The Outrider (Redbourne Series #5 - Will's Story) by Kelli Ann Morgan Read Free Book Online Page B

target. The two fighting men had worked
their way down a little slope to the bottom of a small gulley.
    Will held his gun on the man who had attacked
him.
    It was only a matter of minutes before his
brother climbed back up the hill, his bounty incapacitated and strung over his
shoulder. When he reached the top, he placed two fingers in his mouth and
whistled.
    Will turned to see Lexa, Rafe’s large, strawberry
roan mare, running along the ridge of the ravine until she reached the small
clearing just a few feet from their position, kicking up dirt in front of him
and shaking her head with a neigh.
    “Where did you come fro…?” His question trailed
as Rafe shouted directions at him.
    “Will, get my bag,” his brother urged. He quickly
lashed the subdued attendant to the axle of the stagecoach, along with his
cohort, and rushed to the side of the dying man.
    “Lexa, girl!” Will said, reaching up to rub the
mare’s face. “It’s good to see you, my old friend,” he said, sliding his hands
over her back and to the saddle bag where he thought Rafe would keep his curative
bag. His brother had attended medical school for years before an unfortunate
incident caused him to deviate from his course to become one of the most feared
and revered bounty hunters in the territory.
    Will retrieved the sleek black leather bag by its
handles and hurried back to where Otis lay lifeless on the ground. “Is he…” he
couldn’t formulate the rest of the words.
    “No,” Rafe said, reaching up for his bag. “He’s
just passed out. For now. But if we don’t remove the bullet straightway and
stop the blood, there will be no waking up.”
    “What can I do?” Will asked, feeling more
helpless than he had in a long time.
    Rafe looked up at him. “Hold him down.”
    Will had learned a long time ago not to second
guess Rafe. Otis certainly didn’t look like he was going anywhere, but he knelt
down next to the man and braced himself against his body.
    His brother pulled some long metal tweezers from
his bag, along with a bottle of liquid. He poured the disinfectant over the
wound, then gingerly slipped the prongs of the medical tool into the hole in
Otis’s shoulder. The man convulsed in pain, straining against Will, who used
every ounce of his strength to keep him as still as possible.
    “Got it,” Rafe said as he blew out a long breath,
holding up the blood-covered slug.
    Otis’s body went limp.
    “He’ll rest easier now,” Rafe assured him as he
pulled a familiar white poultice from his bag and applied it to the stage
driver’s wound.
    Their mother’s salve worked wonders on all sorts
of injuries and Will had no doubt that it would help stave off infection and
aid in Otis’s recovery. Rafe pulled a roll of white gauze bandage from his bag,
binding the wound tightly. Finally satisfied that his patient was cared for, he
pulled himself into a standing position.
    “You did good, little brother,” he said as he hauled
Will into a tight hug.
    “It’s good to see you, Rafe.” Will clapped his
brother on the back before pulling away. “How did you know I was out here?”
    “Didn’t.” He dusted his hands on the legs of his
trousers, trying to wipe the blood off of them. “I’ve been after this Kelton
McElvoy and his cohorts for weeks, and their trail led me here. Seems the good
Lord just knew you needed looking after today,” he said with a playful grin.
    “I’m glad you’re here.”
    “Me too.”
    “I’ve seen a lot of things in my days on the
trail, but never anything like that,” Sven said with admiration as he stepped
in between the two men. “So, you’re Rafe, the bounty hunter brother? I’ve heard
a lot about you.”
    Rafe extended his hand, one brow raised as he
looked at Will.
    “Sven,” the Norwegian offered awkwardly. The two
men were of similar heights, but somehow his brother still seemed bigger than
life.
    “You coming home?” Will asked, knowing his mother
would appreciate seeing her