Slocum and the Spirit Bear (9781101618790) Read Free Page B

knife.”
    â€œWhat did you do?”
    â€œWaited until I was sure he meant business and shot him. Last time he ever gets confused about the pecking order in poker hands. He was a loud son of a bitch anyway. Would’ve jumped me soon as I left that table with my winnings. Vaccaro and a few others tried that very thing and I shot most of them, too. Messy affair, but not my fault. That sheriff warned me to get out of town. Called me a troublemaker. Can you believe that?”
    â€œYes,” Ed replied. “I can believe it.”
    Slocum looked over at him with newfound respect. He then slapped him on the back and laughed wholeheartedly. “You got a good head on your shoulders, Ed. I like that.”
    â€œGreat! Then maybe you wouldn’t mind riding with me and my wagons out to Colorado?”
    Frozen with a glass to his lips, Slocum eased it back down to the bar and reached for the bottle. “Why would I want to do that? Hell, for that matter, why would
you
want me to do that?”
    â€œBecause we could use a man to ride with us for protection. We’re headed through Indian territory.”
    â€œYou’d be dealing with the Pawnee and Cheyenne, most likely. Stick to the trail, mind your manners, and you’ll most likely be all right. Or are you more worried about another robber gang looking to finish the job the first one started?”
    â€œThey’re all concerns.” Pushing away the glass containing the last bit of his whiskey, Ed said, “We’re five wagons and nine good people. Ten if you count me. Three are children, three are women, and one is an old man who does the cooking. Apart from me, only one of us is any good with a rifle. We’ve already been hit hard once, John. Can’t afford to be hit again.”
    â€œThen maybe you should consider turning around and going back to where you come from.”
    â€œWe struck out from Illinois hailing from as far east as Boston. We’ve all come too far to just head back now.”
    â€œThen have your wagons sit tight where they are. There are plenty of folks who make camp for a season or two while scraping together some money to push on. I’d say that’s your best prospect. Especially,” Slocum added, “since it seems this journey of yours is something close to cursed as it is.”
    â€œAre you trying to discourage me?” Ed asked.
    â€œYeah. I am. And if you think about the trials and losses you’ve already told me about, you’d probably agree with my reasoning.”
    Ed shook his head solemnly. “All them good people I told you about threw in with me for a reason. I swore to get them to Colorado and that’s what I intend to do.”
    â€œI’m sure they’d rather have you make some changes to that plan before more of them were killed.”
    That struck a nerve within Ed. It was as plain to see as the twitch on his face and the tension in his hand as he nearly drove his fingers through the bar. Finally, he picked up his glass so he could finish the last sip of whiskey. “If we turn back, all our sacrifice would be for nothing. Also, we’d probably just be going straight into the sights of the same men that burned our wagons in the first place.”
    â€œDidn’t the law round them up?”
    â€œMostly. The ones that got away surely reached out to some friends of their own. If murderous animals like that truly have friends.”
    Slocum let out a slow breath and gazed straight across at a row of dusty bottles on the shelf behind the bar. “Men like that always got friends,” he said. “Animals tend to run in packs.”
    â€œEven if we were heading back, we’d still need someone to watch out for us. Seeing as how we all sold everything we owned for a better chance in the Rockies, turning back just doesn’t make much sense.”
    â€œThe Rockies, huh? Making your way through the mountains can be a whole lot rougher