Chapter 4
Kilkenny and Nolan loaded Sackett's supplies into his buckboard, then drove by Sackett's farm to drop them off and get some gear to last them while they besieged the Hale ranch. As they pulled up in the yard of Nolan's medium sized farmhouse, a young woman holding a shotgun came out onto the front porch. Nolan went to her, then turned to Kilkenny, a question in his eyes, wondering how to introduce his friend. Kilkenny stepped up onto the porch, removing his hat.
"Ma'am, my name is Lance. I'm a friend of Nolan's, and I'm going to try and get him out of this without a fight," he said.
"Mr. Kilkenny, I'm awfully glad to meet you. Yes, I know who you are, but I won't tell anybody about it, I've heard how you are about that. A friend of mine used to work for Miss Nita, and she described you. Besides, Nolan had dropped hints about who was coming," Penny Sackett informed him.
"All right, ma'am, but none of this mister stuff. You can call me Lance," Kilkenny insisted.
The three of them entered the house, and at Penny's insistence, sat down and ate supper. Then, as it was getting dark, Nolan and Lance saddled their horses, filling the saddlebags with food and ammunition. Then Nolan turned to Penny.
"I'll be back in a couple of days. Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to either of us. We'll be fine," he assured her.
"I know," she replied, and kissed him lightly, then he turned away, mounted his horse, and rode out of the yard to join the waiting Kilkenny. The two men turned towards the Hale ranch, hoping to arrive before full dark. As they approached, however, they heard riders on the road ahead of them. They turned off and concealed themselves in the brush at the side of the road.
"Probably Hale men," Nolan whispered.
Kilkenny agreed. "Leave the talking to me. You get back off the road a ways, and if shooting starts, you let them have it with that Winchester. Besides, they'll quit easier if they don't know how many of us there are, and besides, we'll have them boxed."
Nolan nodded, drew his rife from the scabbard, then moved off into the dark. As soon as the riders were in sight, Kilkenny called out.
"Hold it right there. Who are you and where are you going?"
"What's it to you?" a voice demanded.
"My name's Trent. If you're Hale men, you'd best turn around right now."
"We are Hale riders. And you're the one who'd better get while the getting's good," the voice replied. Kilkenny thought it was familiar.
"Is that you, Hale?" Kilkenny asked.
"Yes, it's me, Kilkenny."
"All right, so you know who I am. Will you go back or do I start shooting? I've got two six-guns and a rifle here, and you know I don't miss. You'll be the first man I shoot, Hale. It's time to put up or shut up."
Kilkenny could hear the murmurs from the Hale riders as they learned the identity of the man they faced. Kilkenny, the fastest man with a gun in the West, faster than Wes Hardin or Bill Hickok, and his accuracy was legendary. He wouldn't miss a shot, and they weren't ready to die just yet. Nor was Hale.
"All right, Kilkenny, we're going back. But you'd better clear out before daylight."
"Not going to happen, Hale. You're bucking a stacked deck. Nolan is a Sackett. You remember what happened to the Lazy A when they tried to kill a Sackett? Those mountain boys wiped them out. You'd best examine your hole card."
"Don't say I didn't warn you, Kilkenny," Hale replied. Then the Hale riders turned and rode off back up the trail. Nolan returned from his post, and together he and Kilkenny followed them back to the ranch.
