“Thank you for your trade,” they return.
Though we came away from that Lovell bank empty-handed, we do have what’s left of the Kettner job, and as the dead men’s horses run with us, saddles and gear included, we have their stakes as well. I’m sure Evan considers this as much as do I.
* * * *
Not long after this settlement, we reach a road going south, so we set upon it, only slower now. How good it feels to not be in flight.
“New Mexico okay with you?” I ask Evan as we walk our horses.
“Fine.”
“I figure try things there, stay if to our liking, move on if not. There’s always California, which seems big enough to truly get lost in.”
“You thinking to rob some banks?”
“Nope. I think what happened at Noble’s is a sign of the times. The law is getting too organized now, planning and such. I think outlawry may be on the way out.”
“What then?”
“Look at what’s on the way in,” I say. “Maybe take up a lawful life, do honest work. We’re both able-bodied. We should be able to find employment.”
Evan guides his horse up close to mine, then reaches over to squeeze my thigh. “Let’s find us a spot.”
“For what?” I ask, playing along.
He chuckles. “Well, I’ve a mind to strip away these clothes and run naked.”
My privates stir for what seems the first time in days. “Might have to chase you down.”
“That’s the idea.”
THE END
ABOUT DALE CHASE
Dale Chase has been writing gay men’s erotica for seventeen years with nearly two hundred stories published in magazines and anthologies. In addition, Dale has three published story collections and two novels: Wyatt: Doc Holliday’s Account of an Intimate Friendship from Bold Strokes Books, and Takedown: Taming John Wesley Hardin from Lethe Press.
While Dale occasionally ventures into contemporary fiction, her primary interest remains the old west. She is presently at work on a novel about two cowboy detectives working out of a San Francisco agency in 1876. A California native, Dale lives near San Francisco.
For more information, visit dalechasestrokes.com.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!
