The big gundown Read Online Free Page A

of him. Heck, Cyrus brushes him twice a day.”
    The Kid smiled. “I’m much obliged.” He and the buckskin had been through a lot of hardships together in a relatively short time. His expression grew more serious again as he went on, “Mrs. Williams told me about what you did with those four men…”
    The young rancher’s face stiffened into a grim mask. “Seemed like that would be the smart thing. I didn’t want anybody to know that those varmints had even been here.”
    “That’s right. If anybody comes looking for them, you never saw them.”
    Sean nodded. “I’ve talked about that with Frannie and the boy, and with the fellas who work for me. We’re all agreed. We’ll keep our mouths shut.”
    “No other strangers have been around?”
    Sean shook his head. “Nope. It’s been peaceful around here—just the way I like it.”
    The Kid hoped it stayed that way.
    “The stew’s ready,” Frannie announced. She stepped to the doorway and called, “Cyrus! Supper!”
    There was no response.
    Frannie frowned. “That’s funny. I thought he was just right outside with the puppies. The pups are here, but I don’t see Cyrus.”
    The Kid felt his gut clench suddenly.
    Sean looked worried, too. He left the bedside and went over to the door as Frannie walked farther outside.
    “Frannie!” His voice was sharp. “Get back in here.”
    She turned to look at him. The expression on her face was a mixture of confusion and fear. “But I can’t find Cyrus—”
    “I’ll find him.” Sean picked up the Winchester he had leaned against the wall beside the door when he came in. He strode out, took Frannie’s arm, and gently steered her back into the house.
    The Kid’s jaw was tight. He wished he could go out there with Sean. His eyes went to the gunbelt that was coiled nearby and placed on a chair beside the bed, along with the holstered Colt. The gun was in reach if he needed it. He looked around the room for something he could use as a crutch if he had to.
    Holding the rifle slanted across his chest, Sean walked away from the house, calling, “Cyrus! Cyrus!”
    “I’m here, Pa!”
    Relief washed through The Kid as he heard the little boy’s voice call from somewhere fairly close by.
    But then Cyrus went on, “We got company!”
    The Kid tensed again. Out here, company wasn’t necessarily a good thing. In fact, chances were it could mean trouble.
    He watched through the open doorway and saw Cyrus emerge from some brush about a hundred yards away from the ranch house. As the boy had said, he wasn’t alone. A man on horseback followed him, and then several more riders came out of the brush. As Cyrus ran toward the house, the men followed him, riding single file in a slow, deliberate pace.
    “Mrs. Williams,” The Kid said, “is there another rifle here in the house?”
    “There is,” she said. “I’ll fetch it…for myself.”
    “I was thinking you’d better let me have it—”
    “I can handle a gun, Mr. Morgan. I know one of those men managed to knock the shotgun aside just as I pulled the trigger the other day, but they took me by surprise.”
    Three guns were better than two, he decided. He jerked his head in a nod and said, “All right.” He reached over, slipped the Colt out of its holster, and held it at his side, just out of sight under the sheet.
    He didn’t like this at all. If trouble broke out, he would have a limited field of fire, just what he could see through the doorway. And the boy was out there, along with Sean.
    It was possible that there was nothing to worry about, he reminded himself. The strangers might be peaceful. They could be just passing through, as he himself had been a few days earlier.
    The Kid didn’t believe it for a second…but it was possible.
    Cyrus pounded to a stop next to his father and looked up at Sean. “See, Pa? I told you we had company!”
    The man who was in the lead reined in. He reached up and tugged on the brim of his hat as he nodded. “Good