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“Did I do it right?”
Nicole gazed at the clumsily printed letters, but nodded and smiled at Kathryn anyway. “It is very nicely done, Kathryn,” she murmured. She turned to the children. “Let’s give her applause, children. Doesn’t she and the others deserve it since they did such a good job at the chalkboard?”
Big smiles came her way as the children began clapping their hands, making Nicole ache inside to know that on the morrow these children would have no reason to smile. They would come to the schoolhouse, but Nicole wouldn’t be there to greet them.
Chapter Nineteen
Lingering longer beside the morning campfire than usual, Sam Partain glared into the flames.
He gulped down a cup of coffee, then he cut himself a plug of tobacco and shoved it into the right corner of his mouth, sucking on it angrily. How had Nicole Tyler managed to elude them?
No, it made no sense, whatsoever. How could someone who was born and bred into the genteel life of the rich in St. Louis manage to keep herself alive out there in t
he wild? Why, he doubted she even knew how to shoot a gun, much less defend herself.
“I just don’t understand it,” Sam said aloud, drawing the attention of the other men his way. “Where the hell can that tiny thing be? We’ve looked in every nook and cranny, except…”
“The mountain,” Ace said, finishing Sam’s sentence. “We’ve avoided goin’ on that mountain. Maybe it’s ’bout time, don’t you think, Sam?”
Tom spoke up quickly, arguing against the suggestion. “Look at the color of those leaves on the aspens,” he said, nodding toward a stand of aspens nearby. “Yeller. They’re damn yeller. Don’t that tell you somethin’? Don’t it say that winter is not far behind? I wouldn’t want to be stranded on that mountain when the snows set in. And then there’s those damn Navaho. Chief Eagle Wolf would have all of our scalps, don’cha know? He and his warriors protect that mountain like it’s made of gold!”
“Oh, shut up,” Sam slammed right back at Tom. “You make me want to puke. I ain’t never seen such a coward as you. If you weren’t so good with a gun, I’d never have asked you to ride with me and the others. I depend on a quick trigger finger, and by gum, you’ve got the best. But I don’t like the yellow side you show too often. Get a grip on yourself, Tom. Prove to us for a change that you’re a man, not a dog with its tail tucked between its legs.”
“Those are fightin’ words,” Tom said, as he jumped to his feet and glared down at Sam.
“Well, then, if’n it’s a fight you want, you’ve chosen the right man,” Sam said, himself leaping to his feet.
He spat a trail of tobacco juice over his right shoulder, some of it landing on his red plaid shirt, soiling it even more.
He then took a step closer to Tom and glared at him. “Put up your dukes,” he growled out. “Now let’s just see how much of a man you are. Are you going to fight, or are you all talk?”
Tom paled and stepped back away from Sam. “Sam, you know I was only pullin’ yore leg,” he said, his voice drawn. “Come on now. Let’s get back to what we should be discussin’. We shouldn’t be fightin’ ‘mongst ourselves. We’ll not gain anything by doin’ that.”
“Then shet yore mouth, you dumb bumpkin, and sit right down and behave yoreself,” Sam said.
Sam lowered himself back down beside the fire, ignoring the stares of the other men.
“Give me a plate of that jackrabbit meat,” he demanded, thrusting his tin plate close to Ace, who reached over to the spit above the fire and used his knife to cut more meat from the carcass.
Sam took the plate, spat out the tobacco, then with his fingers reached for a piece of the meat and shoved it into his mouth as he looked from man to man. “She couldn’t jest disappear into thin air,” he said while chewing. “She must be somewheres. Today, gents, we’ll find ’er. I bet yore bottom dollar we’ll find ’er.”
“Dead or alive?” Ace asked, lifting an eyebrow as he spat the juice of his tobacco into the fire, causing sparks to fly in all directions.
“If’n we’re lucky, she’ll be alive,” Sam said, frowning at Ace.
Ace frowned right back at him. “If’n we’re lucky, we’ll find her dead and then we can git back to playin’ poker,” he said. “I didn’t join up with you to hunt down some gal that ain’t never done me no harm. Sam, I wish’d you jest let this go. I’m itchin’ to play a hand of cards. Now tell the truth. Ain’t you?”
“I bet your bottom dollar the Injuns got ’er,” Tom said, laughing throatily. “Now, wouldn’t you jist love to see that flame-colored hair hangin’ from the chief’s scalp pole? Sam, as I see it, you might as well kiss the plan of having her yourself good-bye.”
Sam glared at Tom. “You don’t give up, do you? Shut yore trap,” he growled. “I’ll find her. She’s going to pay for her father’s crimes as her ma and pa have already paid.”
Sam paused, wiped his mouth with the back of a hand, then frowned from man to man. “Listen well, gents,” he growled. “I’ll never give up lookin’ for ’er. Killing Nicole is my final revenge against her damn gambler father. I won’t rest until she’s dead. She was her father’s ‘little princess,’ his pride and joy. And she had the nerve to think she was too good for the likes of me. Well, when ol’ Sam gets finished with her, she’ll not be fit to be anyone’s pride and joy. Actually, after we all get through with her, she’ll welcome her death.”
“I wish you’d listen to reason. We’d best not stick around here for much longer,” Ace grumbled. “I’d hate to think of gettin’ caught up in a snowstorm. We ain’t familiar with surviving snow in this mountainous area.”
“I’ll worry about that, if, or when, it happens,” Sam said tightly. “Right now my only concern is finding the wench. And we will find her before the weather turns. Then we can hightail it outta this area and go back to good ol’ St. Louie where the pickings are good. We always know the best gambling houses and can spot a mark at a mere glance. Yep. Gents, the fun is just ahead of us. But for now, let’s not miss out on the fun we can have with that little ol’ gal.”
“If’n you can guarantee we’ll not get caught up here in the snow, I’m game, Sam,” Tom said, then chuckled. “When we spot the wench all alone on her horse, it’ll be like when we chased down that jackrabbit this mornin’. It didn’t have a chance in hell of gettin’ away from us.”
