HONORABLE INTENTIONS

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It weren't pitch dark outside, the sky was still showin' a deep orange and purple streak where the sun had set and it was enough for me to make out the horses. They were circling around the corral, prancin' and finicky and snortin'...somethin' had sure got 'em spooked.

I made my way slowly to the barn, holdin' back a cough and keepin' my breathing short and shallow. Last thing I needed was to be alertin' some critter, human or animal, that I was comin' after 'em.

By the time I made it to the corral fence, my heart was hammering in my chest and I was having real trouble with my breathin' and there was gray spots slidin' across my vision. I hung on to the railing and waited for the dizzy feeling to let up.

"You sure don't lay down easy, do you Harper?"

I whirled 'round towards the barn raising the scatter gun to my left shoulder and balancing it across my right wrist. "Who's there?"

My answer was the sound of a hammer being cocked behind me.

"So you're the dirty back shooter who killed, Joe, Al and Mac?" I felt the muzzle of a gun stick into my side. "Drop that gun and turn around. Slowly."

I did as I was told and out of the corner of my eye, as I turned, I saw two men step out of the shadow of the barn. I knew 'em right away. Deevy and that Tip fella who threatened Daisy and Mike.

The man I was facing when I turned around was about the same height as Deevy, but slimmer, his hair was black and he was wearin' one of them fancy mustaches the folks back East like so much.

"Harper, is it?" The man asked, aiming his .45 at my chest. "I been hearin' things about you. 'Bout that big ol' yella streak that runs clean down your back and how you like to shoot a man when he ain't lookin.'"

I swallowed hard. "Who are you, mister?"

"The name's Morgan. Ray Morgan and those three men you shot were my kin."

"Them three men...were aimin' to kill me. I don't know what you been told, but I ain't no back shooter."

"Harper, ain't you sick of that old song?" Deevy, always flappin' that trouble-makin' mouth of his took a step closer to me. "You only gotta go into Laramie to see you're a dirty liar. Mac and Al are still at the undertakers. You ain't gonna be fast talkin' your way outta what you done. And you ain't going to get the chance to shoot either of us in the back."

"You got all the answers, don't you Deevy. Well yer wrong." I turned back to Morgan. "You wanna listen to my side of the story? Or ya gonna believe the likes of this double talkin', two-bit yella coward."

"Why you..." Deevy made a lunge at me, but I side stepped him 'fore he could reach me."

"Stay where you are, Hal," Morgan ordered, then turned his attention back on me. 'Who's inside?"

I glanced towards the house, "No one."

"He's lying." Deevy was at it again.

"Where's Sherman?" Morgan asked.

"He ain't here. He got hurt two days ago, Daisy took him into town to see the doc."

"Jess! Jess, everythin' all right out there?"

Nice one, Pard. Yer timing couldn't a been worse if ya tried. "Go back...inside, Slim."

"Who are ya talkin' to?" I reckon between the laudanum and the fading light he weren't seein' too clearly.

"It ain't no-one, do like I tell yer...and go back inside."

Morgan fired a shot into the air. "You better do like he says, Sherman."

I heard Slim cock the rifle I'd given to Daisy.

"No Slim! There's three a them and one of you. Now will ya just get back in the house? This ain't no time to be playin' hero."

"Okay, Jess. I'm going."

I let out a long breath and that set me off coughin'. Felt like I had razors slicing through my chest and it weren't lettin' up none. My head was poundin' and it was real hard to get any air. My right leg buckled and I went down on one knee fightin' to breathe.

"Harper! Whatta you playin' at?" Couldn't rightly tell who was shoutin' at me, and didn't care too much, neither. Finally, the coughing eased off. I could feel the air rattlin' in my chest, felt like rocks rollin'around in there.

"Get up!" The muzzle of Morgan's gun was pressed hard against the side of my head.

I pushed up so I was standin' but I was still feelin' dizzy and grabbed a hold of the corral fence to stay on my feet.

"Get movin', Harper. You've got a lynchin' to attend." I lifted my head to look at Morgan.

"What are you...talkin' about?" I asked, my voice raw and husky.

"I'm going to make sure you stay dead this time. We're gonna find a nice strong tree for you to swing from. You're nothing but a murderer, Harper. We'll be doing the judge a favour. Won't cost the good townsfolk of Laramie a single penny to see justice done." Morgan turned to Tip. "You got that rope ready?"

"Yeah, Ray, it's tied to my horse."

Morgan was back facing me. "Start walkin', Harper. In there, you can saddle yourself a horse. We're gonna be takin' a ride a little ways up the road." He nodded his head towards the barn.

I'd had just about had all I was willin' to take from Deevy, his bunch of no goods and them damn Morgans and their need to be pushin' me around.

"There's somethin' about me I'm bettin' you don't know, Morgan," I said.

"Oh yeah, Harper, and what would that be?"

"I got a mean left hook." And I twisted around landing my fist fair across the side of his face. I heard the sweet sound of his jaw crackin' as his head snapped to the right. He staggered back losing his footing and hit the ground hard.

While he was splayed out on his back I dropped my right shoulder and hurled myself at Deevy; he weren't expectin' it and I ran him backwards into that sly weasel Tip. We all went down, but I was mad enough to get back on my feet in a hurry. I was just about to turn around and have a second go at Morgan when I was grabbed from behind. Figured Morgan had recovered from the haymaker I delivered.

Still seein' red and feelin' like I had the strength of ten men, I leaned my weight back into Morgan and lifted my feet just in time to connect both of them into Deevy's belly. He went backwards again, knockin' Tip onto his side.

I jabbed my left elbow into Morgan's stomach and stomped down hard on his foot with my right heel. He let out a whoomph and a yelp at the same time and released his hold. I turned and faced him and let a left upper cut slam into his nose and he went down for the count.

'Fore I could turn 'round again, there was a pair of big beefy arms wrapped tight around my chest but I was still madder than a cut snake and I gave Deevy the same treatment as Morgan. Jabbin' back hard and sharp with my left elbow. I heard the wind whoosh outta Deevy's mouth and his arms dropped to his belly. I grabbed a handful of hair and brought his head down the same time as I lifted my knee and Deevy joined Morgan on the ground. Only he weren't showin' signs a stayin' there.

Tip, that yella-bellied weasel was strugglin' to his feet and Deevy was makin' a move like he wanted to come at me again. My chest was heavin', makin a whistlin' sound and I was having real trouble getting a breath. Knew it wouldn't be long 'til another coughin fit came on. I turned on my toes and made a dive for my scatter gun still lying on the ground where I'd dropped it.

Skidding across the ground on my belly, I reached out with my left hand for the gun. Just as my fingers curled around the barrel a boot came down hard on my wrist, pinnin' it to the ground. I looked up at Deevy' standin' over me, his teeth bared and blood drippin' from his nose, but that wasn't what really got my attention, it was the colt .45 aimed at my head, the hammer cocked and ready to fire.

And that's when my chest let loose with a new round of coughin', coughin' till my head felt like it was gonna explode and my throat burned raw, coughin' out but not gettin' nothin' in. Felt like I was drownin' all over again but there weren't no surface to aim for.

Somewhere through the roarin' in my ears I thought I heard a gunshot and then more firin' but I was fast losin' any clear thought in my head and there was a kinda blackness closing in on me. More shots rang out then the sound of horses...where'd they come from?...but I wasn't gonna find out 'cause the roaring in my head turned quiet...last thing I remembered was the feel of the ground pressing against my face as I passed out.

Continued in chapter fifteen