here don’t feel too good.”
Clint spared a quick glance at the sickly man. It was a cool evening, but the man was sweating profusely. “Why are you out here at this time of night looking for coffee?”
The man doing the talking stared at Amelia and grinned. “What are you two doing out here?”
Clint glared at the man. “Mister, I suggest the three of you ride on out of here.”
“Is that your wife?” the man asked.
Clint took a step forward, blocking the man’s view of Amelia. “Maybe you didn’t hear me. You need to ride out.”
“Why don’t you introduce us to the little lady?” The leader’s eyes darted to his men.
Quickly calculating which man would be the first to draw his weapon, Clint chose the right man. The leader reached for his pistol, but Clint was much faster, pointing his gun at the man’s head before his pistol cleared his holster. “I think that would be a big mistake.”
“There’s three of us and one of you,” one of the other men reminded Clint.
“Mister, if you’re looking for trouble, you just found it,” Clint told them.
The three men exchanged a glance before the leader smirked at Clint. “You can’t take three guns.”
“He probably can, but I’m here if he needs me.” Whitt walked from the brush with his rifle pointed at the men.
The leader glanced at his companions and holstered his pistol. “Let’s ride, boys.” Before they turned their horses around, the leader gave Clint a hard look. “I’ll see you again.”
Whitt lowered his rifle and joined Clint by the fire. “What do you think they had in mind?”
Clint holstered his pistol. “Nothing good. I think we need to sleep in shifts in case they return. If you think you can sleep, I’ll take first watch.”
“Sounds good.” Whitt stretched out on his bedroll and covered his eyes with his hat.
Amelia stood and poured two fresh cups of coffee. “I’m so nervous, I don’t think I can sleep. Do you mind if I keep you company for a while?”
Clint couldn’t think of a better way to stay awake. “Not at all. I’ll pull over my bedroll closer to the girls’ so we don’t disturb Whitt.”
After placing his bedroll near Amelia’s blanket, Clint gathered more wood for the fire. Once he had the fire blazing again, he saw Amelia had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “Cold?”
“A little, but the fire feels wonderful.” She watched Clint check his rifle and position it within easy reach before he sat down. “What do you think those men wanted?”
“Probably looking for someone to rob. I’m sure word is out that people are panning for gold here.”
Amelia shivered. “I didn’t like the looks of them. I’m glad we’re here with you and Mr. Newcombe. I think Mr. Nelson is too trusting; he might have invited them into our camp.”
Clint stared at her, thinking she looked so lovely by the light of the fire with her flushed cheeks and her long, beautiful hair draped over one shoulder. When his gaze moved to her lips, he had an almost irresistible urge to kiss her. He reminded himself that she may not have recovered from the loss of her husband. His eyes drifted back to hers. “I’m glad you and the girls are here with me.”
Their eyes remained locked for a few seconds more before Amelia nervously glanced away. “Do you think we should warn the other families in the area to be on the lookout for those men?”
Clint immediately regretted that he’d allowed the moment to pass without making a move. He thought of the old proverb; fortune favors the bold. It won’t happen again, he promised himself. “I’ll ride to tell the other folks in the morning. When I’m not around, I want you and the girls to stay close to the men.”
Chapter 5
Early the next morning, Clint was saddling his horse when Amelia joined him. “Please be careful, Mr. Mitchum, and give my best to the Wilburn family.”
Clint cinched his saddle and turned to face her. “Please call me Clint, and I’ll be careful. Do you know how to use a pistol?”
“My father taught me to shoot a long time ago, but I don’t have a gun.”
Clint pulled an extra gun from his saddlebag and checked to make certain it was loaded. He held it out to her, and was somewhat surprised that she wasn’t fainthearted about handling the firearm. He liked that about her. It told him that she had the courage to protect the girls as