CHAPTER 14
The small group was on its way back to the jail when a young man stepped out of a nearby alley into the street, blocking their path. "Chris Larabee, I hear you've been lookin' for me."
"Martin," Chris responded at the same time that Buck grabbed Kevin by the shoulder. He turned the boy toward the newspaper office, the closest building, and gave him a slight shove.
"Get inside and you stay there until one of us comes for you."
Kevin nodded, understanding the urgency of the situation, and took off running toward the Clarion.
Mary was working in the front office when the door flew open and Kevin came running in. "What's wrong?" she demanded, knowing something serious was happening for the boy to be acting that way.
"Martin is challenging Chris to a gunfight. You've got to stop him, Chris is gonna get hurt," Kevin stated, his eyes pleading with Mary to do something.
"Go up stairs and play with Billy," Mary directed. When Kevin hesitated, she turned him toward the stairway at the back of the building and urged him along with a light swat to his backside. "Don't worry, I'll see what I can do."
Reluctantly, Kevin followed her directions and headed toward the staircase. As soon as she heard his footsteps on the wooden stairs, she moved to the door and stepped out onto the porch. What she saw as the door closed behind her made her blood run cold. Chris and Buck stood in the middle of the dusty street, facing off against Martin Williams. None of the men had their guns drawn, but given their body language, it was only a matter of time before that happened.
"You don't have to do this, son," Chris stated, taking a small step toward Martin.
"You're wrong about that, old man," Martin replied. To his mind, he had to take Chris Larabee out now or the man would be a thorn in his side for the rest of his life. The fact that taking down the black-clad gunman would boost his own reputation wouldn't hurt.
"Listen to the man, son," Buck interrupted. "This won't end well for you."
Martin turned to Buck, "Stay out 'a this, it ain't any 'a your business."
"You and me, now," Martin said, turning back to Chris and resting his hand on the butt of the gun resting on his hip.
Chris glanced in Buck's direction and shrugged. Movement on the porch in front of the Clarion caught his attention and he mentally cursed when he spotted Mary standing there. Turning back to the business at hand Chris continued, "boy wants to die today, who am I to stop him?" Turning to Martin, he stated, "Your call."
"You're the one gonna be dyin' today," Martin replied, the hand resting on his gun butt twitching slightly. He started to draw his gun, but before the barrel of the revolver cleared its leather sheath, a bullet slammed into this right shoulder, rendering his arm useless. The impact of the bullet sent the younger man falling backward into the dusty street.
"Nice shot, Pard," Buck grinned, smacking Chris on the shoulder and the gunman slip his pistol back into its holster.
"I'll take this guy off your hands."
"Who the hell are you?" Chris asked the man who had stepped forward and pulled Martin to his feet. He was dressed in dusty trail clothes and was in his early twenties.
"Michael Langdon, Deputy U.S. Marshall," he replied. Looking around the street and seeing the number of curious eyes turned their way, he asked "there someplace we can discuss this in private?"
"Jailhouse," Chris stated, walking off in that direction. "Bring him with you."
"Hey," Martin protested. "What about my shoulder? Ain't anybody gonna take care 'a it? I'm gonna die, here."
"Quit your belly aching and come on," Langdon said, grabbing Martin by the collar of his shirt, and dragging him along. "You ain't gonna die, at least not yet. I can't guarantee your changes with him, though," he commented, nodding his head toward the black-clad gunman who was leading the way to the jail. Michael hadn't missed the fact that Buck was trailing behind them, watching to make sure the timely intervention of the deputy marshall wasn't some sort of scheme.
The moment Chris stepped into the jail, Sammy rushed up to him. "What happened? I heard a gunshot." She paled when she spotted Martin being led into the building by a stanger. Sammy turned questioning eyes to Chris.
"We've got some business with Martin and Deputy Langdon," Chris answered her unasked question. "Kevin is at Mary's. I'll go by and get him when we're done here. You can head back to the boarding house if you like."
Sammy nodded and edged past the men standing in the doorway. She half expected Martin to try to grab her as she passed, but assumed the stranger's hold on his collar, along with the very obvious bullet hole in his shoulder prevented him from making a move.
Michael watched Sammy leave the building. "Who's the girl?" he asked.
"My daughter," Chris replied. The hard edge to his voice clearly warning Michael away from her. "You wanna tell me why I should hand Martin over to you?"
"I've been tracking him since Silver Springs. He's wanted for a bank robbery and murder there about a year ago."
Chris nodded. Given what had happened a while back with Vin and Eli Joe sending one of his men in the guise of a federal marshal, he was reluctant to take the stranger on his word, even though the younger man had shown him a marshal's badge. "Judge Travis is due in at the first of the week. Martin can stay in one of my cells, and the Judge can decide."
"I'm a deputy U.S. Marshall. I have the right to arrest this man and transport him wherever I want."
"Yeah, you showed me your badge," Chris replied. "But, I got reason to know that carrying a badge don't necessary make you a lawman. 'Sides, you ain't given me anything but your word that Martin, here, is anything other than a stupid sonuvabitch."
"Hey," Martin protested. "I ain't done anything. You gotta let me go so's I can go see the doc for my shoulder."
"You ain't goin' anywhere but into that cell, so you'd best just shut up about it," Buck responded, shoving Martin forward. "We'll send someone over to tend you, but Nathan's out at the Apache reservation takin' care of the school teacher." He slammed the cell door closed, and locked it before tossing the key ring to Chris.
Moving behind the desk, Chris dropped the keys into the lap drawer and shut it. He looked over at Michael Langdon. "I suggest you go get a room and wait for the judge to arrive, 'cause I ain't gonna change my mind. And don't go thinkin' you can get him out of here without us stoppin' you. Better men then you have tried that and failed."
Buck interrupted before Michael could respond. "I'll stand guard. I get the feelin' you got something to discuss with our local newspaper publisher." He had spotted Mary standing on the front porch of the building which housed the Clarion, and he had seen the look on Chris's face when he'd spotted the woman. Buck knew that look, and almost felt sorry for the woman.
Chris nodded. "I send Ezra or J.D. over to relieve you in a couple of hours." He stared at Michael until the younger man got the message and turned and strode out of the jail, slamming the door behind himself.
"Whooee, he ain't happy with you, pard," Buck commented.
Chris shrugged. "He ain't the first, and he won't be the last. There's just something that isn't ringing true about his story."
A few moments later, Chris was making his way toward the newspaper office when Josiah rode into town. The gunman stopped and waited for his friend to approach. "What's going on?"
Josiah dismounted and inclined his head toward the livery stable, indicating he was going to take care of his horse. Chris walked that direction with him. "Nathan's still at the reservation with Vin and Miss Bishop. Apparently when they stopped so she could change out of her riding clothes, she got bit by a sidewinder. She had a bad reaction to the venom, but should be okay. They'll probably head back in a couple of days after she's gotten some strength back."
Chris nodded. "That's good." He proceeded to fill Josiah in on what had transpired that morning.
"I'll go get something to eat than check in with Buck to see if he needs anything," Josiah stated and walked off in the direction of the saloon.
Chris made his way from the livery to the Clarion. He wanted to pass the news about Vin and Miss Bishop on to Kevin. But first, he had a bone to pick with Mary.
Like many times before when he'd entered the newspaper office, Mary was working at her desk. Chris assumed both boys were playing upstairs.
Mary looked up at the sound of the door opened and closed. She watched as Chris ambled across the room and came to stand in front of her desk. She started to smile in greeting, but something about his body language told her that was a good idea.
Chris confirmed her suspicions when braced his hand on her desk and leaned forward until his face was inches from hers. Mary wondered what had put his in this mood, but her curiosity was quickly answered when he said, "I ought to turn you over my knee, you know that?"
Mary sat back in her chair. That was exactly what she had been expecting him to say. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"Oh yes you do. I saw you standing out on the porch during my confrontation with Martin. You were putting yourself in danger again for no good reason. Obviously, you didn't learn your lesson the last time we had this conversation." Chris really didn't intend to turn her over his knee, especially with the boys just upstairs, but he wanted her thinking he was going to it.
"I was never in any danger, Chris. I knew you weren't going to allow anything to happen."
Chris straightened, not taking his eyes from Mary's face. "You had no way of knowing that. For all you knew, Martin could have fired a wild shot that could have hit you."
Mary didn't look away from his gaze, but met his stare with one of her own. After several seconds of tense silence, Chris continued. "This is the only warning you get. You put yourself in danger like that again, and I won't care that Billy is just upstairs. I'll tan your hide. You understand me?"
Mary nodded, not sure she could speak coherently for the anger coursing through her. How dare he treat her like a disobedient child. Her anger must have shown on her face, because Chris asked, "Is there something you want to say to me?"
"No," Mary answered tersely.
"Good, because I told you once I care too much for you to have to bury you. I'll do whatever it takes to keep that from happening." What he couldn't say aloud was that he didn't think he would be able to handle burying another woman that he loved.
Mary's anger dissipated somewhat with his words. She, too, understood what Chris hadn't said. Nodding her understanding, she asked, "Was there anything else you wanted?"
"In fact, there was," Chris stated. He proceeded to fill her in on the news that Josiah had brought back from the Apache reservation.
TBC
Author's Note: Thank you to every for your reviews. I'm glad you are enjoying my story.
In case you were wondering, the confrontation between Chris and Mary is a reference to my story, When It Rains.