“Over my dead body,” Dovie said.

“Funny you mention that,” Gaines said. “Especially in light of what befell the previous Mrs. Shipley. I was in town the night she had her ‘accident.’ I remember it was a rather peculiar affair. Almost looked like she fell down those stairs twice.”

Deputy Moss rode back with Gaines’s horse in tow. Gaines put on his hat and mounted.

“You ladies have a fine afternoon,” he said as they rode off. “I’ll be seeing you around, Idelle. You can be sure of that.”

“Hope you enjoyed the pie,” Idelle called out after him.

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“All right, boys,” Captain Franchard addressed his Rangers. “I ain’t gonna lie to you. There’s more’n thirty Comancheros down in that gulch. Could be as many as forty. Them ain’t favorable odds.”

“When have we ever faced a square deck?” a Ranger chuckled.

“They’re holding eleven women and girls,” Franchard continued. “After they’ve had their way with those poor gals, they’re gonna sell what’s left of ’em to the Comanche. That don’t sit well with me. I’m fixin’ to ride down there and kill every one of them sons of bitches. Any of you Texans want to join me?”

Seventeen Rangers grinned as one. “What are we waitin’ for?” Pritchard asked.

“That’s what I thought,” Franchard said. “Mount up, boys. You care to lead us, Atherton?”

“Might as well,” another Ranger chuckled, playfully punching Pritchard in the shoulder. “Smokin’ Joe is the biggest target we’ve got. He might draw some of the lead offen the rest of us.” The others laughed.

“Be glad to, Captain,” Pritchard said with a smile, tipping his hat to his compadres.

“Aim careful,” Franchard cautioned as the Rangers climbed into their saddles. “I don’t want none of them womenfolk hit.”

Pritchard guided Rusty to the head of the column and drew his Henry carbine from its scabbard.

“Follow me, boys!” he yelled, and spurred the big Morgan.

Eighteen experienced, battle-hardened, Texas Rangers bore down into the wash at full gallop. The Comancheros were dismounted and bunched up, their attention focused on something on the ground the Rangers couldn’t see. The captive women were bound and seated in a group, twenty feet away from them.

When the Comancheros saw and heard the column of horsemen bearing down on them, they broke and went for their rifles and pistols.

The Rangers closed in, with Pritchard at the head of the pack. The Comancheros panicked. Typically the raiders, they weren’t accustomed to being raided themselves. They fired wildly at the mounted gunmen descending upon them with little effect.

The Rangers were savvy-enough guerrilla fighters to know that accuracy from horseback, whether from a rifle or pistol, was nearly impossible unless at point-blank range. Despite the bullets flying in their direction, they held their fire to a man until Pritchard led them right into the Comancheros’ makeshift camp.