Redemption's Edge Read Online Free

minutes. “Where we headed?”
    “Texas.”
    “What’s in Texas?”
    “Hell if I know. Guess we’re going to find out.”

    Texas, several months later
    “You sure this is the right trail, Pat?” Luke rode behind Dax and their fellow Texas Ranger, Pat Hanes. For days, they’d been hunting a gang of bank robbers. The two Pelletier brothers had been teamed with the older, well-regarded Ranger. Both had as much experience in combat as Hanes, yet he offered superior tracking skills and a history of bringing in outlaws when others had given up.
    “Yep, it’s the right way.” Pat’s drawl indicated a mixed history of his long years in Alabama, plus his time in Texas. His slow, easy manner hid a quick wit and incredible instincts. Dax and Luke had learned to appreciate the first and rely on the second. “I know it’s hard for you city boys to follow how the ground changes when horses move over it. Pay attention and I might decide to show you someday.”
    He leaned over his horse and scanned the damp ground again. The rolling hills, woodlands, and drop-off canyons could conceal almost anything or anybody, but the soft soil made it hard to hide horse hooves and human steps.
    “I got a feeling it won’t be long now.” Pat pointed toward a series of hills covered in live oak and other brush.
    “Isn’t that what you told us two days ago?” Dax sat easy in his saddle, while keeping a watchful eye for any movement around them. He had no intention of being caught unawares.
    Pat turned to look at him. “Two days isn’t long, at least not by my measure.”
    They rode another three hours, tracking the group who’d killed a bank clerk and injured a customer in the small town of Red Gulch. The haul hadn’t been large, but the war had created a new breed of outlaw—homeless, hungry, destitute, and eager to take advantage of any opportunity.
    Luke scanned the countryside once more, fidgeting in his saddle and trying to alleviate the boredom. “Tell us more about your ranch.”
    “Not much to tell.” Pat didn’t take his eyes off the trail as he spoke just loud enough for his companions to hear. “It’s a decent amount of acreage at the base of Redemption Mountain. That’s part of the Territory Range in Montana. Finally paid it off last year. I’ll be moving that way when I retire.”
    “How long are you going to keep up this life?” Luke asked, knowing Pat to be a good ten or fifteen years older than Dax.
    “Another year, maybe. I’ve got a couple watching over the place, keeping it up. The area’s growing, lots of people moving in after the war. Some are good, some aren’t. It doesn’t take much to steal a man’s land away and I don’t intend to have that happen.”
    “Look up there.” Dax pointed to a hill less than a mile away. “Looks like men climbing up on the right side. One has on a white hat. Might be Whitey.”
    “I see them.” Luke reached behind him and pulled out his military field glasses. “Looks like four, going slow. Probably don’t believe anyone is still following them.”
    “Let’s move.” Pat had already taken off at a gallop, leaving Dax and Luke to catch up.
    Luke kept an eye on the men they tracked. His heart rate picked up, the same as it used to before a battle. A rush of excitement accompanied by fear of the unknown.
    They were within a couple hundred yards of the outlaws before one of the robbers turned and saw the dust from their horses
    Deke Mayes rode to the front, alongside his older brother, Whitey. “We’re being followed.” He turned and pointed to a spot down the hill.
    “How many?”
    Deke checked once again. “Looks like three. Could be more.”
    Whitey looked up the hill. He’d hoped to make it another ten miles before nightfall, which would put them far enough ahead of the law to rest their horses and eat. Looks like his plans had changed.
    “Deke, let the others know to follow us up the hill. On my command, they are to ride left and down into the