Bushedwhacked Groom Read Free Page A

directed, pointing off into the dis tance. “That’s Broken Buck Mountain . The town lies directly beneath it.”
    Grover was gazing off at the mountain. “Thanks; sounds pretty easy.”
    “It is. Anything else I can do for you?”
    He shook his head. “No, but let me give you a ten for your trouble.”
    “Naw, no problem.”
    But the man was already reaching inside his jacket— only to pull out a black revolver.
    “What?” Lucky cried, backing away.
    Watching Lucky reach for his own gun, the other man yelled, “Freeze, mister! Don’t even think about it!”
    Lucky gulped, his fingers paused in midair as he eyed his adversary in mingled shock and disbelief. A dramatic change had come over Grover Singleton’s features; a mask of surly anger had replaced the jovial facade. Even his voice had gone low and was full of menace. And his steely automatic was pointed at Lucky with deadly intent.
    “Pitch that weapon into the gorge right now or I’ll drop you where you stand,” the man ordered.
    “What the hell—”
    “I said drop it! Careful-like. Use two fingers.”
    Lucky stared.
    “Ya think I don’t know how to use this gun?” Grover asked, striding forward aggressively. “I’ll have you know I’m a county deputy from Colorado Springs .”
    At that Lucky snorted a laugh. “A baby-face like you is a lawman?”
    Grover fired a shot that whizzed past Lucky’s cheek and practically shattered his left eardrum.
    “Well, you don’t have to get so testy about it,” Lucky retorted with a grimace.
    “Your weapon!”
    Gingerly Lucky retrieved his grandfather’s Colt, then pitched it over the embankment. He rubbed his smart ing ear. “What the hell burr do you got up your ass, mister?”
    “The burr is, you tried to kill my sister,” Grover practi cally spat back.
    “Your sister?” Lucky was amazed.
    “Yeah. Misti Childers.”
    “Misti? You’re her brother? I didn’t even know she had one.”
    “Our parents divorced when we were young, and my ma remarried and raised me in Colorado Springs . When Misti called me this morning to tell me what you did, I came straight out here to track down and kill the low-down coward who’d scared the wits out of my baby sister.”
    Lucky’s face heated with anger. “Did your baby sister tell you what she was doing? That I found her in a cheap motel room, screwing my best—”
    “Shut up!” A muscle jerked in Grover’s cheek. “I don’t care if she was screwing in a light bulb. Nothin’ excuses attempted murder.”
    “0h, yeah? In these parts when a woman cheats on her man it excuses a lot more.”
    Grover waved his weapon. “You got a lot of bluster for a man about to meet his maker.”
    Damn, this was serious! Lucky thought. He’d gone from a potential ninety days in lockup to a looming death penalty. Lucky sized up his opponent, deciding the man looked entirely too nervous to be predictable. Grover’s jaw was twitching, his hand quivering on his weapon. If Lucky tried to jump him, he might well get shot for his troubles. “Look, can’t we work this out?”
    “You should have thought of that before you scared the bejesus out of my sister.” Grover stepped back, while never taking his eyes off Lucky, and pulled several lengths of twine from his saddlebags. “Now back up.”
    “Back up?” Lucky stared over the rim of the gorge. “There’s nowhere to go but down.”
    Grover grinned. “Yeah. That’s the idea.”
    Lucky backed up as far as he could, gulping.
    “Now turn around.”
    Lucky complied, and felt his hands being tied from the back.
    “Now step down to that stagecoach.”
    Tossing the stranger a mystified glance, Lucky again did his bidding, though it was far from easy trying to skid down the steep slope with his hands bound.
    Jumping down beside Lucky, Grover flung open the stagecoach door and jerked his head toward the inte rior. “Get inside.”
    A sick, terrifying prospect seized Lucky. “You’re not thinking of—”
    “I said, get