'That's three men, then. At least.'
'We're in deep trouble, aren't we, Frank?'
'Well ... yes and no. To get behind us would take some doing. It's all nearly wide-open meadow for a long way on either side of us. An Indian could do it easy enough, but these men aren't Indians.'
'The question is, who are they and what do they want?'
'You or me, or both of us.'
'So we do ... what?'
'We wait, Viv. By now they're sure to have figured out we've spotted them, so surprise is out of their plans. That's a plus for us.'
'The minus is, there appears to be only one easy way into this valley, right?'
Frank smiled. 'You're still a very observant lady, Viv. That's right. There are a half-dozen ways in and out, but only one easy way. And they've got it covered.'
'And the other ways out?'
'Rough. Danger of slides, mostly. To the north is completely out of the question. That pass is controlled by the Pine and Vanbergen gangs.'
'Well ... we've got a little food and plenty of water. I can stand to lose a few pounds, anyway.'
Frank chuckled. 'You're a tough lady, Viv. Tougher now than when we first met.'
'Dealing with male heads of business and shifty attorneys can do that.'
'I 'spect you're had plenty of practice in dealing with both over the years.'
'Running a conglomerate of businesses is tough enough for a man in a man's world, Frank. Being a woman makes it doubly tough.'
The ugly whine of a bullet put an end to that conversation. The bullet slammed into a tree behind the pinned-down pair and tore off bits of bark.
'They sure know where we are,' Viv remarked, raising her head and looking around.
Frank did not immediately reply. He was trying to determine where the bullet came from. He had a hunch it came from the location of a fourth man. Finally he said, 'I'm sure there is another man behind the rocks near the entrance to the valley, Viv. That makes four.'
'The odds just keep getting worse.'
'We've got good cover, and that bullet came nowhere near us. I'm not even sure they know exactly where we are. They may be just trying to flush us.'
'You will excuse me if I don't share your cool calmness, Frank. I'm a stranger to this type of thing.'
'You're doing fine, Viv.' He looked up at the sun. About five hours of good daylight left, maybe less. 'If it comes to it, Viv, I can lead us out on foot come dark.'
Another bullet bowled into the copse of trees; then several more came whistling in.
'I think they have guessed we're here, Frank.'
'I think so, too. This was the logical place for us to take cover.'
'I counted four rifles.'
'Yes. Me, too. I think someone is using a .32-.20. Another sounds like a .45-.70.'
'Is all that supposed to mean something to me?'
Frank grinned at her. 'When we get out of this pickle I'll give you a short course in firearms.'
'I can hardly wait. In more ways than one.'
The gunmen on the ridges and in the rocks opened up again, and Frank and Vivian could do nothing but huddle behind cover, all thoughts of talk obliterated by the roar of gunfire and the bowling of bullets.
'This is beginning to make me mad,' Frank muttered, when the gunfire ceased for a moment.
Viv looked at him in astonishment. She had taken off her hat, and her hair was just slightly disheveled. Her white blouse was spotted with dirt and grass stains. 'You're just now getting angry, Frank?'
'Yeah. That bunch of yellow bastards over yonder is really annoying me now.' He lifted his rifle to his shoulder and mentally figured the range before squeezing off a round. The bullet was low, and he compensated for that before squeezing off another round. This time the bullet must have come very close to the hidden sniper, for both Frank and Viv heard a yelp of surprise.
'You hit?' the question was shouted.
'Naw. But that bastard can shoot.'
'We all knowed that startin' off, Dick.'
There was more conversation between the snipers, but it was so faint neither Frank nor Viv could make out the words.
Then one of the gunman called, 'This ain't workin' out, boys.'
Frank and Viv looked at each other.
