Page 16

Blaze pulled his horse to a stop, and the others followed suit.

The couple inside should be able to hear him.

“We mean no harm!” he called out. “We are just traveling through here on our way to Granite Wash Pass.” He waited to see if the man would respond, but he didn’t.

After a moment, he added, “My name is Blaze Levi. The man next to me is Zeke Ritter. Zeke is a deputy. I’m a ranch owner.

We are escorting a married couple and their sister through this territory.

We don’t wish for any unpleasantness. Please, come out so we know you won’t harm us as we pass through here. ”

A long moment passed before he caught sight of a movement.

His gaze went to a small hole that was in the right corner of the shack.

He blinked in surprise. The man hadn’t moved from the window.

Unless there was someone else in there they hadn’t seen, then the woman had to be pointing a gun at them from that hole.

A second later, the man retreated from the window.

The horse under Blaze shifted, but he steadied it.

He didn’t sense danger. Not yet, anyway.

He glanced at Zeke, who took a deep breath.

Zeke kept his gun on his lap. Good. That was exactly what he needed to do.

It was nice to know Zeke wasn’t going to act in haste.

Already, he had improved considerably from the time Blaze had met him.

The door of the place opened, and a man covered with a hat and a duster stepped onto the porch.

Blaze tried to make out the man’s features, but the hat hung too low over his face.

Without a word, he waved for them to pass through the area.

Then he placed his rifle against the rail of the porch and took a step away from it.

Blaze understood the man’s silent message. He was letting them know they were safe to pass, but if they lifted their guns, he would start shooting. Blaze gave him a nod. “Thank you.”

He urged his horse to move forward. Zeke hesitated to join him but, with an uneasy sigh, did.

“Can we ask for some water?” Lucas asked Blaze.

Blaze wanted to keep his eye on the man, so he didn’t look over at Lucas as he said, “I’m sure there’s a watering hole up ahead.

We need to keep going.” Blaze continued to lead them far enough from the shack so as not to startle the man, but he also had to be close enough to see the man’s hand in case he reached for the rifle.

“I don’t think it would hurt to ask for water,” Zeke whispered to Blaze as they slowly made their way in front of the shack. “This couple has a big well over there. It’s impossible to know when we’ll get another watering hole in this desert.”

Blaze let out a sigh then stopped his horse.

Taking a risk he usually didn’t, he slipped his gun into his holster then faced the man and lifted his hands.

“I hate to impose on you, but my friend over here,” he nodded toward Lucas, “is almost out of water. If you’ll allow him to go to your well, we’ll keep our hands up so you know we won’t do something we shouldn’t. ” He gave Zeke an expectant look.

Zeke jerked then hurried to put his gun in its holster. He lifted his hands up. Lucas, Gail, and Bernadette did likewise.

“I’m the one who wants the water,” Lucas said, though Blaze was certain the man had already figured that out.

The man gestured that Lucas could go to the well.

Despite the tension in the air, Lucas slid off of his horse then handed Gail the reins.

He collected his two canteens then asked Bernadette and Gail if they wanted more water, to which Bernadette gave him one of her canteens.

Blaze watched the whole process and hoped the man wouldn’t get impatient with them.

Lucas wasn’t exactly moving fast. Since Blaze didn’t see any indication that the man was getting annoyed with him, he scanned the area around them.

There was no one else nearby. The shack was stuck in the middle of nowhere.

What kind of couple thought this was a good place for settling down and having a family?

Lucas lumbered over to the well and lowered the pail down.

Zeke’s horse shifted, and Zeke hurried to quiet the steed down.

A fly buzzed by Blaze’s head, but he didn’t move in case he startled the man.

Even if the man had a gun, he had to be wary with strangers passing through, especially given the fact that there was a woman to protect.

Blaze glanced Lucas’ way and saw him bring up the pail.

He unscrewed the cap of the first canteen then set it on the edge of the well so he could start filling the canteen with water.

Blaze caught a movement on the ledge of the well.

It was from Lucas’ right. Blaze focused in on the thing and saw it was a tan scorpion.

The only reason he noticed it was that it moved.

Lucas noticed it, too, because he let out a shriek and dropped the canteen and pail.

A gunshot echoed through the air, and a bullet sent the scorpion flying off into the distance.

Blaze reined in his horse since the gunshot startled it.

In one swift motion, he reached for his gun and drew it out.

But he didn’t need to shoot. The man had lowered the gun.

And in that moment, Blaze got a good look at his face.

Or rather…

Her face.

Blaze’s eyes grew wide. He placed the gun back in his holster.

Ignoring Zeke, who went over to help Lucas pick up the canteens he’d dropped, Blaze turned his full attention to the woman.

She was making an attempt to lower the hat back down, but it was too late.

His gaze went to the doorway of the shack.

There was no one moving around in there.

If there was someone in there, the person would have reacted to the gunshot.

Blaze slowly made his way over to the porch, making sure he kept his hands where the woman could see them.

She was an excellent shot. One of the best he’d ever seen, given how small that scorpion was.

Her reflexes were swift, too. Had he not been trained to act so quickly, he would have missed the fact that they were dealing with a woman instead of a man.

As he approached, she stepped back. She was holding her rifle, but she didn’t have it raised.

She didn’t want to hurt them. She just didn’t want them to hurt her.

Blaze’s attention went to the open doorway. He didn’t see anyone, but he did see an object that was in the shape of a person lying on the floor.

“Don’t get any closer,” the woman warned.

He came to a stop then directed his gaze to her. “That was an impressive shot, ma’am. Mind if I ask what your name is?”

“I’m not telling you anything until you tell me who the other three people in your group are and why you’re heading for Granite Wash Pass.”

The corner of his lips curled up into a smile.

She was quick with a gun and quick with her brain.

He liked that. “The man wanting water from the well is Lucas Reid. The brunette is his wife, Gail. The blonde is his sister, Bernadette. We are on our way to find Lee and Wilson. We have it on good authority that those two bandits are heading for Quartzsite. The quickest way to get there is to go through Granite Wash Pass.”

“Why would all of you be chasing down bandits? Are you hoping to get the reward?”

“No, ma’am. We just want to make Arizona safer for women and children. These men need to be brought to justice.”

“Well, when you get them, I want you to bring Wilson James Davis here.”

His eyebrows furrowed. This woman knew Wilson? “Why would I do that?”

“Because he’s my baby brother, and I want to look him straight in the eye and tell him what a miserable disappointment he is to our family. I’d take the opportunity to shoot him myself if I could.”

Blaze noted the determined expression on her face and saw how much she detested her brother.

He’d heard of Faye Davis, Wilson’s older sister.

This was the first time he saw her. She was older than Bernadette.

Mid-thirties if he judged right, but that fact didn’t get in the way of how beautiful she was.

Her figure was hidden by the duster, but he bet it was just as good as the rest of her.

His gaze went back to the doorway of the shack.

There was no one in there. She was out here all by herself.

That made sense, given who her brother was.

She’d been clever enough to make him and Zeke believe she had a man protecting her.

This was not a woman who backed down from a confrontation, and she knew how to take care of herself despite the odds stacked against her.

For the first time he could remember, words failed him.

He’d never been more intrigued by anyone in his entire life.