Blood Bond 5 Read Free

both own big ranches, and they have big sons and pretty daughters. And they both think they’re the cock of the walk. And so do their kids. Bull and John fought the Shoshoni and Bannock and pretty much settled this area. Give them credit for that. Now we got stagecoaches coming in regular, and it was shapin’ up to be a right nice place to live and work and raise a family. That is until Daniel Carlin fell in love with Connie Sutton. It has all turned to road apples since then. Now, mind you, neither one of those kids is worth a tinker’s damn for anything. It ain’t proper to talk about a good woman, but Scarlett ain’t no good woman. Not by a long shot. She’s as mean as an angry puma and got her a temper and a bad mouth that’d cause any man to duck down and hide his head in shame. Bull has forbid Scarlett to see Johnny, and John has forbid Johnny to see Scarlett. Of course, they see each other every chance they get, which is often. Now Bull had accused John of settin’ the whole thing up so’s he can get his ranch, and John has accused Bull of the same thing. The kids of both men is eggin’ things on ’cause none of them ’ceptin’ Daniel Carlin and Connie Sutton has sense enough to come in out of a rainstorm.”
    â€œBoth sides are hiring gunfighters?” Matt asked.
    â€œYou bet. A lot of them.”
    â€œName fighters?”
    â€œSome of them. Ned Kerry, J.B. Adams, Paul Brown, Dick Laurin have signed on with the Flyin’ BS.”
    Sam almost spilled his beer. “The what?”
    The marshal allowed himself a smile. “That is one hell of a brand, ain’t it? Bull Sutton’s brand. And he’s full of it, too. Henry Rogers, Rod Hansen, Ramblin’ Ed Clark, and Bill Lowry is on the Circle JC’s payroll. And them’s just the known guns. Every manjack on both spreads is now drawin’ fightin’ wages, and there don’t seem to be no end in sight.”
    â€œYou can add two more to the list,” Sam said, looking out the fly-specked window of the saloon to the street. “Simon Green and Peck Hill just rode up.”
    Tom clenched his hands into fists and quietly did some pretty fancy cussing for a moment.
    â€œI hate to ask this, Marshal,” Matt said, “and I hope you don’t take it the wrong way, but which side are you on?”
    Tom shook his head. “No offense taken, Matt. It’s a fair question. I’m sittin’ smack in the middle of this mess. No man, or no two men, own a Western town of this size. We have us a mayor and a town council, and they hired me. Only they can fire me. I’m paid to keep the peace in this town. I intend to do just that and to hell with what goes on outside it.”
    The batwings shoved open, and Simon Green and Peck Hill stomped in. They each wore two guns tied down low. Matt and Sam and the marshal were sitting in the semi-gloom at the far end of the saloon. They received a glance from the hired guns, but at that distance the faces of the trio were hard to make out. The gunfighters walked to the bar.
    â€œWhiskey with a beer chaser,” Simon said, in a voice too loud. “Both of us. And which way to the Flying BS?”
    â€œNow you know, Marshal,” Sam muttered low.
    â€œLook there,” Matt said, glancing out the nearest window. “Gene Baker and Norm Meeker riding up. It’s getting real interesting around here.”
    â€œYou boys best leave this saloon,” George told the pair at the bar. “You’re on the wrong side of town. Get on over to the Bull’s Den.” He had one hand under the bar, out of sight, and both gunslingers knew that in all likelihood, he was gripping a sawed-off shotgun. Some called them Greeners.
    â€œEasy, now, friend,” Simon said. “Just hold your water. We didn’t know.”
    â€œNow you do,” George told him.
    â€œFor a fact,” Peck said.
    Gene Baker and