Posted by The Black Knight on August 25, 2001 at 09:12:38:
Chapter 7
"I don't suppose they would listen to reason?" Rebecca Brannigan
asked as she rode beside her father.
"I rode with those two during the war, honey, they don't listen
to anything." Joshua said.
Luke rode behind them and Jess in front of them.
"I just hope he can shoot that thing from a galloping horse."
Rebecca said.
"Don't worry, honey, he can." Joshua said.
The first line of barbed wire was just barely in sight and they could
see several ranch hands huddled around two posts where the wire had
been cut. Rebecca shook her head as Jess raised his rifle to his
shoulder. She closed her eyes as he shot. The echo of the rifle shot
was drowned out by a huge explosion.
"I thought you didn't want leave a mess." Rebecca said as she
rode up beside Jess.
Bodies of what had once been ranch hands lay sprawled all over the
open field.
"Would you rather have them cleaning you up, Miss Brannigan?" the
marshal asked as he spurred his horse on faster.
They rode on in silence except for their own horses' hoofbeats and
heavy breathing. Rebecca started as she heard the second explosion.
She let out a sigh of relief as she saw that no one had been there.
Four and a half minutes later Jess pulled his horse up and the others
followed.
"What's wrong, Mister Hawkins, not enough people there?" Rebecca
asked.
"No, the dynamite is not there." Jess said as he dismounted.
Luke pulled the Winchester rifle out of his saddle boot as he
dismounted.
"I would suggest you get down and get behind something." Luke
said.
"Like what?" Joshua asked.
"Like that clump of trees over there by the pond." Jess said.
A bullet sang by Jess' head and he ducked slightly, pulling the gun
out his left holster.
"Where are they?" Luke asked.
"The bluff where we were last night." Jess said as they ran for
the trees.
Luke dove behind one of the trees, rolled up to his knees and emptied
his rifle toward the bluff. The others got behind him as he fired his
last shot.
"Do you see them?" Luke asked.
"They're too well hidden." Jess said.
"Look for their rifle flashes." Joshua said.
"Father." Rebecca gasped.
Jess put his Colt back in its holster and slid another cartridge into
his rifle.
"Let me guess, you have a plan." Rebecca asked.
"Right now it's just a thought. Part of it is that I should have
left you back there in the ranch house." Jess said.
"Oh thank you." Rebecca said.
Jess pointed his rifle up at a outcropping just above the bluff. The
bullet bounced off the rock and flew back toward the bluff. Three
cowboys ran out away from the bluff. Luke drew his gun and Jess drew
his left gun again. They easily picked the cowboys off.
"Is that all of them?" Rebecca asked.
"I hope so." Jess said.
He walked cautiously toward his horse. Rebecca started to walk toward
hers, but both Luke and Joshua caught her.
"Let him make sure first." Luke said.
"Why are we sneaking out of here. You're supposed to be the
Sherrif." Rebecca said.
"All this star means to them is a good target." Luke said.
Jess swung up onto his horse and rode toward the bluff. Jess smiled,
took his hat off, and waved them on.
The four of them rode into town nearly an hour later. They
dismounted in front of the Saloon. Rebecca brushed the dirt off her
long dress.
"If you don't mind I'm going to see how Missus Baker is doing."
Rebecca said.
"Things seem awfully quite around here without Robertson's
cowboys here." Luke said.
They looked up as a group of army soldiers rode into town. One of the
men an officer dismounted.
"Colonel William Sanders reporting, sir." the officer said.
"U.S. Marshal Jess Hawkins. You'll find what remains of the
Callen gang about three miles out of town. Callen and the real head
of the gang, Clarissa Chalmers. Take the remainder of the ranch hands
into custody and bring them back to town." Jess said.
Rebecca came back down the stairs. The soldiers rode out of town as
she reached street level.
"What is the army doing here?" Rebecca asked.
"John Callen, Fred Robertson's real name, is wanted by the army
for desertion. Colonel Sanders has followed him from Kansas." Jess
said.
"You didn't bother to tell us that?" Luke said.
"From what I saw of Callen he didn't have the means to buy a
whole town." Jess said.
"How is Alexis doing?" Joshua asked.
"The Doctor said she will be fine in a few weeks." Rebecca said.
Epilogue
John and Luke stood outside the Sherrif's office looking over the
sleepy little town of Red Gulch.
"So you finally told the good people of Red Gulch that your name
is Luke Hawkins?" Jess asked.
"Not that I would ever claim that I'm your brother, but I'm up
for re-election this year, and Jess Hawkins is the biggest thing to
hit town since the telegraph." Luke said.
"It's pretty nice to be the good guy for a change." Jess said.
"What will you do now?" Luke asked.
"Set up an office in Tucson. I'll be back through here every now
and then to make sure that your an honest sherrif." Jess said.
Luke smiled as a stagecoach pulled to a stop in front of the bank.
"We even have a stage route since we cleaned up the town." Luke
said.
A man wearing a black suit and two guns got off the stage. The young
boys in town began to gather around him as the driver threw his
luggage down.
"That guy looks like trouble." Luke said.
"He is, that's Wyatt Earp. Well, you're big one day and nothing
the next." Jess said as he swung up into his saddle.
Jess pulled his reins over and rode out of town toward Tucson.