wagon. “Can I help you, gentleman?” Elijah eyed the group cautiously. Their faces were nearly hidden in their clothing, understandable, but their manner suggested trouble.
“You can put your hands where I can see them,” the two outside riders pulled guns as the middle man dismounted.
“I’ll take whatever money you got but don’t you think of trying anything funny. Both these two men here are crack shots and they won’t hesitate to put a bullet through ya,” the man on the ground ordered.
“You take what you want, just mind those triggers,” Elijah reached for his money and handed it over; Jonathon did the same.
“Only nine dollars and twenty-two cents. You want I should search the wagon?” the man turned to his companions.
“Naw, we’re being paid well enough; just mount up,” one of the men responded. “You two get down; no funny stuff now.”
Elijah and Jonathon both climbed down from the high seat.
“You,” the man waved his gun in Jonathon’s direction, “loose them horses and be quick about it.”
Jonathon moved to obey and searched the surrounding area for cover; he had a real bad feeling about this. The men had chosen a good place for their ambush and a good day too. There was no nearby cover and almost no traffic thanks to the weather.
“What’s takin’ so long?” the man demanded.
Jonathon loosened the last trace and led both horses toward the man. The middle rider took the horses leads and circled back to his friends.
“Please take the horses or whatever you want; just don’t hurt me or my friend here. I have a wife and a child to care for…” Elijah’s sentence was cut short, the gun sounded only moments before he jerked and crumpled to the ground.
Jonathon started at the sound; a second shot came almost immediately and he felt pain rip through his arm. Knowing he wasn’t mortally wounded, he made a show of landing face down on the ground anyway.
“Should we make sure they’re dead?” one of the men asked.
Jonathon held his breath and prayed they would leave.
“Naw, they’re dead; I never miss. Let’s get outta here before those shots bring someone lookin’,” the leader instructed.
Jonathon heard the riders moving away but waited to move until he could no longer hear them. He scrambled to his friend’s side and rolled him over to find a pool of blood already staining the ground and blood running from the corner of Elijah’s mouth. Jonathon glanced down at Elijah’s shirt to find a growing bloodstain in the general area of the man’s heart. Elijah was breathing hard and his eyes were slightly glazed.
“We need to get you to the doctor,” Jonathon prepared to lift his friend.
Elijah grabbed Jonathon’s coat with a bloody hand.
“Listen, Jonathon, I’m not going to make it. Promise me…” Elijah gasped for a breath, “Promise me that you’ll look out for Alexandria. She’s so young and… tell her I’m sorry I hurt her that I did come to love her. Tell her I heard her crying that first night…that…”
“Save your energy, you’re going to make it!” Jonathon insisted.
“Promise me?” Elijah demanded with surprising force.
“I promise,” Jonathon agreed, “come on, we’re wasting time,” Jonathon lifted the man onto his shoulder. The action sent pain through his injured arm; he gritted his teeth and started walking toward town.
He had only made a few feet when a wagon approached. He waved his free arm frantically. The wagon came to a stop beside him. He immediately recognized the man and his son from church.
“What happened?” the man demanded.
“We were robbed,” Jonathon explained as he gently laid Elijah onto the wagon bed. It was too late; Elijah was gone.
***
Alexandria glanced out into the deepening shadows of evening and wondered where her husband was. He should have been home hours ago. When the two team horses had shown up with no wagon she had sent two of the men looking but they hadn’t returned yet either. She heard a wagon coming down the lane and hurried onto the porch. She watched as first one wagon and then another topped the ridge. She couldn’t identify her husband as the driver of either.
A lone rider was coming down the lane fast. She walked out the door and to the edge of the porch and wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the cold. She recognized Jonathon as he drew closer and felt her stomach further knot; where was her husband?
“Where’s Eli?” Alexandria demanded as Jonathon dismounted and climbed the porch steps. Her eyes fell to his