Rawlston was sitting on the porch of the bunkhouse, braiding a lariat, when he first spied the blond cowboy. The hawkish gaze that missed nothing was camouflaged by his affable demeanor and the Stetson pulled down over his eyes. Must be that they're airing the boy out after dinner. Here I am to witness the boy's remarkable recovery. Lucky me, Rawlston thought cynically.
The youngest Barkley brother was led gingerly to a wicker chair on the porch and gently assisted to his seat by his doting eldest brother. Jarrod Barkley brought out glasses of amber liquid and a cigar that he lit and passed to his one-armed brother. Soon the women and missing brother, Nick Barkley wandered out onto the porch. What a peaceful and charming little scene, Rawlston mused. He was bound and determined to make sure that this was one of the last peaceful moments this family, that had robbed him of his own, would ever know.
The boy didn't look too bad, really. Sure, Barkley was hunched over a tad, which tipped Rawlston off that he was nursing broken ribs. Not to mention, he was sporting a chambray blue sling that matched the shirt he was wearing. Probably that flaxen-haired sister of Barkley's fixed up a different bit of fancy cloth to match each of the boy's outfits. She looked to be that type. Throwing good money after bad, he thought smugly to himself. No sense wasting good money on a dead man. All he'll need is his Sunday best for the casket viewing. That is, if he decided that the body would be in any condition for polite company to view. But there's plenty of time to have some fun. The false cowhand wove his devilish plans just as deftly as he wove the strands of hemp into a formidable rope. If he had his way, at least one of the Barkley's will get to test just how strong a rope he could make. With that thought, he snapped the rope to test it - with grim satisfaction.
But before he would have a chance to use the rope, he needed to draw the youngest Barkley boy into the barn. He had a surprise he'd found sunning itself on a rock while he was checking the fence line this morning. Too good not to share, for sure. Boys love interesting critters. Now, how to get Heath Barkley alone and away from his overly protective family? Rawlston smile slyly. Maybe starting on another length of rope would help get his creative juices flowing. Tomorrow morning was time enough to put his plan into action.
TBC…