CHAPTER SEVEN

Supper had been good, but quiet. Jess had hardly spoken except to ask for seconds. Even before evening had fallen she had excused herself and gone to bed. Jess bunked down in the living room in front of the fire. Though still summer, fall was close by, and the house had grown chilly from winds that had risen during the night. The fire offered little warmth so he kept his jacket on for she had offered him no blanket. He tried to sleep but his thoughts wouldn’t let him. Finally around midnight exhaustion gave way to slumber.

The sound of horses running instantly woke Jess. He turned his body protectively as the bullet whistled through the window shattering the glass.

“Jess, what...”

Turning, Jess saw Laura standing in the bedroom doorway. The light from the bedroom’s lantern highlighted her body that the nightgown barely hid. Seeing his stare, she wrapped herself in the blanket that she had draped over her shoulders to keep her warm.

Another bullet ricocheted through the tiny living room. He leaped for her. Just before they hit the floor, he twisted his body so only he felt the hard impact. As bullets slammed into the house, Jess covered her body with his own.

“Jess?” her voice trembled.

“You stay here and keep down.” He began inching his way along the oak floor. As he started towards the window to return the fire, he saw the sky light up. “They’re torching the barn!”

Suddenly she raced past him and out the front door.

“Laura, no!” he yelled, but it was too late. She was gone!

As fast as he could, Jess followed her, running out of the house, his gun cocked and ready.

The yard was filled with men on horseback. Horses squealed as men fired rifles and revolvers.

Jess took aim and shot. A man dropped from his sorrel. As Jess turned sharply to the right then to his left, he fanned the hammer of his peacemaker. A bullet whizzed past him, barely missing his head. Standing in front of the cabin firing, Jess knew he was leaving himself vulnerable but he had to find Laura. The fool woman!

He ducked back into the house. He grabbed bullets from his saddlebag, and loaded his gun quickly. Once more he stepped out into the line of fire. Aiming his revolver, he moved from the porch into the yard. Again he fired his pistol.

A man cried out with pain then slumped over his saddle, blood oozing from his shoulder. Jess had hit his mark. With the wounded man clinging to his horse, one of the attackers led him away. As bullets flew all around him, Jess dove for the water trough. He still couldn’t spot Laura. Where had she gone? Was she hit? Bleeding somewhere?

After hurriedly reloading his gun, Jess killed another man, his bullet striking the attacker between the eyes. Jess took careful aim then fired again. Another man fell from his horse. Jess winged two more and shot a third dead. That made the odds even. As quickly as the fight had started, it was over.

The air was thick with dust and smoke. Jess felt ice cold shock as he caught a glimpse of Laura fighting with the horse, just outside the burning barn. The horse was terrified of the fire. The reins slipped from Laura’s hands and the horse blindly ran back into the flaming barn. Laura followed the animal inside the fiery building.

Jess dowsed himself in the water trough before racing into the barn. Just inside the doorway, he saw her. She was holding a rope attached to a very frightened horse. ‘She’s going to get stomped to death’ was Jess’s first thought as the horse reared high, its hooves only inches from Laura’s head.

Jess grabbed Laura around the waist, fighting to pull the rope from her grip. As the horse rose to strike, Jess protectively turned Laura. The horse’s hooves came down so hard on Jess back that he couldn’t stop from groaning out loud. The horse shied and ran further into the barn as Laura screamed her agony.

“We got to get out of here! Them beams are fixing to fall!” Jess yelled.

“Not without the horses.” Laura was coughing.

“I’ll get the horses. You get out of here.” He pushed her towards the door, and then started to make his way to the back of the barn. He searched frantically for something to cover the horses’ eyes so he could lead them out. The air was growing thicker with smoke. He covered his own head with his hands as falling embers ignited flying sparks.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Laura fall to the ground, wheezing and choking from the smoke. He bolted back to her. He didn’t even feel the pain as he swatted at her flaming nightgown. Finally he torn part of the material, exposing the back of her legs.

“Jess, please get my horses!” she begged. “Please!”

Ignoring her pleas, Jess lifted her in his arms, holding her close to his body as he tried to shield her from the fire.

“We’re getting out of here!”

“No! My horses! We can’t leave without...” She twisted in his arms, fighting his hold.

He only tightened his grip on her, crushing her to his chest. “You’re going to get us both killed.”

He became disoriented twice as he tried to make his way through the thick smoke, but finally he found a way out. Once outside, he fell to his knees, coughing violently. Both he and Laura were breathing hard as they each tried to heave air into their lungs.

The cry of terrorized horses made Laura and Jess turn back towards the barn. As the barn collapsed, the stench of scorched horseflesh blew like an unwelcome wind.

Laura’s wailed a cry of despair as she watched the sky turn red with fire. Despite the heat, her face paled to a snowy hue. She grew silent as she continued to stare at the leaping flames.

Jess knelt beside her. She was covered with ashes and soot. Her hair was no longer in a long braid down her back. “Laura?” Jess asked gently. “You all right?”

She made no response but only watched the burning embers. Tears ran down her face, first moving slowly then flowing faster. Still she made no sound. She just gaped at the barn, never moving.

Jess first instinct was to pull her into his arms to give her comfort, but knowing she would probably fight him on that move, he stood up helpless, wanting to say something but not knowing what words would comfort her. He thought of just picking her up in his arms and carrying her to the house, but he didn’t want to cause her more alarm and wasn’t sure how she would react.

Despite the heat of the flames, the night was cold. Her nightgown offered little protection. So he took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders but she never acknowledged the comfort he was giving her. “Laura?” he tried again to get her to speak. “I know what happened was awful but...”

“I’ve got nothing left.” She looked up at him. “I only had enough money to buy four horses. I knew that wasn’t nearly enough but now...I’ve got nothing to fight Jack Phillips with. I lost my ranch tonight because without those horses, I’ve got nothing left to fight with.”

“You got me,” Jess said. He expected at the very least a thank you. But once again she surprised him.

The jacket fell to the ground as she shot to her feet and faced him as if he was responsible for all her troubles. “Why? Why now? You were so determined to return to town to tell everyone the truth. You were going to ride out of here tomorrow morning without offering me any help. So why now are you going to help me?”

“I can’t leave you like this.”

“Don’t be so noble, Jess. It doesn’t suit you. Or is it that you have a guilty conscience?”

“Meaning?” Confusion marred Jess’s rugged face.

“Meaning I never had any trouble like this until tonight. Oh Jack Phillips ran off stock but never resorted to violence. Until you came to Carson Springs.”

His face molded into a picture of shock. “You blaming me?”

“Well Jack Phillips did stay away until you arrived.”

“That’s ‘cause of all your lies!”

“I simply stated...”

“A lie’s a lie, no matter how you state it. And you lied. Your lie almost got me killed several times, including tonight, and now you’re blaming me! Well don’t that beat all! Why I got half a mind to ride off tomorrow morning and leave you alone to fight Jack Phillips. And lady by yourself, you ain’t going to win. ‘Cause without me, you ain’t got a chance to beat Phillips.”

She burst out crying. Her body shaking so hard that Jess feared she would be sick. “I ain’t going,” he said quickly. “I said I’d stay, and I will.”

“You don’t understand. I don’t have any horses! I have to have horses for the stage line to keep me on as a relay station. And without the relay station, I don’t have any money coming in. I’m living from hand to mouth as it is. What little money I had, I spent on that stock. The stage line won’t keep me on if I’ve got no horses!”

“Laura, I got money on me. I’ll buy more horses.”

She moved closer to him. Her nightgown clung to her body. Jess politely looked away. “I’ll be beholding to you, and I’ll pay you back every cent with interest.”

“If we both just get out of this alive, I’ll be happy.”

“Is that all, Jess?”

At first he didn’t understand. And when he did, anger burst out on his face. “You think I’m that kind of man?”

“You’re a gunslinger. You may work for Slim Sherman, but that doesn’t erase what you were and probably still are. Look at the dead bodies.”

His frustration boiled over as he snapped, “Would you rather us be laying there dead? Are you complaining because I protected you?”

“No! But I still want to know what you’re expecting to get out of all of this? It can’t be money; I’ve got none. And you know what kind of fight this is going to be against Jack. So why are you staying on? First you’re going. Now you say you’re staying. I want to know why!” She wrapped her arms around herself as if expecting an assault on her body. “Why?” she repeated, her voice raised in anger, demanding that he answer.

Jess bit his lips as if not wanting to tell.

“I knew it! You have some other motive or you could explain...”

The words poured from Jess like a dam breaking. “I’m staying because a few years ago someone did the same thing to my folks’ place. Only you were luckier. You lost a barn and horses. I lost everything but what I had on my back. I lost my parents, my brothers. Only my two sisters survived, and we had nothing. That’s why I’m willing to help you. ‘Cause that night when my pa and ma died, when I watched my brothers burn to death, when men came and burned our place down to the ground, I swore that nothing like that was ever going to happen to me again, but tonight it did! Men came and tried to burn you out ‘cause I was here. So they were trying to burn me out! And no one will ever do that again to me! No one!”

She drew back seeing the rage on his face. “If what you’re saying is the truth...”

He pulled off his gloves. “I got the scars to show I’m telling the truth!”

She could barely make out the marks on his hands. Time had faded but looking at his face she realized that he still saw fresh marks.

“So you wear gloves to hide the scars?” she asked. “I noticed you kept them on most of the day and...”

He only gave a quick nod. “And,” he admitted. “these gloves protect my hands from getting calluses so I can draw faster. Maybe you’re right. Maybe I’ll never be nothin’ more than a gunslinger, no matter how hard I try to put my past behind me. And a gunslinger has to keep his hands in top notch shape so he can kill without be killed.”

She saw his hurt. “I shouldn’t have said...”

“Now don’t go soft on me, Laura. You spoke your mind. I know where I stand with you, and you know where you stand with me. So don’t go worrying about my motive. You’ve made sure that I’m part of this. I didn’t ask to get invited in, but after tonight, I won’t back out! ‘Cause I can’t! Thanks to you!”

“So I can trust you?”

Her words had hit their mark, and he answered with such anger that his face reddened. “Let’s get this straight right here and right now. I ain’t fighting for you. I’m fighting for me. You just happen to be someone I have to keep around in order to win the fight.”

“Mister Harper...”

“Oh, so now we’re back to Mister Harper, are we? Well if truth be known, I can’t afford to have you die on me. I’m stuck with you, whether I like it or not. So you can trust me.”

Her voice was laced with fear as she asked, ”So you’re saying if I wasn’t a necessity...”

“What I’m saying is that tonight I proved that you can trust me, but the question is, can I trust you? ‘Cause you still ain’t got my trust.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. But she didn’t think he heard. He only turned away and started back to the house. His shoulders slumped. He walked as if he was very tired. She picked up his jacket and followed him, being careful to stay a few feet behind him for she was still unsure what kind of man she had joined forces with.

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