Читать книгу Settling The Score - George McLane Wood - Страница 56

Chapter Nineteen

Jeff was laughing. “I thought we were goners back there,” said Ed, getting up off the ground and wiping off mashed-in horse turds from his shirt front. “Damn, that stinks, whatever have them horses’ been eatin’, I wonder? Did we get ’em all?”

“I was so scared back there, Jeff, I never even fired my Colt.”

“No, we missed that last one by a mile, Ed,” said Jeff, chuckling at his friend.

“You got rusty sittin’ in jail, Jeff. You need to make time for some shootin’ practice and git back to being a good shot,” observed Ed.

“I’m practicing as I go,” remarked Jeff.

The ranch house now was almost engulfed by fire. Both men were glad the wind was blowing the flames and smoke away from the barn. They moved back into there to get away from the heat and sat on empty kegs and waited near the horses, ready to grab them and skedaddle if the wind shifted and the barn caught on fire. Later, when the smoldering ranch house collapsed in on itself, they climbed back up into the hayloft and lay on the hay with both ends of the loft doors open, to let in the cool night air.

“Awhile after dawn, we’ll start, and I’ll find you, Jorn Murphy,” Jeff said quietly.

“What’s that you say, Jeff?”

“Go back to sleep, Ed.”

“Yes, Mr. Nelson.”

“Go to sleep, Ed.”