Slocum and the Spirit Bear (9781101618790) by Jake Logan Page A

though.
Had
to be. They were there and they could stay hidden long enough to jump me and Ed without benefit of horses, firearms, or high ground.”
    â€œThis is Indian country,” she said. “I’ve heard of savages dressing up in all sorts of ways to stay hidden. They even paint their faces and wear feathers and such. Maybe that’s all it was. Crazy Indians.”
    â€œWhole damn thing is crazy.”
    She settled against him and let out a slow, measured breath. “Should we be worried about this, John?”
    â€œIt’s like you said, everyone on these wagons has already weathered more than one storm and you all knew there would be more to come,” he said. “If threats are all it takes to change someone’s mind, they shouldn’t expect much of a life anyways.”
    â€œThat’s a fine bunch of inspiring talk,” she said dryly. “I want to know an honest answer to my question. Should we be worrying about these animals or Indians or . . . whatever they may be?”
    â€œI don’t think they should be ignored, but they can’t be allowed to stop us in our tracks.”
    â€œDo you think they’ll attack us again?”
    â€œMaybe. Maybe not,” Slocum replied. “If I could guess what’s running through their minds, they wouldn’t have been able to get the drop on us in the first place.” The moment those words left his mouth, Slocum regretted them. While he knew he could be franker with her than some of the others, he still didn’t want to burden her with too much frankness.
    He leaned forward so she could hear him as he dropped his voice to a low, intimate whisper. “I’m not just here to collect my fee. I took this job and I don’t intend on letting anything happen to you or any of these folks.”
    â€œWhy did you take this job? I mean, you don’t strike me as a man who was just sitting around scraping together money. You’re certainly not just a hired gun.”
    â€œI’m not rich, but I can afford to be particular when it comes to picking jobs. Ed seemed like a good man and my instinct told me he genuinely needed help. I was ready to refuse him several times. Even during the ride to meet up with the wagons, I was searching for a good enough reason to just refuse his offer and part ways. He spoke highly of everyone here. Well . . . everyone but Josiah.”
    â€œWhat did he say about him?” she asked with a laugh.
    â€œCalled him a cantankerous blowhard. Also said he was good with a rifle, though.”
    Theresa seemed disappointed. “We’ve called Josiah a lot worse than that to his face. I thought Ed might come up with something better when he was out of earshot.”
    â€œMy point is all I wanted when I met up with Ed was to get out of Missouri. I could have done that on my own. I’ve had to fend for myself enough times. I’ve also seen too many good people meet bad ends on account of rotten luck or the whims of lesser men. It never did set right with me. The way I was raised, every man should pitch in and help when he can. That way, he’ll earn the right to be helped when his own run of misfortune comes along.”
    â€œSo you wouldn’t mind doing this for free?” she asked.
    â€œA man’s also got to earn his keep.” Shrugging, he added, “If he can do so while helping those in need, then that’s all the better.”
    â€œThere’s that silver tongue again.”
    â€œThings have a way of working themselves out,” Slocum said earnestly. “Just so long as you aren’t stupid and do the work that needs to be done. We’ll make it through this and I’ll get you to Colorado. As for my silver tongue . . . you don’t know the half of it.”
    They remained in the back of the wagon for a little while longer, doing their best to keep quiet.

8
    As much as he would have liked to keep