knees slowing her down. She scuttled backward until she hit something hard. She pushed herself to her feet. Drawing the rifle to her hip, she called out hoarsely, “Stop. Don’t come any closer; I’ll shoot.”
The two men paused and swayed in the early light of dawn. They looked too thin to be Amos, but instinct told her that they could be equally dangerous.
“Sounds like a kid,” the tall man muttered, squinting in the shadowy light.
“More like a girl, if you ask me,” the short man chortled. “Well, well, now,” he said smugly. “This could be our lucky day.”
The two shared a meaningful chuckle as they spread their arms and shuffled toward Glory to block her escape.
Glory glanced over her shoulder. At the end of the alley was a fence, flanked on either side by doors to buildings, most likely locked from the inside. No time to test them, she knew. The men were effectively closing off her only avenue of escape.
“I’m warning you,” she said, panic lending her a menacing tone, “I’ll shoot you, both of you.”
“Oh, my,” mocked the short one, “I’m sooo scared.”
“Me, too,” the other agreed with a raspy laugh.
As they drew near, the short man lunged toward her, landing heavily on both feet. “Boo!” he hollered.
Instinctively, Glory swung out and caught the side of his head with the butt of her rifle. The man staggered, then keeled over backward.
The tall man sank to his knees beside his companion. “Charlie? You all right?” He touched the side of the man’s head, then jerked his hand back and stared in stunned silence at the blood on his fingers.
Glory seized her chance and raced past the two, keeping as far away from them as possible.
The tall man on his knees looked up as she raced by. “You killed Charlie,” he declared. “You killed Charlie Gulch!”
Glory raced down the middle of the street without looking back, but the man’s last cry came clearly to her as he shouted, “You’ll hang for this, you hear me? You’ll hang!”
Chapter Five
“We’re burning daylight, ladies!”
Jackson saddled the mare while the women finished breakfast. Overhead, the first pink rays of dawn filtered through oak branches.
Ruth took a pan out of Harper’s hand and extended it to the wagon master. “Care for the last biscuit and bacon?”
Jackson smiled, patting his flat abdomen. “The way you’ve
The night seemed endless, and sleep impossible. It was too dark to travel, only a sliver of moon. Glory vowed that she would leave this town at dawn’s early light.
As the noise diminished and the crowd thinned out, Glory allowed her eyes to close for just a moment. They felt so dry, they ached.
Through the thin wall behind her, she heard a sudden crash. Her body jerked convulsively, and her head thudded the top of the crate. “Ouch,” she muttered, rubbing the growing bump.
“Hear somebody?” a man asked, his words slurring.
Glory’s eyes flew open in alarm. Shuffling feet sounded nearby. She must have dozed, and someone had moved into the alley without her knowing.
“Yeah,” someone said gruffly, kicking over an empty barrel. “Suppose we got company?”
“Could be.”
Glory clutched the rifle in her stiff fingers. Her body hadn’t moved for hours, and she felt rigid. Cold fear made her shrink back into the crate as far as she could.
Closing her eyes tightly, she strained to hear footsteps drawing closer. Her eyes flew open again when she heard the crash of another barrel, this one very near.
“Come out, come out, whoever you are,” a man’s voice sang out in a mocking tone, followed by rumbling laughter. A howl echoed down the alley as someone kicked an empty crate. It tumbled until it crashed into the crate where she was hiding.
Desperately, Glory scooted out of the crate, her stiff knees slowing her down. She scuttled backward until she hit something hard. She pushed herself to her feet. Drawing the rifle to her hip, she called out hoarsely, “Stop. Don’t come any closer; I’ll shoot.”
The two men paused and swayed in the early light of dawn. They looked too thin to be Amos, but instinct told her that they could be equally dangerous.
“Sounds like a kid,” the tall man muttered, squinting in the shadowy light.
“More like a girl, if you ask me,” the short man chortled. “Well, well, now,” he said smugly. “This could be our lucky day.”
The two shared a meaningful chuckle as they spread their arms and shuffled toward Glory to block her escape.
Glory glanced over her shoulder. At the end of the alley was a fence, flanked on either side by doors to buildings, most likely locked from the inside. No time to test them, she knew. The men were effectively closing off her only avenue of escape.
“I’m warning you,” she said, panic lending her a menacing tone, “I’ll shoot you, both of you.”
“Oh, my,” mocked the short one, “I’m sooo scared.”
“Me, too,” the other agreed with a raspy laugh.
As they drew near, the short man lunged toward her, landing heavily on both feet. “Boo!” he hollered.
Instinctively, Glory swung out and caught the side of his head with the butt of her rifle. The man staggered, then keeled over backward.
The tall man sank to his knees beside his companion. “Charlie? You all right?” He touched the side of the man’s head, then jerked his hand back and stared in stunned silence at the blood on his fingers.
Glory seized her chance and raced past the two, keeping as far away from them as possible.
The tall man on his knees looked up as she raced by. “You killed Charlie,” he declared. “You killed Charlie Gulch!”
Glory raced down the middle of the street without looking back, but the man’s last cry came clearly to her as he shouted, “You’ll hang for this, you hear me? You’ll hang!”
Chapter Five
“We’re burning daylight, ladies!”
Jackson saddled the mare while the women finished breakfast. Overhead, the first pink rays of dawn filtered through oak branches.
Ruth took a pan out of Harper’s hand and extended it to the wagon master. “Care for the last biscuit and bacon?”
Jackson smiled, patting his flat abdomen. “The way you’ve
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