'They want me, not you.'
'I'm just as fast, Cole.'
'No, you're not.' Ryan's smile took Cole by surprise, and he would
have asked Ryan why he was so amused if the gunslinger on his right
hadn't shouted at him.
'My name's Eagle, Clayborne, and I'm here to take you out. Turn and
face me, you lily-livered bastard. I'm gonna draw on you, damn your
hide.' The competing gunslinger wasn't about to be left out. 'My
name's Riley, Clayborne, and I'm the man who's going to kill you. '
The gunslingers Cole had encountered so far had all been stupid. This
pair, he decided, wasnwt the exception.
'I should probably do something about those two, ' Ryan said.
'Like what? Are you thinking about arresting them? ' 'Maybe.' His
casual attitude was irritating. 'What kind of a marshal are you? ' 'A
damned good one.' Cole clenched his jaw. 'You're sure full of
yourself.'
'I know my strengths. I know yours, too.' Cole's patience was gone.
'Why don't you go on inside with the sheriff, and you can tell me all
about your strengths after I'm finished here.'
'Are you telling me to get out of your way? ' 'Yeah, I am.'
'I'm not going anywhere. Besides, I've got a plan, ' he said with a
gesture toward one of the gunslingers.
'I've got a plan too, Cole replied.
'Mine's better.'
'Is that right? ' 'Yes. On the count of three, we both drop to the
ground and let them kill each other.' In spite of his dark mood, the
picture Ryan painted made Cole grin.
'That would be real nice if it worked, but neither one of them is close
enough to hit the other. Besides, I'd get my new shirt all dirty
dropping to the ground.'
'What's your plan? ' Ryan asked.
'Kill one, then dive, roll, and kill the other.'
'Seems to me you're going to get that brand-new shirt dirty with your
plan too.'
