Ransom Valley (Wind River Book 7)

by James Reasoner

  "Noooo!" Lon roared. He didn't even think about reaching for the holstered Colt on his hip. Instead he launched himself forward, heedless of the danger from Maguire's gun, and crashed into the outlaw. Maguire went over backward. Lon's momentum carried him along, too, as both men fell out onto the steeply slanting slope of the rock slab and started to tumble down it.

  The fall was a nightmare, a chaotic shifting of earth and sky. Lon saw Maguire's gun hand in front of him and grabbed it, forcing it away as the revolver spouted flame again. Over and over they went. Lon got his other hand on Maguire's gun and ripped it from the outlaw's fingers.

  As they came to a stop at the bottom of the rock, Lon hammered the gun butt into Maguire's face. Yelling incoherently, he lifted the gun and brought it down again and again until Maguire's face had been battered into a red pulp that barely resembled anything human. Finally, Lon dropped the gun and slid backward against the rock, away from the dead thing that had been Adam Maguire.

  "Lon!"

  The cry made his head snap around. He looked up and saw Brenda staring down at him from the top of the slope. Relief that she was still alive flooded through him, washing away the last of the killing frenzy that had gripped him a moment earlier. He turned and scrambled up the rock.

  "He shot you!" he exclaimed as he gathered Brenda into his arms. "I saw him. Maguire shot you!"

  "No, he shot at me and scared me and I fell down," she said, clinging to him as fervently as he held on to her. "I was never going with him, Lon. I . . . I just wanted to get close enough to shoot him. And I still missed!"

  "No, you winged him," Lon told her. "If you hadn't, I never would've been able to tackle him. You saved us both."

  "We saved each other," she whispered.

  That sounded pretty good to Lon. He sure wasn't going to argue about it. He was content just to stand there and hold her until he heard the swift rataplan of approaching hoofbeats. A few moments later, Kermit Sawyer, Cole Tyler, Frenchy LeDoux, and several more men galloped up, drawn by the shots.

  Sawyer reined in, leaned forward in his saddle, and called, "By God, Lon, you'd better be all right!"

  "I am, Mr. Sawyer," Lon replied with a wave. His other arm was still around Brenda. "I reckon we both are."

  * * *

  Billy Casebolt said wistfully, "I sure wish I could've gone along with that posse. You could've used my help, Cole."

  "We sure could have," Cole agreed as he sat on a ladderback chair beside the bed. He leaned forward to pat Casebolt's knee through the blanket that was spread over the deputy's heavily bandaged form. "But I'm just glad you're still alive. You can help me chase down the next bunch of outlaws."

  "That's a deal," Casebolt said with an emphatic nod. He was sitting up with a couple of pillows propped behind him in the bed in one of Dr. Judson Kent's rooms.

  "The deputy won't be going anywhere for a while," Kent said from the doorway. "He was seriously wounded, and his recuperation will require several months of extensive rest."

  "Dang it, what'll the marshal do for a deputy while I'm laid up?" Casebolt wanted to know.

  "Yeah, Mr. Mayor," Cole said with a smile. "What'll I do for a deputy?"

  Kent chuckled. "The town council has authorized you to hire a replacement deputy until Mr. Casebolt here is back on his feet."

  "Does Billy still get paid, too?"

  "Of course. His injuries were suffered in the line of duty."

  "I'll bet you had some pretty good arguments about that one," Cole said.

  Kent shrugged. "I was able to make the rest of the council see the justice of that position. They're not unreasonable men." The doctor paused. "Well, not all of them, anyway. And it helped that Miss Durand volunteered to donate some funds to help with the situation."

  "She did, did she?"

  "It's only appropriate. She was rescued from a very dangerous situation, after all. Not only that, but all the money taken from her bank was recovered. I'd say her generosity was justified." Kent stroked his close-cropped beard and added, "I wouldn't put it past the young woman to expect some sort of favor at a later date in return for her generosity, however. She may be grateful, but she's still a canny businesswoman."

  Cole got to his feet and said, "I'll be back by to check on you pretty often, Billy. In the meantime, behave yourself."

  Casebolt snorted. "Not much else I can do, all wrapped up like this and stuck in a bed. There's one thing you might could do for me, Cole."

  "What's that?"

  "Tell Miz Palmer I done took a turn for the worse and can't have no more visitors. I swear, there ain't a day goes by when that woman ain't here wantin' to read to me, or fluff my dang pillows, or . . . or somethin'!"

  Cole grinned. "I'd say that's a medical opinion, Billy, and I'm not qualified to make a judgment like that."

  "And I believe that having visitors will speed your recovery, as long as they don't tire you too much," Kent said.

  "But that's just it," Casebolt said pitifully. "That woman is plumb exhaustin'!"

  Cole was still chuckling over his deputy's dilemma when he left the doctor's office. He had a problem of his own, he realized. He needed to hire another deputy, and he didn't have any idea who that might be.

  He saw a couple of familiar figures dismounting in front of the Wind River General Store and went over to join them. "How would one of you fellas like to be my new temporary deputy?" he asked.

  Frenchy LeDoux shook his head. "I'm a cowboy, Marshal, not a star packer," he said. "Besides, the weight of that hunk of tin might throw off the lines of my vest. How about you, Lon?"

  "No thanks," Lon said. "I'm not cut out for law work, either."

  Cole nodded and said, "That's what I was afraid you'd say, both of you. Well, if you think of anybody who might be interested in the job, you send 'em to see me, all right?"

  "Sure thing, Marshal," Frenchy promised.

  Cole hooked his thumbs in his gunbelt and walked on along Grenville Avenue. Wind River was nice and quiet again, so he knew there was one thing he could count on.

  It wouldn't stay that way.

  * * *

  Inside the store, Lon looked around while Frenchy went to give the list of the things they had come after to Harvey Raymond. Lon was trying to be nonchalant, but his emotions made that difficult. It had been a couple of days since he'd seen Brenda, and he wanted to be sure she was all right. She had been awfully quiet during the ride back to Wind River.

  Maybe she didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore. She had seen the way he beat Adam Maguire to death. Maybe she had decided he was just too loco to be around.

  He was standing in front of the candy counter, peering through the glass, when she said behind him, "Don't tell me you have a taste for licorice."

  Lon straightened and turned around quickly. He snatched his hat off his head. Brenda wore an expensive gown and was as lovely as ever. She didn't show any signs of the ordeal she had gone through.

  That didn't really surprise Lon. He knew how strong she was. It made sense that she would shake off the effects of the experience in no time.

  "No, ma'am," he said. "I mean, yes, ma'm. I'm right fond of licorice." He wished that he wasn't so uncomfortable talking to her. He knew he shouldn't have been. They had spent the night huddled in that sort-of cave, keeping each other warm. That should make a difference . . . but he wasn't sure it did.

  "Would you say that you . . . love licorice?"

  Lon shook his head. "No, ma'am. There's a big difference in, uh, likin' something and loving it."

  "So there is," Brenda said.

  Well, that made it pretty plain, he thought. She liked him, she felt grateful to him for what he'd done, but she didn't love him. How could he expect her to, he asked himself? Despite everything they had gone through together, really they barely knew each other.

  She frowned in thought and went on, "I think I like peppermint better, myself."

  "Peppermint's fine, too."

  "Perhaps we
should get together sometime and compare other things besides our tastes in penny candy."

  Lon's spirits lifted suddenly as hope was reborn inside him. "You think so?" he asked. "I'd like that, I sure would."

  She glanced over at the counter, and Lon followed the direction of her gaze. Harvey Raymond had gone into the storeroom for something, and Frenchy had wandered back toward the front of the building and had his back to them as he looked at a display of rifles.

  Brenda came up on her toes and brushed her lips across Lon's. Even as surprised as he was, he might have tried to put his arms around her, but she was gone before he could. As her light, graceful steps carried her toward the door, she looked back at him and said, "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around, cowboy."

  "Yes, ma'am!" Lon said.

  WIND RIVER SERIES:

  The compelling frontier saga of a Wyoming town at the crossroads of destiny!

  #1 WIND RIVER

  No sooner does the very first train roll into Wind River than mayhem erupts, and a prominent citizen lies dead on the platform. Marshal Cole Tyler finds himself facing a ruthless killer as Wind River becomes a town with its own brand of justice.

  # 2 THUNDER WAGON

  Trouble is brewing in Wind River. The Irish and Chinese are up in arms, and the friendly Shoshone stand accused of stealing cattle. Marshal Cole Tyler sets out to track down the saboteurs-lighting a fuse that will set off a bloody massacre.

  #3 WOLF SHADOW

  A stranger brings a blizzard of trouble to Wind River. Two men are dead, and hell freezes over as Cole Tyler investigates the case. But as the bullets fly, Tyler learns it is one thing to stop the slaughter—and another to learn the truth.

  #4 MEDICINE CREEK

  Things don't stay peaceful for long in Wind River as an ancient Shoshone legend sparks a deadly rivalry. Cattlemen face off against each other—and the mysterious powers of Medicine Creek.

  #5 DARK TRAIL

  No one is laying out the welcome mat for the latest visitors to Wind River. These revenge-seeking New Orleans natives send bullets flying in a deadly showdown that could change the face of Wind River forever.

  #6 JUDGMENT DAY

  Not everyone is glad to see the railroad coming to Wind River. Caught in the middle of those for and those against, Marshal Cole Tyler must keep the peace even as events force him to choose sides in the battle for the future of the town.

  #7 RANSOM VALLEY

  The Wyoming Territory settlement of Wind River finds itself under attack by a gang of vicious outlaws. When the ruthless desperadoes take a beautiful young woman hostage, it's up to Marshal Cole Tyler and Texas cowboy Lon Rogers to pursue them and set her free . . . or die trying!

  More to come

  About the Authors

  Lifelong Texans, James Reasoner and L.J. Washburn have been husband and wife, and professional writers for more than thirty years. In that time, they have authored several hundred novels and short stories in numerous genres.

  James is best known for his Westerns, historical novels, and war novels, he is also the author of two mystery novels that have achieved cult classic status, TEXAS WIND and DUST DEVILS. Writing under his own name and various pseudonyms, his novels have garnered praise from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and the Los Angeles Times, as well as appearing on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. He recently won the Peacemaker award for his novel Redemption, Kansas. His website is www.jamesreasoner.com

  Livia J. (L.J.) Washburn has been writing professionally for over 30 years. Washburn received the Private Eye Writers of America award and the American Mystery award for the first Lucas Hallam mystery, WILD NIGHT. Her story “Panhandle Freight” a Hallam story, in The Traditional West anthology, was nominated for a Peacemaker award. Her website is www.liviajwashburn.com

  They live in the small Texas town they grew up in.

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