Terror of the Mountain Man

by William W. Johnstone

  On the other hand, he wasn’t in any big hurry to get anywhere. That was one of the good things about being a trapper and working for himself. He didn’t have to worry about sticking to somebody else’s schedule.

  And the thought of spending several weeks smelling the smoke spewing from the boat’s stacks and listening to the roar of its engine and the clatter of its paddle wheel didn’t appeal to him, either.

  “Preacher?” Russell said.

  “I’m thinkin’, I’m thinkin’.”

  “Normally I wouldn’t press you for an answer, but the Sentinel is leaving tomorrow morning. I didn’t even hear you were in St. Louis until late this afternoon. So time is short. Honestly, I won’t hold it against you if you say no. I understand you’re not that fond of riverboats, and Lord knows you’ve saved my hide more times over the years than I’ve saved yours. We’re more than square when it comes to that.”

  Russell really seemed to mean that, Preacher thought. It wasn’t just a subtle ploy.

  When Preacher still didn’t say anything, Russell added, “If it’s a matter of more money—”

  Preacher held up a hand to stop him.

  “I might haggle with you over the price of a load of pelts,” the mountain man said, “but not about somethin’ like this. I’ll just say yea or nay.” He drew in a breath. “And I’ll say yea. I’ll go up the river with you on that damned rattletrap steamboat.”

  PINNACLE BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2014 J. A. Johnstone

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  Following the death of William W. Johnstone, the Johnstone family is working with a carefully selected writer to organize and complete Mr. Johnstone’s outlines and many unfinished manuscripts to create additional novels in all of his series like The Last Gunfighter, Mountain Man, and Eagles, among others. This novel was inspired by Mr. Johnstone’s superb storytelling.

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  PINNACLE BOOKS, the Pinnacle logo, and the WWJ steer head logo are Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-0-7860-2125-3

  First electronic edition: December 2014

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-3692-9

  ISBN-10: 0-7860-3692-3

  Notes

  1 See A Lone Star Christmas.