“That’s what I aim to find out,” Nick said as he strapped the holster around his waist and stuffed the extra bullets into his pockets.
Suddenly, Catherine took special interest in the gun at Nick’s side. “Wait a second. You only kept the holster in there? When did you start carrying that gun around again?”
“I never stopped, Catherine. We may be starting a new life, but that don’t mean the old one will just forget all about me.”
“It won’t if you keep digging it up and—”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with me,” Nick cut in. “It’s got something to do with the rest of that gang. They intend on cleaning out the Van Meter place, and that kid I spotted must be a part of it. That’s why they didn’t want me to tell anyone else about it.”
“You told me,” she pointed out. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“Sit tight and keep the shotgun ready, but I doubt you’ll need it. Those boys who came after me didn’t have the first clue who I was, so they’ve got no reason to know about you.”
Catherine took a deep breath and lowered herself onto a chair. “Are you sure they weren’t just some bunch of cowboys?”
“I know killers when I see them, and these boys have taken shots at plenty more men than me. Not many more, but enough so they got a taste for it.”
Catherine wanted to ask how Nick could be so certain, but she stopped short because she already knew the answer. She also knew there was nothing she could say to convince Nick to put his gun away and see a doctor about the bloody stain on his shirt. “Are you at least going to talk to the sheriff about these men?”
Nick looked up from what he was doing and was silent. The expression on his face was a mix of hesitation and bewilderment. Finally, he said, “That might be a good idea.”
Catherine laughed and rubbed Nick’s shoulder. “I think so. I know you’re not used to working with the law, but this sort of thing is what they get paid to do.”
“Fine. You get the sheriff and tell him to go out to the Van Meter ranch. I’ll meet him there.”
“You’re still going?” she asked.
“Of course I am. I just needed to stop here to make sure I had enough ammunition.”
“How much do you need?”
“More than my pockets can hold.”
FOUR
Even though he’d seen the sky shift from one color to another and could feel the air growing cooler by the minute, Nick was surprised at just how quickly the light had been sucked away.
Rasa had had a busy day, and so Nick saddled up his other horse and snapped the reins. Kazys was a bit younger, but had spent the better part of two years pulling a wagon. Nick’s concerns about the horse’s speed were put to rest as he soon felt the wind rushing against his face.
He rode with one hand gripping the reins and the other hand upon his holstered pistol. Nick got through town without incident and quickly saw the flicker of lanterns behind windows fade away. That left the wide expanse of land beyond Ocean, which was now as black as sackcloth.
The door to the small office swung open and smacked loudly against the wall, causing the two men inside to sit bolt upright behind their desks. When they saw Catherine storming inside, they jumped to their feet.
“Sheriff Stilson, you need to go to the Van Meter place,” she said.
“What’s the matter?” asked the first man to reach Catherine’s side. In his mid-forties, he had a full head of light brown hair and sideburns that extended down to his chin. His features were angular. The hands he placed on Catherine’s shoulders were thick and beefy.
“There’s men riding out there,” she said, twisting out of the man’s grasp. “They shot at my husband.”
Both men’s eyes darted to Catherine’s left hand, but neither one of them saw a ring on her finger. Suddenly, Stilson nodded. “Oh, you’re the undertaker’s wife.”
“Yes, I am.”
“He’s been shot?”
“Yes!”
“What happened?”
Catherine sucked in a deep breath. From the corner of her eye, she could see Stilson’s deputy studying her closely. The man was at least fifteen years younger than the sheriff and had a bushy mustache. His bulky arms were propped on his hips and his eyes were practically glued to Catherine’s bosom.
Placing one hand flat against her chest to cover herself, she pretended to be out of breath as she said, “My husband’s gone to help Mister Van Meter. From what he told me, you should do the same. There’s a bunch of men headed out there to rob him or…”
“Or what?”
Catherine didn’t like the tone in the lawman’s voice. “I told you my husband’s been shot,” she said sternly. “He went off to lend a hand where it’s needed and I thought he was wrong not to come here first. Maybe he wasn’t so wrong after all.”
“Where did he see these men?” the sheriff asked.
“At the graveyard. They rode through and then some came back to shoot him.”
“And you’re certain they were going to the Van Meter place?”
She nodded. “That’s where he went when he should have gone to the doctor about his wound.”
“I’ll ride out there to see to it myself,” Stilson said.
“You may need more men. Nick said there were—”
“I’ll round up another deputy or two along the way,” the sheriff interrupted, “but I need to leave Ben here at the office in case something else comes up.”
Catherine’s first impulse was not to believe what the sheriff said. Then again, she’d found it was healthier not to believe what most folks said when they started the conversation eyeing her like she was a slab of meat. “I’ll come with you,” she offered.
“That won’t be necessary, ma’am. You should go on home and wait for your husband.” Stilson didn’t even try to hide his distaste. “If he comes back early, I’m sure you’ll want to know about it.”
“Fine.” With that, she turned her back to the lawmen and headed out the door. Sheriff Stilson followed behind her, mounted his horse, and rode down the street. Catherine watched to make certain the lawman was headed in the direction of Van Meter’s ranch. After that, there wasn’t much else for her to do. She walked home before the deputy with the wandering eyes offered his services as an escort.
The Van Meter ranch sat five miles south of Ocean. Kazys began straining and wheezing halfway there, but Nick knew the animal could push on a little farther. If those killers figured he was dead, there was no reason for them to run their horses to death to get where they were going.
Then again, those killers also had a head start and, undoubtedly, much younger horses.
The shadows had taken over the landscape and the pale glow of the half-moon wasn’t nearly enough to chase them away. Even after Nick’s eyes had adjusted to the dark, he was wary of riding at a full gallop. The trail was dangerous. Anything from snakes, rocks, or rodent holes could be lying under the cover of darkness. Any one of those things could break the horse’s leg or possibly snap Nick’s neck in a fall.
Nick weighed what he’d learned about those gunmen and thought about the rancher they were out to meet. On the other hand, he couldn’t do anyone any good if he was lying hurt or lost his horse in the middle of this open stretch of land.
Nick swore under his breath and pulled back on his reins. Kazys maintained as best he could.
FIVE
