Read Online Turnback Creek (Widowmaker) by Robert J. Randisi - Free Book Online Page B

there was something about John Locke. He was unlike any of the men in Turnback Creek—unlike any other man she’d ever met, in fact. It had been a while since she’d been with a real man, and the men who chased after her here in town, especially George Crowell, did not fit that description.
    She stood on her porch, watching Locke and Cooper until they were out of sight, hugging herself against the chill in the air. No, it wasn’t smart at all to show interest in Locke. From this point on, their relationship would be strictly business. That was the only way this whole thing was going to come out the way she wanted it to.
    She turned and went back inside the house, closing the door firmly behind her.

NINETEEN
     
    R obert Bailey met Hoke Benson and Eli Jordan at the livery stable, where they had saddled their horses and his.
    “Well?” Hoke asked.
    “They went back to shootin’,” Bailey said. “Had some coffee at the café, talked to Molly Shillstone for a while, went to Hollaway’s store, and then went back to shootin’.”
    “All right,” Hoke said. “Mount up.”
    The plan was for the three of them to be in Kingdom Junction already when Cooper and Locke arrived. Hoke still hadn’t decided where they would hit the payroll—at the railhead or on the trail—but he wanted to get a look at the layout before he decided.
    “What about more men?” Bailey asked.
    “I got a telegram back from the Junction,” Hoke said. “There’ll be two more men waitin’ there for us.”
    “Do we know ’em?” Eli asked.
    “I know ’em,” Hoke said. “That’s all that matters.”
    The three of them climbed astride their horses and started out of town. As they passed the hotel, they could hear the sound of gunfire emanating from behind it.
    “A confident man don’t have to practice with a gun,” he told his two partners. “The fact that they’re back there shootin’ is good for us. They’re both over the hill, boys.”
    “Maybe we didn’t need to split the payroll with two other men, then,” Eli said.
    “There’s plenty to go around,” Hoke said. “Let’s not start second-guessing ourselves. We’ll stick to the plan.”
    “And what’s the rest of the plan?” Bailey asked.
    “I haven’t decided yet,” Hoke said. “But when I do, we’ll stick to it.”

TWENTY
     
    L ocke and Cooper didn’t go back to shooting until they availed themselves of the line of credit Molly had arranged for them at the general store. After they outfitted themselves and made arrangements to pick up their supplies the next morning, they returned to their makeshift shooting gallery. Cooper seemed more relaxed and shot better, although not perfectly.
    Holstering his gun, he said, “Maybe those days are gone. Maybe I need specs.”
    “Hey,” Locke said, “even Hickok had eye problems.”
    Cooper finished reloading his gun and holstered it. “Like you said before,” he commented, “maybe I’ll shoot better the further I get from the bottle.”
    “How about some food?” Locke asked.
    “You know,” Cooper said, “just because I’m not drinkin’ doesn’t mean you can’t go over to the saloon for a beer.”
    “I usually stick to one beer a day,” Locke said.
    “You used to drink a lot more than that, if I remember correctly,” Cooper said.
    “We have a lot more in common than you know, Coop,” Locke told his friend.
    “Like what?”
    “Maybe when we’re on the mountain, I’ll tell you all about Tombstone.”
    They started walking down the alley back to the street.
    “I heard you wore a badge in Tombstone,” Cooper said. “It surprised me. You never were the type to wear a badge.”
    “That was the only time.”
    “Never again?”
    “I never have since then,” Locke said, “and I don’t expect to again. It wasn’t for me.”
    “The law isn’t for everyone,” Cooper said.
    “You were always a great lawman, Coop.”
    “Yeah,” Cooper said, “until Ellsworth.”
    “You know,” Locke said,