High Valley Manhunt: Laramie Davies #1 Read Online Free PDF Page B

He froze when one of the outlaws
stirred, Cato he thought, or maybe Chris. He waited uneasily for whom
ever it was, to return to sleep. He eased forward through the doorway
and out into the main room of the way station. Sally was close
behind, and he prayed silently under his breath that nothing would
happen to endanger her life.
    They
reached the halfway point of the room, Laramie now acutely aware of
any changes in the outlaw's breathing patterns. Benny snorted, moaned
and mumbled something incoherent. There was a small gasp from Sally,
and the gunfighter hoped she could hold her nerve. He watched as
Benny rolled over, then continued his soft snores.
    The
pair moved on and finally reached the door that lead outside.
Laramie's hand touched the door handle and paused before he turned
it. The handle turned silently and he eased the door open with a
grimace. No alarm was sounded.
    With
his arm around Sally, the gunfighter guided her through the door
first, then followed, and shut it gently behind them.
    Laramie
belatedly remembered something that caused a small flash of alarm in
him. Lone Wolf , the Crow Indian, was on watch, somewhere out there
in the darkness. He hoped like hell that Slate had managed to take
care of him.

    *

    Slate
had indeed taken care of the Indian and Lone Wolf was now laid out
and trussed in the barn behind the corral. He saddled the horses they
would need for their flight,and settled in to wait for Laramie and
the woman.
    After
what seemed an eternal wait, and the hope that none of the other
outlaws or even Blackie himself would emerge, Slate started to lose
hope and thought seriously about making a run for it. He figured he'd
ride east, far away from where he was now, and far away from any
living soul who knew him.
    Two
figures moved past the corral towards the barn. Slate tensed for a
moment and then realised it was Laramie and the woman.
    “About
time you two turned up,” Slate said softly, relief evident, “I
was gettin' set to ride without you. Didn't think you were comin'”
    “It
took your friends in there a while to get to sleep,” Laramie
explained, “Where is Lone Wolf?”
    “I
have him tucked away in the barn. He won't be getting' free any time
soon.”
    The
gunfighter nodded, “Good. Right then, let's put some distance
between us and here before the others wake up and work out somethin'
is wrong.”
    Slate
had the horses ready behind the barn. Bo gave a low nicker when
Laramie neared and the gunfighter gave the big horse a reassuring rub
on his muscular neck.
    “I
hope they don't wake up while we're riding out of here,” Sally
voiced her concerns.
    “We'll
lead the horses until we're out of earshot, then mount up,”
Laramie explained to Sally.
    As
quietly as possible, they led the three horses out of the barn and
past the corral. Once clear, Laramie gave Slate Bo's reins and
whispered, “Keep goin', I'll let their horses out to give us
more of an advantage.”
    While
the others disappeared into the darkness, Laramie dropped the two
Lodge Pole rails used as a gate. The horses milled about skittishly,
unused to the strange man who walked among them. Once inside the
corral, he gently urged the horses toward the opening, careful not to
spook them, and keep noise to a minimum. They walked through the
opening and out into the meadow.
    Laramie
caught up with Sally and Slate in the tree line that circled the
meadow, “Where to now?” Slate asked him.
    “Into
the mountains,” he answered.
    Sally
was a little surprised by this, “Why? Why the mountains?
Shouldn't we take the trail and try to get to Mountain Pass?”
    “We
are goin' to Mountain Pass, Sally,” Laramie answered
truthfully, “but we're takin' the long way around. From here, I
mean to go to Beaver Meadow. Don't forget I'm bein' followed by that
posse from Rock Springs. If Blackie comes after us, which I think he
will, I want to try to lose them all in the mountains. If they
flounder around lookin' for our trail, all