Silver Creek - G.L. Snodgrass Page 0,49
at him with a sad smile. “Do me a favor. You give Rebecca a life filled with love. It will be good to know that it can actually happen.”
Luke’s heart hurt as he looked at a woman desperate for happiness. “You know Scarlet, you don’t have to live this life.”
She scoffed, then halted as if the thought of a different life was something she hadn’t considered. Then , just as quickly, her frown was replaced with the familiar stony smile. “Go on,” she said as she gently pushed him in the shoulder “Or, Rebecca will be coming after me for taking up too much of your time.”
He laughed then gently took her hand. “I’m serious Scarlet. You want to walk away, you let me know and I’ll help.”
She sighed, then shook her head. “You got enough problems to worry about. Besides, Ain’t no man worth having, ever going to take me now.”
Luke frowned down at her, “You’d be surprised what a man will do for the right woman. It’s just a matter of you being the right woman for the right man.”
Her eyes clouded for a moment, but then Frost called for her from the bar, obviously upset at having her away from the customers. She smiled up at Luke then said, “You go save the town. But I got to admit, you got me thinking.”
Luke sighed inside, one more person who needed his help. But first, Carver. Tipping his hat to Scarlet, he turned and stepped out onto the boardwalk and then quickly to the side. No shot rang out, no slug tore into his gut. So, everything considered, the night was turning out better than he expected.
Chapter Nineteen
Luke studied the corral for a long moment until he was positive that Carver was alone. He wasn’t even sure it was Carver until the man struck a match to light a hand-rolled cigarette.
“You making yourself a target on purpose?” Luke asked him as he stepped out of the shadows.
The cowboy shrugged, “Figured you wouldn’t announce yourself, until you knew it was me.”
Luke shifted the rifle over to his left hand. If things went bad here, it would be in close work and he’d want to use his pistol.
“Scarlet was saying you wanted to talk,” Luke said as he leaned on the top rail of the corral and studied the horses. His big roan shied away for a moment, then edged forward slowly, obviously wanting a treat.
“Thought you should know,” Carver said as he turned to join him with his arms draped over the corral rail. “That shot at you this afternoon. It weren’t us.”
Luke froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected that. “You sure?”
“Felton issued orders. No one was to make a move against you until he gave the word. And I could see his men. Every one of them was accounted for.”
“And he didn’t really have time to hire someone else,” Luke added. “A professional?”
“If it had been a professional,” Carver said, “He wouldn’t have missed. Not at that range.”
“You was out there. Did it come from the hotel or the bank?”
Carver shrugged. “Couldn’t tell, they’re too close and the shot echoed. But I didn’t see anyone coming or going.”
Luke nodded. “Why’d Felton take his crew home?”
“He’s got a ranch to run. Or, at least that was the reason he said. Him and his sister got into a bit of a dust-up over it. She refused to go home. Took a room at the hotel. He left me and Jamison to keep an eye on her.”
Luke’s brow furrowed as he twisted to study the man. “Why you telling me all this? I thought you rode for the brand?”
Carver shrugged. “I’m giving my notice in the morning. Can’t say I like the way he runs his place. Thinking about starting a spread of my own, over by the Ruby Mountains. Found a nice valley with good grass. They’re saying when the railroad comes through, in a year or two, we’ll be able to ship back east. I put in a claim over at the assay office this afternoon. That’s where they keep the books.”
Luke studied him for a moment as he wondered if the cowboy was doing this because he didn’t agree with Felton’s actions, or if this had been a life-long dream. “It’s a lonely life. Out there all by yourself.”
The cowboy took a deep breath but remained quiet for a long time.
“You know,” Luke said, “if you’re leaving. You might want to take Scarlet Perkins along. She might