by Tell Cotten
“Coop.”
Yancy thought about denying it, but then shrugged.
“A little.”
“Cooper knows what he’s doing,” Lee tried to be helpful.
“So did the boys at the Alamo,” Yancy replied.
Lee smiled faintly. A few seconds passed, and he chuckled.
“What is it?” Yancy asked.
“Oh, I was just thinking.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
Lee shot Yancy a dark look.
“So, what’s on your mind?” Yancy asked after a moment.
“Nothing much. I just realized something.”
“And what’s that?”
“Since this all started, you and I haven’t had even one argument.”
Yancy looked thoughtful. He nodded and glanced at Winchester.
“I’ve had other things on my mind, is all,” he explained.
Lee glanced at Winchester and smiled knowingly.
***
Another hour came and went.
It was still, and very quiet. There were no frogs croaking this night, or anything else. There was only an eerie silence, and everyone felt anxious.
“How much longer?” Rondo whispered.
“Anytime now,” Yancy replied.
Rondo nodded, and then he said, “There’s one thing I can’t figure.”
“What’s that?” Lee looked over at him.
“Who was that woman Yancy and Cooper found a few weeks back?”
“Been wondering that myself,” Brian entered the conversation.
Rondo glanced at Rachel, who was close beside him.
“Were there any other captives?” He asked.
“One,” she replied. “Her name was Lucy. No Worries killed her when she tried to escape.”
Everyone was startled.
“Lucy Nash?” Yancy hissed.
“She never mentioned her last name,” Rachel replied. “But, she was arrogant and very foolish.”
“Sure sounds like her,” Lee said wryly.
“What did she look like?” Yancy urged.
Rachel thought a moment.
“She was short, pretty, and had curly, blond hair.”
“That’s her,” Lee declared, and Rondo and Brian nodded their agreement.
“I reckon she finally got what she deserved,” Brian said.
“How about that,” Lee said softly, and he glanced at Yancy. “Looks like you don’t have to worry about arresting her.”
“It would appear so,” Yancy agreed.
Chapter seventy-three
Cooper was soaked with sweat by the time the sun finally went down, and then he got slightly cold as the night air chilled. But he didn’t allow himself to shiver; he couldn’t take the chance of disrupting the sand.
Time passed painfully slow, and Cooper remained perfectly still.
He sensed, rather than heard, when the Apaches finally arrived. He listened intently, and he finally picked up the sound of horses moving toward him.
His body was tense, but he didn’t move a muscle. He could tell they were close, and unrecognizable Apache words reached his ears.
There were footsteps, and Cooper gripped his rifle as they passed by only a few feet from him.
After that he heard an occasional stomping of the feet from the Indian ponies, but that was all.
He wondered if a guard had been left. If there were, he would have to silence him.
Cooper continued to lie still, and he counted the time in his head. After what seemed forever, he finally nodded to himself.
It was time.
Moving slowly, he pushed upwards. He crawled out from under the saddle blanket, and sand caved in around him.
Cooper didn’t move as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and then he took a slow, careful look around.
The Indian ponies were tethered together not far away. He didn’t see any Indians, and he grunted softly in satisfaction.
With his rifle in hand, he crawled toward the ponies. He stood to full height as he got close.
Suddenly, he heard a surprised grunt behind him. He spun around, and he recognized No Worries. He stood between the two shrubs, and he held the saddle blanket.
No Worries spotted Cooper at the same instant, and recognition flashed in his eyes.
“Landon,” he said in thick, broken English.
Before No Worries could move, Cooper swung his rifle up and cocked the hammer. But he hesitated to fire, because a shot would alert the other Apaches.
No Worries understood this, and he grunted. He ran toward Cooper, his tomahawk in hand.
Cooper un-cocked his rifle and leaped forward to meet the challenge.
The nimble Apache covered ground fast. He swung his tomahawk, but Cooper dove to the ground and rolled as No Worries’ momentum carried him past Cooper.
Cooper sprang to his feet and spun around. Swinging his rifle as a club, he aimed for the Apache’s head.
No Worries was spinning around as Cooper’s blow hit him in the face. It was a violent impact, and Cooper almost dropped his rifle.
There was a crunching sound, and blood spurted from No Worries’ mouth. Cooper heard a gurgling sound, and No Worries dropped and didn’t move.
Cooper didn’t wait around. He hurried to the Indian ponies, and his knife flashed as he cut them loose.
He held on to the last horse. He jumped on his back, and he fired his rifle up into the air.
His horse was startled, but Cooper managed to hang on. The other Indian ponies broke and ran, and they went west towards the mountains.
Cooper grinned as he loped behind them, pushing them on.
Chapter seventy-four
Even though they were expecting it, everyone still jumped when the rifle shot sounded out.
“All right; let’s go!” Yancy said tersely.
They stood, moved to their horses, and mounted up. Yancy led Cooper’s horse, Lee led No-see-ums, and Brian led the extra horse.
“What about Jug-head?” Winchester asked.
“Leave him!” Yancy replied curtly.
Winchester nodded regretfully and kicked up his horse. He left the hill in a dead run, and everyone followed.
Winchester spotted an Apache racing towards them as he attempted to cut them off.
He reached down, pulled out his rifle, and charged towards him.
The Apache also held a rifle, and he started to take aim. However, as Winchester rode by, he took aim and fired from the hip. There was a loud thumping sound, and the Apache did a flip in the air and landed on his back.
Rachel, April, Lee, Brian, Rondo, and Yancy were close behind Winchester. They kept their horses in a dead run for several miles, and then Yancy called out for everybody to stop.
“Everyone all right?” Yancy asked.
Everyone was breathless as they nodded.
Yancy returned the nods and glanced at Winchester.
“You’re handy with that rifle,” he commented.
Winchester smiled.
“That’s why they call me Winchester.”
“Now what?” Rondo spoke up.
“We wait for Cooper,” Yancy replied.
“What if he doesn’t show up?” Lee asked.
“He will,” Yancy declared.
***
They waited in tense silence. Half an hour passed, and everyone became restless.
They finally heard a noise, and everyone gripped their firearm. But then they recognized Cooper as he came trotting up out of the darkness. Behind him, he led Jug-head.
“Look what I found!” He grinned.
Everyone but Yancy returned the grin.
“Why’d you bring him along?” Yancy scowled.
“Injuns already followed him once,” Cooper pointed out.
Yancy couldn’t argue with that, so he changed the subject.
“You all right?”
“Got some sand in my britches, but I’ll live.”
“I can imagine,” Yancy sai
d, and asked, “Have any trouble?”
“Not much. But, I did have an interesting conversation with No Worries.”
“Oh?” Yancy raised an eyebrow.
“He even knew who I was. Called me Landon.”
“What happened?”
“’Bout what you’d expect. He tried to kill me, but I didn’t let him.”
“No Worries is dead?” Winchester entered the conversation.
“It’s possible,” Cooper replied. “If not, they might have to rename him No Teeth.”
“You didn’t make sure?” Winchester frowned his disapproval.
“I was busy.”
Winchester looked disappointed. It was quiet, and he asked, “But you managed to run off their horses?”
“Yep,” Cooper nodded. “Those ponies are halfway back to the mountains by now.”
A relieved look crossed everyone’s face.
“I suggest we put some more miles between them and us,” Winchester suggested. “Just ’cause they’re horseless doesn’t mean they won’t make one last attempt. Apaches can travel fast, even on foot.”
“Let’s go then,” Yancy said.
Cooper switched back to his horse, and they left out in a brisk trot.
Epilogue
They kept up the pace until dawn, and only then did they stop.
Everybody dismounted, and they dug in their saddlebags and pulled out some canned goods. They took small sips from their canteens while they ate.
Everyone was in a cheerful mood. Lee and April kept glancing at each other, as did Rondo and Rachel. The only person that looked slightly remorseful was Yancy.
“What’s the matter?” Cooper glanced at him.
“Jeremiah,” he said somberly. “He deserved better.”
Everyone nodded, and there was a moment of silence as they thought on him.
“He was a good man,” Rondo finally said.
“He tried,” Yancy replied, and he glanced at Winchester. “You might as well keep his horse. You need one.”
“’Preciate it,” Winchester replied. He took one more swig from his canteen and stood. “Well, I’d best be on my way. I’ve a report to make, and I’m long overdue.”
“I appreciate your help,” Rondo spoke up.
“It’s what us Landons do,” Winchester grinned, and he glanced at everybody else. “Adios,” he said.
Everybody nodded back.
“Winchester,” Yancy said, his voice stern. “Take care of yourself.”
“Always,” Winchester smiled his boyish smile.
“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing you again, real soon.”
“We should keep in touch. After all, we’re family.”
“We’ll plan on it,” Yancy smiled tightly.
“Well, be seeing you,” Winchester waved his hand.
“Yes, you will,” Yancy said softly.
Winchester stepped into the saddle and kicked up his horse, and everybody stood there and watched him. He slowly became a blur and disappeared in the distance.
Yancy turned and looked briefly at everyone.
First, he glanced at Rondo and Rachel. They were holding hands, and Yancy noticed that Rachel’s other hand was resting on her stomach. She had a knowing smile, but Rondo wasn’t aware.
Yancy frowned in thought as he turned his attention to Lee and April. They stood side by side, and April rested her head on his shoulder. As for Brian, he was watching them with a pleased look on his face.
Yancy looked at his brother last, and Cooper’s eyes twinkled back at him.
Yancy gave everyone a satisfying smile of a job well done.
“Let’s go home,” he said.
About the Author
Born in West Texas, Tell Cotten is a seventh generation Texan. He comes from a family with a ranching heritage and is a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. Besides writing, he is also in the cattle business, and he resides in West Texas with his wife, Andi, and their two children.
Tell has enjoyed writing from an early age, and he also has a great love of the history of the west. WARPATH is his eighth novel in The Landon Saga series.
For announcements of new releases and all other information, please like The Landon Saga Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheLandonSaga
Or, you can join The Landon Saga Fan Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/784798154926122/
You can also visit Tell Cotten’s website http://tellcotten.wordpress.com/
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my wife and my family for all their help and support. Without them this wouldn’t be possible. I’d also like to thank God for the gift of writing.
Special thanks goes out to Bill for the fantastic drawing, and thanks to Mike and Marcy for putting the cover together.
And lastly, I’d like to thank Melissa for all her advice, help, and hard work.
Enjoy this excerpt from Tell Cotten’s upcoming novel:
Fastest Gun Around
Book nine in The Landon Saga series
He was a thin, tall, and lanky old-timer. He had sharp, narrow eyes, and a white beard. There was also the suggestion of lost handsomeness in his face.
He held a doubled barreled shotgun over his saddle. The hammers were pulled back, and both barrels were pointed at me.
I swallowed uneasily.
“You make one move toward that Colt, and I’ll blast you from here to Mexico,” he said in a curt, harsh voice.
“I won’t.”
“Who are you?” He demanded.
“Rondo Landon.”
He grunted at that. I saw a hint of admiration in his eyes, but there was also some hostility.
“Heard of you.”
“Most have.”
“You as good with that Colt as they say you are?”
“Pretty much.”
“Fastest gun around, eh?”
“I wouldn’t put it like that.”
“I heard you betrayed your gang and went honest.”
“Not exactly how it happened,” I frowned. “But, I am honest.”
He gestured at the dun horse.
“If you’re so trustworthy, why are you riding somebody else’s horse?”
“How’d you know that?”
“I was watching from the ridge through my spyglass,” he said. “You took him without permission.”
“Nobody was home,” I explained. “But, I pinned a note on the door.”
“Sure you did.”
“Let’s ride back and see,” I said, irritation rising in my voice.
“I did, but there was no note.”
I frowned in confusion.
“It must have blown off,” I said, and added, “I explained everything.”
“How ’bout explaining it again.”
I hesitated, but then I told him what happened. His face was emotionless while he listened.
“Sounds reasonable,” he said after I had finished.
I breathed a sigh of relief. However, he didn’t lower the shotgun or un-cock it, and that worried me.
“You don’t believe me?” I asked.
“Sure.”
“Then why don’t you ease those hammers back down,” I suggested.
He chuckled gruffly.
“Making you nervous?”
“Just a bit,” I admitted.
“I haven’t told you who I am yet.”
“Oh?”
“For three, long years I’ve yearned for this moment, meeting you face to face.”
“Glad I could help.”
He seemed to be enjoying this confrontation, but he was the only one.
“My name’s Gage,” he announced. “Gage Palmer.”
The name meant nothing to me.
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
He didn’t reply, and he watched me closely.
Several tense seconds passed.
A thought suddenly occurred to me, and I felt a jolt of surprise. I looked into his eyes, and he smiled smugly.
“I did.”
“Any relation to a Ryan Palmer?”
He nodded slightly.
“He was my son.”
We were quiet as we thought on that.
“Oh, boy,” I finally murmured.
“And you killed him,” he said, and there was anger in his voice.
Coming soon from Solstice Publishing
For announcements of new releases and all other information, please like The Landon Saga Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheLandonSaga or you can join The Landon Saga Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/784798154926122/