Chapter Seven

Water pooled into a pair of cupped hands and then as they slowly rose out of the creek that they had dipped into, Slim's face received the full dose of the water as he splashed it over his entire head and then he repeated the process twice. The droplets that landed on the rocks beneath him were tinted red as the streams that poured down his cheeks mixed with the bloody wounds that were there. He took his kerchief from his pocket and wiped the remaining moisture, colored and clear, until nothing was left to drip from his chin.

With a groan he stood to his feet, once more assessing the damage from the fight, being grateful that only skin was broken and no bones. After Jason Harper had ridden away, in which direction Slim's dazed condition couldn't quite discern, he'd waited until his head had quit spinning before carefully going over his body searching for anything that needed a doctor's care. Like he'd just now reaffirmed, he hadn't suffered more than a few gashes and dark bruises that he could hide by a buttoned shirt and pulled up trousers, but no matter how much water he'd doused himself with, he knew he'd be wearing the marks on his face for several days.

Slim retrieved both weapons and as the pistol was now at his side, it made the smarting wounds on his body a little less painful for if faced with another adversary, he would be fully armed with more than a pair of fists. With his horse's reins now in hand, Slim debated his next action. It was getting late in the day and he couldn't help but want to check on Mort's condition, yet the need to be home, to wait for Jess for another night swayed heavily in the direction of the ranch. Either way he took, it would be dark before he arrived and he knew he wasn't in any condition to ride deep into the night lest he wanted to fall face first in a ditch somewhere and be mistaken for a drunk. As he gingerly placed his backseat in the saddle, Slim made the decision to return to the ranch.

Slim pulled his horse to a stop several feet from the house and let his gaze rest on the windows that were aglow. Although not entirely bright, any small light in an otherwise world of darkness that sent its shafts outward could be considered a beacon. Slim gauged that the yellowed beams were from a single lamp being lit, likely from the hurricane glass and not from a handheld lantern as the glow that was being cast on the outdoor ground had more of a welcoming color in its gleam. It would have been an inviting scene after a difficult day, except, Slim knew he hadn't left one lit. Someone was at the house and he had invited no one. He had left instructions for Jud to help out with the stagecoaches and the stock, but that had been the limit of his request. Since the man lived just outside of Laramie, it wasn't likely that much work would be done in his absence and definitely wouldn't be done at night.

Slim dismounted and left his horse to graze a fair distance away to not gain any unnecessary attention from whoever was in the house by a sudden sound of approaching hoof beats. He let his hand find the gun on his hip, putting it in the position to be readied to fire if need be. Slim stealthily moved toward the house, his eyes searching the interior of his home through every window, but saw nothing to indicate who the intruder might be. Jason Harper hadn't minced his words, he wanted to meet up with Jess before he put an end to Slim and this just might be that promise fulfilled. Slim reached the side of the house, sliding his back against the wall as he inched closer to the door. Once within arm's reach, Slim reached for the handle and gave it a turn, the tingling that raced up and down his spine seemed ominous warning enough that he was about to say howdy to whoever was in the house with gunplay.

Inside of the house where the single lamp freely glowed, a man took a forward step from the kitchen but froze his foot in place as he heard what was an attempt at a quiet approach coming from outside, but his sharp hearing thwarted any surprise. He flattened himself against the wall, gun fitted into his hand, waiting for the encounter to happen. He knew that a normal entry wasn't begun with secrecy, so whoever was tiptoeing up to the front door wasn't likely a welcome visitor. He held his breath when the door knob turned, ready to fire, whether it came as a warning shot or something more permanent was yet to be seen, and as the door pushed in an opening manner, he saw a bare hand with knuckles broke open wrapped around the barrel of a gun. Not another step would he let the incoming gun-toter in, he set his jaw firmly as his eyes narrowed in on his target and let a bullet fly.

The crack of the gun brought an instant splintering of wood near the window pane as the bullet made penetration and for a moment, the door started to swing back shut, but with a mighty kick the door bounced against the wall as the man behind it rolled inside, firing his weapon as he hit the floor. This bullet missed flesh as the would-be target dodged its deadly aim and as his feet found solid ground near the fireplace he braced himself for a return fire. Two gun barrels were in a direct and deadly aim, but when two sets of eyes suddenly met, they grew wide and the sound that replaced the reports if they had been fired were the shouting of a pair of names, almost simultaneously spoken.

"Slim!"

"Jess!"

"Dad-gum," Jess holstered his weapon as Slim matched the action with his own gun, "you trying to get yourself shot fulla holes?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Slim stood to his feet as he ran the back of his hand over his sweaty brow, wincing slightly as he brushed against the cut that was there.

"I wasn't the one sneaking up to the house," Jess pointed to the door that was wide open and as Slim turned his head to look at the hinge that had come loose when he kicked it, he let it swing shut with a cringe of noise from its bottom corner.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here," Slim said after the door went shut.

"I still live here, don't I?" Jess asked, carefully watching the expression on Slim's face. He wanted to question Slim's roughed up appearance, but at the moment, there was something more important to be discussed.

"Of course," Slim nodded, sensing the tension that was still solidly in place between them, "why would you ask such a thing?"

"Because of this," Jess pulled from his hip pocket a folded paper that Slim recognized at once as the infamous wanted poster, likely the one that had been left for all to see on the table. Jess shook its folds loose in one movement, his fingers gripping tightly to one side making a deep crease through the boldly printed name.

"That's not for you," Slim answered, grateful that he now had the proof to back up his words and not just relying on his own say so.

"By the number of times I've been shot at during the last few days, I reckon not many people know that to be true," Jess said, his words sharpened by the rough journey he'd treaded, not because he didn't put any belief in what Slim had just told him. "I've been running, hiding and dodging bullets everywhere I turn, nearly got my head blown off a coupla different times and not knowing a dad-gummed reason why and then I come home to this." Jess crumpled the poster into a ball and then tossed it into the cold fireplace hard enough that it bounced off of the rock wall and back onto the floor where it rolled to a stop near Slim's feet.

"J. Harper stands for Jason Harper," Slim picked up the poster, opened its now thoroughly crinkled page and pointed at the description. "I met up with him this afternoon. This fails to mention that he's near forty, is as tall as I am and has a scar across his forearm. Not you at all." Slim stopped for a brief pause, not long enough for Jess to notice that it was done on purpose as Slim didn't want to throw the inclination that Jason gave in front of his partner that he and Jess were related. After all, the man was an untrustworthy outlaw, therefore Slim knew it would be the wisest choice to let Jess do the deciphering now. "But maybe he's someone that you know."

"The name doesn't ring a bell," Jess shook his head, going through different relatives in his mind but not coming up with the same name. Most of his family was deceased and for the ones that might have been still hailing strong, he'd lost contact with many years ago. "Wait a minute, you said you met up with him, what happened?"

"Oh, we exchanged some words, fists too. He rode out while I was somewhat dazed on the ground," Slim answered with a hand reaching for the lump at his hairline, wanting to be careful how he relayed the entirety of his encounter with the sinister Harper since he knew how the partner Harper would react.

"A known killer took off, leaving you in the dirt without first finishing you off?" Jess asked with a puzzled frown.

"He didn't exactly have a weapon on him," Slim explained, adding a few more details with a shrug. "When I had the drop on him, I disarmed him and gave it a good toss. He'd probably still be looking for the gun if he'd taken the time to do the search."

"If that's the case, then you shoulda been able to bring him all the way in to Laramie," Jess said with more than just a little bit of exasperation backing his words.

"Like I said, we exchanged some words, too," Slim looked down at his feet, wishing Jess would let it drop, although he knew Jess wouldn't end his inquiries without hearing it all.

"About?" Jess crossed his arms over his chest. "Dad-gum, Slim, getting this story outta you is like trying to pry a fish from a bear's paw."

"Well, there isn't much more to tell," Slim shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think I need to recount everything that was said between us and certainly you don't need a blow by blow account of our fight."

"How'd you get in that fight anyhow, you said you had the drop on him?" Jess knew Slim was withholding something, but what, he couldn't figure.

"He's a crafty outlaw," Slim didn't meet Jess' gaze as he spoke which confirmed Jess' suspicion that Slim was indeed hiding something. "You know that you've got plenty of tricks up your sleeve when confronted by someone brandishing a gun. He's got several of his own."

"So he tricked you?" Jess asked, his eyebrow raised high enough that he wouldn't have needed to even form the words into a question as his face showed it for him.

"That's what I said, wasn't it?" Slim responded much sharper than he ever intended.

"What ain't you telling me?" Jess took a step forward and looked Slim in the eye and as both men stood for a moment in silence, Jess searched for the truth while Slim wished that he could hold it in. "Slim, I wanna know what's got your insides twisted, so spit it out."

"Jason Harper vowed he was going to kill me."