“Well, knowin’ that’ll make me sleep better at night while I’m in town.”
“Yeah, me, too.” Archie frowned. “You’d better be careful, roaming around the countryside like you do, Ed. You might run right into that bad bunch.”
“I sure wouldn’t want to do that. I figure if I ever saw that Joshua Shade, I’d plumb die o’ fright right then and there.”
As if just talking about the infamous outlaw leader made him nervous, Ed’s hand shook as he raised the mug to his lips and drank down the rest of the beer.
Matt had paid just enough attention to follow the conversation between the bartender and the old prospector, although he had been somewhat interested in the talk about posting lookouts on the bank and the hotel. That sounded like a good idea to him, too, although it didn’t matter all that much to him since he and Sam would probably only be in Arrowhead for one night.
At that moment, Sam and Amelia came in through a door in the rear of the barroom. Sam looked vaguely embarrassed but happy, and Amelia had a big smile on her face. Matt grinned and lifted his mug of beer in a salute to them.
Sam said something to Amelia, who came up on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek. Then he walked over to join Matt at the bar.
“Ready to go get something to eat?” Matt asked.
“Yeah, I am. Fact of the matter is, I’m pretty hungry.”
On the other side of the bar, Archie chuckled and said, “What’d I tell you?”
Sam frowned. “What’s he talking about?”
“Never mind,” Matt said. “We’re goin’ to Hernando’s.”
“What’s that?”
“Place with the best steaks in town.”
“Sounds good,” Sam said. “Lead me to it.”
Hernando’s turned out to be a narrow, hole-in-the-wall sort of place, but the smells that filled the air had the blood brothers licking their lips as soon as they went in. Hernando was a little fella with a lush, luxuriant mustache that curled up on the ends, and he greeted them with a big smile.
There were only three tables in the cafe and two of them were occupied, so Matt and Sam grabbed the empty one while they had a chance and ordered steaks with all the trimmings. When Hernando brought the food, they found that it was as good as Archie had said it would be.
Matt saw what the bartender meant about the spices, though. The steaks had a definite kick to them.
Once they were finished with the meal, they paid Hernando and promised that they would be back before they left Arrowhead. “Come back in the morning for my
“We’ll just have to see about that,” Matt said with a grin of his own.
As they strolled back toward the hotel, Matt asked, “You want to stop at the saloon again for another drink?”
Sam stifled a yawn. “Actually, I think I’d rather turn in. We rode quite a ways today.”
“Yeah, I reckon you’d be tired, all right, after that long…ride.”
“Damn it, Matt—”
Matt dug an elbow into his blood brother’s ribs. “Take it easy. I’m just joshin’ you.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And it could be that I’m just jealous. Amelia’s a mighty pretty girl after all, especially for a soiled dove.”
“She’s just doing that for now, until she makes enough money to go to San Francisco.”
“Oh. I see.”
“You don’t believe her?”
“I didn’t say that.”
A rueful smile crept over Sam’s face. “Yeah, she was probably just telling me the same thing she tells everybody who goes with her. But maybe it was true. You never know.”
“You sure don’t,” Matt agreed. “Anything can happen.” He pointed with his thumb. “Here’s the hotel.”
They went inside, claimed their keys from the desk clerk, and headed up to the second floor. On the way, Matt told Sam about how Sheriff Flagg had posted sentries on the roof, as well as on top of the bank.
“Good idea,” Sam agreed. “I hope Joshua Shade stays far away from this town, though.”
“At least while we’re here,” Matt said. “You know how we love to avoid trouble.”
Chapter 5
The man on top of the hotel was named Charlie Cornwell, and he was having one hell of a time staying awake. It seemed like he had to yawn every few seconds, and each yawn just made him sleepier.
He worked as a hostler at the livery stable and also as a part-time deputy for Sheriff Flagg, and he had put in
