being your closest station.' Moak paused. 'You were, weren't you?'
'In time,' Brady said.
'You're staying here a while?'
'I think so.'
'You could ride with us,' Moak said, 'seeing we're both going the same way.'
Their eyes held as they spoke. Brady was thinking, feeling the Colt in his right hand and the Winchester in his left pointed to the ground but with his finger through the trigger guards: Watch him. Keep watching him. And he said, 'No, you go on. I haven't made plans yet.'
'We'll be glad to wait on you, Mr. Brady,'
Moak said softly.
'You must have plenty of spare time,' Brady said.
The grin showed in Moak's beard. 'We're waiting on a business deal to go through.' 'Damned if we aren't,' said Albie. He was smiling, standing in his long underwear with hands on thin hips, and he winked at Moak as the bearded man glanced stern faced at him.
Brady caught it. He said then, 'I have private business here with Miss Glennan, so you all go on.'
Moak's eyebrows raised. 'Now why didn't you say that before? Sure we will.' He turned to his horse, motioning Albie to his, then took his time stepping into the saddle. As he neck reined to turn he said, 'Mr. Brady, I'm looking forward to seeing you again.'
He rode away, past the front of the house, along the edge of the dense pines with Russell catching up to him then, Albie following and looking back as they neared the far point of trees. Brady and the girl watched them all the way as they followed the curve of the valley north.
As they rounded the edge of trees and passed from sight the girl said, 'He was lying, wasn't he?'
Brady looked at her. 'How do you know?'
'Just the way he talked. And the little things,' the girl said. 'His friends, his two guns.'
'You didn't miss anything.'
'The way he kept staring at you.'
'Like in the courtroom,' Brady said.
'I'll bet he was mean that day.'
'Swore to hunt me and kill me,' Brady said.
'Which you didn't hear him mention today. He carried on so, screaming and trying to get at me, it took four deputies to take him out.'
'That was before he was born again,' the girl said.
'Yeah,' Brady said, 'before he sweated out the badness.'
They smiled at the same time and the girl said, 'It's not funny, but it's kind of, isn't it?'
'That part is,' Brady said. 'But I'll bet what he's doing around here isn't funny.' He watched the girl go over to his suit and pick it up, shaking out the dust. He watched her fold it over her arm as her eyes met his again.
'We could have some coffee,' she said, 'and talk about it.'
Chapter Five
So They'll Be Back
They moved the table to the front window and sat next to each other facing it with the Winchester propped against the table edge.
Brady told her about the attempted stage holdup five years ago: how he had shot Ed Moak and how his Uncle Joe Mauren had gotten another man who lived only a few hours with a .45 bullet inside him.
He told her what he knew about Ed Moak, things that were brought out at the trial and things he learned about him afterward: That he'd been an outlaw and a gunslinger as far back as anyone knew anything about him; had killed six men for sure, though some put it as high as ten. That he had a reputation for talking mildly and smiling when he talked, and everybody agreed that if a man wore two guns and no badge and did that, you'd better look out for him.
The girl said, So we take for granted he hasn't been reborn. And Brady said, Without even having to mention it.
There was only one reason Ed Moak would be here, would have stayed around for over two weeks, Brady concluded. Because money shipments took this road up to the Rock of Ages mine to meet the once a month payroll. There couldn't be any other reason and Moak almost admitted it himself when he said, 'We're waiting on a business deal to go through,' and Albie laughed and said something. By that time Moak must have been sure of himself and he wasn't so worried about us wondering what he was doing here.
You see, Brady explained, before that he didn't know who was around and he was slick, careful as could be. But then he made you tell that your father was gone till tomorrow and right after that he started to change, not too much, but as if it really didn't matter what we believed anymore. He was sure then that at least somebody he couldn't see wasn't aiming a gun at him.
And he might have made a play then, but by that time I was on guard, holding a Colt and a Winchester and he knew I'd use them with a stiff left arm to testify to the fact.
So they made the show of riding away. It didn't have to be done then and there, face to face, not when they know they got all night.
The girl asked, 'But why wouldn't they just leave for good?'
'With the odds in their favor?'
'But they wouldn't dare plan a holdup now.
They're known.'
'Only by us,' Brady said.
'We're still enough to testify against them,' the girl said earnestly. 'They know that much.'
She remembered being frightened in front of Edward Moak, then amused, considering it an unusual experience, one that would make good telling, especially if you described it almost casually. And for a moment she had even pictured herself doing this. But now, realizing it and not wanting to realize it, looking at Brady's face and waiting for him to say something that would relieve the nervous feeling tightening in her stomach, she knew that it was not over.
'Moak must have a good plan,' Brady said, 'to stay around here studying the land for two weeks.
He's not going to waste it because of one man. Especially if the man's the same one almost shot his arm off one time. Then there's Albie. His pride's hurt and the only way to heal it is to bust me. So they'll be back.'
The girl's eyes were open wide watching him.
'And we just wait for them?'
'I've thought it out,' Brady said. 'First, I can't leave you here alone. As you said, you know their names. But two of us running for it would be hard put, not knowing where they are.'
'You're saying you could make it alone,' the girl said. 'But I'd slow you down.'
Brady nodded. 'I'll say it's likely, but we'll never know because I'm not about to leave you alone.'
'Mr. Brady, I'm scared. I don't know what I'd do if you left.'
'I said I wouldn't. Listen, we're staying right here and that narrows down the possibilities. If they want us they'll have to come in here and they'll have to do it before tomorrow morning . . . before your dad's due back or anybody else who might happen along. Like my Uncle Joe Mauren.'
The girl was silent for a moment. 'But if they don't see you ride out they'll think you're . . . spending the night.'
Brady smiled. 'All right, you worry about our good names and I'll worry about our necks. If Ed Moak believes that, that's fine. He'd think we don't suspect he's still around and he might tend to be careless.'
Her eyes, still on his face, were open wide and she bit at her lower lip nervously thinking over his words.
'You're awful calm about it,' she said finally.
'Maybe on the outside,' Brady answered.
