ambush him. But Elliot was nowhere to be seen, and Longarm figured he wouldn’t be walking upright today anyhow since he’d been kicked so hard in the balls.
“You watch out for Elliot,” he said to Irma. “He’s crazy and you never know what a man like that will do to get even.”
“He’s not mad at me.”
“Well, he’s not very happy with you either,” Longarm replied as he found an empty table.
They had a good breakfast and Irma ate like a man. Longarm watched her closely and said, “You haven’t been eating very well, have you?”
“I’ve been trying to earn and save enough money to quit the business, Custis.”
“Go back to Denver and hole up at my place,” he said, dragging out a roll of greenbacks and handing them to her. “This ought to hold you for at least a month—if you don’t spend it on clothes or whiskey.”
She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and looked down at her plate. “I suppose I have been drinking too much along with working too hard.”
“It shows.”
She looked up suddenly, her expression clouded with worry. “Does it really?”
“Yeah,” Longarm replied, not wishing to be unkind but very much wanting her to know that he could see the physical toll her life was taking despite her youth and beauty. “Irma, find a job in Denver. An honest job.”
“Like what?”
“Like working in a store. With your looks and personality, you could sell anything.”
“You think so?”
“Sure!”
Irma slipped the money into her dress. “All right. I’ll get a regular job and I’ll even hold it until you return. I’ll lay off the whiskey and get a lot of rest. And I’ll eat right. You’ll see me as a new woman and I’ll be so dazzling to your sex-starved eyes that you’ll probably propose marriage to me the minute we first meet.”
He chuckled and set about finishing up his breakfast, saying, “That doesn’t sound all bad. I’d like you to dazzle me, Irma. Even more than you already have.”
Longarm was surprised to see tears spring to her eyes. “What’s the matter?” he asked with concern.
“I dunno,” she said, using a napkin to blow her nose. “I’m just not sure that I can ever change. I’ve been a whore so long that …”
“Shhhh!” Longarm whispered, reaching across the table. “You’re still a young woman. You’re bright, fun, and beautiful. You turn men’s heads and make us smile. Don’t put yourself down anymore.”
She sniffled. “Thanks, but I’m still a whore and I’ll be doing it with Joe in a few more minutes.”
Longarm stood up and paid his check. “To hell with that,” he said gruffly. “I’ll pay Joe for the use of Splash and you’ll owe him nothing. How does that sound?”
Irma stood up and, oblivious of everyone in the place, threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, then hugged him tight. “I love you!” she shouted loud enough to be heard up and down the street.
Longarm loved her too. He wasn’t going to get married, but Irma really mattered to him, and so he looked around the cafe proudly and then held out his arm. Together, they walked outside just as dignified as if he were the mayor of Jasper Rock and Irma was his proud wife.
Ten minutes later, he had paid Joe for the use of his paint and was on his way to Leadville. Joe looked devastated, but Irma was radiant. Maybe she would jump into the hay with Joe, but Longarm had a feeling that, if she did, she’d do it for free. Irma loved to make love and, well, moral judgments aside … that was just Irma being Irma.
Chapter 10
It was a fine morning and, if Longarm hadn’t been in a big hurry to reach Leadville, he would have taken his time and enjoyed the ride. Splash was a spirited but sensible animal blessed with an easy jog, a soft lope, and a very fast walk, which was always appreciated. Longarm found that he liked Splash much better than Target, although he sort of missed the mule.
The mining road that he followed was empty except for an occasional ore wagon. Longarm passed several of these wagons as he began a steep climb up through heavily wooded country. To his right the mountain dropped off very sharply, and Longarm could see a glistening stream down in the gorge below. Once, he saw the wreckage of a big freight wagon and the bones of what had been its team of horses or mules. That didn’t surprise Longarm because the drop-off was so steep.
He was about eight miles from Leadville and still admiring the views when an ambusher suddenly openedfire. Longarm felt the slug burn across his ribs, and then a second bullet creased his shoulder. Exposed without any nearby cover, he tried to leap from Splash, but the horse spun and sent him tumbling over the mountainside. Longarm attempted to stop his fall, but he was engulfed in a rolling, dust-boiling rock slide that carried him all the way to the bottom of the gorge and even a little way into the rushing stream. Battered, dazed, and bleeding, he lay still and half buried for several moments, trying to collect his wits and decide if he was severely injured or just banged up and bullet-creased in a couple of places.
He could still move his fingers and toes, which was a good sign, but the bad news was that everything except his head was covered with about two feet of rock.
“Damn!” he swore in the thick, choking dust as he struggled to dig himself out from under the blanket of shale that was still sliding across his body.
He finally managed to extract himself before the rock slide really cut loose and buried him alive. The dust was so thick Longarm couldn’t see a thing, but he had no doubt that the ambusher was still up on the road and probably had his finger on the trigger of his rifle waiting for the dust to clear. With that in mind, it seemed imperative to Longarm that he find some cover and get hunkered down for whatever was to happen next.
