a short distance, she turned a grin on Ben. "I reckon I upset him."
"The boy's a fool if he thinks he can win over a whore," Ben said.
They rode in silence for awhile. Occasionally, one of Duggan's deputies would ride by with a torch held high. Each would call out to them as they rode past, and Cora returned each greeting with a silent wave.
After over an hour, Cora pulled back on Our Lady's reins outside the Northern Hotel. The mare came to a halt as another deputy rode past, his torch throwing orange shadows along the street.
"If that thing don't show, it's the fault of them puddingheaded deputies," Cora said. "Ain't they ever laid a trap before?"
"Maybe Duggan is trying to drive it away, make us chase it down."
"It takes a fool to lead more fools, I guess," Cora said. She watched the snowflakes fall in silence for a minute. "Why don't you get back upstairs and sleep for a spell?"
Ben's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"To keep fresh," Cora said. "I'll stay out for another hour or so, then come fetch you so you can take a turn at it."
"What if it shows while I'm asleep?"
"Then I'll whip it." Cora pulled the Winchester from the crook of his arm and slid it into Our Lady's saddle scabbard. "Go on, now."
"I don't like leaving you out here by yourself," Ben said, setting his jaw.
"The longer you fret about it, the less sleep you'll get," Cora said. "No need for both of us to wear out at the same time. Now, if the wendigo shows, I'll run fetch Duggan's boys right quick and send one of them to rouse you."
Ben sighed through his nose. "You got the extra rounds from Father Davidson?" he asked.
"Right here," Cora said, patting her ammo belt with a gloved hand.
"All right, then," he said, swinging himself off his horse. He tied the reins loosely so he could ride again at a moment's notice. "You come fetch me if you're close by when it shows."
"You hear me start shooting, you come running," Cora said. She reached down inside her boot, produced a small silver knife, and tossed it to him. "Sleep with that on the stand. If it happens to come in through the window while I'm away, that ought to slow it down enough for you to light out."
He nodded, sliding the knife into his belt. "God be with you, then."
"And with you." She watched him go, then took a deep breath of cold air and blew it out over Our Lady's ears. She slapped the reins across the mare's neck, rode back into the street, and resumed her patrol.
Snow gathered on her gloves and the horse's mane as she circled through the streets. The torch-bearing deputies became fewer and fewer as the night wore on, and lights began to wink out in the windows. Soon, the town of Leadville slipped into a deeper sleep, leaving her alone with the cold and the night. Only Jack Evans remained at his post by the brothel's front door, his chin on his chest, snoring softly.
Finally, Cora judged a good hour had passed and turned Our Lady's head toward the Northern Hotel. Her fingers were stiff and cold inside her gloves. She holstered Duggan's gun and rubbed her hands together as Our Lady crunched along the street. Time for Ben to come back out into the cold for awhile. There were only a few hours before dawn, anyway, so he could patrol until then. If the damn thing still didn't show, they'd have no choice but to hunt it at the old Bartlett place. She muttered a curse as she rode through the snowflakes, promising the wendigo a few hours of suffering to make up for hers.
Light streamed through the windows at the marshal's station as she rode by. At least Duggan was still awake. She considered stopping by for an update, then decided against it. The marshal wouldn't be pleased to see her, and the feeling would be mutual enough. Better to wait until morning.
She was about to ride on when a small movement on the station's roof caught her eye. Squinting away the glow from the windows, she peered into the shadows above the building's false front. Something up there didn't look right. She drew the big Colt from its holster and nudged Our Lady's head around.
There, just behind the upward curve of the shiplap wall. She thought she could make out a head peering down toward the station's