The ground was still hard, so he kept the rapid pace to eke out as much distance as possible before having to slow.
_____
Jake was just three miles away as Dave hurriedly doused his fire and cleaned up after his supper. The wind was rattling the walls of the saddlery, the rain was drumming overhead, and thunderclaps were shaking the building with increasing regularity as flashes of lightning lit up the night.
Dave needed to quickly move some of his things away from surprise leaks, but there weren’t as many as he’d expected. Once everything was in a dry spot, he walked to the back window to watch the storm. Nature was creating an impressive show that put most human plays to shame.
He wasn’t expecting to see Jake so soon, but still watched the south road. As the lightning flashed overhead turning the dark landscape into day for just a moment, it generated an odd effect. As the cloud-to-cloud lightning’s frequency increased, he found it mesmerizing. Anything that moved was frozen in time until the next flash. Then it would be like a photograph for an instant but in a different position. Dave wondered what it would look like if a rider passed by at a gallop.
_____
Jake was leaning into the wind with his light gray Stetson’s brim being pushed down over his eyes. He knew he was close to Woman’s Breast but wasn’t sure how much farther he had to go. He had the sorrel at a walk now because the ground was becoming thick with mud. When a nearby lightning strike had released a massive explosion of thunder, the horse had been spooked and almost tossed him from the saddle. But he’d calmed the gelding and continued to ride north into the teeth of the storm.
_____
Dave was still at the window watching the storm more than the road. The roadway was being illuminated by the cloud lightning every two or three seconds now and he’s seen some awesome bolts rip down to the ground. It was so spectacular, that he almost wished that the storm would rage for another hour.
He laughed as a massive thunderclap violently shook the building. He hadn’t seen the lightning that created the explosion because it must have been on the north side of town. He wished he had seen the massive bolt that had spawned the impressive roar.
Dave was hoping to see one on his side of town when a rapid sequence of cloud flashes lit up the road. He stared at the unseen landscape as the darkness and rain now obscured what the lightning had momentarily revealed. He thought he’d seen a rider but wasn’t sure.
He waited for the next flash of electricity in the sky to confirm the brief image. It seemed as if it was more than a minute before the next one, but it was just three seconds. When the cloud lightning flashed overhead, Dave was certain that he saw a rider about a half a mile away. He knew he wasn’t a lawman because he was alone and only Jake would face the ire of the massive thunderstorm to find him.
He picked up the Martini-Henry, checked to make sure the hammer was cocked then watched the road.
Jake didn’t know how close he was to the town as his vision was still blocked by his hat’s brim. He was more concerned that the sorrel might be startled again than he was about his location. He was convinced that Dave would be hunkered down inside one of the buildings and he’d find him before Dave even knew he was in town.
Dave knew exactly where Jake was, but as he watched Jake walk his horse closer, everything seemed incredibly eerie. The lightning would reveal Jake on his horse fighting the wind and rain, but then he’d disappear. When he rematerialized, his appearance wouldn’t change, but he’d be another twenty yards closer.
For more than a minute, Dave was mesmerized. Then he realized that he was losing his perfect opportunity. Jake was already less than four hundred yards out and well within range.
The Martini-Henry’s hammer was ready to fire, so Dave decided to wait until Jake was within two hundred yards to be sure of a kill. Jake was moving at such a regular pace that he’d be able to set his sights to where he should be when the next lightning flashed.
He continued to watch Jake as he drew closer with his steady but sporadically visible approach. When Jake was less than three hundred yards away, Dave set up for the killing shot.
He slid the rifle’s barrel out the window and rested the forearm on the bottom sill to increase its accuracy. He knelt on the floor and peered down the sights. This would be a much easier shot than those on the pass.
With his finger on the trigger, he waited for that next flash of lightning to expose Jake. Two seconds later, the storm granted his wish.
_____
When the lightning struck it was so close that it seemed as if the sun had exploded nearby. The sorrel reared again, and Jake felt the powerful blast strike him on his left side. He was tossed out of the saddle and slammed into the muddy ground. He was stunned for a few seconds, then thought he’d been shot and grabbed at his side. He didn’t feel any blood but scrambled to his feet in the quagmire. His ears were still ringing as he walked towards his horse who was standing about twenty yards away. When another flash of lightning illuminated the landscape, he was startled to see the buildings just a couple of hundred yards away. He still didn’t think he’d been spotted, but the close call made him trot to the sorrel as fast as he dared. He quickly mounted and set the gelding to
