dark as night when they’d ridden hard to the conflict, a spot six miles north of town where the valley emptied out to the plains. It was an advantageous spot for anyone commanding the high ground. The homesteaders knew this and had cordoned off the valley, slowing down anyone trying to make use of the route.
How there hadn’t been a full on gunfight before they arrived at the site was beyond Seylah. She estimated it was on account of the homesteaders not having the mettle to follow through on it, and the cowboys having enough foresight to recognize the untried nature of the homesteaders.
After a tense few minutes of assessing the situation, her fathers had gone forward with a plan of brutal honesty: either the homesteaders stood down and went home, taking the fences with them and no more fence lines were erected, or they not only took on a very angry wagon train, but also the full force of Gold Sky law enforcement.
“Son, how sure is your shot?” Will had asked the fresh-faced man Seylah wasn’t sure was much older than she. “Because my girl won’t miss.” Seylah turned then, showing the rifle that laid across her lap. The young man standing in front of her father had swallowed hard when she raised the rifle to rest across her arm.
“You don’t want to do this,” Forrest said, dropping down from his horse so that he was eye level with the gathered group of homesteaders. He turned, surveying the gathered group of men standing around them and sighed.
“You came here for a new life and this is not the way to do it. You’ll be outlaws by the time the sun comes up,” he paused, a hand dropping to the revolver at his hip, “and that’s if you survive it. Are you ready for that?”
Seylah’s heart was hammering in her chest. Another deputy, Tom, was beside her, and she could feel the energy radiating from the man. He was as ready as she to shoot, and she knew he wouldn’t miss. August and Wallace were in the shadows, unseen by the homesteaders. They’d fire the moment it looked as if things were going south. The cowboys from the drive were also at the ready, but they, unlike her fathers or the deputies, were not as cool, their fingers far more prone to firing than any of the seasoned law men of Gold Sky.
Her lips had pursed at the thought—well, the men of Gold Sky, and her. On the books, Seylah was a secretary, but here when the situation called for it, she was a crack shot with a steady hand and a cool head.
Thankfully, the homesteaders had relented and packed it in, including the contentious barbed wire fence. They had also agreed to ride ahead of the cowboys and remove the remaining fences between Gold Sky and where the stockyard was located in Butte City. After that, it had mostly just been a matter of waiting it out while the homesteaders and cowboys sorted themselves for the ride ahead. Her fathers and Tom had gone ahead with the cattle drive to oversee the entire affair and ensure that no one did anything they’d regret in the true light of day.
“Keep an eye on the town,” Will had said, giving her a kiss on her cheek before riding off.
“Send August in first time anyone gives you trouble,” Forrest called over his shoulder. Seylah had nodded at both of them, though they couldn’t see her in the dark.
“Be careful.” Her voice had been lost in the early hours of the morning and she hadn’t uttered a word until she’d dismounted and walked into the office. The rest of her morning had been tense, her mind following every thread of reality that might end with one of her fathers hurt, or worse...she winced at the thought and refused to even think it.
Anything but that.
The sound of a telegram arriving set her to her feet and she raced to the machine at the far side of the room. The paper unfurled slowly and Seylah had to clasp her hands in front of her to stop herself from snatching it free and ripping it in half before it was finished. When, at last, it was complete, she took a deep breath and with a trembling hand, read the message.
Arrived safe. Be back by dinner.
All our love.
-W&F
A sigh of relief escaped her at the brief but reassuring message. All the tension in her body eased out