Page 54 of Breathless (Old West 2)

Chapter Ten

With the fires doused, there was nothing left for Kent and Matt to do. Both men had lost everything in the fires from razors to socks. The only personal items they still possessed were their saddles, horses, and the clothes on their backs.

“So now what?” the younger man asked.

“I want to take a look around and see if we can figure out which direction Parnell and the others might have taken. It could help us find them.” The murders hadn’t taken place that long ago but each passing minute put those responsible farther away from the scene.

“Then what?”

“We ride back to the hotel and see what Mr.Fontaine wants to do. If I know Rhine, he’ll probably want to rebuild. You’re welcome to hang on here until then.”

“But I don’t have a place to stay.”

“Neither do I but he’ll put us up.”

“You sure?”

Kent nodded. He understood the younger man’s worries. Being employed by Blanchard had given Matt a place to call home for the first time in years and he wouldn’t be looking forward to being at loose ends again.

“What about pay?” Matt asked. “Mr.Fontaine won’t pay us if we aren’t working, will he?”

“I don’t know what he’ll decide, but if not I have some money saved up. Should be enough to keep us both above water until things are worked out.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t ask. I volunteered.”

“But—”

“Look, we can sit here and argue or we can ride back to the hotel and get a bath and some food. How do you vote?”

Matt smiled. “I vote for the hotel.”

“Thought you would. Hopefully Rhine will have some word on the posse by the time we return, so, let’s go take that look around.”

They were walking to their mounts when Rhine rode up. He dismounted and scanned what was left of the ranch house.

Kent told him. “They used kerosene. Burned both buildings right down to the foundations. Is the sheriff getting a posse?”

“No.”

Kent stared. “Why not?”

“Geronimo escaped last night and the army wants all the lawmen in the area to help track the old chief down. O’Hara has no one he can spare.” Rhine then explained why the sheriff couldn’t deputize him or Kent.

The injustice of the illogical restrictions left Kent tight-lipped. “So did he say we couldn’t track Parnell down on our own?” Having to look over his shoulder for Apache while tracking down Parnell was a complication he hadn’t planned on.

“No, but we’ll have no legal status to arrest him.”

Kent didn’t care about that. He’d ridden in Wyoming’s range wars and not everything done there had been legal either, but it had been right. “If we bring Parnell in, will they jail him or not?”

“I don’t really know.”

Kent was so frustrated he wanted to punch something.

Rhine asked Matt, “What can you tell me about Parnell?”

“Not much. He bragged a lot but you never knew how much of what he was saying was true.”

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