Read Online The Loner: The Blood of Renegades by J. A. Johnstone - Free Book Online
Authors: J. A. Johnstone
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that . . . I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Conrad didn’t blame her for being doubtful. They had been very lucky to keep her out of Leatherwood’s hands so far. Sooner or later that good fortune was bound to run out.
There were two more bodies to bury, and since Leatherwood had already fled, Conrad figured there was time to do that. He got the shovel from the buggy and went behind the shed. Arturo had drilled the man, all right. He lay on his back with a single bullet wound to the chest. It was a good shot, Conrad thought.
He noticed Selena’s saddlebags lying against the shed’s rear wall. She’d had them draped over her shoulder when she and Arturo had retreated back there. Conrad supposed they had slipped off during the shooting, and she’d been so upset she had forgotten about them. Without really thinking about it, he bent to pick them up and put them back in the buggy before he started digging the fresh grave.
A frown creased his forehead as he straightened and felt the weight of the saddlebags. They were heavier than they would have been if Selena had filled them with food and other supplies before she left Juniper Canyon.
At that moment, she hurried around the corner of the shed, only to stop short at the sight of Conrad standing there holding the saddlebags. “What are you doing?” she asked with a slightly frantic note in her voice.
“I saw your saddlebags and thought I’d do you a favor by putting them back in the buggy.” Conrad shook them up and down a little and heard faint clinking sounds from inside the pouches. “I figured they were full of provisions.”
Selena came toward him and stretched out a hand. “I’ll take those.”
“Not just yet.” Anger had begun to smolder inside Conrad. “I think I’ll have a look in here first.”
“You can’t! You don’t have any right—”
“Arturo and I have risked our lives several times for you, and as you pointed out, we haven’t even known you for a full day yet.” His voice was flat and hard. “I think that gives me the right to know exactly who—and what—we’ve been fighting for.”
Selena stared at him with a mixture of anger and fear on her face. “Please . . .” she said softly.
Conrad ignored her. He unfastened the catch on one of the bags, opened the flap, and turned it upside down.
A stream of gold and silver coins cascaded out and landed on the sandy ground with a musical tinkling as they piled up.
Selena glared at him. “Are you satisfied now?”
Conrad shook the last few coins out of the pouch, then toed them, spreading them out so he could get a good look at them. He saw five- and ten-dollar coins and an abundance of gold double eagles worth twenty dollars apiece. There had to be close to a thousand dollars lying on the ground at his feet, maybe more. Judging by the weight of the other saddlebag, it contained just as much.
“So Father Agony didn’t send his avenging angels after you just because he’s determined to marry you.”
“You had no right to do that,” Selena snapped, “and you have no right to judge me, either. You don’t know what it’s been like living there for the past few years, knowing that . . . that toad! . . . was determined to have me. You don’t know what it’s like to be sold like a piece of meat by your own father!”
Arturo came around the shed with a puzzled look on his face. “Is there some prob—Oh.” His eyes widened at the sight of the pile of coins on the ground. “Oh, my.”
Conrad dropped the saddlebags next to the money. “That’s why you wouldn’t let either of us tend to your horse. You didn’t want us picking up those bags and realizing something was in them besides supplies. You were afraid we wouldn’t help you if we knew you were a thief.”
“I tell you, it wasn’t like that!” Selena insisted. “I earned that money. I earned it in fear and loathing. I had to stand with a smile on my face while Hissop leered at me and patted me on the head
Conrad didn’t blame her for being doubtful. They had been very lucky to keep her out of Leatherwood’s hands so far. Sooner or later that good fortune was bound to run out.
There were two more bodies to bury, and since Leatherwood had already fled, Conrad figured there was time to do that. He got the shovel from the buggy and went behind the shed. Arturo had drilled the man, all right. He lay on his back with a single bullet wound to the chest. It was a good shot, Conrad thought.
He noticed Selena’s saddlebags lying against the shed’s rear wall. She’d had them draped over her shoulder when she and Arturo had retreated back there. Conrad supposed they had slipped off during the shooting, and she’d been so upset she had forgotten about them. Without really thinking about it, he bent to pick them up and put them back in the buggy before he started digging the fresh grave.
A frown creased his forehead as he straightened and felt the weight of the saddlebags. They were heavier than they would have been if Selena had filled them with food and other supplies before she left Juniper Canyon.
At that moment, she hurried around the corner of the shed, only to stop short at the sight of Conrad standing there holding the saddlebags. “What are you doing?” she asked with a slightly frantic note in her voice.
“I saw your saddlebags and thought I’d do you a favor by putting them back in the buggy.” Conrad shook them up and down a little and heard faint clinking sounds from inside the pouches. “I figured they were full of provisions.”
Selena came toward him and stretched out a hand. “I’ll take those.”
“Not just yet.” Anger had begun to smolder inside Conrad. “I think I’ll have a look in here first.”
“You can’t! You don’t have any right—”
“Arturo and I have risked our lives several times for you, and as you pointed out, we haven’t even known you for a full day yet.” His voice was flat and hard. “I think that gives me the right to know exactly who—and what—we’ve been fighting for.”
Selena stared at him with a mixture of anger and fear on her face. “Please . . .” she said softly.
Conrad ignored her. He unfastened the catch on one of the bags, opened the flap, and turned it upside down.
A stream of gold and silver coins cascaded out and landed on the sandy ground with a musical tinkling as they piled up.
Selena glared at him. “Are you satisfied now?”
Conrad shook the last few coins out of the pouch, then toed them, spreading them out so he could get a good look at them. He saw five- and ten-dollar coins and an abundance of gold double eagles worth twenty dollars apiece. There had to be close to a thousand dollars lying on the ground at his feet, maybe more. Judging by the weight of the other saddlebag, it contained just as much.
“So Father Agony didn’t send his avenging angels after you just because he’s determined to marry you.”
“You had no right to do that,” Selena snapped, “and you have no right to judge me, either. You don’t know what it’s been like living there for the past few years, knowing that . . . that toad! . . . was determined to have me. You don’t know what it’s like to be sold like a piece of meat by your own father!”
Arturo came around the shed with a puzzled look on his face. “Is there some prob—Oh.” His eyes widened at the sight of the pile of coins on the ground. “Oh, my.”
Conrad dropped the saddlebags next to the money. “That’s why you wouldn’t let either of us tend to your horse. You didn’t want us picking up those bags and realizing something was in them besides supplies. You were afraid we wouldn’t help you if we knew you were a thief.”
“I tell you, it wasn’t like that!” Selena insisted. “I earned that money. I earned it in fear and loathing. I had to stand with a smile on my face while Hissop leered at me and patted me on the head
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