The conductor came down the aisle. “Rusty Spur,” he sang. “Everyone off for Rusty Spur!”
Snake grabbed his sleeve. “You know the sheriff here?”
“Heard of him.” The old man nodded. “Sheriff Witherspoon, one tough Texan.”
“What’s he look like?” If he had the wrong man, Snake might stay on the train.
“Tall, dark, maybe some Injun blood. Ladies say he’s real handsome. Best sheriff this town ever saw.”
Snake grinned. That sounded like Larado, all right.
The conductor continued down the aisle as the train slowed. “Rusty Spur, coming into Rusty Spur! All off for Rusty Spur.”
Snake looked out the window. Those three idiot brothers were standing on the platform. They all looked so drunk, they couldn’t hit the ground with their hats in three tries. Now what was he gonna do with those coyotes? They were amusing, so he’d keep them for a while and maybe kill them later when they annoyed him. He stood up on the swaying lead coach and grinned. It was going to be a good day if he got to kill that double-crossing Larado. Maybe there was a saloon and a fat bank, too. No use wasting the opportunity.
The train slowed to a stop, and Snake slouched down the aisle. There didn’t seem to be anyone getting off but him. He caught the old conductor by the sleeve. “What’s goin’ on here? I don’t see a soul on the streets.”
The conductor nodded. “Hear there’s a manhunt, most of the men gone on a posse.”
Wasn’t that just great? Snake grinned even wider and rubbed the red scar on his forehead, then he stepped down off the train. “Hello, boys.”
The brothers staggered toward him. “We brought the message like you said. You gonna have a showdown?”
“Shut up,” he ordered. “Wait until the train gets out of the station before we start any trouble.” He strode out onto the platform and looked around. Yes, a promising little town with surely a big fat bank. And all the men were gone—no doubt the posse was riding toward the border. He grinned at the irony. The lawmen were on a wild goose chase looking for him, and here he was in town. What a joke on them. He put his thumbs in his gun belt. “Sheriff in town?”
The fat brother nodded. “Think so.”
Snake took a deep breath, pulled his pistol, and checked the cylinders to make sure it was fully loaded. He’d emptied it last when he killed that rancher and took the cash box for enough to buy his ticket and then some. Behind him, the train idled, steam drifting along the wooden platform in the hot noon air. “Let’s go, boys.”
He started off the platform, the trio trailing along uncertainly behind him. Snake didn’t look back, but he could hear the conductor yelling, “Five minutes, we’ll be here only five more minutes.”
Snake walked slowly down the deserted main street. There might be someone on the train who would object to what he was about to do, or at least wire ahead for some Rangers. He’d give Larado ten more minutes of life so the train would be gone from the station. He hoped the saddle bum appreciated his generosity.
The wind blew dust down the deserted street, and he had a feeling there were people watching silently from behind lace curtains. He didn’t care if women and old geezers saw him; he’d give them something to talk about. “You,” he nodded toward the skinny brother, “go over there where no one can see you, shinny up that pole, and cut the telegraph wires.”
“Me?”
“I said you, didn’t I? If they didn’t already take you serious and send for help, I don’t want them doin’ it now. I’m gonna tree this town. We’ll kill the sheriff, rob the bank, and have some drinks. Then we’ll drag the prettiest women out of their houses and enjoy them.”
The three grinned. “Is that what real outlaws do?”
“Sure. Ain’t you been readin’ them Wild West stories?”
Behind him, he heard the conductor shouting, “All aboard! All aboard! Get on board, folks, we’re leavin’.”
He glanced back. Indeed, the train was puffing as the steam built up, and it whistled a warning.
“All aboard!” the conductor yelled. “Last call, all aboard!”
Snake grinned and looked up and down the road. No one was stepping out to challenge him. “In just a minute,” he promised to the nervous trio behind him, “we’re gonna kill us a sheriff.”
He kept walking down the middle of the deserted street.
Chapter Twenty-One
Dixie hurried down the alley toward the train that was about to pull out of the station, pausing only to mail her letter. Barclay would find out too late that she was gone. Her only regret was that she hadn’t managed to get the money out of the safe. Oh, hell, Abner Snootley had plenty of money. She was very careful to go to the far side of the train and hurry aboard the last coach. She went down the aisle, searching. There he was.
Snootley looked up, his one long lock of hair swirled and greased down to cover his bald spot. He greeted her, reeking of peppermint. “There you are. I was afraid you weren’t coming.”
“Naw, I was just bein’ careful.” Dixie took a deep breath and they both looked out the dirty window past the station and down Main Street beyond. There were four men starting down the street, and one of them looked familiar. “Oh my Gawd, I—I know that hombre.”
It was Snake, there was no doubt of it. He had his back to her, but there was no mistaking him. Three ridiculous-looking fellows greeted him and they walked a moment, turning toward the bank. Snake hadn’t seen her. She slid down in her seat with a sigh of relief. She was clearing out of town just in time.
“Oh, Lord,” Abner Snootley groaned.
“What?”
He gestured, then slid down in his seat. “My wife, getting off the front coach. I didn’t think she’d be back ’til next week. She was shopping and visiting her sister.”
Dixie peered over the edge of the window at the broad back and massive purple hat with its plumes. It was Bertha Snootley, all right, no doubt about it. “Well, she ain’t seen you. By the time she gets to the store and figures out what’s happened, we’ll be long gone.”
He nodded and smiled, popped another peppermint between his yellow teeth, and crushed it. “That’s right, isn’t it? I didn’t leave anything in the cash register but a good-bye note. She’ll have to go to work as a maid or try to run the store herself, and she always hated working.”
“Serves Mrs. Snooty right,” Dixie grinned. “Oh my Gawd, I don’t believe it. Look who else is comin’ aboard.”
Lark was out of breath as she boarded the last coach and hurried down the aisle. The train shuddered as if it was about to move. Tears blinded her, and her emotions were asunder over Larado. She put her valises on the overhead brass rack and collapsed onto a seat.
“Hey, what you doin’ here?”
She opened her eyes at the familiar voice and saw Dixie across the aisle, sitting next to the shop owner. “I might ask you the same thing.”
Dixie looked puzzled. “So we’re all rats leavin’ a sinkin’ ship?”
“I—I don’t know.” Lark didn’t want to talk to the woman or even wonder what she was doing on this train.
“You’re leavin’ Larado?” Dixie sounded astonished.
Lark nodded. “It was just no good between us, and he’s such a fool. I tried to get him to go with me, but he was determined to stay and protect the town if Snake showed up.”
“He showed up—look.” Dixie pointed out the dirty window at the big ugly man now striding toward the bank.
“All aboard!” the conductor yelled. “All aboard!”
The train shuddered again and blew steam, whistling one last time in warning.
Lark felt tears begin to overflow and trickle down her face. “Larado’s a fool. He can’t stand up to Snake in a gunfight, and I’m not going to stay and see him get killed.”
Dixie frowned at her. “You’re a idiot, you know that?”
“How dare you—?”
“No, I mean it, honey.” Her voice was as hard and cynical as her eyes. �
�You’re leaving him to face danger on his own? What kind of woman are you?”
The train began to tremble and hiss, moving very slowly.
“I—I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. Larado loves you—I’ve seen it in his eyes. Now you’re gonna run like a scared rabbit and not do anything to help him? A real Texas gal wouldn’t do that.”
Lark stared out the window, letting the words sink in as the train began to pull out of the station. Dixie was right. All her life, Lark had fled when she was faced with tough decisions instead of standing her ground. Now she was deserting the man she loved just when he needed her most. Oh God, she was a coward—and Texans hated cowards.
The train was moving. In another minute they would be away from the town of Rusty Spur, and she wouldn’t have to watch Larado die. In her mind, she saw him crumpling into the dirt and no one there to help him.
By God, not if there was anything she could do to stop it! She jumped up, grabbing her bags and running down the aisle.
“What the—?” Abner Snootley said, but Lark didn’t answer. She ran to the end of the coach and threw her valises out, watching the ground crawling slowly past. She was going to have to jump from a moving train. She almost wavered, then she saw Larado’s rugged face in her mind. Whatever she could do to stop Snake, she had to do it. Taking a deep breath, she leaped. She hit the ground hard and fell, rolling over and over. She lay there a moment, decided nothing was broken, and struggled to her feet, dusting herself off. She turned and watched the train disappearing over the horizon.
Aboard the train, Dixie and Abner watched in disbelief.
The man shook his head. “If that don’t beat all!”
Dixie sighed, wishing she loved a man enough to take the chances Lark was about to take. If Larado had ever shown the slightest interest in Dixie…Well, money was all she could count on. She’d used good timing, since Snake might have killed her too. As it was, it appeared he was going to rob the bank—and if Barclay resisted, he might find himself dead. “I think that outlaw is gonna rob my husband’s bank,” she laughed. “Too bad I couldn’t get it open before I left.”
The train was rushing along now, picking up speed as they left Rusty Spur behind.
Abner’s homely face went pale. “What—what do you mean? You haven’t got any of the money from the bank?”
She shook her head. “Naw, but with what you got from your store, we can live pretty good, can’t we?”
He began to laugh. He laughed and laughed in a way that scared Dixie. “What the hell you laughin’ about? Tell me—tell me what’s so damned funny?”
He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “It’s just so ironic. We’re both a pair of fools.”
“What?”
He shook his head and kept laughing as the train raced along the tracks, picking up speed now as it left Rusty Spur far behind. “You’ve got no money—I’ve got no money. We’re both a pair of damned fools!”
“We’re—we’re both broke?”
He was laughing too hard to do anything but nod.
Oh God. She had a sinking, desperate feeling. She’d always made wrong decisions, and now it had happened again.
Lark stumbled to her feet, bruised and sore, trying to decide what action to take. She’d seen Snake and his friends heading toward the bank. Maybe she still had time to help Larado—but what to do? Maybe she could at least warn him Snake was coming and he wasn’t alone. The sheriff’s office was farther down the street. She went through the alley to avoid being seen, heading toward Larado’s office.
Snake walked into the bank. The fat man behind the cage was counting bills as he looked up with a greasy smile. “Welcome to First National Bank of Rusty Spur, what can I do for—”
“You can give me all your damned money,” Snake growled and pulled his pistol.
“You! I recognize your voice!” The fat man’s voice quavered. “You robbed my bank at Buck Shot.”
Snake grinned. “I thought you looked familiar, fat man. Now hand over the money.”
The other hesitated. “I—I’ll have to open the safe.”
“I got time—open ’er up.”
The banker’s pale hands shook as he fiddled with the dials on the big safe.
“Wait a minute,” Slim said. “We could get in trouble for robbin’ a bank.”
“No.” The other two set up a chorus. “We want to be buckaroos, but we don’t want no trouble with the law. Why, you can go to jail for that.”
“I’ll show you trouble,” Snake snapped, annoyed with the banker because he was taking so long. As the safe door swung open, very deliberately, Snake shot the banker in the back.
“Oh my Gawd!” howled the trio. They turned and stampeded out the door.
Snake chuckled as he went around behind the teller’s cage. They’d just saved him the trouble of killing all them later so he wouldn’t have to split the loot. The banker was still breathing. Snake grabbed his limp arm and dragged him out of the way. “Snake Hudson,” he laughed, “just makin’ a withdrawal.”
He reached into the open safe and grabbed two big bank bags. Abruptly he remembered what had happened before. He wasn’t going to be tricked this time and get a bagful of coins. He checked them both. One of the bags held real money, the other chopped paper. Now just what the hell was the banker trying to pull? Well, it didn’t matter. He had the money. Now all he wanted was to kill Larado for double-crossing him and clear out of town.
Larado had heard the train puff into the station. He took a deep breath and stood up, looking up at the clock. He wondered if Snake Hudson was on that train, then hoped against hope that he was not.
He checked his pistol again with nervous fingers, knowing it couldn’t make much difference. He had no chance against a top gun like Snake. He pulled his hat down hard on his head, put his crutch under his arm, and opened the door. The warm summer air blew gently though the office. Somewhere in the distance, he heard the train whistling and chugging as it picked up speed.
Then he heard a single shot. “What the—?” He hobbled out onto the wooden sidewalk and looked down the street. All he saw was that idiot trio of greenhorns mounting up and attempting to get their old nags into a gallop as they headed out of town across the tracks, disappearing into the landscape beyond. He forgot about Snake, forgot about everything except that his only love was probably on that train. Even now he wanted to run after it and make her get off, but it was too late. He’d lost her forever because of the choice he’d made.
He’d lost his love, but he’d found his honor. Up to now, he hadn’t had any. At least now he felt like a real man. He had to protect this town. Where had that shot come from? It sounded like it had come from the bank. The street out front was deserted, the heat waves rising up from the sun-baked ground. He started hobbling toward the bank.
Lark ran down the alley behind the sheriff’s office. If she could reach Larado in time, she could warn him Snake was in town. At least he wouldn’t get surprised. She ran past the pen behind her shop. Oh darn, Magnolia was out again—but that wasn’t important now. She was breathless when she burst through the back door of the sheriff’s office. Too late. The front door stood open, the breeze blowing through. Had that shot she’d heard been Snake killing Larado? She ran to the front door and looked out. Larado had his back to her, hobbling down the street toward the bank. Then she saw Snake come out of the bank building. Oh dear Lord, what should she do now?
She whirled and noted the gun rack in the sheriff’s office. There was a shotgun and a couple of rifles. The shotgun would do more damage, but only at a short distance. She grabbed the Winchester rifle.
What to do now? Lark was a good shot, better than most of the cowboys on her uncle’s ranch. Her uncle Trace had taught her well. She peeked out the front window. She didn’t have time to get behind Snake, but what else could she do to help Larado? Then she saw the two-story hotel across the way and got a desperate idea. She took the rifle, going out the b
ack door and around the building. She waited a split second, then ran across the street and into the alley behind the hotel. There was a ladder on the back of the building leading to the roof. With her long yellow dress and the rifle in her hand, it was difficult to climb—but she knew she had to do it or watch Larado die. She’d give her life to save his, she knew that now. For whatever it was worth, she was through running.
Lark crawled across the flat roof of the second story of the hotel. Keeping her head low, she peered over the edge. Snake Hudson stood in front of the bank, facing Larado and grinning, his hand well away from his gun belt. “Hey, you! Let’s throw in together! I’ve got the money. Let’s ride out of town together and enjoy it!”
Larado took a deep breath. With his poor vision, the man at the end of the street was a fuzzy image. “Throw down the money and clear out of town, Snake, if you want to live!”
“All right, you double-crossin’, yellow-bellied sonovabitch!” Snake shouted. “Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance! It’s about time we had a showdown.”
Larado leaned on his crutch, watching the dim image of the man at the end of the street. He’d have to get much closer to have any chance of hitting him. “You don’t want to do this, Snake. You kill me, they’ll hang you!”
Snake threw back his head and laughed. “Hell, I’m already scheduled to hang! They can’t hang me twice! Are you all that’s standin’ between me, and all this money, and the pretty women in this town?”
“I am,” Larado admitted.
“Then they’re in a hell of a bad fix, you cripple!”
He could say that again. Larado hesitated, thinking of Lark. Maybe she’d been right. Life had been so sweet with her in his arms. The July breeze whipped a tumbleweed past his boots. In the hotel’s front window, he could see a small, strained face looking out. Jimmy. It wasn’t good for the boy to see a man shot down. All up and down the street, he sensed that people were watching from behind their curtains, afraid and knowing that Larado was all that stood between them and this killer. When Larado went down, the whole town would be at Snake’s mercy. He hobbled a little closer, hesitating.
Georgina Gentry - To Tease a Texan Page 31