Beartooth Incident by Jon Sharpe

notion he was entertaining. He sighed in disappointment, and they climbed back on and rode to the corral. She waited while he stripped the sorrel, and she opened the door for him since his hands were full with the saddle and saddle blanket.
    Nelly and Jayce bounded over to meet them and pestered their mother with questions about what they had seen on their ride. When Jayce heard about the buzzards, he wanted to go shoot them, but Mary told him that buzzards had to eat, too, and to leave them be. She put the coffeepot on to reheat and told Fargo to sit in a chair in front of the hearth.
    Fargo extended his legs and felt the warmth creep up his boots to his ankles. He had a few decision to make, and he was deep in thought when Mary brought a steaming cup over. “We need to talk. Pull up a chair.”
    “No need.” Mary sank down with her elbows on her knees and gazed up at him. The firelight lent her face a soft beauty fit to be captured on canvas. “I’m all ears.”
    Fargo took a slow sip. She was more than ears. She was as fine a woman as he ever met, and he found himself growing more fond of her than he should. He admired the luster of her hair and the fullness of her lips, and shook himself.
    “Is something the matter?” Mary asked. “Didn’t I make the coffee strong enough?”
    “It’s fine.” Then, to take his mind off her and her hair, Fargo said, “We need to be clear on a few things. Do you and your kids realize what it will be like when we leave?”
    Mary glanced at where Nelly and Jayce were playing dominoes at the table. “We want it more than anything.”
    “That’s not what I asked.”
    “Sorry. What?”
    “It’s the dead of winter, Mary. Game will be hard to come by. We could starve before we make it out of the Beartooths. Or freeze to death. It won’t be easy.”
    “We’re aware of that. But we’re willing to take the chance if you’re willing to help us.”
    “Then there are the horses. Cud Sten won’t hand them over to us. We’ll have to take them. And he won’t let us do that while he’s still breathing. You know what that means. And your kids will be caught in the middle. Do you want that?”
    “Can I live with the killing? Do I accept all the risks? Is that what you’re asking me?”
    Fargo almost grunted. Instead, he nodded.
    Mary gazed into the fire. “There was a time when I’d have been horrified. I never liked the idea of killing. The meat on my plate when I was growing up? I refused to think of how it got there.” She smiled a wistful smile. “But living out here has taught me how silly I was. The real world isn’t as nice as we like to pretend it is. Everything kills in order to survive. Killing is as much a part of life as, well, life itself. So the idea no longer shocks me.”
    “Then you can do what you’ll have to?”
    “So long as you promise to keep Nelly and Jayce out of it as much as possible. I don’t want them in any danger if it can be helped.”
    Fargo drummed his fingers on the chair. That changed things. He’d figured to let the Sten gang ride in and, when they were nice and comfortable, catch them off guard. But now she only left him one choice. “I’ll ride out to meet them before they get here.”
    “Just you against Cud and all his men?”
    “It’s the only way to keep the kids out of it.”
    “I’m sorry. I’m making things harder for you, aren’t I? We can do it some other way.”
    “That’s the thing,” Fargo said. There was no other way that would ensure that the kids were out of danger. Even at that, he couldn’t guarantee it would turn out as he planned. He mentioned as much.
    “I understand, and I thank you for being so honest with me. You have some fine qualities about you, Mr. Fargo. Offering to help us and not expecting anything in return.”
    “I never said that.” Fargo roamed his eyes over her body in a manner that left no doubt what he was thinking.
    “Oh, my.” Mary coughed. “You come right out with it,