The Judge's Daughter

FOUR

Ellie sat next to Austin on the seat of his wagon. Although taking their horses would get them to their destination faster, Austin explained that by taking the wagon, they wouldn't have to stop at an inn for the night. She wasn't too sure she wanted to sleep in the back of the wagon with him. Austin Tanner was too good-looking for his own good, and she needed to stop thinking of him that way. They were working on a case together, and that was all. Their relationship would only be as friends.

As they were leaving Wyoming, he told her about some of his cases. Ellie was amazed at how well he did his job. He was skilled with a gun, along with a sword. She remembered watching him and Ted McQueen fight early this morning, and she must admit, Austin was very talented with his fists, as well. She felt much safer with him now.

She realized he had a nice laugh. His baritone voice was relaxing yet, mesmerizing. Between that and his brilliant blue eyes, she found herself aflutter quite often. Then, when she realized she was staring at him in that way, she quickly shook herself out of the stupor.

"I was cornered," Austin continued the story he'd been telling here when she drifted off in admiration of his handsome looks. "Robert Conrad came at me slowly with the largest knife I'd ever seen."

Ellie tried to recall what he'd been telling her about. Oh, yeah. Robert Conrad was the bank robber who also killed his hostages.

"My gun had no more bullets. All I had left were my wits, and believe me, at that moment, I was sharpening them up as fast as I could."

She chuckled lightly over the analogy.

"He stopped in front of me, grinning like a fool. I'm sure Conrad thought he would kill him a bounty hunter, and I tried very hard not to think that way, too. Then, he raised the knife. The steel of the blade gleamed from the sun coming through the window. All I could think of was—"

A gunshot ripped through the air, sounding very close. Ellie cried out and ducked, not quite knowing where the shooter was. With so many trees around, the shooter could be anywhere.

Austin grumbled and reached for his rifle. "Take the reins and make these horses fly."

With shaky hands, she took the reins and whipped them. The horses took off running. She tried to watch the road instead of Austin, but she could tell he was carefully scanning the trees.

"Come on," he said irritably. "Show yourself, you fool."

"There's a right turn up ahead," she told him, bracing herself to move with the sharp turn.

Another shot rang through the air, coming from somewhere in the trees. Austin jerked his rifle in a different direction and fired. Ellie held her breath, hoping to hear him say that he'd got the other person. But Austin said nothing. That wasn't very encouraging.

From inside the trees came another gunshot, but it sounded farther away, thankfully.

As they came to the turn in the road, she slowed the horses slightly. She leaned against Austin. He dropped the rifle by his feet before gripping the seat with one hand and wrapping a secure arm around her waist. Ellie held the reins tightly, praying that the turn didn't flip the wagon.

Finally, the road straightened, and Ellie breathed a relieved sigh. At least they'd passed one obstacle. Of course, the other one was shooting at them, so she wondered how easily they'd get past that one.

"You did good, Ellie." Austin released her and picked up the rifle again. He climbed in the back of the wagon. "Keep those horses going as fast as they can run."