“Pointin’ guns at two men who don’t want any trouble?” Matt said as he and Sam slowly raised their hands to shoulder level.
“We just stopped in your town to pick up some supplies,” Sam added.
A disgusted snort came from one of the men wielding the shotguns. “You don’t expect us to believe that, do you?” he asked. “We know damn good an’ well that you’re scouts for that bastard Shade.”
“Shade?” Matt repeated. “Mister, the only shade I know is the shade under a tree…which would feel pretty good right now, come to think of it.”
“They want a tree,” one of the other men said, “let’s give ’em a tree. Let’s take ’em out and string ’em up!”
Enthusiastic cries of “Yeah!” and “Damn right!” and “String up the dirty owlhoots!” came from the crowd in the saloon. Matt and Sam exchanged worried glances.
If they slapped leather, they might be able to shoot their way out of this. On the other hand, chances are they’d get their heads blown off by those Greeners, and no doubt some of the men in the saloon would be killed, too. Those hombres might not be what anybody would call innocent, but they seemed to be laboring under an honest misapprehension and probably didn’t deserve to die for that mistake.
“Listen to me,” Sam said. “We don’t know anybody named Shade, we’re not scouting for anyone, and we’re not looking for trouble.”
“We’re peaceable men,” Matt added.
“Oh, yeah?” one of the men said with a sneer. “Prove you ain’t part of Shade’s gang!”
“It’s very difficult to prove a negative assumption—” Sam began, stopping when Matt shook his head.
“You’ve got my word on it, and that’s proof enough,” Matt said.
“Why should we believe you ain’t lyin’?”
“Because I’m Matt Bodine…and I don’t take kindly to bein’ called a liar.”
Murmurs of “Bodine!” came from several of the men. The name of Matt Bodine was well known across the frontier, from the Mississippi to the Pacific, from the Rio Grande to the Milk River.
“They say that Bodine travels with a Injun,” one of the men said. “This fella looks part redskin anyway.”
“My name is Sam August Webster Two Wolves,” Sam said, introducing himself. He was proud of his Cheyenne heritage and never denied it.
“Yeah, Two Wolves, that was it!” the man said excitedly. “That’s the name o’ Bodine’s sidekick!”
Sam grimaced, and Matt couldn’t help but chuckle at that description of his blood brother.
“Can we put our hands down now?” he asked. “You’ll take my word for it that we’re not workin’ for that hombre Shade, whoever he is?”
“Joshua Shade is a pure-dee hydrophobia skunk,” growled the old-timer who had been sitting on the saloon porch. He pushed aside the batwings and sauntered into the saloon. He had put away his whittling knife. “Put them guns down, boys. Now that I’ve heard these young fellas’ names, I recollect seein’ pictures of ’em in the rotogravures. They’re Bodine and Two Wolves, all right.”
Matt lowered his hands. “Well, I’m glad somebody around here has sense enough to believe us.”
“I got more sense than you’d think to look at me,” the old-timer drawled. He lifted one corner of the bib front on his overalls that had come unbuttoned and fallen down.
Pinned underneath it was a sheriff’s badge.
“I’ve also got a responsibility to protect this town,” he went on. “I’m the law hereabouts. Name of Cyrus Flagg.”
Sam lowered his hands as well and said, “We’re pleased to meet you, Sheriff Flagg.”
The lawman motioned to the other men in the saloon. “Go on about your drinkin’ and gamblin’ and whorin’,” he instructed them. “I’m gonna buy these two boys a drink.”
“We’d be much obliged for that,” Matt said.
“As well as for interceding on our behalf,” Sam added.
“Figured it was the least I could do, seein’ as how it was me who put these fellas up to throwin’ down on you in the first place.”
“And why was it exactly you did that, Sheriff?” Matt asked.
“Let’s have a sit-down, and I’ll tell you all about it,” Flagg suggested.
He gestured toward an empty table in the corner and called to the bartender to send over three beers. Matt, Sam, and Flagg took chairs at the table, and a moment later a pretty blonde in a low-cut, spangled dress came over carrying a tray with three foaming mugs on it.
The young woman smiled and bent over as she placed the tray in the center of the table, providing a good view of her creamy breasts in the provocative outfit.
“Yeah, they’re pretty as a couple o’ speckled pups, Amelia,” Flagg said. “Maybe later one o’ these boys’d like to take a closer look at ’em. Right now, though, the beer’s all we need.”
“You’re a spoilsport, Sheriff,” the blonde said with a pout.
“Yeah, that’s what folks tell me all the time. Now shoo.”
Amelia flounced off. Flagg sighed and picked up one of the mugs of beer.
