Pale Horse, Robert L. Ross [beach read book .TXT] 📗

thankfulness and praise to the Great Spirit and Warrior in the sky.
Temperance and Colt were comforting Winter Crow when Pale Horse walked over to them and sat down under the tree next to his sister. Aware of her state of mind after the violence she had just seen, he put an arm around her, and with his free hand, brushed back the strands of hair that hid her face, and quietly said to her, “The Spirits of Our Fathers have blessed us once more by guiding our hands to do what was necessary to protect our people, Do not be afraid of the manner that the blessings come, be thankful that we will live for another day, to be with the one's we love and celebrate the life force given by them.” Pale Horse looked up at the others, and while nodding his head at them, said “She'll be fine.”
With the help of her dearest friend, Winter Crow finally regained her composure and was ready to resume the hunt. While Temperance had been watching over her friend and sister, the men had walked over to the river, and refilled everyone's canteen with cool fresh water. Looking up towards the sun, Colt remarked to his friend as he trickled water from his canteen down his face and wiped it off with his handkerchief, “I'd say it's about one now, we should make that Texas crossing just outside of Shattuck by dark, don't you think?” Sounds about right.” he answered back. “Well, seeing that there's nothing open trail and endless prairie between here and there, I was thinking we could be watchful for maybe a deer, wild hog or something, gather the wood required for such a feast on the way there, throw some fresh red meat over the fire, stretch out on the bedrolls, break out that 5th of Irish Jacks I've got stashed in my saddlebags, and just as you put it so well, “be thankful we will live for another day, to be with the one's we love, and just celebrate life,” “Those outlaws will be where they are when we catch up to them, regardless of where that ends up being!,” Colt said in his redneck and futile attempt at philosophy. Pale Horse laughed aloud at his friends undertaking, and while nodding his head in agreement, faces, and to theirs as well. As Colt and the rest of them were climbing atop their horses, He looked over at his friend and remarked, “I was thinking, maybe one of us should scout ahead for this deer on the menu, rather than just hoping we come across another on the way to Shattuck.” “That makes sense to me,”, replied Pale Horse as he reached down to check for ammunition in his 50calibur long rifle.“So, I guess I'll see you on the trail then?”he asked, with a just a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “Sure,” answered Pale Horse as he started to pull away from the group. Where are you going?” Colt asked of his friend. Pale Horse, now wise to his sarcasm, laughed as he began chastising his friend, “You didn't think we were gonna leave it up to you to bring the deer, did you?” We would starve if we had to live off of your trophy kills!” Temperance, now craving the fresh venison promised, spoke up and said to her dear Colt, “Honey, there's not one of us here that doesn't know that Lightning Colt Mathews is one of the fastest guns alive when facing down a desperate and hardened man, but when it comes to bringing the venison home, Darling, that's best left to someone who knows how!” Everyone was laughing so hard at what Temperance said, they couldn't make out the inaudible stream of profanity by Colt that followed such a joyous and honest revelation.
Pale Horse waved goodbye to his friends, and made his way for the tree-line just off to their right. As he was making his way towards the woods, both of the girls couldn't resist taking their verbal jabs at Colt concerning his lackluster hunting skills. The truth being, Colt was a fine hunter and one helluva marksman, it just seemed that whenever he would venture off into the woods to do some hunting, all the game within would somehow disappear, leaving him to return empty handed. Rather than playing their game, he rode ahead just out of earshot so he wouldn't have to listen to their chiding. Of course, this made the girls laugh even harder as they would speed up to close the distance between them, and he would spur Biscuit on again to get away from them. The game went on between them for nearly an hour, when Colt recognized the loud booming signature of the 50calibur rifle that his friend carried, and in this instance, had no doubt found the deer he was hunting for.
“Sounds like venison is on the menu!”, he said as the girls had heard the shot too. “How do you know that was Pale Horse's gun and not someone else ?” Temperance asked. “Just trust me Darling, I know the sound of that rifle cannon he carries!” She made a peculiar face, nose scrunched up with doubt, and then asked, “Well, say that was his rifle, How do you know he didn't miss ?” Colt, who was still riding yards ahead of the ladies, hollered back at Winter Crow and asked if she would like to answer the question. Winter Crow said aloud to him, “Sure.” Then looking over at her dear Temperance, she replied. “Because he doesn't miss!” “OK, I get it,” she said as she chuckled. Within half an hour of the shot heard, Pale Horse came riding out of the woods and into the clearing, headed for the others, with an 8 point buck cleanly gutted and loosely strapped across his saddle.
Reaching the town of Shattuck, just this side of the border of Texas, Colt informed the others he was going to stop in at the local saloon for a cold and frosty, and asked if any of the others were interested. Pale Horse declined, citing he was anxious to get the deer over the fire, and relax for the rest of the evening, but did remind him to keep an eye out for any of the scum they were looking for. Colt, doubting that any of the gang would be holed up here, nodded at his friend and replied, “Will do.” Winter Crow had no desire whatsoever to go into any town, especially if her brother wasn't going to be right there beside her, so she also respectfully declined. “I'll go with you,” exclaimed Temperance as she spurred her horse towards Colt. “A cold & frosty sounds mighty good right about now!” “We'll be just ahead outside of town, you'll see the fire,” he said in a raised voice to Colt as he watched his friends pull away and head for the saloon. “Alright, we'll meet you there shortly, we wont be long.”
Colt tied Biscuits reins to the railing outside of the 4 Spades saloon, and then tied up Temperance's also. “You know, walking in a place like this with such a pretty girl on my arm could be asking for trouble,” he said as she took his arm. “I'll stay right close to you Darling, don't you worry none.” she assured him as the batwings opened in front of them. “Thank you Mister,” said Colt, nodding politely and tipping his hat for the kindness shown. As they stepped just inside, Colt stopped, and routinely glanced around the room before he and the beautiful Temperance July walked the rest of the way in and headed straight for the bar. “Two of your coldest, barkeep, and keep 'em coming,” he said as he more carefully surveyed the bar for any of the outlaws described in the wanted posters he got from Sheriff Holcomb back in Oklahoma City. “That will be 4 bits Mister.” the barkeep said as he slid the two mugs of beer to them. Colt threw the money up on the bar, and as he reached over to draw Temperance closer to him, he noticed she was staring into the bar mirror, her face drained of life as if she had seen a ghost. “What is it Darling, Whats wrong?” Looking down at the bar, her hands shaking terribly, she whispered to him without lifting her head. “The man at the table right next to the piano, he's one of the men that hurt me and Winter Crow.” “Which one, July,?” “The guy in the blue shirt with the bandage on his arm with his back to theannounced to the party, “Tonight, we're having fresh venison and fine Irish whiskey!” This bit of refreshing news brought a smile to the girls piano!” Colt believed her, but before he took another mans life, he wanted to be positively sure that he was the one she said he was. He pulled out the wanted posters he had gotten from Sheriff Holcomb and began showing them to her. As he showed her the 3rd one, she stopped him and said with tears welling up in her eyes, “I told you, it's him, It's him!” “Alright honey,” he said, as he reached up and placed his hand lovingly in the small of her back, pulling her into him, “ You stay right here, and I'll go take care of it.” Looking her in the face and feeling his gut twist because of the hurt he could see in her emerald green eyes, he softly kissed her, and reassured her “That everything would be alright.” He then told the bartender to get her a double shot of his best whiskey, And in that split second afterward, like the devil himself had taken over every vicious fiber of his being, Colt reached down and unstrapped his pistol as he walked over to the suspected mans table and positioned himself directly across from him. He pulled his peacemaker with his right hand, and holding the wanted poster up with his left out towards the outlaw to make more of a sarcastic point than a comparison, he said aloud, “Yeah, you were right honey, that's him.” The other men at the table looked up, and when they saw the gun being pointed wasn't at them, they wasted no time in clearing their winnings from the table and themselves from the line of fire. “Seems to me you got it all wrong, Mister, I don't know what you're talking 'bout, the vermin said as he took another swig from his last beer. “You best just be moving on and minding your own business,” the outlaw continued as he sat there stone faced and expressionless in front of the man accusing. “No Sir,” Colt said shaking his his head, “I got it right, Chris Forgason, It says right here, These posters don't lie, and even if I was a mite crossed-eyed or something, my fiance' don't have no trouble seeing, and she says its you, no doubt about it!” “What girlfriend are you talking about?”, “I ain't been cheating with nobody's girlfriends or wives in a long time,” he said chuckling and reaching for the remainder of his swill. At that very moment, Temperance July Merriweather stepped out from behind the wide shouldered Colt and asked the verminous scum as she leaned forward close enough to smell the stale beer foulness of his putrid breath., “Do you remember me?” The outlaws eyes got wide and the twisted smile disappeared from his face as he recognized her and lowered his now empty mug slowly to the table, realizing he was mere moments from standing at the gates of hell, just like his momma always said he would. Rather than be apologetic and trying to save his life, knowing everything he had done to her, he chose to go