Perley and Charlie continued on for another mile or so when they heard a horse come up behind them.
“Would you look at that,” Charlie said as both men turned to see Link’s paint loping to overtake them. Charlie hauled back on the reins to let him catch up, thinking something must be wrong. “Maybe Lou Ann thought of somethin’ else she needed.”
“What’s the matter, Link?” Perley asked when the boy pulled his horse up beside the wagon.
“Nothin’,” Link answered. “I just wanted to ask you if I could go to town with you.”
“Well, I’ll be . . .” Perley started. “Did you tell anybody you were gonna come after us?”
Link shook his head.
“You can’t just saddle up a horse and take off like that,” Perley started again, thinking the boy should be scolded. When Charlie laughed, Perley couldn’t keep a stern face. After a moment, he gave up and laughed with Charlie. “I reckon since you’re already halfway there, you might as well go along with us, but you might have some explainin’ to do when we get back home.”
Link rode the rest of the way to town beside the wagon, content to be riding a horse that belonged to him, and beside the man he admired more than anyone except his late father. He didn’t care if he was punished by Aunt Lou Ann for disappearing without telling anyone he was going. He reasoned that if he had told her what he was going to do, she might not have permitted him to go. Besides, Aunt Lou Ann seldom gave a real whipping, and a good scolding was worth a trip to town with Perley any day.
Taking care of business first, they drove the wagon down the street to Henderson’s to buy the things Charlie needed for the line shack. The transaction didn’t take long, but the conversation with Ben and his wife took enough time for Link to enjoy the peppermint stick Perley bought him. Henderson was naturally concerned about the possibility of a return visit from the scary woman and her gang, so Perley told him what had taken place on the northern border of the Triple-G range.
“There ain’t any gang left,” Perley said. “At least not any of the men she brought with her. She’s the only one that got away when the shootin’ was over, and the last time I saw her she was hightailin’ it over a low ridge, headed for Indian country.”
“What’s gonna keep her from coming back?” Shirley asked, clearly still concerned. “That woman is crazy.”
Perley hesitated, then answered. “Well, you’re right. She’s crazy all right, but I can’t believe she’s crazy enough to show her face here again. In the first place, there ain’t nobody but her now. Maybe she’s got some more family or other men she can round up, but I expect the four she brought with her was the best she could do.” When Shirley still looked doubtful, he said, “I don’t think you’ve got any worry about your store. It’s me and my family she’s at war with.”
“Perley’s right,” Ben said. “That woman’s mean as they come, but she ain’t likely to try a holdup in our store.”
“I guess so,” Shirley finally conceded. “I worry about everything because you men don’t have enough sense to worry about anything.” Nodding toward Link, sitting outside on the step while he finished the last of his candy, she said, “I have to make sure nothing happens to our supply of peppermint.”
“I reckon that’s right,” Perley replied. “And I reckon I shoulda told him he couldn’t eat it till after dinner. I’m thinkin’ it wouldn’t be bad if we stopped at Beulah’s place as long as we’re in town. That’d be all right, wouldn’t it Charlie?”
“I could be persuaded,” Charlie replied, obviously pleased by the suggestion and knowing it would be Perley paying for it. “I wouldn’t worry about ruinin’ Link’s appetite, either. He’s a little undersized for his age, anyway, He needs to eat.” With that settled, they bade the Hendersons good-bye and left the store.
Charlie was right on his assessment of Link’s appetite. He was delighted to hear that they were going to have dinner at the Paris Diner. He led his horse up the street, following the men in the wagon. It was early yet, so the breakfast customers were gone and no one else was inside the diner.
They were met with a big welcome from Lucy Tate as she came from the kitchen. “Howdy, boys. Come on in.” She guided them to one end of the long table in the center of the dining room. “I’d best tell Beulah we’ve got three fine-lookin’ men from the Triple-G dinin’ with us today. She’ll be honored.” Lucy placed her hand on Link’s shoulder and asked, “What are you wantin’ to drink, cowboy? I know your two partners want coffee.”
Perley shook his head slowly, thinking Lucy had no age limits when it came to her flirting. When Link looked to him for permission before answering Lucy’s question, Perley said, “I reckon he’ll have whatever he wants today.” He knew the youngster would like to drink coffee, just like the men.
“Coffee,” Link said to Lucy, and she laughed delightedly, then went to the kitchen to fetch it.
Having heard the conversation in the dining room, Becky Morris looked up when Lucy came into the kitchen. Why is it he only comes in the diner when I’m back here in the kitchen? she thought. It did seem that Lucy always happened to wait on Perley.
Almost as if she knew what Becky was thinking, Lucy said, “Perley’s out there. You wanna take him his coffee?”
“Why?” Becky replied, making an effort to seem disinterested. “Aren’t you waiting on him?”
“I kinda thought you’d like to,” Lucy said, displaying an impish smile. “You’re kinda sweet on him, ain’t you?”
Becky flushed red. “Why, whatever gave you that idea? I’ve always thought Perley was a nice man, but I wouldn’t say I was sweet on him.”
“Well, I would,” Lucy insisted. “He’s out there with Charlie Ramey and that little kid Perley brought back with him. Go take ’em three cups of coffee. I need to go to the outhouse.” Without waiting for Becky to feign a protest, she walked out the back door.
“Maybe Lucy ain’t the bitch she likes to act like,” Beulah Walsh commented, having heard the words passed between her two waitresses. She favored Becky with a wide grin, causing the shy girl to flush once again. “Don’t keep the customers waiting.”
Becky immediately picked up the coffeepot and hurried out to the dining room. She admitted to herself that she was always glad to see Perley. She was disappointed to hear that he was with Charlie and the boy, because the last time he was in, he mentioned something about having the time to stay and visit a little longer.
“Good morning, Perley, Charlie,” Becky said when she set three coffee cups in front of them. “I’ve heard about you, Link. I’m very pleased to meet you.” She filled the cups. “I guess you came for dinner, since it’s kinda late for breakfast, but dinner is almost ready.”
“Whenever it’s ready will be fine,” Perley said. “We ain’t in a big hurry, anyway, are we Link?”
The boy’s smile was answer enough.
It occurred to Perley that it was only recently that he’d seen Link smile at all. It was a good sign that the boy was beginning to deal with the tragic turn his young life had taken. He nodded to himself, thinking it a good thing Link had ridden after Charlie and him this morning.
* * *
In a small stand of trees on the banks of the stream that ran behind the buildings of the town, Clementine Cobb trained her long glass on the Paris Diner. She saw a young woman come out of the outhouse behind the diner and go back inside. Then she trained the glass on the wagon and horses tied out front. She had followed that wagon ever since it had left the Triple-G that morning after a constant watch on the ranch headquarters for the past two days, waiting for a chance to catch Perley riding out alone. She was determined to kill him but was not willing to risk being chased afterward. It seemed, however, that she was never going to find him alone, so she had followed him into town, hoping for any opportunity to get a clear shot at him, even if he wasn’t alone. The hatred for him burning inside her could not be denied much longer, making her more willing to take desperate chances.
Thinking of the pleasure it would bring her to see his face when he realized he was about to die made Clementine so anxious for the actual moment that she felt she could wait no longer. It was now or never, she told herself.
No one noticed the solitary figure leading a horse out of the trees behind the hotel and heading past the outhouse toward the back door of the diner. Only a few people were on the street in town, and no one would likely have thought much about it if they had seen her.
She led her horse up to the back stoop and tied it to the corner post. Pausing only to make sure her pistol was fully loaded, she opened the door carefully, so as not to make a sound, and only far enough to see into the room.
No one in the kitchen but one woman, and she was standing at the stove with her back to Clementine.
Beulah was too busy making sure her fried corn cakes didn’t burn to notice the big woman tiptoeing through her kitchen to pause at the door to the dining room.
It was all Clementine had hoped for. There he was, sitting at the end of the long table with his back to her. The other man was sitting to the side, also facing away from the kitchen door, as was the little boy who had followed the wagon in. Two women were busy setting the tables along the side of the room. She wanted him to see who killed him, but she was not willing to give him the chance that Slick Dorsey had given him at the train depot in Atoka.
To make sure she did not become a victim of his speed with a handgun, she cocked her pistol and aimed it straight at him. “Perley Gates,” she slurred contemptuously.
“Perley!” Charlie shouted as she pulled the trigger.
Perley acted instantly, keeling over to the side, trying to pull his .44 as he did, but it was too late to keep from being hit in the shoulder by her bullet. He hit the floor hard, losing his gun when it slid under the table.
The attack stunned everyone in the dining room. Charlie, who wore no handgun, backed away helplessly, his rifle behind the little table by the front door.
Clementine, set to finish him off seconds before, hesitated when she realized Perley’s helpless position. Still stunned by the shot in his shoulder, he struggled to try to get to his feet. She couldn’t resist the pleasure of taunting him as she cocked her pistol again. “That was just to get your attention, Mr. Gunslinger. This next one’s gonna be right in your belly, so you can think about what it’s gonna be like in hell. Then I’ll put one in your head.” She flipped the pistol in Becky’s direction for a moment when she made a move as if to get to Charlie’s rifle. “Go ahead, Missy, make a try for it.”
“Becky, don’t!” Perley shouted. “She’ll kill you!”
“That’s right, Becky. I’ll kill you.” Aware then that Beulah had run to the door when she heard the shot, Clementine ordered her out of the kitchen. “You get your ass out here where I can see you, or you’re gettin’ the next one.” Confident that she was in control of the diner, she smiled as she waved her gun back and forth casually. “Now, you’re all gonna get the treat of watchin’ Mr. Perley Gates pay for his sins against the Cobb family.”
Looking down at Perley again, she said, “This is for what you done to my brothers and my pa. I hope they’re all waitin’ for you in hell.” She leveled the .44 at him.
The sound of the fatal shot caused everyone in the room to jump. The smile on her face turned into a shocked look of surprise when the bullet struck her breast, forcing her to take a couple of steps backward. Still she tried to raise her pistol to fire, but staggered again when a second shot struck her in her gut and she collapsed to the floor.
There was not a sound in the room for a long moment when it seemed as if time stood still, everyone stunned by the sight of the nine-year-old boy standing frozen, both hands holding Perley’s .44 still aimed at the evil woman.
The first to move was Becky, who hurried to Perley. She was followed quickly by Charlie, who went first to Link’s side and gently took the weapon from the stunned boy’s hands then helped Becky lean Perley against the wall. Beulah stepped up then and put her arms around Link’s shoulders to calm him. He stared wide-eyed at Perley as if in a trance. Lucy picked up the chairs that had been toppled.
While the women hustled to take care of the wounded man, Charlie glanced at the body lying halfway in the door to the kitchen. “Damn! If that ain’t one of them demons outta hell, then there ain’t a cow in Texas.”
When Becky and Lucy had stopped the bleeding in Perley’s shoulder and it was plain to see that he was going to be all right, Link walked over and sat down next to him.
Perley put his good arm around his shoulders and said, “I reckon you saved my life. I wanna thank you for that. We don’t have to worry about that witch anymore.” Link didn’t say anything, and Perley hoped the boy wouldn’t be scarred mentally by what he had been forced to do. Only time would tell.
Charlie went out the front door to get Bill Simmons, but Simmons was already in the street with a small crowd attracted by the gunshots. He was a barber by trade, but also the only person in town to treat a gunshot wound. Charlie told him his doctor services were needed, and he ran back to his shop to get his medical tools.
“It ain’t that bad. I can walk down there,” Perley said.
“You’ll do no such a thing!” Becky ordered. “I’ll not have you aggravating that wound.”
The forceful statement from the usually shy, soft-spoken woman surprised everyone standing around the wounded man, Lucy more than most. She couldn’t suppress a wide grin that broke out on her face. She turned and gave Beulah a wink.
When Bill Simmons returned with his instruments, the patient was already prepared for him. With Charlie’s help, Becky had gotten Perley’s shirt off and water was already boiling on the stove.
After a quick look, Bill said, “It ain’t a bad one, at all. You were lucky, I reckon. It looks like you were turnin’ away when you got shot, and the bullet missed the bone. You want me to dig it outta there? It wouldn’t hurt you none to leave it in. It’ll heal right over.”
Those standing around nodded their heads in agreement, all save one.
“He certainly will not!” Becky exclaimed. “No telling if that thing might get infected. He doesn’t want to carry any souvenirs around from that vile woman, anyway.”
Recognizing her apparent authority, Simmons went right to work probing for the lead slug in Perley’s shoulder without waiting for Perley’s preference.
It didn’t take long to extract the bullet, and when he was finished, Becky took over the job of cleaning and bandaging the wound. In the meantime, Paul McQueen, with a couple of volunteers from the street, dragged Clementine’s carcass from the diner, and Lucy and Beulah started cleaning up the mess. When it was all over, Perley walked out to the wagon, his shoulder heavily bandaged. Becky was right beside him, giving him instructions on what he should do to make sure it healed properly.
Watching from the front steps, Beulah said to Lucy, “I ain’t ever seen that spark in Becky before.”
“She’s just not wantin’ you to lose a customer,” Lucy replied facetiously, and they both laughed.
Becky stood beside the wagon while Link tied the paint’s reins to the tailgate and climbed up inside to sit behind Perley. When Charlie pulled away, Becky came back to stand with Lucy and Beulah, both with wide grins on their faces.
“What?” Becky asked, seeing their silly expressions.
“Nothin’, honey,” Lucy replied. “Let’s go inside and get ready to serve dinner.”
Keep reading for a special excerpt . . .
National Bestselling Authors
WILLIAM W. JOHNSTONE
with J. A. Johnstone
PAID IN BLOOD
A BUCKHORN WESTERN
Johnstone Justice. What America Needs Now.
From the bestselling chroniclers of the American West comes a riveting new chapter in the epic Buckhorn saga—the legendary adventures of a young gun-for-hire with Indian blood, a lightning-fast trigger, and his own special brand of justice . . .
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When a wealthy cattle baroness hires Joe Buckhorn to track down her son, it sounds like easy money. But when he learns that the boy has run off with a girl—whose father is the leader of the cattle-rustling Riley clan—Buckhorn’s only hope is to infiltrate the gang. Gain their trust. Live the outlaw life, even at the risk of death. There’s just one problem: there’s more than one gang. The Riley girl may have stolen a runaway boy’s heart, but the other gangs are stealing the baroness’s cattle. Which puts Buckhorn in the middle of a violent, blood-soaked range war.
If he chooses the wrong side, he’s as good as dead . . . but if he follows his gut and lives, there’s going to be the darkest kind of hell to pay . . .
Live Free. Read Hard.
www.williamjohnstone.net
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CHAPTER 1
When Joe Buckhorn emerged from the livery stable and spotted the town marshal striding in his direction, he couldn’t suppress a twinge of apprehension.
Looked like trouble was coming his way already.
Buckhorn had only just arrived in the town of Forbes, Texas. With the sun hanging low in the afternoon sky and the place looking peaceful and sort of welcoming from the knob of a distant hill, he’d decided he would ride in for a good meal and a cold beer, maybe a bath, and then a night’s sleep in a soft bed before moving on in the morning. He wasn’t wanted for anything and wasn’t looking for trouble.
But the lingering memory of times past, when his business and the interests of the law had often been at cross-purposes, tended to make him leery whenever he saw somebody wearing a badge headed his way.
A Reason to Die Page 27