Page 23 of Redeeming the Outlaw
“Whit?” she said, her face showing apparent confusion. He let go and took a moment to examine her again, remembering every aspect of her appearance.
“We got to go, Moore,” Snake said. “Daylight’s wasting.”
With a last kiss, he climbed aboard Topper and looked at her. “I love you, wife. Never forget.” Digging his heels into the side of the horse, he rode out of camp.
They had been riding for ten minutes when Whit slowed down enough to look at Snake. “Brodie wants you to kill me?”
Snake laughed. “No. It wasn’t Brodie. It was Ma.”
“Ma?” Whit shook his head in surprise. He wasn’t expecting the order to come from Ma Richards.
“You really don’t know, do you?”
Whit relaxed Topper’s reins, picking up the speed a bit. “I guess I don’t.”
“Ma doesn’t want her daughter married to an outlaw.”
Whit repeated the words in his head. “Daughter?” Then it clicked. “Esther is a Richards?”
“Libby, too.”
Whit’s mind raced as he and Snake rode across the open prairie. Though he tried to appear calm on the surface, his thoughts churned like a gathering storm.
Esther was a Richards? How had he not known? Her kind spirit and gentle nature were so unlike the rest of the outlaw clan. She was nothing like Snake, with his icy stare and sinister air. Nor did she resemble Ma, with her hardness and iron will.She wasn’t even anything like Brodie with his calculating ways.
No, Esther was different which was why Whit had to find a way out of this. Determination surged within him. He couldn’t allow Ma to take Esther’s sister, Libby, too. He had to do whatever it took to protect them.
Whit glanced at the sky, judging he had maybe five hours before sundown. He knew the land around here like the back of his hand. All he needed was an opportunity.
“I thought Esther’s folk were the Billings in Flat River.”
“Stop talking and keep riding.” Snake moved his horse to a light run. “I’ll even let you pick the spot, but make it quick because I have to get into town.”
“You really are going to Flat River after you kill me?”
“Yeah. I need to wrap up some loose ends in town.”
Whit’s mind raced as he considered his options. He needed to get the upper hand against Snake somehow, but out on the open prairie, it seemed unlikely. What he needed was seclusion. There was a place near Trapper’s Rock which had plenty of cover. Overhanging trees and thick brush lined the creek where it met the river. It could provide him with an advantage if he could plan it right. He just needed a place to hide a body where Brodie or the other men wouldn’t find it on their way back to camp.
When they reached the creek, Whit reined Topper in. “This’ll do,” he said gruffly. Snake eyed him with amusement, no doubt thinking Whit had resigned himself to his fate. They dismounted. “Don’t try anything funny.”
Whit quickly surveyed the area as he calculated his next move. The brush and trees along the creek provided decent cover, but he needed to get Snake closer to make his attack.
“Let’s walk up the bank a bit,” Whit suggested casually,leading Snake further up the creek to where the bushes thinned. Snake followed, his hand resting on the revolver at his hip. Once they were a suitable distance from the horses, partially obscured by the trees, Whit stopped and turned.
“No need to drag this out,” he said bluntly, standing tall and staring Snake down. “If you’re going to shoot me, then get on with it.”
Snake smirked, clearly enjoying having the upper hand. “I want to enjoy this. Once I’m done with you, I’m going to head to town and take care of the preacher’s family.”
“The Billings? Why?”
“Ma allowed them preacher folks to take her daughter and raise her as their kin. She wanted to give Esther a good home away from all the thieving and rustling. Libby went with another family. The Billings were supposed to let Ma see her, but one day they were just gone. It has taken her all these years to bring the family back together. There is just one of our kin left to find.”
“Who’s the last one?”
“Why should I tell you?”
Whit held out his hands. “It isn’t like I’m able to tell anyone. It will probably do you good to release the secret.”
