never go west because it was full of mad animals and crazy people. Her sister told her the Indian Wars had been over for a few years, but what if . . .
She couldn’t stand guessing anymore. Grabbing Hank’s gun belt, she strapped it around her waist, then pulled on her robe without bothering to tie it. If something was outside, she had no intention of hiding indoors.
Without a lamp, she felt her way through the main room to the front door. The barking sounded like it was coming from the back of the house. If she stayed in the shadow of the porch she might see trouble before it found her.
As she slipped outside, the cold, wet boards felt slippery beneath her, but she couldn’t take the time to go back for shoes. Slowly, her fingers sliding along the painted walls, she moved toward the side of the house where she’d be able to see the barn.
Lightning flashed and she froze, knowing that if there was someone, or something out there in the night, they would be able to see her for a few seconds.
But nothing moved.
She continued her progress, one small step at a time. When she turned the corner and saw Ulysses—still barking—facing the barn, she silently pulled the Colt and readied it.
“Easy, Ulysses,” she whispered, not wanting to surprise him from behind. “I’m here now.”
Ulysses lowered to a growl, but didn’t move. Something between the dog and the barn held his full attention. It took her brain a moment to recognize the outline of a man on horseback with something held high in both hands, like a warrior of old wielding a sword.
Aggie waited for the next flash of lightning.
Seconds passed. She and Ulysses stood vigil.
With a sudden flash of lightning, Aggie saw a man again, closer now to the opening of the barn.
As thunder rolled, Hank shouted, “Aggie, get back inside.”
He’d seen her, but she hadn’t had time to find him in the moment’s flash. The blackness that followed swallowed all light. Aggie strained, trying to make out any form, struggling to hear any movement.
The whack of board against bone thundered across the yard. Once! Twice!
Ulysses went wild.
The sound of a horse stomping rumbled near the barn. The animal screamed as a man’s voice shouted a curse. A moment later the horse broke into a run. Aggie raised her Colt and fired as a rider blinked past her. Before she could draw aim again, the horse had taken his dark knight out of range.
Suddenly, Ulysses and she were running toward the barn.
“Hank,” she cried, not sure if she were screaming his name or praying. “Hank!”
Stepping into the barn reminded her of falling into a cave. Velvet blackness on the moonless night. She clambered for the lantern she’d seen Hank set on a shelf just inside the barn, hoping he had only turned it out and not taken it down.
The lantern was there along with an almost empty box of matches. It took three tries before Aggie brought the match to life and lit the lantern. When she turned, spreading light, she might have missed the heap on the ground beside the stall if Ulysses hadn’t been right beside him. At first she thought it might be rags, then she recognized a white shirt.
“Hank!” He lay facedown and far too still. Blood dripped from his head and one of his long legs twisted just below the knee at an unnatural angle. A long two-by-four lay beside him, harmless though spotted with blood.
Aggie sat the lantern a few feet from him and ran for the barn door. As soon as she cleared the roof, she lifted her gun and fired three quick shots. Then she ran back to her husband.
By the time Blue Thompson and a woman who had to be his wife arrived, Aggie had wrapped the belt of her robe around Hank’s head and was applying pressure where blood dripped with each of his heartbeats.
“What happened?” Blue asked as he jumped from the buggy.
Aggie couldn’t stop the tears. “I don’t know. I heard something. Someone. Then he rode off and I found Hank.”
“Who would want to hurt Hank?” Lizzy demanded as she knelt beside her husband. Her voice was low, but her hands moved skillfully over Hank’s injuries.