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Authors: Robert J. Randisi
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any kind of help.”
“And let’s not give him any unnecessary information,” Locke said. “That way, if something happens, we won’t have to view him with any suspicion. If only the three of us know, then nothing can go wrong.”
“All right,” she said. “We leave the sheriff out of the loop. But I have to tell George.”
“Why?” Locke asked. “Why do you have to?”
She stared at him for a minute, then said, “I don’t know. I usually discuss everything with him.”
“Well, maybe not this,” Locke said.
She sat forward. “Are you telling me you suspect George—”
“I don’t suspect him of anything,” Locke said. “We’re just trying to keep down the number of people who know what we’re doing. What if he let something slip by accident? Perhaps in the saloon?”
“You’ll hardly ever find George in a saloon,” she said, “but I can see what you mean.”
“We’re responsible for this gold, Molly,” Cooper said. “We feel we have the right to make some … requests.”
“Or demands,” she said. She bit her lip for a moment. “All right, I’ll keep George in the dark.”
“Is there any problem with you riding from here to the creek alone?” Locke asked.
She smiled and said, “No. I’m an accomplished rider, John, and I’m not the nervous type. I’ll be able to ride out there, and if I get there before you do, I can make camp and wait. I don’t mind spending some time alone.”
“That’s good,” Cooper said.
“Well,” Locke said, moving toward the door, “we still have some preparations to make.”
“You have a line of credit at the general store,” she said. “Just tell Herman Hollaway that you work for me.”
“Thanks,” Cooper said. “We’ll do that.”
“Let me walk you out.” She went out the front door with them, then tugged on Locke’s sleeve before he could leave. “Could I talk to you a moment?”
Locke looked to Cooper for help, but the ex-marshal simply said, “I’ll meet you at the store.”
Cooper stepped down and walked away as Locke turned to face Molly Shillstone.
“I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner at my house again tonight,” she said. “This time without George and the marshal?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Molly.”
“Why not?”
“We have to get an early start in the morning,” he said. “The kind of meal we had last night tends to make a man … lazy. In my business, lazy means dead.”
“Well, maybe just drinks, then?”
“Uh, I don’t think—”
“Mr. Locke,” she asked, “do I make you nervous?”
Locke stared at her for a moment, her smooth skin and pretty eyes, and said, “Yes, you do, Mrs. Shillstone.”
“All right, then,” she said. “Why don’t you just meet me for breakfast in the morning?”
“We’ll be getting up at first light.”
“Meet me at the café,” she said. “Bring the marshal. I just want to see you off.”
“All right,” he said. “The café, first light.”
“And when you both get back from delivering the gold,” she said, “we can talk about why I make you nervous.”
Locke touched the brim of his hat and followed in Cooper’s wake.
When he caught up to Cooper, his friend said, “I told you.”
“Told me what?”
“She’s got her eye on you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, Coop.”
“Why not? She’s a mighty fine-lookin’ woman.”
“I told you,” Locke said. “I’m not looking for a woman, fine-looking or otherwise.”
“Not even just for the night?”
“Spending just one night with a woman like that wouldn’t be smart,” Locke said. “If that was what I wanted, I’d go to a saloon.”
“Not in this town,” Cooper said, shaking his head. “Believe me, I’ve seen the girls who work the saloons here. Not in this town.”
Molly Shillstone knew she’d done a silly thing, inviting John Locke to her house. She didn’t need to get mixed up with a man right now—especially not a man like him.
But
“And let’s not give him any unnecessary information,” Locke said. “That way, if something happens, we won’t have to view him with any suspicion. If only the three of us know, then nothing can go wrong.”
“All right,” she said. “We leave the sheriff out of the loop. But I have to tell George.”
“Why?” Locke asked. “Why do you have to?”
She stared at him for a minute, then said, “I don’t know. I usually discuss everything with him.”
“Well, maybe not this,” Locke said.
She sat forward. “Are you telling me you suspect George—”
“I don’t suspect him of anything,” Locke said. “We’re just trying to keep down the number of people who know what we’re doing. What if he let something slip by accident? Perhaps in the saloon?”
“You’ll hardly ever find George in a saloon,” she said, “but I can see what you mean.”
“We’re responsible for this gold, Molly,” Cooper said. “We feel we have the right to make some … requests.”
“Or demands,” she said. She bit her lip for a moment. “All right, I’ll keep George in the dark.”
“Is there any problem with you riding from here to the creek alone?” Locke asked.
She smiled and said, “No. I’m an accomplished rider, John, and I’m not the nervous type. I’ll be able to ride out there, and if I get there before you do, I can make camp and wait. I don’t mind spending some time alone.”
“That’s good,” Cooper said.
“Well,” Locke said, moving toward the door, “we still have some preparations to make.”
“You have a line of credit at the general store,” she said. “Just tell Herman Hollaway that you work for me.”
“Thanks,” Cooper said. “We’ll do that.”
“Let me walk you out.” She went out the front door with them, then tugged on Locke’s sleeve before he could leave. “Could I talk to you a moment?”
Locke looked to Cooper for help, but the ex-marshal simply said, “I’ll meet you at the store.”
Cooper stepped down and walked away as Locke turned to face Molly Shillstone.
“I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner at my house again tonight,” she said. “This time without George and the marshal?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Molly.”
“Why not?”
“We have to get an early start in the morning,” he said. “The kind of meal we had last night tends to make a man … lazy. In my business, lazy means dead.”
“Well, maybe just drinks, then?”
“Uh, I don’t think—”
“Mr. Locke,” she asked, “do I make you nervous?”
Locke stared at her for a moment, her smooth skin and pretty eyes, and said, “Yes, you do, Mrs. Shillstone.”
“All right, then,” she said. “Why don’t you just meet me for breakfast in the morning?”
“We’ll be getting up at first light.”
“Meet me at the café,” she said. “Bring the marshal. I just want to see you off.”
“All right,” he said. “The café, first light.”
“And when you both get back from delivering the gold,” she said, “we can talk about why I make you nervous.”
Locke touched the brim of his hat and followed in Cooper’s wake.
When he caught up to Cooper, his friend said, “I told you.”
“Told me what?”
“She’s got her eye on you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen, Coop.”
“Why not? She’s a mighty fine-lookin’ woman.”
“I told you,” Locke said. “I’m not looking for a woman, fine-looking or otherwise.”
“Not even just for the night?”
“Spending just one night with a woman like that wouldn’t be smart,” Locke said. “If that was what I wanted, I’d go to a saloon.”
“Not in this town,” Cooper said, shaking his head. “Believe me, I’ve seen the girls who work the saloons here. Not in this town.”
Molly Shillstone knew she’d done a silly thing, inviting John Locke to her house. She didn’t need to get mixed up with a man right now—especially not a man like him.
But
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