think it would have done much good. Kaiser was dead set on arresting us. He would have thrown us behind bars and promised to look into the jurisdictional issues, then left us there to rot.â
âYouâre probably right about that. Why was he being so mule-headed, do you reckon?â
âProbably because he wants to stay in the good graces of that fella Tanner. Bess said he works for the railroad. That makes him an important man. Bleak Creek wouldnât amount to much of anything without that spur line.â
âTannerâs the fella who was waiting to ambush those gals when they took the stagecoach through this gap.â
Ace rubbed his chin and frowned in thought. After a moment, he said, âThatâs what I figured, but maybe not. He could have been out here earlier and seen the ambush, but not been the one who was doing the shooting.â
âYeah, I suppose,â Chance said grudgingly, âbut either way, he lied to the marshal about what happened, and damn if I can see why.â
âIt doesnât make any sense to me, either, unless thereâs some connection between Tanner and Samuel Eagleton, and he doesnât want us helping the Corcoran girls.â
Chance shook his head and sighed. âItâs too damn complicated for me. Letâs get out of here, just in case the marshal decides to come looking for us after all.â
After everything that had happened, they were wary as they rode through the gap and into the valley beyond, giving them a good view of the mountains on the other side of the valley, as well as Timberline Pass where the stage road ran.
âLook at the way those cliffs jut up,â Ace said as he pointed them out to his brother. âThey look a little like a stockade fence, donât they?â
âYou think thatâs how come the town got the name Palisade?â
âIt wouldnât surprise me.â
âWhat are we going to do, Ace? I donât know about you, but I reckon itâd rub me the wrong way to just ride away from this whole mess.â
âWhat would rub you the wrong way is to ride away from a couple good-looking girls in trouble,â Ace said.
Chance grinned. âWell, thereâs that to consider, too. If we could give Bess and Emily a hand, thereâs a good chance theyâd be grateful to us, donât you think?â
âAnd you wouldnât mind that.â
âI wouldnât mind getting to know that blonde a mite better, thatâs for sure.â
âEmilyâs got about much fondness for you as she would a rattlesnake.â
âYes, but I have a charming personality,â Chance insisted. âI can win her over.â
âI think Iâd like to see you try,â Ace said. âMight be pretty entertaining. I suppose thatâs as good a reason as any to hang around here for a while.â He glanced at the sky. âItâll be dark before too much longer. Letâs find a place to camp where that marshal wonât find us if he comes looking. The stagecoach ought to be coming along here again by the middle of the morning tomorrow.â
C HAPTER S EVEN
They found a spot well off the stage road to make camp and took turns standing guard during the night, after making a cold, scanty supper out of some biscuits left over from a couple days earlier. Coffee would have been good, even though they were running low on it, but they didnât want to risk a fire. The chances of Kaiser leading a posse into the valley to search for them during the night were so small as to be almost nonexistent, but there was no point in being careless.
Just as both brothers expected, the night passed peacefully.
In the morning, they risked a fire to boil some coffee. They could buy more when they got to Palisade.
As they got ready to break camp, Ace said, âI think Iâll ride back into the gap and make sure Tannerâor whoever it wasâdoesnât try to ambush
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