Cherry Springs

Chapter 17

 That crazy girl, Duke, thought, one minute there is something between us. Next minute, she's yelling at him, and there's nothing to be done. He understood that was a big crack in her case, and he desperately wanted to help her. It hurt him so much that he couldn't help her in that moment, to run with her to stop Belle. She didn't even understand how much he cared.

Well, fine. She hurt me again, he thought.

She will leave this town anyway, with her brother found, and Belle brought to justice. The Belle ranch will close. He suspected she'd go on home to her family after this. What was he thinking?

There was no way this was going to work out.

Silly thinking. Never will, make that slip again.

His feelings were getting out of hand, caring for someone when there was never any chance. And now she was riding out with him again. There she was, her hair in the wind. I have to stop looking at her.

He was torn, between making her happy and his duty to the cattle and community. Well, at least he could protect her. Then he could let her go. Even if it hurt him to do it. Maybe things were better off that way.

Then why did his heart ache so much at the thought of it? He pushed the feelings down. There were more pressing and immediate matters to deal with now.

Anna rode at his side as they crossed into the hills. They found the sheriff and a good dozen other men at the hilltop.

"Howdy, boys, let's get 'em!" they cried out excitedly.

"Yeah, we're ready!"

Anna was panting from the ride and seemed desperate to get to the sheriff first. "Sheriff!" she exclaimed. "Belle murdered my brother and another man, they are buried behind the ranch house in the woods."

"You don't say, missy," said the Sheriff. "Let the menfolk deal with the rustlers, and then you can tell me all about it. Right now, stay back 'cause this may get dangerous. Let's go, boys!" The Sheriff waved his troop on, and they whooped as they went to roust the rustlers.

With a dozen men, armed with rifles and pistols, their troop rushed on, following Duke toward the rustlers. Anna checked for the pistol Duke had lent her but figured with the well-armed posse surrounding them.

"Here they are, caught red-handed," growled Duke, his heart pounding in his chest.

They galloped over a copse in the woods and came upon five well-armed men cutting the fence. Cattle were lowing and being herded through the gap.

"Cut off their escape route! Bob, you head that way!" called the Sheriff.

Duke pulled out his rifle. "I got this," he shouted.

This time, Anna stayed by his side, a little behind him. Perhaps she was learning a bit of caution since the accident last time. It didn't help his pounding adrenaline feel much better, though. Duke knew his job. He halted his horse so he could get an accurate shot off at range this time.

He aimed and fired, the first man fell off the horse. Two others stopped their fence cutting and drew their revolvers to fire at the posse. Bullets whistled by her and Duke as the rustlers filled the air with lead. "Get down, damn it!" he cried in the chaos. "You crazy girl, you are going to get hurt! Take cover!"

Duke returned fire, pinning down the rustlers behind the shelter of a rock formation. A stalemate ensued with neither party wanting to expose themselves. Duke pushed her down, out of the line of fire when suddenly, from the top of the hill, three more rustlers came riding hell for leather with the sheriff and the posse behind them.

"Alright, boys, we got you outnumbered, and you are caught red-handed. Come out with your hands up," shouted the Sheriff.

The rustlers fired back, but the rock outcropping only gave them shelter from Duke, and two were picked off by the posse's crossfire from the other side.

A white undershirt flapped over the rocks.

"Okay, we are coming out without our guns." Four men limped out with their hands in the air. They were all wounded on some part of their body, and one body lay slumped on the ground. The posse rode up and tied their hands behind their backs and started to herd them back to town.

"Great work, Duke; you kept them from getting away. These are dangerous men; they know that hanging is the penalty for rustling and would not surrender unless they would get killed instead."

He was impressed by how cool Anna had been under pressure. She did not have conniptions in the face of gunfire like most women would.

As they rode back, Anna spoke up again. "This is not the only criminal we need to bring in today."