Monument Rock (Ss) (1998) by Louis L'amour Read Free Book Online Page B

a slab of bread and began to butter it, ignoring the biscuits. H e looked at Talon, his mouth full and chewing, then the chewing slowed and Jones looke d thoughtful. "Maybe they turned off," he suggested lamely.
    "To where? This is a big, empty country." Talon lit his cigarette. "Remember hi s advice? To keep riding for Carson? He sounded like he didn't want us to stop thi s side of there."
    "So?"
    "So we've stopped . . . and this might be the place he didn't want us to stop."
    "I don't figure it... what you gettin' at?"
    "These women are scared about something, and this is the loneliest stage stop i n the country . . . and back along the trail we meet three very handy men riding horse s no cowhand could afford, horses with speed and staying quality."
    "You think they were outlaws? I noticed them horses."
    "What else?"
    Jones stared at him thoughtfully. "Talon," he said carefully, "you ride a might y fine horse yourself. One with speed and staying quality."
    Talon smiled. "That's right," he said quietly.
    Ruth collected the dishes. "Do you plan to make Carson tonight? You can do it i f you push right along."
    "You wouldn't be trying to get rid of us, would you?" Talon smiled at her. "I don' t think you women should be here alone with Dan Burnett laid up."
    Ruth almost dropped the dishes. She turned sharply, but Kate spoke from the kitchen. "Dan may be laid up, but I'm not. You ride out o f here, both of you!"
    Jones put his cup down hard and stared at her, his fat jowls quivering. "Now, look a here-!" he started to protest.
    "Get!... Get goin'!"
    Talon picked up the coffeepot and refilled his cup. "Like I said, you're going t o need help. Especially with a gold shipment on that coach."
    Jones turned to stare at him, astonished. But Kate Breslin walked on into the room , and she had Burnett's Remington in her fist. "You know about that, do you? That mean s you're what I figured you were. You get goin', mister."
    "What else would keep you scared?" Talon asked mildly. "Only that you were afrai d of something happening while Dan's laid up."
    "We'll handle that.... Ride!"
    Suddenly there was a rush of horses in the yard, and Talon said, "Now you'll reall y need me. Those riders are the worst kind of trouble."
    "Don't give me that!" Kate said, but she hesitated, lowering the gun a little.
    "There's three men, Kate," Ruth said.
    The door opened and the three men from the Indian fight came into the room. The gunma n leading them stopped and his expression hardened when he saw Talon and Jones. "Yo u should have kept going," he said. "We told you."
    "Tracey, isn't it?" Talon asked the bearded man. "And you," he said to the gunman , "are Lute Robeck."
    "That's right." Robeck walked to the bar and picked up a bottle.
    "That's two bits a shot," Kate said.
    "Shut up." Robeck merely glanced at her.
    Kate started to speak, then tightened her lips and was still; her eyes went fro m face to face and she walked back to the door of the bedroom and stood there, waiting.
    She knew all about Robeck . . . the man was known to be a gunman, a killer, a rustler , and occasional robber of payrolls at outlying mines. Tracey, too, was a known man.
    Her eyes went to Talon. Who was he? What was he?
    "Well," Robeck said, "you're here, and the stage is due in a couple of hours, s o you'll stay, right here, until we're ready for you."
    "Lute," Jones said, "you'd better take Talon's gun. I don't know who he is, but he' s too smart."
    "Let him have it," Robeck said. "It may give me an excuse to kill him."
    Talon glanced at Jones. "So you're one of them?"
    "Sure." Jones smiled. "I worked for the mining company until they got a good shipmen t ready. No use pulling holdups when there's no cash coming; we just wait until w e know they've got it. Like now."
    The dark outlaw who had said nothing loitered in a corner of the room almost beyon d Talon's view. There were four of them now, four to one. "Watch that Breslin woman,"
    Jones said. "She's got Burnett's