Page 24 of Redeeming the Outlaw
“Duke’s son is somewhere near Flat River, and Ma wants her grandchild back. Once we find out where he is, then we’ll get him back and eliminate the family who has him.”
“What about his ma?”
“Brodie is looking for her, too. She will not get away with what she did to our family.”
“You’re a lunatic.”
Snake pulled out his revolver and waved it at Whit. “I’m not the one looking down the barrel of a six-shooter.”
“Everyone in town knows Esther is gone. They are probably surrounding the Billings if they aren’t out looking for her.”
“Ma thought about that, too.”
“How so?”
“The Billings haven’t left their house. No one knows she’s missing.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Ma is smart. She put up a sign stating the church was closed because of a fever. The whole town fears getting it again, so no one is going near their house.”
Whit removed his dusty hat and ran a calloused hand through his unruly hair. He made a mental note to ask Esther for a trim the next time he saw her. With Esther and her family’s lives in danger, he knew there was only one opportunity to take down Snake and make it to town to rescue the Billings family.
Faking putting on his hat, Whit swiftly reached inside and pulled out a small single shot pistol hidden within the brim. He fired without hesitation, aiming carefully between Snake’s eyes.
The man's eyes widened as he stumbled backwards, his fingers instinctively loosening their grip on the cold metal of the revolver. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, panting heavily as he tried to make sense of what just happened.
Whit rushed over and picked up the Colt. Looking at Snake, Whit sneered. “I should have done this the first time you touched Esther.”
Lifting his foot, he planted it in the middle of Snake’s chest, knocking the man into the river. As Snake disappeared into the muddy water of Flat Creek, Whit raced back to his horse. After securing his gun belt and storing the Colt in his saddlebag, he climbed onto Topper. Leading Snake’s horse, he double timed it to Mrs. Brown’s house to hide it before heading to town toensure the Billings family was safe.
Chapter Seven
Whit stopped by Brigg’s office, but the marshal wasn’t around. Looking at the calendar on the wall, he noticed it was the day before Thanksgiving. Thursdays were normally game night at the Chapmans, but with it being a holiday, Briggs probably went early to spend a few days.
He was probably already tucking into one of Marmee’s home-cooked meals, and then he’d be spending the rest of the night drinking coffee and playing cribbage until Weston brought out the jars of cider.
It wouldn’t be until Saturday when Briggs would finally come back to town, but Whit didn’t know how late it might be. His fist collided with the desk, the sound reverberating in the air before he swiftly exited through the front door.
“Hey, Whit! Wait up.”
Whit turned to see Tom coming from the mercantile and crossing the street.
“What are you doing in town?” Whit asked.
“You know. A little of this. A little of that.”
Whit didn’t have time for Tom’s games today. “No. I don’t know. Are you headed to Miss Marcy’s?”
“Might stop by later. Got some business for Ma first.”
“I’m headed to the Billings as well.”
Tom paused for a minute. “Is it time?”
Whit nodded. He wasn’t sure what Tom was talking about, but if Whit could find out any useful information, he could pass it along to Briggs before he left town.
“Why do you think I’m in town?” He grabbed Tom’s arm and tugged him down the street. “Ma didn’t give me many details. I’m just supposed to go the house. How did you know?”
